Signs of Spring

My 3' x 5' strawberry bed. It was overflowing with
plants last year, but I have high hopes for their recovery.

    Our local weather has definitely been the topic of many conversations this last month. After the many inches of snow in January, we had an unseasonable warm spell last week. For about five days, we had gorgeous sun and mid - high 50s here. I saw many people working in their yards and it definitely put a bounce in everyone's step. I decided to go out and work on clearing out my strawberry patch. Last summer, the deer came and ate every green leaf out of the patch and I was sure I would have to start over from scratch this year. I started clearing, in one small patch and soon realized that buried under the weeds was a strawberry plant. I then changed tactics and used a little more care with what I was pulling out. Happily as I cleared more and more, I saw that my strawberries did survive that seemingly decimating blow last year. They are definitely a bit worse for the wear and not nearly as plentiful as they were at the beginning of spring last year, but giving them a nice year of tender - loving - care this year and keeping the deer away will hopefully be enough for them to fully recover.
 
    As the sun brought out lighter spirits, it also ignited my desire to get back into the kitchen. I recently have joined Pinterest and am delighted by the wide variety of items that appear on my page throughout the day. On Pinterest, I saw this recipe for Peanut Butter Bars and I made them one evening for dessert. I didn't really like how they weren't very 'solid' at room temperature and the amount of sugar also made me cringe a bit, so I decided to revamp them to be a bit more of a healthy dessert. I also made them more bite-sized by molding them in my mini-muffin tin, which also made the application of the chocolate a lot simpler. Without telling my kids they were a healthier version, I sent them to school in their lunchboxes for dessert. Rave reviews at the end of the day, they never would have guessed I had even changed the recipe. Here is the revised recipe, which (depending on your ingredients) is gluten-free and refined sugar free and packed with protein and vitamins. Below the recipe are suggestions for dairy-free or ingredient substitutes.


Hidden Health Peanut Butter Bites
[Printable Recipe]


1 c (179 g) creamy peanut butter
3 Tbsp (55 g) agave nectar
1/2 c (42 g) dry milk powder
2 Tbsp (12 g) ground flax seed
1/4 c (23 g) quinoa flakes
1 c (31 g) rice crispies


4 - 8 oz semisweet chocolate chips, separated


In a medium sized bowl, mix the first five ingredients, until well combined. Add rice crispies and mix with your hands until the rice crispies are fully incorporated and you have a crumbly mix that will just hold together when squeezed in your hand. Form 24 small balls of dough, approximately 1/2 Tbsp each. Flatten each to the size of a silver dollar.

       

Muffin tin with chocolate in bottom of
each cup and 24 balls of mixture

Flattened Peanut Butter Balls,
approximately silver dollar sized.

    In a microwave safe bowl, melt 4 oz of chocolate chips in the microwave on 30 second bursts, stirring in between, until fully melted; about 1 1/2 minutes. In a silicone mini-muffin tin or using waxed cupcake liners (or waxed paper cut to fit), spread approximately 1/2 tsp of chocolate in the bottom of each cup. Press each flattened peanut butter ball into the chocolate. You can refrigerate at this point or you can melt the remaining 4 oz of chocolate chips and put a thin layer of chocolate on top each cup, creating a sandwich of chocolate, peanut butter and chocolate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm. Remove from muffin tin and wrap in waxed paper. Store in the refrigerator.


    These work really well in lunch boxes, but I would not put them in with a warm lunch or in a bag where the chocolate would melt. They are solid at room temperature, but I recommend storing in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them or pack them in your bag for a quick snack during the day.


Yield: 24 mini muffin bites


NOTE: To make dairy-free, try replacing the milk powder with equal amounts of dry milk powder, rice flour or garbanzo flour. If you can't find the quinoa flakes you can substitute gluten-free quick oats, though you may have to decrease the amount or add a bit of melted coconut oil to help bind the ingredients.

Thanksgiving Preparations

Now that Halloween has passed us by and we are surviving on the candy of our children, it is time to start thinking ahead to the next holidays that are swiftly approaching. Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving has always been about those amazing flavors of traditional feasts past and in the past we have enjoyed many dinners at my parents' house and also at my in-laws' house. I'm finding though, that having such an eclectic variety of foods that are on my 'Don't Eat' list, that 95% of the foods that I have come to associate with this holiday are no longer safe for me to eat. Last year was an adventure of new flavors, but without gluten this year, Thanksgiving seems like it just won't be the same. Some adjusting will have to be done.

My mother-in-law is a terrific baker and loves to make the pies for Thanksgiving dessert. Last year, with pumpkin no longer acceptable for me, she took on the challenge and created a delicious butternut squash pie, that tasted just as a pumpkin pie should. This year, she has requested that I provide her with a gluten-free pie crust recipe, so that she can recreate this tasty delight for me. I'm not a pie baker and have only made 1-2 pie crusts from scratch my entire life. I know many people would say that I am missing out, but pie crust remains one of those elusive baking feats that I have yet to master. I know the techniques and mechanics, but have yet to create that flaky, dreamy crust that people beg for. However, that being said, I needed to create something and make sure the flavors worked together, before sending the recipe off to my mother-in-law, for her to perform her magic with, to result in a dreamy pie for my Thanksgiving dessert.

So when I realized this morning that I needed to use the left-over apples that I had sent to school with Little Bigfoot for her Halloween party, I decided that I would try again with pie crust and make some apple tarts. I changed my mind right at the end and instead used my jumbo muffin tins to create mini apple pies, but the crust tastes good and I know my mother-in-law will find the right magic to make it a delight. Here is the recipe I used:


Gluten-Free Pie Crust for Apple Pie
Adapted from GlutenFreeGirl.com
[Printable Recipe]

40 g Coconut Flour
40 g Amaranth Flour
60 g Millet Flour
79 g Oat Flour
79 g Tapioca Flour
65 g Teff Flour
96 g Arrowroot
51 g Sweet Rice Flour
2 tsp Xanthan Gum
¼ tsp Guar Gum
½ tsp kosher salt
5 Tbsp Frozen butter, grated
4 Tbsp Frozen shortening, grated
1 large egg
6 – 8 Tbsp cold water (or enough to bind dough)
   
Combine all dry ingredients thoroughly. Add in frozen butter & shortening and blend with fingers until you achieve a sandy consistency. Mix in egg and then gradually add water until you have a smooth dough. Divide in half and roll out  ¼” thick. Place first crust in an 8" pie pan. Repeat rolling instructions with other half. Make filling below. 

Filling:

6 c Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled & chopped

112 g brown sugar

38 g white sugar

2 Tbsp Arrowroot

1 Tbsp Coconut Oil

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp allspice

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, making sure the coconut oil is well distributed throughout. Pour filling into pie crust, top with remaining crust. Crimp edges and cut several vent holes in the top. Bake 20 minutes or until the filling is bubbling well. Cool, cut and serve.

Yield: 1 Double Crust 8" Pie or 6 Mini Pies

The crust recipe took quite a bit more water than the recipe calls for. I'm not sure if this is due to the different flours (that I substituted) or some other unknown factor. Be sure to use enough water to achieve a smooth dough that does not crack when it is rolled out.

Candy and Knitting

As my blog name suggests, I do knit, usually more than a bit, but there hasn't been much proof of that on here so far. I've been working hard on my daughter's new school bag, but it is a bit monotonous. So while it is progressing very slowly, but I don't really feel like I should work on much of anything else, since I promised her I'd get it done 'quickly'. Luckily I have one other obligation that always takes precedence, to break up the monotony, since it is a time-sensitive project.

I belong to the Snohomish Knitters Guild and last year I designed a square a month for the members (pattern available on Ravelry.com here), which ended as a complete afghan. Even though I have switched roles in the guild, I got the okay to go ahead with another pattern series for the new guild year (October - September). To build on the knit & purl squares that we did last year, I choose to do textured squares using increases and decreases. Sort of building on your skills type of thing. Since the guild meeting is tonight, I had to finish the square, write the pattern and photograph it before tonight. Just finished everything this morning, though it was a possibly close call, since we were without power here until almost 8 am (wasn't sure why or when it would be back on). Here is this month's square, the pattern is available free to guild members or you can also join the knit-a-long on Ravelry for $5.00 (receiving a pattern update every month).

I also tried a new fudge recipe that my knitting friend and guild president shared with me last week. It is an extremely simple recipe with the potential to be dairy-free, egg-free & gluten-free, depending on the ingredients you use. I love to collect shaped silicon ice-cube trays and used them to mold the fudge into pumpkin shapes since it is Halloween this month (though the fudge had no chance of lasting that long). I also made a half batch which perfectly filled two ice-cube trays (another great reason to have a scale in your kitchen). Here is the recipe, such as it is.

Two Ingredient Fudge
related to me by Barb Simonds
[Printable Recipe]

1 - 12 oz package of semi-sweet (or other flavored) chocolate chips
1 - 16 oz can of prepared frosting
butter or vegetable shortening

Butter the molds or a 9" x 9" square pan. Melt chocolate chips in a medium sized bowl in the microwave, using 30 second bursts on medium power, stirring in between each heating cycle. Stir in the frosting, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom to thoroughly incorporate both ingredients. Microwave for 30 seconds on medium power once more (to make fudge pourable). Pour/spoon into molds or pan & smooth out. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes or until firm. Unmold or cut into squares. Store in refrigerator.

The wonderful thing about this recipe is that you can choose any flavors to mix together, you could also make your frosting with your favorite recipe and use that instead of the store bought brands.

Early Morning Baking

Every weekday morning at my house starts at 5:00 am. My oldest daughter (DragonNight) needs to catch the bus for school at 6:30, my husband (the Redneck) leaves the house before 6:00 am for work and my youngest (Little Bigfoot) must catch the bus by 7:30. This means I'm up organizing and making sure that everyone has what they need, to help them be successful through the day. It is also a time where I often can get some knitting time in, as the kids are eating or between buses. I sometimes use this time to do fresh baking for their lunches. I find I often have more inclination and energy to do this first thing in the morning, than I have in the evenings, which are often full of homework or meetings.


My favorite thing to bake first thing in the morning are my Easy Peanut Butter cookies, but since only one of the girls like those, unless I'm planning on baking 2 different items in the morning, I often need other ideas. It is often difficult to bake one dessert item that both the girls will like; one is addicted to chocolate, but doesn't like anything crunchy, the other one doesn't mind crunchy but isn't that fond of chocolate and doesn't like peanut butter. Neither one is fond of oatmeal cookies and only tolerate sugar cookies in order to decorate them. *Yes, I have very particular children who know what they don't want, seldom do they know what they do want though.* This morning I decided that I was tired of cookies and so scanned my Hershey's Cocoa Cookbook ©1969 for a cake or brownie recipe and found this one (see below). It had a minimal amount of flour, so I decided to try it gluten-free so that I would be able to enjoy a bite or two before the girls eat them all. I'm going to try another batch later today using coconut oil and egg substitutes to see how they turn out to make it a true allergy friendly treat. I'll update you with those results later, for now, here is the recipe for Quick & Easy Brownie Bites.

Quick & Easy Brownie Bites

Adapted by Tandy Imhoff from Hershey’s Cocoa Cookbook

[Printable Recipe]

½ c melted butter or vegetable oil

201 g (1 c) sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

20 g Tapioca Starch/Flour

48 g Brown Rice Flour

32 g (⅓ c) cocoa

¾ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

Preheat oven 350°. Grease 24 mini-muffin tins or a 9 x 9 baking pan. Blend butter/oil, sugar and vanilla well, in a medium mixing bowl. Add eggs and beat well with a spoon. In a separate bowl, combine flours, cocoa, baking powder & salt. Gradually add flour mixture to egg mixture, mix until well blended. Gently spoon batter into muffing tin, filling ⅔ full. Bake in pre-heated oven for 15 – 20 minutes or until they start to pull away from the edges or test done (toothpick method). Cool in pan, sprinkle with confectioner's sugar or frost as desired.

Yield: 20 - 24 mini brownie bites/16 cut squares

*You can substitute ½ c of all purpose flour for the Tapioca Starch & Brown Rice Flour if you are not gluten sensitive.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

My youngest loves Chocolate Chip cookies, and so I use this basic recipe with a few alterations. Over the last year or so, I've discovered that I love cooking by weight measurements. It is so simple to put the bowl onto the scale and just start dumping and pouring directly into it. It feels very freeing, though you can't tell by the results. It also cuts down dramatically on dishes, since you are no longer using multiple measuring cups to do the measuring for you. Cooking by weight also gives me an accurate standard to work with, when I wish to change the recipe slightly to improve this or that. With this cookie recipe, I adapted it to try to decrease the amount of spread on the cookie. So I decreased the amount of shortening and replaced the egg with the baking soda substitute. I also added a bit of graham flour to it to add another flavor dimension and a bit of healthiness to them.


I learned to cook by measurements, last year, when my family and I started working with food allergies and adapting recipes to our particular needs. Now it is second nature to pull out the scale when I'm making biscuits, cookies or anything else requiring more than a tsp or Tbsp of the necessary ingredient. I compiled a list of common baking ingredients by weight and have it taped to the inside of the cupboard near where I do my mixing. This makes it incredibly easy to adapt recipes as I go and ensures that I'll get the same results every time.


While I am the only member of my family that needs to eat gluten-free foods, I find that I still enjoy baking the 'glutened' goods for the kids. It really helps me to not cheat on my 'diet' when I know that sneaking a bit of the cookie or cake will have more drastic consequences than just to my waist line.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from The Pillsbury Cookbook
[Printable Recipe]

¾ c (165 g) packed brown sugar

½ c (100 g) sugar

½ c butter

¼ c (52 g) shortening (Spectrum)

1 ½ tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking powder

1 ½ Tbsp vegetable oil

1 ½ Tbsp water

½ c (50 g) whole wheat graham flour

1 ¼ c (168 g) all purpose white flour

1 tsp baking soda

 ½ tsp salt

1 c (6 oz) chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, beat brown sugar, sugar, butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, baking powder, oil and water and beat 30 – 60 seconds longer. Mix in graham flour, white flour, baking soda and salt. Gently mix in chocolate chips.

Drop by ½ Tbsps onto parchment lined cookie sheet (dark works best). Bake in pre-heated oven for 8 – 10 minutes (9 minutes) or until light golden brown. Let cool 1-2 minutes and remove to cooling rack to finish cooling. Repeat with remaining batter.

Yield: 2 dozen + cookies