Corn bread

Today was a top 10 day in Seattle. The cloudless day and warm breeze made it feel like we were in the middle of summer, not savoring the last day of summer.  Summer has not even ended and we are looking ahead to cooler days. Were we not just looking forward to the long days of summer? What is it about the moment the weather gets cooler chili and soup dance through our mouths? 

When I heard the weather report for today the high was to be in upper 60's but the low about 46 degrees. I could already feel the weight and how it feels to snuggling in for the night  under my Grandma's quilt and an "extra" blanket as the night gets cooler. Suddenly I had an urge for Chili. You cannot eat chili without cornbread. 


I have never made GFCF cornbread but i was really pleased with how this turned. It was a big hit!

GLUTEN FREE CORNBREAD

Ingredients:1 cup white rice flour
2/3 cup stone-ground cornmeal
2 Tablespoons of sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 Cup plus 1 Tablespoon butter (divided)
2 beaten eggs
1 cup milk (reserve 1/4 Cup of milk to rinse out blender after pureed corn)
1/4 Cup of pureed sweet corn
1 Tablespoon melted butter

Directions:
* Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt) together in a medium size bowl and set aside.

* Melt the one tablespoon of butter in a 10 inch cast-iron skillet or 8/9 inch round baking pan in the oven. This takes about three minutes. Swirl the butter around the pan coating the bottom and sides. If you do not have a cast iron skillet, you may butter up a casserole dish.

* In a small bowl, combine the eggs, pureed corn, milk, and melted butter. Add this mixture all at once to the flour mixture and stir until just moistened. If it is too thin sprinkle a little cornmeal over top of mix.

Pour batter into the hot skillet or baking pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm.

Please note that if you are using a glass casserole dish time will vary.

Apple-Brown Sugar Coffee Cake

If only there was cybersmell. You too could be basking in the smell of cinnamon, baked apples, and brown sugar. The aroma is intoxicating! I am so excited that my family will awaken to the welcoming warm yumminess. Other than the smell of a warm coffee cake on the week-end there are not many other ways I would like to awake. The smell of fresh rain on a summer morning or the sweet sea air of Hawaii comes to mind but that is another blog!

The Apple-Brown Sugar Coffee Cake really quite easy.  I find using brown rice flour adds a hint of nutty flavor however pecans or walnuts would be a welcome ingredient. One word of warning:  be careful with the type of apples you use. Some apples have a higher moisture level. Using golden delicious apples will alter the moisture content completely.  Enjoy! ~blair

Apple-Brown Sugar Cake

INGREDIENTS

1 cup + 2 tsp of brown rice flour

¼ tsp zanuthum gum

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¾ cup of brown sugar- divided

¼ cup mini chocolate chips (enjoy life)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 large eggs @ room temp

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup of canola oil

2 tsp vanilla

2 large apples

INSTRUCTIONS

·        Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch cake pan or spring form pan.

·        In a small bowl, toss 2 tsp of flour, ½ cup of brown sugar, chocolate chips, cinnamon, and nuts. Set aside

·        In a large bowl combine flour, xanthum gum, baking powder, granulated sugar and salt.

·        Wisk eggs, oil and vanilla.  Add to flour mixture till smooth. Do not over mix.

·        Pour ½ of batter into greased cake pan.

·        Pour ½ of apples and brown sugar-chocolate chip mix on top of the batter.

·        Place remaining matter on top, creating a layer.

·        Repeat with batter, brown sugar-chocolate chip mix and apples.

·        Bake 45 minutes.

·        Make sure that when a toothpick is inserted in the center it comes out clean. Cake will be very moist.

·        Allow cake to cool on a wire rack in the pan.

Seriously yummy snackage mix

This past week-end the children and I were camping in the middle of the Cascade Mountains at a wonderful place called Camp Prime Time. Words cannot describe the beauty, the awesome friends we made or the feeling of eating so many toasted marshmallows you felt like one! :0) 

A great time was had by all. But as per usual food was an issue so I did some serious cooking before we left. I always want the kids to feel comfortable where we are and to be included in meals served. I do my darnedest to match the menus. 


This is also true for snackage! The following recipe is so easy, and the sky is the limit for the ingredients. I like to serve this for afternoon snacks and lunch boxes. This year I am going to make this for Joseph's birthday goody bags to be used at school. To me goody bags are a waste of time and $. My kids always could care less about the junk and just ate the candy!

This great to give for teachers gifts. I am sure that the kids teachers will receive some at Christmas. Instead of using blueberries switch to cherries or cranberries. Another fun way to eat this and be patriotic is using cranberries and blueberries but omit the chocolate chips. The chips have a tendency to be melty in the summer.

Happy munching! ~blair

Ingredients:

• 8 cups popped popcorn
• 2 cups Koala Crisp cereal or Panda Puffs
• dried fruit (I used blueberries)
• 1/3 cup butter, cubed (Earth Balance)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 of a package of Enjoy Life chocolate chips
• 
  
• Directions:
• In a large ungreased roasting pan, combine the popcorn, cereal and blueberries. In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add honey and cinnamon; cook and stir until heated through. Pour over popcorn mixture and toss to coat. Once completely cooled add chocolate chips.

Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minute. Cool completely. Store in airtight containers. Makes about 10 cups.

Soup weather already?

As I walked out on the deck to clean the grill for dinner this afternoon, I noticed the leaves are really starting to show signs of fall. I have tried hard to ignore that Seattle is going to have an early fall. The evenings are cool and sweatshirts are coming out in the daylight hours. Grilling dinner just didn't feel right. Thoughts of a warm bowl of cabinet soup danced on my tongue. 

The last few days Joseph has been begging for meatballs. Truth be told I have never made them. Sad I know. But I get so grossed out squishing meat with my hands! My poor deprived husband has rarely in almost 28 years been served meatloaf. I think this is a good thing.

To appease Joseph and my hankering for soup, I came up with the following. I must tell you I impressed myself! The soup was yummy as were the meatballs. I even had left overs to freeze for Joseph's lunch later this week. 
Oh my golly, summer really is over! Time to get back into busy schedules, lesson plans, and chili!
Hope you find cabinet soup helps you on one of your busy days. :0)
~blair

Cabinet Soup with Meatballs
1 Trader Joe's Garden Melody Soup
2 Pacific Vegetable Stock
1 large sweet onion
6 garlic cloves
1 bag of carrots
1-2 bunches of kale
2 tbsp olive oil 
2 tbsp dried parsley
3 tbsp dried ginger
1 tbsp sea salt
2 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp red pepper flakes


Sauté onion in 2 tbsp of olive oil. When onions are half way cooked add garlic and carrots. While veggies are cooking, add both stock and soup to a large pot. Add spices and bring to a simmer. Once veggies are cooked add to soup.


**Do not discard oil. This will be used for meatballs. 

Meatballs

1 lb of ground turkey

1 cup of GFCF bread crumbs

2 eggs beaten

1/4 c shredded carrots

1/2 tbsp Sea Salt

1 tbsp black pepper

1 tbsp parsley

4 tbsp olive oil

Add everything together. Tip: place ingredients in a ziploc bag and squeeze it all together. Then dump in to a mixing bowl. Meatballs should be the size of thumbnail. Add olive oil to oil used to sauté veggies. Cook meatballs until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel. Once drained add to soup. Cook and additional 10 mins. Will add depth to soup.

**My older daughter added Daiya mozzarella cheese on top of her soup and said it made it ever more yummy! :0)