Brown Sugar - Pecan Pound Cake

BRRRRR!!! What happened to fall in the south? It is a cold, dreary day today so what better to do than bake.

I have always loved a good pound cake and this one certainly fits the bill. It's moist, as all gluten free cakes are, sweet and satisfying. The glaze...well, I truly had a hard time staying out of it. If you like traditional New Orleans pralines, you are going to LOVE this glaze. The recipe makes more than enough and it can certainly be halved but why would you do that when you can cook once and enjoy many times!

This is a great cake for your Thanksgiving feast!

 

3 sticks unsalted Butter, at room temp

3 ½ cups GF All-Purpose Flour

3 cups Brown Sugar, lightly packed

5 large eggs, at room temp

2 tsp. Baking Powder

¼ tsp. Baking Soda

¼ tsp. Kosher Salt

¾ cup Buttermilk

¼ cup Bourbon

2 tsp. Vanilla

2 ½ - 3 cups toasted Pecans, coarsely chopped

½ cups Scottish Oats

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter a bundt pan or several loaf pans (I’m guessing at least 3 regular sized pans) and dust it with the Scottish oats followed by ¼ - ½ cup of the pecans (you want these in the very bottom, when you turn out the cake they will be on top).

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Measure out buttermilk, bourbon and vanilla in a cup and set aside.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment; cream the butter and add the brown sugar in stages until it is thoroughly mixed then beat for 2 minutes until it is light and fluffy.

Add the flour mixture alternately with the wet ingredients. Beginning and ending with dry. Stir in the pecans and mix until well distributed throughout.

Pour into prepared pan/pans and back 1 hour for bundt pan or 45 minutes for loaf pans. Check with a toothpick inserted into the center for doneness.

Cool for 10 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a cake plate and drizzling with the glaze.

Enjoy!!!

Bourbon Praline Glaze

1 stick Butter

1 cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed

2 tsp. Honey

1 ½ cups Powdered Sugar

¼ cup Half and Half

2 tablespoons Bourbon

Cook butter, brown sugar and honey over medium heat for 1 minute. Turn off heat and add half and half, bourbon and powdered sugar. Whisk to combine; continue to whisk until creamy, a couple of minutes.

Drizzle over the top of the cake.

This recipe really makes too much for the cake recipe. Just put it in a jar or bowl with a lid and save it for later, refrigerated. It makes a fantastic topping for ice cream or pie, just warm it up slightly!

If you don't want leftovers of this yummy glaze, just half the recipe.

Sweet Breakfast Muffins

Well friends, there are few things that make a long winter tolerable for a southern girl or boy. Football and things that come out of the oven! At my house, it's those yummy, sweet tidbits that I pull out of the oven. I don't bake much in the warm months, it just makes the house hot.

We love sweet breakfast muffins at my house! Banana, Applesauce, Pumpkin, Orange...we love them all and I will bake them all at some point and time the colder months. Any fruit based muffin has a lot of healthy goodness baked inside but I wanted to make them even healthier. Sooooooo, I played with my basic recipe, took out a bit of sugar and added oats and flaxseed. WOW! These were a hit with all of my tasters!

Banana Nut Muffins

2 sticks unsalted Butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoon Ground Flaxseed Meal
6 tablespoons water
4 medium sized bananas, overripe
1 1/2 cups Rolled Oats
2 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
2 teaspoons Xanthum Gum
1/3 cup milk or water
1/3 cup Bourbon or milk/water
1 1/2 cups chopped Pecans
1 bag semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

*if you want a vegan muffin you can substitute a vegan margarine stick for the butter and omit the eggs. When omitting the eggs, double the flaxseed meal and 6 tablespoons water.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream Butter and sugar together, add eggs, Flaxseed meal and 6 tablespoons water. Blend well. Add bananas and blend well. Stir in Oats. then add baking soda, Xanthum Gum, salt, cinnamon and 1/2 the flour, mix well. Add remaining flour, liquids and pecans and stir till well blended.

Place liners in muffin tins. Fill liners 2/3 to full (depends on how big you want your muffins). Top with a sprinkling of chocolate chips (if desired, but think about how good a chocolate covered banana is) and bake 20 minutes per pan.

Makes 2 - 3 dozen muffins (depends on how big you make them)

Enjoy!!!!

Tomatoes, Tomatoes and more tomatoes!!!

The Tomato. Is there any other fruit or vegetable that says summer any more than the tomato? Not in my family. Red or yellow? Matters not to me. As long as they are ripe, juicy and ready to eat!

We make salsa, pasta sauce, fried green tomatoes (I like them mixed with the other seasonal favorite okra!) and sliced on a plate or in a bowl with plenty of salt! I have been known to eat so many that the acid in the tomatoes would cause considerable pain, so moderation is always recommended. I do love them so!!!

This  year we planted 6 heirloom plants and had at least 6 cherry plants come up voluntarily. Needless to say, there has been an abundance of luscious, juicy tomatoes this year. The weather in Arkansas has certainly cooperated. There was rain every few days early in the season and it still hasn't gotten to be unbearably hot. We have 6 foot tall plants that are still lush and loaded with tomatoes! I finally have been able to eat all I wanted and still have plenty to put away for winter.

There has been many a tomato peeled and diced into a quart freezer bag for soup or chili. I have canned crushed tomatoes, my first ever and I'm very pleased with the outcome! Last week my husband says, "Why don't you can spaghetti sauce? Then all we have to do is heat and eat." I had certainly considered canning sauce so why not. It would make things easy on a busy night. So today, I canned spaghetti sauce.

As I sit here typing up this post, the lids are popping. That is the most satisfying sound when you know all your hard work will pay off in the cold winter months. How did I make this sauce? Read on my friends!

Easy Pasta Sauce

7 quarts diced tomatoes ( I think I probably had 2 large plastic grocery bags of tomatoes when I started)
2 - 6 ounce cans tomato paste (for thickening)
2 medium sized white or yellow onions, small dice
2 large cloves garlic, minced fine
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 pinch red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil

Peel and dice fresh tomatoes into a large stock pot. Mine is a 12 quart and it was approximately 3/4 of the way full. Place over medium high heat.
Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil. When onions are translucent, add to tomatoes along with salt, seasoning and pepper flakes.
Bring to a boil and cook for 10-15 minutes. Taste! You can always adjust the seasoning.
If you are canning, follow the instructions that come with your canner. Mine holds 7 quarts so my tomatoes process for 20 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure.
If you are going to freeze your sauce, allow it to cool and package in your preferred containers leaving about 1 inch of room at the top for expansion.

You could also make a meat sauce if you are freezing the sauce. That recipe is on another post.

Make the most of your summer harvest and enjoy the fruits of your labor during the cold winter months! You'll be glad you did in January when you pop open a jar and it taste like summer!

As we are all gluten free here, I want to share with you my favorite gluten free pasta! We have found that we prefer a corn pasta over any other. That said, I have been concerned about GMO's. I know that corn is the oldest plant that was modified and don't really want to feed that to my family. So after reading all the labels and many articles on GMO's recently; I have found that Sam Mills Pasta D'Oro is NON-GMO! I am so excited! I have been buying this brand at my local Kroger but there isn't a great selection so off to Amazon I went. Not only does Amazon have a great selection but since you buy by the case, it cost less.

I highly recommend Sam Mill Pasta D'Oro! Make sure you salt your water well when you cook it and you'll totally think you're cheating!!!

Enjoy!

Creamy Coconut Pie

Well, the Lemon Merengue Pie was amazing but I've really been craving coconut. Coconut is my summer favorite this year, Coconut Rum, Coconut Lotion so obviously I had to make a Coconut Pie.
Not to mention, Coconut Pie is the hubby absolute favorite...EVER!

I know most cream pies have milk but with so many lactose intolerant folks out there I thought I would experiment just a bit. Well, let me just tell you....this is a home run! Don't be afraid to try canned coconut water! You'll find it in the natural juice aisle at the grocery. It has a subtle coconut flavor (a friend of mine makes amazing Coconut Martini's with it) and really is perfect in this pie. The filling is also excellent as a pudding! My Mama always made a little extra filling for me and put it in a bowl! Just a little spoiled I guess. LOL!

ENJOY!!!

INGREDIENTS:

 1 cup white sugar

4 tablespoons corn starch

 1/4 teaspoon salt

 1 – 17.6 ounce can Coconut Water

 2 tablespoons butter

 4 egg yolks, beaten

 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked

 4 egg whites

 6 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon Cream of Tarter

 DIRECTIONS:

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

 To Make Coconut Filling:

 In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir Coconut water. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Stir in sweetened coconut.  Pour filling into baked pastry shell.

 To Make Meringue:

 In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add Cream of Tarter and sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust. Garnish top with a sprinkling of additional coconut if desired. Bake 15 minutes or until top begins to brown.

 

"Healthy" Fudge Pops

It's Summer! It's HOT, well not as hot as last summer, but it's still summer in the south. It's most certainly time for frozen treats. This time of year the first thing that I think of is my mother's homemade ice cream but that takes a little planning and we'll save that for another post (very soon I promise).
I have always loved fudge pops! I loved them even before I knew they were low fat. There is only one draw back...I think all frozen treats are way over priced so I don't buy them. So I was very excited to come across an easy recipe for homemade fudge pops. Needless to say, I make adjustments to everything I come across and wanted to make a healthy version.
I made these yesterday and my sweet husband ate 2 tonight and requested for me to make them again...VERY SOON!
There are no exact measurements on this one!

Into the blender place:

2 very ripe bananas, broken into pieces
1/2 jar Nutella
1 - 1 1/2 cups soy milk  (I use Very Vanilla Silk), I poured until it was at the 2 cup mark
2 rounded Tablespoons Cocoa*

Blend well and pour into popsicle molds.
Makes 6 fudge pops

*I added the cocoa to cut the richness of the Nutella. You could omit or adjust the amount of cocoa depending on your personal preference.

ENJOY!!!!

My favorite pie!!! Lemon Merengue Pie

It's definitely summer time in the south! Typical spring with a lot of baseball, a lot of real work and getting the garden started. While the garden is growing nicely and we are starting to get a few yummy tomatoes, that's just not what I'm craving right now.
Hot weather makes me want citrus. Tart, tangy, anything lemon is always good but today the craving led me to my favorite pie of all time. Lemon Merengue Pie!
I admit, I cheat just a bit. I don't make crust from scratch most of the time, it's not that I can't but I don't. I keep good gluten free crusts in my freezer, fast and easy. The remainder of the pie is totally homemade and wonderful. I could eat the whole thing by myself but I think I'll share a bit with the hubby and friends.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

 INGREDIENTS:

1 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons cornstarch or omit the flour and use 4 tablespoons corn starch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups water

2 lemons, juiced and zested

2 tablespoons butter

4 egg yolks, beaten

1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked

4 egg whites

6 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon Cream of Tarter

 DIRECTIONS:

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

 To Make Lemon Filling:

In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil.Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.

 To Make Meringue:

In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add Cream of Tarter and sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust. Bake until lightly golden brown on top.

Gluten Free Granola

I have always loved granola and unfortunately most contain wheat germ. So off to the kitchen I go to figure out granola.

Well, I think the results were amazing! My new favorite breakfast, 1/2 cup with soy milk! It would be fantastic with yogurt.

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/3 cup agave syrup

1/3 cup honey (local is best)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons ground flax seeds

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

½ cup each of the following:

Raw sunflower seeds

Raw pumpkin seeds         

Slivered almonds

Pecan pieces

Unsweetened coconut(optional)

¼ cup each of the following:

Chia seeds

Hemp seeds

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Mix together all spices and liquid ingredients, stir in flax seed, chia seed and hemp seed. Stir to combine well.

Add all remaining dry ingredients and stir to combine well. Spread evenly in the pan.

Bake 30-45 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Enjoy!

 

Oatmeal Soda Bread

The hardest thing for me to do without is bread. I love bread! Not only am I gluten free but I have a yeast allergy so absolutely NO bread. No rolls, no toast, no sandwiches, you get the picture.

Gluten free breads are not always what we remember. The taste and texture is just not there. I have tried some that turn out gummy in the center, all gluten free baked goods are moister. I have been told that others are like eating cardboard. Well, this one is FANTASTIC!!!

This is a moist, slightly sweet bread with a perfect texture. The flavor of the honey is perfect, it only needs a smear of butter. I can hardly wait for breakfast!

3 ½ cups GF all-flour

½ cup Quick cooking Oats

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 tablespoon White Sugar

3 teaspoons Xanthum Gum

8 ounces Sour Cream

¾ cup Whole Milk

2 tablespoons Honey

¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon oats

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Set aside 2 tablespoons melted butter and the 1 tablespoon oats.

Combine remaining dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Stir the remaining wet ingredients together, then add in the dry ingredients.

On a lightly floured surface, form bread into a round then place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Brush top with the reserved 2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with the reserved oats. Score the top into quarters.

Bake 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before slicing.

ENJOY!