bits of sunshine

chocolate brioche pretzels

three days ago, as i was spending some time on IG, a post from @shannanwrites caught my eye - a picture of chocolate brioche pretzels.  she said to google the recipe from @smittenkitchen and that if you have a stand mixer and a packet of yeast, you are are good to go.  

i had both, and a good dark chocolate bar, and i thought i'd try this with non-dairy milk and gluten-free flour.  so on saturday afternoon, i got down to business.    

there is some wait-time, while the dough rises.  enough time to wash up and read a good book or go for walk or take a nap.  

and the shaping was easier than i thought it might be. 

and you know what?  they turned out pretty well!  not as airy as wheat flour dough - but yeasty and tasty.

i will make them again - next time maybe with cinnamon and raisins.  

have you been baking?  i hope so!

pumpkin scones

yesterday i had invited a friend over to visit and drink coffee and help me get a start on covers for chair cushions.  i decided that we should have a treat to go with our coffee.  i had a can of pumpkin in my cupboard . . . so i went looking on pintrest and found faithfully gluten free's pumpkin scone recipe.  of course, i had to make some modifications, because that's just how i roll.  and they turned out fabulously!  so, in the interest of not forgetting the modifications i made, and because i have promised the recipe to more than one friend, here is my version of the scones.

pumpkin scones with blueberries and spiced glaze

ingredients
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup gluten free flour mix (i use pilsbury)
1/4 cup tapioca starch
2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
6 Tbs frozen butter
3/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 Tbs milk of choice
1 large egg

glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbs milk of choice (or more, as needed for consistency)
2 Tbs melted butter

instructions
preheat oven to 425 degrees F
line baking sheet with parchment paper or grease baking sheet
dust lined or greased baking sheet with rice flour
whisk together all dry ingredients
grate the frozen butter (using a box grater) into the dry ingredients and stir until the butter is evenly distributed
stir in frozen blueberries
place this bowl in the fridge
in another bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together 
stir wet and dry together until the dough holds together
add a splash of milk if needed
handle the dough as lightly as possible - try to keep it very cold
turn the dough out onto the baking sheet
using plastic wrap or your butter paper press the dough out to about 1" thick
cut the dough into wedges or strips (however you want your scones to look) and separate slightly on the baking sheet
bake for 13-15 minutes (i think i had to bake mine for closer to 20) until golden brown (and done through)
remove from oven
cool while you mix up the glaze and until closer to room temp
generously cover scones with glaze
enjoy with your favorite warm beverage (pour over coffee for my friend and i yesterday) 

cinnamon rolls

i have not had a cinnamon roll in six and a half years.  i have made cinnamon biscuits and attempted some other cinnamon bread things.  i tried a box-mix gluten-free cinnamon roll.  none of them have worked.  none of them have been real cinnamon rolls - yeasty, rising, rolled up with buttery goodness inside, real cinnamon rolls.  a few times we have tried the udis brand cinnamon rolls.  hard.  not gooey.  disappointing. 

mostly, i just try really hard to not think about cinnamon rolls.

then, a couple nights ago, a friend texted me to ask how to make frosting for cinnamon rolls without using cream cheese.  i shared the recipe i still know by heart.  and a while later, i had a picture of freshly frosted, cooling cinnamon rolls staring at me from my phone screen.  wonderful.  not fair.

i started looking for a recipe on pinterest.  and found one that looked sort of promising.  but i really didn't think that gluten free bread dough could ever be gently kneaded and rolled out.  ben told me i should try. 

i set coconut milk and eggs out on the counter last night.  and this morning, i tried. 

i followed the recipe.  for flour, i used one cup each tapioca, oat, coconut, and pamela's gluten free artisan blend and one teaspoon xanthan gum.  then i added about three quarters of a cup more of oat flour and about half a cup more of pamela's.  after i let the dough rise, i used pamela's on the counter and my hands and gently pressed the dough out into a rectangle.

after covering my rectangle with butter and the cinnamon sugar mix, i was able to roll the dough.  gingerly.  carefully.  using my spatula to loosen it from the counter.  i couldn't quite believe it was working!  i sealed the roll with a bit of water.  and cut eleven rolls.  (not sure why i didn't cut twelve.  but eleven it was.)

they rose!  and i put them in the oven.  and made glaze.  the glaze that i had texted to my friend the other night.  the glaze that started this baking venture today.

6 tablespoons coconut milk and 4 tablespoons butter warmed together plus 2 teaspoons vanilla and 2 cups powdered sugar

i think the picture speaks for itself . . .

my six and a half year craving has been satisfied.  and there are leftovers.  i get to have a cinnamon roll for breakfast.  one more thing to be grateful for.  and a recipe to save and make again.  probably many, many times. 

go gently, love fiercely, and be wonderful, my friends.  (and make cinnamon rolls.)

love, e

ginger and spice recipes

i made ginger snaps again.  and i should really share this recipe.  i had told some friends that i would, and then . . . well, time fills up . . . but when i was making these cookies the other evening, i remembered that i needed to share the recipe with you.  this recipe makes a very large batch - you'll have enough to share or freeze or share and freeze.

{Gluten Free} Ginger Snaps {by bitsofsunshine}

cream together
2 cups brown sugar  
1 cup butter  
1/2 cup coconut oil  
add
1/2 cup molasses  
2 eggs  
and mix again  

in another bowl, mix together
2 cups rice flour  
1/2 cup corn starch  
1/2 cup tapioca starch  
1 cup of gluten free flour mix  
6 Tbs coconut flour  
4 tsp baking soda  
2 tsp xanthan gum  
2 tsp cinnamon  
2 tsp ginger  
1 tsp ground cloves  
1/2 tsp salt

add dry ingredients to wet and mix well

roll dough between your palms and then roll in sugar

bake at 325 degrees F, on parchment or silpat lined baking trays, 8 minutes - no longer!

let cookies rest on the baking trays 5 minutes or so before removing to the counter to finish cooling

enjoy with coffee or tea or ice cream or milk of your choice {and share with friends!}

{i also had made these muffins a month or so ago, and they are so good!  this recipe makes a good amount, too.  i made 12 muffins and a round cake.  i topped the cake with chopped dates and slivered almonds.  so. very. tasty.}  

just a small little hello and the banana-nut bar recipe

hi!  it's late, and i'm getting tired.  but i'm drinking coffee and sitting by ben, chit-chatting a bit on facebook, and i wanted to say "hi" to you all. 

tomorrow is the last day of school for maddie and isaac - and for me!  this will be the first summer (except for one) since i was 15 that i will not have a job in the summertime!!!!  (i am not usually a fan of so many exclamation points, but i'm really excited about this!)  actually, when i was 12, i started mowing lawns in the summer and taking care of neighbors' pets and babysitting - but those jobs were all fun (except for the one babysitting job that was awful, so i never went back to that house), so that doesn't count.  anyway - this summer, i'm going to play with maddie and isaac and go visiting (starting with my sister and her family and my little brother and his family this coming week).  i'm going to be here when ben is home without having to juggle a job schedule.  it's going to be wonderful!

and if this week has been any indication of the weather we will be having, we're in for a perfect summer for lots of swimming.  one of our favorite things to do. 

these bars - those - up there - in the picture - are my banana-nut bars.  perfect for breakfast or lunch or coffee or dessert.  :)  they are so easy to make and bake in just 20 minutes.  half an hour from start to finish. 

grab a mixing bowl.  throw in 2 bananas (the more ripe, the sweeter they are), one stick of soft butter (or 1/4 cup of coconut oil or a vegan butter substitute), a drizzle of honey (a couple TBS worth), 4 TBS coconut flour, and three cups of some sort of nuts or oats in combination (almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, macadamias, etc - chopped to your liking).  turn on your mixer and mix it up.  add a scant cup of chocolate chips or some cinnamon and raisins, depending on the taste you are going for.  spread this thick batter into a 9x13 pan.  bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  let cool for a firmer consistancy, or just cut right in and scoop it up warm (i like it this way for breakfast). 

if you have any bananas languishing on the counter, you now have a plan for them!

and i now have a plan to brush my teeth and crash!

be wonderful!  love, ~e

the best ever chocolate chip cookies, and some other stuff

                                                                                i cannot believe how much this picture looks just like my husband.  i found the picture on pintrest and followed the link to this page.   it is not him, but goodness sakes!  he was fighting fire in '98, '99, '00 and '01, then back to it last summer - '13.  this picture is from a fire in '04 - so it's somebody else's handsome sawyer.  

so far this morning

• i have made banana nut bars (i will share the recipe - my own creation! - with you, soon, my friends)
• i have made and finished a pot of coffee (never mind that ben took more than half of it in his thermos to work.  i guess that means i get to make another pot!)
• i am finishing up a batch of chocolate chip cookies - also a recipe of my own creation - you can find the recipe below.  i decided to share it . . . these are the very best chocolate chip cookies ever.  this has been affirmed by my kids, my husband, my dad, my mom, my sister's husband, friends, and various people at potlucks and picnics.  they are also gluten-free, and, as long as i don't eat too very many of them in one sitting, they don't bother my ridiculous celiac insides.  i have officially hit my quota for the day, and it is only 9:19am.  good thing i have banana nut bars . . .
• i also made breakfast and lunches for maddie and isaac and dropped them off at the bus
• on the way to the bus, i gave them a little pep-talk about how there is no excuse for people saying mean things, but that we can't let someone's meanness wreck our whole day
• i drove out to ben's work-place and grabbed some things out of his jeep and left cookies and banana nut bars in his locker - be-ribboned and tagged B- I "heart" U  -E
• i am pepping myself up to finish a HUGE pile of paper work, proof read a resume, finish my paper closet organization, make beds, vacuum, make some more earrings, and probably some other things
• before i get to it, here's the recipe:

The Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies (by Elizabeth)

• 1/2 c soft butter
• 1/2 c room temp coconut oil
• 1/2 c white sugar
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 c coconut flour
• 3/4 c tapioca starch
• 1/2 c white rice flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp xanthan or guar gum
• 1 c raw, flaked or shredded coconut or gluten free oats or slivered almonds
• 1 c chocolate chips or bits of your choice (or a bit more, if you like)

cream butter oil and sugars together.  add eggs and vanilla, mix well.  add the flours and soda, powder and gum, mix well.  add coconut (or substitution) and chocolate chips, mix well.  drop by rounded teaspoon onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  bake in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes.  let cool and enjoy!

i hope your wednesday is full of goodness!  love, ~e

 

maybe you need a recipe for easy, super quick rolls

and if they need to be gluten-free, or even if they don't, this is the recipe for you.

the original recipe is here, but like i always do, i changed things up a bit, based on what i had in my cupboard and what sounds good to me. 

the first time i made them, i found the recipe at 6:00 am.  i thought through what i had in the cupboard and mixed them up, baked them, fried up some eggs, and we were eating breakfast by 7:00 am. 

Ingredients: 

• 2 Tbsp yeast
• 1 & 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees)
• 6 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup white rice flour
• 1 cup ground oats (oat flour)
• 3/4 cup tapioca starch
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 1 & 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.  Put parchment paper on 2 cookie sheets. 
2. Whisk together the yeast and warm water. Add in the cocnut oil and sugar. Cover with a towel and allow to double in size while you measure out your dry ingredients. 
3. In a mixer combine the rice flour, oat flour, corn starch, tapioca starch, xanthan, and salt. When the yeast mixture is ready, add it and the eggs to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds then turn up the speed to medium and continue mixing for 2 & 1/2 more minutes.  (I mixed by hand with a wooden spoon for a full 3 minutes.)
4. Immediately scoop rolls in the size of 1/4 cup dough onto the prepared pans. (For hamburger buns, you may want to use a bigger size such as 1/3 or 1/2 cup).  
   
   
5. Allow the rolls to sit 5 minutes than bake 8-12 minutes or until rolls are golden brown. 

Eat the rolls fresh from the oven or allow the rolls to cool completely before storing in a ziplock bag.

 

 

these are so good!  warm and yeasty and quick!  even if you don't need to eat gluten-free, these are quite possibly the easiest, fastest rolls you will ever make! 

 

and now, i'm off to make supper and then probably some sort of pumpkin dessert for tomorrow.

 

happy thanksgiving eve!  love, ~E

sweet energy bites

gather some goodies ::

• dates
• brown sugar
• butter
• slivered almonds
• gluten-free rice krispies (they are brown rice and they are yummy)
• raw, flaked coconut
• toasted sesame seeds or poppyseeds
• ground flax
• other nuts or grains of your choice
• parchment paper

do some melting and mixing ::

• in a heavy saucepan, melt 6 TBS butter, 1/2 c (or less) brown sugar, and 1 c dates (chopped if you wish)
• when melted, add about 4 TBS water and 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• remove from heat, cool a bit (for a couple minutes)
• stir in 2 c rice krispies, 1/2 c ground flax, 3/4 c chopped almonds, 1.4 c sesame or poppy seeds, 3/4 c raw coconut (these are all subject to your taste and discretion - mix up ingredients and amounts to your liking)

do some lining and pressing and finishing ::

• line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper
• scoop your mixture into the pan
• press the mixture flat and relatively evenly in the pan using another piece of parchment paper 

• refridgerate till firm
• grab the lining paper and pull the bar out of the pan
• cut into squares or rectangles (or stars or hearts or circles, it's up to you!)
• keep refridgerated (these do fine in a lunchbox, though they get stickier the warmer they are)
• enjoy a sweet bit of energy!

dandelion jelly

Gather 4 cups blossoms early in the day.

Wash well and add 4 cups water to blossoms.

Boil hard for 5 minutes.

Drain through a cloth.

Measure 3 cups of dandelion liquid and add 1 tsp. lemon juice, 1 package sure-jell (or equivalent amount of pectin), and 3 1/2 cups sugar.

Boil till it reaches jelly point (drops on spoon begin to thicken). 

Pour into hot jars and seal.

The recipe I was following said this would take about 30 minutes at a full rolling boil.  I boiled mine for 15 minutes, and it was too long.  I should have gone by the "jelly point" - which was at about 8 minutes - but that seemed too short!  So I kept boiling.  And I have some very, very, set-up jelly.  I need to warm it in order to use it. 

But, here's the lovely thing about dandelion jelly - it tastes just like honey!  So, I can warm this jelly and use it on pancakes or bread, or I can use it in any recipe that calls for honey.  (I used it in some awesome stir fry sauce the other night.) 

Maddie and I will have to give it a go again, and see if I can get the boiling time right, so we have some nice jelly. 

But for now, I have some cheap "cooking honey" in my cupboard.

cooking and baking with maddie

miss maddie has been reading cookbooks and she has been bringing me recipes to try.  earlier this week, she brought me the recipe for Creamy Potato Soup from Deceptively Delicious (thank you, stef!) and asked to make it for supper because at the bottom of the page there is a quote from the author's son "this is soup? it tastes like mashed potatoes!"  maddie was sold (even though there are other vegetable purees hidden in the soup).  of course i can never follow a recipe ingredient for ingredient or to the exact measurement (unless it's something finicky like cheesecake or pie crust), so, below, i'll write out what we did.  it turned out very tasty.

in a large skillet, i sauteed a small, chopped onion and a large, roughly chopped clove of garlic in enough olive oil to just cover the bottom of the skillet.  i added 4 cups of homemade chicken broth and 2 pounds of washed, chopped potatoes (with the skin on).  it boiled and simmered until the potatoes were tender.  then i spooned everything into the blender and added 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin puree (you could use carrot or squash instead) and 1 cup of milk.  i did this in two batches to puree the entire soup.  we served our soup with croutons and grated cheddar.  oh yum.

the soup-making proved a little out of maddie's league - all the chopping and blending.  so, she decided to make some bread to go with our supper.  since we had a can of pumpkin open, we decided on this recipe:

the only thing i did was grease the bread pan.  maddie did the rest!  (she left out the dates, which made the bread go even better with our soup.  the dates are usually one of my favorite parts of this bread, though.)

{here's the bread on our supper table, all ready to be eaten - it was perfect with our soup.}

if you try either of these recipes, or if you have cooked from Deceptively Delicious, maddie would love to know.  :)