Sweet Little Bunny

Well, the new Spud & Chloe patterns are up and my little peanut graces the cover of one of them. The Bunny Hat & Blankie, designed by the talented Susan B. Anderson, is such a fun little crochet piece. Maybe I'll have to give that hat a go for the new little peanut on the way. There are some great new patterns in the lineup. Love the Valentine Cardi! One of these days I'll get back to my needles, but for now the sewing machine is calling my name.
I've got some curtains in the works for our church nursery. I've got two completed projects that I need to photograph. We run out of light quickly in the arctic tundra this time of year, but someday soon I'll share my new plaid maternity skirt and the Folksy Flannel jacket I just finished for the munchkin.
Now I think I might mix up some more dough for caramel rolls. Yum!

GF Cinnamon Rolls

Well, two words come to mind with these: wow and yum! This is such a fantastic recipe. I've been wanting cinnamon rolls so badly that I didn't modify anything to better ensure success. The only flours used in this are starches, but it works. We ate half the pan while they were warm and the other half was for breakfast. A little overindulgent I suppose, but they were that good.


I got a new book at the sewing expo a few weeks ago. I love it! I've got all kinds of projects picked out, but I managed to actually start and finish one last weekend. I made my mom the Full Contact Apron. I'll make sure to snap a few pictures next time I'm over there.

Snow, Cookies, Latte

I think it sounds like a good combination. We got a giant dump of snow this weekend and with it came the urge to bake some wintery goodness. I haven't attempted gluten free roll-out cookies before this. We're really pretty happy with this recipe, even without frosting or icing or sprinkles. I adapted this recipe and think I'll give it another whirl with some added fancy-ness. Oh, and these go great with a caramel latte!
I hope you're enjoying your fall (or winter as the case may be).

Gluten Free Sugar Cookies
Ingredients

• 2/3 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp milk
• 1 cup rice flour
• 1 cup corn starch
• 1 tsp unflavored gelatin
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp xanthan gum

Directions

1. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg, vanilla & milk. Mix until combined.
2. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine rice flour, corn starch, unflavored gelatin, baking powder, salt & xanthan gum. Whisk to combine.
3. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture. Stir until combined.
4. Wrap in plastic wrap & refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 375° F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Divide the dough in half and chill the unused portion of the dough until needed.
7. Roll half the dough at a time, between 2 sheets of waxed paper, to 1/4" to 1/2" thick. Cut into desired shapes and place on prepared cookie sheets. (If the dough becomes sticky, return to the fridge to chill again.)
8. Bake in preheated oven for 7-8 minutes (for 2 1/2 inch cookies; less for smaller ones, more for larger ones) or until the edges are first and bottoms are very lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

GF Cookie Bars

I was dying for a little taste of chocolate yesterday and was elated to find a brand new bag of chocolate chips in my baking stuff. I've been enjoying the recipes on The Gluten Free Homemaker and thought I would give the pudding bars a try (I usually keep pudding on hand, an easy GF treat). I used vanilla pudding and also added a handful of coconut (I have a strange new appreciation for coconut). Mods: Subbed rice flour for sorghum, subbed corn starch for tapioca and potato starches.
My husband came home from work last night and dug right in. Then he came running and asked if they were "ok". (I will occasionally bake things to give to other people, using wheat flour). I figure this is a pretty great recipe if he gets nervous! I'll be making some more today so that we actually have some to take with us on our respective out of town journeys this weekend.

Slipping Away

It sure seems like fall is slipping away fast and furiously. I've been in a crafting lull, but it seems to be picking up with the change in the weather. Something about chilly weather actually makes me want to sit at the sewing machine. (I'm sure it also helps that I'm out of the first trimester... we're due in April). I've got a flannel jacket underway for Eliza. It'll be a fun sweater stand-in for Sundays mostly. We tried on the winter gear today and I settled on just buying boots and mittens. I managed to squeak by with only $3 on the boots (found some Kamiks at the thrift store). Yay! If anyone knows where I can find decent mittens on the cheap...
We had a wild weekend of pitching in and passing around kids. Thursday was my dad's birthday, so I grabbed three extra girls to help make Penuche fudge and butterscotch blondies (and a Jello cake to take home). They made all kinds of cards for Grandpa and Mom too. The treats turned out great and we've got some budding designers in the family I think.





Friday was boys' movie night and Saturday we got the day off. I made a turkey (for the second time in my life) on Sunday and had all the family over for lunch. Four loads of dishes later, I'm beginning to recover. Phew! Well, back to my giant latte and maybe some organizing.

GF Jello Cake

Well, I had a craving (yes, I mean that kind of craving) for Jello cake yesterday and decided to give it a go with a new gluten free yellow cake recipe. For the flour mix I used 1 1/2 cups rice flour and 3/4 cup corn starch. I think it turned out pretty good, but I might do more Jello next time (or actually include the strawberries. I'm lame and skimped out this time). I like really moist non-cake-like cake. You know, like the kind with lots of filling.
This was the first time I've made Jello cake and it seems like a great pairing for a gluten free cake. There's even a Betty Crocker mix available at most grocery stores now, so this could turn into a super easy fall-back recipe for us. Just need to keep some Cool Whip stocked in the freezer.
Oh, and yes, I did eat this at 10:00 this morning. I think I have a good enough excuse.

No Proof

Well, I accomplished what I would consider a great culinary feat a couple weeks ago. However, I was apparently too delinquent in getting the pictures off the camera and they made a disappearing act (not really, my husband dumped them, he needs a clean card most of the time... shopping trip today). Anyway, you have to believe me, I made tiramisu. Gluten free tiramisu. The real feat was the gluten free ladyfingers. I beat egg yolks and then egg whites and mixed up the goodies and piped the cookies onto parchment and all. Now I need to head out and get some more ingredients so that I can make it again and retain the proof this time.
The tiramisu recipe wasn't quite sweet enough for my taste. I would sweeten the whipped cream a bit and add a little extra sugar to the cheese mixture. For the ladyfingers I subbed rice flour for sorghum and cornstarch for tapioca.
Well, I'll leave you with a picture from our little "field trip" last Friday. Eliza had her first ride on a "train" (wooden carts pulled by a lawn tractor) and loved it. She cried when it was over. Too cute.