Gluten Free Pie Crust

We did it! I got fed up with not being able to find gluten free pie crusts anywhere, so we made our own! A roll-out pie crust seemed a little risky, so we went with the pat-in-the pan variety for this year's Thanksgiving day pecan pie. It was flaky and delicious. (I hadn't realized hoe much I missed good old fashioned pie!)
Here it is, Fiona:

Gluten Free Pie Crust:

Whisk together:
1 1/2 c. gluten free flour ( I used Bob's Red Mill)  1 t. xanthan gum and 1/2 t. salt.

Add:
1 stick of butter, softened, cut into small pieces. Mash with the back of a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Pour:
2 T. heavy cream over mixture and mix until the crumbs hold together.  Add up to 1 more T of cream if necessary.

Transfer the mixture to a 9 inch pie plate and pat evenly over the bottom and sides of pan, leaving enough of a crust edge to crimp or flute. Prick all over with fork.  Add filling and bake!!

If baking pie shell alone for uncooked filling, bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes.

There you go! It's as easy as....dare I say it?...PIE!

Peach Butter

I haven't been able to do too much in the way of canning this summer (Okay, practically zilch), but with the fall weather beginning I got the bug!  I needed to preserve something!  The peach butter recipe at a handmade life looked enticing, so I decided to give it a try!  Mine turned out much darker than hers (I'm convinced she used white peaches!) but the flavor is delicious!  I used organic peaches and sugar so all winter long when we're putting it on pancakes and peanut butter sandwiches we can have delicious summer flavor that is nothing but good for you. Next, maybe blueberry jelly.......

Gluten Free Zucchini Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix together:

1 stick of melted butter
1 c. organic evaporated cane juice
2 eggs

Mix well.  In another bowl, mix well:

2 c. gluten free flour
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. xanthan gum
1 t. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ginger


Add into wet ingredients, mix well, 1-2 minutes.  Add:

1 1/2 c. grated zucchini (first press into colander to remove all moisture!)
1 t. vanilla

Stir until just mixed and put into well greased and sugared loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 20 minutes.  Remove from pan and cool completely on rack.

**for regular, gluten-friendly version, use whole wheat flour and omit xanthan gum.**

Scrumdiddlyumptious!

I love my husband.  He was determined both that I (not being able to eat gluten) got a birthday cake and that under NO circumstances was I to bake it for myself.  Never having baked a cake from scratch before, he was admittedly the slightest bit nervous, but it turned out BEAUTIFULLY.  The delicious gluten free chocolate cake was even better when smothered with delicious peanut butter frosting (recipe below)!  Happy Birthday to Me!!

Peanut Butter Frosting:

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 oz neufchatel cheese (or regular cream cheese)
2 T butter
1 t vanilla
2 3/4 c sifted powdered sugar
2-3 T half and half

Mix all ingredients together on medium-high until just blended. (Over-mixing will thin frosting.)  Add 1-2 more T half and half  if needed until desired consistency is reached. 
Try to avoid eating it all with a spoon before you put it on a cake.
This recipe is for a 1 layer cake.  Multiply as needed!

Affordable Organic

The few sugary items we do keep in our home...like jelly for those good ol' PB&J's....I think are very important to have in the healthiest form possible.  Organic jams (Yes, Mirriam, "delicious jams ans jellies"...) and such can run up to 8 or 10 dollars for a little pint jar, making them a definite luxury item.  However, if you take that same $8, a few jars and about a half hour of your time, you can have twelve pints of organic jelly along with the knowledge of exactly what went into it!  You need 6 cups of organic juice (for the grape jelly above, I used a Safeway brand organic juice...I'm told Publix has one as well....that tastes just like Welch's.), 7 cups of organic evaporated cane juice and two (this is important) boxes of pectin.  (Any pectin will do, but if you use the low sugar variety don't forget to adjust your recipe to 4 or 5 cups of  cane juice.)  Follow the directions for jelly from juice, boiling the ingredients and pouring them into hot, sterilized jars.  Add lids, rings and process (boil) for 5 minutes in a water bath canner or other large pot, making sure the boiling water covers the jars by 2 inches.  (If  you process in 2 batches, keep the 2nd batch immersed on hot water until it is their turn...if they cool they can easily crack when placed in boiling water.) Remove, cool, and make sure the lids seal properly.  Enjoy!  It's delicious!!