Pamela's Gluten Free Scones

The original recipe is from Pamela's Products, who have single-handedly supported my gluten-free transition.  Marion, the rep I'm in contact with, has researched recipes, sent samples (many many samples), and supported the beginnings of a gluten-free group in Pueblo.  Many thanks, Marion!  Get your own recipe at www.pamelasproducts.com.  

As usual, I can't leave a recipe alone, so I make a lavender white chocolate chip (inspired by Hopscotch Bakery) by substituting the chocolate chips for the cranberries and adding 1 tsp lavender buds.  

This time, I also added lemon zest, but I think the scone may taste sweeter for that reason.  I reduced the sugar by 1 tablespoon.  The scones spread out quite a bit, even though I had reduced the milk (I used rice milk) by 2-3 tablespoons.  The dough is quite thick - probably almost thick enough to pat into a disk and slice rather than drop onto a baking sheet.  

Cranberry Orange Scones

2-1/3 cups Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix 

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 cup cranberries

4 tablespoons butter 

1 egg, beaten 

2/3 cup milk 

1 tablespoon orange zest

Yield: 10 to 12 scones

Mix the dry ingredients together. Cut in the butter using two knives. Add the milk and beaten eggs. Mix together with a fork. Dough will be thick. Drop large, tall dollops of dough (scones will spread when baking) onto lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 15-17 minutes.

Variation:

Currant Scones: Replace cranberries with 1/2 cup currants, orange zest is optional for this recipe.

Cinnamon Sugar Almonds

This recipe is from JustBaking.net.  I am always drawn to roasted nuts at the fair, but seriously, $2.99 or $4.99 is too expensive for a mere quarter cup of nuts!  Thank you to the author of that site!

I made these for Holli's New Year party.  We'll see if they're a hit!

I doubled the recipe and used pecans and almonds.  

Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Almonds 

1 egg white

1 teaspoon cold water

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 cups whole almonds

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch by 15-inch jelly-roll pan generously with 1 tablespoon butter. (Note: For best results, do not substitute cooking spray.) 

In a small bowl, combine egg white, water, and vanilla. Beat with a fork just until froth appears. Place nuts in a large mixing bowl and pour egg mixture over; stir until the nuts are evenly coated.

In a separate bowl, combine sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Sprinkle sugar mixture over nuts; toss to coat nuts with sugar mixture.

Spread nuts evenly on buttered pan in single layer. Bake at 250 degrees F for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Nuts will appear wet and sticky at first but will dry as they bake. Let cool completely on baking sheet, then store in an airtight container.

Makes about 4 cups.

Christmastime part 2

I left out some peeps and pics (believe it or not) in the last post.

Spencer Bowen promoted to Captain this year -- we're all very proud of him.  He and Aminda will be moving to Boston this year to begin his assignment at Hanscom.  We just figured out that many of our friends are on the East Coast.  I'm applying to some dietetic internship programs - including one in NJ - so maybe we'll get to go out there too! :)

We went to dinner with Matt and Brittany to celebrate Christmas.  That was our gift to them because we all pitched in and bought a Rumba vacuum for the Schaubs.  Bill really seems to like it!  When it's done vacuuming it plays this silly video-game-esque tune.  But it sure does vacuum well!

Merry Christmas!

Christmastime

We really had a great time this Christmas.  We started off our holiday with my parents and brother in the Springs and then traveled to Seattle (yup, during the record-breaking snow storms) and spent time with family and friends.  Lamely enough, I didn't get pictures of the Bowens and the Cox's while we were there.  I'll try post some later on.  We spent some good time talking to Grampa Owen, which was really enjoyable.  I hope your Christmas was warm, with friends, and - as always - enjoying good food :)

We also had a chance to meet up with Graham and Treena Kerr  - the Galloping Gourmet.  How fun!  We had lunch- a smoked paprika beef stew with diamond cut potatoes - dessert - a traditional English Christmas Pudding - and Christmas crackers.  It was so much fun!

Baking Cinnamon Rolls

Guillermo Casias, the Pastry Chef at Victoria's Deli, showed me how he makes his amazing cinnamon rolls, a staple at the Bakery.  You would not believe the sweet smell of the dough, the spicy cinnamon, and the mapley brown sugar.  Omigosh! 

 

 

SARE Grant - Our Day Off Activities

Well, on our day off - it was snowing so we couldn't get to Denver for our meetings -  we decided to work on the grant project and enjoy some yummy foods at Victoria's Deli and Catering.  Well, we certainly ate our fill - the pastries are truly to die for!  And we did get a lot of work done!  Go to Colorado-farm-to-fork.blogspot.com for details of our project and check it often for updates.

Some day off! :)

Christmas Celebrations with my parents

On Saturday, we did some pre-Christmas celebrating with my parents in Denver.

We checked out a Christmas concert at the Cherry Hills Community Church and then went to the Capital Building and the People's Courthouse to check out the lights :)

Thanksgiving in Beulah

Woops, it's almost Christmas, and I  am only finally posting the Thanksgiving in Beulah shots.  We had so much fun hanging out with Dr. Donna Hinders, Roy Hipp, and all of their wonderful friends and neighbors!  Donna also connected me with Dr. Meg Thams who teaches business at Regis U.  She works with a truly Fair Trade Coffee business that really gives more $ to the farmer and less to the middle-businesses, because there are fewer of them!  

Donna made a Polenta Cake, and I made a gluten free chocolate brownie with pumpkin pie on top. 

Enjoy the pictures!  

Thanksgiving

Boy, it doesn't entirely feel like it should be Thanksgiving in Pueblo yet! It's been in the 70s still. Last Wednesday, I participated in a photoshoot for Paul Alhadef, a stellar photographer. We were doing lifestyle shots. It was so nice out that we went to the City Park and took photos! Sheesh!
And now I'm listening to Christms music! It just seems odd. Well, at least it was cold this morning!
We celebrated Thanksgiving with my parents and the Prochazkas -- my mom's brother and family -- on Saturday. On Thursday, we'll be hanging out with Schaub's in Denver. And we're going to watch Quantum of Solace!

That's Natural! Turns a New Page

That's Natural - a Pueblo-based news-magazine that I've been working with for over a year - has gone to FULL COLOR! Tisha, my dear friend and the publisher, has bitten the bullet and printed the whole news-mag in color on beautiful glossy paper! And the paper looks fantastic! What an eye-popping edition! Click on the title of this blog to check out her website!

That's Natural can be found all over Southeastern Colorado - and get ready to see more of us! We just won a USDA Grant for the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education to create a curriculum series for elementary students to learn about sustainable, seasonal, locally-produced products and the nutritional and social benefits of supporting local farmers and ranchers! We're so excited! And boy do we have a lot of work cut out for us!

White Chicken Chili

At my brother Chris' request, I'm posting a recipe that requires less effort than the other gluten free recipes. This recipe is from our Mom, Paulette. I'm lazy enough not to saute the onions with the cumin, green chili, garlic, and chicken in advance and just layer it in the slow cooker. I also added one 15-oz can chopped stewed tomatoes.

White Chicken Chili

3 16-oz cans Great Northern White Beans, not drained
1 T olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 4-oz cans chopped mild green chilis or 1-2 roasted Anaheim Green Chilis, skinned, seeded, chopped (these can make the chili spicy)
2 t gd cumin
1 1/2 t oregano
1/4 t cayenne pepper (optional)
2-4 c chopped cooked chicken
6 c chicken broth
salt/pepper
3 cups monterrey jack cheese

Saute onions, garlic, spices and chicken. Add beans and broth.
Simmer on medium heat for 20-40 mins. Add cheese just before serving.
Tastes better after a day to let the flavors mix together.

OR

Layer onions, garlic, chicken, chilis in your slow cooker. Top with 1 14-oz can stewed chopped tomatoes with green chilis (Muir Glen has a great version) and 2 15-oz cans chicken broth. Cook on low for four hours or until bubbling hot. Top with cheese and tortilla chips.

If it's too spicy, add some brown sugar and half-and-half. Makes it creamy and cuts down the spice a little bit.

Serves 8-10

Kitchen Layout Planning

Kitchens used to be the central room of any home because they were usually the locations of the only heat source in the home. They temporarily gave ground to the TV rooms, but they are quickly reclaiming the central space of modern homes. Your kitchen layout tells you lots of information about your cooking personality. Some kitchens express how busy the family is and are often used as storage of quick-fix frozen dinners or as the final resting place for hamburger wrappers and to-go bags. Other kitchens feel like the most worked-in rooms in your home, doubling as the office, the loading and unloading zone for the home's residents, and sometimes the gathering place for guests.

Whatever the use, a good kitchen needs to be convenient for you and your family's uses. Since it is your kitchen - and nobody else's - there are no rules for how it must be laid out. But here are some simple suggestions in setting up your kitchen for easy meal preparation. A good layout will encourage healthy meals to be prepared in your own kitchen.

Group your dishware and flatware closest to the dishwasher and sinks for easy unloading. Teach your children how to unload the safer items.

Gather your cooking tools according to the frequency of use and ease of storage. If you use a pastry blender less often than your can opener, then put the other tool in a lower drawer. Stack your pots and pans by size and by frequency of use. If you use larger pot almost daily, then consider reserving its own space so you don't have to dig it out every afternoon. Additionally, the pan that you use for turkey twice annually can be scooted to the back of the cupboard or be used to store smaller pots or lids.

Place your knives in a separate drawer or purchase a knife block -- stored away from little curious hands -- to keep sharp items away from unsuspecting fingers and inexperienced hands.

Arrange your food cupboards by the type of ingredients you use the most and by recipe. Place your indulgent foods like chips and chocolates further back, and make sure healthier snack items are easily accessed.

When you come home from the grocery store, lay out your fresh produce, washing and drying food before you put it in the refrigerator. Foods that you will use soon can be cut up and will be ready for easy cooking. Ingredients that won't be used until later in the week can be stored whole. Date the foods you buy so that you know how long it will keep. Only buy what you need - and perhaps one or two reserve meals for emergency - and buy when things are on sale if the items are not perishable.

Grocery stores deliberately place the 'yummy' indulgent foods on the end caps -- the aisle ends-- so shop with a list and go after you've had a light snack so you're not inclined to add something to the cart that simply looks good. Don't forget how much space you have in the refrigerator and cupboards before you buy the bulk food!

Now your kitchen fits your needs!

Fifteen Twentyone

We finally had our opportunity to eat at Fifteen Twentyone. I took advantage of the weekend and took Joshua out for dinner. When we arrived just before 7:00, the restaurant had about 8 tables seated (of probably 20 tables). During the course of the dinner, almost all of them filled up. Business has been pretty steady, according to Nancy.

We sampled the soup -- celery and smoked mussel and the bibb salad for starters. Then we ordered a seared salmon on risotto and the Colorado lamb.

After the starters, we waited for our dinner and started chatting about our next steps in our careers. I'm looking at different Dietetic Internships, and we talked about the options, pros, cons, and risks.

Nancy, co-owner of Fifteen Twentyone, brought us an appetizer plate of shrimp wrapped in prociutto balanced atop lemon vinaigrette spinach and fresh tomatoes. Delish! Even better, they were compliments of the chef -- probably because I admire their work so much and had written a dazzling review of the restaurant for That's Natural and The Pueblo PULP.

We were talking and talking... and didn't really realize that the dinner was taking a long time. The tables around us filled up, and their starters arrived. Then our server, laden with a large bowl, approached and placed the dish in front of us. It was teaming with mussels that had been steamed in a light white wine, roasted tomato and basil sauce. He explained that the lamb was taking longer than the chef intended and that the mussels were complimentary. Woohoo!

The lamb was medium rare, garnished with a light balsamic vinaigrette, tender and moist. The typically unpopular mutton taste was not even in the background. It was accompanied by a Gorgonzola mashed potato -- rustic and flavorful. Eating the two items together brought the sense of wild mountain fields to the lamb, which was sweet, and the Gorgonzola potatoes, which were just mashed enough to be called mashed potatoes but still possessing the heartiness of a perfectly-cooked potato. The beets that rested alongside the salmon were fresh and earthy -- but in the

Josh's salmon dish was brightly colored, crispy, and sweet. It was garnished with a squash puree which gave the plate a whimsical artsy appearance. The risotto was dense in flavor, sweet, and rich. The rice was firm to the bite but settled smoothly into the cream. I admit to stealing more than just a few bites.

Well, the rest was history, and it was absolutely splendid. We ended the perfect dinner with cups of dark coffee lightened by heavy cream.

I can't wait to go back!

Neewollah

Our Sunday morning "Young Adults" Group got together on Friday night and had a Halloween party and game night. We enjoyed some tasty food - including my mom's white chicken chili a la Kimberly, tasty sugar cookies lovingly cut to festive shapes by Terra, nachos, gluten free corn bread from Katie, coffee, and caramel cereal and nut mix. The Jubas bravely opened their home for us, and 9 of us descended on their home.

Brian Muench won the costume contest as Charlie Chaplin -- complete with an authentic mustache, split toe shoes, and pants held up by string. Jordane Ripke won second with her 1940s private eye costume, sporting a skirt set, shotgun and holster, and a badge. Luke Arledge won third with his impressive Clark Kent costume -- such a secret superhero that we couldn't even tell what he was. Honorable mentions are Ryan Lindsey with his Scottish Rugby player, Josh as the Therapist, Katie as a crazy chemist (crazy added for effect), Morgan (Jordane's friend) with the flower child, -- although we could have believed "blind girl from Shyamalan's The Village." The Jubas came as "proud college parent" and "tired but cheerful teacher." I was a barista -- I know, big departure!

Dietetic Internships

The days in Pueblo seemed to signal the arrival of Fall -- the days were reaching highs of 50s and 60s. This week; however, the weather has ventured up to the 70s, and today is supposed to be 80s. I am ready for fall! Where are the fall colors? Well, the leaves started to change and then fell off the trees because we had some really cold nights. Man... I want to move to an area that has nice long fall days.

Health Expo

On Friday I participated in a Health Expo. It was at the Transportation Testing Center east of Pueblo. It took me about 45 minutes to get there! There was a pretty good turnout -- there were about 150 employees, and I probably met 50. They had incentives to go: prizes were being given out. Several asked good questions. Most of them "knew what was good to eat but didn't do it." Yah, that's a typical response about good nutrition.

Enjoy the pics.

Gluten Free Pizza

One thing Josh and I haven't enjoyed since going GF is pizza. I finally broke and bought a package of $5 pizza crust mix. We've tried the frozen pizzas -- they're all right. The crusts are crispy and flat and bland. So I tried the Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza mix. It makes 2 10-inch pizzas. Very thick. Like a giant biscuit spread out and topped with pizza toppings. I bought yeast, so I think I'll try make my own with my flour substitute. The only thing is that you can't knead GF dough. It's like a sticky blob of too-thick pancake batter. So just spread it out on parchment paper directly on a cookie sheet and bake as directed.

Check out the picks below. Flavor was good -- for a giant biscuit.

Ah...nice chewy pizza crust... alas... no more. But for a decent substitute, I recommend it.