Gluten and Dairy Free Sugar Cookies

I am a confessed foodie. 

So when I found out that I can't tolerate gluten, I was devastated.

If you are unfamiliar, gluten is a protein contained in wheat and it's by-products. Gluten causes some people to have moderate to severe health problems. Their bodies are damaged by a reaction to the gluten they ingest. 

If you would like to know more about symptoms of gluten intolerance click here.

Following a gluten free diet has improved my health immensely.  But this post is about cookies. You can read more about my experience through the link above.

For me, it isn't Christmas without cookies.  The thought of no more cookies was depressing.  But, I have revamped my mother's sugar cookie recipe. It has been a part of our Christmas tradition my entire life.  I'm so happy I can make them gluten and dairy free!  and they're good!  They really are!

For these cookies I use my own blend of flour.  I am purchasing rice flour from Chinese specialty stores, and sorghum flour from Indian specialty food stores.  I find they are a lower cost alternative.

Gluten and Dairy Free Sugar Cookies

(makes 2-1/2 - 3 dozen) 

1/4 Cup olive oil
1/2 Cup shortening
1 Cup sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
dry ingredients;
3/4 Cup Jawar (Sorghum flour)
1 Cup Rice flour
3/4 Cup Cornstarch or Tapioca flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt

Put the olive oil and shortening in the bowl of your stand mixer.  Mix on medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute.  While it's beating measure out your dry ingredients into another bowl and stir to combine.  Add the sugar gradually, with mixer on low speed. When all the sugar is in beat for 1-2 minutes on medium speed, until mixture is light and fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat for 1 more minute.  Then, with mixer on low gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.  
Flatten dough out into discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes before rolling and cutting the dough.  Spray baking sheet lightly with cooking spray.  Cookies should be 1 inch apart.  Bake at 350F for 10 minutes or until just golden around the edges.  Allow cookies to cool slightly, then remove them from the baking sheet and put on cooling rack.  If you leave them on the baking sheet they will stick after 5 minutes.
Store in an airtight container.  

If desired you can make a simple glaze for them.
  Add 3 Tablespoons of coconut milk to 1 cup icing sugar in a flat bowl.  Mix well.  It should resemble a thick cream.  Add food color if desired.  Dip your cookies into the icing, let some of the excess run off, and place on a rack or waxed paper to dry.  This dries to a hard finish, if you want to add sprinkles, do it while the icing is still wet.

The recipe above is written for use with a stand mixer, but you can use a hand mixer or even stir it by hand.  I have had my KitchenAid Classic for about 10 years now and I wouldn't be without one.  Now that I'm gluten free I need it more than ever.  It saves me so much money on bread and snacks.  Things I really don't want to live without.  Cause sometimes, you just need a cookie!

Find reviews of the top-rated mixers here

KitchenAid Pulled Meat

If you enjoy Pulled Pork sandwiches, Ropa Viejo, BBQ beef sandwiches , or Pulled Chicken sandwiches a KitchenAid stand mixer can take the work out of making these culinary treats.  I've always enjoyed them, but the effort of using two forks to pull apart the meat was far too time consuming and tedious. 
My KitchenAid Classic makes it so easy to do, I have these delicacies a lot more often now.  I boiled the chicken, or roasted the beef or pork first.  When you cut the meat, cut it across the grain in about 1-inch sections.  Put the chunks of meat into the bowl of your mixer.

I set my mixer speed to 4.  It only took about 40 seconds to shred it.

Honestly, doing it by hand would have taken at least 20 minutes. 
The pictures show chicken, but it is just as quick using pork or beef. 
So what do you do with it then?  Well, you can find a tasty recipe for BBQ pulled chicken here.
Or, I do it this way for tacos as well.
 In fact, I used this method for leftover turkey from Thanksgiving.  It turned out amazing! 

Turkey Tacos

(made 12 tacos)

I used;
1 lb of leftover turkey meat, shredded
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
3 Tablespoons lime juice
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 Cup salsa.
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons fresh Cilantro, chopped, optional

Directions

Shred meat using your stand mixer.  Place oil in large skillet on medium high, add onion and saute  until translucent.  Add garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook for 1 minute more.  Add lime juice, black beans, shredded turkey, and salsa. Cook, stirring occasionally until heated through. Taste, and add salt and pepper if desired.  Stir in Cilantro just before serving.  I served these with shredded lettuce, chopped onion, chopped tomato, and grated Feta cheese on corn tortillas.  I mixed equal parts salsa and cranberry sauce to top them.

I know it sounds kinda weird mixing salsa and cranberry sauce together but it worked really well. These were  awesome!  My mouth is running like a river just thinking about them.  Honestly, if you have leftover turkey, you need to try this recipe. 

Party Cheesecake Bars.

I love this recipe.  It's easy with my stand mixer, and it makes serving dessert to a crowd easy too! It can be served as a finger food, which is great for holiday cocktail parties .
 I typically use Apricot preserves when I make these.  If you were making them for the Christmas holiday, a raspberry or strawberry preserve would look festive.  And...who doesn't love berries with cheesecake.
It's best to make these the day before so the cheesecake layer can firm up.  But three hours will be enough if you are strapped for time.

Cheesecake Bars For A Crowd
(makes 64 bars)
For the crust;
2 Cups All purpose flour
3/4 Cup butter
1/4 Cup sugar
1/3 Cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the cheesecake;
2 -8 ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 Cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons clear vanilla
Topping;
1-12 ounce jar of preserves
powdered sugar for dusting.

Directions;
 Preheat the oven to 375F.  Grease a 15 x 10 x 1 inch pan.  Place the flour, butter, sugar, corn syrup and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix on low speed until a soft dough forms.  Press the dough evenly into the pan.
Next, beat the softened cream cheese on medium speed until it looks smooth.  Then, beat in the eggs until thoroughly combined.  Add the corn syrup and vanilla and continue beating until the mixture is smooth.  Pour the cheesecake mixture over the crust.
Bake 30-35 minutes until the filling is set and the edges are a light golden brown.
Take the lid off of the jar of preserves and microwave for 30 seconds.  Stir the preserves and microwave another 30 seconds.  Stir again and then spread over the cheesecake.
Place the pan in the refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours.
Cut into 64 bars.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.

KitchenAid Pie Crust

I love this pie crust recipe!  I've tried a lot of recipes over the years and was never quite satisfied.  The didn't seem flaky enough for the most part, and cutting the butter or shortening in seemed like a lot of work.  I kept wondering what other stuff the person who coined the phrase "Easy as pie" did.  Pie certainly didn't seem very easy to me.
Until I started using this recipe!  Now it is easy! A stand mixer makes child's play out of making pie crust!

The real key to pie crust success, is keeping everything cold.  Your butter and shortening need to be cold.  I measure them, and put them in the freezer, while I measure the other ingredients. The water you add, needs to be ice water.  I put several ice cubes in a cup with water, and let the water get really cold before I use it. The colder you keep your ingredients, the flakier your crust will be.

KitchenAid Pie Crust

(makes 2 9-inch crusts)

• 2-2/3 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 Tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) butter cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 Tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 6 Tablespoons ice water (or more)

Put the flour, sugar, and salt into the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix on low speed using the paddle attachment until combined.  Add the butter and shortening.  Mix for one minute or less, just until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.  Add the six tablespoons of ice water while the mixer is on.  Process just until it begins to form clumps. Less mixing is better when you are making pie crust.  Lay out two sheets of plastic wrap.  Divide the dough in half, and place one half on each sheet.  Flatten dough into a disc and wrap.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Unwrap the dough but leave it on the plastic wrap.  Place another sheet the same size over the top of the dough.  Roll out the dough to approximately 12-inches in diameter.  Remove the top sheet of plastic and lay your pie pan on top of the dough open side down. Reaching underneath the bottom sheet of plastic wrap, and holding the pie pan in place, flip over.  Remove plastic, create a decorative edge, and using a fork put several holes in the bottom and sides of the crust.
You can now fill and bake.  You can also make the crust ahead of time, and freeze it until you are ready to use it. 

If you would like a great Pumpkin filling for your crust, this is the best I've ever had!  http://bestmixerreviews.com/pumpkin-pie-without-the-can/

Find out more about KitchenAid stand mixers.

What Is The Most Popular Gift For New Brides?

According to this article The strange allure of the stand mixer - Boston.com 
the most popularly registered gift for new brides is the iconic KitchenAid mixer. 
Why in this day and age of cooking less, eating out more, and busy two career families is the KitchenAid mixer the most wished for gift?  According to this article, it's a symbol of domestication.  An appliance that says "Yes, I am married now".  It implies that the new bride is ready to nurture her betrothed with foods she has crafted.
When the mixers were originally introduced to the public.  They were sold door-to-door.  Women would gather at a friend's home to watch a demonstration of how the mixer performed. They impressed women.  They got women thinking of the mixer as a "status symbol".  They brought out colors for the mixers that match any decor to entice them even further.  It is has become a symbol that says "I'm a serious cook"
KitchenAid does make a good product.  Their mixers are versatile with many attachments available for them.  They perform mixing jobs with ease, and produce quality baked goods.  Affordable for the average family they can also churn out ice cream, pasta, and sausage.  They really do make producing food easier, and do it with style.
A direct quote from the article states;

 On the popular wedding planning website TheKnot.com, the mixer is consistently listed as one of the top wedding registry items, where it is referred to as “a work of art for your kitchen.”

You can read a review of KitchenAid's most popular mixer, the Artisan, through this link http://bestmixerreviews.com/kitchenaids-artisan-stand-mixer-what-you-should-know-before-you-buy/

There are many reasons a bride would put a KitchenAid mixer on her wedding registry list.  Some might feel they need it because "mom had one".  They like the colors the mixer comes in, and feel it shows their personality and starts conversations.  Sometimes it's more because they want one rather, than need one. 
Or maybe... it's actually the groom that has suggested it.  According to the article, many men are now using cooking as a form of relaxation, and are actually encouraging their new brides to add it to the registry.

Whatever the reason, it is a good product.  It will encourage the new bride to cook more.  And, just like her mother before her, someday she will be baking with her children. Who will grow up with fond memories of KitchenAid mixers and spending time with mom baking cookies.
If you want to buy a wedding gift for someone that is sure to be the "best present ever",  you may want to consider this "most wished for gift"

Are there any good frosting recipes that aren't buttercream or chocolate of any kind? - Yahoo! Answers

Are there any good frosting recipes that aren't buttercream or chocolate of any kind? - Yahoo! Answers

I love getting best answers!  I also love this frosting!

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

You could try a 7 minute frosting. It requires granulated sugar, egg whites, water, cream of tartar, and vanilla. It makes a really fluffy frosting that isn't overly sweet. Tastes a lot like marshmallow. It does require that you use a heat resistant bowl set over boiling water and a hand mixer. I like this frosting a lot! Cheap to make and low fat!

Source(s):

If you would like to see the full recipe you can find it here; http://bestmixerreviews.com/category/rec…

Orange Mango Summer Reward

I made a batch of drinks the other day that I just have to tell you about!  My husband and I had been working in the yard all day Saturday weeding and trimming.  I don't know if you've ever been so hot that you start to feel run down and sick from it, but that's the point we were at.  I decided to reward us for our hard work by making frozen drinks.  Made from Brinley's Mango Rum, CocoMania Coconut Rum, orange juice, lime juice, mango nectar, and ice these were great for lowering the core temperature. Fruit has a cooling effect on the body, and then the icy slushy goodness...I can't begin to tell you how much better I felt afterwards.  The rum combination added a nice flavor twist, as did the lime. Not too sweet and very refreshing.
I used a blender for this recipe to get the slushy goodness.  When you put ice in your blender, be sure to have liquid in too and use the ice breaker or pulse feature to start.
If you're looking for a great blender, check out the top rated one from KitchenAid!  With a powerful motor and ice breaker feature it can handle making smoothies daily.  That's hard work for most blenders!  Believe me, I've been through a few.  It's also easy to clean and comes in a variety of colors.

I'm sitting here trying to think of what to call this drink.  I think I'll call it...

Orange Mango Summer Reward

This recipe makes 6 drinks

1/2 Cup CocoMania Coconut Rum
1/4 cup Brinley's Mango Rum
2 Cups Orange Juice
1 Cup Mango Nectar, a thicker mango juice you can find in the juice aisle or you could use fresh mango
juice of 1 lime
1 tray of ice cubes

Put all ingredients into the blender in the order given.  Use the pulse or ice breaker feature to start.  Then when the ice is broken up switch to the smoothie setting to finish.  If it isn't thick enough you can add more ice.

So good!  You gotta try it!  Just convinced myself to make another batch!  Have a good weekend!

By the way, if you're looking for a snack to go with your drink check out my stand mixer recipes