Gluten Free Pizza Video

I have tried so many pizza crust recipes in an effort to find what I think is the best one.  My calzone-recipe makes an excellent dough, but this one is delicious, too.  I often use basil pesto instead of tomato sauce for my topping base.

This recipe is amazing!  The presenter has a list of other videos on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/user/guruchief#p/u.

Gluten Free Cookie Bars

I am not a big dessert person.  But, occasionally I like to eat something sweet!  This is goofy, but sometimes I get my fix from watching a cooking show on TV or reading  a recipe.  I know, that's goofy.  Really.  

My point is this: When I cook a recipe for cookies, brownies, or cake, you know that it's going to be good or I wouldn't keep it as part of my plan.  This recipe is yummy!

 

Don't you want to make them, too?  You can see the recipe in its entirety at http://www.everydaydish.tv/index.php?page=recipe&recipe=136. 

TN Gluten-Free Restaurant Menus

Check out http://gfrestaurants.com/gluten-free-restaurant-menus-tennessee/!  There are extensive updates and reviews for gluten intolerant readers.

Tonka Truck Williamson

My husband and I bought Casper, a Maltese puppy, after we had been married about two years.  What a precious little guy!

We decided that Casper needed a little buddy to play with while Glen and I were away at work, so we purchase another Maltese from a friend.  It just happened that the second dog's name was also Casper, so we re-named #2 to "Two." 

Casper and Two lived happily together for many years until they were both old and in diapers.

After our two Maltese passed away, I promised myself that I would never ask my husband for another dog.  I was worn out from brushing ... and brushing ...

A few months before our older daughter was going to leave to attend college, we began to think that we might add another dog to our family to keep our younger daughter company in her sisters' absence.  We started looking at http://www.petfinder.com and reading books about different breeds in an effort to find the dog that would fit with us.  My husband discovered Tonka through Petfinder and the Collierville Animal Shelter website. 

Tonka loves to cuddle under blankets, prefers coats and sweaters to shivering, monitors all traffic - including leaves, insects and birds - on our street, and doesn't sit still for longer than a minute.  He's a little thief!!  After parenting our little Maltese lap dogs, we have adjusted to this hyper little comedian, Tonka Truck Williamson.

I had to cut this coat off Tonka.  I was able to sew it without using Velcro or snaps.  That turned out to be a mistake.  He somehow managed to put one front arm in its entirety through the neck hole (which was barely large enough to get his head through), and his other front arm was bent and stuck in a front sleeve.  The little guy couldn't move!  So, I cut the coat off and threw it away.  I'm thankful that I have this picture, though!

Pasta with Lemony Herb Sauce

I love to fix this quick and easy pasta dish for my family.  You can add shrimp or chicken if you want, but it's delicious on its own without meat.  I adapted the recipe from Food Network to meet our gluten-free needs.

6 T. olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped fresh green onions

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon

2 (8-oz.) boxes of gluten-free pasta (spaghetti or fettuccine)

2 t. lemon zest 

1. Cook the pasta according to package instructions and drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups of pasta water.
2. Meanwhile, heat 2 T. of the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.  Once simmering, add the onion and season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring continuously.  It will take about 5 minutes for the mixture to get soft and translucent.  Remove from heat and stir in half of the fresh herbs. 
3. Return the (empty) pasta pot to the stove.  Add the onion mixture, the rest of the olive oil, the rest of the herbs, the reserved pasta water and lemon zest.  Season with salt and pepper, stir, add the pasta and toss to coat.  
4. Top with Parmesan cheese and parsley sprigs before serving.

Garlic Shrimp Pasta

I adapted this recipe after finding it in a Taste of Home Dinner on a Dime magazine as I was waiting to check out at WalMart.  The recipe is found on page 37 of the Feb/March 2009 issue.  It is one of my favorites!

1 package of baby shrimp, frozen and pre-cooked

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/3 cup of olive oil

1 package of gluten-free spaghetti pasta or fettucini pasta

3/4 cup of gluten-free low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet or wok, saute the garlic in oil until it is crisp.  Stir in the shrimp, broth, parsley, salt and cayenne pepper.  Cook until heated through.
3. Drain the pasta; add it to the shrimp mixture and toss to thoroughly coat.

Condensed Soups for Gluten-Free Gourmets

I panicked when I first realized that I can't use Campbell's cream soups anymore.  Thank goodness, I found these recipes at http://www.gfutah.org/recipes/Condensed%20Cream%20Soup.html!

Creole Pasta with Smoked Sausage

2 (6-oz.) boxes of gluten-free pasta and cheese

1 lb. gluten-free smoked sausage (I use Hillshire), sliced

1 cup frozen onion, bell pepper, and red bell pepper seasoning blend

1 can gluten-free tomatoes with green chilies

1 tsp. gluten-free Creole seasoning

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions.  Drain pasta; add cheese sauce from package.
2. Cook sausage and seasoning blend over medium-high heat for five to seven minutes, or until the sausage is browned.  Then, add the tomatoes with their juices to the skillet, stirring to combine.  Remove from heat.
3. In a serving bowl or dish, combine the pasta, sausage mix, and Creole seasoning.  Serve immediately after stirring.

Gluten Free Turkey Burgers - SO Juicy!!

I saw Christina Ferrare cook these on "Big Bowl of Love" one morning on T.V., and they looked so good that I had to make Turkey Burgers for dinner that night.  I was used to attempting to doctor hamburgers so they weren't boring, and this recipe was the ticket!  You can see the original recipe at http://www.oprah.com/own-cristinas-big-bowl-of-love/Turkey-Cheeseburgers-Recipe.

Ingredients

1 lb. (ground) turkey meat 1 t. onion powder 1 t. garlic powder 1 t. Worcestershire sauce 1/2 t. kosher salt and black pepper or to taste 1 1/2 T. mayonnaise 1 T. Dijon mustard 1 green onion, finely chopped 1 T. fresh parsley, finely chopped 1/8 t. cayenne pepper 1 egg, lightly beaten ¼ cup canola oil

Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

¼ cup ketchup

2 t. hot sauce

1. Mix the dressing ingredients together, cover and refrigerate.
2. Combine the burger ingredients.  Mix thoroughly with your hands.  Shape into 4 burger patties.  (The mixture will be gooey.)
3. Pre-heat (on high heat) a heavy skillet that is large enough to hold all 4 burgers so they don't touch one another.  Add the burger-cooking oil to the skillet and swirl it to cover the skillet bottom.
4. Carefully add the burgers to the skillet, being careful not to let the burgers touch each other.  Lower the heat to medium, and allow the burgers to cook undisturbed for four minutes.  
5. Flip the burgers and cook four minutes on the other side.  Then, reduce the heat to low and add 1/4 cup of water.  Quickly cover the skillet with a lid, slightly ajar to allow steam to escape.  Continue to cook four more minutes.  
6. Flip the burgers; add cheese if desired.  (Allow one more minute with the lid ajar to allow the cheese to melt.)

You can serve these on a bun, but they are super delicious standing alone with the dressing. 

Gluten Free Gnocchi and Chicken Soup

The recipe comes from:

http://www.ehow.com/how_5738405_make-just-like-olive-garden.html

1 lb. GF potato gnocchi (recipe follows)

1 cup chicken breast meat, cooked and diced

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups cream

1/2 cup celery, finely diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup carrots, shredded or chopped

1/2 cup onion, finely diced

1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 t. thyme

1/2 t. parsley

Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, to top soup when serving

1. Saute the onion, celery, spinach, carrots in olive oil until the onion is almost translucent.  Add the chicken, broth, and spices.  Bring to a boil.  Slowly add gnocchi to the boiling broth. 
2. Turn down the heat; simmer for about 10 minutes.
3. Add the cream.  Slowly allow the mixture to come to a boil; turn it off.  Top with Parmesan cheese.

Gluten-Free Gnocchi

4 large Idaho or Russet potatoes

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup all purpose gluten-free flour 

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1.   Wash, pierce and bake four potatoes in their skins at about 400 degrees for an hour.  Cool them slightly, peel the potatoes, melt the butter into them, and beat potatoes thoroughly (use a food processor or a hand-held or stand mixer until they’re finely beaten). Cover them in a bowl and chill them in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

2.   Whisk together the flour and xanthan gum to combine. Add the flour and xanthan gum mixture slowly to the cooled potatoes; knead it in, squeezing the dough as you go until it holds together.

3.   Roll the dough into 3-6 inch ropes that will form the basis for the small gnocchi. After you have rolled a few, let them sit for a few minutes. It will allow the flour mixture to absorb the moisture of the potatoes.

4.   Meanwhile, boil a large pot of water. Cut the ropes into 1″ pieces with a sharp knife, then mark each with the tines of a fork to make ridges (it allows the gnocchi to hold onto sauce better). Once the water is boiling, gently drop each gnocchi, one by one - in batches of 20 or so- allowing them to cook for about 3 minutes or until they float to the top.  Use a slotted spoon to remove gnocchi from the boiling water and set them aside. Repeat with the remaining dough. Serve with tomato or other sauce.