A (gf) pie for Mikey

Please excuse me, but this blog post is going to take a slightly different route then most of my previous posts. Yes, I will share a recipe – but unlike most of my other recipes, I was driven to make this particular recipe not because it sounded good and I was craving it, but because of the principle behind it. After reading about a recent tragedy in the microblogging world, I decided to answer the call to make something – in this case a peanutbutter pie for Mikey – for someone I love.

So stay with me here please. In this post, I'm going to do some reflecting. Concentrate on the haves, rather than the have nots we're so used to getting stuck on. I think it's almost human nature to think about what we don't have – what we see others have and decide that we also need or want.

Yes, I have celiac disease. But instead of focusing on what I can't have (a good hamburger bun, the ease of ordering anything my heart desires when we visit a restaurant, a corn dog, funnel cake, or fried food of choice when I visit the state fair later today), I should instead focus on what I do have.

1. I have plenty of food available to me. My husband and I can provide food for our little family. We're not part of the millions of people around the world who are going without breakfast this morning and don't know when they'll get their next meal. In addition, my food options are always expanding. Restaurants are becoming more aware and are providing GF options. More companies are becoming aware of the growing GF population and are exploring GF products. This is also pushing us to eat healthier and more naturally, just because it's easier to know exactly what whole ingredients we are using in a dish than it is to carefully read an ingredients list that's inches long on a product. We're getting fewer preservatives, natural colors, and natural flavors but more whole, fresh ingredients and flavors. I am thankful that I have options.

2. Yes, I have celiac. But in the realm of medical maladies, this one isn't so bad. I am healthy, perhaps a few pounds heavier than I would prefer (see above, I have plenty of food available to me which could be the cause of this, but that is a blessing so I'm not going to complain) and I'm working on fixing that part, but it could honestly be a lot worse. I don't have cancer or another life-threatening/demanding illness. I don't have to take regular medications to ensure my wellness. I have all of my limbs, my sight, my hearing, and my health, and I am thankful for this.

3. I have my husband. He is always supportive and always has our best interest in mind. He cooks me dinner on nights that I go to the gym and would give up eating a hamburger bun or real pizza in front of me if I asked him to – all with minimal complaint. I swear that sometimes he can even read my mind. Who else would immediate guess the word "convex" when playing Pictionary? Who else could randomly laugh and comment on the exact same thing that I was thinking? Only him, and I got very lucky when I found him. We argue about stupid things sometimes (but who doesn't?) and sometimes I take him and everything he does for granted. I'm going to stop that and instead thank him and cherish him. I don't want my memories to be of what went wrong or of a stupid argument. I am thankful that he's a big part of my life and I want him to know it.

4. I am surrounded by those I love and who love me. I have a pretty kick-ass family - including in-laws, so I know I'm lucky. I don't see them as often as I should, but we always have a good time when we get together. And they are there pushing me, comforting and supporting me, and cheering me on in anything and everything. I also have some great friends – some I don't see and talk to as often as I would like to and some that I don't go a single day without talking to. I have friends that I can laugh with, cry with, and just sit silently with. I have friends that push me, support me, see the best in me, and believe in me even when I don't believe in myself. I shared this pie with some great friends of ours last night. Ones that we randomly met 2 years ago while on vacation out of the country. We struck up a conversation while in the pool and found out that we're essentially from the same town and I had worked with her father-in-law. What are the odds of that? We don't see them as often as we would like, but they are amazing people and I'm blessed to have them in my life.

I know that I have so much more, and from now on I will do my best to reflect on that rather than get stuck on what I think I need or want. I am lucky, and I should be more thankful for that.

So here is the recipe for peanutbutter pie. Reflect on what you have while making it, then share it with the people that you love. Don't wait until tomorrow because tomorrow may be too late.

Peanutbutter Pie
Serves  12
8 ounces GF chocolate cookies - I used a package of Mi-Del chocolate sandwich cookies
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup (plus some) chocolate chips - I used Hershey's Special Dark. Yum!
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup creamy-style peanut butter
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 – 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Add the cookies to the bowl of a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs.  Combine melted butter and cookie crumbs in a small bowl, and stir to mix well.  Press mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of a pie pan.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave.  Pour over bottom of cookie crust and spread to the edges.  Sprinkle chopped peanuts over the melted chocolate. Place pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Pour the heavy cream into a bowl and beat until stiff peaks form.  Transfer to a small bowl and store in refrigerator until ready to use. 

Place the cream cheese and peanut butter in a deep bowl.  Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar.  Add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Increase speed and beat until all the ingredients are combined and filling is smooth.

Stir in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the peanutbutter filling mixture.  Fold in the remaining whipped cream (try not to get impatient like I do).  Pour the filling into the pie pan crust.  Drizzle extra melted chocolate on top (optional) and sprinkle with extra nuts (optional), and refrigerate for three hours or overnight before serving.

Share a piece with someone you love, you won't regret it. There is way too much pie to eat yourself.

Oopsie

While I've found a couple of breads that I'm very happy with, I have yet to find any hamburger buns. I'm fine with eating a bunless hamburger most of the time, but sometimes you just want to pick it up instead of eating with a fork and knife, which is why a bun is so important.

My husband was looking around for a low carb option for himself and found a recipe for Oopsie Rolls, which are low carb and gluten free.

3 large eggs, seperated
1 packet of Splenda
dash of salt
pinch cream of tartar
3 oz cream cheese, softened

Oopsie roll, fresh out of the oven

And add Splenda, salt, and cream cheese to the yolks. Use a mixer to combine the ingredients.

In a separate bowl, whip egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff (if you're using the same mixer, mix the whites first and then the yolk mixture).

Using a spatula, gradually fold the egg yolk mixture into the white mixture. Make sure you don't break down the whites.

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray and spoon the mixture onto the sheet, making 6 mounds. Flatten each mound slightly.

Bake for about 30 minutes. Let cool on the sheet for a few minutes, and then remove to a rack and allow them to cool. Store them in a bread sack or a ziplock bag.

The finished product.

We didn't allow them to cool over night as we've read is recommended.

The texture was slightly chewy and did not taste like it was supposed to be an imitation of a bread product.

They held up very well to the burger patty and to the condiments.

We will definitely be making these again soon, and this time we'll experiment with adding different herbs and seasonings to the mix. I'd love to make Italian seasoned ones that I can serve as garlic "bread."

Rice Krispies!

GF Rice Krispie Treats!

Kellogg's recently came out with a gluten free alternative to Rice Krispies – finally! The company did more than just eliminate the malt flavoring from the original recipe to make it gluten free, it also opted to make the GF version with brown rice instead of white. I'm not quite sure why, but I'm certainly not going to complain.
 

After my fellow celiac friend ecstatically sent me a picture text when she found them in the store, I set off to find a box myself. The location of GF Rice Krispies depends on the store – they were in the regular cereal aisle in one store and with the other GF cereals in the health department in another.
 

After buying a box (or a few), I went back home to make Rice Krispie Treats. It had been a long time since I had last made them and I had been craving them for quite awhile – probably just because they were off limits.

I followed the traditional recipe:

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows or 4 cups miniature marshmallows 

6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth.

Add cereal. Stir until well coated.

Using buttered spatula or wax paper (or your own very well buttered hands) evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares.

I also experimented and made this recipe using a package of cinnamon bun flavored marshmallows (8 oz) and 1 heaping cup of regular miniature marshmallows. The flavored marshmallows add a subtle hint of cinnamon and the result is absolutely fantastic!

Bread experiments

No new recipes to post yet, although I do have a few currently in the works. I recently got a bread maker and have been experimenting with that. Each loaf has been edible (although the first loaf was so questionable that even Nora didn't want it after pulling it down from the counter to snack on).

Even Nora deemed the first loaf of bread nearly inedible.

Since then, I have been experimenting with different flour types and ratios - which my bread machine instruction manual heavily discourages. In fact, it says the only substitution that can be made is substituting one type of yeast for another.

Hogwash, I say. I've been adding sorghum flour, despite the manual saying otherwise. I've found the bread to be good, but not quite as bread-like and I'm looking for, as the loaves have had a density and flavor resembling pound cake.

However, I used this discovery to my advantage a couple of weeks ago when I decided to bring a loaf of gluten free cinnamon raisin bread to work for a fellow celiac coworker's birthday.  It turned out very well, although I don't believe I added enough cinnamon. But then again, I didn't measure and just dumped a bunch in. Before I make it again, I will consult a couple of recipes and use them to ensure I add an adequate amount.

I bought some garbanzo bean flour awhile ago that I'm pretty excited about trying out. I'm hoping that it won't be as cakey as the loaves made from sorghum flour. I need to replenish my stocks of rice flours, in addition to eventually adding coconut and almond flours to my pantry.

I vow to eventually master the art of gluten free bread making. Until then, Nora and I will keep taste-testing.

Coming up soon: gluten free beer evaluation.

Tamale skillet

I actually have to credit my sister for this recipe. She insisted that I try it because it's GF and she really likes it. I have done little adaptation to it, aside from changing the quantity of peppers and adding avocado when I serve it.

1 lb lean ground beef
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cups salsa
3/4 cup frozen corn (you could also use fresh or canned, although I have an aversion to canned vegetables)
2 Tbsp water
6 corn tortillas (6 inches), halved and cut into 1/2 inch strips
3/4 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, cheddar jack, Mexican blend, pepper jack, etc.)
Sour cream
Fresh avocado (optional)

In a large skillet, cook beef and peppers over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in salsa, corn, and water, then bring to boil.

Stir in tortilla strips. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until tortillas are softened.

Sprinkle with cheese, cover, and cook 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Serve with sour cream and fresh avocado.

Veggie lasagna

I have a love of pasta dishes, but have yet to love a pasta dish made with GF pasta. I have always used "sneaky cooking" to incorporate vegetables into my lasagna, so I decided to use "sneaky cooking" to make a GF lasagna.

This recipe does not use vegetables instead of meat (which is why I call it veggie lasagna instead of vegetarian lasagna), but instead uses vegetables as a substitute for noodles. However, this dish could easily be made completely vegetarian by omitting the ground meat, as the eggplant and mushroom add a great "meaty" texture and flavor.

4 (about) zucchini or summer squash, sliced length-wise with a mandolin
1.5 jars pasta sauce
1-1.5 lbs ground turkey (or ground beef)
Mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 box frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained really well
I box winter squash, cooked
1 big container of ricotta cheese
2 bags of shredded Italian cheese
(In addition, I normally also use a diced and roasted eggplant, but my supermarket was out)


Pour 1.5 jars of sauce into a mixing bowl. Add meat, mushrooms, and onion (and eggplant).

Combine ricotta, spinach, and squash.

Just cover the bottom of a 9x13 pan with sauce. Build up layers of zucchini noodles, ricotta mixture, and sauce mixture then top each with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour, or until it looks done.
 
This lasagna is fairly watery right after you take it out of the oven due to the vegetables having a higher water content than traditional pasta noodles. This was a slight pain when I served it the night that I made it.
 
However, I was able to drain the liquid after it cooled, before putting subsequent servings into containers to take to work.

Peanut butter cookies: no adaptations necessary

Traditional peanut butter cookies have flour and need adapting. But these cookies only have 3 ingredients, and none of them are flour.


1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy, but this is probably one instance in which creamy would be better)
1 egg

Mix all ingredients. Roll into 1-inch balls (or use a 1-inch cookie scoop) and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with a fork (or the palm of your hand). Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Note: do not bake until the cookies start to brown. My husband did this and we essentially ended up with peanut butter hockey pucks. 8 minutes is really all you need for a soft and chewy cookie.

As you can see from the photo, some of my cookies have brown dots. I doubled the batch and then add a few handfuls of Hershey's Special Dark chocolate chips to the second half of the dough.

These cookies aren't exactly mind-blowing, but they definitely get the job done if you're in the mood for a cookie and don't feel like doing math and flour substitutions.