Sourdough starter

When I made this starter, I ised the recipe as I found it in a gf bread machine cook book (125 Best Gluten Free Bread Machine Recipes):

3 Cups warm water

2 Tbsp granulated sugar 

2 Tbsp instant yeast 

3 Cups sorghum flour 

1. In a large glass bowl, combine water and sugar. Sprinkle with yeast, gently stir to moisten and let stand for 10 minutes 

2. Add sorghum flour and whisk until smooth. 

(Or combine steps 1 & 2 and just dump it all in at once and whisk together!  That is what I did, lol!)

3. Cover with cheese cloth or loose-fitting lid. Secure so that it is not touching the starter. Let stand at room temperature for 2-4 days, stirring 2-3 times a day. When ready to use, starter has sour smell, with small bubbles 

4. Store, loosely covered, in the refrigerator until needed. If not used regularly, stir in 1 tsp of granulated sugar every 10 days. 

Then as I have used the starter instead of going out and getting more sorghum flour, I have been adding whatever gluten free flour or gluten free flour mixture I have handy. 

Feeding the starter :

To replace each cup of starter used in a recipe, add 3/4 Cup water, 3/4 Cup gluten free flour (so far it doesn't seem to matter) and 1 Tbs of sugar to the remaining starter. Stir well, cover loosely and let stand at room temperature for at least 24 hours. 

Lemon Cookies

I bought some lemons a few weeks ago and have wanted to do something with them.  Thomas and Barbara wanted lemonade, that was easy enough.  I am trying to motivate myself to make a lemon merangue pie, I really dobt need to eata whole pie and nobody else will eat it :) so...  but i was thinking lemon cookies woukd be good. But I was wanting something lemony tart like pie, but soft and kind of cake like... this is what I came up with :)

Lemon Cookies

1       Stick   butter or margarine
1/3    Cup    Shortening
3/4    Cup    Sugar
1       tsp      baking powder
1       dash   salt
1                  egg 
1       tsp      vanilla
2      Cups   Gluten free flour blend
1/4   Cup    fresh squeezed lemon juice

extra sugar and a juice glass


Preheat oven to 375*

Combine all ingredients.

Spoon by tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheet.

Use juice glass dipped in extrs sugar to flatten cookies.

Bake 7-9 minutes.

Let cool on cookie sheet 2 minutes, move to cooling rack to cool completely.

makes approx. 3 dozen cookies.

Simple Calzones

So simple. So yummy. I like things easy, and this was once I remembered the trick of rolling dough out on Saran Wrap. An important thing to remember!!

Ingredients

1      Small onion 

3      Cloves garlic

1/2   Can Rotel tomatoes

1/4   #     Turkey burger

1/4   Cup shredded cheese

1       Container Pillsbury Gluten Free Pizza Crust Dough

Directions

Preheat oven to 375

Sauté onions and garlic. Cook meat. Combine. Remove from heat. Add tomatoes. 

Divide dough into 6 pieces. 

*Roll out (on Saran Wrap!) a piece of dough into an oval shape. 

Place 1/6 of meat mixture on one end of dough. 

Top with 1/6 of cheese. 

Fold empty side of dough over the top (where Saran Wrap comes in handy. Fold the Saran, then peel Saran off the dough, beautiful!); crimp closed all the way around. 

Slit top for ventilation. 

Repeat from *

5 more times :)

Bake 15-20 mins 

Enjoy

Taco seasoning.

This is a very easy mix to make.  I use it for tacos, taquitos and fajitas and other recipes. It can easily be modified to your taste and is easy to increase or decrease the size of the recipe you make , to fit in the size storage container you wish to use :)

Taco seasoning

3/4     C          Chili Powder

1        Tbsp.    Red Pepper Flakes

1        Tbsp.    Garlic Powder

1        Tbsp.    Onion Powder

1        Tbsp.    Dried Oregano

2        Tbsp.    Paprika

6        Tbsp.    Ground Cumin

2        Tbsp.    Salt

4        Tbsp.    Black Pepper

Mix well. Enjoy. 

I use 1-2 Tbsp. with about one pound meat. 

No Bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

No Bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
 
(will get a picture next time) :)

Ingredients:

1.5 cups white sugar
0.5 cups brown sugar
0.75 cups butter
0.66 cups almond milk
1 (3.4 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
3.5 cups Gluten Free rolled oats
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine sugars, butter and milk. Bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add in the pudding mix, stirring to combine completely. Add in pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and oats. Stir to combine and let stand for 5 minutes. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper, and allow to cool completely. Store in airtight container.
Freezing Directions:

Follow directions above. When completely cool, transfer to gallon sized freezer storage bag.
Servings: 36 cookies

Chocolate Chip Muffins

These are good, but NOT sweet. No added sugar. There is sugar of course in the semi-sweet chocolate chips, but that is all.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 3/4 C GF Flour Mix 2 (recipe on another blog post)
1 Pkt. Stevia (approx. 1/4 tsp)
2 tsp Baking powder
1 Egg
3/4 C Milk
1/4 C Oil
3/4 C Chocolate chips (semi-sweet)

Combine dry ingredients. Set aside. Combine wet ingredients. Add to dry ingredients mix until combined (will be more like dough than the usual lumpy batter that one usually has with muffins.) spoon into muffin pan.

Bake at 400* for 15 minutes or until done.

Made 8 muffins that were no taller than the muffin cup. They don't rise. (Make 'em the size you want 'em)

GF Flour Mix 2

This is my own mixture that I have made with the flours I can find easily here, where I live. Pre-made all purpose mixes are too expensive for me, for as often as I use them… and some of them leave a horrible taste in my mouth… and home baked goods, come out looking not quite right and tasting "different" :).
Both this mix  and the previous mix will trade out perfect 1:1 with regular flour in every recipe I've tried. We all like this mix as well as the first one.  I like this one better...

Gluten Free Baking Mix

1 C White Rice Flour
1 C Brown Rice Flour
1 C Tapioca Flour
3 C Coconut Flour
3 C Almond Flour
1 C Potato Starch
1 Tbsp Guar Gum

Mix together, store in airtight container.