Every once in a while when I was growing up we'd ask "what's for supper?" and the answer would be "strawberry shortcake!" My dad's favorite. Which was the only reason it qualified as supper. So, like any good daughter, I carry on this tradition and surprise my kids with dessert for dinner.
Tonight, however, the shortcake was actually dessert. Marty grilled some steaks and some fresh Oceana County asparagus (rubbed with butter, salt, and tarragon), we tossed a salad (made with McLaughlin Grows greens), and enjoyed baked potatoes with backyard chives snipped onto the tops. Grace & I had hulled (or "plucked" as she described it) a flat of strawberries, and since she begged we made some shortcake. Having only ever made the Bisquick kind, and cupboards being free of Bisquick, we Googled for a recipe using plain old flour and gluten (as Anna was away at GEMS camp). Here's what we found...and loved!
Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake - http://southernfood.about.com/od/strawberryshortcakes/r/bl00521b.htm
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 stick butter, chilled
2/3 to 3/4 cup half and half, milk, or cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (Grace's addition...nice touch!)
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Set rack at center level.
In a food processor (you can use a pastry cutter or fingertips) combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar and pulse to mix. Cut butter into about 8 pieces and add to the mixture. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, but with few pea-size chunks of butter left in the mixture. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and make a well in the center. With a fork stir in the cream or milk, just until dough is moist. Be very careful not to overwork. The dough doesn't have to hold together well at this point. Let the dough stand for a minute. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough over on itself (knead) 2 or 3 times, until it is holding together and is less sticky.
Gently pat the dough into a pie plate lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until risen and golden brown. OR, turn them into biscuits as the original recipe calls for below, which seemed like way too much work for us...Top with strawberries & grated nutmeg, and add a dollop of whipped cream if you've got it!
For biscuits:
Gently pat the dough into a 6 by 12-inch rectangle about 3/4-inch thick and cut into 8 (3-inch) biscuits with a floured round cutter. Transfer to a buttered foil-lined cookie sheet. Brush on a little milk or cream and sprinkle tops with some sugar, if desired. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until risen and golden brown. Remove to a platter and split each biscuit horizontally with a serrated knife. Butter the hot buscuits then top with about 1/3 cup of berry mixture. Replace the tops and top with a tablespoon or so of berries. Serve with whipped cream for topping.
Serves 8.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Grandma Helen's Chocolate Chip Cookies
3/4 cup sifted flour
1/2 t. soda
1/2 t. salt
Sift together; set aside
1 stick margarine
6 T white sugar
6 T brown sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 t. water
1 egg
1 c. uncooked oatmeal
1 c. chocolate chips
Blend together margarine through water. Then beat in egg. Add flour mixture, mix well. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.
Drop by rounded Tablespoon on cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 8-12 minutes.
Cool on baking rack; makes 2 dozen cookies. Serve with ice cold Kool-Aid made with double sugar, just like Grandma did.
James surprised us by asking permission to bake cookies to bring to school for Critical Friends, which met regularly during the school year. We happened to be heading over to the funeral home that night for a visitation, so we brought the kids along to hang out with Great Grandma for a bit. Perfect opportunity to ask Grandma for her legendary chocolate chip cookie recipe! James dutifully copied it down, and now it's recorded here for posterity. Love you, Grandma Helen!
1/2 t. soda
1/2 t. salt
Sift together; set aside
1 stick margarine
6 T white sugar
6 T brown sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 t. water
1 egg
1 c. uncooked oatmeal
1 c. chocolate chips
Blend together margarine through water. Then beat in egg. Add flour mixture, mix well. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.
Drop by rounded Tablespoon on cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 8-12 minutes.
Cool on baking rack; makes 2 dozen cookies. Serve with ice cold Kool-Aid made with double sugar, just like Grandma did.
James surprised us by asking permission to bake cookies to bring to school for Critical Friends, which met regularly during the school year. We happened to be heading over to the funeral home that night for a visitation, so we brought the kids along to hang out with Great Grandma for a bit. Perfect opportunity to ask Grandma for her legendary chocolate chip cookie recipe! James dutifully copied it down, and now it's recorded here for posterity. Love you, Grandma Helen!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Gluten-free Cinnamon Rolls
From the Gluten Free Diva
Serves 8 or 9
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons shortening (I used butter)
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup of milk, room temperature
1 packet yeast (about 1 tablespoon)
1 egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup potato starch
1 cup corn starch (someone subbed arrowroot successfully)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons xantham gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
TO SPRINKLE ON BOARD COVERED WITH PLASTIC WRAP
1 - 2 tablespoons sugar
FILLING (*see Ellen's note at end of post)
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped nuts - optional
GLAZE
¾ cup powdered or confectionary sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
milk to thicken (I used soymilk)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In medium bowl, combine shortening and sugar. Mix well. Measure warm milk and add yeast to milk. Whisk well to fully dissolve (**see Ellen’s note).
Add milk/yeast to sugar mixture. Add remaining ingredients. Mix very well, being sure to remove all lumps. Dough will be quite soft (***see Ellen’s note).
Take a piece of plastic wrap and lay it out so it covers a 13 1/2" x 13 1/2" square. Sprinkle sugar on the wrap. Lay ball of dough on top of that. Then pull out another sheet of wrap and gently lay over the dough. Pat the dough down into a roughly squarish pancake. Lift the top wrap up and then reposition it. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough in between the two layers of wrap. Occasionally you'll have to lift and reposition the wrap because it gets "stuck" under the edges. You might have to occasionally flip the whole thing over. Make sure that when you're done you've got ABOUT a 13 1/2" x 13 1/2" square of dough.
Remove top piece of wrap. Combine filling ingredients. Spread evenly across dough's surface. (Original recipe poster suggested leaving about a 1 1/2" sugar free edge because when you roll the dough all the sugar shifts and fills this in; otherwise all the sugar spills out).Use the bottom piece of wrap to lift the edge of the dough and start to roll it up forming a long cylinder. Start with the sugary edge, which will be the center of your roll and roll toward the sugarless edge. Cut off or trim up the irregular ends of your "log". Then cut into 8 or 9 slices of similar size, about 1 1/2" wide. Place rolls into a greased round glass pie pan.
Bake approximately 20 minutes, until tops are lightly browned.
Combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk to make glaze. The amount of milk you use will depend on how thick you want the glaze to be. Stir until all lumps are dissolved. Drizzle over warm rolls if desired.
Person who wrote about this recipe included this note: These are lovely with coffee in the morning. They're very light and fluffy - not too heavy or dense. I've also discovered that you can make these the night before and stop short of baking them. Wrap them up in their pan or glass dish and leave them in the fridge for the night. The next morning you can take them out and bake them and they come out just the same! I've found that this is a great thing to bring to a friends house for brunch. I just pop them in their oven - and you've got a great GF contribution and you know there's no cross contamination!
Serves 8 or 9
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons shortening (I used butter)
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup of milk, room temperature
1 packet yeast (about 1 tablespoon)
1 egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup potato starch
1 cup corn starch (someone subbed arrowroot successfully)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons xantham gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
TO SPRINKLE ON BOARD COVERED WITH PLASTIC WRAP
1 - 2 tablespoons sugar
FILLING (*see Ellen's note at end of post)
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped nuts - optional
GLAZE
¾ cup powdered or confectionary sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
milk to thicken (I used soymilk)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In medium bowl, combine shortening and sugar. Mix well. Measure warm milk and add yeast to milk. Whisk well to fully dissolve (**see Ellen’s note).
Add milk/yeast to sugar mixture. Add remaining ingredients. Mix very well, being sure to remove all lumps. Dough will be quite soft (***see Ellen’s note).
Take a piece of plastic wrap and lay it out so it covers a 13 1/2" x 13 1/2" square. Sprinkle sugar on the wrap. Lay ball of dough on top of that. Then pull out another sheet of wrap and gently lay over the dough. Pat the dough down into a roughly squarish pancake. Lift the top wrap up and then reposition it. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough in between the two layers of wrap. Occasionally you'll have to lift and reposition the wrap because it gets "stuck" under the edges. You might have to occasionally flip the whole thing over. Make sure that when you're done you've got ABOUT a 13 1/2" x 13 1/2" square of dough.
Remove top piece of wrap. Combine filling ingredients. Spread evenly across dough's surface. (Original recipe poster suggested leaving about a 1 1/2" sugar free edge because when you roll the dough all the sugar shifts and fills this in; otherwise all the sugar spills out).Use the bottom piece of wrap to lift the edge of the dough and start to roll it up forming a long cylinder. Start with the sugary edge, which will be the center of your roll and roll toward the sugarless edge. Cut off or trim up the irregular ends of your "log". Then cut into 8 or 9 slices of similar size, about 1 1/2" wide. Place rolls into a greased round glass pie pan.
Bake approximately 20 minutes, until tops are lightly browned.
Combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk to make glaze. The amount of milk you use will depend on how thick you want the glaze to be. Stir until all lumps are dissolved. Drizzle over warm rolls if desired.
Person who wrote about this recipe included this note: These are lovely with coffee in the morning. They're very light and fluffy - not too heavy or dense. I've also discovered that you can make these the night before and stop short of baking them. Wrap them up in their pan or glass dish and leave them in the fridge for the night. The next morning you can take them out and bake them and they come out just the same! I've found that this is a great thing to bring to a friends house for brunch. I just pop them in their oven - and you've got a great GF contribution and you know there's no cross contamination!
Gluten-free Cinnamon Raisin Bread
from the Breadman Ultimate Plus manual page 83
Makes a 1.5 pound loaf
1 1/4 cups water, 110-115 degrees
3 extra large eggs at room temperature (if refrigerated, soak them in a cup of hot water for 15 minutes to warm them up)
3 Tbsp oil
1 tsp cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup dry milk
2 cups white rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch flour
1/4 cup soy flour
2/3 cup tapioca flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (I go heavy on this as we like cinnamon)
3/4 cup raisins
1 Tbsp xanthan gum
4 1/2 tsp quick-rise yeast
Use gluten-free cycle on bread machine, or follow these instructions:
3 minutes knead to mix
10 minutes knead
14 minutes rise
52 minutes bake (at 350 I guess?)
Total time 1:19.
Remove bread from pan gently and allow loaf to cook standing upright on wire rack approximately 15-30 minutes before slicing. Then, cut the loaf in half, and then cut each half into 1/2 inch slices. When the bread has cooled completely (approx. 1 hour), store it in an airtight container. Freeze for best results.
Makes a 1.5 pound loaf
1 1/4 cups water, 110-115 degrees
3 extra large eggs at room temperature (if refrigerated, soak them in a cup of hot water for 15 minutes to warm them up)
3 Tbsp oil
1 tsp cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup dry milk
2 cups white rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch flour
1/4 cup soy flour
2/3 cup tapioca flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (I go heavy on this as we like cinnamon)
3/4 cup raisins
1 Tbsp xanthan gum
4 1/2 tsp quick-rise yeast
Use gluten-free cycle on bread machine, or follow these instructions:
3 minutes knead to mix
10 minutes knead
14 minutes rise
52 minutes bake (at 350 I guess?)
Total time 1:19.
Remove bread from pan gently and allow loaf to cook standing upright on wire rack approximately 15-30 minutes before slicing. Then, cut the loaf in half, and then cut each half into 1/2 inch slices. When the bread has cooled completely (approx. 1 hour), store it in an airtight container. Freeze for best results.
Gluten-free Pita Biscuits
from my cousin Amy Sterenberg Moulenbelt
1 C white rice flour (144g)
1 C brown rice flour (121g)
1 1/3 C potato starch (205g)
4 Tbsp tapioca flour (32g)
2 tsp sea salt (or table salt)
2 tsp xanthan gum
8 tsp instant yeast
8 tsp agave nectar or honey
3 1/2 c. very warm milk (use rice milk for dairy free)
1 C canola oil
2 eggs (or Flax gel for egg-free: mix together 6 tbsp hot water with 2 tbsp ground flaxseed - do this first and set aside while mixing remaining ingredients)
Preheat oven to 400.
1. mix flax gel if egg-free
2. add remaining ingredients to bowl
3. add eggs/flax gel to bowl
4. beat on medium with electric mixer until smooth
5. let rise for 15 min
6. pour circles on parchment lined cookie sheet
7. bake approximately 14 minutes, or until golden
These are best warm so eat immediately or freeze and toast before serving.
Those are my cousin Amy's instructions for her recipe. I make them with eggs and skim milk since gluten is the only allergen we're dealing with in this house. All I have to add is that none of the times I've made them do they resemble the pita pocket bread I'm familiar with. They've turned out a little more like large biscuits...but perhaps I'm doing something wrong. Regardless, Anna likes them and they're really good right out of the oven. We keep a bag of them in the freezer to use for sandwiches.
1 C white rice flour (144g)
1 C brown rice flour (121g)
1 1/3 C potato starch (205g)
4 Tbsp tapioca flour (32g)
2 tsp sea salt (or table salt)
2 tsp xanthan gum
8 tsp instant yeast
8 tsp agave nectar or honey
3 1/2 c. very warm milk (use rice milk for dairy free)
1 C canola oil
2 eggs (or Flax gel for egg-free: mix together 6 tbsp hot water with 2 tbsp ground flaxseed - do this first and set aside while mixing remaining ingredients)
Preheat oven to 400.
1. mix flax gel if egg-free
2. add remaining ingredients to bowl
3. add eggs/flax gel to bowl
4. beat on medium with electric mixer until smooth
5. let rise for 15 min
6. pour circles on parchment lined cookie sheet
7. bake approximately 14 minutes, or until golden
These are best warm so eat immediately or freeze and toast before serving.
Those are my cousin Amy's instructions for her recipe. I make them with eggs and skim milk since gluten is the only allergen we're dealing with in this house. All I have to add is that none of the times I've made them do they resemble the pita pocket bread I'm familiar with. They've turned out a little more like large biscuits...but perhaps I'm doing something wrong. Regardless, Anna likes them and they're really good right out of the oven. We keep a bag of them in the freezer to use for sandwiches.
The Old Standby
My mom was a pretty traditional cook. Decent food, nutritionally balanced meals...not bad for a mom who worked outside the home as well as in. She even mastered the no-salt, no-fat, no-flavor (as she termed it) diet for many years when my dad needed it for his heart condition. Originality and creativity were not her strong suit, but she got an A for Effort for sure.
Years ago she got a cake recipe from someone that became her dessert of choice whenever she was asked to provide one. I believe the official name was "Creme de Menthe Cake" and we LOVED it as kids. Ok, as adults, too. Despite it's box-can-tub ingredients, it was a very satisfying dessert! Over the years, it appeared so often for birthday dinners, church potlucks, and holidays that it was dubbed "the old standby." It was one of the first recipes I asked for when I came of age and had to start bringing my own desserts to gatherings.
This blog site is an archive of "old standby" recipes. Some are old family favorites, others are newly discovered gluten-free creations to accommodate Anna's needs. The one thing they have in common is that they are not original creations...who has the time or patience (or talent, let's be honest) for that? These are the "go to" recipes that we use regularly. And eventually they're going to be chronicled all in one place, so I don't have to remember which cookbook or website I found them on! Rest assured, proper credit will be given to sources wherever possible.
The Old Standby - Mary Breuker
1 box white cake mix, prepared according to directions
6 Tbsp creme de menthe liqueur, divided
1 can chocolate fudge frosting
8oz. tub whipped topping, thawed
Prepare the cake mix, adding 3 tablespoons of creme de menthe; bake as directed. Cool completely, then frost with chocolate fudge. Stir remaining 3 tablespoons of creme de menthe into whipped topping and spread over fudge frosting. Refrigerate and enjoy!
P.S. To eat this cake in true Breuker fashion, first serve each person a small-to-normal size piece. Leave the cake in the middle of the table so that everyone can help themselves in turn to several more little slivers of cake "just to even out the row." With practice, this can be done in such a way that the final cut that would actually even out the row is imprecise, allowing for the next row to be doctored up as well.
Years ago she got a cake recipe from someone that became her dessert of choice whenever she was asked to provide one. I believe the official name was "Creme de Menthe Cake" and we LOVED it as kids. Ok, as adults, too. Despite it's box-can-tub ingredients, it was a very satisfying dessert! Over the years, it appeared so often for birthday dinners, church potlucks, and holidays that it was dubbed "the old standby." It was one of the first recipes I asked for when I came of age and had to start bringing my own desserts to gatherings.
This blog site is an archive of "old standby" recipes. Some are old family favorites, others are newly discovered gluten-free creations to accommodate Anna's needs. The one thing they have in common is that they are not original creations...who has the time or patience (or talent, let's be honest) for that? These are the "go to" recipes that we use regularly. And eventually they're going to be chronicled all in one place, so I don't have to remember which cookbook or website I found them on! Rest assured, proper credit will be given to sources wherever possible.
The Old Standby - Mary Breuker
1 box white cake mix, prepared according to directions
6 Tbsp creme de menthe liqueur, divided
1 can chocolate fudge frosting
8oz. tub whipped topping, thawed
Prepare the cake mix, adding 3 tablespoons of creme de menthe; bake as directed. Cool completely, then frost with chocolate fudge. Stir remaining 3 tablespoons of creme de menthe into whipped topping and spread over fudge frosting. Refrigerate and enjoy!
P.S. To eat this cake in true Breuker fashion, first serve each person a small-to-normal size piece. Leave the cake in the middle of the table so that everyone can help themselves in turn to several more little slivers of cake "just to even out the row." With practice, this can be done in such a way that the final cut that would actually even out the row is imprecise, allowing for the next row to be doctored up as well.
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