Bob Red's Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies..

Bob Red's Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies
I tried making these today with a 3 year old. We had fun, and she was able to help a lot, which was the point! However, it could be because we didn't use raisins, or just because they are gluten free, but there was defiantly a "different" taste to them. I cannot quite place my finger on what it is or isn't, but they are not really like the oatmeal cookies grandma used to make!

(Photo to come soon!)

Babycakes Blondies..my epic failure to live up to the Babycakes way!

Ever have a recipe stuck in your mind and you know that you just cant live your life any longer until you just try it? That is how I have been with the Blondies in Erin McKenna's gluten free cookbook, Babycakes. Ever since I stumbled upon this cookbook last year I have been a little bit obsessed. I love it. I love the wording, the photography, the history of the bakery itself. I guess I secretly wish that I too was a part of the Babycakes Bakery. (Sigh..) So, by trying to recreate their deliciousness I am living vicariously through them.

I do have a few problems when it comes to living out my Babycakes fantasy. The first problem is the expense. (I don't make a lot of money, in fact today I was sitting back pondering the idea of someday moving out of an apartment and was hit with the awful fact that it may never happen for me.) If you have ever shopped gluten free you can understand my frustration, where a disgusting loaf of store brand white bread can cost a mere .99 on sale, a loaf of gluten free bread located in the freezer department can average around $5-6. Same goes with baking ingredients, and especially for this cookbook as it is also dairy, egg and mostly sugar free. I went to the local co-op to purchase most of the items needed for this particular recipe. It called for vegan chocolate chips. When I looked at the price I wanted to say "no thanks, Tollhouse will do!". Then I remembered you can buy that type of thing in the bulk food section to save money. Perfect. I found a few of the other ingredients I needed over there as well. After carefully selecting what I needed and scooping what I hope is a cup of the chocolate into a little plastic baggie I begin weighing my purchases. There is a woman behind me waiting to weigh her oats or whatever. I smile politely, as the machine is dispersing my stickers. Really I want her to notice the unique variety of baking supplies I am getting. Then perhaps she would comment on it, and then I would say something like, "I mainly bake gluten free and dairy free." Then she would be impressed and go on to tell me how she just doesn't have the time, yada, yada.
That did not happen, instead the woman impatiently tapping her foot, interrupted my daydream by asking if I intended to weigh my evaporated cane sugar twice. I apologized and went on my way. Glancing down at the stickers I walked to the checkout. How much was that cup of vegan chocolate? $2.40. I ignore it, and once again resume my role as Melissa, baker extraordinaire, reach the check out and had over an hours worth of work for five measly things.

My second issue with Babycakes? I fail. I am a failure. I have hopelessly failed 4 recipes from the book and semi-succeeded in the pumpkin muffins. That means all that ingredients that I worked so hard to buy is literally washed down the drain. This frustrates the crap out of me! I will admit failure in a few areas of my life, but in the kitchen? Argh!

This is the problem I ran into with the blondies. If you look up the recipe, or have the cookbook, you will notice you are to bake them in mini muffin tins that are greased with coconut oil. I greased, trust me I did! Every single one stuck in the tin. Grr.. So for tin number two I was smart, I greased and I floured. I used brown rice flour because it was the closest thing to me and I was in somewhat of a rage! Luckily they didn't stick this time. They also didn't come out all cute like the picture in the cookbook either. When all was said and done 2 out of 36 came out of the tin presentably. Next time, if there is a next time, I will try muffin cups or something!

My next adventure? The banana bread! I have failed it twice, I REFUSE to give up! It looks so pretty in the picture...

Oh gheez, I really do live in a fantasy land!

Salad Girl

Top 5 reasons I love salad!
1. The nutritional value is incomparable!
2. The color, I enjoy vibrant meals :)
3. Flavor, flavor flavor...they don't have to be boring!
4. I'm a veggie girl
5. It's hard not to make a gluten free salad!

So tonight I experimented with a new salad dressing that I have not tried. Drew's Natural Smoked Tomato. I really like garlic and this had a hint of it. First I marinated a chicken breast in it. I baked the chicken in foil because I don't have a grill. I wish I did, but I don't. I think it would have tasted better. I whipped up my favorite veggies I had lying around and after the chicken cooled, added it to the top and ta da!
I think I may try this dressing in a cold rice pasta salad too, that would be really good. The nice thing about the Drew dressing is the fact that there is no added sugar and it's gluten free.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread!

Yummy! I made this tonight, it's good! It's not very sweet, but for gluten free, it works!
http://www.recipezaar.com/gluten-free-pumpkin-bread-393411

Squash and SNOW

Spaghetti Squash with Homemade Roasted Garlic and Basil Tomato Sauce.

• Heat oven to 275/300
• Lightly spray baking dish with extra virgin olive oil. Cut tomatoes in half length-wise and place seed-side up on a backing dish. I roasted 25, but it doesn't matter how many. Add some fresh garlic cloves in the dish and various spices of your choosing. I like Basil.
• Roast for 4 hours
• Remove from pan and let cool. (I actually kept mine in the freezer for a few weeks before making sauce)
• To make sauce place tomatoes and more spices of your choice in a food processor. Ta Da! Heat and serve.
• Heat over to 375
• Lightly spray baking dish with extra virgin olive oil. 
  
• Peirce Spaghetti Squash skin several times. 
• Place in baking dish and bake for approx. 1-1 1/2 hrs. 
• Remove from oven and let cool. 
• When cooled cut open and use a fork to scrape out "spaghetti". It's really fun to do! 
• Use just as you would pasta! It's fabulous.

I made this tonight for myself for dinner. It was very tasty, I would def. recommend it! :) Plus it made my tummy happy which is always good.

Now if I could just kick the caffeine habit. I can't help it! I just LoVe coffee!! Plus working with kids is pretty draining so by 10 am I NEED my jump start.

Side note, can you believe it seriously SNOWED today?! Come on, it's not even my birthday yet! (ahem...that would be the 23rd! :)) I woke up unusually late for my day off, opened my window and there it was, that disgusting white stuff. First I though I would have a little fun, so I made some coffee and got a warm blanket and listened to the Elf soundtrack as I watched it fall. Then I snapped back to reality and realized it's only Oct. 12th and I despise winter! So why do I live here? That my friend is the never ending question.