Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts: The Perfect Christmas Appetizer!

"Merry Christmas, movie house! Merry Christmas, Emporium! Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Building and Loan!" - Its a Wonderful Life

Let's face it--bacon is the #1 ingredient this year. People, including me, can't get enough of it. So here is my Christmas present to all of you--the perfect appetizer featuring the perfect food--bacon! My mom made these for Christmas every year, and it was always my favorite dish.

Ingredients:

1 can whole water chesnuts 

3 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons chicken broth

1 tablespoon white cooking wine

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

12 strips thin cut bacon

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Lay the water chestnuts in a shallow oven safe pan. 

2. In a mixing bowl add soy sauce, sugar, honey, chicken broth, wine, and garlic salt. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Pour the mixture over the water chesnuts and let them marinate for 1-2 hours.

3. Cut the bacon slices in half. Roll each water chesnut individually in a piece of bacon. Secure with a toothpick. Ladle the marinade over the top of the bacon.

4. Cook for 20 minutes. Turn oven to broil and cook an additional 5 minutes. Serve while still warm.

6-10 appetizers servings. 

Merry Cat-Mas and Happy Holidays!

(please don't call animal control on me hahaha)

Gluten-Free Stuffing (Thanksgiving or any time!)

"The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

This stuffing can be used to bake separately or within the turkey.  If you want a more southern taste, substitute half the white bread with corn bread. Happy Thanksgiving (or whatever day you decide is magically enough for stuffing!).

Ingredients:
1 loaf white gluten-free bread (I used Udis per usual!)
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup yellow onion
1 cup gluten-free chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons sage
5 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons parsley
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper  

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350F. Double toast each piece of bread so that they are completely dry but not burned. Rip each piece of bread into small pieces and sprinkle in 10x10 pan.

Step 2: On med-high heat cook diced carrots, onion, and celery in 2 tablespoons of butter for 20 minutes, or until soft. Drizzle cooked vegetables onto the bread. 

Step 3: In a small bowl mix chicken broth, salt, pepper, parsley, and sage.  Melt leftover 3 tablespoons of butter and mix into chicken broth. Pour mixture over bread and veggies. Gently toss all ingredients together so every piece is lightly covered with broth, but not soggy.

Step 4: Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Best served with gravy!

Serves 6-8 sides. 
   
  

My First Thanksgiving Turkey!

"I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old fashion way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land." - Jon Stewart

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving! I sure did. This year was my first time hosting Thanksgiving AND my first year cooking a turkey! I solicited my friends on facebook for advice, and the turkey ended up being delicious and very easy. We had zero leftovers. Here's how I did it:

Ingredients:
1 turkey (I used a 15 pound turkey to feed 10 guests)
1 cup white wine
1 cup gluten-free chicken broth
1 tablespoon salt
4 tablespoons butter

Directions:

Step 1: After the neck and giblets have been removed, pour white wine and chicken broth on turkey so the turkey has been initially marinated. Rub butter over and under the skin. Stick any extra butter under the skin, next to the breast of the chicken. Rub the skin with salt.

Step 2:  Bake turkey in large roasting pan at 375 for approximately 13 minutes per pound of meat (unstuffed). Baste turkey every 45 minutes with juices from the pan.  You can use the extra juice for gravy when the turkey has been fully cooked!     

Serves 8-12 people.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Oatmeal Bake

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." - Charles M. Schulz

This is the perfect dish to make if you have guests over for breakfast this holiday season. Its fast, easy, tasty, and filling. I brought it to a work meeting last week and didn't end up with any leftovers!

Ingredients:
1 package of dried cherries (about 1 cup)
1 cup milk chocolate chips 
2 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup diced walnuts
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
5 tablespoons melted butter
Zero calorie butter spray

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Coat the bottom of a 8x11 pan (or comparable) with zero calorie butter spray.

Step 2: In a large bowl mix oats, chocolate, cherries, walnuts, salt, brown sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon. Pour the dry mixture into the 8x11 pan.

Step 3: In your now empty bowl mix eggs, milk, vanilla, and melted butter. Pour the mixture over the dry oat mixture and make sure that all pieces are covered. 

Step 4: Bake oatmeal for 40-45 minutes. If you want the oatmeal solid, let cool for 1 hour after baking, then reheat in the microwave for 20 seconds. Otherwise serve fresh out of the oven!

Serves 8-10.

     

Is it National Bacon Day yet?

"I’ll have the smiley face breakfast special. Uhh, but could you add a bacon nose? Plus bacon hair, bacon mustache, five o’clock shadow made of bacon bits and a bacon body." - Homer Simpson

I have literally been eating a BLT for lunch or dinner almost every day for the last week. Why? I've found the perfect combination of gluten-free bread for them and also--bacon. Did I mention bacon? Baaaaccccoooonnnn.

So this is kind of a lame excuse for a recipe post, but it needed to happen because I can't stop eating these.

Also, sorry for no pics of the bacon. I meant to take a pic...but then I ate it :(

Ingredients:
2 slices of Udi's Gluten-Free White Bread (this is by far the best GF sandwich bread I've tried!)
1 leaf butterleaf lettuce
2 thin slices tomato
3 slices thick cut applewood smoked bacon
1/2 tablespoon lite mayo

Directions:

Step 1:  Lightly toast  2 pieces of Udi's Gluten-Free White Bread. Spread light mayo evenly across one side.  Add lettuce and tomato.

Step 2: Cook bacon in pan on medium-low heat for approximately 8 minutes per side. The bacon should be slightly crispy, but still soft.  Cut bacon slices in half and lay across bread so it is completely covered with bacon.

Step 3: Eat sandwiches every day for a month, because they are completely addicting. BACON!

Serves 1.

Orion says, "Put the bacon in my belly."

Super Soft Sugar Cookies

That's the way the cookie crumbles...

Confession: Until this batch, I'd yet to have a gluten-free cookie that I loved. So many gluten-free cookies are dry, bitter, and fall apart the instant you bite into them.  So how did I come up with a recipe that finally worked? I changed my thinking--I morphed cookie and cake recipes to make the ultimate soft sugar cookie!

I brought these cookies to a volunteer meeting, and upon announcing they were gluten-free, I was meant with huge groans. Apparently I'm not the only one with a gluten-free cookie prejudice. But after the first kid took one, and proclaimed it was amazing, everyone dug in--and every cookie was eaten with gusto!

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cup gluten-free flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons xanthum gum
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup softened butter
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350. 

Step 2: In a small bowl, mix all dry ingredients (sugar, egg, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and xanthum gum).  

Step 3: In a large bowl, mix egg, vanilla, and softened butter. Slowly add the dry ingredients and stir in a little at a time. Stir until all ingredients are completely mixed.  Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

Step 4: With a ice cream scooper or spoon, put a 1-2 tablespoon sized dollop of dough on a baking sheet covered with tin foil. Space cookies 2 inches apart.       

Step 5: Place cookies in oven and cook for 15 minutes. When cookies have cooled, top with your icing of choice.