Frankly, developing this recipe took a lot of work. My goal was to recreate one of my husband’s favorite taste memories and not my own. He has vivid memories of a moist banana bread sweet with plenty of nuts and bananas, which was sold at the health food store he worked at during college. Twice a week, the bakers would arrive early with cases of the bread still warm. He would always set aside a loaf, because they would sell out fast. That was before he was diagnosed, of course.

“Next time, make it a little moister (or sweeter or buttery…)” he would say to me. Finally, after numerous trials, he said, “That’s it!” So, in addition to this gluten free banana bread, I am afraid that I have created a foodie!

It’s so good to be back. I’ve missed you.

Homemade Banana Nut Bread

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Grease and flour two 9×5 inch loaf pans or grease one bundt pan.
3. Measure the flour, flax seed, xanthan gum, salt, baking soda, baking powder, spice, and nuts into a large bowl.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and slowly add vegetable oil or melted butter to emulsify.
5. To wet ingredients, add sugars and vanilla and beat until smooth.
6. Add mashed bananas to wet ingredients and stir to combine.
7. Add dry ingredients gradually into wet ingredients and stir until just blended.
8. Divide the batter evenly between the two loaf pans or into 1 bundt pan.
9. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until a knife inserted into the crown of the loaf comes out with barely moist crumbs or until internal temperature reaches 210F (99C).
10. Let the loaves cool in the pan(s) for at least 15 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack, and cool completely.

Jean Ann’s GF Multigrain Flour Blend

Mix well and store in refridgerator or freezer.

Determined, I decided to substitute ground flax seed and water for the missing eggs — flax is a useful substitute to know about if you cannot eat eggs. What a revelation! I expected passable pancakes. I got marvelous, velvety pancakes, even better tasting than before.

A few years ago, I had trouble finding any version of cottage cheese pancakes on the web. But, recently, I saw a wheat flour version demonstrated on Nigella Feasts. Nigella Lawson calls her recipe cheesecakelets . (Wish I’d thought of that name first!). Her recipe is quite different from mine, but her sentiment and affection for it are mirrored by my family.

I hope these pancakes are a revelation and a new favorite for your family too!

Update: I have now attempted this recipe without any eggs at all and am happy to report that it works! You will want to make the batter slightly thinner and make certain to cook each side of the pancake well before turning. Hopefully this is good news for those of you who are allergic/sensitive to eggs in addition to gluten.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Preheat griddle or skillet on medium heat for cooking pancakes. Brush or spray the surface with oil.

Add all ingredients to blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. (If too thick, add additional milk and blend.) You want the finished product to have the texture of cultured buttermilk or…house paint…definitely thinner than traditional pancake batter.

Pour batter into individual pancakes (smaller cakes 4 inches/10 cm  across are easier to manage and turn). Allow to cook until bubbles form and break. Turn with a spatula and cook for an additional minute to complete cooking on the other side.

Some things to keep in mind. Celiac disease is a life-threatening inherited autoimmune condition that requires diligent removal of all gluten from the diet…even in microscopic amounts. Gluten is found in these grains: wheat, durum, semolina, barley, rye, spelt, kamut, and ordinary oats, which are often contaminated with wheat. You can buy gluten-free oats, but a small percentage of celiacs may have reactions to a protein found in oats–it’s controversial. Also, doctors sometimes put recently diagnosed celiacs on a special diet that requires them to avoid eggs or dairy, for example.

Your friends will thank you if you ask them if there is any ingredient, such as gluten-free oats, that you should avoid. And, it could be that they do not have celiac disease, but another form of gluten intolerance that restricts or allows different foods.

Cooking for someone with gluten intolerance requires care and thought beyond simple recipe substitutions. Think of your kitchen as a laboratory and keep the concept “contamination” foremost in your mind as you assemble ingredients and cook.

Let me explain. If you have a tub or stick of butter in your fridge and you dip a knife directly into it to spread on bread/toast or other glutenous foods, you now have a problem, because this butter might have crumbs in it so small they are invisible (the sniglet is “subatomic toasticles”  : -) . Use a new stick of butter (or cut from the other end) or open a new container of butter spread. Do the same for any ingredient you did not open fresh for use in gluten free recipes and may have contaminated (for example, jams/jellies, sour cream, cream cheese, mayonnaise, and mustard).

Make sure all the pots, pans, utensils, and baking tins that you will use are very clean. Ensure that cutting boards are freshly scrubbed. If there will also be recipes made with wheat on the menu, be aware that this is risky. Make certain that those dishes are prepared separately and that you do not use the same utensils or knives, if they have not been well cleaned. This is especially important if you plan to have several pans going at once on the the stove and not all of them are gluten free. Please do not forget to tell your friend which dishes are not gluten free.

Of course, you cannot add wheat or any wheat containing ingredient to a dish that you intend to serve to a celiac. This includes the small amounts of flour that are sometimes used for thickening soups, stews, sauces, or gravies. Read ingredient labels carefully. Did you know that most soy sauces are made from about 50% soybeans and 50% wheat? Tamari sauces are a smoother and richer form of soy sauce derived mainly from soybeans with little or no wheat. I recommend San-J Tamari Sauce, which is certified GF by the Gluten Free Certification Organization; it is also non-GMO verified, certified organic, and certified kosher. 

Keep things simple when planning your menu and serve mostly “naturally” gluten free items (fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, etc.) instead of buying unusual or exotic ingredients you may not need in the future. Then pull up your chair and enjoy the party!

With the average wedding in the USA running about $25,000, I was determined to have a beautiful wedding at a reasonable cost. I wanted to have it in a beautiful church, on a beautiful day, with 250 of our closest friends.

I had heard about and now experienced the phenomenon of The Wedding Tax. At the mention the word “wedding,” most (not all, but most) merchants’ eyes seem to glaze over while gentle smiles float over their faces, and the price of everything skyrockets beyond all reason!

For example, the quotes my husband got for a limousine ride from the church to a local hotel were over $1,000! So, we both went to work. It became our mission to beat the system. And, God chose to smile on us.

We discovered that a friend at church owned a limo service. As a wedding gift, he gave us an incredible deal. With a little shoe leather, I found the perfect dress at a reasonable price. 

It had rained all month, but on the morning of our wedding day, the clouds parted. It was a spectacular day.

Early on the previous morning, my groom went flower shopping at several “wholesale club” stores. After emptying her stock of cream flowers, a florist gave him the phone number of a local flower supplier, who he called immediately on his cell. The dealer said he was standing in the wholesale flower market and just happened to be looking at 200 of the largest, most beautiful creme-colored roses he had ever seen. The price was so low, my husband ordered them all, and they were delivered to the church before he arrived with several hundred more flowers. My lovely girlfriends decorated the church and reception hall with flowers.  

As I mentioned above, I cut costs by baking 30 GF cheesecakes using the recipe I developed below. It freezes very well. So, a few months earlier, we bought a freezer to store them in using a fraction of the money we would have spent on a professional wedding cake. I still adore the extra storage space a deep freeze offers.

We hired a fabulous choir from a sister church. Their beautiful voices made the wedding even more memorable. Another dear friend, an events planner, was our excellent wedding coordinator.

Even now, years later, friends still occasionally tell me about the wonderful time they had at my wedding, which makes me feel so good.

If you are a lover of rich, dense, and creamy New York Style cheesecake (I am too), then think of this as a different dessert. It’s still rich and creamy, but it’s as light as the fluffy white clouds that adorned the deep blue sky on my perfect day.

I hope this helps to make a day perfect for you.

Dreamy Wedding Amaretto Cheesecake Recipe (Light and Airy)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325° F (160° C).
2. Brush bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan at least 2.25 inches (6 cm) deep with butter or cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
3. Wrap the entire outside of the pan with two unbroken sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
4. Mix crumbs and butter and press crumbs evenly over the bottom of the springform.
5. Place pan in large roasting pan.
6. Bring kettle of water to boil for water bath.
7. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese in a large bowl with electric mixer until smooth.
8. Gradually add sugar and beat on medium speed until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes.
9. Saving the egg whites, add egg yolks, one at a time, beating until just incorporated. Scraping down the bowl after each addition will prevent lumps.
10. Add almond extract, Amaretto, and vanilla extract. Beat until just incorporated.
11. Gently mix in cream.  
12. Beat egg whites to soft peaks, and gently fold 1/3 of the whites at a time into the cream cheese mixture until all are incorporated.
13. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
14. Set roasting pan on oven rack and pour enough boiling water to reach about halfway up side of springform pan.
15. Bake until perimeter of cake is set, but center jiggles slightly when pan is tapped, 50 to 60 minutes (150º F /65º C on an instant read thermometer.)
16. Turn off heat and leave oven door ajar for 1 hour or longer to cool the cake slowly.
17. Remove springform pan from water bath and cool to room temperature.
18. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, (at least 4 hours – or up to 4 days.) Or freeze it (up to 1 month) .

This cookie bar is tender, lightly sweet, and crumbly in the best possible way. I must also remind you of the very best way to cut bar cookies and brownies: use a plastic knife! (By plastic knife I mean the disposable kind that come with your to go order.) It gives clean, precise cuts without the old issues of clinging crumbs and ragged edges. To add even more interest to these bars you can consider additions such as toffee bits or mini chocolate chips or go the other direction and eliminate the nuts for a minimal effect.

I am raising my teacup to you. May you find a bit of peace and rest in the midst of the busyness and stress of everyday living. May your spring come softly.

Gluten Free Shortbread Bars

1.  Preheat oven to 350° F (176°C) or 325°F (162°C) for convection ovens. Lightly grease/spray an 8 inch (20 cm) square baking pan.
2. Combine the flour, nuts, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. In another medium bowl cream the vegetable shortening with the sugar. Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix.
4. Spread the dough evenly in the prepared baking pan with a rubber spatula.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cut into bars (using a plastic knife) and cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Butternut squash is one of those rare vegetables that is in season during the dark days of winter. It makes for a sunny puddle in your soup bowl and warms you all the way through. There are so many different directions to go with this soup and so many substitutions and additions based on your mood and how your kitchen is currently stocked. I keep it fairly simple, and try to keep the ingredient list short. Certainly you can substitute other winter squash varieties with a similar texture such as baby sugar pumpkins, acorn squash, etc. You can even take the opportunity to highlight a favorite exotic spice. This soup is a blank palette awaiting your creativity.

Butternut Squash Recipe

1. Melt butter in large sauce pan or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, until softened and translucent. Add chopped squash, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and chicken broth (add additional water if necessary to come up to cover your squash completely). Increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 30 minutes. 

2. Use stick blender (or batch process in a regular blender) or use potato masher to blend the squash into a smooth soup.

3. Stir in cream and brown sugar and continue heating over low heat until hot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Banana Cream Pie

Note: Double recipe for a deep pie pan

1. Prep or prepare the pie crust of your choice.
2. In a medium saucepan whisk together sugar, cornstarch, milk and cream. Bring to a boil stirring constantly (should thicken) and let boil 1 minute.
3. Off heat stir in chocolate chips, butter, and vanilla.
4. Add 1/4 of the pudding mixture to the bottom of your pie pan. Top with sliced bananas. Repeat this process two more times. Top with remaining pudding and smooth the top of the pie.
5. Chill for at least 3-4 hours.
6. Whip cream and sugar and top pie when cool. Serve and enjoy!

Update: Andrea is our lucky winner! Please contact me so that I can ship your winnings! (Winner selected using random.org)

As many of you may have discovered, Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix is now available from Betty Crocker at your local grocery store. As an added bonus you can print coupons on the Betty Crocker website for great gluten free mixes.I made these cookies according to the package directions and found them to be chewy (even days later) with plenty of chocolate chips. However, I did find that there was a slightly gritty mouthfeel. I made my next batch according to the directions, but with the addition of 1/2 cup of almond butter. This seemed to eliminate the gritty mouthfeel. Other nut butters could be substituted as well. I would love to know if you have tinkered with enhancing this cookie mix (or other GF cookie mix).

I cannot recommend the Beef Stroganoff version unless you prefer a VERY mild stroganoff more reminiscent of alfredo sauce. I had to add worcestershire powder, soy sauce, pepper, rice vinegar and a touch of salt (not to mention mushrooms and sour cream) before it began to be reminiscent of a stroganoff. I would have found it easier to start from scratch. But, two out of the three is not too bad at all.

Mom was known for making bread. Big batches of whole grain wheat that she ground herself from hard winter wheat that she purchased in 50 pound bags stored in the deep freeze. Mom was devoted to making wholesome, whole grain bread for our family, friends and neighbors. In fact to this day when I run into friends from those years growing up, they will often comment on how they miss the occasional gift of bread.

Mom had perfected her recipe through trial and error. It was evenly textured, nutty tasting, barely sweet, and as light as one could hope for in whole wheat bread. She allowed it to rise at least twice on Fridays while she cleaned the house in a marathon of effort. I vividly remember the enveloping scent of freshly baked bread and a clean house upon walking in the door after school. Her other hallmark was the fact that she baked her 6-7 loaf batch in greased coffee cans. This often embarrassed us kids when we took sandwiches to school because ours were oddly round shaped.

This recipe for pumpkin bread is a labor of love and Mom would be proud. It is somewhere in between cake and bread because it is sweet enough to pass for dessert and hearty enough to use as a breakfast or snack bread.  This bakes up very moist and with a lovely crumb. I challenge anyone to guess its gluten free origins. I prefer to avoid cinnamon and substitute allspice, but I have written the recipe with the traditional cinnamon included, my substitutions are noted in parentheses below. Please feel free to top with your favorite glaze if you wish to take this in a dessert direction. I also love this sliced warm and dressed with butter.

Enjoy!

Mom’s Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread/Cake  Recipe

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C and grease and flour (or line with parchment paper) two 9×5 bread pans. Or you may use one bunt pan for the entire recipe.

In a large bowl whisk eggs together. Add oil and whisk vigorously to emulsify. Add sugar and mix again. Then add vanilla, yogurt, pumpkin puree, lemon juice and whisk together.

In a separate bowl measure flours, flax, salt, baking powder, baking soda, Xanthan Gum, spices, and nuts. Blend dry ingredients together. Add dry ingredients to the liquid mix gradually and whisk until blended.

Divide batter evenly into 2 bread pans or place all the batter in one bunt pan.

Bake one hour at 350°F/180°C. Turn pans half way through cooking time. Bake until center of loaf reads 195°F/90°C on instant read thermometer or when a toothpick tests clean with slightly moist crumbs.