Gluten Free Glazed Lemon Bread Recipe

A light and luscious treat for breakfast or anytime!

This is a great recipe for a loaf.  Or muffins.  Or mini-muffins or mini-loaves.

SPH Glazed Lemon Bread
Inspired by a recipe by Marjorie Rose
as seen in Taste of Home magazine

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon extract
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, optional
1 1/2 cups Gluten Free Bisquick (brand)
1/2 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting
2 tablespoons milk, water, or lemon juice (more if needed to make it thin enough)
1 tablespoon lemon extract (use if not using lemon juice)

Preheat oven to 350, and grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add lemon extract.  This would also be a good time to add the lemon zest if you are using it.  Alternately add Bisquick and sour cream, ending with Bisquick, stirring until well combined each time.  Pour into loaf pan, and bake for about an hour.  Check with a bamboo skewer or knife inserted in center, and if your tester comes out clean, your loaf is done.

Allow to cool for about 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, whisk together frosting, liquid of choice and lemon extract (if using).  While loaf is still warm, drizzle top with glaze.  Spread with a knife if necessary.  Allow loaf to cool completely, and slice and serve.

Some other options?  Use orange extract instead of lemon.  Instead of a thinned glaze, eliminate the liquid from the glaze altogether, and let the heat of the loaf melt the flavored frosting.  Want your loaf yellower (or oranger)?  Add a few drops of food color.  Make a strawberry lemonade loaf by glazing with melted strawberry jelly.

This would be lovely to bring to a summer brunch, to small group/Bible study, or to a new neighbor.  Or take a loaf to someone who is new to the whole gluten free world as a little encouragement.

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Triple Layer Lemon Bars Recipe

Quick and simple.  Easy and delicious. Light and lemony.  Need I say more?

I think the photo says it all - here's the recipe:

SPH Gluten Free Triple Layer Lemon Bars
1 3-oz. package chopped walnuts, divided
1 box Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix
1 egg
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 6-oz. box and 1 3-oz. box Jell-o (brand) Cook & Serve Lemon Pudding, made per package directions
1 8-oz. container frozen non-dairy whipped topping, defrosted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a mixing bowl, stir together cake mix, egg and melted butter until mixture resembles crumbs.  Add about 2/3 of the package of walnuts.  Butter the bottom and sides of a 9x13 cake pan.  Press mixture into cake pan and up the sides.  Bake for about 12-15 minutes, until mixture is definitely set and edges are beginning to brown.  Remove from oven, and allow to cool completely,

While the crust is baking and cooling, mix the larger box of pudding.  Pour into a bowl and allow to cool to nearly room temperature.  No need to refrigerate - you'll do that in just a bit.  Just let it hang out on your counter while you make the other box of pudding.  So then make the smaller box of pudding.  Pour this batch of pudding into a large mixing bowl, and allow to cool for a few minutes.  Just until the steam is gone.  Then, fold in half of the container of whipped topping, until pudding is light and fluffy.

When the crust has cooled almost completely, pour the bigger batch of lemon pudding over the top and spread til even.  Next, spread pudding/whipped topping mixture over the lemon pudding.  Finally, top with remaining whipped topping.

In a zip-top bag, place remaining walnuts.  Crush with a rolling pin.  It's ok if they're not all the same size - just crush them up a bit more than they already are in the package.  Sprinkle over the whipped topping layer of the bars.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  Cut into bars and serve.

This light and delicious bar is the perfect make-ahead and bring-along dessert.  Because the recipe makes a huge cake pan of bars, it's great for Bible studies or small-groups or to take to a family reunion.

Not a fan of walnuts, use pecans.  Or almonds.  Or leave the nuts out entirely.  You decide.

Make some up this weekend, and enjoy!

Gluten Free Broccoli with Lemon Sauce Recipe

Sometimes, recipes are automatically gluten free.  Can you spot the ones that are?

Sorry photo is blurry - it's because of the steam!

So you picked up one of your favorite food magazines in the store, and as you turn the pages and start drooling, that little voice starts nagging in your head about the whole gluten free thing.  Discouraged, you put the magazine back down and leave the store.

Well, friend, I'm here to tell you to fret no more.  There are many recipes that are in national food magazines that are already naturally gluten free.  How can you tell?  KNOW YOUR INGREDIENTS!  There are many sauces and glazes that are cornstarch-based.  Guess what?  Cornstarch is gluten free.  Check out the fillings for fruit pie recipes.  I'll betcha that they are thickened with cornstarch or tapioca.  Tapioca - also gluten free.  Puddings are usually thickened with eggs.  Eggs - gluten free.

Today's recipe is an oldie but a goodie from Taste of Home, probably the most popular food magazine in America because of its easy recipes with down-home flavors.  This one would be excellent with grilled chicken or fish!

SPH Gluten Free Broccoli with Lemon Sauce Recipe
adapted from "Broccoli with Lemon Sauce", Taste of Home Magazine, October/November 2008
3 pounds frozen broccoli florettes, defrosted
1 cup chicken broth (I use Pacific Organic Free Range Chicken Broth - you could also use vegetable stock)
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
2 egg yolks, beaten
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon's worth-ish - eyeball it; you can always add more if you want more lemony flavor)

Put broccoli in a large saucepan or soup pot with about 1" of salted water in the bottom of the pan.  And yes, salt the water - you'll thank me later.  Cover, and heat over medium heat, about 8-10 minutes, or til heated through.  Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the stock and butter until butter melts.  While stock is heating, whisk cornstarch into 1/4 cup water until smooth.  Add to stock after butter melts, and bring to a boil for about 2 minutes, or until thickened and bubbly.  Remove from heat.  Start adding stock to beaten egg yolks a little at a time to temper them.  And by a little, I mean like a teaspoon at a time at first, then upping the amount gradually, until you have about half egg yolks/half stock in your little bowl.  You do this so you don't end up with scrambled eggs.  The mixture will start to feel pretty warm in your hand.  Then, you know it's safe to start drizzling and whisking in the egg yolk mixture to the rest of the stock.  Bring slowly back up to a boil, and whisk for another 2 minutes.  Remove from heat, and slowly drizzle and whisk in lemon juice.  Strain sauce through a strainer into another container - I used the measuring cup from my chicken stock.  Drain broccoli, and put it in a serving dish.  Drizzle sauce over the top.  Serve hot, and should make about 10 servings.

I love this dish!  It is simple.  It is delicious.  It is quick and easy.  Like you can make it in 15 minutes quick and easy.

However...

You could also add some minced garlic to the sauce.  Or top it all with some slivered almonds.  Serve the sauce over some grilled or steamed asparagus.  Or fresh steamed green beans.  Or cauliflower.  I'm also thinking this would make a great sauce over some fried chicken.  Lots of versatility here, too!

Once you know what you are looking for, and get familiar with ingredients that are naturally gluten free, spotting gems like these will become easier and easier.  Make some for dinner this week, and enjoy!

Making Your Own Extracts

Better flavor for less than half the price?!  I'M IN - LIKE I'M ALL IN!

Did you know that imitation vanilla flavoring could be made from pine tree bark?  It's true.  Now, I've used "real" vanilla for years, but was surprised a long while ago to read that what I thought was pure vanilla extract actually had corn syrup in it.  So, I switched brands, and started buying it at Whole Foods just to be safe.  Which also jacked the price.  Like a lot.  Like $13.99 for this bottle.

I knew I had to figure out a way to make my own.  The process really isn't hard at all, but vanilla beans are ooooooh sooooo expensive!  Even the regular, non-organic ones!

At least that's what I thought, until I read this secret on Food in Jars (are you ready for this - you may want to sit down):

eBay

You read that correctly.  EBay has vanilla beans, even organic ones, for far cheaper than you can buy them at the store.  I ordered @30 ORGANIC beans for $26.  And that included shipping.  So, when you factor in the half-gallon of Smirnoff Vodka (that brand is gluten free) at $18, I can have half a gallon of vanilla for the price of about 3 four-ounce bottles.  Quite a difference, huh?!

So let's have some fun with extracts today...

I suggest getting the "party-size" bottle of vodka.  Also, have some glass jars that you can seal.  They just need to be airtight, so feel free to re-use spaghetti sauce and salsa jars.  You can also use canning jars, and re-use their metal lids for this.  Yes, you can re-use them for this - you are not trying to remelt the rubber and reseal them in a vacuum process.  Really.  And as much as lids and rings cost, you should re-use them whenever possible.

I used 12 vanilla beans that I split and scraped the seeds from into this bottle.  It was partially full of vodka, and I just added enough vodka to bring the liquid up to the base of the red seal around the neck.

I put the bottle into my pantry, in a dark place, and gave the bottle a good shake every day for about a month.  I used some yesterday, and I sure wish we had "smell-o-vision".  This is so floral, it's almost like perfume.  I have never had commercial vanilla smell so amazing!

The other two extracts I use the most are lemon and orange.  That's how you change a simple yellow cake to a lemon or orange cake.  You can also use Jell-o, but for our purposes today, you will use your new extract.  These two extracts are also great added to frosting, and the orange can be a pretty nice addition to fudge or chocolate cookies.

So here's how you make your own citrus extract:

Try to get organic fruit if possible, and if not, wash your fruit with dish soap under hot water.  You want fruits that have no blemishes. Start by peeling your citrus fruit.  Use a vegie peeler, and cut ONLY THE COLORED PART OF THE PEEL!  The white part underneath, the pith, is very bitter, and all the essential oils - where the flavor is - are in the colored part.  Fill your jar roughly half way with peel.  This jar, which is quart-sized, has the peels of 3 large lemons.

 Fill your jar to about 1/2" from the top with vodka.  Cover.  Place in a dark space.  Shake the jar every day.  In about a month, you will have lemon extract.

Here's the orange extract - it's in a re-used salsa jar.

You'll be left in the end with some "naked" fruit.  If you're not going to use it immediately, put it in a zip-top bag in the fridge.  Be sure to use it quickly because it will dry up FAST!  Make some homemade lemon curd, or juice your oranges for breakfast.

Try making your own extracts, and enjoy!