Individual Gelatin Salads

A quick and easy blast from the past, with a new country chic twist!

Here's another dish to try to sneak some vegies into a picky eater.  Seriously, does anyone NOT like Jell-o?

So this is an oldie but a goody - a throwback to those picnics and family get-togethers in the 70's.  But with a  fun, modern twist.

Seems no matter where you look these days, everyone is putting individual servings of whatever they happen to be making into canning jars of various sizes.  This is a great way to continue using jars that have chips in the top when they can no longer be used for canning!  So I thought it would be fun to do the gelatin salad in the jars.

Here's how it goes:
Start with a 6-ounce package of orange gelatin.  This is a combination of the hot and quick-set methods you'll see on the back of the package.   Add 2 cups of boiling water and stir to dissolve.  Add 1 cup of cold water and stir again.  Add enough ice cubes to make 4 cups, and stir til the ice cubes are completely dissolved. I mix this up in a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup so I can be sure.  Place in fridge for about 30 minutes.  While gelatin is taking a chill, shred about 2 cups of carrots.  I run mine through the food processor so they are really really fine.  Also, set out 6 8-ounce jars on a cookie sheet.  When the 30 minutes are up, pour gelatin over carrots and stir to mix well.  Pour gelatin/carrot mixture into individual jars.  Go ahead and fill them up - no need to worry about head space here because you won't be canning with them.

CAREFULLY put the jars in the refrigerator.  Set the timer for 10 minutes.  When the timer rings/buzzes/beeps, stir the mixture in the jars (again CAREFULLY).  Repeat this 3 more times, for a total of 40 minutes.  This keeps your carrots from all settling on the bottom.  Then, allow your gelatin to set.

Serve straight from the jar, or top with a bit of crushed pineapple from a can.

This makes a great presentation as is, but if you want to gussy it up a bit more, put on a lid and ring with a circle of burlap, like I did for the photo.  Add ribbon and a name tag if desired, and use as a placecard.

Feeling brave?  Make it as a ring!  Feeling not so brave, chill the mixture in a serving or mixing bowl.  Spoon and serve from there.

No matter how you make it, JUST DO IT!  And enjoy!

Gluten Free Pumpkin Orange Pancakes with Cinnamon Maple Syrup

The orange in these is a really surprising bright pop of flavor - you've GOT to try them!

Have you been watching "Worst Cooks in America" on FoodNetwork?  We LOVE that show in my house - it's been good reinforcement for why teenage-type people in my house need to learn to cook.  We watched the season premiere, and Princess exclaimed at one point "Even I know how to separate an egg!".  Can you imagine adding a WHOLE BOTTLE of soy sauce to a stir-fry dish?! How about not being able to read a recipe?!

The bright spot of the episode was this recipe that Chef Anne Burrell's Red Team had to make for their first official challenge.

"Can we make them gluten free?"

SPH Gluten Free Pumpkin Orange Pancakes with Cinnamon Maple Syrup
1 cup Pamela's Baking Mix
1/2 cup turbinado (or brown) sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin
3/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon dried orange peel OR
use the juice and zest of 1 medium orange (be sure liquid = 3/4 cup, so add water if needed)
2 eggs (1 separated)
butter for griddle
1 cup maple syrup (the real stuff from trees, not the other stuff)
1-2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon (or to taste)
Whipped topping of your choice (I had Cool Whip on hand, but you can go to the link above and get a recipe for Vanilla Whipped Cream)

Combine pancake mix and sugar in a medium mixing bowl.  In a small mixing bowl, beat together pumpkin, orange juice and peel, 1 whole egg plus 1 egg yolk.  Stir wet ingredients into dry, just until mixed (it's ok if you have a few lumps, but not too many).  In your mixer, beat egg whites til just before soft peaks form. Fold egg whites gently into pumpkin batter.  Preheat griddle, and when it's at the desired temperature, add a pat of butter.  Ladle/spoon batter onto buttered griddle, and cook until first side is done (bubbles have appeared on the top and burst).  Flip, then cook another few minutes on the other side.

While your pancakes are cooking, add cinnamon to your syrup and warm over medium heat.

Serve pancakes fresh from the griddle with the syrup and whipped cream/topping.  Be ready for some OMG's.  Yes, they really are that good.

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Orange Chicken Recipe

A quick, simple, healthy, delicious and economical dinner...


Tonight's dinner is inspired by a recipe by Melissa D'Arabian.

SPH Gluten Free Orange-Honey Chicken
olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup honey
salt & pepper

I love the fact that this is basically a 2-pot dish, and it whips up in no time flat!

Heat a skillet over medium high heat.  Add enough oil to cover bottom of pan, and add chicken.  Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Cover.  Allow to brown, 5-7 minutes.  While chicken is browning, in a saucepan (aka pot #2), melt orange juice concentrate and honey together.  Add salt and pepper - just whatever you think will be proper seasoning.  Allow to cook down for a few minutes while chicken finishes browning on side A.

So now it's time to turn your chicken.  Turn your chicken.  Add about half the orange sauce.  Turn chicken to coat in the orangey yumminess, then place the unbrowned side back down in the pan.  Allow to simmer for a few more minutes, til orange sauce gets more syrupy.  Then, cover, reduce heat, and allow to finish cooking, about 5-7 more minutes.  Keep an eye out - you don't want your sauce to burn.

Your cooking times will depend on how thick your chicken pieces are.  Be sure to cook your chicken THOROUGHLY!

I said that I love the fact that this is a 2-pot dish.  When I make it in our house, it's a full 4-burner!  I serve it with Not Fried Rice and steamed California mix vegies, both of which can be cooking simultaneously.  I usually plate it with rice on the bottom, then a layer of vegies and the chicken on top.  Pour the glaze over all, and serve extra sauce in a bowl with a ladle or a gravy boat.  Some of us like a LOT of the sauce!

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!