Recipes – Live the Crazy Life

Christmas, cookies, Holiday, Recipes, Uncategorized

A Christmas Kiss to Eat

December 6, 2022 No Comments

I must confess I do like to bake. But somehow I like it even more in the winter and at Christmas. It’s just not fun to bake when it’s 100 degrees. But now its cool/cold-ish and I am baking away. It helps that I have a women’s Christmas event that I am baking for at my church too!

I avoid gluten but am not celiac so I can eat it. My mom however is and she doesn’t eat gluten at all. My daughter in law is dairy free and I wanted to make something for people whose allergies or health issues cause them to not eat certain foods. I found a recipe called Coffee Kisses. They were simple and cute as you piped the dough with a star tip and a piping bag into a beautiful swirl. The recipe was not gluten or dairy free, but I thought I would give the recipe a try and swap the butter for a vegan one and the flour for one that’s gluten free. Everything was working out. I got the dough piped out real nice and they looked perfect. I popped them in the oven and waited….

Here is what the first ones looked like after they baked. So flat!

What came out was super flat coffee crisps. My kids said they tasted great. I was disappointed. So I tweaked the recipe a bit more adding more gluten free flour to stiffen the dough and adding baking powder. The result was a dough that did hold its shape but wouldn’t go through the piping bag.

Since the recipe was called Coffee Kisses, I had the idea to shape the dough into the Hershey chocolate kiss shape and bake them. They turned out great. They for sure look homemade but that’s ok because they are. Once you drizzle a little chocolate on top they are perfect. The good news is now anyone can make these – no piping bag or star tips required. Just a mixing bowl a cookie sheet the ingredients and your own two hands.

For all my gluten free, dairy free friends out there I got you covered with this recipe that you WILL be able to make on your own!

Here’s the recipe:

2.5 cups gluten free flour (I used Cup 4 Cup multipurpose gluten free flour)

2 sticks and 2.5 tbsp vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tsps instant coffee

2 tbsp hot water

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

and a few shakes of the salt shaker.

Directions

Mix the instant coffee in the hot water and stir. Blend the butter and the sugar until creamy. Since it is dairy free butter it isn’t as hard as regular butter so you don’t have to bring it to room temp to mix it! Bonus!! Once that is blended add 1 cup of the flour mix until blended, then add the coffee and water mix, the vanilla, baking powder, salt and the rest of the flour. Mix until well blended. I have a Kitchen Aid mixer that I used but a handheld mixer would work just as well. I did end up mixing the last bit of flour in by hand.

Pre-heat your oven to 325. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Then take about 2tsp of dough and roll into a ball. Pinch the top to form the peak of a the kiss like a Hershey kiss has. Place cookies spaced out evenly on a cookie sheet and bake for 12 mins.

This is the shape of the cookies before they are baked.

And this is after baking them. They held the shape so much better than the first batch.

Once they cool melt 1/2 cup of chocolate chips or whatever type chocolate you want and drizzle over the top.

You can add 1/2tsp of coconut oil to the chocolate to help it drizzle better.

Serve these with a great cup of coffee.

Recipe will make 35-40 cookies depending on how big you make the kisses.

**Make sure your chocolate is dairy free or if you forget that like me leave some without chocolate for those who can’t eat any dairy.

Drizzled chocolate on this whole pan before I realized it’s milk chocolate!

COVID 19, family fun, Recipes, Uncategorized

Raiding the Pantry — Sweet Treat Recipe

April 25, 2020 No Comments

Like you, I am spending more time at home. Working from home, schooling kids at home, limiting grocery store trips. I am sure you know the drill by now.

I have decided to make this time fun, at least in a few ways. I have lightened up on my diet (mostly because I am a stress eater.) For the most part I have cut out eating fast food, and junk food, eating clean and whole foods but there is one small horrible thing I have yet to conquer! SUGAR! It’s still a part of my life. I try -(ish) to cut it out and it just keeps coming back. And so I decided that during a world wide pandemic I would not be tackling that monster. Judge me if you want, but it was just too big of a battle right now. I limit it, but cut it out altogether? Not now.

Ok, back to making this season fun. I play a game with myself. I cleaned my pantry and then decided I would try to make recipes using what we have with adding limited ingredients from the store thus lessening trips to Wal-Mart and the duration of time spent in Wal-Mart.

From that fun little game this wonderful gooey gluten free sweet treat was born. I had a box of Chex rice cereal that needed to used before it went stale. It had been opened at some point and less than a bowlful was taken. So mostly a full box. I also had a bag a mini marshmallows. Which is strange because I have no idea when I would have added mini marshmallows to my grocery list; yet there they were. Still soft, but needing to be eaten, too. At least before my kids discovered them and began to just eat marshmallows for dinner or something like that.

Without looking on Pinterest I began to think of what I could do with these. And I thought Rice Krispy treats. Why not Rice Chex treats. But that isn’t too big of a stretch on a recipe remake. Then I saw the peanut butter and chocolate chips, and voila… the outcome was amazing!!

Ingredients:

1 box (or a little less) Rice Chex Cereal

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup (ish) of peanut butter

1 big bag of mini marshmallows.

1/2 a bag of chocolate chips

Directions:

Melt butter in a big pot on medium heat. Add marshmallows and stir. Once the marshmallows are mostly melted add peanut butter and stir until well combined.

Add cereal and pour into greased 9×13 pan. Let cool but not completely. When the mixture is cool enough to touch but still playable add chocolate chips pressing them slightly into the cereal marshmallow goodness. Finish cooling and cut into squares and devour.

As you can see, they didn’t last long in my house. I barely got this picture taken before they were gone.

Recipes, Uncategorized

Best Ever Gluten Free Vegan Lemon Cookies

June 11, 2019 No Comments

Gluten Free Vegan Lemon Cookies

I like to cook. I love to cook for others. This recipe was created from a love for two dear friends of mine! Kate and Kim. They are awesome gals who have helped me more than they could know. We have a summer bible study going on that I am leading with these two. Part of the study includes health-ish recipes at the end of each week. We have made these recipes part of a snack rotation in the study. I was cooking last week – Asian lettuce wraps and lemon cookies. Kim is gluten free and Kate is a Vegan so I wanted to make something they both could eat. Lettuce wraps were easy but the cookies, well that took a little more thought. In the end I made what I think is the best gluten free vegan lemon cookie.

Ingredients: 1/2 cup Vegan Butter (I used a cashew based one and it worked great) 1/2 cup sugar (or sugar substitute) 2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice 1/2 tsp grated lemon rind 1/2 cup coconut flour 3/4 cup white rice flour 1/2 cup brown rice flour 1/4 cup tapioca flour * If you don’t have all those different flours hanging around your kitchen, you can just use 2 cups gluten free flour. I liked this blend. It ended up not too dry and crumbly like some gluten free mixes can be. 1 tsp xanthan gum 1 1/2 tsp baking powder dash of salt 2-3 tbsp of vanilla almond milk (any type of nut milk would work, too)

For the Glaze: 1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice 1/2 tsp grated lemon rind dash of vanilla 1/2-3/4 cup powdered sugar (depending on how thick you want the glaze)

Directions:

Mix the vegan butter and the sugar until fluffy and the sugar is all mixed in. Then add the lemon juice and the lemon rind. Slowly add the flours one at time mixing after each addition. Add the xanthan gum and baking powder. The mixture will be crumbly at this point.

I added the almond milk and mixed it by hand. Then roll the dough into golf ball size pieces or a little smaller, and place on a greased cookie sheet.

If you haven’t by now, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Take the bottom of a glass and slightly flatten each dough ball. I used a glass with a design on it, but you couldn’t tell once they were baked. So any old glass will do.

Bake the cookies for 10-13 minutes or until just barely golden brown in color. While they are baking or cooling you can make the glaze. In a small bowl (I used a measuring cup because it has the little pour spout to help drizzle the glaze) mix all the ingredients for the glaze. Add more sugar until you get the consistency you like. Once the cookies are completely cooled, drizzle the tops with the glaze.

These are the best gluten free Vegan lemon cookies you will ever eat!

Recipes

Gluten Free Cherry Ginger Coffee Cake

July 28, 2018 No Comments

This recipe was created to use up some ingredients I had in my refrigerator – sour cream and cherry curd. Odd, I know, but I knew I needed to use them both. I also knew I had made a great tasting sour cream coffee cake before. I decided why not spice up the original bundt cake with cherry curd and a little fresh ginger and make it gluten-free so I can give it to my mom for her birthday. So I set out to do just that.

I did make a regular gluten-full one for my family and then made 4 mini gluten-free bundt cakes – three for my mom, and I kept one for me. The recipe is fairly basic and easily adjustable.

You start with butter and sugar and cream those together. ( Sorry Paleo friends this does have sugar. It was for a birthday cake after all, so I figured a little sugar to celebrate.) If you are a super adventurous cook and want to try to make this paleo using maple syrup and almond or coconut flour, let me know how it turns out. I was not that adventurous today.

Ok so you cream the sugar and butter together until it looks like this:

Then you mix in the vanilla and eggs one egg at a time. Once that is all mixed up, you add the baking soda, baking powder, and mix it a little. Then add one cup of flour and mix it in. Now add 1/4 cup sour cream and mix again. Then add the other cup of flour (mix again) and 2/3 more cups sour cream and mix. Lastly, add 1 tsp fresh grated ginger. Once that is all mixed up you spray your bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle in the cinnamon and brown sugar. Then pour half the batter over the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture and top with the cherry curd. I did make my own cherry curd about a week before this to a make these amazing little tarts. I found the recipe on Pinterest. Back to the cherry curd. I didn’t measure it, I just spooned some in the pan all the way around. It looked like this: Then you top it with the rest of the batter and sprinkle on a little more of the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. The little bundt cakes cooked for 27 mins and the big one for 45, both at a 350-degree oven.

I let them cool – probably not long enough because when I got them out of the pan, some cake stuck to the bundt pan. I ate some of it and the bigger pieces I pushed back into their place. I am not a professional baker so I am more about taste than looks. See what I mean. One looks great the other not so great, but both taste awesome!

Here is the full recipe:

1 1/2 cups butter softened

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour (regular or gluten-free)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup sour cream

1/2-1 tsp fresh grated ginger

cherry curd

1/3 cup brown sugar for topping mixed with 2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Beat butter and white sugar together until well mixed. Add eggs one at a time and vanilla. Mix in baking powder and baking soda. Then alternate sour cream and flour mixing until well combined. Add grated ginger and mix once more. Spray bundt pans with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle in brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Pour 1/2 cake batter into pan (for mini bundt pans pour 1/8 of batter per mini bundt pan). Spoon cherry curd over batter. Sprinkle in more of the brown sugar cinnamon mixture and then the rest of the batter on top of the cherry curd. Now sprinkle in the rest of the brown sugar cinnamon mixture and bake at 350. For one large bundt cake cook for 45 mins. For four small mini bundt cakes cook for 27 mins. Let cake cool before removing from the pan.

Here is the one for my mom’s birthday all wrapped and ready to give to her:

Recipes

Gluten Free Easy Mini Quiche

January 22, 2018 No Comments

These mini quiches are so yummy and so easy. They are my go-to for any brunch or breakfast I host or I have to take a dish too. Once you try them they will be your go-to recipe too!

You can add basically anything to the base to make just about any flavor you can think of. My favorite is bacon cheddar, but I have made veggie herb, bacon cheddar salsa, parmesan cheddar, and mushroom.

The best part is these little guys are gluten-free, making them something almost anyone can eat (as long as they aren’t dairy free). You can make the base the night before and bake them off quickly the morning of your breakfast or brunch, you can make them a day ahead and reheat in the oven or microwave, and they freeze well too! These really are the most versatile quiche I have ever made! You can even make multiple types at once. I have two mini muffin pans so I will do one bacon and cheddar, and the other 1/2 parmesan veggie, and 1/2 cheddar herb. Again you can do just about anything with these!

Here is the recipe for the bacon cheddar, but keep in mind you can use any meat, just about any cheese, and any veggies you want.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup cornstarch or tapioca flour

1 1/4 whole milk (I use 2% but you can use whatever you would like)

1 cup heavy cream (or make them lighter by using 1/2 & 1/2)

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

4 strips bacon cooked and chopped

Shredded cheddar cheese (or any cheese shredded)

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. I know it’s high! In a bowl that has a pour spout (I literally use a plastic water pitcher and double the recipe) pour your cornstarch or tapioca flour. Mix in 1 cup of milk and stir until all the cornstarch or tapioca is dissolved. Then add all the ingredients except the bacon, cheese, and any veggies or other add-ins like salsa, or herbs.

Take a mini muffin pan, and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle the cheese of your choice in the muffin spot and push down slightly. If you are using veggies, salsa, herbs, add them now. Pour the egg and milk base over the cheese until 3/4 of the muffin spot is full. Sprinkle with bacon.

Bake 15-17 mins. (the wetter your add-ins the longer you need to cook them. I wouldn’t cook them longer than 18-20 mins)

This recipe will make between 48-55 depending on how full your muffin tin is.

Remove from oven and let cool 5-10 mins.

Remove from pan and plate. Serve warm or room temperature.

Christmas, Holiday, Recipes

Naughty and Nice Christmas Cookies

December 15, 2017 No Comments

It’s Christmas time, and if your house is anything like my house it means making Christmas cookies. Cookies for probably 4 different parties, for the neighbours, and a school event or two. I have two tried, tested, and awesome Christmas cookie recipes for you. One is naughty – full of all the stuff that tastes good but isn’t good for; and one that is a little more healthy and gluten-free.

I will start with the naughty one. I have been making this sugar cookie recipe at Christmas for as long as I can remember. We made them every year since I was little. The dough is great – rolls out easy with a little flour dusted on the surface you are rolling them out on. And, bonus, the whole recipe makes roughly 12 dozen medium-sized cutouts – more if you use a small cookie cutter, and less if you use big ones. The dough freezes great, so you can make a few for a holiday event and then freeze the rest to make later. The cookies, once they are made, freeze well, too. Even once they are frosted you can freeze them. Just unstack them to thaw or the frosting will stick to the other cookies.

Here is the recipe for the sugar cookies and a link for the frosting that I made and used.
Sugar cookie cutouts
3 cups Parkay (I couldn’t find Parkay so I used Imperial brand margarine. (DON’T USE BUTTER unless you want oily cookies)
2 2/3 cups sugar (I cut this back to 2 cups and no one has ever known until now.)
1 teaspoon salt
8 egg yolks (you can plan on making egg white omelettes the next day or egg white quiche for dinner like me!)
4 tablespoons 1/2 & 1/2
4 teaspoons vanilla
8 cups of all-purpose flour
Instructions
Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy and well combined.
Then add egg yolks while mixing on low. Mix until egg yolks are well incorporated.
Then add the 1/2 & 1/2, vanilla, and salt.
Lastly, add the flour. I add 1-2 cups at a time. If you use the paddle blade on your blender it helps.
Once all the flour is mixed in, divide the dough into thirds, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for at least one hour. If you are planning on freezing any of it,l double wrap it or put it in a plastic zip freezer bag for later use.

Once chilled roll out dough to 1/4 in thick and place on greased cookie sheets. Place the cookie sheets in the freezer for 5 mins, then put into an oven heated to 350 degrees. (Putting the cutouts in the freezer helps them hold their shapes better while cooking.) Cook for 8 mins. Let cool and decorate.
Here is the link to the frosting recipe I used:https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/simple-cookie-glaze-recipe

And now for the nice recipe. It seems these days there is always someone with food allergies (myself included). These cookies are gluten-free, sugar-free, and nut free. I did use an alcohol sugar blend but no white table sugar. I call these naked gingerbread men because without frosting they really are a healthy option for the holidays that taste good too!
Here is that recipe
Naked Gingerbread Men
1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour mix
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4-1/2 cup sugar substitute (here’s the link for the one I used: https://joyfilledeats.com/sweetener/
6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
4 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon (21 g) honey (or maple syrup)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions:
Cream together the butter and the sugar substitute.
Mix in egg.
Once combined mix in the spices – salt, honey, molasses, baking soda, and vanilla.
Lastly, add flour and mix until all is combined.
You can freeze this dough, too, at this point. Just wrap it in plastic wrap and then in a zipper freezer bag.
Roll dough out (I used cocoa powder to dust the board. If your dough isn’t sticking you won’t need this.)
Place the gingerbread men on a greased cookie sheet and then in the freezer for 5 mins before placing them in a 350-degree oven for 8 mins.
Once they are cooled, you can decorate them or leave them naked.

Happy Holiday baking to you!!

Recipes

Suped Up Coffee

October 27, 2017 No Comments

Do you ever find yourself needing an extra cup of coffee in the morning to get you going? Do you find yourself reaching for that extra latte in the mid-afternoon to keep you alert and able to focus? I have a solution that might work for you. While I am not a fan of grass-fed butter in my coffee, I do love this little recipe I whipped up. I need a lot of caffeine in my life right now. Raising teens requires a lot of energy and some late nights. I also have inflammatory issues, so anywhere I can add anti-inflammatory foods like ginger and turmeric I do. Thus the creation of my favorite coffee mix in.
I start with red palm oil. Why red palm? It has tons of health benefits which include the following: antioxidants like beta-carotene; lycopene which helps reduce free radicals; and short and medium chain fatty acids which increase metabolism, decrease inflammation, and increase cardiovascular health. Then I add coconut oil, turmeric, ginger, and this time I added pumpkin pie spice for a fall flavor. (You could add any spice flavor you wanted, really.) I also added a blend of alcohol sugars for a little sweetness.
I have made this before and found that the oils tend to separate. Then one day I thought, “What if I blended it all together?” The result was magic. The mixture was smooth and creamy and never separated.
I store it in a mason jar on the counter and add 1 tablespoon to 1 cup of coffee each morning. It tastes great and gives me the energy boost I want and the anti-inflammatory support I need.

Here’s the recipe!
1/4 cup red palm oil
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup sugar (or sugar substitute. I use this recipe from Joy Filled Eats (https://joyfilledeats.com/sweetener/)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or other flavoring – optional)
Blend in the blender or use an immersion blender. Store in airtight container at room temperature.