Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes – Improv Cooking Challenge November 17, 2011

Today I have the pleasure of sharing a recipe with you that I made for the Improve Cooking Challenge!  Every month, two ingredients are chosen and all of the participating bloggers create a new recipe that includes the two chosen ingredients.  Then we all post our recipes at the exact same time.  So Fun!

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The ingredients for our November Improv Cooking Challenge were….

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Pumpkin and Cream Cheese!!!

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And…My chosen recipe is Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes!! (Gluten free for us, of course!)

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Super easy.  Super Yummy.  This dense pumpkin flavored cupcake with whipped cream cheese frosting was a delicious instant hit.  For the cupcakes, I used an awesome recipe that includes just 3 ingredients.

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Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1 box of yellow cake mix, 18.5 ounces (in our case, the gluten free cake mix only had 15 ounces, so one and a half boxes was required)
• 1 can of pumpkin
• 1 cup of sugar (optional)

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Directions:

Mix everything together until well incorporated.  You will not need to add anything else that the box mix asks for (eggs, oil, ect.), but getting this well mixed may take a little muscle.

Line a muffin tin tray with cupcake liners.  Fill each cup almost full.  I find that these cupcakes do not rise much, like regular cupcakes, so you can fill each cup a little more than normal.  (I’m not sure if that’s a gluten free thing, or a pumpkin thing)

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Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

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Set aside to cool completely.

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Once cooled, it’s time to make the awesome Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting.  I didn’t take any process photos, but it’s really easy.  I slightly modified a recipe I found at Not so Humble Pie.  It was being used to top cinnamon rolls (Yum!), and sounded like a perfect light and fluffy way to top these cupcakes.

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Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:

• 16oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2  teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup cold heavy cream

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Directions:

Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.  In a separate bowl, make whipped cream (my first time ever!).  Simply whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks are formed.  Then scoop the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.  Quickly beat to combine, but don’t overdo it.

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I used a ziplock bag with the tip cut off to pipe some frosting on top of our cooled cupcakes.  A little orange sugar sprinkled on top, and check out the fabulousness….

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And of course, the ultimate test of a good gluten free recipe…Did Skylar like it?

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“It was great.  Then excellent, and very very very good”

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I will take that glowing review!

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I would like to extend a huge thank you to Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker for hosting this Improv Cooking Challenge!

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If everything goes as planned, you should be seeing all of the other recipes from this month’s cooking challenge below. (If you are reading this in an email, you will need to click *here* to see this page online)  Please feel free to click on any of the links and check out some of the other amazing recipes.

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Thanks for stopping by!

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Lizz

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Wanna Pin this on Pintrest? Just click here:Pin It

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It seems that my blog doesn’t want to work properly with the party link, so in order to see the other fantastic recipes for this month, just click on the cute frog face below.

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Gluten Free Friday – GoPicnic November 11, 2011

Welcome to Gluten Free Friday!!

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I have a really awesome product to share today, but let me backstory for a second…

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Did you read my post about the awesome Celiac Center Fundraiser at Wildfire?  No?  Well, check it out *here* if you missed it.  I’ll wait…….Okay, so one of the best parts from that night was chit chatting with the other folks at our table.  There was lots of tips being traded, and I did promise you that I would share them with you as I tried them out. So…

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One of the lovely ladies I met was Charlotte, who’s been writing a cute little blog called A Gluten Free Journey Through Motherhood/Wifedom.  One of her recommendations was a product called GoPicnic, that she discovered while on a layover in the airport.  She described it as a lunchable for grownups.  I was intrigued enough to look it up as soon as I got home.

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GoPicnic meals are literally a meal in a box.  And just as Charlotte described, they are very similar to lunchables, but with a few major differences.  First of all, they are a healthier, more natural meal choice.  I also noticed that they did not need to be refrigerated, a huge bonus in my eyes.  While not all of their meals are gluten free, they do have 6 GF options.  They also have vegan, vegetarian, and kosher meals.  Awesome!

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(source)
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Now, it’s a little hard to see in those small pictures, but the top left-hand corner of the box is where you will find those all important words, “Gluten Free”, if that particular meal is as such. (or vegan, or kosher, ect.)

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After getting all excited over the possibility of a quick on-the-go meal for Skylar, I checked the store locator to see where I might find them.  To my surprise…Target!!  I thought for sure it was going to be a hard to find, but nope. 

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And check out that price tag!!  $3.99!!  My biggest complaint about GF foods is how expensive they can be, and these puppies aren’t much more than a regular lunchable.  I stocked up, and brought them home to show Skylar.  She was so excited, and we even used one to eat in the car on our way to the circus.  (To be honest, it wasn’t her favorite, but she did choose the hummus one first, which I think requires a bit of an adult palate.  I am very confident that she will like the other two, as they are things she eats on a regular basis).

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I have really missed the ability to just run over to the nearest fast food joint to grab a quick bite.  These things are great to keep in the car for emergencies, since they don’t require refrigeration.  (Although, this is Chicago, and our winter temps will keep anything frozen in a car!!)

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So, have any of you found a great on-the-go meal option yet?  Care to share?  Leave a comment and let us know what you’ve found.  Let the recommendations flow!!

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Have a great weekend everyone!!

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Lizz

Gluten Free Wine Dinner w/ Celiac Disease Center and Wildfire November 9, 2011

If you live in the Chicagoland area, I have a great event to share with you!

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Last night I was fortunate enough to attend The 2nd Annual Gluten Free Wine Dinner fundraising event that is being put on by the University of Chicago’s Celiac Disease Center and Wildfire Restaurant.

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We were served a 4 course Gluten Free Dinner that was just amazing.  There was not a single item served that had that “gluten free” taste to it.  We had chicken empanada and bruschetta appetizers, swordfish with quinoa (both were a first for me), beef tenderloin with a sweet potato mash, and a chocolate chip cookie sundae.  A-maze-ing!!

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(source)
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You could also purchase raffle tickets to win a Wildfire gift certificate or a football signed by Brian Urlacher.  Go Bears!! 

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We had a great time talking to the other attendees at our table.  It’s always interesting to hear other’s stories about their journey with Celiac Disease.  And, of course, we all shared some of our best restaurant and shopping tips.  I can’t wait to try some of them!  (Don’t worry!  I’ll share what I find out of course!!)

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We also got the opportunity to talk with management from the Wildfire restaurants, and get answers to questions that all Celiacs want to know:  How do you make sure everyone knows my meal needs to be gluten free?  How to you avoid cross contamination in the kitchen?  How do you train your staff to be knowledgeable?  What’s good on the GF Menu?

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I also learned that they make their own GF pizza dough, buns, and salad dressings.  If you like them, these things can be purchased to take home as well.

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So, do you want a chance to have a great Gluten Free meal at Wildfire, get some interesting information, meet others in the area who also eat a GF diet, and help raise money for the Celiac Center?  There are still 3 events this week that you can join!

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• Wednesday, 11/9  at Wildfire in Glenview, IL 
• Thursday, 11/10 at Wildfire in Schaumburg, IL
• Friday, 11/11 at Wildfire in Lincolnshire, IL

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Registration and Appetizers start at 6:30, and dinner begins at 7:00

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The cost for this event is $55.00 per person without wine pairings, and $70.00 per person with wine pairings, plus tax and gratuity. For each reservation, Wildfire will donate a portion of the proceeds to The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center.

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If you would like to attend, you need to make a reservation by calling Laura Rosen or Shannon Ryan at (312)787-9000.

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For more information about the University of Chicago’s Celiac Disease Center, and to see their new and improved website, *Click Here*  You can also sign up for their email list to get all of their best up to date information.

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For more information about Wildfire, and to view their full gluten free menu, *Click Here*

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I hope some of you have the opportunity to attend this fantastic fundraising event.  Have a great day everyone!!

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Lizz

Muffin Tin Monday – Deconstructed Stir Fry November 7, 2011

We’ve been really busy around here lately, and have been missing our muffin tin meals.  We were finally able to pull one together this weekend, and I think it turned out really nice.  I was working on a new Gluten Free meal to post on Friday (come back for that!!), and decided to also make a totally different kind of muffin tin meal.  In the end, it ended up being like a stir fry, but with all of the ingredients staying separate…and I will call it Deconstructed Stir Fry.

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Top Row (left to right): orange slices, mixed veggies, baby carrots

Bottom Row: GF Orange Teriyaki Chicken, jasmine rice, GF Orange Teriyaki Shrimp

Middle: Gluten Free fortune cookies

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I realize now as I’m typing this that I totally forgot to put in those little baby corn-on-the-cobs!  Bummer, I’ll have to remember for next time!

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Since I’m saving the recipe for the chicken and shrimp for Friday, I will give you one tidbit.  Some of you may not know that teriyaki sauce and soy sauce are often made with wheat.  However, there are several gluten free options available, right on the same shelf as the others.  Just look for those magic words…

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And you will never know the difference; it takes the same as the regular stuff.

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We also always have a box of GF fortune cookies around, because what is chinese food without a fortune?  These may not be your traditional crescent shaped treat, but Skylar loves ’em, and I will admit they are pretty darn tasty.

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I hope you’ve all enjoyed our Deconstructed Stir Fry.  I know Skylar did!  If you want to see what the other amazing moms have made this week, check out Muffin Tin Mom’s Site.

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Have a great week everyone!

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Lizz

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Gluten Free Friday – Roasted Dill Red Potatoes November 4, 2011

Welcome to Gluten Free Friday!

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I’m doing something a little different for GFF today.  I am re-posting something I made a while ago, because I think it deserves to be a part of this segment.  This is one of my favorite side dishes.  It’s really easy to prepare, and it’s always a hit.  Plus it now carries the added bonus of being gluten free.  Let’s get roasting!

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Ingredients:

• Red Potatoes
• Butter
• Dill
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Salt

 

Directions:

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Start by cleaning and quartering your potatoes, leaving the skins on, and place them in a single layer in a baking dish.

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Melt some butter. When making a smaller batch like I did, 1/3 to 1/2 of a stick will do. If you’re doing this for a large group, use a 9 x 13 dish and a full stick. (hey, nobody said this was going to be healthy!)

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Pour the butter over your potatoes.

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Stir to make sure each potato is coated.  Now, cover with your spices. Since this is a throw together type of recipe, I don’t have exact measurements for you. I just make sure that each piece gets a little sprinkle of everything. Don’t be shy with the dill.

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Roast them in the oven at 400 degrees for approx 50 minutes. Start checking for done-ness around 45 minutes. You should be able to pierce them with a fork easily.

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Voila! I keep mine on the light side; personal preference. If you like yours more well done, just leave them in a little longer until you get the browness you desire.

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I love making these because they take 5 minutes to prepare, and then I can just leave them until they are done. Plus, they make the whole place smell amazing!

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I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!  Have a great weekend everyone!

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Lizz

Gluten Free Friday – Stuffed Peppers October 28, 2011

Welcome to Gluten Free Friday!

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I’m sure some of you have been missing us…right?  Well, I was traveling, then followed that up by getting sick.  I’m finally feeling better, and finally ready to get back to some bloggin’!  I have a yummy meal to share with you, that will not only satisfy your GF eaters, but everyone else too!  Stuffed Peppers!

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(My apologies for a blurry picture. Bad Blogger!)

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I remember eating these when I was a kid, and I love them, but I will admit…I actually don’t like peppers.  Yeah I know that’s weird.  I just eat the insides, but it doesn’t taste the same if it’s not baked inside the pepper.  Plus it’s fun to dig your food out of a pepper bowl.  I guess it’s good to have a pepper lover with you that will eat yours.

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I made these with the awesome Mara.  Well, really she made them while I took pictures and offered up my daughter for help.

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(No, she doesn’t have some sort of weird disease…she still has face paint on from Superhero Club…which is an awesome idea by the way…)

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If you have ever read Mara’s blog, What’s for Dinner?, you probably know that with Mara, measuring is optional.  Yeah, she’s that good.  Me, I need some structure in order to cook well.  So without the benefit of an actual recipe to follow, I will be speaking in hypotheticals and -ishes a bit, and leaving the measurements up to your discretion.

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First, you will need to cook up some rice of your choice (we used brown rice).  Cook it just enough that it’s not hard, but don’t over cook it.  Then you will combine these things in a bowl:

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1 lb ground beef (uncooked)

Rice (cooked)

Diced onion

Garlic powder

Oregano

Salt

Tomato sauce

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It should look something like this:

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Next, cut the tops off 4-5 peppers, and remove all the seeds.  Fill each pepper with the meat mixture, and pack it tightly.  Top with a little more tomato sauce and some parmesan cheese.  Place into a baking dish where you can stand all of the peppers upright-ish.  I promise they will try to fall down.

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We baked ours at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

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(See? I told you they want to fall down!)

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And we chose to make a little corn too.  Add a little extra sauce to the plate, and voila!

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Yum Yum Yum!

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Have a great weekend everyone!

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Lizz

 

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Guest Post: Gluten-Free Friday: Apple Cider Fritters October 14, 2011

Hello readers of A Little Bit of This & That! I’m Mara, Lizz’s heterosexual life mate and BFF as well as the writer of the blog What’s for Dinner?. You may have heard of me before, or seen Lizz and my various shenanigans through the course of her blog, including the Twilight party, pizza night, making cupcake bites… the list goes on.

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So, when Lizz put out a call for guest posts, I of course volunteered. Then Lizz said “Hey, why don’t you do Gluten-Free Friday?!” And I was… apprehensive. I very rarely make gluten-free treats. Ok, that’s not completely true. I make gluten-free food all the time, just not for the sole reason of it being gluten-free. I don’t have any sort of gluten intolerance, nor do I toy with cutting out gluten for the sole reason that it’s “trendy.”

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However, as you know, Lizz’s daughter Skylar was recently diagnosed with Celiac disease, and I love being able to help in any way that I can, being the “food nerd” that I am.

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Then, I asked my friend Mindy at work, whose 2-year-old daughter was also just diagnosed with Celiac disease, if there were any treats she’d like me to try to make since she’d get to bring the leftovers home.

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She said “Pie. Or cookies. Or really anything!” So I went with it.

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I couldn’t handle making pie crust on a Thursday night. My rolling pin had touched far too much gluten for me to roll out cookies. So I went the more “anything” route. These are reminiscent of Lizz and my trips to the apple orchard over the years, and really, the sole reason for visiting sometimes!

First, I made sure to thoroughly clean my mixing bowl, dough hook, cutting surface, knife, and measuring cups as these fritter bites will be actually fed to someone with Celiac.

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I used a mixture of certified gluten-free oat flour and white rice flour to create the base of the batter, as well as some other key ingredients.

Below you’ll see the step-by-step directions, and please keep in mind these can be altered to suit your kitchen. No mixer? Use a whisk and bowl! Don’t want to fry? Bake the batter in mini muffin tins!

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First, proof 1 packet of yeast in 1 cup of apple cider.

Then, after it’s foamy, add in 2.5 cups of oat flour and mix well. It will get quite sticky.

Add 3 eggs (or 1 egg and 2 egg whites, either will work), then mix well. Also add in 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce and 2 Tbsp. of canola oil.

Then, add in one cup of white rice flour and mix well.

Next, add 2 Tablespoons white sugar, 1 Tablespoon cinnamon, and 2 teaspoons nutmeg

Finally, stir in one large chopped apple.

Allow the batter to rest and rise about 30 minutes, then heat oil to 375*F (or pre-heat the oven to 375*).

Drop by rounded tablespoons into the hot oil and cook about 4 minutes, flipping once.

Drop the hot fritters into a dish with a mixture of white sugar and cinnamon (I used 1/2 cup sugar and 1/8 cup cinnamon) and toss to coat.

Stack artfully and admire your handiwork.

Gluten-Free Apple Cider Fritters

Ingredients

Fritters

• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 packet instant dry yeast
• 2 1/2 cups gluten-free oat flour
• 1 cup white rice flour
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 Tablespoons canola oil
• 2 Tablespoons white sugar
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 large apple, chopped
• oil for frying

Cinnamon-sugar topping

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 Tablespoons cinnamon

Directions

First, proof the packet of yeast in the apple cider.

Then, after it’s foamy, add in the oat flour and mix well. It will get quite sticky.

Add the eggs (or 1 egg and 2 egg whites, either will work), then mix well. Also add in the unsweetened applesauce and canola oil.

Then, add in the white rice flour and mix well.

Next, add the white sugar,cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Finally, stir in the apple.

Allow the batter to rest and rise about 30 minutes, then heat oil to 375*F (or pre-heat the oven to 375*).

Drop by rounded tablespoons into the hot oil and cook about 4 minutes, flipping once.

Drop the hot fritters into a dish with a mixture of white sugar and cinnamon (I used 1/2 cup sugar and 1/8 cup cinnamon) and toss to coat.

If baking:

Drop the batter into prepared muffin tins and bake at 375*F until done, about 12-15 minutes. When done, brush the tops of the muffins with apple cider, then dip into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

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Enjoy these gluten-free bites of fall!

Muffin Tin Monday – Finger Foods October 10, 2011

For this week’s muffin tin, it felt like we really needed something simple and easy.  We decided to make a meal of all things you can eat with fingers or food picks.  It was fun to figure this one out.  Here’s what we came up with:

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Top Row (left to right): cucumbers with ranch, frozen black cherries, watermelon gummy rings

Bottom Row: GF barbeque almond nut thins, pepperoni and mozzerella picks, grapes

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Skylar ate every single bite!  Success!

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The crackers she had were new for us, and they were really tasty.  These almond nut thins come in a variety of flavors, and make a great crunchy snack for anyone who needs a GF treat.

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I hope you enjoyed this quick and easy tin.  To see some of the other great tins that were made this week, check out Muffin Tin Mom’s site.

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Have a great week everyone!

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Lizz

Gluten Free Friday – Apple Cobbler Surprise September 30, 2011

Welcome to Gluten Free Friday!!

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After our little apple picking adventure, I realized that we have a lot of apples now.  And one can only eat so many apples.  Time to get cooking.

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I called up my baking guru, Mara, and asked her to share with me her recipe for cobbler topping.  We had made this together once, and it was really good.  And easy.  My favorite combo.

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She calls this topping Cup Cup Stick:

• 1 cup of flour
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 stick of butter

Mix until crumbly

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See? I told you it was easy!!

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Now it’s time to create some cobbler!

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First, gather stuff.  You will need your Cup Cup Stick ingredients, and in our case, that meant grabbing some gluten free flour.  I decided to give Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix a shot here.  I’ve already made awesome pancakes, so it seems like a good choice for a pre-mixed GF flour.  You will also need whatever you want to go on the inside.  I needed apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, and raspberries.

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First I peeled and chopped up the apples.  I mixed half with a brown sugar/cinnamon mix.  There’s no special measurements here.  Just go until it tastes good to you.

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I decided to use a large cup muffin tin (does it look familiar?  See I do use it to cook too!) so I could create 2 different kinds of individual cobblers.

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Since I knew this would be cooking for a long time, I re-thought putting those raspberries in right away, and removed them for the first bout of cooking time.

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I put those into the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

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in the meantime, I put together the Cup Cup Stick

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After the half hour was done, I added the raspberries back in, and covered each section with the crumbled topping.  Back into the oven for another half an hour.

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So, at this point you may be wondering what exactly is the “surprise” part of this recipe.  Here it is…

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SURPRISE!!!  It’s a disaster!!

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Just when the kitchen was starting to smell good, and I could hear some sizzling, I thought I would check on my creation.  What I found was a far cry from the lovely crumbly browned cobbler I was seeing in my head.  And that sizzling sound was coming from the bottom of my oven, which was now burning, smoking, and stinky.

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Cobbler Fail.

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So why would I show this to you?  Why would I dedicate a Gluten Free Friday to a mess of a dessert?  Well, there are 2 reasons.

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First…I have read in so many place that gluten free baking is very difficult.  I jumped into this dish thinking I was going to figure it out, no problem.  What I have failed to understand is that GF flour is not wheat flour.  It doesn’t act the same.  There has to be some trial and error.  I have made several batches of cookies that have bombed worse than this dish, and I get upset every time.  I’m finally realizing that I need to learn how to bake gluten free, and remember that it’s a whole different ball game.  I hope that by showing you my ah ha moment, you will not be hard on yourself if you come across the same problems.  But I hope you don’t =)

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The second reason for showing you this is that even though it looked all crazy and messy, this dessert tasted pretty darn good.  I’m not entirely sure what happened with my (non-)crumble, but it turned into something that tasted almost like caramel.  So even though it wasn’t really cobbler…or pretty…

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…when everyone says they love it, and gobble down their share, I call that a modified win!

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I guess when life throws you a destroyed cobbler, you should make a caramely/apple-cinnamony/raspberry-y treat!

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Have a great weekend everyone!!

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Lizz

Muffin Tin Monday – Pretty Flowers September 26, 2011

Happy Muffin Tin Monday!!

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After a crazy Saturday of Apple/Raspberry/Pepper picking, Skylar and I were determined to have a quiet easy Sunday.  We even wanted a quick and easy muffin tin meal.  We opted to go without a specific theme, but we used our silicone flower cups on a plate to change things up a bit.  So here is one of the fastest muffin (non-)tin meals I have ever made:

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Clockwise (starting at bottom left): Carrots, Cracker Jacks, Pistachios, GF Pretzel Sticks, Raspberries (freshly pick by us!)

Center: Buttered GF Penne Noodles

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There is really no explanations needed for this tin, but there are 2 gluten-related things I want to say: 

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First, I know there is some controversy over caramel, and is it gluten free or not.  Here’s my reasoning:  I read though the ingredients, no wheat.  Cracker Jacks (like many companies now) give allergen information (Including if it’s processed in a facility with allergens), and it doesn’t mention containing wheat either.  I even checked the website (*here) and they say no gluten ingredients.  So my vote is that it’s okay.

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The other thing I wanted to share is that we have finally stumbled upon a really good tasting GF pasta!  That penne we used for this meal was from Schar.  It was, to date, the best tasting GF pasta we have tried.  It tasted exactly like regular pasta!  We had gotten a sample when we got our gift basket from the University of Chicago (If you missed that post, *click here* for information on that amazing program).  I’m so happy we finally tried it!  We recently tried a Schar product that we didn’t care for, so I’m learning that not all products within a company’s GF line are created equal.

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Make sure you check out the other amazing muffin tin meals over at Muffin Tin Mom’s site

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Have a great week everyone!!

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Lizz