Spinach Wheels

Spinach Wheels

I could say a lot about these things, but I'm not feeling very inspired with words this morning, so I'll just say I made these spinach wheels today because it's my son's 11th birthday, and he LOVES them. He just ate a bunch for breakfast. Have I mentioned that he's my eating buddy?
At any rate, these aren't only great for breakfast, they're a great appetizer to take to a potluck or to a friend's house. They're soft, salty, flavorful, and just plain sinful, really. I hardly make them any more because of the fat and sodium in them. I suppose you could sub Greek yogurt for the sour cream, and reduced calorie mayo for the regular, but I just don't think they'd be as good. I'd rather have full fat once every year or two than slightly reduced fat more frequently. That's just the way I roll. (A couple of puns intended.)

Spinach Wheels

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch dressing/dip powder
• 2-3 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 jar bacon bits or Bacos (about 1.5 ounces)
• 2 pkg (10 oz. each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 6-8 large flour tortillas (burrito size)

Instructions (See TikTok video below as well):

• In a medium or large bowl, mix the sour cream, mayonnaise, ranch powder, green onions, and bacon bits. Add the spinach and mix thoroughly, making sure to completely mix in any squeezed chunks of spinach.
• On a flat surface, lay a square sheet of plastic wrap and place one tortilla on top of it. Spread a thin, even layer of the spinach mixture over the tortilla, and then gently roll into a long cylinder. Wrap the cylinder well in the square of plastic wrap. Set on a pan/plate and repeat with remaining tortillas and spinach mixture.
• Refrigerate rolls for 2-24 hours (if you're using Bacos they need some more time to soften than just two hours).
• Unwrap a cylinder, and with a sharp knife, cut into 1/2" to 3/4" thick wheels. Eat the ends that don't make wheels, because they won't look good plated and because you need to know what they taste like.
• Plate up the wheels. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 48-64 wheels, depending on how large your tortillas are.

Fried Mashed Potatoes

Fabulous Fried Mashed Potatoes. Browned and yummy.

Lately, I've been making my mashed potatoes a little ahead of dinner time, and setting them on low to warm while I cook the rest of dinner. I do it partly out of convenience, but mostly I do it because this nice browned layer develops on the bottom of the pan. THAT is the thing I go for at the end of the meal--the best part--a deeper, yummier flavor of mashed potato than what is scooped off the top.
So, when planning dinner tonight, I spied the leftover garlic mashed potatoes from the other night, and decided to take them a step further. I would spread them out in a frying pan and make it ALL into that yummy, flavorful, deep brown stuff that I like to scrape off the bottom of the pan. And why not add a little onion while I'm at it?
My mom used to make potato pancakes with leftover mashed potatoes, but they never keep their shape, and they just don't have the depth of flavor that the bottom of the pan potatoes have. I think what I've done here has captured exactly what I was going for. It's not exactly pretty, but what they lack in looks, they more than make up for in flavor. Trust me. If you like potatoes, you'll LOVE these. 

Fried Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 3-4 cups leftover garlic mashed potatoes
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup diced onion

Instructions:
In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter with the vegetable oil. Add diced onion and saute onion until slightly soft. Scoop mashed potatoes into the pan and flatten to cover as much of the onions as possible. Reduce heat to medium low. (If potatoes are cold, it may take a few minutes to soften up in the pan, or you can warm them in the microwave before adding to the pan.)
Fry potatoes over medium low heat for about 20-25 minutes, turning a small section at a time with a spatula every five minutes or so. If potatoes seem to be getting too dark too quickly, reduce heat a little bit. When potatoes seem as brown as you want them, turn the burner off and serve.
Makes about 5 servings

Gluten Free French Sandwich Rolls

Gluten Free French Sandwich Roll
I'm still amazed at how beautiful it looks inside.

It's about the size of a hamburger bun.

I started making Gluten Free French Rolls about midway through last school year. I've been serving them to my son in the morning sliced, buttered, sprinkled with garlic salt, and toasted in the oven. We finally realized around May that these rolls are good for turkey sandwiches too. Now my son doesn't have to eat plain rolled up turkey meat for lunch like he has for the past six years--he can have the turkey on a roll. One roll wasn't quite enough,  though, and two rolls was just too much for his lunch, so I decided to start making them bigger and slicing them before freezing. The freezing step is important for these, because it dries them out a bit. They're a little too gummy right out of the oven, although, they are still quite enjoyable that way.
Unfortunately for me, I'm realizing that I will probably have to double the recipe from now on because my son goes through about two rolls a day, and although these are super easy to make, I don't want to have to make these more than once a week. Maybe I need the kid to eat a more varied diet... hmmm... interesting concept.
In the meantime, I'm probably going to keep on baking these. I really only changed the size from my previous Gluten Free French Roll recipe, but since I've got the food blog here, and because the freezing step is important, I decided to go ahead and post this recipe.
I have not tried this recipe with any other type of gf flour, so I don't know if substituting will work. I do know, though, that I love, love, love my Better Batter Gluten Free Flour. It's almost time to purchase my third 25 pound bag. Yep, I bake a LOT. In the end, though, I'm saving not only my son's sanity, but I'm also some money by making my own rolls. Plus, they're delicious. Not a bad combo. Not bad at all.

Gluten Free French Sandwich Rolls
     --adapted from BetterBatter.org

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 1/2 cups Better Batter Gluten Free Flour
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal (optional)
• Ice cubes

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or grease it) and sprinkle with the cornmeal. Set aside. (You may need two pans, but can probably just use one.)
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the water and the yeast. Allow to sit for five minutes to soften the yeast. 
Add the flour and the salt. Beat on low until flour is all wet, and then beat on high for 5 minutes.
Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup, scoop a slightly less than level half cup of batter and then scrape out with a silicone/rubber spatula. Space blobs about 2 inches apart. 
With wet fingers, gently smoosh and smooth out the dough blobs until they are as round as you can make them, and about 3/4 inch thick. They don't have to be perfect, just not jagged (see pic below) 
Allow to rise for about 35-40 minutes. 
Place in the preheated oven and throw four ice cubes into the bottom of the oven to produce some steam. After 6-7 minutes, put in four more ice cubes and bake for another 12-15 minutes, or until rolls are nicely browned.
Remove from oven and cool rolls completely on a wire rack.
When rolls are completely cool, use a very sharp serrated knife to slice them open. The rolls are pretty gummy at this point, so you may need to actually wash your knife between cutting rolls. It's a hassle, but it's worth the effort. When rolls are all cut, place them on a cooling rack or baking sheet and place in the freezer to freeze overnight. Then you can place the frozen rolls in zip top freezer bags in the freezer for storage. 
To thaw, microwave for about 40 seconds at 70% power, give or take 15 seconds, depending on your microwave.

Makes about 9 rolls

This is how they look before rising.
Finger marks disappear after rising and baking.

The gluten free garlic roll (aka breakfast)

These rolls are great for a quick gf pizza. My gluten-limited
son just loves them.

Because I have been making a recipe and a half of these lately, and I've been converting the measurements each time, I am putting the ingredients list here for a recipe and a half. I'm tired of doing the same math over and over.

1 1/2 Recipe Ingredients:

• 3 3/4 cups warm water
• 1 1/2 packages (3 and a scant 1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 5 1/4 cups Better Batter Gluten Free Flour
• 2 tablespoons optional corn meal
• Ice cubes

Follow the directions above. 

Makes about 15 rolls

Oh, and I just went to make a batch and a half of these and realized that I'd already written the above list of measurements on a Post-It and placed it on the cover of my Better Batter Flour bin. Duh.

Glazed Waffle Nuggets

Glazed Waffle Nuggets

So, my son has been on a Cinnamon Waffle Nugget kick since I made them last week. He makes me laugh because he'll finish his breakfast of a toasted garlic gluten free French roll (should I post that recipe...?) and turkey sausages and say, "Can you make some cinnamon waffles now?"
"You just ate breakfast."
"I know."
"You want another breakfast now?"
"No, the waffles are dessert."
"Ah. Breakfast dessert."
It's summer, so I don't mind making just about anything my kids ask for. It gives me something food-related to do.
Today we were at the grocery store, and I asked my son to return the basket while I paid for our few items. After returning the basket, which caused him to pass by the donut case, he said to me, "Mom, you should make some GLAZED waffle pieces instead of the cinnamon." The cashier thought it sounded like a fantastic idea, and so did I. "I know what I want to do today," I thought to myself.
The thing is, my son hasn't been able to eat glazed donuts in probably a year. I'm limiting his gluten. You may already know that from reading this blog, but the poor kid loves glazed donuts so much. We've tried the gf donuts in the freezer section--too dense and cakey. Max likes the light, tender Krispy Kreme glazed donuts. I even tried making some gluten free donuts here at home. No dice. Too dense.
So, I thought that maybe these would be a good substitute. Well, my son says they're good, but they're not a substitute. Oh well. He's been gobbling these down, so I know they're a general success. 
At any rate, I think they're great. They're buttery, soft, and sweet. A perfect breakfast dessert.

Glazed Waffle Nuggets

Ingredients:

• 4-5 cups waffles cut into bite size pieces
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 tablespoons milk

Instructions:
In a large mixing bowl, mix the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter and then add the waffle pieces. Stir/turn with a spatula until waffles are crisp and hot.
Pour hot waffle pieces into the bowl with the glaze and fold with a silicone spatula until pieces are evenly coated. 
Turn waffle nuggets out onto a plate, or serve up on individual plates or in small bowls.
Makes four-ish servings

Cream Caramel Syrup

Cream Caramel Syrup

Yummy with iced coffee, cream, and milk

I try not to frequent Starbucks too much. I mean, I'm sure many of you can attest to the priciness of a Starbucks habit. Mostly I limit myself to Starbucks only when I have a gift card in hand, or when I'm meeting up with a friend--both of which are somewhat infrequent. I've come to love the iced caramel macchiato there--decaf, of course. I've been craving that beverage, but have been unwilling to part with the $3.50. So, today I decided to try to make something like it at home. I made a cream caramel sauce, but when it cooled it got too thick. So, I added half a cup of water, and although it's not the same consistency as what I get at Starbucks, I think it makes my iced coffee taste awesome. So does my eating buddy Ezra.
Now, I'm not saying this is a copycat recipe or that if you use this syrup that it will taste like Starbucks, but it will give you some pretty tasty coffee. I think I'll post the "recipe" for the coffee at the bottom, just because I find it annoying when I can't locate a recipe for something pictured on a blog. 
Let me know if you try this and tell me what you think!

Cream Caramel Syrup

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup cup water, divided
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:
In a heavy saucepan over medium high heat, place the sugar and then only 1/2 cup of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove cover and continue to boil, without stirring, until the boiling sugar gets thick and starts to turn a golden color (about 5 to 8 minutes). As the sugar boils, bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat.
When the sugar is golden, remove from heat and carefully pour in half of the hot cream. (I've added a little stop motion video below, so you can see how the sugar turns golden and then you add the cream.) There will be a lot of bubbling, and when it subsides a bit, take a whisk and whisk the sugar and cream, adding the remaining hot cream while you do. Add the other half cup of water and the vanilla extract; whisk until thoroughly combined.
Allow syrup to cool to room temperature before pouring into a clean bottle or jar. 
I keep my syrup in the refrigerator, and I honestly don't know how long to tell you it will keep.

I added the second half cup of water when I saw
that it came out too thick without it.

Iced Coffee with Cream Caramel Syrup

Ingredients:

• ice cubes
• 2-3 ounces fresh brewed espresso
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2-3 tablespoon cream caramel syrup

Directions:
Fill a tall drinking glass about half full of ice cubes. Pour in espresso, milk, cream, and caramel syrup. Stir with a straw or long spoon. Add more milk, cream, espresso, or syrup to taste.
Makes one serving

Cinnamon Waffle Nuggets

Cinnamon Waffle Nuggets

I haven't even checked to see if anyone else has done this with waffles, but I'm figuring that someone out there has.* I happened upon this by accident. It started with me dropping my sugar tub on my tray of left over gluten free waffles that I was going to put in the freezer. Some sugar got on a waffle and that got me thinking. I thought about it throughout today, until this afternoon, when I decided to do something about it. (I have to also note that today I also saw some cinnamon sugar waffles on Pinterest--stacked like pancakes, not chunked like these.) 
At first I was going to call these cinnamon waffle croutons, but they're not crunchy at all, and my kids and I ate them so quickly, that I only had a few left to crisp up in the oven. Although these tasted perfectly awesome without toasting them in the oven, I think I liked them better after crisping them up a little bit.
Basically I took two of my leftover gluten free waffles and cut them into bite-size chunks. Then I melted some butter in a pan, tossed in the waffle pieces, and then tossed the buttered pieces in cinnamon sugar. What we got was soft, buttery, bready, sweet goodness. Crisped up they sort of taste like churros, which I have so far been unable to successfully make at home. Even my super picky gluten limited kid scarfed down a bunch of them--and came back for more. I guess it's the sugar. 
I think I may need to try these with garlic salt and Parmesan cheese instead of the cinnamon sugar. For now, though, I'd say this little experiment was a success. A sweet, buttery success.

Update: Since I originally posted this recipe, these waffle nuggets have become a staple weekend breakfast for my gluten-limited son. Still so tasty.

Cinnamon Waffle Nuggets

Ingredients:

• 4-5 cups waffles cut into bite-size pieces
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a large bowl. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. When butter is melted, place all of the waffle pieces in and stir/toss with a spatula until all of the butter is absorbed and waffle pieces are warm. 
Pour waffle pieces into the cinnamon sugar bowl and toss with a large spoon until all pieces are evenly coated with the cinnamon sugar.
If you want to crisp these up, place coated nuggets onto a baking sheet and bake for about 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and serve warm. Either way, these are fabulous.

Makes 4-5 cups of waffle nuggets

*I did find someone who's done this with Eggo waffles: B-Inspired MAMA-and she made hers into a neat snack mix. Good stuff.

Flour Tortillas 2

I adore homemade flour tortillas. Probably too much. This one has been buttered.

As you can probably infer from this post's title, I've already posted a Homemade Flour Tortilla recipe. In the last year and a half, I've made those tortillas about once a month. I love them. Along the way, I've gotten better at making them the right size and shape, and I've discovered that I like them less bready and more chewy. I've figured out how to achieve all of these things and I'm writing it up here. So, if you like your flour tortillas thicker, with slightly less fat (this recipe already has very little, as far as I'm concerned), then you might want to try out the other recipe. I'm going to try to post the video on that recipe too, because you'll be able to see how to achieve the roundest shape. It's not 100% fool proof, and it takes a lot of practice, but if you watch it, you'll get the idea and after about 16 batches of tortillas, you'll get there too.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

   --adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening 
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• a bit of canola oil
• more flour for dusting

Instructions:

1. Place the flour, salt, add baking powder into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on low for a minute.  Add vegetable shortening and mix on low until it resembles cornmeal.

2. Switch to the dough hook attachment and add water.  Mix on low until dough forms a cohesive ball.  You may need to scrape the sides once with a silicone/rubber spatula.  Once it's in a ball, increase speed to medium low and kneed until smooth and elastic (about 5-6 minutes).  Cover with plastic wrap and let rest while you get your other tools ready.

3. Gather your cast-iron skillet, rolling pin, flour, canola oil, and large plate with a clean dish towel (to place finished tortillas).  Very lightly grease a smooth, flat surface with canola oil by spreading a few drops onto the surface with a flat hand.  

4. Remove dough from the bowl and cut into the desired amount of pieces.  If your skillet is small, cut more pieces (up to 24); if you have a large skillet and want large tortillas, cut no fewer than 10 pieces.  With your hand cupped over a piece of dough that is sitting on the greased flat surface, gently push the dough around using a small circular motion with your hand until you have a well-shaped ball of dough. Place dough balls on a floured plate or piece of wax paper and cover with plastic wrap.
5.  Once you have all of your dough balls, wipe your flat surface down with a paper towel to remove any canola oil residue. Place about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of flour in a small bowl. Take one dough ball and toss it in the flour. Without shaking off the excess flour, place the floured dough ball onto the rolling surface. I start with a couple of strokes across the entire surface in opposite directions, just to get it started.  Then I start so roll from the center and go out, turning my rolling pin about a quarter of a turn with each roll, so hopefully the tortilla will end up in a relatively round shape. Sprinkle very small amounts of flour, as needed to prevent sticking and pulling. (After doing this a few times, you'll start to get the feel for when it's starting to reach the sticky point.) Roll as thin as you possibly can if you want a thinner tortilla.  

6. Preheat your cast-iron skillet over medium heat.  Carefully transfer raw tortilla into pan, making sure you don't make any wrinkles.  Cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side, or until light brown spots appear.  My skillet is fairly large, as were my tortillas, so I had to move it around once a crust was formed on one side, to make sure the edges got cooked a bit on the hot spot of the skillet. Using a clean pastry brush, brush off any excess flour, and then wipe the pan out with a clean paper towel if there is residual flour in the pan because it will continue to cook in the pan if you don't remove it.
7.  Repeat with remaining dough balls.  When a tortilla is done, put on a dish lined with a clean dish towel folded in half to cover the tortillas.  You can stack cooked tortillas on top of one another as you go.

8. Store leftovers in a zip-top bag in the refrigerator.

Makes from 10 large to 24 small flour tortillas.

Chocolate Cake with Mascarpone Ganache Filling

Chocolate Cake with Mascarpone Ganache Filling

This is one rich, delicious cake. The mascarpone ganache filling is rich, smooth and creamy, almost like a French silk, but a bit lighter. The outside frosting is a deep sweet chocolate flavor. The cake is moist with a tender crumb. Exactly what I was going for. 
I still have a bunch of extra mascarpone cheese in my refrigerator, due to my bad math for the wedding cupcakes I made a month ago. So, when my friends were going to pass through town and spend the night, it created the perfect opportunity to make a cake. At first I thought I'd make my favorite chocolate birthday cake, but all of the different layers would take too long. After looking up "chocolate cakes" and mascarpone ganache, I came up with this, and I LOVE it. My friends all loved it too, particularly Jen and Jeremy, who gave up carbs three months ago. I'm honored that they chose to break their diets at my house. Hopefully I have not permanently derailed their new lifestyle.

Chocolate Cake with Mascarpone Ganache Filling
     --(adapted from Ghirardelli.com) 

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 cup Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Chocolate and Cocoa (or use 1/2 cup ground cocoa powder and increase the total amount of sugar below to 1 1/4 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons King Arthur Flour Cake Enhancer (optional)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 large eggs @ room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 batch of Mascarpone Ganache (recipe below)
• 1 batch of Empress Frosting (recipe below)

Cake Directions
: 
Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Prepare two 8" x 1 1/2" round cake pans by spraying with non-stick cooking spray and then lining with parchment or wax paper circles.  Into a mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, sift flour with ground chocolate, cake enhancer, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Add butter and 3/4 cup buttermilk. Beat on low speed to combine ingredients. Scrape sides of bowl and then beat on low-medium speed for 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup buttermilk, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat additional 2 minutes.  Spread batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350ºF for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on racks for 10 to 15 minutes; carefully remove from pans. 
While cake cools, make the ganache.
Cut cooled cakes in half horizontally so you have four equal layers of cake. Layer the cake with the mascarpone ganache, using 1/3 of the mascarpone ganache for each of the three layers of the filling. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the Empress Frosting (you can let it refrigerate overnight, if you wish).
Frost with the Empress Frosting and serve.
Refrigerate leftovers.
Makes one cake, about 12-16 servings

Mascarpone Ganache

Ingredients:

• 28 Dove Dark Chocolate Promises, unwrapped (or 8 oz. good quality chopped dark chocolate)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 8 oz. mascarpone cheese

Instructions:
Place unwrapped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Place cream in a small heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Heat the cream until it comes to a simmer. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for about five minutes. After five minutes, stir chocolate and cream until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth and uniform.
Allow ganache to cool to room temperature. Once it's cool, pour ganache into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add mascarpone cheese and mix on low until ganache and mascarpone are mixed. Whip on high until stiff peaks form.

Empress Frosting

     --(adapted from Ghirardelli.com) 

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup half and half 
• ½ cup butter, cut up 
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 ½ cups Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Chocolate
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
In 2-quart heavy saucepan, heat half and half with butter and sugar, stirring until blended. Add ground chocolate, mixing with wire whip until smooth. Heat on medium-low until mixture is thick and shiny and runs off the spoon like syrup and the first bubble appears on the surface (160°F). Do not boil or overcook frosting. Cool 5 minutes, add vanilla. Place pan of frosting in a bowl of ice and water (or snow in the winter). Beat slowly with spoon until frosting holds shape. Frost cake. Refrigerate to set frosting. Makes frosting for and 8-inch layer cake.