Pumpkin Streusel Cheesecake Bars (Gluten Free)

1 box Betty Crocker Gluten Free yellow cake mix
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup butter softened
2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
2 Tablespoons whipping cream
2 eggs

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In medium bowl. stir together cake mix, and pecans.  With pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.  Reserve 1 cup mixture for topping.  In bottom of ungreased 9 x 13-inch pan, press remaining mixture.  Bake 10 minutes.
          In large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.  Add remaining ingredients;  beat until well blended.  Pour over warm crust.  Sprinkle with reserved topping.
          Bake about 35 minutes or until center is set.  Cool 30 minutes.  Refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled.  For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.  Store covered in refrigerator.

Killer Bread

1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
         Mix together and spread on:

1 loaf French bread

Broil until crisp and golden brown.  Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons crumbled dry basil or 2 Tablepoons finely chopped fresh basil.

Tim's Notes:  If you don't want to do a whole loaf of French bread and want do a few slices at a time (say, for multiple meals)  just mix up the spread and keep it in the fridge.  Use as needed.  Broil the bread and top with basil as directed.  And if you don't want to mix up a whole batch of this spread, the important thing to remember is to have equal parts mayo and cheese (i.e. 1 Tablespoon mayo to 1 Tablespoon Cheese.)  Then just add a little minced garlic.  For most amounts of spread, one clove of finely minced garlic  will do.  Finish as directed.  I  like to use  grated parmesan cheese, although  shredded  works just as well.

Cider Beef Stew

3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 pound stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup water
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 celery rib, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
 1 medium onion, sliced

           In a bowl or bag, combine flour, salt, and pepper; add beef and toss to coat.  In a saucepan, brown beef in oil.  Add cider, water, vinegar and thyme; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat.  Cover and simmer 1 hour 45 minutes or until meat is tender.  Add carrots, celery, potato and onion.  Return to a boil.  Reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Bean Salad

1 can green beans
1 can yellow wax beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can lima beans
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 stalks celery, chopped fine
           Drain and rinse all beans.  In a large bowl, mix beans, onion, and celery.  Pour dressing over and let stand at least 24 hours.

DRESSING
1/2 cup vinegar (see note)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup salad oil

Tim's Notes:  I used white vinegar because I thought it would be best in this salad, but I wasn't quite satisfied with it.  Maybe my vinegar was old.  Anyway, I would suggest a mixture of vinegars, say white and apple cider, or red wine.  The white vinegar was a little too mild and I thought the salad needed a little more bite.  I also doubled the dressing, so the beans had a little more liquid in which to marinate.  I then served the salad with a slotted spoon.  I also used a sweet onion, and I am not sure I used the whole onion.  It was quite large so maybe I used half of the onion?  Use your own judgement.  With the sweet onion, I don't think it would have made much of a difference if I had added all of a small onion.  This is a good summer salad,but would also be good any time of the year because you can always get canned beans.

Basic Applesauce

2 pounds cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced
dash cinnamon
dash ground cloves
1/2 cup sugar

About 30 minutes before serving:
     In a medium saucepan over medium heat, in 1/2 cup boiling water, heat first three ingredients to boiling.  Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 8 to 10 minutes until apples are tender (for chunkier applesauce), 12 to 15 minutes for smoother applesauce.  During last minutes of cooking time, stir in sugar.  Makes about 4 cups.

Tim's Notes:  1 pound of apples = 2 1/2 cups.  Use flavorful apples.  This also cans well.  Put hot applesauce in hot sterilized quart jars with sterilized rings and hot lids.  Process in a water bath for 20 minutes.  This also makes a good base for a nice fall compote.  Add dried fruit (raisins, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, chopped dried apricots, dried cherries, etc.) and enough lemon juice or balsamic vinegar to balance out the sugar. I also use a potato masher to mash up the apples when they are cooked.

Greek Lemon Soup

6 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
3 eggs
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley

In a large saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil.  Stir in rice and reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until rice is done.  Beat eggs until foamy and beat in lemon juice.  Ladle a little of the hot broth into the eggs, stirring constantly until well mixed.  Keep adding broth to the eggs, a little at a time, until the egg mixture is steaming.  Then pour it back into the soup.  Continue simmering the soup until just heated through.  DO NOT BOIL.  Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with minced parsley.

TIM'S NOTES:  I usually just add the minced parsley to the finished soup, but I suppose if you were serving it to guests, the fresh parsley in each bowl might make a nice garnish.  I have also used other fresh herbs in this soup, such as thyme, rosemary, or mint.

Blackberry Apple Crunch

4 cups tart apples (such as Granny Smith) peeled, cored and sliced
2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries (if using frozen berries, do not thaw)
3/4 cup sugar

TOPPING:
1/2 to 3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup butter (1 cube)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or allspice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine apples, berries, and sugar.  Place in a 9 x 13 inch pan.

In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, walnuts, and cinnamon.  Blend together.  Cut in butter until well mixed.  Sprinkle over top of fruit.

Bake at 35o degrees for approximately 1 hour or until top is brown.

Baked Bananas

4 medium bananas, slightly under ripe
4 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
salt
cinnamon
nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Peel bananas, split lengthwise, and cut in two crosswise.  Arrange in a shallow baking dish.  Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in sugar.  Pour over bananas and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until bananas are soft and pale golden.  Sprinkle with a dash of salt, cinnamon and nutmeg before serving.

Berry Smoothie

                                                            

1 (10 ounce) bag frozen mixed berries
1 (15 ounce) can of peaches, drained
2 Tablespoons honey

          Place the peaches and honey in the blender and whirl until smooth.  Add the berries and again, process until smooth.

Tim's Notes:  The berries don't seem to come in 10 ounce bags, but rather 12 ounce bags.  This is fine.  I haven't used the mixed berries yet.  I tried raspberry, which I really liked (flavor was divine, though I was a little turned off by the seeds) and blueberry, which was also good (and no seeds).

A Gluten-Free Guide: Gluten-Free Cheesecake - better than the original!

A Gluten-Free Guide: Gluten-Free Cheesecake - better than the original!

Skillet-Sizzled Buttermilk Cornbread

1 cup stone-ground yellow cormeal
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, preferably Bulgarian-style
1 large egg
2 to 4 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup mild vegetable oil, such as corn or peanut
Pam cooking spray
2 to 4 Tablespoons butter

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a small bowl, stir the baking soda into the buttermilk.  In a second bowl, whisk together the egg, sugar to taste, and the oil, then whisk in the buttermilk.
4. Spray an 8- or 9-inch cast iron skillet with Pam.  Put the skillet over medium-high heat, add the butter, and heat until the butter melts and is just starting to sizzle.  Tilt the pan to coat the bottom and sides.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and quickly stir together, using only as many strokes as needed to combine.  Scrape the batter into the hot, buttery skillet.  Immediately put the skillet in the oven and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.  Cut into wedges and serve.

White Chocolate Frosting

6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1. Place the white chocolate in a small saucepan and melt over low heat, 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and let the chocolate cool.

2. Place the cream cheese and the butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the melted white chocolate and blend on low for 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and confectioners' sugar and blend on low speed for 30 seconds more. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the frosting is fluffy, 1 minute more.

3. Use to frost the top and sides of the cake of your choice. Refrigerate the frosted cake until serving time.

Makes 3 cups of frosting, enough to frost a 2 or 3 layer cake.

One Step Bean Guacamole

1 avacado

1 1/2 cups cooked kidney beans (15-ounce can, drained)

1/2 cup prepared Mexican-style red salsa

1 to 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

salt and ground black pepper to taste (optional)

Halve the avacado lengthwise and gently twist the halve to separate from the pit. Make lengthwise and crosswise cuts about 1/2 inch apart in the flesh of each half. Scoop the avacado cubes out of the skins and into a serving bowl. Stir in the kidney beans, salsa, and cilantro. Add salt and pepper, if desired, and serve. Makes 2 cups. Total time: 10 minutes.

Tim's Notes: Love this recipe! Can be served as an appetizer, a side dish, or with cooked chicken. If you choose to use it as a dip, it looks fantastic with blue corn chips. I like to make this the night before, but I leave the avacadoes out, adding them the next day. You can also control the "heat" of this guacamole by buying mild, medium, or hot salsa. You can also double or triple this recipe to feed a crowd.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2 teaspoons cornstarch (I usually use about 4 teaspoons)
2/3 cup cold water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
dash of garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons catsup
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 cups cooked chicken cubes (can use cooked chicken strips, cooked whole boneless, skinless breasts, or possibly cooked pork, also)
1 cup pineapple chunks, drained
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
1 tomato sliced
1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 1/2 cups cooked rice

Combine cornstarch and water in a sauce pot and mix thoroughly. Add sugar, soy, garlic salt, ginger, pepper, catsup, and vinegar. Stir to blend. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until sauce thickens. Add cooked chicken, pineapple, green pepper, and tomato to the sauce and simmer until ingredients are warmed through. Stir once or twice to prevent sticking. Pour into serving dish. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve with rice.

TIM'S NOTES: As I said, I usually add a little more cornstarch to the sauce as I think it is too thin. We also make just the sauce (without the chicken, pineapple, and vegetables) to eat with egg rolls. I am sure you could substitute any other kind of cooked meat for the chicken. Sometimes I add the fresh tomato, and sometimes I don't. I am not sure it is particularly necessary. I got this recipe from my college roommate, Matt Robertson. My family used to eat this sweet and sour chicken on New Year's Eve.

Spicy Mango Sweet Potato Chicken

2 cups cubed peeled sweet potatoes
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cubed
1 clove of garlic minced
6 Tablespoons tamari soy sauce
3/4 cup water
3 Tablespoons honey
1 ripe mango, peeled and cubed
3 Tablespoons hot sauce, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon warm water

1. Place the sweet potatoes into a saucepan and fill with enough water to cover. Simmer over medium high heat until tender, about 15 minutes. Draiand set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Stir in chicken, and cook until no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes; set aside. Stir garlic into the skillet, and cook for a few minutes, until fragrant. Pour in the soy sauce, 3/4 cup water, honey and hot sauce. Bring to a simmer, and then stir in the sweet potato, chicken, mango, and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir until hot. Dissolve the cornstarch in 1 Tablespoon of water, and stir into the simmering mixture. Stir until thickened.

TIM"S NOTES: I deleted the hot sauce and red chili flakes, and added 3 Tablespoons of my favorite chipotle chili puree found elsewhere in this blog. I also used regular soy sauce instead of tamari. And the last change I made was that I dissolved the cornstarch in water, and added it first and thickened the sauce. I then added the sweet potato, mango, and chicken. Makes more sense to me to thicken the sauce first without the chunky bits. I think I used about 2 teaspoons of cornstarch as well. I thought the sauce needed to be a little thicker. Maybe that's because I left the chicken juices in the pan when I sauteed the garlic. I served it over cooked rice.