Sunday, February 10, 2013

Garlic French Fries without a Deep Fryer

These homemade French fries are so good, and very quick and easy. They are made in a skillet on the stove. I whipped them up one night while cooking dinner. My kids were starving and we ate these as an appetizer while our dinner was in the oven.
Homemade French fries with garlic

To make these, a French-fry cutter is your best friend. I also have a garlic peeler and slicer set, which makes peeling and slicing garlic a 30 second task.
French-fry cutter and garlic peeler and slicer set
Ingredients:
3 or 4 medium potatoes
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. black pepper
6 cloves fresh garlic, sliced
4 tbsp. peanut oil (I used olive oil because it's what I had, and it was fine)
More salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:
Slice the potatoes into fries (this is where a French-fry cutter comes in handy!) I didn't peel mine and they were great. Heat the oil in a skillet on medium heat. While the oil is heating, slice the garlic.

Put the garlic in the skillet to infuse the oil. After about a minute, add the potatoes, garlic salt and pepper. Stir occasionally.
Adding potatoes to oil
After about 7 minutes, turn the potatoes. Continue stirring occasionally. After another 7 minutes or so, the potatoes should be done. Remove from oil, put on a plate with paper towels to soak up the excess oil, and serve. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
Potatoes cooking in oil
These French fries were a great appetizer while we waited for our dinner to cook. My family inhaled them!
French fries while cooking

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Creamy & Dreamy 3-Ingredient Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Creamy & Dreamy 3-Ingredient Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Store-bought ice cream has nothing on homemade. One bite and memories of childhood hot summer days and 4th of July holidays come flooding back, in a rush of creamy, sweet deliciousness.

When I mention to friends I’m making homemade ice cream or I have some in the freezer, the response is always the same. “Nothing beats homemade ice cream!” and “Homemade ice cream? Where? Can I have some?”

This ice cream recipe is special because it’s easy beyond belief. With only three ingredients and 30 minutes, you are on your way to some of the most delicious ice cream you’ve ever eaten. You can also make it without an ice cream maker!

Recipe (adapted from this recipe):
Ingredients:
  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk (see note below to make your own.)
  • 4 cups half-and-half or light cream (I use 3 cups heavy cream and 1 cup whole milk. I’ve made this several times with different combinations of whatever dairy products I had on hand (light/heavy cream, half-and-half, whole milk, etc), and it still comes out perfect.)
  • 1/8 cup vanilla bean paste (pure vanilla extract will be suitable but the vanilla bean paste is special because you get the little black specks of real vanilla beans. I buy mine here.)
    Ingredients for 3-Ingredient Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Instructions for 3-Ingredient Ice Cream:
Put your three ingredients in the ice cream maker and stir to combine.
Combining ingredients in ice cream maker

Follow directions according to your ice cream maker's manufacturer.
Churning ice cream

Don't have an ice cream maker? NO PROBLEM! Combine the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla bean paste. Fold in a pint (2 cups) of WHIPPED heavy cream. Put in a 2-quart freezer container and freeze for 6 hours.

This ice cream makes delicious root beer floats!
3-Ingredient Vanilla Bean Ice Cream in a root beer float
Every time I serve this ice cream to guests, I hear over and over again how delicious it is. Little do they know how EASY it is!

There are so many variations you could make to this recipe. Some ideas include:
  • Adding mashed bananas for "banana ice cream"
  • Adding chocolate chunks, miniature marshmallows, and crushed graham crackers for "s'mores ice cream"
  • Adding strawberry puree (or any fruit/berry puree) for "strawberry ice cream"
What variations can you come up with? Comment below and let me know! If you try any of the variations, let me know how they turn out!
3-Ingredient Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
 Note: How to make homemade sweetened condensed milk: 
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup boiling water
  • 1/4 cup melted butter 
Put in blender and blend until smooth.

Monday, February 4, 2013

The Best Cauliflower in the World

This is the best cauliflower in the world. There's not much more to say.
The Best Cauliflower in the World
Never did I imagine that fresh cauliflower in the produce section of the grocery store would stir up cravings that potato chips or french fries used to. This vegetable really surprised me. I always ignored it, reaching for broccoli, spinach, or even celery instead. Little did I know that one of my future favorite foods was right in front of me all along.

This is so fast and easy to make. I'm not kidding, it will blow your mind. Make it. NOW.

Recipe (adapted from this recipe):
Ingredients:
1 whole head of cauliflower
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
6 cloves fresh garlic, minced
Coarse ground salt & pepper
1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
Green onions or chives for garnish
Parmesan cheese for topping, grated
Ingredients for Best Cauliflower in the World
Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Chop cauliflower into 1 to 1-1/2" florets. Put in an oven-safe skillet or baking dish and coat in olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and turmeric. Stir well to make sure cauliflower is evenly coated. Bake for 15 minutes.
Cauliflower before Baking

After baking, sprinkle Parmesan cheese over cauliflower and garnish with chives or green onions.
Cauliflower after Baking

Simple and fast! The olive oil, lemon juice and garlic create a tangy sauce while baking that is addicting. The turmeric adds a nice golden hue and depth of flavor. The Parmesan cheese makes the dish rich and salty.
Cauliflower after Baking
We ate ours as a side dish, with lasagna and salad. This is a savory snack I could eat every day! I seriously licked my plate after eating this!
Cauliflower with Lasagna and Salad




Gluten-Free Pizza Pretzels

Gluten-Free Pizza Pretzels
The idea for this blog post started when my 5-year-old son didn't have school one day, so I asked him what he would like to do. He said to me, "Can we go to the really big store with a restaurant where they have pencils?" "Pencils?" I asked, not understanding what he meant. "Yeah, mommy, pencils with cheese sauce!"

It took me awhile to stop laughing, because I realized what he meant. He wanted to go to Target for the pretzels! Still laughing, I said sure. We made it a big deal - we waited until daddy could come too, and little brother was up from nap time, and we all headed to Target as a family for pretzels with cheese sauce.

Unfortunately though, Target stopped serving cheese sauce. They only offered marinara sauce with the pretzels. Unsure of how I would explain this to my son so as to not disappoint him, out of my mouth came the answer. "Hey look, they gave us pizza sauce. We're having pizza pretzels!"

This was a dream come true for my son, who absolutely loves pizza. Our family date to the Target food court was a success. And the idea was born for this blog post. I thought to myself, pizza pretzels sound delicious. I could add pepperoni and cheese to the dough, serve with marinara sauce. But the only problem was I knew I would pig out on them! All of that white flour! So I decided to experiment with gluten-free soft pretzels, for a slightly less guilty version. The experiment was a huge success. Even my husband loved these pizza pretzels, saying "these do NOT taste gluten free."

Enjoy this recipe! These were a ton of fun to make. They are best served hot out of the oven, but try to avoid eating them all at once! I had trouble with that part.
Gluten-Free Pizza Pretzels
Recipe (adapted from this recipe):Ingredients:
2 cups white rice flour
1 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup tapioca flour
1 tsp. xanthum gum
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. Italian or pizza seasoning
2 tsp. garlic powder 
1 cup warm water
2-1/4 tsp. instant yeast
1 egg
3 tbsp. light corn syrup
2 tbsp. canola oil
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup diced Italian dry salami
1/2 cup diced pepperoni
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese
Ingredients for Gluten-Free Pizza Pretzels
For the water bath:
4 quarts boiling water
1/4 cup baking soda
2 tbsp. sugar

Marinara sauce for dipping (and ranch dressing if desired)

Directions:
In a measuring cup or bowl, mix the yeast with the warm water and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the egg, corn syrup, and oil. After the yeast has proofed for 3 minutes, add the water-yeast mixture and mix, using the dough hook.
Proofed Yeast
When all ingredients are combined, add the mozzarella cheese, salami and pepperoni.
Mixing all ingredients together
Mix on medium-high speed for about 4 minutes (if you don't have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer to mix the dough, and knead by hand for 4 to 5 minutes).
Smooth Dough after Kneading

When the dough is smooth, place on a lightly white-rice floured surface, and knead into a ball. Place the ball into a large mixing bowl rubbed down with olive oil. Cover with a damp warm towel, and let rise for about 90 minutes or until doubled in size.
Dough after Rising
When the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Prepare your water bath by bringing 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil, adding the baking soda and sugar, and stirring to combine. On a lightly white rice floured surface, separate the dough into 12 equal pieces. As you work with each individual piece, keep the rest of the dough covered with your towel. Roll each piece into a 12-14" rope.
Dough Rolled into 12 Ropes

Place parchment paper on two baking sheets. Shape each rope into a "U", then twist the ends around each other, and fold over to the bottom of the "U" (see photos).
Shaping Rope into a "U"
Twisting ends around each other

Folding ends over to bottom of pretzel

Press the ends into the dough to secure. When all the pretzels are shaped, one at a time, place into the boiling water for about 5 seconds, or until the pretzel rises from the bottom to the top of the water.
Pretzel Rising to the Top of the Boiling Water
Using a large slotted spoon or spatula, remove from the boiling water and place back on the baking sheets. Sprinkle the Parmesan or Romano cheese over the pretzels.
Pretzels before Baking

Place one of the baking sheets on the lower rack and the other baking sheet on the upper rack. Bake for 12 minutes. When the timer goes off, rotate the baking sheets and bake for another 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
Pretzels after Baking

These are so good right out of the oven served with marinara sauce. I also have a ranch dressing addiction, so I served my pretzels with both sauces. My family went crazy for these pizza pretzels! Enjoy!
Gluten-Free Pizza Pretzels with Marinara Sauce

Recipe (without photos):
Adapted from this recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups white rice flour
1 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup tapioca flour
1 tsp. xanthum gum
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. Italian or pizza seasoning
2 tsp. garlic powder 
1 cup warm water
2-1/4 tsp. instant yeast
1 egg
3 tbsp. light corn syrup
2 tbsp. canola oil
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup diced Italian dry salami
1/2 cup diced pepperoni
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese

For the water bath:
4 quarts boiling water
1/4 cup baking soda
2 tbsp. sugar

Marinara sauce for dipping (and ranch dressing if desired)

Directions:
In a measuring cup or bowl, mix the yeast with the warm water and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the egg, corn syrup, and oil. After the yeast has proofed for 3 minutes, add the water-yeast mixture and mix, using the dough hook. When all ingredients are combined, add the mozzarella cheese, salami and pepperoni. Mix on medium-high speed for about 4 minutes (if you don't have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer to mix the dough, and knead by hand for 4 to 5 minutes).

When the dough is smooth, place on a lightly white-rice floured surface, and knead into a ball. Place the ball into a large mixing bowl rubbed down with olive oil. Cover with a damp warm towel, and let rise for about 90 minutes or until doubled in size.

When the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Prepare your water bath by bringing 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil, adding the baking soda and sugar, and stirring to combine. On a lightly white rice floured surface, separate the dough into 12 equal pieces. As you work with each individual piece, keep the rest of the dough covered with your towel. Roll each piece into a 12-14" rope.

Place parchment paper on two baking sheets. Shape each rope into a "U", then twist the ends around each other, and fold over to the bottom of the "U" (see photos). Press the ends into the dough to secure. When all the pretzels are shaped, one at a time, place into the boiling water for about 5 seconds, or until the pretzel rises from the bottom to the top of the water. Using a large slotted spoon or spatula, remove from the boiling water and place back on the baking sheets.

Sprinkle the Parmesan or Romano cheese over the pretzels. Place one of the baking sheets on the lower rack and the other baking sheet on the upper rack. Bake for 12 minutes. When the timer goes off, rotate the baking sheets and bake for another 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

These are so good right out of the oven served with marinara sauce. I also have a ranch dressing addiction, so I served my pretzels with both sauces. My family went crazy for these pizza pretzels! Enjoy!