Aren’t these cute?!?!?!  I got the inspiration for them on Pinterest.  I attempted to make the snowman all one piece, but it was a smidge hard to manage that much pancake in one flip:)  So, I decided to make 3 individual pancakes and simply stack them.  I had candy corn leftover from Thanksgiving, so I used that for a nose, and chocolate chips for eyes and buttons.  A quick spray of whipped cream for the scarf and voila, an impressive Christmas breakfast your kiddos are sure to love :)

Have you been doing a bit of baking lately?  I know that my Christmas baking has been in full swing between gifts and parties.  Yesterday we attempted two new treats.  While they were both appreciated, one was a bit of a flop and the other was a pretty big success. 

This is the first dessert we tried.

Silly me… I didn’t think to… I don’t know, read the directions :)    I assumed these were made with whipped cream. I gave Tootle some directions and set her to work making the hats.  Initially the whipped cream looked good.  Then, the humidity set in and the whipped cream kind of melted.  The kiddos still enjoyed sharing them with their friends.  I don’t have any pics of our Santa hat flop…If you are a smart person who would like to read the directions for this super cute dessert, click on the picture.

This is a pic of the next Santa hat project we attempted.

On this mix, I decided to work solo.  Plus the kids had an important date with the Wii ;) 

This is how my mix turned out….

I know, not the best picture…but I was pleased with how the mix turned out, and it was a big hit at the party. The tutorial was very clear and easy to follow.  I would like to offer a couple of tips.  First, when coating your bugles in the red candy melts, I found it helpful to scoop them out with a fork, and then tap the fork on the side of the bowl to remove the excess coating.  Also, when the hats are finished setting up, and it’s time to embellish them, try not to handle them too much because your body heat will start to melt the candy coating again.  One last tip, I found it best to add the tiny nonpareils first, and add the marshmallow last.  If I was going to do it again, I would add the nonpareils first and let them set up, then go back and add the marshmallow tops.  

This would be a great rainy day (or snow day depending on where you live) activity for your kids.  Thank you Shelley at  Cookies and Cups for a great tutorial!  I may have to try her Candy Cane Pretzel Kisses next :)

I LOVE biscuits! Especially around Thanksgiving…and Christmas…and Easter…okay I just love biscuits :)

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I wanted to share some tips and recipes to help you  make the best biscuits ever!

In my life with gluten, this was my go to recipe for biscuits, J.P.’s Big Daddy Biscuits.  As you read through the reviews, there are many suggestions for making these biscuits, and several criticisms.  Here are my tips for making these biscuits. Number 1, after you mix the dough, and before you kneed it you must, I repeat, MUST let it sit for a few minutes.  The dough will be a tad wet, and too hard to work with, unless you let it rise a bit.  Number 2, use a tea towel or pastry cloth to roll out the biscuits.  Make sure that you use plenty of flour to prevent this moist dough from sticking to the towel.  Number 3, Kneed the dough with the floured cloth, not your hands.  Trust me, you’ll thank me for that one :)  I promise if you use these tricks on this recipe, these will be some of the BEST biscuits you’ve ever made!

Since going gluten-free, I have tried so many gf biscuit recipes, I finally gave up trying to find one that didn’t taste like cornstarch.  However, last week when I got “glutened” and felt yucky for a few days, the only thing that sounded good to eat was a biscuit.  So, I pulled out the last recipe that I have found to taste ok, and started whipping up a batch.  Then I decided to tweak the recipe…just the tiniest way…just 1/4 of a cup change in the flours….and OH MY WORD!!!!  Pay dirt!

So, if you are in need of an AWESOME gf biscuit recipe, look no further.  Just click the link below to download my recipe.

Happy baking!

The Frazzled Mama’s Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits.

This morning while I was whipping up a batch of Gluten Free Pancakes, Tootle Bug asked me if she could help.  I told her no, and had a plethora of reasons why not.  Then, she gave me this look….

and said, “But Mom, how am I going to learn to do it, if I don’t do it.”  What a Tootle Bug thing to say!!!  But you know what?  She’s right.

In our home, we are training our kiddos by doing.  Each year, they have a specific set of chores, so they are learning various aspects of housekeeping.  They learn to take care of the poor and needy by doing it, not by me telling them to do it.  Hmmm….

Her comment really got me thinking.  I need to start training all my kiddos in the kitchen.  But, I don’t want to.  You know why?  Cause I like love to cook!!!  I don’t like to sit back and let them do it.  But, I guess this is one more thing I need to let go of, and start teaching my kiddos. 

I know, you’re thinking, get to the cooking part!  Well, I have decided I need some accountability in this area.  I am thinking that I will get each kid in the kitchen to learn a new recipe or skill each week.  Then, I can chronicle our adventures here on the cooking blog, who knows, you might learn something new too!  :)

When I was a teenager, I loved to experiment with food.  One afternoon as I was making homemade  pizza, I snagged a piece of pepperoni that had fallen off the pizza and basically toasted on the baking sheet.  Yum-o!

A discovery,  toasted pepperoni is excellent!

I honestly can’t remember the last time I made toasted pepperoni to munch on.  But today, I had a craving for it, so I popped some in the oven….then, I had a thought…

What if I sliced some fresh mozzarella and placed the toasted pepperoni on each slice.

Oh my…yes!  These were absolutely fabulous.

In case you were wondering, to toast pepperoni, simply place the pepperoni in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake in an oven preheat to 350 degrees for just a few minutes, I’m guessing 5-ish ;)

I attempted to make a batch of my Knock Off GF Oatmeal Cream Pies yesterday.  I say attempted because…well we won’t go there.  Point is, I needed some brown sugar, and I had run out.  Then I wondered if you, my beloved readers, were aware that you can make some very lovely brown sugar at home.  Yes, you can!

I think homemade brown sugar is much lighter, fluffier, and tastier than store bought.  Check it out…

It really is simple to make, and probably healthier too :)

All you do is add 1 tablespoon of molasses to 1 cup of sugar.  I just put mine in a little bowl, and mix it with a fork.  It does take a little bit of time to get it to mix all together with no lumps, but I think it’s well worth it. I have heard of other people who mix it in a mixer, so you could also do it that way, especially if you were going to make more than 1 cup at a time.

Enjoy!

Don’t these look amazing???

Light and fluffy and…yummy!

Not only does this recipe make awesome GF pancakes, check out these waffles…

Oh yeah…

I really love this recipe because it is quick, and inexpensive, plus the kids love them!

Printable recipe

Last weekend some kind soul gave Mr. OverKill some yellow squash.  My favorite way to eat squash is fried.  Of course, I haven’t had any for over a year, because of the whole gluten thing.  So, I decided I would go ahead and try to figure out a good gluten-free batter.

I have successfully substituted rice flour for wheat flour in my country fried steak recipe, so I thought it might work out the same for the fried squash.  No harm in trying right?

The result?  See for yourself…

Oh my words, these were so yummy!

Crispy outside…

Mushy inside ;)

I can’t really give you a specific recipe, but I can tell you what I did.

I poured maybe 1 cup of milk into a bowl.  Then, I sliced the squash about 1/4 inch thick into the milk, and let it soak for a few minutes.  Next, I poured roughly 1 cup of rice flour into another bowl, and whisked in a few shakes of garlic salt.  Finally, I fished the squash out of the milk, one at at time, and coated them in the rice flour, then into the hot oil they went. I fried them on both sides for a few minutes, and then let them drain on a plate covered with a paper towel. Sprinkled with some salt and…Yum-O!

I would imagine that you could use this same concoction with wheat flour and have delicious results as well.

Check. These. Out.

Don’t they look yummy.

And soft…..

And so not gluten-free tasting! Everyone who tried these, said “Are you sure these are gluten-free???”

Check out the recipe here, another Gluten-free Girl gem.

A while ago I mentioned on Facebook how much Mr. OverKill and I enjoyed the Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef’s Chicken Thighs with Pomegranate Molasses.  I have made it several times since then, and it is so delicious!!!!

While in West Virginia, I offered to cook for our fabulous hosts, and we all decided on this dish. One of the reasons we chose this recipe, was so that I could give Cadysue some tips on cooking meat on the bone.  The other reason was so that Dr. Harvard could get a fabulous picture of this fabulous dish.  He has a nifty, filtered flash dealy that takes great pictures indoors.  Check it out…

Isn’t it beautiful?!?!?! If you are interested in trying it out for yourself, you can find the recipe on the Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef’s website.

Are you intimidated by meat on the bone?  I was, and apparently it is a common concern.  But sometimes, buying meat on the bone is cheaper, and it really is very simple.  This recipe is a smidge complicated, but I have posted a great, simple recipe for Greek Chicken that cooks in the crock pot.  It is a great recipe for a first attempt at cooking chicken on the bone.  I also have another recipe for Applesauce BBQ Chicken that am planning to post ASAP.

Enjoy!

PS, you might need this recipe for Pomegranate Molasses.