Gluten Free English Muffins

I never plan lunch. Usually we have leftovers, or pbj if there's bread, or ham and pickles... if there's no bread. LOL. But we always eat, don't worry, I don't starve my kids, or myself!

Today was  one of those days - no bread, no leftovers, no thawed meat, the only thing in the fridge right now is some fruit. I would have to make something... but what? I thought I'd find a recipe for some sort of quick bread that the kids could put peanut butter and jelly on.

So I searched for a gluten free english muffin, and I found an awesome recipe! It was fairly quick and really easy. And, the kids got to have english muffin pizzas for lunch! Much better than pbj. Emma kept saying how much she liked them. :) Sorry, no pizza pictures, they didn't last long enough.

(Here's the link to the recipe)

MY RECIPE NOTES:

*I used a flour blend of brown rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca starch. A total of 1 1/2 cups for the recipe.
*I don't have english muffin rings, so I made mini ones in my muffin tin. I got 12 mini english muffins using my handy-dandy cookie scoop - 1 very well rounded scoop for each muffin. Using well greased fingers, pat the dough evenly in the  tin. Cooked for 10 minutes on 375. These were the perfect size for the kids.
*After they are cooled down, I stuck a fork around the sides and they split right open. They had a great typical english muffin texture.
*These muffins don't get brown when they are cooked, don't worry about it. :)

This recipe took about an hour total, start to finish. 10 minutes to mix and get in the pan, 30 minutes to rise, and 10 minutes to bake! Well, that's 50 minutes, add 10 minutes for cooling! :) I already made a second batch today! I will definitely be keeping these on hand in the freezer for quick lunches (i.e. mini pizzas!) and snacks!

Blessings

I heard this song on the radio today and it was a real blessing to me. I hope it's a blessing to you as well!

Edited: Hm. I don't know why that's not working anymore. The song is "Blessings" by Laura Story.

Birdhouses

I bought a couple of $1 birdhouses one day while I was out. The girls had a blast painting them up. It's fun to watch their personalites come out in different things. Emma is very meticulous, she even painted the inside! A purple floor, green walls, and a yellow ceiling! Jules was more excited about the water changing color when she put her brush in it! It was a fun time.  

Yes - Gluten Free Whoopie Pies

I grew up in Maine, and whoopie pies were a common snack. I loved baking whoopie pies! And I haven't had a whoopie pie since being gluten free, but that changed today! I couldn't find a gluten free recipe that I liked the looks of online, so I got out the recipe from my childhood and gave it the gluten free treatment. The results: tastes just like I remember! yay! :)

Whoopie Pies (gluten free, dairy free)

1/2 c. butter (or shortening)
1 c. sugar
2 egg yolks (save the whites!)
5 T cocoa powder
2 c. gluten free flour*
1/2 teas. xanthan gum or guar gum
1 teas. baking powder
1 teas. baking soda
1 teas. salt
1 c. milk (coconut milk) + 1 teas. vinegar
1 teas. vanilla

*3 parts brown rice flour, 2 parts starch (potato starch and tapioca starch).

In a bowl, combine dry ingredients, set aside. In a two cup measure combine milk, vinegar, and vanilla, set aside. In a seperate bowl (stand mixer works great) cream together butter (or shortening) and sugar. Add egg yolks. While mixer is running, alternately add dry ingredients and milk mixture. Mix until smooth.

Heat oven to 375. Drop by rounded tablespoonful onto parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Romove onto cooling rack. Let cool completely before filling.
Makes approximately 18 whoopie pies.

Filling:
1/2 c. butter (or shortening)
2 c. confection sugar
2 egg whites
1/2 teas. salt
1 teas. vanilla

Beat all ingredients in  mixer until light and fluffy. If filling seems too soft, put it in the refrigerator for a while.