Share, share alike

I'm not sure why there are those recipes that we all have, that people love, but we keep them to ourselves and can't seem to share.  I'm over that.  Today I offer up my mom's most beloved Peach Cobbler recipe that I've converted into a fantastic Gluten Free version.  This cobbler, along with pizza of any variety, was one of the things in life I lamented when learning I had to go gluten free a few years ago. I've been determined to create an equally yummy version and here it is my fellow GF tribe.  I hope you enjoy it and by all means pass it on.

Peach Filling
1 1/2 TB corn starch
1/4  Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup cold water
4 Cups sliced peaches (fresh certainly preferred)
1 TB butter
1 TB lemon juice

Mix first 3 ingredients above, add peaches and cook on medium heat
Stir until thickened, add butter, lemon juice
Pour into 8 inch round baking dish
Add Biscuit Topper

Biscuit Topper
Sift together,
3/4 Cup "Pamela's GF baking & pancake mix"
1/4 Cup "Bob's Red Mill" Almond meal/flour
1 TB sugar (turbinado if possible)
1 1/2 tspn baking powder
1 1/2 tspn salt

Cut in 1/4 Cup cold butter until course crumbles
mix 1/4 Cup milk & 1 slightly beaten egg
Add wet ingredients all at once to dry ingredients, stirring just to moisten

Drop by spoonful on HOT fruit, sprinkle with sugar

Bake 400 degrees for 20 minutes - watch that biscuit doesn't brown - gold is best


* If you don't care for almond simply delete and use 1 Cup GF flour - also, if you're not GF simply use regular baking flour and keep the rest of the recipe the same - EASY

Fall Harvest

The 10 day forecast had shown the first frost rapidly approaching and my poor garden had been recently tricked into thinking it was still summer. I had loads of fresh veggies of every variety waiting to be plucked and consumed. In an effort to make use of everything we had out there I put together what I'm calling the "Garden Gluttony Gluten-Free Fritatta". Additionally the fridge was in desperate need of evacuation so in went the smoked ham, bleu cheese, swiss cheese and a touch of parm. Yes, it was pretty rich but yummy.

Oddly, our schnauzers (collectively known as "Sauer-Kraut" Elsa is Sauer and Bruno is Kraut.) love veggies too. They couldn't get enough of the scraps that came flying their way as a result of a crazy chopping technique I've developed.

What ya need (for two hungry eaters):

5 Eggs beaten

1/2 cup half and half

1/4 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

4 slices torn smoked deli ham

bleu cheese to your liking

grated swiss cheese to your liking

sprinkle of parmesan cheese

fresh wilted spinach

grated carrots

green onion

sliced Mr. Stripey heirloom tomatoes

cherry tomatoes

What to do:

Whisk together the eggs, cream, milk

Add salt & pepper

Stir in bleu cheese, ham, spinach and green onion

Fry in skillet over medium heat until the bottom of the egg is set

Remove from heat

Arrange remaining veggies on top of egg so it looks "pretty"

Sprinkle with swiss and parm

Place skillet in oven and Broil until bubbly and golden (entire egg should now be just cooked)

Voila! Yum!

The Perfect Excuse.

Protein is a good thing, right? Well here is the perfect protein packed excuse to eat the most decadent no-bake, wheat free cookies around. I got the recipe from a gal I used to work with (thanks Kim!). So easy and so tasty! Just don't think about the fat content. :)

Ingredients

(this is for a huge batch - 1/2 this will make about 3 dozen Tablespoon sized dollaps)

4 cups sugar

1 cup milk

1 cup cocoa (I use ½ cup dark & ½ regular choc)

¼ tsp salt

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup butter

6 cups oatmeal (use the quick oats)

3 ½ cups flaked coconut

Mix butter, sugar, milk, cocoa and salt and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for one minute. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Place tbls size dollaps on waxed paper. Enjoy! They're even better after refrigerating.

House Project

We have FINALLY embarked on the structural repair of our house. We've known that it was necessary for probably 4 years now but actually starting has taken an emotional (and financial) fortitude that we didn't feel quite up to. But the time has come, procrastination is out the window and we're moving ahead with a fervor I can't quite explain. We just want to know that our house isn't going to crumble underneath us! We love living in Golden and want the reassurance that our house will be here as long as we want to be here. Also, the downturn in the economy has actually made the repair work and subsequent landscape work more affordable. Who knew something positive could come from this terrible slump we're all struggling through.

We're now into week 3 and we've got a lot ahead of us. I'll keep the updates coming.

Wish us luck!

Chief Mountain

Chief Mountain

Bad, Bad Elk

As a reminder of what not to do.... Elk are big creatures. Hitting two of them with your car is a losing situation for all involved, the elk, the car, the people (although our little car did a great job of keeping us safe).

O.k. now that I've got you curious to know the whole story.... It was early, still dark, on Sunday December 27th. Chuck and I were driving to work and up from the ravine darted a huge herd of elk. We've estimated 30 or so. It was the biggest herd we'd ever seen on this frequently traveled stretch of highway linking Golden to greater Denver on Hwy 6. I was looking out the side window at the moonlit foothills when I heard C. say, "oh sh*&^^t!". As I looked straight ahead all I saw for a split second was this huge animal in front of my face. I closed my eyes (thankfully) and yes I screamed (girl). The next thing I knew "BAM!" and a HARD impact. You know that weird feeling you get when your life is in serious jeopardy, that slo-mo "am I dead"? thing with eery clarity of the bad situation you're in yet no panic? Well that was me. As the car finally stopped I took that quick, instantaneous assessment of the situation, "do I feel broken, bleeding, half unconscious.... no, no and yeah NO!" I brushed the glass out of my face and said, " is it dead?" to Charlie. I was so concerned about the poor animal. I knew we hit it hard and I wanted it to be out of it's misery. "No," was all C. said. DAMN! So after two 911 calls and 20 minutes later the cops finally showed but not after another car hit the poor creature lying in the road, struggling to get up. The cop told me that the animal had finally died but then I heard 4 shots. Apparently we had hit another elk that we weren't even aware of that needed to be euthanized. It had been lying in the ditch off to the side of the road.

The strangest thing was this grim reaper sort of guy that showed up. He was driving a truck, apparently on his way to work when he saw the accident. Rather than asking us if we were alright he just walked up to the police officer, they exchanged a few words and then he proceeded to gut the animals on the side of the road. Sure, I guess if they had to die why not make use of their bodies. It was just a bit creepy given the circumstances.

Chuck and I fared well. A few cuts and bruises. A touch of whiplash but definitely alive to live another awesome day! Happiness....period.

Frohliche Weinachten 2009

Another Christmas has come and gone. It's amazing the hype leading up to the big day, it comes, and then poof! it's gone. I find it so strange how we get inundated with the commercialism of it all even before we put away our Halloween costumes and then as soon as it's too late to buy more gifts we stop hearing Christmas carols and the lights go out.

Well not so here in our house. I love Christmas and today on the 26th of December the carols were louder than ever springing from my ipod and the tree was lit before I'd fully opened my eyes. I spent the day thinking about what a wonderful day we had yesterday; an intimate gathering of 6. Some friends, some family but wholly wonderful.

We hosted Christmas dinner here. The menu was as follows with a hint of German tradition mixed in:

Drinks:

An assortment of microbrews from our wonderful Odell's & New Belgium here in Colorado

Gluhwein, hot & yummy

Marquis Philips 2008 Vintage Sarah's Blend Red - McLaren Vale Australia

Apptizers:

Meat & Cheese plate consisting of gruyere, emmantaler, teewurst, hard salami

Swedish meatballs with lingonberry sauce

Veggie tray ~well carrot tray :) ~

Dinner:

Prime Rib (from Edward's Meats in Wheatridge - aged 6 weeks)

Rotkohl (red cabbage) with apples

Green Beans

Roasted red potatoes

Yorkshire Pudding

Dessert:

Bundt teller (german tradition plate full of chocolates & assorted gingerbread cookies)

Maple Syrup Walnuts

Rote Grutze mit Vanillen sosse (red berry compote with vanilla sauce)

The candles were lit, the table was beautiful and the company impeccable. Merry Christmas!