Ceviche

This ceviche is shrimp-free, made with fresh rock fish, but you can use any white fish you choose, and feel free to add shrimp! 

2# rock fish cut into bite size pieces

10-12 limes, juiced

2-4 small hot peppers

Small bunch cilantro, chopped

Thinly sliced red onion 

1-2 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients and be sure that the fish is completely covered with the lime juice.  For full flavor, let sit covered in the fridge for 24 hours.  It will be ready in 4 hours, but let it sit as long as possible for the flavors to develop.

I used a quart size canning jar for my ceviche.  Perfect for ensuring that all the fish is covered with the lime juice.  

💥 Power food!

Homemade Baking Powder

My mother always had a jar of Cream of Tartar in the spice cabinet.  I realized at a young age that this stuff was essential in a kitchen where things were made from scratch, and in my household, many things were made the old-fashioned way.  So what the heck is this stuff anyway?  Is it gluten free? -yes, it is!  It's the byproduct left after fermenting grapes into wine.  In addition to it's use as a leavening agent in baking powder, you can ales use it to stabilize eggs. 

Baking Powder

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

Mix together and shake to ensure both ingredients are blended. 

Store in a jar with a right fitting lid

GF Biscuits

This is a good old fashioned biscuit recipe that is gluten free and works at high altitude (currently we are at 7431 ft). 

Yay!!!  *For this recipe, I used Bob's Red Mill all purpose gluten free baking flour blend. 

Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill all purpose gluten free baking flour blend

2 Tbs. Sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp. sea salt 

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar 

1 Tbs. Xanthan gum

1/2 cup shortening (I used spectrum brand organic all vegetable shortening)

Combine all of the above ingredients, cutting in the shortening until incorporated evenly.

Whisk together 

1 egg

2/3 cup milk/sour milk/ or buttermilk

Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and add the egg and milk combination.  Mix until combined, kneading the dough as needed to get a cohesive dough. Turn out to a floured surface, and fold the dough over itself a few times (this builds somewhat of layers in the biscuit).

Roll the dough out to 1/2" thick and cut as desired.

Bake at 450 until golden.

Check argue minutes, and keep he king until nicely browned.  

Dip the tops in melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven.  

Next time, I'm making two batches of these biscuits.  We had them with butter and honey, as a breakfast sandwich, and then alongside a skillet pot pie for dinner. 

Freshly cut biscuits about to go into the oven.  This biscuit cutter is 3" 

Crock Pot Loaded Potato Soup

Simple, filling, and delicious: this has become the favorite winter soup in this home!  This soup travels well in a thermos, highly recommended for a winter picnic!

Crock Pot Loaded Potato Soup

Ingredients:

6 large potatoes, peeled and cubed and rinsed with cold water

1 large onion, diced

4 cups chicken broth (that's one quart)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup butter 

Salt & Pepper to taste

---

1 cup half & half

1cup shredded cheddar cheese

Add all ingredients except cheese half & half, and cook on low for 8 hours.  

After 8 hours, turn to warm and mash the potatoes.  Add the cheese and half & half.  I used a hand blender to get the soup smooth and creamy.

Garnish with freshly cooked bacon, chopped green onions, sour cream and cheese. 

Vanilla Ice Cream

I had the great pleasure of coming across a Donvier Premier Ice Cream Maker at the thrift store.  Happy to announce that this little hand crank ice cream maker is going to save me thousands.  No, it's going to save me millions of dollars in store bought ice cream.  

This ice cream recipe is no cook, and no eggs.  I just poured the ingredients into a big quart sized mason jar, shook it up, and into the ice cream maker.  In 20 minutes I had fresh, real vanilla bean ice cream.  If you find a Donvier, by all means do yourself a favor and buy it!

Vanilla Ice Cream (no cook!)

Ingredients:

3 cups half & half

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

(Scrape a vanilla bean if you want specks!)

Pinch of salt (don't omit this!)

Mix all ingredients, and pour into your prepared ice cream maker.  Turn it on or crank away, until you have ice cream.  

It's not ready yet though!  

Transfer the fresh ice cream to a container, cover and freeze for 4 hours or overnight (For best results, I recommend an overnight freeze!) 

Scoop and enjoy!

Now go, and make your own ice cream!

Ketchup (v)

I use ketchup mostly to make other things, like barbecue sauce.  Most store bought ketchup makes me itch, so I just make my own.  It's a lot better, I think.  It's inexpensive and fresh tasting. 

Ketchup

Ingredients:

1 small can tomato paste*

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon dry mustard

2 Tablespoons molasses

1/8 cup water

1/8 cup white vinegar

Salt to taste 

Mix well = ketchup.

* to get all of your tomato paste out of the tin easily, open both ends of the can. Remove the bottom lid and carefully use the top lid to push the paste through the tin down out through the bottom into a bowl.  Discard other metal lid and voila!  All of your tomato paste in your mixing bowl. I learned this trick when I worked at The Grain Dance Bakery and I was in charge of making the pizza sauce.  Opening 20 tins of paste was a cinch using this technique!  

Gluten Free Egg Noodles

I have become mildly obsessed with homemade noodles lately.  I started off by making fettuccini noodles, and it sparked my interest to make good old fashioned egg noodles. These are awesome, and they will be amazing rolled out into dumplings and traditional wide flat egg noodles. I use an Atlas pasta machine.  For egg noodles, I use the thickest setting to roll out the dough.  I like a good thick noodle that I have to chew on.  I then use the fettuccini setting, but this weekend I'm going to make hand cut noodles and dumplings.

Gluten Free Egg Noodles

Ingredients:

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1/2 cup potato starch *plus more for kneading and rolling

4 teaspoons xanthan gum

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

3 large eggs

1 Tablespoon peanut oil

Mix together the dry ingredients.  In a seperate bowl whisk together the eggs and oil and as to the drys.  Mix well, dough will be really sticky.  Use potato starch to cota your hands, then grab the dough ball and knead with potato starch until smooth and cohesive.  Cut into four sections to roll out. 

Roll each section out as thin as you like your noodles/dumplings.  Cut and set aside whole you make the rest of the noodles.  

Cook in salted boiling water immediately, or let air dry slightly and store in an airtight container in the fridge, or, freeze for later use. 

This is a versatile noodle, and will lend itself well to any dish you may create with it.  Experiment with different oils- I used peanut because I wanted to make am asian dish with the noodles.  It worked so well I just keep using it no matter what I make.  

Enjoy, and happy noodling!