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

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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.