Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Sausage

Okay all you white potato lovers or sweet-potato haters! Listen up and look at this here page! Here is a recipe that may very well change the way you view those red and orange globs we call sweet potatoes!
When my husband and I were dating, I was trying to cook different meals than I normally wouldn't make for myself that had more umph for his man-appetite.  I came across a recipe that called for russet potatoes and smoked sausage all roasted together and covered in the end with cheese. Well, that sad man-etite to me! I decided to swap out a couple of russets for a sweet potato I had on hand and Italian sausage for the smoked, with pretty good results.
As we sat eating it, I noticed that every bite I had with sweet potato in it was so much more scrumptious than the bite with russet.
"Hey", I told my soon-to-be-hubby, "What do you think about using ALL sweet potatoes next time?" His eyebrows raised significantly-a sign that he absolutely agreed with the statement-and said, "Heck yeah! Can't wait!"
A week or so later when we tried the further-altered recipe, we thought we'd died and gone to heaven. The. Stuff. Was. So. Good. Sooooooooooooo good. Oh my! The blend of sweet, tenderly raosted potato and succulent spicy italian sausage is one of the best things I have ever tasted. SERIOUSLY.

Look at that heavenly goodness!!

This has become our favorite dinner dish, and we make if at least once to twice a month. We've made it for dinners with my sisters family and our best friends, with very good responses. My sister texted me a day after we'd had our dinner asking for the recipe, saying, "I'm craving that heavenly goodness!"
Okay, enough with causing you to salivate-or maybe that's just happening to me, haha-here's the recipe, with all it's heavenly goodness :)

Sweet Potato Sausage Bake

Serves: 6
Ingredients
4-5 large sweet potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
4 Mild Italian Sausage links, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Olive oil to coat
1 Tbsp dried minced onion
1 tsp Onion powder
Paprika
Salt
Shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine sweet potato and sausage chunks and drizzle with a couple of Tbsp of olive oil. Add dried onion and powder and spices to taste and stir to coat. Grease a 9x13 glass baking dish and add the mixture. Bake uncovered for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender, NOT mushy! Turn off the oven and cover the top of the potatoes and sausage with cheese to your liking.  Pop the dish back into the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese. Take out, let sit for a few minutes to cool a bit, then dig in and enjoy! You won't be sorry you tried this baby out!

Cut the potatoes and sausage, drizzle with oil, sprinkle spices and mix with hands to coat

Place in baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes until tender and cooked through!

Summer Fruit Cobbler = Yumminess

Okay Ladies and Gents, the Summer season is under way and you know what that means...cobbler!!!! Yes, that wonderfully warm, ooey, gooey, fruity dessert that adds just the perfect ending to your summer barbecue, picnic, or well, whatever it is you do, is back again.  But when it comes to gluten-free cobblers or crisps, it's hard to find a recipe that's quick, has few ingredients and has just the perfect crust. Well, look no further, because, thanks to the Cake Mix Doctor, Ms. Anne Byrn, you've now got one right in front of you!!!

I have Anne's book, The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free, and my mother and I have made probably a dozen of her cakes to date.  I LOVE this book! (Can you hear the angels a-singing?!?)

 I have been hankering to make a cobbler for a while, but have put it off because my past attempts at GF crisps have been, well, verrrrry disappointing-to say the least! Complicated recipes, tons of ingredients, and the crusts were super crispy, not ooey, gooey. Did I mention I like ooey gooey? To put this in perspective people, I haven't had cobbler since before I was diagnosed, which is around 6 years, so cobbler and I have had too long of a separation.

I made Anne's Easy Fruit Crisp-which I have dubbed Summer Fruit Cobbler, because hey, Cobbler is and just sounds sooo much better-on the Fourth of July, and it was the perfect way to end the Independence Day celebration. Really, it was like biting into a little piece of heaven. Fantabulous! The credit for this all goes to her, so if you'd like to try more of her recipes, please visit her website http://www.cakemixdoctor.com/.

Here's the recipe, and I hope you try it and enjoy!

Summer Fruit Cobbler

2 pkg's (about 16 ounces each) frozen unsweetened berry medley

1 pkg (15 ounces) yellow GF cake mix (Gluten-Free Pantry is what I use)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/3 c. lightly packed light brown sugar

12 Tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter), melted

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract or flavoring

So few ingredients! Yay!!!

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Place frozen berries in 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside.

3. Place cake mix, cinnamon and brown sugar in mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add melted butter, egg and vanilla and stir with fork until mixture is well combined, about 1 minute. Scatter 1-inch pieces of crust mixture over top of fruit, leaving spaces so fruit is not completely covered. Place pan in oven.

4. Bake cobbler until crust topping is golden brown and fruit bubbles up around it, for 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and let cobbler cool for 5 minutes, then serve it warm with ice cream, if desired.

The final product...Oh. My. Yumminess.

**You can store the cobbler in the pan, covered at room temperature for up to three days, but in the summer heat, it is probably a good idea to keep it in the fridge. If you don't happen to finish it off in the three days, you can freeze it, but it doesn't freeze too well. I'll freeze it anyway because hey, it's too good to just chuck in the trash! 

No more Girl Scout Cookies? No problem!

I was never a big Thin Mint fan, but having to say good-bye to Girl Scout Samoas Cookies was painful.  About a year ago, I decided to try to recreate the taste of Samoas in a cereal bar.  A mixture of Rice Chex, marshmallows, coconut and the most important ingredient, butterscotch chips, make this a delicious snack with a Samoas twist. It comes together fast and is a perfect snack when you have a sweet tooth.  Enjoy!

Samoas Cereal Bars

1/2 pkg. mini marshmallows
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 c. butterscotch chips
4-4 1/2 c. Rice Chex
Drop coconut flavoring
3 heaping Tbsp. toasted coconut
Chocolate chips, melted, to drizzle on top

Melt butter in saucepan.  Add marshmallows and stir until melted. Add chips and melt completely; add flavoring.  Mix until smooth; do not burn! Combine Chex and coconut in bowl; add marshmallow mixture and stir until combined.  Pour mixture into 8x8 greased pan and press firmly down with greased hand.  Let cool; drizzle chocolate over top.  Cut into squares and enjoy the Samoas-y goodness!!!

Eleanor's Bake Shop

Finding any food establishment that offers gluten-free food is getting easier these days, but finding one that is free of cross-contamination is very hard.  I am very sensitive and am wary of restaurants and bakeries that make gluten-free food in a gluten-filled environment.  That's only one of the reasons why Eleanor's Bake Shop is my favorite place to go for gluten-free fare.  Established in August 2010, Eleanor's Bake Shop is run by a local family that has celiac disease.  They named the shop after their grandmother, Eleanor, who was the first in their family to go gluten-free. No need to worry about cross-contamination with this place, everything-yes, i said everything- is gluten-free!
Eleanor's is part bakery and part cafe.  They serve arepa sandwiches, pizzas and soups for lunch and dinner, along with their incredible pastries, cupcakes, cookies, breads, anything and everything yummy you can think of.  I finally have somewhere to go when I have a craving and need a quick fix for the good 'ol from scratch bakery goods that I grew up having but can't just get anywhere on a gluten-free diet. Eleanor's is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!! I don't feel my highest praise could do them justice, they are really that good!
Located at 9495 South 560 West Building D Sandy, UT 84070, Eleanor's is just off the I-15 freeway.   It is located in an industrial district, but I really could care less. For fellow Salt Lakers, it's the closest all gluten-free bakery you will find (there are only a couple of choose from all together on the Wasatch Front).  Check them out at www.eleanorsbakeshop.com.
I urge ya'll who are new or old to the gluten-free lifestyle and who haven't yet given Eleanor's a try to take a drive out there today.  You'll be absolutely ecstatic that you did, I guarantee it!

Gluten-Free Products Lines

Gluten-Free Product Lines

Eating Gluten-Free
- Baking mixes of all kinds!
www.eatingglutenfree.com

Pamela’s Products
- Packaged baking mixes and packaged goods

The Gluten-Free Pantry
- Packaged baking mixes

Glutino
- Packaged and frozen foods (breakfast bars, frozen dinners, bagels, breads, cookies, etc.)

Udi's
-Breads (the best store bought gluten-free bread on the market that actually has the same texture as normal bread!), muffins, cinnamon rolls, pizza crust, bagels

Rudi's
-Breads

Charlotte’s Bakery
- Baked goods, most you buy frozen

Kinnickinick (I suggest this one or Charlotte’s if you aren’t able to make your own bread right now)
- Frozen breads, goodies, breakfast stuff, etc.

Crunchmaster
- Crackers

De Boles
- Pasta (We only use the Lasagna noodles of this brand; for all other pasta we use the Tinkyada, because the quality and taste is much better)

Tinkyada
- Pasta

Natural/Organic Brands that produce several GF products

365 (Whole Foods Market Brand)
- Everything from frozen goodies to mixes to dressings

Bob’s Red Mill
- Several varieties of flours; baking mixes


Augason Farms
- Formerly The Blue Chip Group, they are the largest GF producer in Utah.
www.augasonfarms.com

Golden Finds!

These are products that I discovered and really love!  Some are mainstream brands and others are not, but with the rise of gluten intolerance most can be found at your local grocery store.  Some products are available at Costco (which is a big perk) or are sold in bulk online, which is where I buy most of my cereal and baking mixes because they are less expensive that way!

Pamela's Products- I know I mentioned these in the product line list, but I have to put them here! I haven't been disappointed by a Pamela's product yet. The mixes, cookies and bars are all top quality. The cake mixes (the chocolate is my favorite, and I actually like it better than the glutinous cake mixes I used to eat) and Pancake and All-purpose baking mix are staples in my pantry and I have a panic attack when I realize I'm getting low.  YES, they are THAT good!

Vans- GF Blueberry, Cinnamon and Plain Waffles

Nature’s Path- Waffles (love em' better than Van's), Cornflakes, Buckwheat Flakes

CHEX- Rice, Corn, Cinnamon. Thank you General Mills! I don't know what I'd do without my Chex! 

Glutino Brand Products- Like Pamela's, with high quality and lots of variety.

Costco- Fresh oven Roasted Chicken

EnviroKidz- Gorilla Munch, other cereals, snack bars, etc.

Pacific Natural Foods- Tomato Soup; Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup; others. I have been known to sigh, "These soups are to die for!", and they really are.  They beat any mainstream soup brand hands-down.

Classico - Italian sauces, such as Alfredo, Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo, Asiago.  Healthy and super-delicious! I'm addicted!

Simply Asia- Rice Noodle Bowls

Simply Organic- Some of their gravies and dips are GF and they are really good

Orgran- Animal crackers

Nature Valley- Roasted Nut Crunch Bars

Mi-del- Gingersnap and pecan cookies

Lighthouse Dressings- This was the only dressing I liked as a kid and every time I taste it, I feel like akid again. Ah, nostalgia.  Most are GF

Crunchmaster crackers- These are the closest thing to Wheat Thins I have found and they come in a wide variety of flavors.  I LOVE them!

Yoplait- All their yogurts are GF!

Hot Tamales Candy- Licorice flavored Jelly Beans- I love licorice, but all licorice is made with wheat, so these and Jelly Belly licorice beans are the only licorice sources I’ve found! YUM!

CANDY IN GENERAL- Google gluten-free candy and you’ll find a huge list of them, but beware! Some candy that you’d never guess has gluten in it TOTALLY does (like Milky Way, Rolos, etc.)

Sweet Potato Ginger Muffins

I've tinkered with a few muffin recipes the past couple of weeks, and this one turned out a lot better than I thought it would be.  It originally called for pumpkin but, not being in a pumpkin mood, I swapped fresh sweet potato for it, with melt-in-your-mouth results.  The slight gingerbread taste is tantalizing. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Ginger Muffins
2 1/4 c. any Gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
slightly rounded 1/4 tsp. ginger
1 c. packed dark brown sugar
1 c. mashed sweet potato, yam or pumpkin
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
1/4 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
3 Tbsp. molasses
1 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare regular muffin pans with spray or muffin cups.
2. Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl.
3. Whisk brown sugar, sweet potato, butter, buttermilk, eggs, molasses and vanilla in large bowl. Add flour mixture in two additions, stirring until well blended after each addition.  Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups.
4. Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean.  Cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Yield: I've found it makes 16-20 muffins