Honey Mustard Potato Salad

Well, I looked and apparently I have never posted this recipe before.  So I will tonight.  It was in my recipe database (the 21st century version of my "keeper book") so that means we've liked it in the past.  I had a few potatoes left over from a recipe last week, so this is what I made to go along with the pork tenderloin recipe we had tonight.  I never even wrote down where this recipe came from.  So I have no idea who to give credit to.  If it was you, let me know and I'll add my source ;)

Ok I will just remind you all that I hate mayo.  So so much.  I feel like if I was a spy, I would spill all the secrets if threatened with mayo.  There is no mayo in my house.  If people are coming over for like sandwiches or something, I tell them to bring their own if they're going to want it, and send it right back home with them when they leave.  If I am looking through a new cookbook, I will not even take a recipe seriously if it calls for mayo.  I am not interested in subbing Miracle Whip (blech blech blech), Greek yogurt (which I also think is gross), or sour cream (another gross thing, but I will use it as an ingredient, NEVER as a condiment).  So therefore I have 3 recipes that are called potato salads that do not have mayo.  Also it's a public service because you can't bring mayo to a picnic or a potluck or it will spoil.  I'm just thinking of others here.  This one is really really tasty.

Honey Mustard Potato Salad
1 ½ lbs red potatoes, quarted and cooked
¼ cup honey
¼ cup mustard
1 cup sliced celery
½ cup chopped red pepper
2 tbsp chopped green onions
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Mix honey, mustard, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.  Place all remaining ingredients in a bowl and drizzle with honey mustard dressing.  Stir gently to combine.

See how easy?  And it's really good.  The last time I made this, the kids didn't like it.  Today, Emma helped me make it and said it was really good (it was).  The youngest still did not like it, he only had 2 small bites.  But we are making progress with him.  You guys should save this one for your summer bbq's and throw your mayo right in the garbage.  You could be saving a person.

"Bourbon"-Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin

I put the bourbon in quotes in this title, because I didn't use any ha.  The reasons are multi-factorial.  First of all, we don't drink alcohol.  I am not morally opposed to cooking with it, and lots of the cooking shows I watch are like white wine this, rum that, etc.  However, it can be expensive, especially because I'm not gonna drink the rest ha.  And it's not like I'm going to shell out top dollar for a good bottle of bourbon when I only need 1/4 cup.  So I googled "emergency substitution for bourbon" (I mean, it wasn't really an emergency but that's a good way to find substitutions when you've already started a recipe and realize you don't have something and you don't want to go out to the store right then...so it's a First World Emergency) and found a website that said you could substitute a third of the amount called for with vanilla.  So that's what I did.  I'm sure it altered the flavor, but really we have no idea what actual bourbon tastes like so I figured it would be a transparent trade.  And maybe it's a similar taste to cheap bourbon, which, if I was buying bourbon, is what I would have gotten.  Like, Great Value Bourbon or something.

This recipe is the second one we've tried from one of the cookbooks I got for Christmas, America's Best Recipes: Comfort Food (from my mom).

"Bourbon"-Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin
2 lb pork tenderloin
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup minced green onions
1/4 cup bourbon (or 4 tsp vanilla haha)
1/4 cup soy sauce (I used Bragg's Liquid Aminos for a GF sub)
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cornstarch

Remove silver skin from tenderloins, leaving just a thin layer of fat.  Place meat in gallon-size ziploc bag.  In a small bowl combine brown sugar, onions, bourbon, soy sauce, mustard and pepper.  Pour over meat.  Seal bag and turn to coat.  Refrigerate 8-18 hours, turning bag occasionally.  Remove pork from marinade, reserving marinade.

Grill the pork (if you live in Maine in January, this is tricky...I cut mine to even sizes and used my George Foreman grill) until thermometer registers 155* (this didn't seem high enough to me, and I don't like to mess around with pork...I went to 165/170ish which is what my meat thermometer says is done for pork).

Meanwhile, combine reserved marinade and cornstarch in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute (mine seemed way too thick, so I added some chicken stock to thin in out...it worked well).

Okay so I didn't like the way the sauce smelled.  Maybe because I am not used to vanilla in a savory application vs a baked one.  I didn't even want to put the sauce on my plate.  Steve did though, but just in a little cup on the side (you'll see it in the picture).  I did dip one bite of my meat in the sauce, and it was good.  VERY vanilla.  Sam tried some of it too, and ended up saucing all of his pork.  The meat itself was tasty too.  We had this with Honey Mustard Potato Salad (I'll repost if I've put it on the blog in the past) and corn...felt like a faux bbq in here.  Just like we used faux bourbon ;)

Black Forest Mousse Dessert

My dad loves Black Forest Cake.  He was in Germany for several years as a (much) younger man and has fond memories of this actual genuine Black Forest Cake that his and my mom's landlady used to make.  I'm sure this dessert only tastes like the real thing in his memory...but this is the dessert he wants every year for his birthday dinner.  I've tried fancier (actual cake) versions that have been good also, but he hasn't asked for those again haha.  This is the thing he likes.  I can't blame him, because chocolate + fruit is usually very awesome.  I didn't make this GF, because that would be unfair (here's your dessert dad, and you probably won't like it...happy birthday. LOL).  They do make GF "oreos" but they are a far cry from the original...and they would probably disintegrate in the pudding layer of this dessert.  This is a recipe I've had for years so I can't exactly remember where it came from but I THINK it's from Kraft, because I used to get their magazine in the mail, and they had like 1001 recipes to do with pudding.

Black Forest Mousse Dessert
1 ½ cups cold milk
1 pkg (4-svg size) instant chocolate pudding
1 pkg (8 oz) cool whip, thawed
16 oreos, crushed
1 ½ cups canned cherry pie filling

Pour milk into a large bowl.  Add dry pudding mix.  Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended.  Fold in about 1 cup of the cool whip.

Set aside about 1/3 of the crushed oreos.  Stir remaining cookies into pudding mixture. 

Spoon half of the pudding mixture into a trifle dish or serving bowl.  Spread about 1 cup of remaining cool whip over pudding.  Top with half of the pie filling.  Top with remaining pudding mixture, remaining cool whip, and remaining pie filling.  Sprinkle with reserved oreo pieces.  Refrigerate until serving and refrigerate leftovers.

See how yummy?  And easy.  And my dad likes it.  Maybe yours will too.

No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bites

I found this recipe in a gluten free Better Homes & Gardens magazine.  These are really good little snacky things, or good for breakfast too.  They are a big hit here because of the peanut butter and chocolate.  I use Skippy Natural peanut butter, which has the texture of commercial peanut butter but without the other oils...but I don't think that the natural peanut butter that you have to stir and keep in the fridge would work in this recipe, because of the texture/structure.  I made a double batch of these just now (at like 2:30 in the afternoon) and they are almost half gone (of course two of the kids have friends over).  I secreted away a few of them so I can eat them over the weekend. 

No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bites
½ cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 ¼ cups shredded unsweetened coconut, divided
1 cup rolled oats
¼ cup semisweet chocolate pieces
¼ cup dried cherries, cranberries, or raisins

In a medium bowl, stir together peanut butter, honey, and vanilla until well mixed.  Stir in 1/2 cup of the coconut, the oats, chocolate, and fruit.  Cover and chill for 30 minutes.

Place the remaining 3/4 cup coconut in a food processor.  Cover and pulse until chopped.  Using hands, shape peanut butter mixture into 30 balls, each about 1" in diameter.  Roll balls in chopped coconut to coat, pressing slightly to adhere.  Cover and chill for 30 minutes before serving.  Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

I used my Pampered Chef cookie scoop to scoop them from the bowl and onto a plate, all at once.  Then shaped them into balls, then dipped them in the coconut and put them in the container.  This way my hands only had to get gross one time, and I didn't get the scoop gross going from rolling into a ball and then back to the scoop to scoop more, because I hate that.  The picture above is a double batch, minus the 7 that I hid in the fridge in a different container.  So if you even remotely think your kids will like this one, you should make a double batch.

Also, if you buy the unsweetened shredded coconut in the green bag ("Lets do...Organic" is the brand name...which wouldn't have been my first choice but whatever), it's the perfect size already and you wouldn't have to chop the coconut before rolling the balls into it.

Easy and yummy AND healthy...perfect storm. Enjoy ;)

Greek Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup

Here's a short story to start the post...the medical diagnosis I have has no medical treatment, really, and they recommend diet modification for symptom control...and they say to eliminate the Big 8...shellfish, gluten, dairy, soy, tree nuts, peanuts, eggs and....I forget the last one but you get the idea, and also you can see that I am not all the way compliant with that list...maybe fish is actually 2 of the things.  When I got the diagnosis, I was like, well, I already don't like shellfish, so there's 1...and I was already mostly dairy-free by then, so that's 2.  I decided to give up gluten and see what happened and how my symptoms reacted.  I had really good luck with doing that.  I'm mostly soy-free, too, except in a couple prepared foods I use (the GF pretzels I like have soy in them).  I have peanut butter like every day (right off the spoon) so I'm glad I didn't really have to give that up (yet).  My husband's friend is our (very close) neighbor, and he gave us this cookbook for Christmas called Pure Delicious and guess what?? It has none of the Big 8 allergens in any of the almost 200 recipes! That's crazy and I #1 can't believe there could be a whole cookbook with good recipes with those restrictions and #2 that I would mark SO many recipes from it to try!  I was skeptical in reading the cover, but there are good chapters at the beginning setting it up, and then all these awesome recipes.  You'll see as we go along.  After being GF for over 2 years, I have been able to modify almost any recipe I see and like the looks of, but this book will eliminate that step for me, even if some of the prep times are longer.  Incidentally, this is the first GF cookbook that doesn't say you have to use their GF flour blend for the baked goods...I thought that was weird ha.

Okay so this is the first recipe we've had from this book.  It seemed like a good introduction, since it's basically chicken & rice soup with a twist.  We had this with GF Bisquick biscuits, which I tend to make pretty often because they come together so well and everybody eats them.

Greek Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup
 ¼ cup olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
3 lg carrots, thinly sliced
2 lg bone-in skin-on chicken breasts
8 cups chicken broth
1 cup long-grain white rice
zest of 2 lemons
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from the 2 zested lemons)
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
kosher salt

In a large heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute until soft and tender, 5-7 minutes.  Add the celery and carrots and cook 2-3 minutes more.

Add chicken breasts and broth.  Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes. 

Transfer chicken breasts to a plate and let sit until just cool enough to handle.  Shred the chicken meat, discarding bones and skin, add the meat to the pot along with the rice.  Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender.

Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and parsley and stir well.  Season with salt and serve hot.

Note: if the soup gets too thick (the rice absorbs the liquid), add some water and more salt as needed. (that's her note, not mine)

I was running out of time, since it's a church night, so while the chicken was cooking, I made the rice in my rice cooker, so once the chicken was done and shredded, I just added the rice and other ingredients and we could eat it right then.  It cut down on the prep time.  Which I always think is good.  I also already had boneless skinless chicken breasts, so that's what I used instead of buying the chicken it said to use.

This smelled so good.  The youngest didn't eat it, but he wasn't feeling well so we can't go by that.  He probably wouldn't have liked it anyway though because that's how he rolls.  Everyone else liked it.  There's enough left for us to have for leftovers for work.  Easy, yummy, and a good introduction to the recipes in this book :) 

Smothered Swiss Steak

If you've been reading my blog for a while, then you won't be surprised to learn that my mom gave me a new cookbook for Christmas :)  I get one every year from her, and also a subscription to Simple & Delicious, which is the easy version of Taste of Home.  This is the first recipe we've tried out of this cookbook, called America's Best Recipes: Comfort Food, 175 Made-with-Love Family Favorite Recipes.  I guess only time (and trial and error) will see if this is true.  For this recipe, the sauce sounded like it would be so good.  I haven't done much with cube steaks before, so it was a new-ish cut of meat for us.  Some people here may have prejudged this by the name alone ("just so you know, mom, I don't like steak, remember?") but everyone had to eat it because that's how we roll.

Smothered Swiss Steak
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp seasoned pepper (I already had this but I think regular pepper would be fine too)
1/2 cup flour (I used Bob's Red Mill GF flour blend)
6 (4 oz each) cube steaks
4 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 med onion, diced
1 med green pepper, diced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (12 oz) Coca-cola
1 tbsp beef bouillon granules
2 tbsp tomato paste

In a shallow bowl, combine salt, pepper, and flour.  Dredge cube steaks in flour mixture.

Brown 2 steaks in 1 1/2 tbsp hot oil in a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat for 3 minutes on each side; drain on paper towels.  Repeat with remaining oil and steaks.  Drain drippings from skillet, reserving 1 tbsp in skillet (I didn't do this...there didn't seem like that much more than 1 tbsp left).

Saute onion and green pepper in hot drippings for 7 minutes (weird number...but that's what it says) or until tender.  Add diced tomatoes, coke, bouillon, and tomato paste.  Bring to a boil and cook, stirring often, 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened.  Return steaks to skillet; cover and cook over low heat 55-60 minutes or until tender.

The recipe suggests serving over cooked rice, but I had some potatoes left from another recipe, so we had ours with mashed potatoes.

The youngest child looked at his skeptically.  He asked "mom, where's the bone in a steak like this?", afraid that it would sneak up on him.  I assured him there was no bone.  But I didn't want to tell him it was more like big hamburgers because he thinks he doesn't like those either.  I settled on "it's not that kind of steak."  He still didn't like it.  He ate half (because he was made to) but he dealt with it much better than he has in the past, as he is growing up.  The middle child also did not care for it, even though she helped me make the whole thing (so there goes that myth...let them help you in the kitchen, they say...your kid will like the food then, they say) but she was also made to eat it, and did so much faster than her brother.  The rest of us liked it! 

This was not expensive meat.  I also have no idea really which part of the cow it's from etc so I don't know how healthy it is compared to other cuts.  Even though the final product had the texture of ground beef, it definitely didn't start out looking like that...I really have no idea how they get it that way, and I could google it but I'm not going to. But go ahead and try it if you want.  It's a relatively inexpensive dinner and definitely edible haha even if you have picky children.

ATK All-Purpose Gluten Free Flour Blend

Here is the flour blend that America's Test Kitchen recommends using in their recipes, which are in the How Can It Be Gluten Free Volume 2.  To be fair, when I was eating my blondies today, IF I hadn't made them myself, I would really have wondered.  I even thought back and retraced my steps in my mind to make sure I had grabbed the right Tupperware canister.  Also if you need Tupperware I know a lady who can get you a great deal ;)

ATK All-Purpose Gluten Free Flour Blend
4 ½ cups plus 1/3 cup white rice flour
1 2/3 cups brown rice flour
1 1/3 cups potato starch
¾ cup tapioca starch
3 tbsp nonfat milk powder

Whisk all ingredients together in large bowl until well combined.  Transfer to airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 months, or freeze for up to 6 months.  Bring to room temperature before using.

GF Blondies

Warning:  This is a gluten free post.  By all means, read it, but if you're not eating GF it's probably not something that will interest you :)  but if you are eating GF and have a craving for something sweet, this is a good option :)

Last year sometime I got a cookbook called "How Can It Be Gluten Free Volume 2".  Volume 1 was not beside it on the shelf, and I do not own it. It was put out by the America's Test Kitchen people.  Have you ever seen that show?  I really like it.  It's on PBS.  These cooking EXPERTS take on traditional recipes and make them perfectly and show you how to, too.  For example one episode they revamped Chicken Parm because they said it's too bad how the bread crumb layer always gets soggy.  They explain the science behind the different techniques.  They test different products.  I really like it.  And, my kids really don't.  Like, bored-to-tears don't.  It was on Netflix (I'm not sure if it is anymore), and it's on Amazon Prime too.  Just see what I mean; you might really like it.  Anyway when I saw that they had done a GF cookbook of course I wanted it.  And I actually bought my own cookbook, which is something I haven't done in years.  My mom especially gives me a lot, and so does the rest of my family.  So I can't remember the last time I bought a cookbook.  And paid list price (gasp).  But for this one, I did.  They have their own GF flour blend (of course...it seems like every GF cookbook I've looked at have their own perfect blend to make your stuff just right) which I can post separately.  Using this blend I've made several of their recipes.  I must say that the ones that have yeast did not rise.  Not even a little.  You could use the french bread as a weapon.  But those frustrations are forgiven when there are things like this blondie recipe, or their cornbread recipe.  I'm still going to try a few more things out of this one, because these good ones keep me hopeful.

GF Blondies
1 ¾ cups ATK All-Purpose GF Flour Blend
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp xanthan gum
7 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 large eggs
2 tbsp milk
4 tsp vanilla
½ cup white chocolate chips
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 325.  Grease 8-in square baking pan.

Whisk together dry ingredients in one bowl.  In another bowl, whisk together the butter and sugars until no lumps remain.  Whisk in eggs, milk, and vanilla until very smooth.  Stir in flour mixture with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until flour is completely incorporated and batter is homogenous, about 1 minute.  Fold in chips.  Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake 50-60 minutes or until deep golden brown and toothpick comes back clean.

(Do you like my new spoon rest?  My sister gave it to me for Christmas)

Let blondies cool completely in pan, about 2 hours (as if...I waited 7 minutes).  Cut into squares and serve.

Ok so obviously these people do not have a monopoly on GF flour blends.  So maybe try whatever you have if you don't want to invest in making theirs.  I did because there were so many recipes in here that I wanted to try.  They do have various warning scattered throughout the book that if you don't use their blend you're not going to heaven.  Oh wait that's wrong.  If you don't use their blend, your blondies (or muffins, or bread) will be gross.  But even following their directions exactly on 3 different yeast bread recipes, I didn't get good results.  So, they don't know.  Just do what you want.  This was a good recipe and I know we'll have it again.

Cider Stew

No picture today :(  sorry.  Sometimes I get on a roll with plating and eating, or we're just in a big rush, and I forget to take a picture until there are like 2 bites in my bowl, and that's just not very appetizing and not a good way to present haha.  This beef stew recipe was very very good.  I've made a lot over the years...even one time beef stew tried to kill me.  But that's a story for another day.  What I liked about this recipe is that apple cider is used to deglaze the pan after you brown the beef.  I thought that would give the broth a good flavor, and it does.  Also, I'd never seen a recipe that called for vinegar in the simmering liquid.  This one does, and I think it's what made the beef so tender.  Because it's definitely not the cut of beef I'm using, which is just regular old stew beef from the grocery store.  So that made it a good enough recipe to share, even if I forgot to take a picture.  Next time I make it I will, and I'll add it :)  This is from the GF cookbook I got at the Amish Country Store in Unity.

Cider Stew
2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1" cubes
3 tbsp flour (I used a GF flour blend)
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp thyme
3 tbsp oil
2 cups apple cider (may need more)
½ cup water (may need more)
1-2 tbsp cider vinegar
3 med potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 med carrots, peeled and sliced
2 med onions, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced

Combine flour, salt, pepper, and thyme in gallon-size ziploc bag.  Add meat and shake to coat.

In Dutch oven, brown meat in oil.  Drain off fat (mine had nothing to drain).  Stir in apple cider, water, and vinegar (may need to add more cider and/or water in equal parts to cover meat).  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 1/4 hrs or until tender.  Skim any brown foam off the top that you can (mine had a lot, maybe because there was no fat to drain when it said to...I just used a big cereal spoon to skim the top and put it into a glass dish).

Stir in vegetables.  At this point you may need to add more water or broth to cover all the vegetables.  Cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes or until done (there was more foam by this time so I skimmed some more, just mostly so it would look better haha, not because I think it's bad...but maybe it is foamy fat and you want it gone...I don't really know the science behind that).

I always add more veggies than a recipe says to, because that makes the soup go farther, and plus my kids always go for the carrots and potatoes over the meat, so I always put more in there.  I think that's why I had to add more liquid.  There wasn't even enough to cover the veggies once I added them, so I added broth.  I could have added more cider, I suppose, but I didn't want to flavor to be too apple-y.  The broth was a little thin, though, in the finished product, but I'm not sure I would change that.  It was good for dunking bread (GF of course) in while we were eating.

This recipe was really good, and now that I see what the vinegar did to the meat, I think I will try that trick in other recipes going forward.  It really made it so tender, and the stew over all was so good. 

Chicken Meatball Noodle Bowl

This recipe is like real actual ramen.  The kind I've seen on cooking shows, not the kind that costs $0.19 per package. We have had this one other time, but it was during a time that I wasn't posting much.  So we had it again tonight and I decided to post it, because it's really yummy.  And makes me feel very chef-ish.  This recipe came from a Better Homes & Gardens gluten free magazine that either my mom or my sister got me (I can't remember but I know it came from one of them), the kind that you see at the check out. That magazine ended up having a lot of good things in it, so I'd buy another one if I ever saw it.  But I'd be mad if all the recipes inside were the same and all they'd changed was the cover.  This recipe calls for fresh cilantro and fresh ginger, but I found the best cheat for that (which I have mentioned before), which is those herbs and spices that come in a toothpaste-like tube by the refrigerated salad dressings.  It makes it easy to measure and way faster to prepare.  And the rice noodles are by the Chinese food at the grocery store.  Very easy to make, so if you've never used them before, don't worry.  You just boil the water, throw the noodles in, remove pan from heat, and wait 5 minutes. Done. Easy.

Chicken Meatball Noodle Bowl
4 oz dried thin rice noodles
12 oz ground chicken
2 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
½ tsp salt
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp lime juice
3 cups shredded leaf lettuce (we used the one that has carrots and red cabbage in the bag)
½ cup finely shredded carrot (I left this out since it was in the lettuce bag)
fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, and lime wedges for serving, optional

In a medium bowl combine the ground chicken, 2 tbsp cilantro, ginger, and salt.  Shape into 16 meatballs (if the meatballs seem mushy at this point, you can refrigerate them for 15 or 20 minutes before you proceed).

In a large skillet heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat.  Add meatballs.  Cook about 10 minutes or until no longer pink (165*), turning occasionally.  Meanwhile, prepare noodles according to package directions; drain. Transfer meatballs to a plate.

For sauce, add the remaining 2 tbsp oil to the still-warm skillet.  Stir in the vinegar, honey, and lime juice (I combined this ahead of time and added it all at once.  I also reduced this on the stove a bit so it would thicken up, and also so it would lose some of that strong vinegar taste, which I do not enjoy).

Divide lettuce among bowls.  Top with noodles, carrot, and meatballs; drizzle with sauce.  If desired, garnish with additional cilantro, green onions, and lime wedges.

This tasted like a restaurant.  The younger two did not have it all together in the bowl, and ate just the noodles and meatballs separately, without the sauce.  The rest of us ate them as the recipe said.  This was so yummy.  And even though it had lots of steps, they weren't hard steps.  Since this is already the second time we've had this, I know we'll have it again.  Just try it.

Jiffy Cinnamon Rolls

I don't miss much now that I've been gluten free for over 2 years.  But I do miss those cinnamon rolls in a can that pop open and make you almost want to duck for cover.  Last Christmas (I gave you my heart...oh wait sorry) I tried to make some using GF Bisquick as the base, because I just really wanted them.  But they were a disaster for Christmas morning :(  they didn't stick together, and rolling them out was awful.  And they didn't taste that great either.  But I saw this recipe in the Hiebert's Gluten Free Cooking cookbook...that's the one I got at the Amish store last spring.  I've tried a few other things from this book and liked them, so I decided to give it a shot.  We had some friends over for brunch today since it was an official holiday and we all had the day off.

Jiffy Cinnamon Rolls
2 cups GF flour (I use Bob's Red Mill in the blue bag)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp xanthan gum (omit if the flour blend has xanthan gum in it)(or if you're using regular glutinous white flour)
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
¼ cup cold butter
1 cup cold milk (may  need more)
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup raisins
Glaze:
½ cup powdered sugar
dash vanilla
1-2 tbsp milk

Put flour, sugar, xanthan gum (if using), baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Cut in butter using pastry blender til crumbly.  Make a well in the center.  Pour in milk.  Stir to form a soft dough, adding a bit more milk if needed.  Turn out onto lightly floured (with GF flour) surface.  Knead.  Roll into rectangle and 1/3 inch thick and 12 inches long.

Cream softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon together.  Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.  Place one measured teaspoon of the softened butter mixture into the bottom of each of the muffin wells.  Spread remaining mixture over the dough rectangle.  Sprinkle raisins over the top.

Roll up, jelly roll style (starting with long side).  Cut into 12 slices.  Place cut side down in muffin pan.  Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.  Turn out onto tray while still hot (or carefully move them to a plate, placing them upside down so the sticky side is up). 

Combine glaze ingredients and drizzle over cinnamon rolls.  Serve warm.

Ok guys look how yummy these turned out!

I am so so happy with this recipe.  We had 8 people eating, so everybody got one, and some lucky people got two. 

The dough was a bit tricky to work with, and I had to be very careful when I was rolling it up, but overall it was fine.  You should cut this with a dough scraper if you have one, but if not, then a very sharp knife. 

We will definitely be having this again.  Maybe really soon.  Seriously I'm so happy with how it turned out.