Mmmmm, Coooookieeees!

In my husband's family, Peggy's cookies are the only cookies worth making. Ever.  I don't even bother making any other cookie anymore.  I use Pamela's Pancake and Baking Flour as my all-purpose flour for these cookies.  Since it already has salt, baking powder, and baking soda mixed into the flour, I don't add those where the recipe calls for them.  If you are using a blend that does not already contain those, however, you'll need to be sure to add them.  These cookies do come out flat and chewy.  If you like them thicker, add more flour, or try refrigerating the dough overnight before baking.

PEGGY'S COOKIES

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup bark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups oatmeal (sent through the blender)
12 ozs chocolate chips

1. Cream together the butter and sugars
2. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well
3. In a seperate bowl, mix the flour,salt, baking powder, soda, and blended oats, then add to the wet mixture
4. Add chocolate chips
5. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes

Yields about 4 dozen cookies (although I've never gotten more than 3 dozen, my husband says I make them too big!)

We like to keep our leftovers in the freezer, and we eat the cookies frozen.  It's weird, but oh, so good!

Sausage and Potato Soup with Kale

Or, as Olive Garden calls it, "Tuscan Soup". But, since this type of soup is in actuality not Tuscan, and since I have deviated quite a bit from the original recipe, I had to give it my own name. And I couldn't come up with anything better than Sausage and Potato Soup with Kale. I know. I'm so original.

A few years ago my sister found the recipe for this soup online. And it was a big hit. Then I started making it on my own, and started leaving things out and adding things in and double some ingredients while halving others, and now the only resemblance to that original recipe are the three main ingredients of, you guessed it, sausage, potatoes, and kale. I always make a triple batch and we eat it for DAYS because it is just that good. Sometimes we even throw some diced avocado into each bowl and oh my heavens is that just not the yummiest thing?

Sausage and Potato Soup with Kale

1 lb mild italian sausage (see note below)
2 lbs russet potatoes, diced (leave the peel on)
1 med yellow onion, diced
1 cloves garlic, pressed or really, really, minced
32 oz chicken broth (see note below)
64 oz water
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 bunch kale, chopped

1. Brown sausage in large stockpot, drain and set aside
2. Sautee onion and garlic until onion is caramalized and has absorbed the grease
3. Add chicken broth and water, bring to a boil
4. Add potatoes, boil for 30 minutes
5. Turn off heat, return sausage, and add the cream
6. Place a handful of kale in each bowl and pour soup over
7. Serve and enjoy!

Now, if you are going to be consuming all the soup in one night, you can just dump the kale in the pot. But, since we have it a few nights in a row, we leave the kale out so it doesn't get all wilted and slimy.

About the sausage - it is imperative that you use Johnsonville brand. I have tried using a few different brands, incudling store brand, and it just is not as good. Also, the sausage will come in either casings or in a pack like ground beef. If it's in the casings, just cut the casings off before cooking.

About the chicken broth - read the ingedients! College Inn brand IS NOT GF! Swanson's mostly is, but their oraganic broth is not. I like Swanson's Natural Goodness Reduced Sodium. Kitchen Basics is GF, but has a much stronger flavor. I like the lightness of Swanson's.

Chipotle Chicken

This super easy recipe came from my sister, Lauren.

Chipotle Chicken

2 lbs boneless, skinless, chicken breast (no need to thaw if frozen)
1 16-0z jar chipotle salsa
Rice (optional - I like Saffron best)
Tortillas/taco shells (optional)
Shredded cheese (I like mexican blend or cheddar-jack)
Sour cream
various toppings (guac, tomatoes, etc)

1. Place chicken and salsa in a crockpot and cook on Low for 6 hours
2. Shred chicken
3. Serve as nachos, tacos, or over rice
4. Top with shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, whatever!

Salsa Chicken Soup

On Thursday when I browned the chicken for my cacciatore, I went ahead and browned a double batch so I would have chicken ready for last night's dinner - Salsa Chicken Soup. My mother-in-law got this recipe off one of her cooking forums. This soup is so dang easy, especially if you have leftover chicken in the fridge.

Salsa Chicken Soup

1 lb chicken cut into small cubes
1 16oz jar of Taco Bell Mild Thick and Chunky Salsa *
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (optional)*
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional) *
Tortilla chips
Shredded cheese
Sour cream

1. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and brown in a little olive oil
2. In a medium soup pot, chicken, salsa, beans, corn, vinegar, spices, and cilantro
3. Simmer for 30 minutes
4. In each bowl, crush a handful of tortilla chips
5. Add soup
6. Sprinkle with cheese and add a dollop of sour cream

*My notes
-The brand of salsa really does make a difference. It's just not as good with another brand.
-Last night was the first time I used the cilantro and man! it was so much better than my other batches. So go ahead and toss it in.
-I add the vinegar because it helps my hubby digest the beans. I promise, you can NOT taste it in the final product!

Chicken Cacciatore

I you are lucky enough to have a Trader Joe's nearby, you have a wealth of yummy GF foods at your disposal. Tonight we made chicken Cacciatore using Trader Joe's Cacciatore sauce and Trader Joe's GF pasta. If you don't have a Trader Joe's, you can find cacciatore sauce at your local market. Just make sure to read the ingredients first. Our favorite non-Trader Joe's GF pastas - Tinkyada and Glutino.

Chicken Cacciatore

1 jar Cacciatore sauce
1-2 bounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
GF pasta

1. Cube the chicken and brown it in a pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper
2. When fully cooked, add cacciatore sauce
3. Let simmer on low for about 30 minutes
4. Serve over your favorite GF pasta
5. Top with parmesean cheese

Enjoy!

Welcome to Eat Gluten Free!

I am so excited to be starting up my own gluten-free recipe blog! I have so many recipes and ideas and tips, and just had to have an outlet for them. First, let me tell you our story.

Soon after we got married in 2001, my husband starting throwing up every morning when he woke up, and often in the middle of the night. A few months went by before he went to see someone about it. A barrage of tests later, including a CT scan and a gastroscopy, no diagnosis was given. Our family doctor suggested John try a lactose-free diet, and low and behold, it worked! We invested in Lactaid stock (not really, but we should have), and thought all was well. Not so. In 2004, it all started again, but on a grander scale. John went to our family doctor (a different one, we moved a few months before) who immediatly recognized the symptoms. A simple blood test confirmed it: John had Celiac Disease.

We were shocked, and I was appalled. "What", I thought, "am I supposed to FEED this guy?" For weeks we ate grilled chicken, rice, and broccoli. No lie. A year went by and John was still feeling pretty crummy. I got online and read the list of forbiddens and found one we had been overlooking: malt. Malt is in EVERYTHING! Once we eliminated that, he started to feel better.

Over the years I have become so comfortable cooking for him that I don't even think about it. When I see a recipe I automatically revise it to make it Gluten-free. Most times it works, sometimes it doesn't.

I can't wait to share them all with you! If you have a recipe you'd like to share, just email it to me at eatglutenfree@gmail.com.