Homemade Brown Sugar
Make in a ratio of two cups white granulated sugar mixed with two Tablespoons of molasses. Measure the amount of brown sugar for a recipe; add the molasses to the sugar as needed.
Sweetened Condensed Milk
Combine one half cup water with three fourths cup white granulated sugar. Heat to bubble stage. [Do not boil]. Remove from heat and add one cup plus two Tablespoons dry milk powder. Stir until smooth. Mixture will be thin, but will thicken after 48 hours.
Turn to Spices [not salt] to Give Food Flavor
Allspice: for lean ground meats, stews, tomatoes, peaches, applesauce, cranberry sauce, gravies.
Basil: for fish, lamb, lean ground meats, stews, salads, soups, sauces, fish cocktails.
Bay leaves: for lean meats, stews, poultry, soups, tomatoes.
Chives: for salads, sauces, soups, lean meat dishes, vegetables.
Apple cider vinegar: for salads, vegetables, sauces.
Dill: for fish sauces, soups, tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, cucumbers, potatoes, salads, macaroni, lean beef, lamb, chicken, fish.
Garlic: [not garlic salt] for lean meats, fish, soups, salads, vegetables, tomatoes, potatoes.
Onion: [not onion salt] for lean meats, stews, vegetables, salads, soups.
Paprika: for lean meats, fish, soups, salads, sauces, vegetables.
Lemon juice: for lean meats, fish, poultry, salads, vegetables.
"Greet each day with your eyes open to beauty, your mind open to change, and your heart open to love."
To Make Mock Buttermilk
If buttermilk is not available, place two Tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar in a two-cup measure. Add milk to make two cups. Stir and let stand 15 minutes before using.
Thickeners for Gravies and Puddings
Use the baking mix you have chosen [to buy or to make]; cornstarch is an excellent staple and thickener; potato starch works well; crushed and powdered potato flakes also work well; tapioca needs to be used in small to very small quantities--it does best if ground; arrowroot flour and sweet rice flour are very good; agar agar and kudzu are used in many commercial products but are also available for use in the home kitchen; some recipes suggest using powdered pectin or powdered plain unflavored gelatin. [Gelatin may be the most reasonable of the common thickeners; buy in 16-oz containers at most markets]. Use xanthan gum for breads, muffins, and pastries as a binder and for adding texture. Use methyl cellulose to add volume.
Regular Dry Yeast for Baking
When combined with sugar and water at the right temperature, the yeast generates carbon dioxide which will then make the dough rise. Yeast contains the enzymes needed for producing carbon dioxide from glucose. It also contains the enzymes maltase and sucrase. Finally, yeast also makes an important contribution to the flavor of bread. Celiacs should choose Regular Dry Yeast for baking
"There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24.
Gluten-Free Baking Mix
Dozens of excellent flours and baking mixes are available in the commercial market. The following recipe represents an all-purpose flour mix that can be used for most home baking. When developing your own baking mix, remember to always add a starch to the flour mix; a ratio of 1:8 for starch to flours appears to work out best.
1 c cornstarch
2 c rice flour
3 c potato starch flour
1/2 c of any additional GF flour
When using a baking mix [a commercial flour mix or your own home-prepared baking mix], add two Tablespoons of powdered milk and one Tablespoon apple cider vinegar.
For a binder, add xanthan gum, gelatin, pectin, applesauce, cottage cheese in an appropriate amount. [1/2 t xanthan; 2 T gelatin; 2 T pectin; 1/2 c applesauce; 1/2 c cottage cheese per 2 cups of flour mix]. [Do not use xanthan if you have a mold sensitivity, trehalose intolerance].
Self-Rising Baking Mix
For two cups of a GF baking mix, add one teaspoon cream of tartar and one half teaspoon baking soda.
Cake Flour Mix
For two cups of a GF baking mix, add one and half cups white granulated sugar; four teaspoons GF baking powder; two teaspoons baking soda; one teaspoon cream of tartar; one half cup powdered milk; one cup cornstarch.
Store flour mix in a sealed plastic bag, jar or can with a tightly fitting lid; store in refrigerator or freezer.
Keeping GF Crackers Fresh Longer
Keep crackers fresh longer by placing them in a tightly sealed plastic bags; store in the refrigerator.
Mother: Did you thank Mrs. Owens for the lovely party?
Daughter: No, I didn't. The girl ahead of me thanked her very nicely and Mrs. Owens said, Don't mention it, so I didn't.
Storing Lettuce and Celery
Keep lettuce and celery fresh longer by keeping them in paper bags instead of plastic bags; leave the outside leaves and stalks on until ready for use. Instead of picking up a plastic bag when shopping, pick up a paper bag for your lettuce and celery purchases.
"You cannot leave footprints in the sand by always sitting down at the computer."
Keep Cakes from Sticking to the Sides of the Pan
To keep cakes from sticking to the sides of the pan, melt two Tablespoons of a solid shortening [butter, margarine, or Crisco], pour into the cake pan and spread to cover evenly. Put the pan in the freezer a few minutes and let the shortening harden. Pour the batter into the pan, bake as usual; when you tip the baked cake over to remove from the pan, it falls right out. Next best to the freezer method. Use a generous amount of Crisco for greasing the pan. Allow to stand for 20 to 30 minutes before pouring in the batter. [Most celiacs do well with both regular and butter-flavored Crisco]
Removing Burned Food from Pots and Skillets
Burned-On food can be removed from pots and skillets by pouring a couple of drops of dish detergent, plus enough water to cover the bottom of the pan and then bring the water up to boil. [a few bubbles, but not boiling]. Let the pan stand a few minutes and then wash as usual. Food will easily wash off the pan.
Washing Windows and Mirrors
When washing mirrors or windows, use straight vinegar instead of diluting it with water. Your windows will be cleaner and shinier. Consider using newspaper as the "wiping cloth" when drying your windows. Easy to use, does an excellent job, easy to discard.
"There is nothing so powerful as the truth, and nothing so strange." Daniel Webster
Flouring and Breading Meats
Try using your favorite GF baking mix; finely ground cornmeal; crushed potato flakes; crushed potato chips [if the oil for the chips is tolerated]; a gluten-free cereal that has been crushed; a combination or rice flour with a vegetable flour such as bean, pea, soybean, or sorghum [Milo]; Milo flour by itself is also good; try a mix of two Tablespoons of cornstarch [or potato starch] with three Tablespoons or any other GF flour such as arrowroot or rice.
Work out and develop a mix for use in flouring meats and a second mix for use as a thickener.
Consider a Purchase of a Rice Cooker
There are several reliable brands on the market, both automatic and non-automatic. A cooker is an excellent time-saver over the stovetop method. Rice puddings and most rice casseroles will do best with oven cooking. In general, the rice cooker method needs only rice, water, and corn oil, butter, margarine or Crisco. Sugar [or honey] and vegetables are best added after the rice is fully cooked.
Sixth Grade Teacher: I don't understand how a single person can make so many mistakes on his homework.
Ted: It wasn't a single person; Dad helped.
Instead of Using a Milk Substitute
Instead of using a milk substitute in cooking, try using a fruit juice such as pear, apple, peach, orange; or, take the whole can of fruit and run it through the blender and then measure for use. Consider also the use of cottage cheese, yogurt or egg white. Fruit juices make an excellent substitute for the celiac who is both gluten and lactose intolerant.
Substitutions for One Cup of Wheat Flour
7/8 cup of rice flour = 1 c wheat flour
10 T potato starch = 1 c wheat flour
1 c corn flour = 1 c wheat flour
1/2 c cornstarch + 1/2 c potato flour = 1 c wheat flour
5/8 c rice flour + 1/3 c potato flour = 1 c wheat flour
Xanthan Gum as a Binder
Xanthan may be obtained from many commercial food suppliers. To store in the home kitchen, double wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and place in a closed container in the refrigerator.
Xanthan is a synthetic, water-soluble bi-polymer made by fermentation of carbohydrates; usually from corn. It is a thickening and suspending agent that is heat-resistant, with good tolerance for strong acid and basic solutions. Viscosity remains stable over wide temperature ranges. has many commercial uses in food and pharmaceutical fields; is used especially in prepared mixes and high-protein foods.
Since xanthan is mold-based, celiacs with trehalose intolerance [intolerance to molds] should not use foods in which xanthan has been used as the thickening agent [binding agent].
"They say it takes only a minute to find a special person; an hour to appreciate them; a day to love them; but then an entire life to forget them. You are my special friend and I will not forget you in my lifetime. Thanks for being my friend." Source Unknown
Homemade Shake and Bake
4 c fine GF bread crumbs [can process in the blender]
1 T non-iodized salt
1 t garlic powder
1 t paprika
1 T oregano
1 t black pepper
2 T parsley flakes
1/2 c corn oil
Measure into a cleaned coffee can or glass jar. Shake and mix the dry ingredients as they are added. Shake well after the addition of the oil.
Store container in the refrigerator. Dip chicken or pork in milk or water, then into the mix. Bake one hour at 375 degrees. [can also use pineapple, peach or pear juice thinned with water for dipping as a substitute for milk].
"Education is hanging around until you've caught on." Robert Frost
Helping Whipped Cream
Whipping cream beats best if it is cold; it is also a good practice to chill the bowl and beater. To make sweetened whipped cream, beat one cup whipping cream until thick; fold in two Tablespoons sugar and one half teaspoon GF vanilla flavoring.
Topping for Meatloaf
To a half cup catsup, add 2 Tablespoons prepared mustard, and 1 Tablespoon GF brown sugar. Stir well and spoon and spread over meatloaf before baking.
Purchase Apple Cider Vinegar in Quarts--Not Half Gallons
Customer Service says to purchase apple cider vinegar in quarts so as to avoid the possibility of buying recycled vinegar [vinegars] which is typically then bottled in half-gallon containers and recycled. It is the recycled vinegar that may be made up of several types and mixes of vinegars and thus has the potential for contamination. Purchase date-stamped quarts and avoid the problem.
"The trouble with being poor is that it takes up all your time." William de Kooning
Storing Grains and Flours
Selected grains can be stored at room temperature. However, when warm moist [high humidity] conditions are right, insects may hatch and grow in home-stored grains and flours. It is the best choice to store flours in the refrigerator or freezer since oils can become rancid at room temperature. The freezer will also deter the hatching of insects. It may be best to always freeze flours made from wild rice, dried beans, nut and seed flours, and the combination flour mixes that are purchased commercially. Flours that do well in the refrigerator and at cool temperatures include starches from corn and Milo, white rice, and tapioca. Use containers with tight lids that will deter insects.
Honey as a Sugar Substitute
Honey may be substituted for sugar in the ratio of one cup of honey for one and a fourth cups white granulated sugar. It is best to reduce the liquid for the recipe by a quarter cup for every cup of honey being used. In baking, it is helpful to add one half teaspoon baking soda for each cup of honey used to neutralize the acidity of the honey; reduce the baking temperature by 25 degrees unless the suggested temperature is already directed for 325 degrees Fahrenheit to help to reduce excess browning which typically occurs with the use of honey.
Preparing Flour Combinations
When developing a gluten-free baking mix, always add a starch...in most combinations, one Tablespoon of a starch is added for each two cups of alternate flours or in a ratio of 1:8 parts. Gluten-free flours should be stirred lightly [or whisked with a wire whisk] before measuring and sifted after measuring. For home mixes of several flour combinations, it is generally best to add the binder such as xanthan gum at the time of use.
"The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today; let us move forward with a strong and active faith."
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Storage of Baked Products
Selected flour combinations used in gluten-free products tend to dry out quickly and lose internal moisture without proper storage. Store GF products tightly wrapped in the refrigerator or freezer. Cakes, muffins, doughnuts, etc. will keep much longer if a glaze has been added. A frosting or glaze is helpful in saving more of the moisture and helps to deter baked products from drying out.
Adding a Lightness Quality to Baked Goods
Rice polish, added to most flour combinations, will help to give breads, cakes, muffins a lighter quality as well as adding to the taste. Beaten egg white is also helpful--especially for cakes. Note that there are varying grades of flours--from coarse to fine. Most cooks judge finely ground rice flour to give more lift and lightness to baked products. Add one heaping Tablespoon of rice polish for each cup of flour mix being used in the recipe.
Lessening Grittiness That May be Found in Rice Flour
Before adding coarsely ground or home-ground rice flours to a dough or when preparing a baked item, add the following step to your process: Add enough water to the rice flour to make a thick, creamy mixture, stir and mix well, and then heat until first bubbles appear--do not boil. The heating process will eliminate most of grittiness [graininess] and provide a better overall baked product. Soaking rice flours for one to two hours [or overnight in the refrigerator] before use will achieve the same end result.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11
Use Eggs and NOT Egg Replacers or Egg Substitutes
Several of the common Egg Replacer and Egg Substitute products use wheat flour as a preservative and stabilizer. While these products are easy to use, widely touted and highly promoted, they should be on the NOT ALLOWED listing for the diet of celiacs.
Cook Eggs::::Use ONLY Cooked Eggs::::No Raw Eggs EVER!
And No Undercooked eggs. That is the strong recommendation of the American Dietetic Association. With so many recipes for salad dressings, special sauces, mayonnaise, and ice creams in our exchanges and in our publications for celiacs that suggest the use of raw and non-cooked eggs, we each need to heed this warning and eliminate any serving of raw and undercooked eggs from our cooking and food preparation practices.
Comment: The most recent egg-tainted food story I have heard of involved [what was suspected to be] an undercooked quiche. A breakfast quiche [with four eggs] had been cooked in an oven at 350 degrees for forty minutes. It is surmised that the center of the quiche had not been fully cooked. A celiac 5-year old son and a non-celiac grandmother were hospitalized with mild and severe food poisoning. The father and mother were treated and released. The grandmother was in and out in one day; the son was in for several days and apparently regressed to celiac symptoms prior to diagnosis. After three months, he is back to his normal self again.
"It is a law of life that we consistently undervalue the size of our own faults and overvalue the size of others." Dale Bruner
Comment: We have the eyes of eagles for the faults of others; we are blind as moles to our own.
Recipe for a Salt Substitute
Mix together the following ingredients: 5 teaspoons onion powder [not onion salt]; 1 Tablespoon garlic powder [not garlic salt]; 1 Tablespoon GF paprika [a paprika not stretched with wheat flour]; 1 Tablespoon of GF mustard powder [a mustard powder not stretched with a gluten additive]; 1 teaspoon of dried thyme; 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds. Store in a seasoning bottle or jar. This mix is great "as is." If you prefer a finer grind, run through the blender and pulse 3 or 4 times.
Test to Learn If an Egg is Fresh
Here's how to tell if an egg is fresh. Dissolve 2 Tablespoons of salt in 2 cups of cool tap water. Add the egg. If the egg sinks it is fresh; if it floats, discard it.
"I've got to let myself be my own experimental rat." John Bruno
Breading for Steaks
1 1/2 cups GF baking mix in a plastic bag; 2 eggs beaten with a cup of milk in a small bowl; GF bread crumbs in another bowl. Coat steaks with flour, then dip into egg mixture, and coat with bread crumbs. Cook steaks in corn oil or Crisco for two to three minutes per side to brown and then season with non-iodized salt and black pepper. Cook to desired doneness. Note: Bread crumbs may be made in the blender; season with garlic powder, parsley, or your favorite seasoning. Or, leave plain.
Let's Talk Turkey
Choose only a fresh or fresh frozen turkey. Avoid all injected, basted, self-basting, treated, enriched, enhanced, fortified turkey choices. Know the treatment [or lack of it] for ground turkey, turkey halves, and turkey parts. Know if the turkey parts have been recycled from treated fowl that have surpassed the date for storage. If the butcher cannot provide information for turkey parts and/or whole turkeys, it is likely the best choice to avoid such purchases. When in doubt, leave it out remains a fast rule of thumb!
Fresh Homemade Bread Crumbs
You can always have homemade breadcrumbs ready whenever you need them. When you make or buy good bread and don't use it all--or the end slices are a bit too crusty, get out the food processor and chop away. Store the breadcrumbs in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag in the freezer. You'll have bread crumbs ready to grab from the bag whenever you need them. Note: When the supply begins to grow, season one bag with Parmesan and a second with garlic powder. Leave one sack plain. Then you'll have three choices when the next casserole recipe surfaces.
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly--
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
To Seal the Crusts of a Two-Crust Pie
Water is good; egg white with water is better; we think egg white alone is best.
When Filling Dough into Muffin Tins
Use an ice cream scoop when filling muffin or cupcake tins. The scoop holds just the right amount and prevents the usual dripping and extra dough to clean up. With an equal measure of dough you'll have "picture perfect" final products to line up. Get out the camera 'cause Mom is doing Better Homes and Gardens cooking again!'
To Tease a Stubborn Cake Out of the Pan
If you have difficulty removing a cake from the pan, place the hot pan on a damp cloth for few seconds. Or in a bit of ice water. The quick change of temperature [almost always] will loosen the cake and it will fall right out.
"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all of my life." Abraham Lincoln
"All that I am or hope to be I owe to my angel mother. A. Lincoln
"My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual, spiritual education I received from from her." George Washington
For Creamier Powdered Sugar Frosting
When making powdered sugar frosting, add two teaspoons GF baking mix to two cups powdered sugar. This makes a creamier and not-so-sweet frosting. And if you are piping or drizzling, it'll go on much better. For drizzling, it's a slick trick to put the frosting in a plastic bag and snip off the corner.
To Tenderize Tough Meat
Use the cooking hint of the Romans: add one or more Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to the water or baking pan. This will save one to two hours of cooking [boiling or roasting] time. The addition of vinegar works well for both fowl and animal meats. It's almost a must when cooking venison or elk. When cooking pheasant, we usually bake it in a pan of dressing in the oven, but always add a half cup apple cider vinegar or white wine.
For Cutting Bar Cookies
Pan flat breads and bar cookies are easily cut with the pizza cutter. It makes smooth-edged squares in half the time.
To Soften Hard Cookies
To keep cookies soft or to soften hardened cookies, place a section of orange peel in the cookie jar and close with a tight lid. Cookies will remain moist or retain most of their moistness.
There is no better time than right now to be happy.
Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
So work like you don't need money.
Love like you've never been hurt.
And dance like no one's watching.
To Bring Out the Delicate Flavors of Herbs
To get the best of the delicate flavors of herbs, put them into the preparation of a food item only in the last few minutes of cooking.
Bananas for Use in Breads and Cooking
Buy the bag of overripe bananas; always take the cheaper pack. Mash bananas and store in one cup freezer containers. When mashed banana is needed for bread, muffins, or a cake, presto--it's ready for use. Consider adding one Tablespoon of corn oil per cup of banana mixture before freezing.
The Dough Wouldn't Raise Today!
When the dough is slow; when it's just not raising fast enough. Never fear! Place the pan of dough in the oven, turn on the oven light, and see for yourself how fast things begin to happen.
What you think, you create.
What you create, you become.
What you become, you express.
What you express, you experience.
What you experience, you are.
What you are, you think.
The circle is complete!
To Cut Fresh Rice Bread
To cut fresh-baked GF flour mix breads more easily, warm the knife.
When Making French Toast from GF Breads
Toast bread before making French Toast and the finished product will not be soggy.
For the Perfect Upside Down Cake
Grease the pan with a solid shortening such as Crisco; line the bottom of the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil; grease the foil. When the cake is done, just turn it out of the pan onto a platter or plate and peel off the foil. It will be picture perfect.
To Cut and Make Bread Cubes
To make bread cubes for croutons or dressings, use a pair of scissors instead of a knife.
One of Life's Recipes
1 cup Good Thoughts
1 cup Kind Deeds
1 cup Consideration for Others
2 cups Sacrifice for Others
3 cups Forgiveness
2 to 3 cups Well-Beaten Thoughts
Mix thoroughly. Add tears of joy, sorrow, and sympathy for others. Fold in four cups of faith and prayer to lighten the other ingredients and to raise the texture to great heights in service to God. Pour this mixture into your daily life, bake well with the heat of human kindness.
Serve with a smile.
To Prepare Zucchini for Freezing
Simply peel or chunk and run through the blender. Divide into one cup packs with a few half cup packs and put into the freezer. [ready for cakes, breads, muffins, pancakes, stews, quiche and gravies].
Add Crunch to French Toast With Sesame Seeds
Before frying French Toast, sprinkle on a Tablespoon of sesame seed on each side of the toast. If time permits, toast the sesame seeds in an iron skillet or heavy saucepan before using. The problem: no one wants plain French Toast ever again! But what a nice way to spoil them.
To Warm Eggs to Room Temperature
To warm eggs quickly, place whole eggs in bowl of hot water. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes.
Two natures beat within my breast.
The one is cursed, the other blessed.
The one I love, the one I hate.
The one I feed will dominate.
Cutting Cinnamon Roll Dough
You may be using a favorite serrated knife or dental floss. But have you tried an electric knife. It's really slick and works well with the gluten-free flour combinations used in making cinnamon rolls.
Measuring Gluten-Free Flours
Measure flour by spooning rather than scooping. Measure into a dry measuring-cup without tapping or shaking. Level off the top of the cup with the back of a case knife. Do not sift before measuring unless that is the direction of the recipe. If sifted flour is called for, sift before measuring.
Handling Chili Peppers
Wear protective gloves when handling chili peppers. Plan ahead to avoid a possible skin irritation or worse--an eye burn from rubbing with a finger that has handled a chili pepper.
To Peel a Tomato
Cut an "X" on the blossom end, the end opposite the stem. Immerse in boiling water for ten seconds. Transfer to ice water and then peel.
Kent Keith's "Paradoxical Commandments:" A few fundamentals about the human condition.
1. People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered. Love them anyway.
2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
3. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
6. The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.
7. People favor underdogs but follow top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
9. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway.
10. Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.
On Cooking Roasting Ears
If you do not have the luxury of putting the water on and running to the corn patch to husk the roasting ears, then try this method for cooking corn on the cob. For ear corn that has been off the stock for more than a few hours, add two Tablespoons sugar and two Tablespoons of corn oil to water used for cooking the corn. Do not add salt to the water used for cooking corn; salt can be added at the table.
Taps has music and it also has words
Day is done
Gone the sun
From the lakes
From the hills
From the sky
All is well, safely rest.
God is nigh.