In this section:
Baguette Pizzas
Baked Cranberries
Cracker Jacks
North Dakota Sloppy Joes
Saltine Crackers
Spinach Egg Toast
Super Subway Sandwich
Tortillas
Baguette Pizzas
With several of the commercial food companies now providing GF baguettes that are 10 and 12 inches in length, a bit of pizza creativity has developed. Simply cut baguettes in halves and develop your own topping or modify the one which follows to suit your taste.
1 lb ground beef
2 c tomatoes, pureed in blender, thickened with potato flakes
1/3 c green onions, sliced
1/3 c ripe olives, pitted, sliced
1/2 t oregano, crushed and chopped
1/2 t non-iodized salt
1/8 t black pepper
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 c Cheddar or a Swiss cheese, shredded
Cut baguettes in half. Place bread halves [cut sides up] in the broiler pan or the toaster oven and toast lightly for 3 to 4 minutes.
In a
skillet, cook ground beef until browned. Drain. Stir in tomato
mixture, green onions, olives, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir
over Medium heat until heated through. Remove from heat and stir in
Parmesan cheese. Top bread halves with ground beef mixture. Top with
overlapping tomato slices and pepper rings. Sprinkle on shredded
cheese. Bake in oven or toaster oven for eight to ten minutes. Serve
immediately. [This mix will cover six baguette halves]. 
Baked Cranberries
A good friend shared this recipe. She always said, "Oh, so good!" It is a special treat with a cup of tea. I have also served it in glass sherbet goblets as a dessert with lunch and to perk up soup and sandwich days.
2 c white granulated sugar
1 c water
Combine and boil for five minutes on Medium High.
3 c cranberries
Place cranberries in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan; pour the hot syrup over the cranberries. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake in a 300-degree oven for one hour. Turn off oven. Leave in oven for a few minutes. Move to counter or rack. Leave covered until completely cooled. Cranberries stay whole and are a specialty treat.
Note: I have served these cranberries over ice cream and with a minted
pudding. They are excellent "as is" with a cup of coffee.
My neighbor served them in a thickened mint rum mix which was the highlight of
their New Year's Eve dessert for the neighbors.
Arlene Stetzer, Trempealeau, WI
Cracker Jacks
Cracker Jacks store well in sealed bags. My neighbor breaks up the corn mix and stores cooked cracker jacks in plastic bags inserted into freezer boxes. I have a preference for reusing one pound and three pound coffee cans. These cans wash and clean easily. And, whoever gets the can with the rock in the bottom gets to do the kitchen clean-up on that day. For a smaller amount, cut this recipe in half.
2 c white granulated sugar
2/3 c light corn syrup
1/2 c water
Heat to boiling. Reduce to Medium heat. Cook to the crack stage. [when a sample of the cooked syrup cracks when placed in a half cup of cold tap water]. Then add butter and vanilla flavoring. Stir lightly. Add soda. Pour over popped popcorn. [This recipe covers 20 cups].
1/4 c butter
2 t GF vanilla flavoring
2 t baking soda
Stir
corn. Bake for one hour in an oven which has been preheated to 200 degrees. Remove and stir twice--at 20 minute intervals. Remove from
oven. Stir lightly. Cool.
North Dakota Sloppy Joes
1 lb ground beef
3 T GF baking mix
1 10 1/2 can GF condensed onion soup
4 to 5 hamburger buns [or double bread slices]
In a large skillet, cook the beef until browned. Drain. Stir in flour; mix well. Stir in onion soup. Cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes or until thickened.
Serve on buns or slices of bread.
Comment: If GF canned onion soup is not available, make an onion soup with
two onions, chopped and sautéed in two Tablespoons of butter. Add two
cups of GF chicken or beef broth which has been combined with three Tablespoons
of GF baking mix. Season with a few shakes of salt and pepper, one eighth
teaspoon of garlic powder, and one half teaspoon of parsley flakes.
Saltine Crackers
Mock saltine crackers can be made in many ways and in many varieties. This recipe is excellent and is simple to do. I have had the best success with the use of a solid shortening such as Crisco for crackers. I have also used chicken and goose renderings and like those as an alternative. Instead of cutting into squares, I have an old medicine bottle just a bit smaller in size than a traditional Ritz cracker. It cuts out a small round cracker that I press in the center with my thumb and prick 4 or 5 times with a fork to make the representative holes.
1 c GF baking mix
3/4 c Crisco or a solid shortening
1 1/2 t GF baking powder
1 1/2 c water
Mix with a wooden spoon. Then knead into a ball with your hands. Roll out on one or two thickness of waxed paper. Use a wine bottle or a heavy glass to roll thin. Let stand a couple of minutes and complete rolling. Lightly salt the top of the dough with canning salt, kosher salt or a non-iodized salt. Roll again once over lightly. Salt lightly one more time. Cut into squares. Prick with a fork. Bake for 6 to 7 minutes in an oven which has been preheated to 375 degrees. Watch closely. [Can easily be over-baked, over-browned, or baked to hard so as to maintain the crunchy cracker desired]. Depending on the flour choices for the baking mix, the crackers may be finished in less time.
Comment: Experiment with additions of parsley, oregano, sesame seed, a bit of sage, bean or garbanzo flour, potato starch, potato flakes, Herbs de Province or your favorite combo for the soup of the day. Change the flours, change the seasonings to suit your whim. Each time you bake a loaf of bread in the oven, also do a batch of crackers.
Sesame Seed Crackers: one fourth cup white or black sesame seeds; one and half cups GF baking mix; one half teaspoon non-iodized salt; four Tablespoons butter; one half cup milk; GF soy sauce for brushing.
Place all ingredients into a mixing bowl. After the dough has come together, begin to knead by hand. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes. Place dough on a floured surface and roll or work into thin sheets. Cut into squares or oblongs or use a small glass to cut rounds. Transfer to baking sheet that has been greased with a solid shortening such as Crisco. Bake for 8 minutes in a 350-degree oven. Remove and brush with soy sauce. Return to oven to bake an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
Variation: Omit sesame seeds. Substitute black pepper, grated
Parmesan cheese, and parsley flakes. If dough becomes to stiff, add one or
two Tablespoons of corn oil. Instead of brushing with soy sauce, brush
with egg white and sprinkle with extra Parmesan and
pepper.
Arlene Stetzer, Trempealeau, WI
Spinach Egg Toast
This treat is excellent for a special snack or for a special breakfast. It's easy to adapt for one or two or for a crowd.
1/2 c mushrooms, sliced [use buttons and stems]
1 10-oz pkg frozen spinach, thawed, drained
1 sm onion, chopped
3 T corn oil
4 to 5 eggs , beaten
1/2 c Monterey or Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 c GF Hollandaise sauce
In a
skillet, sauté mushrooms; when cooked, add onion and spinach and cook until
tender. Check onions and veins of spinach for doneness. Add beaten
eggs. Cook until done. Stir in cheese. Serve eggs on halves of
toasted buns, regular toast or hard rolls. Top each serving with a dollop
of Hollandaise sauce and a sprinkle of parsley.
Super Subway Sandwich
For the roll, choose a GF sour dough baguette available in the commercial market. Or, make your own mini-loaf of bread. Add a few shakes of onion salt and a half cup of chopped onion to the dough and seal a few onion strips on the top with a mix of egg white and a few shakes of tapioca starch.
For the Filling:
3 to 4 T GF creamy Italian salad dressing [or thousand island]
2 slices of Swiss cheese
2 to 3 slices of GF cooked ham
2 half slices of green pepper
2 slices of Cheddar cheese
1 to 2 slices of tomato
Shredded or leaf lettuce
Serve
with potato chips, a few chunks of bread and butter pickles, and a rib of
celery. Add some fresh fruit, a Bloody Mary or some iced tea and the lunch
menu is complete. Sub-sandwiches pack well when wrapped in plastic wrap
and put together with three to four toothpicks.
Tortillas
My first trials with GF flour tortillas were mostly hit and miss. However, the successes now outweigh the failures. And, tortillas are great to serve with a number of enclosures--not to omit the special Tex-Mex cuisine from which they come to us.
2 c GF baking mix
1 t GF baking powder
1 t non-iodized salt
1/2 c plus 1 T Crisco
3/4 c hot water
Mix the dry ingredients, cut in the shortening until it is like cornmeal crumbs. Make a dent or well in the mixture and add the hot water. Blend well until the dough holds together. If the dough is too stiff, add more hot water. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
To make tortillas, pinch off a golf-ball sized piece of dough and knead to form a biscuit and then roll out flat into an 8-inch circle of dough. Cook on medium hot griddle or electric fry pan. [also does very well using an iron skillet]. Turn the tortilla three times--once after about 15 seconds [just to seal the dough]; second time--cook until that side is done [dough browns slightly on edges]; third time--until tortilla puffs a bit and is done.
Keep
the tortilla moving on the griddle to prevent burned spots or over-browned
edges. Store between pieces of wax paper. Take them out an hour or
so before using and substitute a dampened paper towel for the wax paper; this
appears to help with pliability. If the tortillas have become too stiff, a
couple of minutes in the steamer is helpful.