Author: mitchellmeals

Churros

Man, I love churros. They could basically work as a side dish for Mexican food, dessert, or even a bread I guess. I even bought a huge piping tip to try to make the thicker ones, like the churros at the fair or Sam’s Club cafe. Haha. If you’re using a huge tip, sometimes the middle of the churro is a little wetter (like they could cook a little longer), but they’re still delicious in any case. You can also use a smaller tip and make mini churro bites.

I’ve made these with regular flour and gluten free flour, and they’re great. This is from a Food Network recipe that also includes chocolate dipping sauce in the original recipe. But I find the cinnamon sugar so amazing that it doesn’t need dipping sauce. Also, I love to make big batches and freeze extra for later. Then I just take them out of the freezer, warm them up in the oven at 350 for a few minutes, and roll them in more cinnamon sugar. Just like fresh made.

If you’re making these gluten free, I do like to add a little extra cup for cup flour and cook them a little longer (that seems to be fairly standard when making a gluten free version–adding a little extra flour and cooking a little longer). These are amazing as gluten free, and I would’ve had no idea. Although, when you’re mixing the choux dough, it looks more like oatmeal than smooth dough–but they cook just fine. And the picture below is of a gluten free churro.

Make it a meal with:

Churros

  • Servings: 6?
  • Difficulty: medium
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Warm and soft in the middle, with a slight crunch on the outside.

Ingredients

  • 1 c. Water

  • 1/2 c. Butter

  • 1/4 tsp. Salt

  • 1 c. Flour (or 1 1/4 c. gluten free flour with xanthan gum)

  • 3 Eggs, beaten

  • Vegetable oil, for frying

  • 1/4 c. Sugar

  • 1/4 tsp. Cinnamon

Directions

In a heavy saucepan, bring the water, butter, and salt to a boil over high heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour. Reduce the heat to low and stir vigorously until the mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute (gluten free will look more like oatmeal). Remove the dough from the heat and, while stirring constantly, gradually beat the eggs into the dough. Make the cinnamon sugar by combining the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl large enough to fit a churro, then set aside for later.

Heat about 2″ of oil to 360. Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large tip (I find the silicone bags work great and don’t break). Pipe lengths of dough into the oil, about 4″ long. Fry each churro until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side, flipping halfway through. Then drain on a paper towel-lined cookie sheet. When the churros are just cool enough to handle, roll them in the cinnamon sugar.


 

Bread Mix Bags

My mom used to make these bread mix bags all the time and keep them ready for breadsticks at a moment’s notice. I even took some to college with me. They were very handy. Man, I love those warm breadsticks, especially with butter spread on top. Although, it is rather annoying that you have to add gluten and dough enhancer as part of the recipe. And I will say that last time I made the bags, it didn’t seem like it was enough yeast. I think I’d just add a whole packet of yeast (which is about 2 1/4 tsp. if I remember correctly).

And I wouldn’t try making this gluten free. Haha, especially since it specifically calls for adding gluten.

Make it a meal with:

Bread Mix Bags

  • Servings: 12?
  • Difficulty: easy
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All the dry ingredients are ready to go, for an easy bread.

Ingredients

  • 3 c. White Flour (may use 1 c. wheat for white)
  • 1-2 Tbsp. Powdered Milk
  • 1 ½ Tbsp. Sugar
  • ¾ tsp. Salt
  • 1 heaping Tbsp. Gluten
  • 1 heaping Tbsp. Dough Enhancer

Add these when ready to use:

  • 1 c. 2 Tbsp. Warm Water
  • 1 Tbsp. Butter
  • 1 ½+ tsp. Yeast

Directions

For the bread mix bag, combine the ingredients in a plastic bag, then store in a cool, dry place.

When ready to use: Place water, butter, and yeast in mixer. Add contents of bag. Mix on low speed with dough hook for 8 minutes. Let rise 1 hour and form in loaves, breadsticks (12 to 16), rolls, pizza dough, cinnamon rolls. Breadsticks: 400° for 10 minutes. Bread: 375° for 30 minutes (about).


 

Red Lobster Biscuits

Of course there are also mixes for Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits, but here’s a recipe that just uses Bisquick. And since they’re like the ones from Red Lobster, these are great with seafood. Make sure to eat them when they’re hot.

I haven’t tried making this one gluten free yet, but I do have a gluten free mix that I’m looking forward to using. And there is a gluten free Bisquick mix that you could try.

Make it a meal with:

Red Lobster Biscuits

  • Servings: 12?
  • Difficulty: medium
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Buttery, garlicky, and great with seafood.

Ingredients

  • 2 c. Bisquick (or gluten free Bisquick mix)
  • 2/3 c. Milk
  • ½ c. Shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • ½ c. Butter, melted
  • ¼+ tsp. Garlic Powder

Directions

Heat oven to 450°. Mix Bisquick, milk and cheese until a soft dough forms. Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cooking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Mix butter and garlic powder. Brush mixture over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet.


 

The Best Banana Bread

Jeff got this recipe from his friend Adam’s mom, and it really is the best banana bread. What makes it so amazing? Man, it is SO buttery! We’ve made this bread for so many people, and it’s just delicious. Note that it does often sink in the middle–but it’s still amazing. And it’s a great use of your overripe bananas. If you want it to sink less, make it in smaller pans or as banana muffins. We might play with the recipe a little bit to see if we can get it to sink less, but it’s so delicious that we don’t mind if it’s a bit sunken.

(When I made it for the picture, of course it overflowed a lot in the oven, so the shape of the slice was kind of weird. But I wanted to photograph it so you know this loaf isn’t perfectly rectangular, at least not until we figure out a better option for keeping it from overflowing/sinking.)

If you’re making it gluten free, just swap the flour for the gluten free cup for cup flour and add 1/4 c. It turns out really well–I don’t think I could tell the difference, they even look the same.

The Best Banana Bread

  • Servings: 1 lg loaf or 2 small
  • Difficulty: medium
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Buttery and amazing (may sink in the middle).

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 c. Sugar
  • 3/4 c. Butter
  • 2 Eggs
  • 2 c. Flour (or 2 1/4 c. gluten free flour with xanthan gum)
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1/4 c. Buttermilk (or 1/4 c. milk mixed with 1 Tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice)
  • 1 c. Mashed Very Ripe Bananas (2 bananas)

Directions

Mix all ingredients together. Pour batter into buttered pans and place pans on a cookie sheet in case of overflow (be careful not to overfill–even large loaves can bubble over). Bake at 325° for at least 1 hour (until an inserted knife comes out clean). Makes 2-3 small loaves or 1 extra large loaf.


Apple Crisp

I love this recipe, and it comes from Allrecipes. I’m just including it here for my own reference because I use it so often. Also, if we have an apple tree produce lots of apples (even if they’re very small apples), I’ll cut up the apples and make several apple crisps to put in the freezer. If I have lots of tiny apples, I peel and cut them into slices, and weigh them out so I get 2 pounds.

It’s so wonderful to have apple crisps on hand in the freezer, able to throw it in the oven on a cold day for a very satisfying, warm dessert.

If you’re making this one gluten free, it turns out great with gluten free oats and replacing the flour with gluten free flour.

Apple Crisp

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: medium
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Freeze some and warm in the oven for an easy, delicious dessert.

Ingredients

  • 6 Apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (about 2 lbs. apple slices)
  • 2 Tbsp. Sugar
  • ½ tsp. Cinnamon
  • 1 c. Brown Sugar
  • ¾ c. Oats (or gluten free oats)
  • ¾ c. Flour (or gluten free flour)
  • 1 tsp. Cinnamon
  • ½ c. Cold Butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Toss apples with sugar and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon to coat. Pour into greased 9×13 pan. For topping, combine rest of ingredients in a bowl and then use a pastry cutter to cut and mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Spread the mixture over the apples to the edge of the baking dish. Pat the topping gently until even. (If freezing a pan, cover with foil, label, and place in freezer.) Bake until golden brown, sides are bubbling, and apples are tender to your preference, about 45 minutes. 


 

Buttercream Frosting

There are lots of buttercream frosting recipes out there. But I loved the frosting on Harmons cakes and celebration cookies. Luckily the Harmons chefs shared the recipe with me (which I’m sure has changed by now anyway), and I’ve used it many times. I’ve even used it as a base for flavored buttercreams as well.

And thank goodness this one is naturally gluten free.

Buttercream Frosting

  • Servings: 12?
  • Difficulty: easy
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Perfect for cakes or sugar cookies.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. Butter (aka 1 box)
  • 2 lb. Powdered Sugar (aka 1 large bag)
  • 1 Tbsp. Vanilla
  • 1/4 c. Water

Directions

Beat butter well. Slowly incorporate sugar. Scrape down, then mix in vanilla. Then mix in water. (For strawberry buttercream, replace the water with 1/2 c. fresh or frozen strawberries, pureed and strained.)


Glazed Donuts

Haha, I flip-flop on whether I spell it “doughnuts” or “donuts”–but I don’t flip-flop on how amazing hot donuts are. If you’ve ever seen 30 Rock, you may remember when Liz Lemon says that a microwaved donut is the best dessert in the world.

I swear that Liz Lemon and I are nearly the same person, and that's scary. | Expensive chocolate, 30 rock, Vanilla bean ice cream

And we’re not talking cake donuts. We’re talking fluffy like a cloud, soft, melt-in-your-mouth, hot donuts. These are of course best eaten when warm, but you can always microwave them if they cool down. Because these take so long to make, I generally make them only once every year or two, sometimes for Valentine’s Day or Halloween with festive sprinkles. But they’re amazing. You can even use cookie cutters for other shapes, like we’ve made hearts before with a round hole in the middle. Haha, or if you don’t have a donut cutter, we’ve used round cookie cutters or cups to cut them out. And you can also make filled donuts with these, if you don’t cut a hole and you pipe in some jam in the middle after they’re fried. Then sprinkle on powdered sugar.

If you’re making this one gluten free, I haven’t tried it–but I imagine it won’t translate well with just swapping the flour for the cup for cup gluten free flour. Because this one is so light and airy like a bread, I imagine gluten is integral to its structure. But if I ever try it, I’ll let you know how it goes.

Glazed Donuts

  • Servings: about 30 donuts +40 holes
  • Difficulty: hard
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Takes lots of work and flour, but SO delicious.

Ingredients

Donuts

  • 2 pkgs. Yeast (4 1/2 tsp. total)
  • 1/4 c. Water
  • 1 1/2 c. Lukewarm Milk
  • 1/2 c. Sugar
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1/2 c. Shortening (preferably butter flavored)
  • 5 c. Flour
  • Canola or Vegetable Oil for frying

Glaze

  • 11 Tbsp. Butter
  • 4 c. Powdered Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. Vanilla
  • 1/2 c.+ Hot Water

Chocolate Frosting (if desired)

  • Same as regular glaze, plus 8 oz. milk or semisweet chocolate chips, melted

Directions

Dissolve yeast in warm water in bowl of stand mixer and let it foam for a few minutes. Add milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 c. flour. Beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping constantly. Beat on medium for 2 minutes, scraping occasionally. Stir in remaining flour until smooth. Cover and let rise until double, about an hour (dough is ready when indentation remains when touched). Turn dough onto floured surface, and roll around lightly to coat with flour. Gently roll dough 1/2″ thick with floured rolling pin. (Don’t roll too thick or doughnuts will get very thick and kind of dry like grocery store donuts). Cut with floured donut cutter. Cover and let rise until double, about 30-40 minutes. Heat oil in deep fryer or electric skillet to 350°. Slide donuts into hot oil with wide spatula or using chopstick. Flip donuts with chopstick as they turn golden brown, fry until both sides are golden, then remove and drain on a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet.

For glaze, melt butter, then stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Whisk in water until it’s the desired consistency. (For chocolate frosting, melt butter and chocolate together, then add powdered sugar and vanilla.) Drop the donuts in the glaze (ideally when they’ve cooled 2-3 minutes so the glaze doesn’t melt off entirely), cover them well, and place them back on the cooling rack over the cookie sheet.


 

Vanilla Custard Ice Cream

Oh man, Jeff and I love this ice cream. It comes from the ever wonderful red and white checked Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. We love this ice cream plain or with mix-ins (such as a whole bag of mint Oreos). We have discovered that the vanilla flavor is best when it’s soft-serve consistency instead of fully hardened in the freezer. Of course this is a custard ice cream because of the eggs, and the flavor is rich and amazing. FYI, we have made this with and without the added flour, and both were good. Obviously the photo is a cookies and cream version, still soft serve (made with Gluten Free Oreos added during the last 2 minutes and also folded in by hand when it got too full).

If you’re making this one gluten free, you can omit the flour and it’s just fine.

Vanilla Custard Ice Cream

  • Servings: 1 1/4 qts.
  • Difficulty: medium
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Rich and full of vanilla, with richest flavor as soft serve. Add cookies or candy for fun.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 c. Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. Flour (optional)
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt
  • 2 c. Milk
  • 2 beaten Eggs
  • 2 c. Whipping Cream
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. Vanilla (real vanilla if possible)

Directions

Combine sugar, flour, and salt; gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir over low heat until thicker or scalding (don’t let it get really thick or the texture will be off). Add small amount of hot mixture to eggs and mix well, then return to hot mixture. Cook and stir 1 minute, then chill mixture. Stir in cream and vanilla. Freeze in ice cream maker (about 20 minutes turning), then freeze until hard in freezer if desired. Makes about 1 1/4 quarts. (If adding mix ins, add them in during the last two minutes of churning or fold in by hand.)


 

Russian Tea Cookies

These cookies have a lot of names, but we always called them Russian Tea Cookies. And they’re traditional at our house at Christmastime. We make big batches and add them to cookie plates for our neighbors.

If you’re making this one gluten free, you’ll just want to use cup for cup flour instead of regular flour. It turns out great! Just be extra careful when rolling in powdered sugar because they fall apart more easily.

Russian Tea Cookies

  • Servings: 36
  • Difficulty: medium
  • Print


Small, popable cookies great for Christmas.

Ingredients

  • 1 c. Butter, softened
  • ½ c. Powdered Sugar
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla
  • 2 ¼ c. Flour (or gluten free flour with xanthan gum)
  • ¼ tsp. Salt
  • ¾ c. Finely Chopped Nuts (Walnuts or Pecans)
  • Powdered Sugar

Directions

In a large bowl, beat butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Add flour, salt, and nuts. Mix well. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place them on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes until set but not brown. While cookies are still warm, roll them in powdered sugar. Cool and roll in powdered sugar again. Makes 3 dozen.


Watergate Cake

I think this cake originated at the Watergate Hotel or something similar. Haha, nothing scandalous. Because it’s green, we love to make it every year for St. Patrick’s Day. But I love the creamy, thick frosting so much that I’ve even had it for a birthday cake once or twice. Plus, I just love nuts. FYI, sometimes the cake might sink in the middle or get a little dark around the edges, but it’s still always delicious.

If you’re making this one gluten free, I did actually make it gluten free for St. Patrick’s Day this year using a gluten free white cake mix. I added 3-4 Tbsp. corn starch since gluten free versions of things often have you add extra corn starch or gluten free flour–plus a few gluten free mixes say to add a few tablespoons of corn starch for high altitude. I don’t think it necessarily needed that much. Maybe next time I’ll just do 2 Tbsp. corn starch. The batter looked a little thicker than the regular, but it baked up to the same level. I had to use a Funfetti cake mix because the store didn’t have a gluten free, but it turned out just fine. I also toasted some pecans instead of raw walnuts, and it was great.

Watergate Cake

  • Servings: 12
  • Difficulty: medium
  • Print


Nutty, with amazing green frosting and perfect for St. Patrick’s Day.

Ingredients

Cake

  • 3 ½ oz. box instant Pistachio Pudding
  • White Cake Mix (or gluten free cake mix + 2-3 Tbsp. corn starch)
  • 1 c. Vegetable Oil
  • ½ c. Walnuts or pecans, slightly chopped (optionally toasted)
  • 1 c. Ginger Ale
  • 3 Eggs

Frosting

  • 8 oz. container Cool Whip
  • 3 ½ oz. box instant Pistachio Pudding
  • 1 ¼ c. Milk

Directions

For cake, mix ingredients and pour into a well-greased 9×13 pan. Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes.

For frosting, mix and whisk all ingredients until smooth. Let it sit for a few minutes to thicken, then spread on cake.