'supporting each other through really tough times'

katieowl_2

7_week_wonder wrote: »

. Second - has anyone (KatieOwl?) got a simple recipe for some Gluten Free Christmas goodies? We have a load of friends coming round on the day after Boxing Day. The tradition is I provide scones, spiced fairy cakes and mulled wine, but one of our pals who is coeliac and has had a tough year is coming, so I'd like to make something she can eat. All suggestions gratefully received.

Go to supermarket and buy a bag of doves farm white flour and GLUTEN FREE OATS (they are three quid a bag, but they need to be GF if she's sensitive...you may want to check she can eat oats...because not all Coeliacs can) I regularly make date or apricot slices in the market using this recipe, but this week I made apricot and cranberry and they were really christmassy, but I can't see why you couldn't make a mincemeat slice either.

Line an 8" sq tin, Simmer about 150g chopped ready to eat apricots, and 50g cranberries in a little orange juice until sofy (or you can use water and stir in marmalade at the end!) cool a little.

Put 100g Dove farm GF flour, 1 tsp bicarb, 1tsp baking powder, 100g GF oats &150g caster sugar in a bowl and mix in 100g of vitalite marg in with a fork, until it looks like crumble mix, then press just over half very firmly into the bottom of the lined tin, top with the fruit spread evenly over, then sprinkle the remaing half of the oat mixture on the top. Bake for about 20-30 mins at 180 degrees. Sometimes the base remains a little crumbly even when cooked, but it always tastes fantastic. It's not like GF in any way.

The other nice cake is Lemon Berry...

175g butter & 175G caster sugar creamed together
add 3 eggs then:
100g ground almonds
150g Fine polenta
2 tsp baking powder
rind of one lemon and two teaspoons of the juice
and mix thoroughly. If you are doing this in a food processor or mixer that's fine, but do the next bit by hand
Mix in 300g frozen mixed fruit...either summer berries, or fruits of the forest. I use the stuff from Ald! but I go through the fruit by hand cutting the cherries in half to be sure there are no stones left - there are sometimes. It can still be frozen - no need to defrost.

Put it in a 8" square cake tin (a deepish one) it's really stiff so you might need to level it a bit...give it 45 mins at 180 and dust it with icing sugar before serving.

Those are two of my best sellers - GF cake that is actually tasty. You can serve it to all your friends quite happily, not just to your GF friend.

Kate

stiltwalker

7 Week Wonder - when I used to run the tearoom I made a carrot cake that was GF - I just used Doves Farm GF plain flour in place of the plain flour in a standard recipe that used bicarb not baking powder as the raising agent and no-oe even knew it was GF if they didn't notice the label. The recipe was

8 oz grated carrot
8 oz plain flour
8 oz veg oil
1 lb caster sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp bicarb
1 1/2 tsp all spice
1 tsp cinnamon

The original recipe said to whisk egg, sugar, oil and carrot for 2 minutes before adding sifted flour and spices but more often than not I just bunged everything in together and whisked til mixed then pour into 2 lined sandwich tins- it makes quite a runny mix so make sure your pans are tight fitting if loose bottomed and it really does need lining. Cook at about 170 til done (used to take about 50 mins from memory but it was a deeply unpredictable oven so can't do exact timings) - I'd give it 35/40 minutes and see how its doing. This makes a lovely moist sticky cake.

Popperwell

Why would you? But have you moved your computer cursor over the picture of Martin Lewis at the top of the page...

maryb

If you use mincemeat, make sure it is GF - homemade is usually not because the suet is dusted with wheat flour

smileyt_2

Popperwell wrote: »

Why would you? But have you moved your computer cursor over the picture of Martin Lewis at the top of the page...

For a moment there I thought you were asking why you would want to make a cake, and thought you had lost your marbles ..... :rotfl:

ginnyknit

Thanks Pops - made me laugh!

officially finished all my shopping for the next 2 weeks and now Im just going to be lazy. For the last 3 months I have contacted many charities to see if they could use a big bag of knitted mittens, crochet scarves and hats - not one took me up on the offer :mad: So I emailed our local sally army the other day and they forwarded me to a homeless charity 5 minutes from them and I took the bag down today, they were so pleased and were going to put them in gift bags for their clients. I said I would make more for after Christmas and they were really chuffed. I didnt realise it would be so difficult to get things to those who needed them!

GreyQueen

VJsmum wrote: »

I have about a dozen shirts, 3 pairs of trousers, 5 t shirts, a couple of hankies, - but I don't iron pillowslips!!

My DS is getting a bit worked up about the end of the world - that and a flight we are taking next week. He is a bit of a worrywort but, apart from saying "it won't be the end of the world and the plane won't crash" I am not sure what else to do?

I keep telling him I've lived through more ends of the world than I can count but he has become a little obsessive. I guess time will tell. 11.11 isn't it, when it's supposed to happen. I'll go for a coffee

Laters

:beer: Happy belated birthday!

After pulling your leg earlier, I decided I really ought to iron and it was done in 5 mins; one shirt, 3 large hankies and 3 small hankies. Honestly, procrastination really is the thief of time.

If you want to enjoy some end of the world prophecies (he's showcased one every week for a year now) try the archdruidreport blog.

Mind you, amid the tiswas about the initial usage of the large hadron collider, I did think about doing the washing up before I went to work that day and decided not to bother....... if there was no later I wouldn't have wanted to waste a few mins of my last morning on earth.

As to the Mayans, don't think they predicted their own end so I wouldn't trust them to predict ours..........:rotfl:

I have plans to partake of the fatted calf on the 25th and to imbibe the fruit of the grape and the sacred mince'd pie and the heavenly Burds custard and I'll be darned if the end of the world is gonna stop me.

Bring me cakes! And the finest wines known to humanity!

katep23

ginnyknit wrote: »

I didnt realise it would be so difficult to get things to those who needed them!

It's frustrating isn't it - I contacted a few foodbanks in the area to find out about when they were open to accept donations and only one has got back to me. I appreciate they are probably struggling for time but they don't make it easy to donate do they.

kidcat

I am beginning to get worried, so far I have all the teachers presents wrapped, all the cards written, DS8 class friends presents all wrapped and bagged. Two gift boxes are ready to go tomorrow and I have written all our Christmas cards, and there was no rush, no battle, and its not Christmas Eve, so the question is am I really that organised or have I forgotten something majorly huge?

The fudge batches I made today are perfect, am so pleased I tried again, they are now all gift bagged up and ready to be given to all the teachers tomorrow.

nuatha

I also recommend the Doves Farm Gluten Free flour, but have also tested these recipes with the Asda Free From Plain Flour.
My gran always did a Rice Cake as part of her Christmas baking
Rice Cake
100 g butter, 100 g caster sugar, 2 eggs
75 ml milk,
150 g flour (SR or add 2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder to plain), 75g ground rice, 5ml lemon extract
Best eggs with the milk, add lemon extract, cream butter and sugar together, add eggs mix and flours alternately until thoroughly combined. Put in a 7 inch cake tin and bake for 50 mins at 180 (or until skewer comes out clean)
She used to bake a double mixture in a deep tin. I've often added lemon zest to the mix. I've also used the same mix (without the lemon) to make a cherry loaf or cherry buns with the addition of glace cherries.

Choc Brownies, Gluten Free, Vegan, Nut Free
150g caster sugar, 60ml vegetable oil, 125ml chocolate soya milk (or ordinary milk/chocolate milkshake if not vegan)
160g dark chocolate, 80g plain flour, 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Line a 8 inch square baking tin with baking paper, preheat the oven to 180C. Mix together the flour and sifted cocoa powder.
Pour the oil, chocolate soya milk and vanilla into the sugar and mix well. (It looks a mess, don't worry)
Melt the chocolate in the microwave and quickly whisk into the oil/sugar mixture. Quickly stir in the flour/cocoa mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon until it all comes together.

Pour/scrape into the prepared tin and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Leave to fully cool then refrigerate for a couple of hours before cutting.

I also add chunks of chocolate baton to the mix just before baking for an extra chocolate hit. These are seriously rich, I cut into inch squares.

Both cakes with keep for at least three days if you can resist nibbling.

For savoury treats, individual crust free quiches made in a muffin or mini muffin tin, ready made polenta can be rolled out, cut to size, and either fried or baked and makes a useful base for canapes. I've piped a duchesse potato mix into small nests or baskets, so far I've tried filling with roast beef and gravy, onion marmalade and fish stew. Cornbread is easy to make and is naturally gluten free.
If you've access to a decent delicatessen, you may be able to buy soft corn tortilla (the supermarket ones I've looked at all seem to contain wheat flour now) which can be used to make wraps.
Most plain tortilla chips seem to be gluten free, though check labels as this can change easily.
HTH