gluten free cinnamon biscuits

Posted on September 26, 2016 by bear loves dove

Oh my, I just had to share my latest little kitchen experiment with you, they are too delicious not to. It all started when my dad developed this yummy gluten free biscuit that my mum and I can both eat. (mum and I have many similar food intolerances/allergies). Anyway after eating Dad’s scrummy bikkies that taste just like a classic Nice biscuit I was reminded how having a cuppa and biscuit is just about the best thing ever, one of life’s sweet little simple pleasures. It got me thinking, if I can’t make the time to do some experimental biscuit baking whilst I’m on my lovely precious sabbatical, then when can I? So I got to it and these are the results… they are easy and only need basic ingredients that are most likely staples in a gluten free kitchen anyway.

Ingredients
1 Egg
120g Butter
1/2 cup Rice Flour
1/2 cup Potato Flour
1/2 cup Almond Meal
1/2 cup Hazelnut Meal
1/2 cup Caster Sugar
1tsp Baking Powder
2tsp Cinnamon
Slurp of Maple Syrup

Method
Cream the butter and sugar til fluffy, add the egg and maple syrup and mix well.
Sift potato flour and rice flour then mix all dry ingredients together.
Add dry ingredients to butter mixture then stir and mix until combined.
Spoon dollops onto a lined tray and dust with extra sugar and cinnamon.
Bake for 18-20 minutes at 160c degrees (fan forced oven).
Allow to cool, if you can, then demolish at least half the batch just to make sure they are ok.

I think they taste a little like those yummy cinnamony bikkies Speculaas, but I’ve also tweaked the recipe with molasses instead of maple syrup, lots of ginger and a dash of nutmeg and cloves and this version reminds me of Gingernut biscuits. Yum yum, so many biscuits, so little time! I’m off to put the kettle on for another cuppa and biscuit session.

May life’s simple little pleasures fill your heart with joy and your bikkie tin with your favourites.

ginger & turmeric syrup

Posted on August 17, 2016 by bear loves dove

‘Cup of tea or coffee? Ginger Syrup?’ Chances are if you visit me that’s what I’ll say. Followed by ‘I make this homemade ginger syrup and use it like cordial with sparkling water. It’s a lovely refreshing drink, would you like to try some?’ … I guess it’s quite the sell job really but unless you are a ginger hater you will probably love my ginger syrup. Well that’s been my experience in offering it so far anyway. I thought I’d share how I make it as most people that try it usually ask for the recipe. This version is the turmeric one but just leave that out if you’d prefer a plain ginger syrup.

I’ve been making ginger syrup for years and it’s become one of those things that I hate to run out of. I tend to make a couple of litres every couple of weeks as it’s the main thing I drink apart from cuppas. I found the inspiration for my original recipe at this fabulous blog by the lovely Rhonda. Of course me being me I tweaked the recipe somewhat, partly due to the fact that I can tolerate limes better than lemons and partly due to laziness. I no longer grate my ginger, and I don’t peel it either. I just wash it and scrub it with a firm brush to remove any dirt. I’ve taken to adding fresh turmeric in my ginger syrup over the last few months and am loving both the subtle flavour and the health benefits of consuming turmeric regularly. Be warned though, the fresh turmeric will stain everything it touches so don’t use your favourite chopping board! I use gloves so I don’t have yellow/orange fingers for days.

This isn’t a recipe as such, more of a guide. It’s only cordial so you can’t go wrong really! Oh and all you ‘no sugar people’ best look away now, this is not a low sugar drink, it is a cordial/syrup after all.

Ginger & Turmeric Syrup

INGREDIENTS
Ginger – approx 3-4 pieces the size of your hand
Turmeric – approx 1 piece the size of your palm
Raw sugar – approx one mountain equal in size to the mountain of chopped ginger/turmeric.
Limes – approx 3 to 6 (depending on availability and price!)

HOW TO MAKE IT
Scrub the ginger and turmeric to clean any residual dirt.
Chop as finely as you can be bothered, the finer the better.
Pile into large pot forming a single mountain, I use a big 6.7 litre pot (I think!).
Pour in sugar to make roughly the same size mountain as the ginger.
Peel or zest limes and add juice.
Fill the pot with water.
Bring to the boil then simmer for an hour or three.
Turn off heat and allow to steep for another hour or three. (or overnight if you run out of time/can’t be bothered)
Strain into bottles or jugs and keep in the fridge.

That’s it, simple hey? I’m not sure how long it lasts as ours doesn’t make it beyond a couple of weeks. I like it served with sparkling water but tap water is fine too.

Let me know if you make some? Or if you have any questions about my vague guide?

May your cup runneth over x

homemade dairy free cheese

Posted on July 26, 2015 by bear loves dove

I know, it sounds too good to be true doesn’t it? But it is true and I have proof. Granted it’s a soy based cheese so I know you dairy eaters may scoff at it, but for us non dairy eaters this is quite the treat. And if you have a bunch of allergies, it’s even more so a treat as there are only two ingredients in it. What? I know, it’s almost amazing! Soymilk and the good old lemon. That’s it. That’s all you need to make your own dairy free ricotta cheese.

I found the dairy version of this recipe and the inspiration to make it on the blog of the lovely Kate Berry, Lunch Lady. I asked Kate if it was possible to make the ricotta with soy milk, when she said yes I went out and bought myself a thermometer in preparation of a cheese eating weekend I was going to have. It was super easy to make, didn’t take too long and left me with a decent size tub of Ricotta cheese to pig out on and enjoy on my ~~cardboard~~ rice crackers. I ate a lot of it with rice crackers and ham topped with gherkins, and boy were they delicious.

So for all you allergy sufferers out there, missing cheese like you miss having the energy of a 6 year old, you might want to give this homemade dairy free cheese a go. You’ll be smothering your allergy friendly bread / crackers in it in no time.

May your belly be full of your favourite cheese / bread / chocolate * …
*insert craving of choice

allergy friendly toasty fruit bread

Posted on March 8, 2015 by bear loves dove

This delicious toasty bread has no flour, no cornflour, no tapioca, and no nuts or grains of any kind! It’s gluten free, nut free and dairy free. I know, what IS in it hey? The secret to this allergy friendly toasty fruit bread is the humble spud! This recipe has been a long time coming. There were many trials and even more disasters. Then finally I made the most delicious fruit toast I’ve tasted for 10 years. That said I haven’t actually eaten toast for close to 10 years, so my comparison scale might be a tad off. Forgive me.

This recipe does come with warnings though;

Anything gluten free can be a bit hit and miss. Sorry if this misses for you.
It’s not really a bread eating kind of bread. It really comes into its own when you toast it. I slice my loaves and then freeze them, popping them straight into the toaster from the freezer.
If you don’t like fruit loaf, you may want to try some other flavourings. On its own without the spices and fruit it’s a bit elyuko. Too much like some weird potatoey dish gone wrong. A friend suggested a herb and garlic version which would do a great job masking the odd flavour. I’m yet to try that one but I will… thanks Jill!
There is a couple of processes to this bread, it’s not my favourite chuck it all in a bowl and mix method.
I have a dodgy airy oven so cooking time seems to change every time I cook it. The idea is to cook it long and slow or else the crust will burn. Tweak the timings to suit your dodgy or not so dodgy oven.
If you choose to slather it with butter and top it with homemade Peach & Vanilla Bean Jam, I can’t be held responsible for how much you devour!

Alrighty, time for toast yes?

Allergy Friendly Toasty Fruit Bread.

Ingredients:

600gm cooled mashed potato (dry mash, don’t add any butter/milk)
6 eggs
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup potato flour
1/4 cup sugar for the whites
1/4 cup sugar for the yolks
1/2 tablespoon bi carb soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup of sultanas and/or currants or whatever dried fruit you like
1/4 cup dates (I use the medjool ones)
Lots of Spices: Add what you like really but I added heaped teaspoons of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Be generous with them.
Pinch of salt (for luck!)

Method:

Whisk the whites of the eggs with their 1/4 cup of sugar until they are stiff peaks.
In another bowl mix all the dry ingredients. Sift if you can be bothered or whisk if you like short cuts (thanks lunchlady!). Toss the dried fruit through the dry ingredients.
Next you want to whisk the yolks with their 1/4 cup of sugar until they are really light in colour and fluffy. Add the mashed potato to the yolk mix and mix well.
Now you can lightly fold and gently mix all three mixes together – the egg white mix, the yolk potato mix and the dry mix.
Pour into a lined loaf tin and pop in a preheated 160c degree oven for about 40 odd minutes – give or take 15 -20 minutes! Keep an eye on it, it may need more or less depending on your oven and loaf tin size. Probably more so check it often. I use a really large tin 30cm L x 5cm W x 7cm D. If you have mix left over pop it in some little dishes if you have them. I used some baby heart cake tins with the over on my last quadruple mix, and they turned out pretty cute!

Peach & Vanilla Bean Jam

Ingredients:

2.5kg of chopped clingstone peaches. And I left the skin on, seemed like a hell of lot of work to take it off kilos of peaches!
1 kg sugar
Juice of 4 limes
3 vanilla beans
Oh and I added 2 apples as my peaches were just under the 2.5kg weight and I wanted to remember quantities! The apples were my homegrown freshly picked granny smiths and I think they added a good hit of pectin as my jam set like a boss.

Method:

Cook the peaches down a bit first until they soften. Then add the sugar, lime juice and vanilla beans/skins. Cook it bubbling away and stirring often, for an hour or two. Pour into sterilised jars.

Ok that’s enough recipes for one post. If you do make either the jam or bread, let me know? If you’re looking for me I’ll be in the window seat eating toast and jam!

Wishing you hot buttery toasty mornings and peachy sweet jam.

lemon butter, sherbet and candy

Posted on July 11, 2014 by bear loves dove

Mmmmm…. lemon butter… I could eat it by the spoonful… sometimes do! It’s the thing I hunt down at markets, forever in search of the perfect homemade lemon butter.

Well I had myself a bit of a lemon butter off recently and I finally made some (even though my classic old New Zealand cookbook ‘Edmonds’ calls it lemon honey). I also had a recipe for lemon custard, it’s been stuck to the fridge for months, teasing me. Then I was gifted some lemons from my gorgeous daughter. And you know what they say about life giving you lemons? Yes I’ve seen the pinterest boards saying ‘get yourself some tequilla and slam that sh*t down’… but tequilla and I aren’t fond of each other… (bad memories!) … So when life gave me lemons, I decided lemon butter and lemon custard was the answer. And a day of whisking began.

I whisked till my arm was burning. I kept remembering stories of curdled lemon butter when it all goes wrong. I was determined mine wouldn’t curdle. And it didn’t, all the whisking paid off. I tested both of these glorious lemony buttery delights extensively… I take my research seriously you know! And I came to conclusion that they are both bloody delicious!

But which one would I choose to make again you ask? Neither. I would take a little from each recipe and tweak up my own version. What a surprise hey?! You see I loved the addition of the zest in the lemon honey, but I loved the custardy texture of the lemon custard. The lemon honey was very sweet, the custard a bit tart… so I’d go somewhere in between for the sugar.

The one on the left is the lemon honey, complete with lovely zingy bits of zest. The one of the right is the lemon custard. Funnily enough, looks a lot more like custard. Both equally moreish!

Now I found the recipe for the lemon custard online, so long ago and I really can’t remember where I found it. I’ve searched far and wide to where I thought it may have been and can’t find it. So I’m reproducing it here but please know it is not my recipe. If it is your recipe or you know the creator of it, please do let me know so I can share some link love.

Now for the sherbet. My sherbet wrist warmers are done and I can’t wait to pop them on the next gloomy grey cold day, and feel all bright and happy and sherbet-ey.

This is my new project. It’s my Popping Candy Blanket, because the colours remind me of popping candy. Some of the sherbet colours mixed in with some of the many random odds and ends of colours that I keep promising myself I’ll use up. I find it tricky to use up end bits of yarn because I’m pretty pedantic about what colours I like to play together. But I’m loving the bright colourful mix of this one as it honestly feels really happy, and I feel happy crocheting it.

What about you? Are you making anything that makes you happy? Like eating lemon butter by the spoonful? Life giving you lemons?

Wishing you juicy lemons, sherbet smiles and happy candy coloured days.

a cuppa, a cake (recipe) and a chat

Posted on June 27, 2014 by bear loves dove

Feel like a cuppa? A piece of cake? A chat? Great, you’re in the right spot.

The last project from my Blog with Pip course, is to tell you about ‘five things I love right now’ over a cuppa. I’m offering a piece of cake with my cuppa because I love cake… especially gluten free cake I can eat! I tweaked this recipe, adapting it from this one. I’m a bit thrilled with how it turned out (ie it worked and wasn’t like a brick) so I’m going to share the recipe with you after I finish chatting about the things I love. Oh and don’t forget to pop over to Meet me at Mikes and have a cuppa with my classmates too. Such a great bunch of friendly talented bloggers, am sure you’ll find a new blog or three to follow there.

one
Spending time with the people I love. Time is such a precious thing and I rarely feel like there is enough of it to go around. I’ve been super blessed lately with spending beautiful days with my mum and my sister, having lovely skypes with my son in Bolivia (drinking a $2 bottle of Rum – him not me!), having chatty delicious dinners with my daughter and her fella, and doing lots of crafty stuff to really good music with my hubby. Precious times locked in my heart and memory bank for ever and ever.

two
I’m a bit obsessed with taking photos at the moment. I have over 14,000 photo’s on my iphone and most of them only go back as far as 2013! Ridiculous hey? Taking snaphappy to whole new level… possibly bordering on some sort of OCD. And I already have one of those about numbers so I don’t need another about photos. I am hoping to learn how to take better photos this Sunday at this course. Can’t wait!

three
I am super excited and a bit in love with a new series of posts I’ll be doing each month. I’ve never done a series of post here so I hope I can stick to it! ‘My smile inducers’ is all about looking for those little (or big) things that bring a smile to your face (or heart). My first post on this just felt like a great way to stop and … well… smile! I’m a big believer in the power of a smile and think they are contagious. If you see someone really smiling, it’s hard not to smile with them… isn’t? I will be adding a link option so you if you are a blogger you can write a smile inducing post and link back… and if you don’t blog you can tell me yours in the comments or on instagram (#mysmileinducers)… we will be creating a happy little hub of smiley places to visit… So on the first Saturday of each month, pop in for a smile or six ok?

four
Of course I couldn’t tell you about the things I am loving right now without mentioning yarn related craft. Crochet in particular. If you already read this blog you will know how hooked on the hook I am, and my obsession with natural yarns. I’ve not long finished a huge blanket, and apart from making some cute wrist warmers I’m in no mans land with projects. It’s quite thrilling actually as I love this stage of pondering my next project. So many ideas in my head it’s hard to pick just one. Maybe I’ll start two… it wouldn’t be the first time.

five
A delicious light fluffy flourless cake that’s sweet with a smidge of tart from the apples. Easy to make and even easier to eat. What’s not to love?

Flourless Apple Ripple Cake.

Ingredients:

75g butter
75g dairy free margarine ( I used Nuttelex but you can use all butter or all marg if you prefer)
I big plump vanilla bean
2/3 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 cup almond meal
1/2 cup rice flour
1 nutmeg
1 apple (I used Pink Lady as that was just what I had – use whatever you have – and leave the skin on, it’s pretty!)
A generous sprinkle of demerara sugar (any sugar will probably do but demerara is great as it holds its chunky crystals shape during baking.)

Method:

Whisk the crap out of the butter, marg and sugar. I found this is the secret to a really light fluffy gluten free cake. I whisked mine for ages, in the end it looked like whipped cream!
Add the eggs. Mine always curdle – I don’t care. Still works. Add all those beautiful little caviare-like seeds from your vanilla bean. Freshly grate your nutmeg into the mix – I love the stuff so add a heap. Add as much or little as you like. Mix until well combined. Next add the almond meal and rice flour. Feel free to sift it to make it lighter still – I’m too lazy for that step! Now DON’T mix too much. Just mix until it’s evenly combined. I find this also helps in keeping the cake light and delicate and not brick like.

Pour your batter into a lined cake tin. Slice your apple into thin little wedge slices and arrange all pretty like on your cake. Grate lots more nutmeg over the top. Sprinkle with as much or little demerara sugar as your sweet tooth commands. Bake in oven 180C (160C fan-forced) for about 30 minutes. Timing depends on your cake tin size and shape… so if your cake tin is big and your batter shallow keep an eye on the timing – you may need to shorten it.

Cool cake… for just a moment if you can… then slice and eat… with fresh cream poured over the top if you can eat dairy… or with a cuppa… or both… good luck stopping at one slice.

Let me know if you make one?