best dessert: November 2010

Gluten-Free Hazelnut Crackers with Vegan Herbed Cream Cheese

Gluten free hazelnut cracker recipe with dairy free herb cream cheese spread and both recipes are vegan

Gluten-free hazelnut crackers and vegan herbed cream cheese.

Holiday fever has struck. The wheel of the year has turned once again and Winter Solstice is fast approaching. And that means party food, Dudes and Dudettes. Appetizing little bites of joy and peace. Gluten-free hazelnut crackers you can serve your guests without apology. Snowy soft herbed cream cheese you can offer your favorite vegan and your die-hard carnivore. That's right. Both. At once. To whet their appetite. A tease. A taste of deliciousness to get the festivities rolling.

And no one has to know how crazy easy it was to conjure these goodies.

They'll just be totally impressed you made your own crackers. And after they try one? You might even score a kiss beneath the mistletoe.

You've got your mistletoe hung, right?

Read more + get the recipe >>

Christmas Help For Busy Bloggers

If you are as busy as I am this time of year, I'm sorry. From Christmas shopping to family parties to wrapping gifts, my month of December is full. I love it though. We do make sure to do the important stuff like drinking hot cocoa and snuggling up to watch Elf, Christmas Vacation, and Christmas Story and remembering the true meaning of Christmas. However, that's why I'm giving a shout out to Shutterfly. They will be taking care of one less thing on my list: Christmas cards. I always just stick a family photo in a Christmas card, but this year I will be letting them do my dirty work. Cuz they don't mind. The hard part for me will be in trying to decide which card to pick. They are so cute. I mean look.

See? Difficult decision ahead. I'm also loving the birthday cards.

Want to get in on the action? If you are a blogger, go here and get yourself 50 free Christmas Cards.

Paula Deen's Old Fashioned Meat Loaf

Meat Loaf, Meat Loaf, Double Double Beet Loaf. I hate Meat Loaf. That's according to Randy on Christmas Story, not me. I double love me some meat loaf. Especially the next day as a meat loaf sandwich for lunch. I just take some bread and spread Miracle Whip on both sides, then place some warmed meat loaf on one side topped with Heinz 57. Completely happy. I came across Paula Deen's version in one of her cookbooks and it's awful good. Try the sandwich. I'm serious. Do it.

Paula Deen's Old Fashioned Meat Loaf

1 lb. ground beef

6 oz. can Tomato Paste

1 chopped onion

1/2 c. oats

1 egg

1 tsp. salt

Mix all together in a bowl and put into a loaf pan.

Topping

1/3 c. ketchup

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. mustard

Mix together and spread over the meat. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 40-60 minutes until done. Remove cover the last 15 minutes.

Printable Version

I linked this to Gooseberry Patch.

Gluten-Free Potato Latkes

Nothing beats golden, crispy, lacy latkes.

A gluten-free favorite from the archives- these tender, lacy latkes are easy to make. Serve with homemade applesauce and sour cream spiked with a hint of horseradish or chives. And PS: I just passed my 5th year blog anniversary! Five years blogging gluten-free recipes.

Delicious thanks to all of you- much love xox Karina

Read more + get the recipe >>

Pink Pecan Pie Macarons

"What does Fall mean to you?... Does fall mean Thanksgiving, or deep cinnamon flavour, are apples your calling or do falling leaves announce the season to you? Or then, is it the warm comfort and luxury of hot cocoa or warm spiced cider?"
-Mactweets

l'Automne. Quite simply my favourite season of the year, when the river valley is an explosion of reds and golds, and the sunny but crisp days mean

Pa Tong Goh (Deep-fried dough stick)

Many cultures have dishes made by deep frying dough of one form or another. Pa Tong Goh or Deep-fried dough stick is a You tiao in Chinese are popular breakfast foods in Chinese culture. They are 2 different taste in Thailand are savory and oily in taste and sweet taste. The texture is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside with large cavernous holes. Pa Tong Goh or Deep fried dough are normally eaten as an accompaniment for rice congee or soy milk and all hot drink in the morning for Thailand.

Ingredients:

2 cups of all purpose flour
1 cup of warm water
2 tbsp of vegetable oil (for mix)
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of sugar
2 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp ammonia
2 cups of vegetable oil for fry

Preparations:

Dissolve the salt, baking soda and alum in the water.
Mix the water and flour into a dough. Let stand for 15 minutes, then clean your hands and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Place the dough on an oiled surface and roll into a shot strip.
Cut into short strips. Press two strips together and roll them lengthwise.
Heat the oil and add the dough sticks, a few at a time, and deep-fry, stirring constantly, until golden brown.
Drain well and serve warm with rice congee or soy milk and all hot drink.

Khao Tou (Stir Sweetness Sun Dried Rice)

Khao Tou is a Thai dessert made from rice, the rest eating. By make them to the rice mill and then dried thoroughly. Mix of water with sugar and shredded coconut together. Add roasted rice and stir to first sort mold insert pot. Baking with smoke fragrant candle and Jasmine flower.

Ingredients:

1 cup sun dried steamed rice.
1 cup Sugar Palm
2 cups shredded coconut
½ cup water
Fragrant Candle
Jasmine flower

How to cook:

Bring sun dried steamed rice to roast until turn to yellow and crispy and ground thoroughly.
You should separate out the rough ground and pounded it again.
Mix sugar palm, shredded coconut, water and ground rice in a big pan, picking up scent and heat,
Continue stirring until shredded coconut sticky well.
Poor the roasted rice into pan and stir to combine to raise.
Preparing the mold with oil make easy to bring dessert out from mold and made it clearly see the pattern.
Mold the dessert into a ball size fit with a mold and press firmly and strike out of mold until finish.
Bring all the “Khao Tou” keep in a pot (must big enough)
Add jasmine flower in the pot and turn candles light and place on top of the Khao tou and blow off fragrant candle and then cover the pot.
Leave it over the night.

Salapao Thod (Deep fried Salapao)

Deep fried Salapao is Chinese style breakfast type at most will be sold in the morning on the street food in conjunction with deep-fried dough stick. As a snack serving with hot coffee, hot tea, and soy milk. The taste should be crispy outside and chewy inside. Present we can found some at night on the street food also.

Ingredients:

1 kg of all purpose flour
350 g of palm sugar
3 cups of water
2 tsp of yeast
1 tsp of salt
½ tsp of baking soda
1 tbsp of ammonia
oil for fry

Preparation:

Mix flour with baking soda and sift it then add yeast and leave it on the rest plate.
In other blow mix sugar, salt and ammonia to water, stir it until it melt and mix well.
Pour mixed flour into then knead it until it mix well. Leave it for 4 hours.
Sculpt flour to round shape and press it then fry it in hot oil for a while or until it changes color to brown.
Serve hot with hot drink.

Winner of Gift Code From CSN Stores...

...goes to Erin from Making Memories! She said,"What wouldn't I love to buy???!!! Wow! I would do some Christmas shopping for my kids - start out with the Smencils! and then get the iCarly wall stickers for my daughter! How cool would that be?!" Congrats, Erin! I hope you have fun shopping! Thanks to all who entered and shared this with your friends. I am sure there will be more giveaways, so don't be too sad. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Khao Tang Naa Tang (Rice Crackers with Prawn Sauce)

Khao Tang Naa Tang within the meaning of the ancient rice stick frying pan or pot bottom, and then shovel out to dry Stored for a long review. And bring out the shovel and sliced. Dry under sun dried fried sliced to the rising swell. Thai Style Rice Crackers served with Prawn Sauce is a Thai snack. it’s crisp Rice Crackers and serve with a little spicy and sweet sauce. Most we take on a classic party dish.

Ingredients:

300 g rice cracker
½ cup minced pork
½ cup minced prawn
1¾ cups coconut milk
¼ cup ground roasted peanut
1 dried red spur chili, seeded and soaked in water
1 tbsp finely sliced garlic
1 tsp finely sliced coriander root
1 tbsp finely sliced shallot
1 chopped coriander plant
¼ tsp pepper
2 tbsp sugar
1 – 2 tbsp fish sauce
4 cups cooking oil, for deep-frying

Preparation: for Rice Crackers

Bring the rest of cooked rice press in the round or square molding as you desired.
And bring to dry under the sun 1-2 days and then fried in hot oil.
Preheat the oil over medium heat. Fry the rice crackers a few pieces at a time.
Turn to brown on both sides, remove and drain.

Preparation: for Sauce

Pound the garlic, coriander root, dried chili and pepper finely.
Bring the coconut milk to the boil over medium heat.
When a film of oil surfaces, add the coriander paste and sauté until fragrant.
Add minced prawns and pork, stir to combine and cooked through.
Season to taste with sugar and fish sauce, stir well.
When the mixture returns to the boil, stir in peanut and shallots.
Remove from the heat, sprinkle fresh coriander over the top.
Serve with fried rice crackers or toast.

Chocolate Caramel Bars

Heavenly. Rich. Addicting. That's how I describe these bars. Because Oh.My.Caramel-y Goodness. They are rich and so I can only handle one of these, even though I would love more. They are just as good, if not better the next day. I am sorry for sharing this recipe as I am sure more than one of you will curse me when you make them. I curse my mother for these. Even though I am making them right now.

Chocolate Caramel Bars

Crust:

1 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

1 1/2 c. oats

1 c. plus 2 Tbsp. soft butter

Mix all together and press half of the mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour 1 bag of chocolate chips over hot crust. Pour 1 bottle of caramel ice cream topping over the chocolate chips.

Top with remaining crust. Just sprinkle it over the caramel. Return to the oven and bake 10-15 minutes more. Watch it to make sure it doesn't overcook.

Printable Version

Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Quinoa mushroom pilaf recipe

Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf

Need some gluten-free inspiration for your Thanksgiving feast? Have I got some side dishes for you. From Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf to Pomegranate Glazed Green Beans, from Sweet Potato Cornbread to Cranberry Applesauce and more, I've gathered together my favorite gluten-free side dish recipes. One glance at these offerings should convince even the most die hard skeptics that living gluten-free can be more than delicious.

It can be beautiful.

Read more + get the recipe >>

$85 Gift Code Giveaway to CSN Stores!

This giveaway is closed.
I told you another giveaway was coming! And it's here courtesy of CSN Stores. They are giving one of you an $85 code to use. They are an awesome company and have over 200 online stores where you can find everything from stylish furniture, a leather briefcase, or great cookware.

Now on to the rules: Chose one or any of the following to do...

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me what you would spend $85 on through csnstores.com
2. Follow my blog through Google and leave a comment telling me you do. If you already follow, simply leave a comment saying so.
3. Follow me on Facebook and leave a comment.
4. Post this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment with the link to your post.
5. Post this giveaway on your Facebook status and leave a comment telling me you did.

So there you go. Five ways to win. Just make sure you leave seperate comments for each thing you do, as those are your entries to win. Contest will end Tuesday November 23rd at Midnight and I will announce the winner on Wednesday the 24th. Make sure you leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you. Thanks for visiting my blog and good luck!

Winner of the Old El Paso Giveaway...

Using Random.org it generated the number...7, who is Mami2jcn! Congrats and I will email you for your infor to send to MyBlogSpark so they can send your package to you. Thanks to all who entered and don't worry, there will be more giveaways ahead, so stay tuned!

Garlic Potatoes

This recipe is versitile. You can used canned or regular potatoes to make this. Canned makes it come together in a snap. You can adjust it to make as much as you want. Super simple, super yummy.

Garlic Potatoes

1 Tbsp. margarine

1 15 oz. can whole or sliced potatoes, drained

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

1/2 tsp. parsley

In a skillet, melt margarine. Add the potatoes and sprinkle with garlic salt. Cook and stir 15-18 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

Note: The amounts in this recipe are for canned potatoes. You may need to adjust the amounts if using regular potatoes.

Printable Version

Review with Old El Paso and a Giveaway!

I was given these cute chip and dip platters, Old El Paso Taco Seasoning, as well as a $10 VISA card to buy the Taco fixings for a yummy dinner courtesy of Old El Paso through MyBlogSpark to review. My family and I love love Tacos. It is one of the meals I prepare that my whole family will eat without complaint. So I, in turn, am sharing this fun package with one of you! To enter, simply leave a comment on this here blog telling me which recipe from here you think your family would enjoy the most. Make sure you leave your email address if it isn't in your profile so I can let you know if you won. Clicking on the Old El Paso link above with give you a $.60 off coupon, so be sure to check it out. Giveaway ends Monday November 15th at midnight.

Here are a couple recipes that look delicious to me...

Shredded Chicken and Corn Tostadas

Slow Cooker Green Chile-Chicken Enchilada Casserole

*The coupon, information, and prize package for giveaway were all provided by Old El Paso through MyBlogSpark.

Dessert Pizza

I really love dessert pizza. I went to eat at a resteraunt and they had it there. So I decided to make it myself. Not much to it. I used store bought pizza dough, however, next time I will use homemade dough. It will taste so much better. Here is a recipe for the dough. Just make it into a round pizza shape instead of the breadsticks.

Dessert Pizza

1 crust for pizza

1 can pie filling of your choice

vanilla frosting (I used store bought and nuked it a little to make it easy to drizzle)

Prepare and bake pizza crust according to instructions on package or the recipe for dough. Pour on the pie filling and spread all around. Bake again for about 5 minutes to warm the filling. Remove from the oven and drizzle the frosting over the top. Try to wait for it to cool long enough that you don't burn the roof of your mouth, thus ruining your entire day.

Printable Version

I shared this on Fat Camp Friday

Awww NUTS.... here we go again!

delicately sweet Cashew Butter Cookies

It's kinda funny. As a kid, I would not have classified myself as a nut lover. Sure, I enjoyed my fair share of peanut butter on toast or in PB and banana sandwiches, but nuts in their non-butter form, not so much. Even then, nuts of the non-peanut form were pretty much a rarity (ya ya, I know - peanuts are not "technically" nuts, whatever). I

It's all about the cream

I recently mentioned the amazing Strawberry Panna Cotta hubby and I enjoyed on a day trip to Sausalito, and the memory seems to be a strong one, 'cause I cannot seem to get it out of my mind. It was creamy and delicately sweet, surprisingly thick yet not heavy or overly rich. For a girl who misses UK double cream like I do, it was heaven on a spoon. So it's no surprise that, upon returning

I'm Featured in The Barrel

The brand new online magazine The Barrel is out! It's an online magazine that reviews blogs and has other great stuff as well. One of the editors, Michelle, contacted me and asked if I would be interested in being featured in their first issue. Heck yeah, I would! How fun is that? So check it out here and be sure to check out pages 10-13. Just sayin'. Click on the magazine cover and it'll take you right inside of it. You can zoom in to see closer (obviously, since that's what zoom means. You can see why they chose me, huh?) Have fun and let me know what you think!

Crispy Onion Chicken

This is one of my favorite ways to eat chicken. The honey mustard gives it a nice flavor and the onions are so good. My 2-year-old daughter loves these fried onions so much that she insisted on eating some from a little cup. With only 3 ingredients, this meal is the easiest thing you'll ever make.

Crispy Onion Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 Tbsp. honey mustard

1 c. crushed French's Fried Onions

Coat the chicken with honey mustard. Roll in the crushed onions. Place on a foil lined baking sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until done.

Printable Version