Gluten Free Stuffing for the holidays

The holiday season is closing in fast, are you ready for it?

The holidays can be hard when you have to eat gluten free and are visiting relatives and friends (Mr. Beams family still doesn't get it entirely) but if bringing or making your own food is an option, I've got a recipe that you might enjoy.

I keep my gluten free bread in the freezer and I know I can't be the only one that gets slices that break into pieces or the ends are too thick for sandwiches. I keep these odd ball pieces in the side pocket of my freezer door and use them to make stuffing, bread crumbs, and anything else I can think of. If you don't have any of these laying around, you can use a fresh loaf. 

I arrange all my  reject sandwich bread on a tray to thaw. Most of these are end pieces that were volunteered for stuffing duty. They don't all fit on my tray and I've over lapped them a bit, but I make sure to move them during the cooking process to make sure everything gets nice and toasted.

Here's a close up of my broken bread, it's perfectly good, save for the fact that it broke into a smaller piece. The bread is mostly thawed at this point (you can see the melted puddles of frost on the tray).

I heated the oven to 300F and put them in.

After 10-15 minutes they should be nicely toasted (for thicker pieces you'll have to turn them over half way through baking or one side will be crunchy and the other will be soft). When they were cool to the touch I broke them into smaller bite size pieces.

 While you're waiting for the bread to toast, prepare your other ingredients.  Stuffing recipes vary greatly, some add dried fruit, while others add the gizzards from the turkey, my recipe however, is on the plain side, and I never have any leftovers.

Chicken stock, diced celery, chopped leeks, minced garlic, chopped parsley, and spice mixture (salt, pepper, celery seed,  ground coriander, garlic powder and onion powder).

When the bread has been cooled and crumbled, combine with the other ingredients, Making sure the bread absorbs the liquid (I show having just over a cup of chicken stock, but while I was mixing the bread I added water to insure there was enough moisture). When it's all mixed together lightly pack it into a baking dish and bake at 350F until golden brown.

Once it's golden, set it on the counter to cool. I usually serve mine warm but it's also great cold.

I make two batches every thanksgiving. One for Mr. Beams side of the family and one for mine (we eat like hobbits during the holidays).

Happy Holidays and Good Eating!

Chicken Chowder

Mr. Beam doesn't like soup, unless he's sick and needs chicken soup or the rare occasion we have grilled cheese and tomato soup.
I have a problem with this because love making and eating soups. My solution? I call soups chowder and make it a bit thicker. I might get a little complaining (just that one time I made cauliflower chowder, but that recipe didn't work out the way it should have).

On the menu today we have a Chicken Chowder.

I love prepping my recipes. I just put some music on and get everything ready to go in their separate bowls or plates. I mince my garlic and shallots, cube my chicken and potatoes, chop my carrots and celery,  prep my corn and mix together or thaw my chicken broth.

I didn't have any homemade chicken stock, so I used my trusty fall back. I love Better Than Bouillon and have both their Organic chicken base and Organic beef base in my fridge at all times (Costco sells them in the big jars!). They are life savers in a pinch and can even give your homemade stock a little boost if needed.

I put my cast iron pot on medium and spooned some bacon fat into it. You can use your favorite oil or butter, but I always have a cup of bacon fat on the stove for things like this. Waste not want not, and it adds more flavor and makes the kitchen smell even better.

The potatoes! If you look closely you'll see they are not all uniformed. I like cutting to various sizes for a chowder. The smaller potatoes will breakdown and help thicken the broth, while the bigger ones will keep most of their shape for eating.

When the pan is hot enough, throw in the shallots and garlic, let them get nice and soft  before adding in the chicken.

I keep this cooking until the chicken is cooked all the way through, but you don't have to, I just like doing a taste test before the next steps.

I add in the potatoes, carrots, celery, and corn, tossing it all together. Then I add the stock, filling it to within an inch of the top of the pot. I add in my spices, salt, pepper, celery seed, and coriander. I'll also add some garlic and/or onion powder if it needs it. Then we wait, and let it cook down.

Until it's thick and looked like this. Adjust any last minute spices and serve. I like mine with a slice of gluten free toast, buttered, on the side.

I make so much of this that I should have leftovers but I hardly ever do. Mr. Beam gobbles up 2 or 3 servings in no time...now if only I can get him to like soup, the dinner possibility would grow into even more delicious things.

Quick, two pan Chicken Alfredo

I've been working long hours lately and have no desire to cook when I get home, let alone do the dishes afterwards. My solution for nights like these? A quick pasta. If I count all the prep dishes and my bowl and spoon to eat with, I get under 10 dishes to wash. (I'm talking  cutting boards, prep knife,  cooking spoon, pasta pot, sauce pan, serving bowl, and spoon to eat it all with). Which I think is pretty impressive considering its a well rounded meal with a vegetable.

  We've got a chicken breast (later cut into cubes), asparagus (later chopped), shallot (later minced), garlic (later crushed in a garlic press), whipping cream, Parmesan cheese, and my favorite noodles (at least for the month).

 First things first, I turn on my pans. First is the pot for the noodles, filled with water and a pinch of salt. Then it's my sauce skillet. Once the skillet is warm, add a little oil or bacon fat (I keep a cup of bacon fat on the stove just for this purpose). Add in your cubed chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook over med-high heat until golden brown. 

When your water is boiling, add the noodles and cook as directed on package, or until al dente.

 Back to the skillet -reduce heat to medium and add your minced shallots and crushed garlic toss for a minute, making sure the garlic doesn't burn. Add in the asparagus and toss for another minute. Now add 3/4 cup cream (or something close to that amount, I eyeball it depending on how much sauce I want), let it bubble for a bit.

Once your noodles are done drain them. I'm spoiled and my pasta pot lid has a built in strainer so I don't have get out the stand alone strainer or try draining it with a normal lid (which I always loose noodles with).

Add the pasta to your sauce and toss it together. Throw in a handful or so of cheese and mix it all together, so the cheese melts and incorporates.

Plate up, sit down, and eat (the dishes can wait till later).