Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Who doesn't love snickerdoodles? I sure do. So when I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I had to try it! Since I've made them, I can't find the recipe on Pinterest anymore, so I decided I would repost it here.The original recipe wasn't gluten free, so I altered it to be gluten free (and dairy free, but I'll just post the gluten free recipe here).



Ingredients:

CUPCAKES
2 3/4 gluten free flour (Jules or Namaste)
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup butter
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs
2 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla
1 1/4 cups milk

CINNAMON FROSTING
1 cup butter, softened
3-4 cups powered sugar (I used 3)
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 tsp. pure vanilla
pinch of salt
1 tbsp. cinnamon
optional: cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on top

Instructions:
CUPCAKES
1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
2. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter with mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, and beat for 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. On low speed, add the flour mixture and milk, beating until just blended.
4. Pour batter (about 1/4 cup) into each muffin tin.
5. Bake 18-20 minutes, cool for 5 minutes before removing.
FROSTING
1. Beat the softened butter on medium speed for about 2 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar, cream, vanilla, and a pinch of salt and beat for 3 minutes. Add the cinnamon and beat until combined.

La Bandera

This Dominican dish may seem complicated at first, but once you get used to making it, it’s very simple and easy to make. La Bandera, which means “The Flag”, is a very common Dominican dish. It is comprised of three main things: beans, rice, and meat (usually chicken or beef). You can add platanos fritos/tostones (fried plantains) on the side and top it off with sliced avocado. This picture shows the dish made with beef, but I'm going to tell you how to make it with chicken. 

Meat:

2 Chicken breasts, sliced into strips

¼ Yellow Onion, sliced julienne style

¼ - ½ Green Bell Pepper, sliced into thin strips

2 ½ large spoonful’s of Tomato Sauce

2 large spoonful’s of Sazón Líquido

Olive Oil for the pan

Directions:

Turn heat up to medium. Put the olive oil in the pan. Add the chicken, tomato sauce, and sazón líquido.

When chicken is cooked thoroughly, add the onion and bell pepper and cover. Do not let the onion or pepper get soggy. Heat it just enough so that it is cooked but still firm.

Beans:

1 can of pinto beans

½ cup water

1 spoonful Olive Oil

1 large spoonful of Sazón Líquido

1 large spoonful of Tomato Sauce

½ tsp. gluten-free Chicken Boullion

1/8 tsp. Oregano

Directions:

Pour all the beans with the liquid into a small pot. Save ¼ of the beans in the can. In the can, add ½ cup of water. Blend the water and the beans together until there are no bean chunks left. Add the blended beans into the pot.

Turn the heat on medium.

Add the sazón líquido, tomato sauce, chicken bouillon, and oregano. Let simmer for a few minutes. Turn the heat down to low and add the olive oil.

Rice:

2 cups rice

3 ½ cups water

2 spoonful’s Olive Oil

½ tbsp. Salt

Directions:

In a rice cooker, combine rice, water, olive oil, and salt. Turn rice cooker on and let it cook. 

***On a side note, this is the olive oil I use. It has a very distinct flavor, different than all the other olive oils you find here in the states. If you can find this olive oil, then use this kind. If you can't find it, then use any olive oil you can. It will definitely taste different if you can use this olive oil, though. 

Sugar Cookies

 

These sugar cookies are so soft! They would be perfect for Valentine's Day. :) I added some pink food coloring to mine to make them pink. 

 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup margarine or 3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (I recommend Namaste or Jules)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Cream margarine or butter with sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and blend well.
Sift together dry ingredients and add to butter/sugar mixture.
Chill at least 1-1/2 hours. (if you chill too long, it's hard to roll the dough out.)
Roll on floured board to 1/2 inch think. Cut with desired cookie cutters.
Bake at 375º 8-10 minutes on a greased cookie sheet.
Cool and frost with your favorite frosting!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Okay, so this isn't the greatest picture, but that's okay, because these taste so good!!!! I think those perfect pictures you see on websites aren't very real, either. You know it won't look that perfect when you pull it out of the oven!

Ingredients:

For Topping: 
1 cup gluten-free flour (Namaste or Jules)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
1 tsp. cinnamon

For Cake:
1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar (or honey)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla (or almond extract)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups gluten-free flour (Namaste or Jules)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions: 

Combine all the topping ingredients until it resembles coarse sand and clumps together. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cream the butter and sugars (or honey with brown sugar) until smooth and creamy. Add in eggs, one at a time and then vanilla (or almond extract) and sour cream.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to batter until just combined. (Do not over mix.)

Spoon batter into a 9x13 greased pan. Sprinkle topping over batter.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool before cutting and serving.

Namaste Perfect Flour Blend

This is a great product! It is perfect for baking, and it even has the xanthan gum already in it. (So convenient!)

It's a great deal, too. If you want to check it out, you can do so by clicking here. (It comes in a pack of 6)

If you want just one bag, you can get it by clicking here. A 48 ounce bag is about 11 dollars. I think that's a pretty great deal!

Thanksgiving Salad

Okay, this salad isn't just for Thanksgiving, but it's a tradition in my family to make it every Thanksgiving. :)

Dressing
Juice of 1 lemon
3 cloves of garlic (crushed)
3/4 cup of olive oil
1 tsp. of salt

Combine lemon, garlic, and salt in blender and slowly add the oil while the blender is on. Chill at least 3 hours.

Salad
1/4 lb. of bacon (cooked and crumbled)
2 heads of romaine lettuce
2 cups of halved cherry tomatoes
1/2-1 cup grated swiss cheese
2/3 cup slivered almonds (toasted under broiler)
1/3 cup parmesan cheese

Combine all ingredients just prior to serving. Add dressing and toss.