“Challenge Accepted!”, in true Barney style, was my answer when my mom asked me to bring a GF version of my semi-famous Irish Soda Bread to her St. Patrick’s Day Themed Sunday Dinner last year.
A Parade of Christmas Cookies to Share and Enjoy
Ho, ho, ho…the holiday spirit has taken over my house as I prepare for my BIG DAY! Sunday is Cookie Delivery Day over here and I have been making TRIPLE BATCHES of most of these cookies you see here. I’ve been making double batches of my All Purpose Flour versions and one batch of my Gluten-Free flour versions so I am certainly a busy little elf.
I have provided you with a photo line-up of my cookies, and here is my Cookie Game Plan if you need that as well. Hope you are feeling rather festive yourself, and if not, just make a batch of one of these cookies, and that may just put you in the mood.
Make these…
Perfectly cheerful and spicy Gingerbread Cut Out Cookies
Or melt-in-your-mouth Greek Crescent Cookies which are buttery, rich and the best pairing to a good cup of coffee EVER!
For the chocolate lover in your group, here are my Death By Chocolate Peppermint Cookies. If you are a chocoholic and they don’t rock your holiday world, feel free to file a complaint, get your money back and sue for damages because I am 100% certain they are ALL THAT.
These Orange and Chocolate Chip Cookies with Rosemary may seem odd to you but they are honestly my most requested cookie (by adults!) at the holidays. They are tender, a bit chewy, citrus-y, and a hint of rosemary makes them special (in a good way).
AND I add these two favorites from around the blogosphere…
Flourless Peanut Butter Blossoms from Recipe Girl. You would never, ever believe these cookies don’t have flour so they are naturally Gluten-Free and are so ridiculously simple to make. They are a hit every year!
A Recipe Girl Original Photo
And the new one that is making it to our Holiday Cookie Baskets are these crazy, crazy delicious Gluten-Free Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies from Gluten-Free on a Shoestring. We could not keep our hands of these…nor our mouths for that matter.
A Gluten-Free on a Shoestring Original Photo
Let me know if you give any of these a go and please feel free to add a link to your favorite holiday cookie in the comments! Happy Holidays!
A Christmas Cookie Gifts Game Plan and Ginger Drop (GF and AP Versions)
If you are on my Christmas Cookie box delivery list then lucky you, and if you aren’t, you may want to start sending some bribes my way. I always accept bribes, usually in the form of compliments; I am a total compliment whore. Yeah, that’s right, I said it and my previous PG rating for Sweet and Crumby (S&C for those cool kids in the know) just went down the tubes. Sigh.
Leftover Cranberry Sauce-d Bread Pudding {With Dark Chocolate and Brandy}
Raise your hand if you still have a few extra dinner rolls and some bright and tart cranberry sauce from the Big Day? Then you have most certainly come to the right place. I love homemade cranberry sauce, and eat it with gusto on Turkey day, BUT, somehow I always end up with a hefty Tupperware container of extra sauce and there are so many delicious ways you can use it. One doozy of a way to elevate this already bangin’ sauce and to finally use up those going stale dinner rolls is to make a dark chocolate and cranberry sauced bread pudding. There is nothing left-over feeling about this boozy and blinged out dessert and nothing will be going to waste in your kitchen.
A Line-Up of Soups for those Blustery Days
Brrrr, are you all freezing out there? So sorry…I really have no clue what that is like since I am a bit chilly in sunny So. Cal. and I think the low is about 63 degrees Fahrenheit today. I know. I am a big baby. I’m spoiled…a California Girl through and through…although I don’t surf…but there’s still time yet.
If you need a little something cozy, comforting and warm to thaw you out, then dig into one of these hearty bowls of soup.
Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup with a “How to” on creating your own soup recipes.
Creamy, dreamy Spinach Soup gives you the strength to take on the week of cooking and shopping ahead.
Or how about my famous Sweet Potato Soup which has been given the honorary Kristy seal of approval.
Finally, don’t to be afraid to make my scary vampire red Heirloom Tomato Soup. It’s herby and begs to be dipped in by a crispy and gooey grilled cheese sandwich.
If you make one of these soups, you are sure to be warmer and toastier very soon. Happy almost Thanksgiving to all of those celebrating.
Bait and Switch Delectable Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancakes
I am honest to a fault. Seriously to a fault. I always bring baked goods and then instantly blurt out ANYTHING minuscule that went awry, as if someone slipped truth serum into my coffee. My most recent admission was,..”I got wrapped up in watching re-runs of Chuck and may have left these muffins in a stitch too long.”
The pictures you see here, unfortunately, are from my last year’s post of my AP Flour pumpkin pancakes. My problem was that I kept making my delicious, fabulously soft, not gritty and very fluffy GF pumpkin pancakes and running out of time to take pictures. Life’s a bit of a bumpy ride for the moment at best (more like an unpaved road in a construction zone. See? Honest to a fault).
A Parade Of Halloween Treats and Meals…
I am a bit of a Halloween addict I am afraid and when perusing my own blog, I realized just how many recipes I have posted for Halloween inspired food. So here is the parade…and an easy spot to find all the fun and scary food you are looking for…
Blood-Red Heirloom Tomato Soup with Vampire Fang Grilled Cheese
A Spider Webbed Chocolate Macaroon Bundt Cake from Cooking Light
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How to Roast a Turkey Breast {Technically half a turkey breast}
Hi Folks, I haven’t disappeared off the face of the earth. Life has happened, and I am treading water for the moment, but here is a re-run of my all-time most popular post, and it’s rather appropriate for serving at this time of year. After re-reading this post, I decided I had better roast a turkey breast today and follow some of my own advice for picking oneself out of a slump. Take care and I hope you are well. Enjoy some turkey!
Where is your happy place? What is the one thing in the world that can pick you up out of a slump and place you on solid ground? It’s important that you know yours and that you can summon it up on any given day when life is more than a little topsy turvy. There are too many moments that can throw you for a loop so please, if there is one take away from this post, research your happy place and know how to reach it at a moment’s notice. It is essential.
A Graduation Dinner Featuring Seafood Crepes in Mornay Sauce
Eleven people for a sit down dinner. To some, that might seem like a lot, but for our family, who meets every Sunday at my parents’ house, it’s just “Sunday Dinner”. My mom can carry off this dinner like a pro. She usually goes crazy each and every Sunday with homemade brioche or focaccia, roasted meats, fresh from the garden lettuces and vegetables and always a drool-worthy dessert.
Chocolate Strawberry Truffle Cake and the Speed of Life
Imagine biting into the perfect strawberry chocolate truffle from a ridiculously expensive box of chocolates but in cake form. That is what I was going for when my daughter requested a strawberry chocolate cake for her birthday celebration. I looked all over the internet and searched through my cookbooks, but did not quite find what I had in mind. So I pieced together recipes from three different sources to get exactly what I was imagining…a chocolate strawberry truffle in a lovely slice of cake.
Sweet And Crumby 