Snickerdoodles

A friend of mine used to make the most scrumptious Snickerdoodles--moist and flavorful, yet oddly tender, in both consistency and attitude--and I would look forward to these tasty treats each and every holiday season.

And then I had to go gluten-free. Stupid guts, always dictating my gastronomic indulgences.

And so, along with that reality went my annual delivery of tasty holiday treats--holiday treats that were delivered directly to my doorstep, I might add--although, one year, my dear friend still made me a dozen (eternal optimist), but alas, I had to give them away to others instead. And by that I mean: I have had to begrudgingly give them away to others instead.

Eventually I stumbled upon a more than palatable gluten-free recipe for Snickerdoodles that didn't just suffice-- No, no, no....they made my insides do The Peanuts' Dance-- in a good way! In fact, these cookies had both Mother and Daughter doing The Peanuts' Dance.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of sugar (+put 2 tablespoons more aside for later)

1/2 pound (2 sticks) of salted butter

2 eggs

3 cups of GF Flour Mix (we use Red Mill All Purpose Flour)

1 tablespoon xantham gum

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

*Creatively Tweaked Method

-Preheat the oven to 400F

-cream together 1 1/2 cups of sugar with the softened butter in a mixer until fluffy. We mix this by hand, as neither one of us have a heavy duty mixer; Santa just never gets the hint. Stir in the eggs one at a time and continue to mix

-Stir in the flour, xantham gum, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt

-Mix together the 2 tablespoons of sugar previously set aside with the 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon in a small bowl

-Using a teaspoon, scoop the dough and roll it in your palms into a ball. Then, roll the dough balls in the cinnamon sugar combo and place on ungreased cookie sheets 2 inches apart

-Bake for 8-10 minutes, until slightly brown on the edges. Remove the cookies from oven and then let them rest on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Be very, very quiet because they're resting. This means, use your inside voice.

-Then, put these delightful spheres of perfection on a wire rack to cool. In our opinion, they tend to have a viscous quality to them if you chose to eat them whilst warm. We recommend one waits until they're cool, as the viscosity will quickly dissipate once they're cool. Yes, this includes in both temperature and attitude.

Try one.

Our work here is done. Enjoy.

*precise phraseology has been creatively tweaked. Please see original recipe, cited below, for proper grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Original recipe:

Bronski, Kelli and Peter Bronski. Artisanal Gluten-Free Cooking. New York: The Experiment, LLC. 2009. Print.

Vegetarian Chili

In our experience, chili has always been brimming with ground beef. For this venture, we decided to have a go at vegetarian chili. Spicy, yet not so much so that your body is inclined to act out in utter outrage.

And so...

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
*1 medium red pepper, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped chipotles in adobo 1 tbsp dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, with liquid
3 cups cooked, drained red kidney beans
1 1/2 cups cooked, drained black beans
*1 1/2 cups cooked, drained white beans
*1/2 cup of tomato puree, if desired

Creatively Tweaked Method

(precise method has been creatively tweaked. Please see original recipe, cited below, for proper grammar, punctuation and spelling)

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, peppers and garlic and then cook for 10-12 minutes or until veggies are softened, but not browned.

Add chipotles, oregano, cumin, chili powder and salt. Stir to blend. Add tomatoes and 4 cups of water. Gently simmer over low heat for 45 minutes sans cover.

Finally, add all of the beans and let the concoction simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

Next, it's time to sing, as Mom will invariably break into the following spontaneous song whilst adding the beans:

Beans, beans the musical fruit,

the more you eat, the more you toot.

My Mother can relate almost any noun in the English language to an old-school rhyme or song. I believe it's an asset, a gift.

But I digress.

Yes, allow the chili to simmer for the additional amount of time noted above. Or, you know, Until It Bubbles.

For some extra flavor, serve with some shredded cheddar cheese on top.

Our work here is done. Enjoy.

Serves 6-8

*denotes our own additions

From wholefoodsmarket.com