leftover use up quiche

It's been almost a year since I've blogged.  No excuses; just busy and not making it a priority.  It's something I like to do so, I'm doing it again.

I thought I would share a recipe that I made this morning from things that I had in my pantry, fridge and freezer.  Earlier in the week I had made some "pesto chicken" for a Pesto Chicken Pizza (I just checked my Pinterest, so I could link to that recipe but I must have made it up, so the next time I make it I will blogg about that.)  that was awesome!  To make the "pesto chicken" I just took chicken tender pieces and baked them with store bought pesto, olive oil, salt and pepper.  With the leftover chicken still in the fridge on Sunday and not wanting it to go waist... I thought QUICHE!!

Quiches are really the answer to leftover use up.  Naturally, I went to my Pinterest boards and got to work finding a recipe that I knew I had pinned a while ago.


Here is the link to the pin:  Basic Quiche Recipe

With this recipe in mind I got to work... I knew I had a Whole Foods GlutenFree Bakehouse Gluten Free Pie Crust (since Thanksgiving, yikes.  Great option if you don't want to, or have time to make your own pie crust) in the freezer, eggs, Trader Joe's Original almond milk (I don't usually keep regular cow milk on hand), the leftover chicken, tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese.

The pie crust instructions tell you to bring the crust room temperature.  In the mean time I preheated the oven to 350 degrees and got everything else ready.

Next, I began to layer the ingredients into the now room temp pie crust... first the leftover chicken chopped into small pieces, then halved tomatoes.  I then seasoned the layers with salt and pepper.

Then, I topped that with the Parmesan cheese!  Yum.  (The recipe called for a cup of cheese but I just kind of eye balled it.)

After that, it was time to make the egg and milk mixture... I measured the one cup if milk into a two cup measuring cup and then added the four eggs.  I used a fork to break the egg yolks and whisked to combine the milk and eggs.  I added salt, pepper, and a couple dashes of Italian seasoning to the egg and milk mixture.

I did NOT want to carry a filled pie crust to the oven, open the door and risk spillage... so I opened the oven, carefully pulled out the rack and placed the pie crust down and then filled it with the egg and milk mixture.  I carefully put the rack back into place, closed up the oven and set the timer for 50 minutes.

After a little while, I started to smell the quiche.  It smelled amazing!  (I checked on it a couple times to make sure it wasn't burning.  It was fine.)

TADA!  It looked and smelled delicious right out of the oven.  Now to try and wait the 10 minutes to let it cool before eating!  (Torture.  LOL.)

The quiche cut nicely even though the tomatoes added some extra moisture.

It tasted as good as it looked and smelled.  The seasoning was spot on and the texture was good.  I get worried sometimes that the pre-made crust isn't going to match the flavor of the filling.  However, it tasted great all together.

I hope you try making your own gluten free leftover use up quiche.  Enjoy!

tada! presto chango... watch as i change this regular recipe into a gluten free recipe! ...it's magic.

OK.  I admit, it's NOT magic.

But it does take a while to get the hang of cooking your old favorites gluten free.  I think you get better at it the more you try things.  (Practice makes perfect.)  Yes, you will for sure make some things that well... suck.  But you learn from it and definitely don't make the same mistake twice.  I try to keep a mental list of products I've tried and disliked so I don't waste my money on them a second time either.  (Forget granola bars.  I've tried a bunch liked one and can't remember which it was.  For now, I've just stopped buying them.)

As far as gluten free recipes go... Pinterest is a gold mine!!  I find it to be a wonderful community of people suggesting recipes, offering support and information.  (Go ahead, check it out!  (If you haven't already.)  I'll be here when you get back.  Fair warning:  it's addictive.)

I have a gluten free board over there:  http://www.pinterest.com/babybobbin/gluten-free/  Where I "pin" gluten free stuff.

Follow Katie Bobbin's board {Gluten Free} on Pinterest.



I also have a "FOOD and Drink" board:  http://www.pinterest.com/babybobbin/food-and-drink/  Where I "pin" recipes that I wish where gluten free.

Follow Katie Bobbin's board FOOD and Drink on Pinterest.



Here's where the magic comes in...  

I found this recipe:  http://www.pinterest.com/pin/73535406390122307/

Here's a direct link to the recipe in case you're not on Pinterest:  http://www.isavea2z.com/crockpot-chicken-stuffing-recipe/

Now that we've read the recipe, decided that it looks super delish and we want to make it... but we can't.  Oh yes we can!!  

Let's substitute a few of the ingredients and get cooking!  (chicken not pictured.  it was already in the slow cooker.)

1.)  The original recipe calls for Stove Top Stuffing... not gluten free.  I went with Gillian's Home-Style Stuffing (because that's what my supermarket had.)  I've used their products before and liked them so I wasn't worried about the stuffing.

2.)  Next the original recipe calls for Cream of Chicken soup... not gluten free.  I've googled "cream of ... soup" before to find a gluten free version.  They are out there but I've never found them out and about while I was shopping.  The best substitute I've found for "cream of ... soup" is Progresso Vegetable Classics Creamy Mushroom!  (I use it in green bean casserole, too!  YUM.)

3.)  I have nothing against Lite Sour Cream.  I just like to think I'm doing a good thing by buying "local" and I gave up gluten to feel better, not fat.  So, I went with Cabot Sour Cream, they even list it on their website as "naturally gluten free".  It makes me feel better buying something that someone has given an extra thought about whether or not it's gluten free.

NOW... *make as directed.  

Aren't you special?!  You just made a regular recipe gluten free!  Enjoy!!

 katie :)

* My version came out wonderful!  (Could have used only a half a cup of water, the stuffing mixture was SUPER mushy, and maybe salt and pepper on the chicken.)

gluten free... mac and cheese me, please!

i can only remember one time when my mom made homemade mac and cheese...  she used a recipe from my brother's god father's mother who was a school lunch lady.  i think we had it at party and my mom asked for the recipe because we ate it and really liked it.  NOT so much when my mom made it at home.  we were very happy "blue box" mac and cheese kids.

i remember when i started to go gluten free having a panic attack over never being able to eat "blue box" mac and cheese again.  i tried a couple gluten free dairy free boxes and they just plain sucked.  until i found annie's gluten free rice pasta mac and cheese (and trader joe's has a good rice pasta and cheese too.)

last friday at lunch one of the girls was eating homemade mac and cheese, we had a whole discussion about how its not hard to make and is really good homemade.  i told them my homemade mac and cheese story and vowed to make my own delicious gluten free version.  

it went something like this:


the other night at stop and shop i found a package of shredded cheese that was labeled "mac and cheese" blend!  (i recommend reading the package while you're at the store so you buy the right ingredients.  there is a recipe right on the package, duh.)

to make my mac and cheese gluten free i only really had to substitute a couple of ingredients.  gluten free pasta obviously... 

instead of "all purpose flour" i had bob's red mill tapicoa flour, it said that it was good for thickening soups and such.  i had never used it in this kind of application before but i figured i had to use something so why not?

other than that and only having half and half in the house for the milk and cream, i followed the recipe pretty much as directed.

i wanted to stick a piece of gluten free bread into the cheese sauce and eat it, just to make sure it was good, but i didn't.

next i got my brand new, never been used target home baking dish ready for action...

 LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION... CHEEEESE!!!

i only baked it for 12 minutes.  the directions called for 15 minutes and bubbling cheese.  i really did not want it to dry out so i was a little careful.  also i left my mac and cheese naked... no bread crumbs.  i thought i had some gluten free bread crumbs but i couldn't find any when it came time to top it off.  i wasn't too worried about it, because the "blue box" never came with any bread crumbs.

i literally could not wait to try this!!  it was SO good.  it was like a i died and went to mac and cheese heaven!!  

not pictured:  i added ketchup because i just think it adds something to the mac and cheese, not that it needed it.  i think i would add one less teaspoon of the flour and try some nutmeg next time... and there will be a next time.  i'm not ditching the boxed mac and cheese for good, it still can serve a purpose in the pinch... but this was nothing short of gluten free awesome!  


enjoy!

gluten free SOUP'S ON!!

the weather outside is just willing me to make soup.  it's all cold-ish and rainy-ish.  it's just kind of yucky outside if you ask me; perfect soup weather.  (i've even got my fuzzy slipper shoes on!)

i've chosen corn chowder for this evening.  i'll be using a "cheat" soup mix: Frontier Soups Illinois Prairie Corn Chowder

i've used this mix once before and it was awesome.  this time i'm using some fresh corn as the recipe on the package suggests as an optional ingredient.

here we go!  i used one container of vegetable stock and the rest water to make up for the 8 cups of chicken broth; only because it was what i had in the house.  it is definitely the end of corn season, because the ears of corn are only as big as the palm of my hand.

 

brought to a boil and added the soup mix and fresh corn.  it is corn-tastic!!  

...and now for the 45 minute covered simmer (aka time to do the dishes and watch tv).
now time for the heavy cream and another simmer uncovered 30 minute wait...

as an aside:  the heavy cream i'm using is from Mapleline Farm in Hadley, MA.  (i just think it's cool to use local products.)  i also purchased most of my ingredients from Randall's Farm and Greenhouse in Ludlow, MA.  they are an awesome resource for gluten free products and hold several gluten free tasting nights throughout the year.

read for it's close up...

this soup certainly did the trick to make me feel warm and cozy on this kind of yucky day.  
for good measure i added a hunk of gluten free bread.

these rolls are from Italy!!  (they sell them at Randall's also.)  five minutes in the oven to fresh baked crusty bread.  i used them for all kinds of things like sandwiches and homemade garlic bread.

gluten free soup night was a perfect way to beat the yucky day blues.  have a happy gluten free day!

what's your favorite food to make on a yucky day?

it's gluten free (pizza)... and I helped! hee hee

so... i've had this box of gluten pizza crust mix in my pantry for a while now and tonight i finally made it!

it was a king arthur flour gluten free pizza crust mix.  (if you have never been to king arthur flour in vermont it really is worth the trip.  they had a TON of amazing gluten free items, and it was just cool if you like to bake and eat things.  they had nice cafe for snacking at too.  i think we got something flour less and chocolate; maybe it was a cookie...  all i remember is that it was good.)

as the box claims it was (fairly) quick and (fairly) easy.  the only super annoying part was the two 30 minute wait for it rise sessions.  which, btw, it didn't really even rise... i was expecting a show.  not so much.  however, it did make 2 pretty big pizzas...  (i'm going to share one with my mom and freeze the other one for a later date.)  
... ta da!!

it tasted good, not the best and not the worst i've had...  (if i made it again i think i'd bake it longer, it had a slight uncooked taste.  i followed the directions exactly as stated on the box and used the middle time between the 2 suggested baking end points.)  if you have a free evening with nothing to do:  make yourself some gluten free pizza!!


have a happy gluten free day!  :)