Monday, July 13, 2015

Gloriously Gluten Free Hot Artichoke Dip

Our car limped into the car repair shop as they were closing up on Friday afternoon.  And, so it sits there for the weekend, grounding us.  Not that it flies or anything, but grounding us in the sense of sticking close to home, and taking care of things on foot.

Now as luck would have it, we actually have all the necessities within walking distance of our new home including 2 pharmacies, 2 grocery stores, our bank, a liquor store (yes, all the necessities!) a playground, and a butcher.  So though it may be more convenient to drive here and there on a whim... it is actually nice to plan and walk, and go out and about on foot as a family.

Our 9 year old was less than pleased with the plan for the weekend and it took some getting used to. Yesterday when I suggested a snack she said "but what I really want is the cheesy hot artichoke dip and we don't have the stuff for it."  But, again as luck would have it I was able to pull out of fridge and pantry all that we needed.  Well, we improvised a bit and used shredded cheddar instead of Monterey jack - but it was just as awesome.  As she was grated the Parmesan she said she was so very happy at that moment.
That is the best comment ever.

All you have to do is combine all ingredients above in a dish that can go in the oven leaving some of the grated Parm to sprinkle on top right before it goes in the oven.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Let set for 5 minutes before eating.
We used tortillas to dip.
Our hot creamy cheesy artichoke dip made out day!
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Saturday, July 11, 2015

Easy GF Strawberry Ice Cream


As part of our Mommy-Summer-Camp plan, I promised my daughter lots of cooking, food prep and experimenting in the kitchen.  She's 9 and is a serious foodie, so we want to encourage that.

Also, given that eating gluten free is keeping her migraines in check... I want her to see how much great food can be made and enjoyed fresh and without gluten.
So we broke out the Kitchenaid Stand Mixer and the ice cream bowl that has been quietly and patiently waiting in the freezer for it's chance to make some magic!
I like things to be simple - the simpler the better - so 5 ingredients and straight forward preparation makes me happy.

5 Ingredient Strawberry Ice Cream












In a large bowl we combined the milk, cream, sugar, salt, and strawberries.

Stirred the sugar into the heavy cream about 30 minutes before so the the sugar can dissolve. And, we ran the strawberries through our Magic Bullet to prevent chunks in the ice cream(my daughter likes smooth ice cream).

Then she poured the mixture into the freezer bowl of the Kitchenaid. And licked all the bowls and spatula.

The machine mixed for 20-25 minutes while we went out to play in the yard.

When it was finished we scooped it out into a dish to freeze and again licked the spoons, etc.  It's amazing that we got as much ice cream into the freezer as we did!

Froze it for about 5 hours and had it for dessert - perfect and creamy with just the right amount of sweet!
There is still some left for tomorrow (unless my husband goes back in late tonight!)