Rice crispy treats

Rice Krispies are not gluten free. The only ingredient that makes them unsafe is 'malt flavoring', that and Kellogg's do not make any products that are gluten free. Hey Kellogg's, take a hint from General Mills!

Who cares though, because there are a few gluten free krispies alternatives. I used Nature's Path Crispy Rice, but I sometimes use the chocolate Koala Crisps. Both are delicious options. Kraft Marshmallows are gluten free.

All you need for rice crispy treats are most of a box of crispy cereal, a bag of marshmallows, and a little butter. They're pink today because I used strawberry marshmallows, which are delicious!

Rice crispy treats

a bag of marshmallows

2 T butter

5-6 cups of rice cereal*

Lightly grease a 13x9 pan and set aside. Melt butter, then add marshmallows. Stir until smooth, remove from heat, and stir in the cereal. Spread in the pan and pat down with a lightly greased spatula. Cool and eat, not all at once if you can help it.

*I like to use less cereal sometimes so everything is more marshmallow-y. That's a word, right?

Crab cakes!

I love Alex. Sometimes he makes me fabulous things, like these crab cakes. They are fairly easy to make, and so delicious.

Alex's crab cakes

1/2 lb lump crab meat, picked over for shells

1/2 onion, minced

1 carrot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper

1 egg

2 t mustard

2 t grated horseradish

2 T mayonnaise

3/4 c to 1 c bread crumbs, plus more for coating

3 T oil for frying

Cook the onion, carrot and garlic in 1 T butter until softened. Put the crab in a bowl, add vegetables, salt and pepper, egg, mustard, horseradish, and mayonnaise. Add in the breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup at a time, until the mixture isn't too wet and holds together when you press it into a ball. Divide mixture into six balls, and flatten into tight patties. Coat on each side with breadcrumbs. Heat the oil in a pan, and cook on each side until well browned.

Makes six, serve with cocktail sauce or remoulade sauce or just eat plain.

Cheesecake brownies

Everyone is panicking. It's snowing. The world is apparently ending. Snow!!!! You should have seen people at Wholefoods today. It was terrible. People fighting over the last pack of chicken.

I figured if we're going to be snowed in for the rest of our lives like the news is saying, we'd better have something delicious. These are delicious. Fudgy brownies, tangy cream cheese, I could have eaten three. Or six.

They're good for a snowy night.

Cheesecake brownies

My favorite brownie recipe, plus a cream cheese topping.

4 oz unsweetened chocolate

3/4 stick butter

1 3/4 c sugar

3 eggs

1 t vanilla

1 c rice flour mix

1/4 t xanthan gum

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 egg yolk

1/3 c sugar

Preheat oven to 325. Lightly grease an 8x8 pan. Melt the chocolate in the microwave with the butter. Mix in the sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in rice flour and xanthan gum. Spread the batter in the pan. In a clean bowl, mash together the cream cheese, egg yolk, and sugar. Keep stirring until smooth, then plop in three thick lines across the batter. Swirl around with a knife. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the center isn't jiggley. Cool completely before cutting.

Delicious clementine wings

I started to write about these, then I remembered I posted about wings a while ago, and then I realized that this recipe is almost the same as that one. Oops. The good news is I took new pictures and am reposting, with some modifications. These are great, easy, and you should make them if you're having some sort of Superbowl party. If not, take advantage of the fact that wings should be on sale because of the Superbowl.

Delicious clementine wings

Otherwise known as sticky, delicious, sweet, spicy, addicting wings.

1 1/2 lb chicken wings, cut apart at the joint

1 T rice flour

salt and pepper

2 T oil

2 cloves garlic, smashed/minced

2 T soy sauce

2 T hoisin sauce (Dynasty brand is gf)

4 T honey

1 T sesame oil

a good pinch of chili flakes

a squirt of chili sauce

juice of one clementine

Preheat the oven to 450. Dredge the chicken wings in the flour and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat the oil until it shimmers, and brown the wings on all sides. While the wings are browning, combine the remaining ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat 30 seconds to a minute and stir well. Dump the browned chicken wings in the bowl with the sauce, turn to coat, and spread them out in a glass dish. Bake 15 minutes, flip, then bake another 10-15, until the sauce is thick and sticky and the wings are cooked through. Serve over rice.

Kale chips

I'm sure you've seen these all over the internet. But I'm late to jump on the wagon. Better late than never, huh? My favorite favorite way to cook vegetables is to roast them with olive oil and salt and pepper. Why wouldn't I have applied this to kale yet? It's a good idea. Yum.

Kale chips

1 bunch kale, cleaned and dried

a glug of olive oil

salt and pepper

a dash of balsamic vinegar

Preheat your oven to 350. Whisk oil, salt and pepper, and balsamic together in a bowl. Tear kale into the bowl and toss with the dressing. Bake 12-14 minutes, until crispy. Cool slightly, and try to share.

blue cheese sauce/steak

I'm home alone a lot this week because Alex has been working nights, until late.

I cooked myself fancy dinner.

Blue cheese. There's been a lot of talk about whether blue cheese is gluten free or not. I've been reading more and more articles about how blue cheese is gluten free, but if you're not sure go with one of the brands who state that their cheese is gluten free, like Boar's Head or Rosenborg.

Steak & blue cheese onion mushroom sauce

1 steak

2 T butter

a drizzle of olive oil

1 onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 c sliced mushrooms

salt and pepper

1/2 c cream

1/4 c crumbled blue cheese

Heat half the butter over high heat, add a drizzle of olive oil, and salt and pepper both sides of your steak. Sear the steak on one side until nice and crispy and brown, then flip and sear on the other side. Don't cook too long, you don't want to overcook your steak! Remove from the pan and let rest on your plate.

Melt the rest of the butter in the pan you cooked the steak in. Slowly cook the onions and garlic, until softened and starting to caramelize. Push the onions to the side and dump in the mushrooms. Cook until starting to brown, then pour in the cream. Cook until it starts to bubble, then stir in the blue cheese. Pour over the steak, and eat!

What I like to do with chia seeds

Chia seeds are magic. I've been eating them in granola, sprinkling them over salads, and like this. If you put chia seeds in water, or other delicious liquids, they gelatinize. Is that a real word? Either way, there's something special about chia seeds. They're full of omegas, antioxidants, protein, iron, fiber and calcium. I've been trying to be a little bit healthier (we'll see how that turns out), and having a snack of chia 'pudding' is much better for me than my usual snacks.

This requires nothing more than a little bit of time. No cooking, just two ingredients, what could be simpler? Let the chia sit in the liquid of your choice and it turns into a really interesting jell-o type thing.

Chia snack

1/2 c juice, soymilk, water, or liquid of your choice

2 T chia seeds

optional third ingredient - honey, agave nectar, some sweetener if using milk or water

Combine ingredients. Let sit for 20 minutes or so, stirring once or twice. Eat!