Pumpkin Bars and Cream Cheese Frosting

Tis the season for PUMPKINS!!   So for our school co-op we tried my old Pumpin Bar Recipe and made it Gluten Free!  Results?  Scrumptious!!  So I'm sharing.  Here Goes!

GF PUMKIN BARS

4 eggs
1/2 C oil
1/2 C applesauce
2 C sugar
2 C mashed, cooked pumpkin, or 1 small can pumpkin
Stir Together - don't mix with a mixer, just a wooden spoon and muscle
Mix dry ing in seperate bowl:

2 C gf flour mix (I use 1/2 brown rice mixture and 1/2 asian rice flour mixture - you can experiment with what you like best.  Next time I might try featherlight mix and brown rf mix) 
1 1/2 t xanthan gum
1/2  t salt
2 t cinnamon
1 t soda
1 t bk powder

Mix all ingredients together well.  Bake in greased jelly roll pan @ 350 for 30 min.
Top cooled cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and sprinkle nuts on the top if you like.  MMMMMMMmmmmmmmm.....

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING



3 Oz Cream Cheese - softened

2 T Butter

1 1/2 C Pd Sugar

2 t vanilla

1 t milk

Mix in a mixer until smooth 

More GF Shopping

Guess what folks!! Incase you haven't noticed on your own, Walmart has come on board the GF bandwagon!!  They have a tiny little section of Gluten Free foods.  The best part of it is their pasta!!  It is pretty inexpensive!!  (comparitively speaking!)  You can get spaghetti, penne, elbow and lasagne that I know of.   

In MY Walmart (in Nampa) it is located in the section with the specialty foods, like the Asian food.  Seems like a strange place, but I managed to find it!  So check it out!
Let me know if anyone finds any other places that are carrying stuff!  It's great that it is getting easier to find.

I also order from Azure Standard online.  If anyone is ever interested in ordering bulk, let me know. It's best to order together because you need to have minimums and we can share shipping.  They have pretty good prices. They have all the flours, plus pasta and plenty of other things.  You can go to their website, azurestandard.com and check it out. 

Happy shopping!!

Berry Cream Pie

Okay, start by making 2 fabulous GF pie crusts.

For the cream pie filling:
1 16 oz cool whip
8 oz pkg cream cheese (softened)
1 cup powdered sugar.
Beat together really well.

Line your baked pie crust with a thin layer of the cream.  Save most of it for the top though!

Add whatever berries you want.  You can do canned pie filling (cherry, blueberry, etc...)  but my favorite is to take frozen straweberries, raspberries or the mixed berries you get at costco.  The strawberries you have to cut up of course but the mixed berries are ready to go, just throw a little sugar on them (not too much) and  let them thaw out for awhile.    This is what I do.
Boil 1 cup sugar, 1 1/2 cups water and 1 Tbls of Cornstarch.  ( I add the cornstarch to my cold water before I boil it.  Bring it to a boil and it will thicken.  Then I pour it over my berries and add it to my pie! 
You will want to put the pie in the fridge to cool down for awhile before adding the rest of the cream to the top.  It will be easier to spread the cream.  But if you are in hurry then just layer it on!  It will be nice and colorful!!  I've done it both ways. Either way tastes delicious!

GF Pie Crust

I've never been much of a pie fan.  My mom always said she made the best pie crust around, and I guess comparitively speaking it was pretty good...for pie crust.  I could take it or leave it...I mostly left it!
Until now!  HOLD THE PHONE!  This pie crust is soooo good!  I actually like pie!! I actually MAKE pie!  And the real clencher - my husband likes it!  I have my friend, Felicia, to thank for this pie crust.  She found it, so I can't take credit.  But I will put it on my blog for all to enjoy!  It is fantastic!!

GF Pie Crust

3/4 C Brown Rice flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/3 cup butter (room temp is fine but not too soft)
1 tsp honey
2 Tbls cold water

Stir flour, salt and xanthan gum together really well. 
Cut in butter.  Add the honey and stir with a fork. 
Add the water a little at a time until a ball is formed. Don't mix it too much.
Roll out the dough between two sheets of wax paper (or aluminum foil)
Peel off one side then set the dough back down on the paper.
Flip it and peel the other side off.  Then flip it into your pan. It's easier to peel it before you put it in the pie plate! This is really flakey dough so just push it back together when it tears!
This makes a 9" pie.  Poke holes in the bottom with your fork and
bake @350 for 15 minutes or until brown.
Now go make a yummy pie!!  Tell me how it goes!