Let's Try Again...Gluten Free Bread

I have been trying to make Gluten Free bread for quite some time.  A while back I thought I had a winner because it looked so nice when it came out of the oven.  It was such a disappointment when I cut it.  I have tried box mixes of almost every brand.  I have googled recipes but most of them take so many ingredients that I don't have and I don't want to stock up on if the bread isn't going to work out.  Today I may have a real winner.  As always, gluten free bread will never taste like regular white bread.  This is quite dense and moist.  I tried a peanut butter sandwich, and it actually tasted like a soft white bread peanut butter sandwich.

The sandwich was good, but the toast was really good.  I think it would work well for grilled cheese or French toast.

Around Easter time I was given a recipe for gluten free cookies from a friend.  They turned out really well.  She recommended using a gluten free flour mix that can be purchased at Costco.  The brand is Namaste flour blend.

On the back of the package were a couple recipes but no recipe for bread.  I decided to go to the website and found several recipes, like banana bread and cinnamon rolls, that looked very good.  https://namastefoods.com/recipes/cgi-bin/recipes.cgi?Function=list&Category_Id=by-product&Product_Id=13  The one that caught my eye was a recipe for Granny's Gluten Free Breadmaker Bread.  The best part is that I could make this in my bread machine.  Here is the recipe from the Namaste website.

Granny's Gluten Free Breadmaker Bread 

Ingredients:
3 ½ cups Namaste Foods Perfect Flour Blend
1 ½ cups milk, any kind
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tbsp. oil
2 tbsp. honey
½ cup cornstarch, arrrowroot or tapioca starch
1 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 tbsp. yeast

Directions:
 1. We recommend following the manufacturer's directions regarding liquid/dry ingredient placement as well as settings for loaf size and time. If none are available, please follow the following steps.
2. Combine wet ingredients and place in breadmaker.
3. Combine dry ingredients (except yeast) and add to breadmaker. Make well in top of flour mixture and add yeast. Close breadmaker.
4. Bake on medium crust, 1 to 1 ½ lb or gluten free bread setting. (Settings vary by breadmaker). Cool completely before slicing. Variations Serving Suggestion: Excellent warmed up and served with butter and honey!

I don't really have a gluten allergy, but I have family and friends who do.  Although I don't think it would hurt anyone to cut back from eating products made with the modified wheat we are stuck with in this day and age.  I think this recipe is a keeper.

What a Difference a Month Makes

The weather in Wisconsin is a roller coaster ride especially in the spring.  One month ago on April 17, 2018 we had a big snowstorm.  http://www.thecabincountess.com/2018/04/april-2018-snowstorm.html  Today is May 17, 2018.  We had a temperature of 85 degrees yesterday.  Thank goodness it's a little cooler today.  Our bodies can't adjust as quickly as the weather.

Because of the snow and rains this spring, the Fox River which flows past our property has flooded.  The water from the river spills into our marsh bringing a lot of water right up to the bottom of our hill.  Fortunately our house is on top of the hill out of harms way.  When I look out the patio door, all I see is water.

Before the snow a month ago we had some very nice weather.  A pair of sandhill cranes appeared to be making a nest on top of a muskrat house.  They worked for days at getting it perfect.

I don't think they were actually incubating eggs before the snow.  They disappeared for a few days and when they returned, the nest was completely under water and remains flooded.  All hope for seeing a newly hatched crane is gone.  Even the turtles are having trouble finding a place to sun themselves.

We have been blessed to see a lot of migrating birds.  The Baltimore Orioles usually show up on May 1 along with the Rose Breasted Grosbeaks and the Hummingbirds.  The Indigo Buntings are also so beautiful to see.  There are many varieties of Warblers, and other birds that are harder for me to identify.  I just know, I love spring for being able to see all the birds and their splendor.

Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

One of our Green Bay television stations has a local show called Living with Amy.  It is mostly a cooking show with a few crafting spots and features from local businesses.  Last week she made homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese.  The soup was so easy.  It has a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, chicken broth and a little heavy cream.  I just used whole milk.  The grilled cheese are made the usual way, but you cut them into small crouton size squares.

http://fox11online.com/living/living-with-amy/quick-and-easy-homemade-tomato-soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely diced onion
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
3 to 4 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper
1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream
Parmesan cheese (optional)
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil (optional)

Directions:

Heat olive oil over medium-low heat in a large soup pot.  Add onions and cook a few minutes stirring occasionally, until soft.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, stirring constantly to avoid burning the garlic.

Stir in the tomatoes and 3 cups of chicken stock.  Season with a little salt and pepper.  Bring the soup to a boil, then lower heat to simmer for about 5 minutes.

Stir in the cream and let it simmer another 4-5 minutes.  If it's too thick, add a little more stock.  If you want it creamier, add more milk or cream and a little less chicken stock.

Note:  Amy said she loves to serve this with grilled cheese sandwiches cut into bite sized pieces and that's what we did.  Just float the grilled cheese croutons on top of the hot soup.  Some people don't like onion or pieces of tomato in their tomato soup, so all the ingredients could be put into a blender for a smoother texture.

It was so good, especially with the grilled cheese croutons.  It was nearly as easy as opening a can of Campbell's tomato soup and had no extra additives.  A can of tomatoes contains only tomatoes and salt.  You can make your own chicken stock or buy a pure chicken stock with nothing added.  The one I had contained chicken stock with a little salt and some sugar which didn't thrill me, but it's all I had.  The other main ingredient is milk or you could use a non dairy product.  This is what is in Campbell's tomato soup.  Tomato Puree (Water , Tomato Paste), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Wheat Flour, Water, Contains less than 2% of:  Salt, Potassium Chloride, Flavoring, Citric Acid, Lower Sodium Natural Sea Salt, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Monopotassium Phosphate.  

April 2018 Snowstorm

It all started on Friday the 13th (April 13, 2018).  We had heard the weather people talking all week of a possible chance of snow but didn't take it too seriously.  It is the middle of April and by this time of year snow is limited to a dusting at the most.  We went about our business on Friday until later in the day when it started to rain.  I thought rain is good.  You don't have to shovel it, and it helps the spring plants leave their dormant state and start growing.  As it got dark, the rain hitting the window started to sound like ice pellets.  Then the wind started blowing really hard, forcing the ice to hit the window even harder.  All night long I could hear the tap, tap, tap of ice on the window and roof.  In the morning the ground was covered with white.  It wasn't really snow, it was more like little styrofoam balls stuck together.

On Saturday morning our grandson invited his friends to his 8th birthday party at the bowling alley. The bowling alley is about a half hour away.  The roads seemed fine, so we decided to go.  On the way, the roads were wet but not slippery.  The trees however were covered with heavy ice.  Some branches had become so heavy the entire branch broke off.

We stayed about 2 1/2 hours.  The party was so cute.  Second graders sure can have a lot of fun.

We were inside, and we didn't know what was going on outside.  When we came outside the weather had taken a definite turn for the worse.  It was raining harder with ice pellets mixed with the rain and the winds were howling.  We went straight home.   Gradually the ice began turning to snow.  We were lucky through the entire weekend because we did not lose power.  My daughter and her in-laws both lost power.  I can't imagine how miserable the workers must have been working all day and night in those cold and icy conditions.

Again we heard the wind all night long and woke up to snow.  It snowed most of the day on Sunday.  We ended up with about 8 inches of snow on top of a layer of ice.  That is a lot for the middle of April in our part of Wisconsin, but north of us got much more.  A town less than twenty miles from us got twenty inches.  Other cities further north got even more.   Blowing and drifting made for a very miserable weekend over much of the state.

The bright side for us (not the birds) was that the birds were on a feeding frenzy.  They entertained us all day Sunday.

The three days of bad weather are behind us now, although this poor little sandhill crane could argue with that.  Monday, April 16 was a day to plow out and begin the melting process.  The good thing about spring snowstorms is that they disappear quickly.  The April sun is high in the sky and packs a lot of heat.  I imagine most of our snow will be gone by the weekend.  Oops, correction, we are getting another two or three inches of snow on Wednesday.  We will have temperatures in the 50's by the weekend, but it won't be enough to melt everything.  As far as the areas with three times the snow we got, it may take a while longer.  They may want it to melt a little slower or the next  problem could be flooding.  One thing is for sure, we will not forget this April snowstorm.

This snow doesn't look too deep, but there is 3 inches of ice underneath.

Update:  On April 18, 2018 we had another snow event.  This time it was only 3 inches of fluffy snow, but enough is enough.  It is pretty though.

Brief Visit To The Necedah Wildlife Refuge

It has been a long winter.  We didn't take any trips to warmer climates, and we didn't accomplish much of anything.  Every year I promise myself that I will do some of my long awaited projects in the dark days of winter.  Don't ask me what I did during this time, but I didn't get much done.  Today when I woke up, the weather person reported that we may get the biggest snowstorm of the season.  It has been a long winter time wise, but we really haven't had much snow or sub-zero temperatures.  I wanted to keep it that way, but alas it looks like we will get six inches of snow tomorrow.  I asked my husband if we could take a little ride before the snow hits.  We had a book on tape to finish so he was happy to go.  We decided to go the Necedah Wildlife Refuge area.  It is about an hour from our house.

This wildlife refuge was established in 1939.  It is 43,000 acres and is the breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife.  It has the largest wetland bog in the state of Wisconsin.

As we drove into the refuge, the first observation deck came into view.  It was just a platform with a telescope looking out over a big prairie.  Off in the distance was a large nest on a platform.  It looked like an eagle's nest, but we didn't see any eagles.  In fact, the nest looked a little top heavy and looked like it was going to fall over.

We continued down the road until the road formed a Y.   The sign said the observation tower was to the right and the visitor's center was to the left.  We went right to the observation deck.  It was a short walk to the tower.

From the top of the tower you could get a birds eye view of the area.  Today the water was filled with ducks, geese and swans.

Next we went to the visitor's center.  It was an interesting building with lots of solar panels.  I didn't read all the information about the building, but it is definitely environmentally efficient.  This was the sign in the bathroom.

There were a lot of interactive exhibits.  You could hear bird sounds, see the footprint size of various animals, what the soil in a bog looks like as well as feel bear, wolf and beaver fur.  From the visitor's center there are walking trails.  One of the boardwalks has views of the bog and marsh from another angle.  The property has many other walking trails, but we need to come back for that.   It was too cold today.

There was a whooping crane sculpture.  This refuge is another whooping crane nesting area.  A number of years ago the nesting cranes here were infested with the black fly.  That is when they moved some of them to the White River area near our home.  We haven't see any cranes yet, although two were spotted in our area last weekend.

We didn't stay very long because it was getting cloudy and cold with a few snow flurries.  This is definitely a place to go back to when the weather is better.

I enjoyed the brief outing, however, when I got home I saw a setting very similar to the tourist attraction.  The sandhill cranes are still visiting their possible nest sight.

And when the cranes aren't there, the geese rest on the patch that was a muskrat house.

The deer were roaming around looking for something to eat.  They are looking a little rough and need spring as much as the rest of us.

It was a good day.  We ate at a mom and pop restaurant.  The kind of restaurant that has giant sized servings.  We each took home half our lunch so I don't have to cook tonight making it an especially good day.  Now lets hope that we don't get as much snow as predicted or if we do, that it melts very quickly.

St. Patrick's Day 2018

St. Patrick's Day 2018 is in the books.  It was another fun family time.    It's close to being one of our favorite holidays. I am linking the last two years for those who haven't seen the progression or to refresh your memory.  I had to read them again myself, which is the reason I write this blog.

http://www.thecabincountess.com/2017/03/mr-leprechauns-new-house.html
http://www.thecabincountess.com/2016/03/st-patricks-day-celebration-2016.html

We started out with a lot of food.  Again this year I made four corned beefs and three racks of ribs with the fixin's.  I made dinner rolls and beer bread.  We also had a lot of deserts.  Beth, my daughter's mother in law made a couple wonderful deserts and a fruit bowl which I appreciated.  I didn't get pictures, but my daughter took this picture of some of the food. 

After dinner, as is tradition, we had to check on our resident leprechaun.  We weren't sure if he was back in Wisconsin yet, but the weather has been fairly nice so it was a possibility.  After checking out his old location for any activity, the boys decided to look where he resided last year.

Oh my gosh I don't know how the leprechaun, which we named Shamus, did it, but he has been busy.  He improved his property.  The first thing he added was a fire pit.  I suppose he had to keep warm on some of these cool nights.

The next and more important improvement was an outhouse.  Last year the boys were wondering if Shamus snuck into peoples houses or where he went to the bathroom.  I guess that isn't a problem any longer.

They found a hidden stash of coins and a few extras in the house, but the leprechaun was no where to be found.  The house was rearranged slightly, but that was all.  They looked all around, but didn't find any clues.

It was a perfectly wonderful day.  It was sunny and warm.  We were even able to spend time on the deck for the first time this spring.  Needless to say, I didn't eat tonight.  Well, maybe a little piece of cake.