Gluten Free Shake and Bake....Yum!

I know it's been a long time since I have posted! I am spending my time posting on Instagram. It's what I was looking for,a way to share deals instantly! I have found lots of like minded savers and really enjoy it. If you want to check it out you can go to Instagram online or on your phone by getting the free app. My link is at the top right hand page of my blog. I found this chicken at Save On the other day. It seems Thursday morning might be the best day to score awesome clearance meat deals! We used to love home made shake and bake but since hubby's Celiac diagnosis we haven't had it. I decided to try making it by substituting gluten free crackers and flour. I was skeptical but I think the reason it turned out so yummy is because of America's Test Kitchen's gluten free flour mix. You can find that here.

Homemade Shake and Bake - (from the Tightwad Gazette)

4 cups ATK flour
4 cups ground gluten free crackers or cracker meal
4 tbsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
3 tbsp paprika
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Mix together. Put in Ziploc or well sealed container, store in fridge. Use 1 cup in a Ziploc bag, wet chicken and then place in bag, shake to coat. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 40-45 mins.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie ATK Easy!

The rhubarb is ready....it's a wonderful time of year!

Time to make some Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie!

This is the America's Test Kitchen recipe...except I cheat on the pie crust! :)  This recipe takes about 2 hours from beginning to end because of the 1 hour macerating and 50 minute baking time.

You need 4 stalks of rhubarb cut up.

You need 4 cups strawberries cut into quarters.

Add one cup of sugar and let macerate....for one hour, to draw some of the liquid out to avoid soggy pie syndrome!



This is a really easy recipe....I just have to remember to add in an hour for macerating!



Here's my "not made from scratch cause I tried that and this is easier" solution. I used a coupon...so it's ok..

Allow your professionally made crusts to thaw at room temperature.

There is lots of liquid that is left behind after draining your fruit thoroughly.

Keep 1/4 cup of the liquid.

Get the zest of an orange if you want(this is optional). You need 1 tsp.

Seems this box cost $1.48(a little of my grandpa coming out....).
You need 2 Tbsp cornstarch.

1/2 tsp vanilla(mine's from Mexico...thanks Lynn!)

Add orange zest, cornstarch, and vanilla, along with 1/4 cup reserved liquid to the fruit.

Put fruit into pie crust.

Top with second crust and press along the edges. The directions say to make 8 vent holes(oops!)



Brush crust with the white from one egg.



Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp sugar.

Bake at 425 for 25 minutes(place on a cookie sheet to save your oven) then rotate the baking sheet and reduce oven temperature to 375 and cook until golden brown, 25-30 minutes.

The directions say to let cool for 2 hours....ummm didn't happen in my house, but good luck!



I don't like pie, but this was so good.....Strawberries and rhubarb, is there a better combination????



Strawberry Shortcake ATK



Strawberries are on sale right now.....and whipping cream was in the clearance section at Safeway! Time to make some strawberry shortcake!




I found this recipe in my America's Test Kitchen's Baking cookbook.




It calls for 8 cups of strawberries, that's the same as one 2lb package.



Take 3 cups out of the 8 cups you sliced up.

Mash them up with a potato masher(it's not as easy as you'd think!).



Fold the mashed strawberries into the sliced and add 6 Tbsp of sugar. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.



Next I whipped my cream up. As you can see my bowl and beater are all frosty from being in the freezer to chill. I whipped up all this cream and froze several containers full.

In the food processor pulse about 3 times
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

The recipe calls you to chill 1/2 cup of unsalted butter cut into 1 inch pieces.
My butter was in the freezer, so I just sawed off 1/2 cup(salted, it's all I had) and cut it into pieces! It worked well, I just had to pulse more than 15 times.
Pulse 15 times until the mixture resembles cornmeal.



Whisk one room temperature egg and 2/3 cup half and half.

Then stir into flour mixture with a rubber spatula until large clumps form.


Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly until dough comes together, about 30 secs.




The recipe says to pat into a 9X6 inch rectangle about 1 inch thick. I used my rolling pin, gently.



Cut into circles and place on parchment paper. Brush with egg white from one egg and 2 Tbsp sugar.

Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes turning the sheet half way through cooking time.

Let cool on sheet for 15 minutes. Cut in half.

Top with berries and whip cream.

Try to eat just one.......

I've Got Lots of Potatoes!

My parents came to visit for Thanksgiving. They brought gunny sacks of HUGE potatoes! Thanks Mom and Dad!

America's Test Kitchen's Oven Fries
Peel potatoes and cut into wedges

Soak in HOT water for 10 minutes(this makes them crispy on the outside and tender on the inside)

Drain and dry the fries.

Cover 2 baking sheets with foil. Put 4 Tbsp oil on each sheet. Take your dried fries and toss with 1 Tbsp oil. Spread fries on cookie sheets, season.





Cover tightly with foil and move your oven rack to the lowest position. Heat oven to 475. Place foil wrapped fries in oven for 5 minutes. Remove foil. Continue to bake for 15-20minutes. Rotate pan after 10 minutes. Use metal spatula, scrape fries and flip. Bake until golden, 15-20 minutes longer. Rotate pan as needed.



Place fries on paper towel and serve! Thanks mom and dad!





Costco Brownies Vs Scratch Brownies

So, I was in Costco this week and saw the brownie mix was on sale. I have friends and family who swear these are better than anything you could make at home and they think cheaper. Well, being a family that learns at home, we decided to give it a whirl!

 

First, I found a recipe that was similar ingredients-wise. The one I chose was America's Test Kitchen brownies as most things ATK are very tasty and don't fail. Then I priced out all the same ingredients. The homemade was costing $5.56 and the Costco $5.49(this is for 4 square pans of brownies, note I substituted chocolate chips in the ATK recipe). So, cost-wise it's very similar.

Then, we had my son time my daughter and I as she made the mix and I made the scratch recipe. The mix took 5 minutes from bag to pan and the scratch took 6 minutes. I baked them both and then the kids did a blind taste test.

The pan on the left is the mix, the one on the right is the ATK brownies.  The verdict??? The mix is tastier!(We also had our neighbors be in on the blind taste test and they too chose the mix!(probably time to go to Costco, huh?)
It is more moist and chocolaty! This usually isn't true when you make a bagged mix, but not this time!

With the ingredients you add it works out to about $1.65/pan of brownies! On sale this week at Costco.