Really, eating these was like a touch of heaven. It all started when I needed to come up with two gluten-free donut holes, glazed orange, to substitute for the kid’s pre-school Halloween goodie snack today. I didn’t know of any commercial gluten-free donut holes. So I had to make some.

After some research, I came up with this highly technical, but not impossible, recipe published in one of my favorite magazines, Living Without. (“Adapted from the Culinary Institute of America’s recipe” might suggest something about the technical particularities involved.) Mine didn’t come out looking like the picture at all. But they did turn out delicious.

Think: warm, yeasty, light, slightly sweet, soft donut, dusted with cinnamon sugar. Wonderful. Heavenly. Surprisingly yummy. Worth the 4 hours on my feet in the kitchen. Satisfying. Especially for those who can’t just run to the nearest Dunkin’ to get their fix.

A few notes about this recipe.

• Don’t be afraid, it really does take 7 1/2 teaspoons of yeast. It works.
• Dip your finger in canola oil and smooth the “tips” of your  donut holes, or the seams of the rounds.
• Makes way more than the 2 dozen 3″ donuts it says it will.
• The frying takes at most 45 seconds a side. (Certainly not the 2-3 minutes the recipe calls for.) Don’t walk away, flip these quickly, or else they’ll burn. And really, 45 seconds a side does cook these all the way through.
• The recipe says dip them in sugar when still warm. Scratch that. Remove donut from the oil, let stand on multi-layered paper towels for about 10 seconds, and then lift with a fork and dip in sugar while still scorching hot.
• Slip the paper and the donut into hot oil, paper side down. Make sure some of the oil gets onto the paper. This will release the donut from the paper. Remove the paper with a tongs and flip the donut. Flip the donut once more to finish browning evenly.
• Don’t stack finished donuts. They flatten and deflate a bit.
• The chickpea flour in the dough really smells strong. The flavor mellows and blends into almost imperceptible after frying.
• These don’t look like the recipe picture. At all. But they still taste great.

If you have never had fresh, homemade donuts, try it once. It is a bunch of work. But the experience, the taste, and the texture, are like nothing you’ve had at home before!

Finally, I apologize for my intermittent absences here on the blog. I do love blogging. Talking…writing and photographing. But there is a reason. An important one. And I’ll tell you on Monday. Goodness, I’m bad! Happy Halloween!!

I love caramel.

I love apples.

I love making caramel apples. But somehow I don’t love eating them. I think it is the unparalleled stickiness that confounds the tongue and makes my teeth hurt. Though a knife is always helpful.

Nevertheless, my husband and I made somewhere near 75 caramel apples this weekend for others to enjoy. The kids were interested in all those plastic covered brown squares. And at 4 years old you can be get those wrappers off pretty well! At 2 1/2 years old. you wait for mama to take the wrapper half way off and you then yank it the rest of the way. And then you get bored and demand a “_’nack”, and Bickey-Mouse.

Caramel apples, apple pie, apple dumplings, apple cider, with hints of cinnamon…ahhh, that is the fall season!

Maybe this is another food filled week at our home. Or just a week when I felt the inspiration to photograph a lot of food. With the waning light in the evening, taking colorful vibrant photos, with good contrast is proving to be more tricky. My brother-in-law suggested I turn to the Nikkon 35mm AFS lens. I did tried out a borrowed lens, and oh my, I do love the results. I am in no way shape or form an expert, or even an advanced beginner photographer. But I do know a good photo when I see one. Santa? A camera lens is on my list this year! That is, since we are going to have about 6 months more of dark-in-the-evening-no-good-for-shooting-without-a-flash. Please?

(Note, the muddled photos in this post are NOT taken with that wonderful lens.)

Anyhow, I digress. I’ve been meaning to share this recipe on the blog for a while. Simple, tasty, and an any day sweet peachy pick-me-up. (Note, the crepes batter needs to stand for at least 2 hours. So either this is a brunch-y recipe, or make the crepe batter the night before.)

Buckwheat Crepes with Peaches

Peach Sauce

• 2 1/2C sliced peaches (can be frozen)
• 1/4C sugar (or less to taste if your peaches are already very sweet)
• 1/8 t cinnamon
• 1t corn starch
• 1/8 t almond extract

Add peaches, sugar, and cinnamon to a medium sized heavy bottom pot. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Mix cornstarch with 1/2 t of water and dissolve starch completely. Add to peach mixture and stir to incorporate and thicken. Remove from heat and add almond extract. Serve.

Buckwheat crepes

• 3/4C buckwheat flour
• 1/4 C gluten-free flour blend
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 milk
• pinch salt
• oil for frying (I use safflower oil)

Place flours, eggs, milk, and salt in a blender and blend until smooth. Stick blender in fridge and let soak for 2 hours, up to 12 hours.

Blend once more before cooking.

Add a 1/4 t to a small fry pan over medium heat. Add 2T of batter to pan and tip the pan to spread out the batter into a flat pancake. When the top is almost set, (about 1 minute) use a butter knife, or small spatula, to flip the crepe/pancake and cook for 30 seconds on the second side. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve hot peach sauce over several crepes.

Serves 4 generously.

We’ve been trying to eat more vegetables. Vibrant colors, crisp textures, and wonderful tastes…not to mention that these plant products are really healthy and wonderfully nourish your body if you give them the chance. But you probably already knew all that.

Sometimes it is confusing to look at an eggplant and feel inspired. Sometimes my recipe file feigns blankness when I see that brussel sprout staring back at me. But this recipe…this adaptable, quick and easy to prepare recipe…wins out each time. Really.

Start with my ingredients, choose your own ingredients, it is all the same. One pan. Ground meat. Lots of chopped veggies. A little cook time. Salt and pepper. Voilá, supper.

(This particular combo actually helps you make another dinner too. You’ll see what I mean.)

Supper Scramble

• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1/2 lb mild Italian sausage, uncooked, removed from casing
• 1/2 bunch green kale, rinse, drain (but do not dry), and rough chop
• 4 cloves garlic chopped finely
• 1/2 can (15oz) chickpeas (or fresh) drained and rinsed
• 1/2 medium red pepper, large dice
• 1/2 medium green pepper, large dice
• 1 medium tomato, large dice
• juice of half a lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Place oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add ground beef and ground sausage and cook through, stirring occasionally.
2. Add kale and garlic and cover pan to steam for 3 minutes, or until kale greens have wilted. Uncover pan and toss greens and garlic together with ground meat.
3. Add chickpeas and diced peppers and heat through.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.
5. Add diced tomatoes and lemon juice and toss through and serve.

Serves 4.

Variations:

In another pot of boiling water cook up 1/2 lb gluten-free pasta, (or wheat pasta) and toss this in along with everyone else.

Dice 2 medium potatoes and par-boil. Remove the cooked meat from the pan and drain the juices. Return the pan to the heat, add 2 T of oil and fry the potatoes (don’t forget the medium high heat) until browned on all sides. Add cooked meat and the rest of your scramble ingredients for a quick flash finish.

Scramble 8 eggs in another pan, and add to ground sausage with a bit of diced pepper, tomato and potato, for a breakfast style scramble.

But wait, did I not tell you that this recipe lends itself to another meal? Here is what you’d likely have left.

Half pound of ground beef and a half pound of Italian sausage and a bit of kale. Brown the meat over medium high heat in a large saute pan. Add kale and cover pan to wilt the greens. Uncover pan and add pasta sauce and heat through. Serve over your favorite spaghetti pasta for a quick and healthy dinner.

You can probably guess what to do with half a can chickpeas, some garlic, half a lemon, half a red pepper and half a green pepper. Make hummus and dip pepper slices.

Hummus:

• 8 oz chickpeas
• 2 large cloves of garlic chopped
• 1 T sesame tahini (it is in the peanut butter aisle)
• juice of half of lemon

Mix together in small food processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper or any one ingredient to your taste. Eat with pepper slices.

So there you have it. Two easy peasy suppers, chock full of life giving, healthy veggies. These are my go-to recipes for those times I really don’t want to cook dinner. Because they are super speedy, super simple, and super healthy.

For a peek at other healthy meals visit one of my favorite bloggers Amy, at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free!

I absolutely loved, loved, loved this sandwich when I was young.

Growing up in a home with no processed sugar, whole grains, and organic veggies galore, we had sandwiches for lunch. Whole wheat, homemade bread was our staple. I remember my mother’s hands kneading with strong conviction. I remember more frequently, my mother’s bread machine quietly whirling. And I fondly remember that aroma. Sweet, round, nutty smell, that reminds you the crusty, soft, steamy goodness is about to enter your mouth.

When we were very young, my mother canned and cultured all our winter needs. That meant summers were filled with growing, collecting, cooking, and procuring. Sprouts were one of the small items that always found life on our sunny kitchen window shelf. Spicy radish, bland alfalfa, and fragrant broccoli seeds all came alive in that little container. We’d watch with small child eyes each day. Wondering how long they’d have to get before we could gobble them down.

Peanut butter came from our food co-op. Raw, freshly ground, peanut butter glopped from that huge spigot into our brought-from-home container. It was slightly chunky and almost smooth. It was rich and colorful and truly aromatic. Simply, it was the basis of many a lunch.

I do not recall when my childhood favorite came to be. But yesterday, that peanut butter and sprout sandwich recreated in my kitchen tasted as wonderfully pleasing as ever!

Could it be the tender crunch? Or the luxury of the peanut butter? Or is it that after being gluten-free for almost a year I forgot what  “sandwich” truly means? Perhaps it is the soft bite, with the subtle crunch of the tender sprout that is still makes me stand still and smile. And that is what I did. I smiled right through that childhood sandwich experience.

If you’d like to create this rather odd sandwich, you must, must, must, use “all natural peanut butter.” Jif just isn’t privy to this private encounter. The peanut butter that separates from the oil is perfect. Use any flavor of sprout you wish. Spicy or mild are welcome to join this reunion. And homemade, whole-grain, bread–fresh from the oven, soft and wonderful–will complete this heavenly healthy trio.

Try it if you feel adventurous!

It came about by accident. I am still recovering from having all four of my wisdom teeth pulled, so I am not eating much of anything that requires, or that would even be friends with, butter as of late. But Little Miss decided she would pull the heavy cream out of the fridge. The carton I was saving to make flan with. (Because flan is soft and squishy and I haven’t yet got the guts to eat something I have to chew.) So we selected a clean mason jar, a few pebbles, and set to work shaking. And shaking. And shaking.

There are another few steps to make your butter taste a bit better. But the shaking was the funnest step.

And the result…yummy. YUMMY! It was sweet, soft, creamy, fresh, and heavenly. I don’t know how I am going to go back to store-bought butter. I need to get me a cow. Oh, wait, didn’t I just write about raising animals and not liken’ it? Maybe I’ll find someone who lives near me that wants to share their cow.

But who knew, that you could make butter so easily? Not I! And, to boot, I figured out that the milk that separates from the butter fat is buttermilk. And that is why buttermilk is always low-fat. Oh, the things you learn in an ordinary day, by accident.

For formal butter-making instructions go here. (Thanks Soule Mama!)

I’ve had this little family of black plums sitting on my wooden butcher block for the past week. I know they are getting ripe because their skins are ever so slightly wrinkled, and the fruit flies are starting to come around. It is the season again to enjoy the juicy sweetness of all stone-fruits. It is the season I loved as a child and continue to adore now.

Typically, I am not a huge fan of black plums. The super tart skin just makes my molar teeth ache. (Yes, even as I type these words my mouth hurts!) So, I peel them, and then usually lose the entire bowl to Mini Mister who turns into a fruit bat during the summer months. This time, the fruit was so ripe that peeling would have just juiced the entire lot. So I decided to make up my own baked plum recipe of sorts. Gluten-free of course. The same oat-sorghum-flour granola topping would work on baked nectarines, or peaches as well. Add a dash of vanilla extract to baked nectarines and perhaps a drop of almond extract to complement the peaches.

If you have fruit hanging out with no where to go…give this summer-time recipe a try. It is a supreme partner to vanilla ice-cream!

Baked Black Plum Crumble

• 8 black plums – the riper the better, wash, halve, and remove the stone
• 1C rolled oats (I used gluten-free oats, though some with Celiac disease are unable to tolerate oats)
• 1/4C sorghum flour
• 4 T butter, melted, divided
• 1/4C raw, unfiltered honey
• 2 T roasted sunflower seeds
• 1/4C chopped raw walnuts
• 1/4t ground cinnamon
• 1/4t ground nutmeg
• 1/4t salt

1. Preheat oven to 425° F. Butter shallow baking dish, large enough to hold plums in a single layer with 2 teaspoons of melted butter.
2. Set plum halves in a single layer in buttered baking dish.
3. In a medium bowl mix to combine all other ingredients, including remaining melted butter.
4. Use fingers to crumble oat mixture over plum halves, covering all fruit surfaces.
5. Bake in oven for 25 minutes or until oat topping is brown and fruit juices are bubbling.
6. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Place portions in small bowls with a mini-scoop of vanilla ice cream, and serve immediately.
7. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Serves 8.

And I am linking to Amy’s blog Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free, this Slightly Indulgent Tuesday. Head on over her way to take a peek at some other delicious summer culinary creations!