Strawberry Waffles

I’m hoping a picture is worth a thousand words; because I can’t tell you how much fun we had last weekend.

As you can see, we went sailing! 

DJ signed us up for a 2 1/2 day sailing course through Island Bound Adventures.  They’re a certified ASA sailing school located right here on Grapevine Lake. 

Our class was for the Basic Keelboat Sailing Course.  It’s designed to introduce you to the art of sailing.  By the end of the course, you should be able to safely dock the boat, set your sails, and be able to get from point A to point B. 

The class started on Friday night with roughly 4 hours of book work.  After working all day, I was a bit worried how much my brain would be able to soak up.  Surprisingly, it was quite a bit.   We first covered all the different parts of the boat.  Everything between the pulpit rail, down past the boom vang, even the transom was identified and talked about. 

We then moved on to knot tying.  Who know I would be so good at it?  It was my favorite part of the night.  In fact, we learned the bowline, figure eight, clove hitch, double wrap double half hitch, and a rolling knot.  At one point, one of the instructors looked at DJ and said, “Wow, you got yourself a real sailor there.”  In my opinion, I would have even make Finnick of District 4 proud.

Anyways, when class ended, we couldn’t wait to return the next day.  However when we woke up the wind was gusting roughly 18-20 miles per hour.  Once we got to the boat, the instructor confirmed our fears that it was too windy to take the boat out.   You see, if the wind gusted while we were pulling away from the dock, we would be push us into nearby boats.  Seeing that I have 2 claims at work for the exact same issue, I had no problems with instructor’s decision. 

However, we didn’t waste the day.  We spent time practicing our knots, inspecting all the different parts of the boat up close and personal, and studying for our final test.  By late afternoon, we realized the wind was just not going to settle down; so we opted to just take the test and get it out of the way.  Everyone passed with flying colors.

Sunday morning we woke up to bright blue skies and calm breezes.  I couldn’t wait to get out on the water.  By 9 o’clock, we were sitting in the cockpit with our classmates.  The instructor asked if anyone had steered a boat before.  I raised my hand, but advised it was a long time ago. 

Heck, it was over twenty years ago, and I must have only been 16 or 17.  Since I grew up on a small lake, our neighbor invited me to join him and his wife on their motor boat one afternoon.  I think they let me drive it for all of 10-15 minutes, but it was nothing like this 30 foot long sail boat.   

Since I was the only one who raised my hand, the instructor appointed me as the first helmsman of the day.  I gulped and my heart started to race.  DJ must have seen my panic stricken look because he laughed and said, “Go get’im girl” 

I nervously stood behind the wheel while the instructor showed me how to work the throttle and the gears.  Before I knew it, I had backed it out and was slowing cruising through the marina. 

Time and time again, I was really surprised that the keel which is attached to the bottom of the boat acted as a pivot point.  I was really expecting the boat to handle like a semi-truck or school bus because it was so long, but that was not at all the case.  As soon as I turn the wheel over, the whole boat just turned right from the center.    

I did have a momentary “chicken alert” when I was sailing about 20 degrees off of the wind.  I had the crew trim the main sail and jib for a close hull.  In other words, all the sail were pulled in tight to the boat, and we were starting to really move.  As we gained speed, the boat heeled (leaned) over pretty good.  At one point, I became worried the waves were going to come in the cockpit area or we  would capsize. So, I turned away from the wind until the boat became more level.

At that point, the instructor informed our class that keel also acts as our balancing beam; and it’s designed to keep us from rolling over or capsizing.  Apparently, when you start heel over to much the boat will compensate by pulling you directly into the wind.  I should probably stop and let explain that you can’t sail directly into the wind.  If you try, the wind will fall out of the sails and you’ll just come to a complete stop.  So, in other words, if you’re leaning over to much; the boat will just come to a full stop all by itself.  What a relief.

As the afternoon wore on, our confidence in the boat also grew stronger.  Some of the other students were able to keep us on a nice heel for 5-10 minutes at a time or until the wind changed its direction slightly. 

All in all, the whole weekend was quite an adventure. 

Strawberry Waffles

1 cup rice flour

½ cup tapioca starch

¼ cup dried milk powder (or dried buttermilk)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon xanthan gum (or gar gum)

2 eggs

1 cup orange juice

1 tablespoons oil

Vanilla yogurt

Strawberries (add sugar and sweeten to taste)

In medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients (rice flour, tapioca starch, dried milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum).  By hand, mix in the eggs, orange juice and oil.  A few lumps will remain.

Heat up the waffle iron.  Cook batter according to your waffle manufacturer’s instructions.

Top with a scoop of vanilla yogurt and strawberries

Grilled Hot Dogs

I went to a Rangers game last Tuesday night, and I had a ggrrrrrrreat time!  In fact, I was surprised at how good of a time I had.

I’m really not a baseball enthusiast; so it’s pretty impressive that I’ve been to Wrigley Field (Chicago), Safco Field (Seattle), Great American Ball Park (Cincinnati), and now the Rangers Ball Park (Dallas).  

I guess you could say I go for the atmosphere, the cotton candy, and who can resist cracking open dry roasted peanuts.  I think I went through a whole bag while watching the Cubs a few years ago.  You should have heard DJ bellyaching when he looked down and saw an impressive amount of shells completely covering his tennis shoe.   Every game since then, we laugh about it as I’m purchasing peanuts.

However, Tuesday night I flew solo, and my wingman watched the game from the comfort of our couch.  You see, my workplace had ordered the tickets as a team building event, so spouses were not invited. 

Believe it or not, but I can really be a bit of a worry wart.  First, I didn’t want to drive to the stadium during the height of the rush hour.  Besides, I didn’t want to go if co-workers were just going to rehashed work.  Since DJ and I both work in the same office, we have a strict policy of not talking about work outside of work.  Not to mention, I didn’t want to walk out to my car alone after the game.  Nothing scares me more than being alone in a dark parking lot.  Lastly, what if I became too tired to drive home? 

I think for a while there I was looking for reasons not to go.  I just find it hard to break out of my normal routine.  However, my attendance was expected; so I trepidatiously made my way over to the stadium after work.    

One by one, I conquered my fears.  As expected, I did get stuck in traffic; but it really wasn’t that bad.  While stop and go traffic was an unwelcome nuisance, I tempered it with the simple pleasure of having the top down and singing along to the radio.   

During the game, my co-workers opened up about their lives outside the office.  At one point, we all had our phones out sharing photos of our pets.  Some even voted on who had the cutest dog.  All the while, fly balls keep dropping in our general direction.  There must have been one an inning.  It was exciting to say the least.  Expecialy since I’m quite the butterfingers, so I’m terrified of actually catching a baseball.  Knowing me, I would probably catch it upside the head ;)

I didn’t get home until late, but I was really proud that I put the effort into going.  I really did enjoy myself.

Since I missed out on the whole hotdog/beer scene, I decided to put it on the menu for tonight.  However, I was out of hot dog buns; so today, I splurged on a package of Udi’s fresh buns.  I love these things.  I learned about them at the Dallas Gluten Free Expo last year.  In my opinion, there’s just something comforting about a slightly charred hotdog wrapped in a piece of soft bread. 

Grilled Hotdogs

Ballpark All Beef Hotdogs

Udi’s hotdog buns

Katsup and mustard

Redbridge Gluten Free Beer

Warm up your grill and throw on some dogs.  When they're partially black on one side flip them over and char the other side.  Place in a bun and top with your favorite condiments.  Crack open a beer and  Enjoy!

Bacon Swiss Quiche

Dad and Kristi's house

Last weekend was a blur to say the least. 

We left our house at 3:30 am Saturday morning and trucked off to the airport.  We flew into Chicago, picked up our rental vehicle, and drove down to my in-laws.

Dad and Kristi live off of Morse Lake in Cicero, Indiana.  It’s a quaint little farming town just north of Indy.  Downtown is made up of about 3 blocks and a stop light.  The majority of the shops are family owned.  My favorite is the grocery store.  It can’t be more than 1000 sq feet, but yet it seems to have it all.  Fresh produce, eggs, and bacon from nearby farms.  I think the bake goods are actually homemade.

Their house is a typical Midwestern house with a wraparound front porch.  In fact, DJ and I fell in love with that porch the first time we saw it.  Over the years, we’ve spent many hours on it relaxing and spending quality time with family.

On this trip, as I stood on the porch I listened to the spring song birds.  Their melody was soothing and relaxed me instantly.  Even though I like to sit outside at home, it’s not the same.  There’s always constant noise from a nearby highway which drowns out sounds of nature.  Dallas has so much traffic; you would be hard pressed to find someplace as quite as Cicero.

A work friend of mine once mentioned she misses the even louder traffic noise of New York City.  When she goes back to visit family, she makes a point to visit her cousin’s apt rooftop so that she can soak it all in.  I laughed and said I would travel back to Indiana just to listen to the crickets chirp. 

The amount of family we saw was insane.  There were grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and longtime family friends.  We visited with most people for an hour or two before moving on to someone else.  Each visit left me begging for more time.  Even when we saw my own parents, it was only for an hour or two. 

I had to remind myself several times that we have a good life in Texas. 

I just love my family and I miss them dearly. 

It’s been awhile since I’ve been homesick, and this quick trip really pulled at my heart strings.  Maybe it’s because we said good bye to someone we love.  Also, I know that we have a finite amount of time left to spend with the one's we still have.

Anyways, I made this quiche last week for dinner.  I had hoped to have it posted before we left, but I ran out of time.  Since tomorrow is Mother’s Day, it’s seems to be a perfect recipe for this week. 

Bacon Swiss Quiche

1 Gluten Free Pie Shell

6 oz grated Swiss cheese

2 Tablespoons Rice Flour

4 Eggs

1 (12 oz) can Evaporated Milk

1/4 cup onion, diced

1/4 cup bacon, chopped

 Heat oven to 350F.  Toss Cheese with flour.  In a large bowl, beat eggs slightly.  Slowly mix in the evaporated milk.  Stir in the cheese, onion, and bacon; mix well.  Pour into a pie crust.  Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Frosted Cinnamon Rolls

From left to right:  Aunt Bobbie and her daughter Jill

Yesterday, DJ and I were informed that his Aunt Bobbie lost her battle with cancer.  Within the next week, we’ll hop on a plane and fly back home to attend the services. 

It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen her.  The last few times we’ve been back to Indy our schedules never aligned with theirs.  Now that I’m thinking about it, it’s been two years.  Wow, time passes so quickly.

We last saw her at an IU football game.  Normally, football is not their normal cup of tea, but Aunt Bobbie and Uncle Mike surprisingly came out to our tailgate.  On the other hand, their grown children Lisa and Jill (DJ’s cousins) never miss a chance to party; and their husbands and children helped to nicely round out the crowd. 

When I think of Aunt Bobbie, I think of a person who boldly marched to her own beat.  She was the odd ball who proudly carried her knitting bag into Memorial Stadium that day, and actually worked on a scarf throughout the whole game.  Some of the football fanatics in our family roll their eyes and crack some jokes at her expense.  But, after the game when we were all huddling around a bonfire trying to keep warm, she lovingly wrapped that same scarf around my neck. 

I still have it.  The crimson and cream scarf was lovingly folded and stored in the hallway closet.  I’ve even warn it the few times I’ve been back to IU. 

In my opinion, Aunt Bobbie was definitely a foodie/health nut.  I’ll never forget the Easter dinner she hosted about three years ago.  It was a potluck style, and we all brought a dish to pass.  I took some sort of layered fruit trifle.  His cousin brought a cauliflower broccoli salad that I still dream about.  Anyways, Aunt Bobbie provided three organic free range chickens as the roasted meat.  During dinner, she gave the family a mini dissertation on how her choice of poultry was better for you than the normal fryers you purchase at Kroger’s.   

Knowing how meticulous Aunt Bobbie was with her research, I don’t doubt her a bit.  But, once again there were some jokes cracked and some eyes were rolled.  Sometimes, I think Aunt Bobbie’s mission in life was to make us all live healthier.  

After dinner, I helped her clean the bones, and she proceeded to give me my first lesson in the art of making broth.  She stated the best way to make it was in a crockpot since it cooks at a consistent 180 degrees.   Apparently, it’s the optimal temperature for leaching all the nutrients out of the bones.   When I asked how she knew, she stated she'd taken a cooking class from IUSB (Indiana University South Bend).  In that moment, I shared that I had recently applied to their culinary arts program; but I had not yet been accepted.

At times, I wonder how differently my life be if IUSB didn’t have a delay in their review process that year.  I had submitted all the necessary paperwork early Fall hoping to start classes that next January.  But, who would have guessed DJ and I would both be laid off in February?  With no word from IUSB, we decided to put the house up for sale and accepted new positions in Texas.  A few days before the actual move, I received my acceptance letter in the mail, but it had come too late.   

Life is ironical.  Who would have guessed the healthiest person in our family would have suffered from a rare form of cancer? 

All in all, she will be sorely missed.  Her determination and unwavering strength to forge her own path is something I hope to emulate in my own life.

I love you Aunt Bobbie.  Rest in Peace.

Frosted Cinnamon Rolls

1 batch Every Day Basic Bread

Rice flour (maybe 1/2 -1 cup for dusting)

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons Cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Vanilla Frosting

Chopped Nuts

Lay out 2 strips of plastic wrap on your countertop.  Generously sprinkle with the rice flour.  Turn out the dough and sprinkle top of mound with additional flour.  With your fingers press dough into a rectangular shape.  Dough should be about 1/2 inch thick.  Spoon melted butter over the dough.  Sprinkle on sugar, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg.  Gently use the plastic wrap to assist with rolling the dough as it will be soft.  With clean knife cut the log into individual rolls and place in greased muffin tin.  Let rolls rise for 30 minutes.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until done.  Once cooled, spread with frosting and nuts. 

 

Barb's Spinach Salad

It’s raining today.

It really started to come down while I was at Barns & Noble this morning. 

I don’t know what it is about Texas, but when it rains it pours!  It’s almost like God turns on a faucet in order to of flush some poor spider down the drain.

Anyways, I called DJ from the store and told him I was waiting for it to lighten up before attempting to drive home.  He advised the rain gage on the back of our fence already showed an inch.  Wow, I thought.  It only started 20 minutes ago.

Since I figured I’d be there for while, I walked over to the coffee shop and indulged in steamy cup of Chia. 

With drink in hand, I wander through the store looking for a book.  I really didn’t know what I was looking for, so finding it was all that much harder.  All in all, I knew I wanted a light read to take with us on vacation in a few weeks.

I primarily read fiction. Last summer while in Hawaii, I read The Help, andI loved the ending,  I loved how the author just set all the characters free to live their own lives.  It means on some level I get to imagine where life will eventually take them. 

For example when I finished reading Hunger Games a few months ago, I didn’t know if I wanted to finish the rest of the series.  Not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because I loved delicious freedom of deciding what would happen to these two beloved characters. 

I could see the Capital forcing Katniss to marry Petta.  But, what if Gale’s really is her true love?  And, if she marries Gale; on some level will she always be looking over her shoulder at Petta?  However, I’m still nagged by the bond that was forged between her and Petta in the arena.  You just can’t write that stuff off.

Anyways, I’m not going to reveal any grand secrets; but if you’re interested, keep reading because the answer is in the finial book.

After a while, I gravitated over to the cooking section.  I flipped through a bread book, and paused to read the chapter on bagels.  Did you know that it’s practically impossible to recreate that soft chewy texture at home?  Yep.  It’s true.  Believe it or not, commercial bakeries use a steam injected oven and a secret ingredient…malted syrup.  I’m supposed to be working on a bagel recipe this month, so it’ll be interesting to see what I can come up with.

I also took some time thumbing through a copy of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  Having never looked at it before, I was really surprised to find it quite readable.  I brushed up on her views of roasting a duck as I’m supposed to be grilling one for dinner tonight; but that’ll change if the rain doesn’t let up.   I should tell DJ that this book would make a great future gift idea for me.

After a while, I sat down on the floor as I continued to read.  In the end, I was overwhelmed by the number of cookbooks, chefographys, diet books…  It was humbling to realize I had never heard of most of these chefs.  Some boasted of traveling far and wide jut to sample obscure local delicacies.  Others owned renowned restaurants in New York City or San Francisco.      

I started to wonder, where do I fit into all of this? My blog seems small an insignificant in comparison to these so called “greats.”  I’m no a trained chief.  But then I remembered, I know how to cook GF.  The last time I looked, that’s not a subject broached by cooking schools.  Slowly, my confidence starts to rebound. 

I started this journey about a year ago, and I would be lying if I didn’t say the thought of quitting hasn’t crossed my mind a time or two.  But normally, a week or two off will cure me as I start itching to share my cooking adventures.

In the long run, I have no idea where this path will lead, but for now I’m enjoying the journey.  And, even though I struggle with the actual writing of the blog, I like the challenge it possess.  It flexes my brain muscles which is probably good for me.

This week I’m sharing a recipe from my step-mom, Barb.  She made it few years ago for a family get together, and we all went gaga over it.  I hope you love it as much as we do.

Barb’s Spinach Salad

5 oz. Fresh Spinach
1/2 cup brown mushroom caps, sliced
1/3 sweet onion, sliced
1/4 cup bacon bits
2 hardboiled eggs, sliced
Parnassian Cheese
GF Italian Salad Dressing

In order, layer all the ingredients in a pretty and bowl.  Serve and Enjoy! 

Easter Marshmallows

It’s 3:30 am, and I’m wide awake 

Fudge!  I hate insomnia.  I bet it was that pesky margarita last night at dinner.  On the upside, it tasted fantastic; and put me in a really good mood. 

But I’m wide awake now, and I have thoughts circling around my head like cloths in a dryer.   

I can hardly believe it, but on April 10^th my blog will be 1 year old.  In my mind, it’s quite a milestone.  In the beginning, I was quite the scaredy cat.  In fact, I didn’t tell anyone about it for months in fear that I would be ridiculed.  I even kept it secret from my immediate family for the first month or two.  But, it was with their support that I became braver. 

As I look over a year worth of recipes, it brings back memories. 

Most surprisingly, I fell in love with granola.  I was visiting my family back in Indiana, and walked into my parent’s kitchen while my nephew, Alex, was eating breakfast.  “Auntie!” he declared,  “I’m going to make you the best breakfast ever.”  So, he scooped some cereal into a bowl, topped it with fresh strawberries and drenched it in chocolate milk.  It was love at first bite.

Hannah & Alex my neice and nephew.

It’s amazing how food can bring back such vibrant memories.   

I really proud I joined the Ratio Rally.  Before popovers, I had never really “written” my own recipes.  It’s shocking isn’t it?  I would just take some random recipe and use it as my starting point. 

Wow, that was a really good cake.  I bet it would taste great as muffins.  Fold in some raspberries.  A little lime glaze on top.  Before I knew it, I had Raspberry Walnut Muffins.  But did I really write a “new” recipe if I based it off of someone else’s batter? 

I don’t know…

I had such a good time with DJ at the mall tonight.  Who knew shopping for men’s dress shoes would be the highlight of my week?   

We stopped at the mall’s ice rink to watch the skaters.  Most were young kids who darted here and there.  We smiled at the less experienced kids who were hanging on to the wall for dear life. 

DJ happened to notice a Mexican restaurant overlooking the rink and decided to have dinner there so we could continued to enjoy the ambiance. 

We started to share our favorite skating moments. 

Mine happened about 10 years ago.  We went over to Aunt Jinx and Uncle Larry’s house to skate on the pond behind their house.  After an hour of shoveling off an area to play hockey, we happened to notice some “flaws” in the ice.  We filled a bucket with warm water and started to “patch” some areas.    

I happened to come across an air pocket about 4”x 6”. Maybe a 1/2 “ deep.  I don’t know why I stuck my toe pick in it, and there was a loud cracking noise at the same time.  DJ could even hear it a good 30 feet away.  His face went white, and I could see the fear in his eyes.  He yelled, “If I have to haul your ass out; I’m going to beat it!”  At that moment, I fell over laughing. 

It should probably be noted, that I was only a foot away from land; and if I fell in, the depth of the water was barely enough to cover my ice skating boots.  Secondly, it’s normal to hear a loud cracking noise when ice pulls away from land, and that’s what we heard.      

I know this because my parents moved to the lake house when I was in junior high.  That first winter, I remember everyone waking up in the middle of the night because we thought we heard a gunshot go off.  The next morning, my father was informed by our neighbor, Mr. Kennedy, that the ice had contracted.  Sure enough, when I went to inspect, I was shocked to see a 5-6” crack running around the whole circumference of the lake.

It amazing.  It’s 80 degrees outside.  Easter is tomorrow, and I’m itching to strap on my skates.

Skating always brings back good memories.   We went ice skating on our first date.

I could have lost him this week.

We only live a hop, skip and a jump away from the Dallas airport, and one of the tornados literally flew right over our house. 

We only work about 1 1/2 miles from here, so DJ always comes home for lunch.  When I was instructed to leave my desk, and head to the down stairs with my co-workers.  I called DJ advising him to seek shelter too.  Right after we hung up, he could the city tornado sirens going off. 

It wasn’t until the next morning on the news that we realized how close one of the tornados came.  I would post a You Tube video, but I couldn’t find one without extreme explicit language.

All in all, we were really lucky; but it made us stop and take pause.  We only have a finite number of Friday night date nights, vacations, or anniversaries to celebrate.  Needless to say, I’ve hugged him a bit tighter this week, relieved that we still have time left together.       

This week I’m making marshmallows.  I’m pulling out an old family classic because they remind me of Peeps which are my favorite Easter candy.   

Easter Marshmallows

2 cups granulated sugar
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 pinch salt
1 cup water
1 teaspoon amaretto (or vanilla)
Powdered sugar for dusting

In sauce pan combine sugar, gelatin, salt and water.  Heat until sugar is dissolved.  Bring to just a boil.  Remove from heat, and cool slightly.  Stir in amaretto.  Transfer to mixing bowl and beat at high speed (start at low and work up speed. Be careful about splashing) until very thick, about 10-15 minutes.  Pour into buttered 9x13 pan that has been dusted with powdered sugar.  Smooth out the top and dust with powdered sugar.  Wait a while and cut into squares or shapes.  Toss with powdered sugar to coat all sides.  Store in tightly covered container.
 

PB&J Brownie Whoopee Pies

Today was all about relaxation. 

This morning started out quite well.  In fact, there’s nothing better than waking up to clear blue skies.  So after feeding the little ones (i.e. the cats, and fish), we decided to go for a bike ride. 

I’m not a big fan of riding around our house because: a) we live next to a freeway, and b) even the side roads are 6 lanes wide and heavily traveled.  So, we loaded the bikes onto the back of the convertible and drove up to Grapevine Lake.   

I love my bike dearly.  So even though I know it’s firmly attached by 8 different straps, I still find myself checking the side mirror.  DJ laughs and calls me a worry wart.  I personally think I’ve been an insurance adjuster to long.  I have a story for just about everything.

Anyways, we make our way past the Dallas Fort Worth Airport.  Planes were taking off simultaneously from the three diffrent runways.  One flew right over us.  The noise from the engines was deafening.  It’s a wonder that something that large is able to lift so gracefully and effortlessly off the ground.

As we crossed the levy, DJ spotted a pack of bicyclists riding towards us.  It’s not uncommon to see them in groups of 50-75.  When we first moved down to Texas, I had high hopes of joining a biking club, but then reality set in. 

Yes, I may run an occasional 10K or half marathon and alternate with biking when knee issues arise.  But, bikers who wear bright skin tight shirts mean business. They can seriously haul since they maintain a cruising speed is 20-25 mph.

I’ll never forget a couple of years ago when I was riding home from the bike trail and was passed by a large group.  I though “Oh! This is my chance.”  I lasted for about a quarter of a mile since we were riding uphill.  After that, I gave up. 

I’m happy with just doing my best and then letting go.  All in all, I’m really not that competitive of a person. 

After our ride, we sat along the shore watching the sail boats and dreaming.

Someday we’ll have our boat...

PB&J Brownie Whoopee Pies

(Ratio 2:2:1:1:1/2 = eggs:sugar:chocolate:butter:flour)

4 extra large eggs (220 grams)
110 butter
110 unsweetened chocolate
220 grams sugar
83 grams GF flour mix**
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon gar gum
GF Strawberry pie filling
Peanut butter frosting***

Pre heat oven to 350F.

In small mixing bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, salt and gar gum.  Mix with fork or whisk until well combined.  Set aside.

In medium sauce pan melt butter and chocolate over low heat.  Stir continuously to prevent chocolate from burning/scorching.  Once it's completely melted, stir in the flour mixture.  Beat in the eggs by hand.

Scoop mixture out into whoopee pie pan and bake for 10-12 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on wire rack.

Assembling the Whoopee Pies:  Scoop a teaspoon of strawberry pie filling onto the middle of a cookie.  Using a pastry bag filled with frosting, pipe a circle around the filling.  Place 2nd cookie on top and enjoy!

**GF Mix: 2 parts white rice flour, 1/3 tapioca flour, 2/3 potato flour

***Peanut butter frosting: Using mixer, blend 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 cup peanut butter, and 2 cups powdered sugar.  When mixture becomes too thick add in 2-3 tablespoons of milk.

Don’t forget to check out Mary Fran’s blog, Franny Cakes, as she is hosting this month Ratio Rally :)     

Adina from Gluten Free Travelette made Chocolate Brownie Pie with Orange Zest
Angela from Angela’s Kitchen made  Gluten & Dairy Free Cream Egg Brownies
Brooke from B & the boy! made Triple Chocolate Brownies
Caitlin from {Gluten Free} Nom Nom Nom made Peppermint Brownie Bars
Caleigh from Gluten Free[k] made  White chocolate and marshmallow brownies
Caneel from Mama Me Gluten Free made Triple chocolate brownies
Charissa Luke from Zest Bakery made  Slutty gluten-free brownies
Claire from My Gluten Free Home  PB&J Brownie Whoopee Pies
Claire from This Gluten-Free Life made St. Patty’s Day Marshmallow Swirl Brownies
Erin from The Sensitive Epicure made Mexican Cocoa Brownies with an Almond & Pepitas Crust
Gretchen from kumquat made  salted caramel brownies
Irvin from Eat the Love made  Blueberry Citrus Marble Brownies
Jean from Gluten-Free Doctor Recipes made Blue Ribbon Brownies
Jenn Cuisine made Grain free brownies with no-bake ricotta cheesecake cream
Jonathan from The Canary Files made Vegan Marbled Banana Walnut Brownies
Karen from Cooking Gluten Free! made  GF Chewy Crackled Top Brownies with Raspberry Puree
Mary Fran from FrannyCakes made  Gluten-Free Hazelnut (Nutella) Brownies
Morri from Meals with Morri made Oaxacan Brownies & Mesquite Cacao Blondies
~Mrs. R from Honey From Flinty Rocks made Black Bean S’More Brownies
Pete and Kelli from No Gluten, No Problem made  Caramel Mexican Chocolate Mesquite Brownies
Rachel from The Crispy Cook made  Co-Co Nut-Nut Blondies
Shauna from Gluten-Free Girl made  Gluten-Free Brownies
Tara from A Baking Life made Mint Chocolate Flourless Brownies
TR | No One Likes Crumbley Cookies Gluten Free Berry Fudge Brownies