Recipe - Perfect Corn Dogs

Looking for more recipes that had corn meal in them so I didn't waste this big bag of corn meal I now had from making corn muffins/bread, brought me to this most WONDERFUL of recipes and ever so easy to make... corn dogs!

Being originally from the USA, these are one of the things I really missed most and I was ever so pleased with these when they turned out. The biggest part of making these perfect were finding big enough hot dogs that didn't have any gluten. I ended up with these hot dogs that were about 9inch long (if not more) and a good inch in diameter... MUCH too big so I settled for the sake of ease and presentation to cut them into 4th's.

Before the recipe though this time, I will bring some tips.... although easy enough recipe, some simple rules should be followed to make sure you have the best experience possible.

Tip #1 - Use a deep fryer. Don't try to make these in a pan as they DO float and when they do you need enough room to be able to turn them around for proper cooking all around.

Tip #2 - Always use a fresh batch of oil with exception if you have just made a batch of corn dogs. Don't mix this with other foods when frying because they will pick up the taste of what ever else was made in the oil before.

Tip #3 - Fry these all at a high temp. I have a temp of 180c (350f) and I used it on full but stood there with them the entire time to ensure I cooked them evenly and didn't burn them. It also ensures that the batter flash seals on the outside while the inside almost steam cooks.

Tip #4 - Make sure you have a plate/baking sheet ready with paper towels to set freshly fried corn dogs on to get rid of extra oil and a bit of a cooling process.

Tip #5 - Make sure when frying that you do not crowd the dogs. Even though you think you will have all this room when placing them in there, you won't. They will expand and you will need room to turn these as they cook. I suggest for the size I will explain below and for a normal sized deep fryer to not cook them more then 5/6 at a time. I used a mini fryer so I only did 2/3 at a time.

Tip #6 - Let the batter sit for at least 10minutes before starting with the battering and frying of the hot dogs. This will allow the corn meal to absorb the liquid much better and make the frying process nicer.

Tip #7 - If you are using FULL length hot dogs (I cut mine into more 1-2 bite sized pieces) I would suggest finding a jar longer then the hot dog you are going to use so that you can batter them with ease. This way you will get a good coating and not worry if a place doesn't have any any.

Tip #8 - Use thin popsicle sticks if your going to make the full size things because using something to thin will just result in you loosing the hot dog in the thick batter (learned that even from the small ones I made in which I used toothpicks for)

Tip #9 - Make sure your using corn MEAL and not something called corn FLOUR or corn STARCH. You want the really course stuff, not the flour/fine style stuff that is meant more for thickening sauces/soups.

Tip #10 - When preparing the hot dogs before the batter process, I suggest using latex or vinal style powder free gloves (like you find at the doctors office) while doing it. It makes for quick clean up afterwards and if you end up with too much moister on them with all the flour, it's easier to clean them off then your hands each time. I suggest this actually any time someone has to batter, bread or flour anything.

Ok with the tips out of the way.... enjoy your new found love (I hope) of the good ol' American style Corn Dog!

Perfect Corn Dogs

Ingredients
1 cup GF flour mix
2/3 cup corn meal
2 TBS sugar
2 tsp GF baking powder
1/2 ts salt (optional)
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 TBS oil (other then frying oil)
1 package (10) GF hot dogs
GF flour mix for coating hot dogs

Directions (I will give you this for the way *I* made these)
Combine GF flour mix, corn meal, sugar and salt (if using) and make sure the corn meal is well combined throughout. Add oil, eggs and milk starting at 3/4th cup and add 1 TBS at a time if more is needed... I ended up using a bit more the longer the batter sat. Simply whisk it together until there are no lumps and let sit while preparing hot dogs for battering.

Cut hot dogs about 3inches long. Remember, the ones I used were massive so I had a LOT more then the normal American style hot dog will make. Pierce each hot dog end with popsicle stick or with toothpick if using my method.

Set up your fryer and get it heating so it's nice and hot while you take the next step. Druge hot dogs in gf flour mix but make sure you pull off extra flour... you just want these dusted so that when you go to batter them that the batter will stick to them propely. I suggest laying them all out on foil after your done with the druging... it makes it easier work for you while frying.

When fryer is at temp, take the amount of hot dog pieces on a stick (sorry had to get some comedy stuff in there) and place them stick side up into the batter bowl. Turn and twist hot dog stick until well coated and make sure you get the top part where the stick is as well!

Transfer straight from bowl to the deep fryer. If high enough, the corn dog will be sealed on the outside and actually steam itself until cooked on in the inside. That wonderful 'corn dog' shape will come to it's own very quicky when you start to fry. Make sure you stick near by. You want a light golden brown color but from my experience you will need to turn them and might even have to hold them in place while they fry because they like to float badly. I suggest using heat resistant tongs when doing this as it will give you the mobility that you to keep these cooking correctly.

When you have a nice light to dark golden brown color all around, remove from fryer to prepared paper toweled plate or baking sheet. Let cool slightly and enjoy! I always liked to mix plain ol' yellow mustard with ketup and use it as dipping sauce but I bet the BBQ sauce recipe would go wonderfully with these as well!

Another idea, if you can find them is to use GF cheese hot dogs instead of normal ones.

Recipe - Raspberry Muffins w/ Chocolate Chips

Continuing on the muffin theme the last 24hrs, here is the last one for now. After making the cranberry ones, I thought 'what would it be like to use fresh raspberries?'... so I did. I gave some of these to my mother (who can eat gluten) and she seriously could NOT tell the difference between this and something with wheat based flour! I was so happy to hear that!

I took the basic recipe for the cranberry muffins posted before but omitted any thing orange and changed the half cup of blueberries and cranberries by 1 cup raspberries and 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (semi sweet if your in the USA work well).

Raspberry Muffins w/ Chocolate Chips

Ingredients
2 cups GF flour mix
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt (optional)
1 1/4th cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1-2 extra TBS sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 400f or 200c.

In large bowl combine GF flour mix, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt if using until sugar is mixed well throughout. Add milk starting with 1 cup, butter, orange zest (or orange juice if using), vanilla and eggs. With a mixer, beat mixture on medium speed until no lumps are left and mixture seems to of lightened a bit. If mixture is too thick, add remaining 1/4th cup milk 1 TBS at a time until desired thickness. Let mixture sit for 10 minutes.

While letting mixture set, prepare your muffin tin. Again with either liners or lightly grease each. This recipe will make over 12 muffins.

After letting mixture sit, give it a good whisk to make sure every thing is still well combined and then stir in the chocolate chips and GENTLY fold in the fresh raspberries... and be extra gentle or you will end up with red mush instead of muffin batter.

Pour mixture into muffin tin about 3/4th full. Sprinkle each lightly with remaining sugar.

Bake in preheated oven for 18-20mins or until toothpick in middle comes out clean or if you hit a chocolate chip, retry.

Recipe - Cranberry Muffins

While I'm on the whole 'muffin' thing any how, I thought I'd bring you a couple more muffin recipes I've made recently. Mind you I love cakes and such but why do cakes when you have the ease of fresh baked muffins that you can just grab one and eat it with no worries of dishes or it really drying out quickly?

Cranberry Muffins

Ingredients
2 cups GF flour mix
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 ts salt (optional... I don't ever add extra salt to be honest)
1 1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
2 tsp orange zest (I used 1/4 cup orange juice instead)
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
1 tbs sugar (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400f or 200c.

In large bowl combine GF flour mix, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt if using until sugar is mixed well throughout. Add milk starting with 1 cup, butter, orange zest (or orange juice if using), vanilla and eggs. With a mixer, beat mixture on medium speed until no lumps are left and mixture seems to of lightened a bit. If mixture is too thick, add remaining 1/4th cup milk 1 TBS at a time until desired thickness. Let mixture sit for 10 minutes.

While letting mixture set, prepare your muffin tin. Again with either liners or lightly grease each. This recipe will make over 12 muffins.

After letting mixture sit, give it a good whisk to make sure every thing is still well combined and then gently fold in the blueberries and cranberries.

Pour mixture into muffin tin about 3/4th full. Sprinkle each lightly with remaining sugar.

Bake in preheated oven for 18-20mins or until toothpick in middle comes out clean (or with blueberry on it!).

Recipe - Corn Bread/Muffins

Hello all you wonderful viewers out there. It's been a week from hell and I sit here nursing myself with a cup of hot soup and sulking because I'm yet sick again *uggg*. So I thought I would come here and type my miseries away!

I made these muffins quite some time ago but also made mention of them on the post before so I thought this was a good place to start in my mess of recipes and photos. I have a lot recently but as usual, I'll get to all of them over time!

This recipe has been almost perfected by me recently. If you read the post before, I tinkered quite a bit with the original recipe which just sucked compared to these... too much liquid for the dry ingredients, 10x's too much rising agent, WAY too much sugar ect. So I hope you enjoy as this is now basically MY recipe for once! I made these in muffin form... I just don't understand the hassle of cutting bread or trying to cover it for later and so forth... muffins are just easier. This is a VERY easy recipe BTW.

Corn Bread/Muffins

Ingredients
1 cup GF flour mix
1 cup corn meal
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup milk
1 large egg
1/4 cup oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 350f or 180c.

Combine all dry ingredients until cornmeal and sugar is mixed throughout. Add all wet ingredients and WHISK (do not beat with a mixer as you will end up with a hockey puck when it bakes) the mixture until there are no lumps (about 2mins at a good speed). Then let the mixture rest about 10 minutes.

While you wait, prepare your muffin tin. I don't usually use papers because they are hard to get out here (have a few for special occasions!). This recipe will make roughly 12 muffins. Either line your muffin tin or lightly butter them. These muffins will pop up quite easily so liners really are just if you don't want to clean after ;)

After letting mixture set 10mins, give it another really good whisk to make sure every thing that settled is remixed and then pour into muffin tin... about 3/4th full. As said, will yield about 12muffins... less if you want bigger muffins.

Bake in preheated oven 20minutes. Remove from tin right away after remove from oven. Best way so far I have found is by taking a fork and VERY lightly prying a side of the muffin with it while just gently holding the muffin with a oven glove covered hand and transfer to muffin/bread basket or cooling rack. These are best served warm (or even hot right out of the oven).

These go REALLY good with yellow curry rice dishes! Found that out last night :P Honey and butter also go very well on these.

Thought/Tip Of The Day

Ok not every day or even every month but this time I have been experimenting with a lot of recipes (will get to posting them soon) but with it I have also bombed a few things :P (that isn't recently though) so I have come here with a tip of the trade.

Tip/Thought - Let batter style cooking/baking sit at least 10minutes (if folding items in, wait to add these items until after the wait time) and then give a nice good stir to the batter before pouring into baking dish/pan or adding ingredients you have to fold in (such as blue berries into blue berry muffin batter). Then bake as normal. This will allow your batter to absorb the wet ingredients rather then leave them to float to the top while baking, while the heavier ingredients sink to the bottom.

When I 'bake' things with gluten free flour whether it be cakes, breads or other sweets/savories I use to have this problem where all of my 'inside' ingredients would drop to the bottom of what ever it was I was baking before it actually baked. So instead of having this wonderful piece of cake with say blue berries going through it, all I had was this cake with a row of blueberry mush at the bottom.

I had thought about that and wondered what I could do to prevent it. Well the first thought was to go in after I had put it in the oven to bake and stir it just before it started to set but that was not a really good option as it's a good way to cause accidents.

Recently I made the most INCREDIBLE corn dogs (have recipe, have photos, will post!) and I noticed as I made them (made like 2 dozen of these things LOL) that the batter I was using started to get thicker and thicker the longer I let it sit. So my brain went into over drive.

A LONG while ago (last winter I think, might have even been the winter before) I had a craving for gold old American style corn bread. When I made it I took a recipe originally calling for some really odd amounts of wet-dry ingredients like using 3 whole eggs and 1 1/4 cups milk when your only using 2 cups dry ingredients... something else I didn't understand in this recipe was the fact that it called for over 1TBS of baking powder. So, I took the same recipe recently and made it using my editing and it came out wonderfully compared to last time. The BIGGEST thing I did to it though, was let it sit 10mins after it was mixed so it could have time to really absorb some of the wet ingredients. Then I gave it a really good stir, put it into my greased pan and baked it as normal.

Last time I made this recipe and did it as the recipe said, I ended up with a kind of corn custard style pie rather then soft moist corn muffins. All of the 'wet' stuff sank making a kind of sweet custard (recipe also called for 3/4cup sugar) and the corn/flour went to the top and actually created 2 layers to the thing. Although good in itself, it was not what I was looking for. This time it turned out perfectly though.

I'll get to posting more of the wonderful recipes I've been making and the photos to go with it!

Recipe - Cold Pea Salad

We had quite a warm streak here a few weeks back and I wish I had thought about this before but it's one of those dishes you really don't think of when you think 'gluten free'... specially when it comes to veggies. My mother made her attempt at a fresh cold pea salad and it was rather good but we all agreed it was lacking something. So again with thoughts in my mind, the next day I went shopping for ingredients and off I went to the kitchen to see what I could come up with. Below is what I made and it was wonderful but also made a HUGE bowl again so I would suggest for only 2 people and if you want only 1 meal or so out of it, use half the ingredients mentioned. Sorry but no photos this time... will remember next time!

Cold Pea Salad

Ingredients
1 kilo (2pounds) frozen peas
1 cup cheddar, cubed (1/2 inch works best but if you want more bite, cut them bigger)
2 medium red onions
3 large eggs, boiled
1/2 cup - 1 cup gluten free mayo

Directions
This couldn't be an easier fish except that I suggest make it the night before so that it has the night to let all the yummy flavors (like the onion) to meld.

Take the frozen peas and dump them in a strainer. Select a large bowl for mixing the salad in and then place the strainer in it. Fill the bowl with HOT water (not boiling but the hottest your tap will give you works very well). Let it sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

As mentioned in the ingredients, hard boil your eggs and let cool. Finally chop your onion (this again is per taste.... if you like bigger pieces of onion don't chop it so fine... just do what you like best). When eggs are boiled and cooled, use an egg slicer and first slice them normally but then take them out carefully and turn it around and slice it the other direction as well. This will make the egg break into smaller pieces and save work for you in the end. Remember to cube that cheese too!

With all the ingredients prepared, strain peas, empty water from the bowl you are going to use for mixing and place pea without the strainer this time in the bowl :P. Place the rest of the prepared ingredients in with the peas along with the 1/2cup - 1cup mayo. Again this all depending on taste. I don't like over mayo'd items/salads so I only use 1/2 cup and it works just fine but like my father, he likes a lot of mayo so he'd probally use 1cup.

Cover and refrigerate. I suggest again over night but this mixture would be good with just a couple of hours cooling. Salad is good for about 4 to 6 days.

Recipe - Baked Mac and Cheese

It's been ages since I had mac and cheese of any sort. So with my husband's love of pasta with cheese sauces, I started again on another search. Mac and cheese here I come (ok there I went but still!).

This recipe is slightly altered from the one I found... well actually it's altered a lot and I found this works much better since I already had some experience in the making of cheese sauce from the potatoes earlier... I knew that straight cheddar was not going to work well in this nor was the amount of flour and such, so I already started changing it there.

The original recipe I found and went from was at Gluten Free Mom

Here is what I found worked best for me.

Gluten Free Baked Mac and Cheese

Ingredients
1 pound (16oz) uncooked gluten free elbow macaroni
2 TB butter
1/4 cup gluten free flour
2 cups milk (works well with lactose free milk)
8 oz (250grams) cheddar cheese, 1/4 inch cubed
4 oz emmental (or swiss) cheese, shredded
1/2 -3/4th cup gluten free bread crumbs
1/4th cup grated parmesan

Directions
Preheat oven to 375f or 190c and then prepare macaroni as required and then rinse well to remove extra startch. Butter a large enough baking dish that you can also put in about 3 cups of liquid and then toss in the cooked macaroni.

Mix together the gluten free bread crumbs and parmesan together and set a side.

In medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter. Leave heat on but remove pan for a moment. Whisk in gluten free flour and blend well. Return to heat and slow whist in milk. Bring to a very slow boil. Continue whisking entire time or you risk burning the milk to the bottom of the pan. When mixer starts to thicken, remove from heat entirely (yes turn heat off :P).

Quickly pour in emmental and whisk til melted and then add the cubes of cheddar. Mix the cheddar slightly til it starts to melt but til you can still see small pieces of it through the mixture.

Pour mixer over macaroni that you put in a baking dish earlier and give it a good mix (I sometimes depending on the amount, prefer to put macaroni in a big bowl so I can mix properly and then pour it into the baking dish). At this stage, if you you want to add cut up hotdogs or even pieces of smoke turkey/chicken pieces (lunch meat style) this is the time to do it also.

When ready to place in oven, sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the macaroni mixture and then bake 30mins to 1 hr depending on how done and how crisp you want it.

This works well when a bit of meat is added to it as a full meal but also makes a LOT of mac and cheese. I made 3 meals (I had turkey added to it when I made it) for both my husband and I, with large portions of it even.