SK week 13 | Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats

Happy Spring Break! My kids have been off all week. We've done lots of lazy lying around, reading, playing outside, and both Jack and Leah had friends stay overnight. I do love a break from getting up early, making lunches, and helping with homework. ;)

Anyway, the low-key week called for a super easy recipe. We make rice crispy treats a lot--they're gluten-free and quick and easy to make. Deb has posted about her version a lot, and I kind of wanted to see what was that different about them!

(Here's the Smitten Kitchen post)

You'll need:
(Oh, and I doubled this and did it in a 9x13 pan--she does it in a smaller square pan--I'm giving you the doubled amounts)
2 sticks of butter
2 10-ounce bags mini marshmallows
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
12-ounce box rice crispies (***FYI: not all rice crispy cereal is gluten-free, so if that matters to you, read your label. Anything "malt" or "barley malt" is gluten. Aldi is the only brand I know of around here that is GF)

Begin to melt your butter over medium-low heat. This is the first place Deb's recipe differs from the original--double the butter. I know.

It will start to get foamy.

And it will darken in color and smell super nutty and yummy. I cooked it like this for a while. I think I could have gone darker, but I was nervous that I was going to burn it and ruin two perfectly good sticks of butter. So I stopped about here. I've never browned butter before. I think I need better instructions on that part and more practice.

Turn off the heat and dump the marshmallows in. Stir well to melt.

The residual heat from the butter should be enough to get them completely melted, but you can turn the heat back on too if necessary.

Stir in the salt and cereal and mix well.

The double batch is a kind of a lot to maneuver, so make sure you're actually scraping the marshmallow stuff off the bottom of the pan.

Pour into a greased pan (I just use cooking spray, but you can also butter it).

Then press it into the pan and let cool. (You can use a piece of parchment to press it down, but I've also sprayed my hand with the cooking spray and used that) :)

Final verdict: They were good, but not necessarily THAT much better than the classic recipe. I think I could tell the biggest difference from the extra stick of butter, but probably not enough of a difference to use two again next time. And maybe I would be able to taste more of a difference if I had browned the butter more. I could taste the salt, but it didn't blow my socks off. ;)

So there you have it! Have a wonderful weekend and and make some treats!

The ministry of open windows

We got to 64 degrees today--the warmest day since sometime last October. And of course I celebrated by promptly tearing the plastic film off our bedroom window and opening it wide. Sarah Bessey is good at declaring the ministry of everyday things--the ministry of a good hair cut, the ministry of perfectly worn-in jeans, the ministry of the first margarita of the summer, etc.

So today, with the breeze blowing in, I declared the ministry of open windows.

Our winter wasn't particularly LONG this year (not any longer than usual, anyway), (nor do I think that the winter weather is all in the past--I'm looking at you, chance of snow on Saturday), but it was brutal. Six days off school for frigid cold and/or snow. Ouch.

So after a few months of being closed up, there is something sacred about opening the house back up to the outdoors again. It smells fresh and new. You can hear birds and dogs and neighbors.

Our windows-open season is short here. We tend to go straight from winter to summer to winter again. Furnace to AC to furnace. So I'll enjoy these open windows while they last, and I hope they last for a while. (You know, after the snow on Saturday, anyway).

SK week 12 | Chocolate Walnut Cookies

I came across this post of Deb's a while ago because it's a bunch of flourless dessert recipes. The cookies sounded delicious, so I decided to give them a try. We're only gluten-free, but the cookies are also dairy-free, so they're great if you need an easy dessert for those dietary restrictions. Happy baking!

(Here's the Smitten Kitchen post)

You'll need:
2 3/4 cups walnut halves
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350. Toast the walnuts for 9 minutes.

While they're cooling a bit, sift your powdered sugar and cocoa.

Add the salt and whisk.

Chop the walnuts.

Add to the dry ingredients.

And whisk until they're incorporated.

Add the egg whites and vanilla.

Whisk again until the batter is moistened (I actually took my hand mixer to it at this point--she does mention that you don't want to over beat or else your egg whites will get too stiff).

Scoop batter onto parchment-lined baking sheets, and let them hang out for a while. If you've ever made macarons, this is a similar vital step. If you stick them in the oven right away, they'll spread out too much. Deb says to let them sit for at least 30 minutes, but up to 60. I put the first pan in the oven after about 45 minutes, and that worked well.

Bake at 325 for 14-16 minutes. I'd recommend not letting them cool for too long on the parchment--they kind of start to stick.

Final verdict: Delicious! They're crispy and chewy and light and nutty. I'll definitely make them again! Love finding good gluten-free recipes that don't call for expensive gluten-free flour. :)

Happy first weekend of spring! 

SK week 11 | Cream of Tomato Soup

This week has been cold and drizzly. In other words, perfect for soup! I've made a couple different tomato soup recipes before, but I was intrigued by Deb's methods in this one and had to give it a try!

(Here's the Smitten Kitchen post) (Her post is for grilled cheese and tomato soup--we definitely had both, but I only followed her recipe for the soup)

You'll need:
2 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter
4 large shallots, minced (about 1/2 cup) (NOTE: I don't know what kind of crazy huge shallots I came across or what constitutes "large" in Deb's book, but I got 1/2 cup in about a shallot and a half)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
pinch ground allspice
2 tablespoons flour
1 3/4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Drain the tomatoes over a bowl. Open up each tomato and get the seeds out.

Lay them open on a lined sheet pan and sprinkle with the brown sugar.

Roast for about 30 minutes and set aside to cool while you continue with the soup.

Melt your butter in a pot and let it get foamy. Add the shallots, tomato paste, and allspice.

Reduce heat, cover, and cook 7-10 minutes until shallots are soft.

Sprinkle the flour in and let it cook for about 30 seconds.

Slowly add the broth, gradually blending it into the shallot mixture.

Add the reserved tomato juice. (And make your non-soup-eating kid some chicken nuggets....)

Add in the roasted tomatoes. Cover, increase heat to bring it back to a boil, then turn back down to low for about 10 minutes.

Mmm, tomato soup magic.

Off the heat, take an immersion blender to this tomato goodness.

This was my first time using mine--it was a Christmas gift--and it took a lot longer than I expected!

I didn't get it perfectly smooth, but I actually liked it with a little texture.

Add the cream and stir (she adds 1/4 cup to the whole pot and drizzles on the remaining 1/4 cup to each serving. I added about 1/3 cup to the pot and called it a day. :) Season with salt and cayenne.

While it was simmering for that last 10 minutes, I made our sandwiches and kept them warm in the oven while everything finished up. Perfect!

Final verdict: This will hands-down be my go-to tomato soup from now on. We all loved it (well, except for the chicken nugget eater). I think the tomato roasting adds some really great flavor.

So if you need some comfort soup in your life this weekend, give this one a go! Happy Friday!

Wanna know a secret?

I don't hate winter.

I don't hate snow.

And I don't think this winter has felt longer than any other winter.

I mean, it didn't even really start until after Christmas. Sure, January and February were pretty brutal, but I actually can't believe it's already almost mid-March!

I think Minnesotans have seasonal amnesia every year. We forget what -30 degrees feels like. We forget what it feels like to throw snow high enough to clear the 6-foot snowbanks.

I love how bright everything is--especially after last night's wet snow and how it stuck to the trees. The sky is blue and the sun is shining. I can hear my kids playing outside, enjoying snow as deep as they are tall.

Don't get me wrong--I'll be ready for spring whenever it decides to show up. And I'll enjoy it for the whole week that it's here until it turns to summer. :)

SK week 10 | Lemon Yogurt Anything Cake

Need a sweet, summery recipe before we get more snow this weekend? This one fits the bill. :) It would be a perfect addition to any brunch spread, or just because you need something delicious!

(Here's the Smitten Kitchen post)

You'll need:
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon flour (I used gluten-free)
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3 extra-large eggs (because I only had large eggs and because GF flour tends to need more liquid anyway, I used three large eggs plus one egg yolk)
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (depending on your lemons, two should be enough)

Preheat oven to 350 and grease and flour a loaf pan.

Measure out the 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, and salt

and sift those together.

Combine the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla, and oil.

Whisk that together.

Add the dry ingredients

And whisk until smooth.

Toss the blueberries with the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour.

Add those to the batter

And gently fold them in.

Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Bake for 50+ minutes. Mine was finally done after about an hour and 15 minutes, so don't be afraid to let it keep going. I just kept testing with a toothpick. :)

While it's baking, combine the lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar. Heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside.

It's the most beautiful golden brown when it's done. Poke the top all over with a toothpick.

Remove the loaf from the pan after it has cooled for 10-15 minutes. Then pour the lemon glaze over the top while it's still warm.

Mmmm. Glazey.

Cool completely before slicing in and enjoying!

Final verdict: All the love. It worked really well with gluten-free flour, and I loved the lemon and blueberry combo.

Have a wonderful weekend! Stay safe and warm and cozy. :)