Gluten Free Persimmon Cookies

One of my fondest childhood memories is the huge persimmon tree in the backyard of my parents home.  Whether it was its beautiful Fall leaves that would cover half of the entire yard or the accidental squish on your shoe from stepping in one that had fallen to its dreadful fate, despite how careful we thought we were being!  But our golden retriever was smart and would avoid her bathroom area during persimmon season like the plague to avoid any unnecessary mess.  And one year, we told the neighbor's gardener he could take some and we came back home to a completely stripped tree!!  We asked for a few of his bagfuls back.

It's a funny tree.  For years it would only bloom fruit every other year until this year!  And we have no idea why, but we aren't complaining because this isn't your everyday kind of fruit like an easily accessible apple or pear.  Yes, you can find them in grocery stores when in season (that are perfectly fine to eat and cook with), but they are typically smaller and harder to come by.  So we try to always take advantage of the short few weeks they are ripe and ready to be eaten by the slice or used in bread or cookies.

Gluten free cookies tend to be on the dry side, which is why putting persimmons in your batch make one of the best GF treats.  The entire cup of its pulp that is used in this recipe makes these cookies moist and fluffy!  How often do you hear that about a GF goody?!  And the taste of Fall is prevalent in this dessert with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg that go really well with this apple/tomato like tasting fruit.

What you'll need:

1 cup persimmon pulp
1 stick butter (room temperate)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg (room temperature)
2 1/2 cups GF all purpose flour (I use Trader Joe's)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup walnuts (roughly chopped)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium size bowl, beat together the persimmon, butter, sugar and egg.  Then add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg until completely incorporated.  Fold in the walnuts.  An inch apart, drop about a tablespoon of dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Cook for about 15 mins or until completely cooked through.  Let cool and eat!

Because of Madalene Etsy Shop

Congratulations to Stacey from De Running Mom for winning the Holiday Wreath Giveaway!  I'll be in touch soon.

I've been in the craft mood lately more than cooking.  Can you tell?  I promise to have a tasty Fall treat on here soon!  But maybe it's because it was Madalene's birthday a couple of weeks ago and I've been inspired by the Craft Queen herself to start creating again.  Unfortunately, I never got to see any of her creations, but my mom was lucky enough to wear the clothes Madalene would make especially for her.     I miss those days where crafts were apart of everyday life, whether it was sewing your own wardrobe, making something for the home, etc.  Things were simpler back then.  Nowadays I have to force myself to get home early from work to make something, anything - keep those juices flowin'!  SO, I've been inspired to create my very own Etsy Shop, where I'll be selling these Raffia Wrapped Holiday Wreaths!  

I think the entrance to your home says a lot about you and what's inside, don't you agree?  Dress up your front door this season with one of these homemade wreaths to create that warm, cozy and welcoming feeling that everyone wants for the upcoming Holidays.  Even if you don't get those lights up on the house this year, at least the front porch will say, "Welcome and Happy Holidays".  This decor makes great gifts for that creative mom, aunt, sister or grandma or makes an equally nice treat for your own home.  Come on over and check them out!

Homemade Holiday Wreath Giveaway

Remember last year's Autumn Wreath?  Well this year I've made a Holiday Wreath that will last all season long.  This raffia wreath is inviting, modern and homemade!  The perfect gift for a loved one or for your own door that will make the entrance to your home feel friendly and inviting for the upcoming Holidays.

And guess what?!  I'm giving it away to one lucky winner.

All you have to do is follow one of the below three tasks or all three for more entries:

- "Like" Because of Madalene on Facebook.

- Follow Because of Madalene on Twitter.

- Follow Because of Madalene on Pinterest.

Leave a comment below letting me know what you've liked or followed and provide your email address so I can contact you.

Giveaway ends this Sunday, Nov 10th.  (only accepting US entries)

Good luck!

Pumpkin Succulent Garden

And the winner is...

This fun little Halloween project won for the best Pumpkin Carving Contest at work on Thursday!  Sure it only competed against one other beautifully carved one, but I'd like to hope it could have been a real contender if others participated.  Do you remember last year's?  Because there was so much competition a year ago, I felt I had to boost up my game this year, so I went all out!  Ironically, everyone was more interested in winning the free lunch outing for best group costume contest instead.  So the only cash prize being offered for the day was handed to me.  :)

But I loved how my little whimsical Halloween scene came about and it also turned into a fun decor for the home.  And even though Halloween is over, this versatile potting project could also be done for Thanksgiving by using pilgrim figurines or the winter Holidays by using a white cinderella pumpkin and winter scene houses instead.

And because carved pumpkins only last so long, this garden will have to be transported in the next few days.  But if you have a Thanksgiving or Holiday party coming up, this will make a fun conversation piece for the evening.

What you need:

1 large cinderella pumpkin

Halloween scene decor (1 house, figurines)

purple lights with battery pack (found at Michaels craft store)

mini succulents (found at Home Depot)

potting soil

mini stone pebbles (found at Bed Bath and Beyond)

Carve a very large hole out of the top of your pumpkin, large enough to fit your entire scene.  Clean out the inside.  Use a pumpkin sculpting tool to create the brick-like carvings on the outside wall of the pumpkin.  Cut a rectangular piece out of the top part of the pumpkin for an interior wall.  Add some brick-like carvings to this, too.  Insert three toothpicks into the bottom of your interior wall piece and place into the pumpkin.  This will stabilize the wall.  Fill the pumpkin with potting soil and layer in your Halloween scene and succulents.  Cover any exposed dirt with the pebbles.  Once you're finished potting, water the succulents.  Transfer a few days later into something else once the pumpkin starts to wilt.

Gluten Free Cannoli Sandwich

I love my Italian people, but they can be old fashioned and stubborn!  For instance, if you tell them you're a vegetarian, they'll probably offer you chicken.  And if you tell them you're gluten free, they'll most likely say, "it's all in your head-ah, don't-ah be ridiculous!".  Visiting my favorite Italian deli is something I look forward to every weekend, but they sure do make shopping for gluten free products frustrating.  The only thing they've given us is pasta.  No cookies, no bread, no pizza, no pastries.  I can't just live off of pasta!  Which has resulted in coming up with my own cannoli "shell".  Because gluten free goods tend to be dryer and more fragile, trying to roll this cookie into a cannoli shell was impossible, so a make it work moment turned this treat into a sandwich instead!  :)

There are two types of cannoli filling - super sweet vs. more savory.  I personally don't care for the super sweet kind but you'll find this type everywhere!  Even in Italy we hunted and hunted for the savory ones and came up empty handed.  Mind you this was before any of us had iphones, so I'm sure we'd be able to track the ones we prefer more easily now.  Maybe it's a southern Italian thing, but I was raised on the enjoyment of still being able to taste the natural creamy flavor of the ricotta cheese filling instead of something that just taste like a gob of frosting.  The shell is sweet enough to counter balance the filling.  And to separate this cannoli from being more of an appetizer, is the sweet tang of orange zest and crunchy mini semi sweet chocolate chips!  Throw a handful of some nutty chopped pistachios and you've got yourself an authentic Italian dessert that's easy on the belly.

What you'll need: filling 10 mins

2 32 oz. tubs low fat ricotta cheese
1 - 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar (according to taste)
1 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup pistachios (roughly chopped)
zest from one orange

In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients with a large spoon.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge while you make the cookies. 

What you'll need: cookies (about 5 dozen, about 30 sandwiches) 1 1/2 hours

1 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cubes butter (3/4 cup)

4 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice 

4 tsp baking powder

4 cups sifted GF all purpose flour (add more if needed) I use Trader Joe's GF mix

Note: This is a big recipe so you can easily half this!  In a large bowl cream the sugar and butter together until evenly incorporated.  Mix in the eggs one at a time.  Add in the vanilla extract, lemon juice and mix.  Sift in the baking powder and flour together gradually.  But don't over mix.  You don't want tough dough.  The end product should feel slightly sticky but not to the point where it's not coming off of your hands.  So add more flour if needed.

Roll the dough into 1 in. balls, cover with plastic wrap so they don't dry out and set aside.  I used an electric pizzelle press instead of my grandma's vintage iron this time.  It's faster and makes two at a time!  Plug in the press, let heat up and begin making the cookies!  Spray the press with vegetable oil each time to prevent any sticking.  Place in the balls and close the press.  Let cook for about 45 seconds or until very lightly golden brown.  The first couple of cookies are testers so you can try to get the right timing for the rest of the batch.  Open the press and remove delicately with a fork.  Let the cookie cool completely on a flat plate.  Continue until all the dough is gone.

These can be delicate so layer in the chilled filling carefully.  And if they break, who cares!  It still tastes delicious and who says a dessert can't be rustic.  :)  Serve immediately.

I'm back on twitter! @BOMadalene

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Dishcrawl Battledish

I am super excited and still in shock to have been invited to be a guest judge for the International Battledish Culinary Competition in Seattle this Oct 5th hosted by Dishcrawl!  This is going to be a fun and entertainingly tasty event, so I encourage all my Seattle friends to grab a ticket here, taste some incredible food and drinks from the 6 talented competing chefs and cast your vote for who you want the next Battledish Champion to be.

Thank you dishcrawl for this amazing opportunity.  I can't wait to be apart of your fabulous food community and help crown a winner!  

Gluten Free Meatball Burgers on Garlic Toasted Buns

Just as the scorching sun was setting last Labor Day Monday, I threw some patties on the grill.  These aren't just any burgers... but Italian inspired Meatball Burgers!  And just like the typical meatball sandwich, these suckers are essentially the same, but in burger form, of course.  Not only are they easier to eat and slightly smaller in portion, but you don't have to worry about a meatball escaping onto the floor or worse... your lap!

They're moist due to having the same ingredients as a meatball, just a tad messy from the tangy marinara sauce and the best part.... served on a garlic toasted bun, which bumps them up a whole other level.

I have to admit, eating homemade burgers as a kid was never too exciting.  Sorry, Mom!  Plain buns, plain beef with a few sprinkles of seasoning, ketchup, lettuce and tomato.  It was too fast, too simple and the taste reflected just that.  Thankfully, she's gotten a bit fancier since then with her gourmet toppings.  :)  But these Meatball Burgers are worth the extra 20 mins to make and taste like a true restaurant burger that are a bit healthier than the one you'll order when you're out but still bursting with rich flavor.  And your guests will never know they're gluten free.

Serves 4 - 6

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

What you'll need: 

1 slice gluten free bread (I used Udi's whole grain) cut in 1/2 inch cubes

2 - 3 tbsp low fat milk

1 lb ground beef sirloin (I used 93% lean)
1/4 yellow onion (finely chopped)
1 clove garlic (minced)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup gluten free Italian breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

lite provolone cheese (sliced)

marinara sauce

Garlic Toasted Buns:

gluten free hamburger buns (I used Udi's whole grain)

4 tbsp lite butter (room temperature)

1 clove garlic (minced)

1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

sprinkle smoked paprika 

Prep the bar-b.  Get your buns ready first.  In a small bowl, combine the butter, garlic and cheese.  Spread both the top and bottom of the bun with this mixture and then sprinkle on the smoked paprika.  Set aside.  

In a small bowl, combine the milk and cubed bread and let the bread completely soak up the milk and break up, about 5 minutes.  In a medium size bowl combine the ground beef, onion, garlic, parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, soaked bread, oregano, basil and pepper until all is incorporated.

Mold the meat into about 2 inch balls.  Then press down the balls to create flat burger patties, about a 1/2 inch thick.  Throw on the grill over medium flame.  Cook each side about 5 mins.  Don't over cook!    These are thin patties and can dry out quickly if you forget.  Keep an eye out.  After you flip, top the cooked side with a slice of provolone cheese.

Throw on the buns (face down) the same time as the patties.  Let toast until golden brown, about 5 mins.  

Heat up some marinara sauce in a small sauce pan over low heat, about 5 mins.

Assemble your meatball burger - bottom bun, a ladle full of marinara sauce, patty (with cheese) and top bun.  "Ciao" down!  :)