Beautiful Blondies With Cinnamon Cranberries

(Check out my Great Grannies vintage plate!)

When these bad boys are cool they can be stored and frozen and kept for around a month or until you need them.

Ingredients

• 200g Butter (melted)
• 150g Caster sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 250  Gluten-free self raising flour
• 150g Dried cranberries 
• 1 tsp Golden caster
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 100g White chocolate cubed (or white chocolate drops)
• 2 tsp's Vanilla Extract

Method

• Pop the oven on to heat up at gas 3 (160c). Line a tin (20cm) with baking parchment.
• You can buy cinnamon cranberries, but if you cant get hold of them, either leave plain or make your own by popping a tsp of cinnamon and a tsp of sugar into a bowl with the cranberries and mix through with your hands until the cranberries are coated with the cinnamon/sugar mix.
• Melt your butter over a low heat and pour into a large bowl to cool down a wee bit. 
• Next beat in the sugar with an electric whisk or manually with a balloon whisk (work those guns!).
• Add the eggs and vanilla essence, mix and then add the flour and mix until combined.
• Gently stir in the choccy and cranberries then pour into your baking tray, making sure the mixture is level and even.
• Bake for around 40 minutes, it should be just about set on the top and slightly golden, don't worry if it sinks in the middle, its meant to (at least thats what I tell myself).
• Run a knife around the edge of the baked Blondie so that as it cools it doesn't stick.
• When its cool cut into squares and serve with a glass of milk or a big cup of coffee. try not to eat them all yourself.

Blonde Bombshell

I think I must be the only person in the UK to be looking forward to winter. I love the dark nights, and cuddling up under a blanket and watching films when its cold and raining out, I especially love feeding the love handles some stodgy comfort food and hot peppermint tea with honey. Plus I have a lovely pink coat that i got for Christmas from my grandad last year that just didn't get a good wearing, I also stocked up on some cute cosy jumpers when Stevie and I went to Brighton last Monday so I'm hoping summer chokes its last breath sharpish because Ive got a new wardrobe that needs showcasing.
Anyway, back to the baking.
I was going to post my Yummy Lemon Cookie recipe, but I decided that I should have at least one secret recipe (then when I have kids, and then they have kids, I can make them cookies and say, 'this is Grannies secret recipe'). So I decided to do a previously untested recipe which I adapted from this months Sainsbury's magazine (I'm constantly living on the edge).
I don't know how you guys feel about brownies but I detest them, despite loving chocolate so much I'd gladly exchange an eyeball for a Dairy Milk I've never really liked chocolate cakes, brownies or chocolate desserts, they seem too rich and filling somehow. Today however this peroxide blonde is posting a recipe for Blondie's, a Brownie for all intents and purposes but made with white chocolate, they are delicious! However, don't expect them to be the same as a Brownie, the recipe varies for Blondie's from the Brownie recipe and because they're gluten free (as with most things) the texture is different, not as dense or chewy, more like a sponge really, but still yummy, if slightly crumblier.
The public has spoken and Marvelous Meals got the majority of the vote in the poll so I'm doing some research and testing various recipes to post in a week or so. Let me know if you have a particular meal they would like to see adapted to G/F and posted in the future.

Two for Tea

Just thought I'd pop in and say hello to the blog before the recipe post tomorrow.
The day started off rather well because my heart measuring spoons from dotcomgiftshop arrived this morning, that's one thing to tick off The Wish List. I had to exert extreme willpower in order not to buy one of their new pink polka dot milk pans as well, I'm quite proud of myself actually,maybe there is hope for me as a frugal goddess yet!
I actually thought I'd pop a post up because I've just discovered  Pip Studio, an Amsterdam based company who do chinaware, bed covers and the like. Urban Outfitters website supply part of the collection, but Pip Studio's own website is amazing, if your like me and love pretty chintz along the Kath Kidson train of thought you will love the site. Although at the moment not even the Kate's Pretty Things Contingency Fund will cover the cost of all the lovely things I want from the range, I may have to sneak a few of them on my Christmas list (my mum asks me to write my list in October).
I thought I'd whack a few pics up for you to have a gander at, I especially love the teacup, its one of my fantasies in life to own a tea set. Even though I'll have limited use of such a thing, I know I wont feel like I've filled my potential as a woman unless I own a tea service.
Anyway, toodles for now, see you all tomorrow!

I had to hunt the net looking for some pics for you because the actual website for Pip Studio wouldn't let me copy the pictures, probably something to do with copyright, but I found these for you to enjoy. I make no apologies for the major pink, chintz-ness, this is a Girls Guide after all!

Brighton Rocks

Sadly the miracle of me actually writing a final post for the Back to School spesh didn't come to fruition, although I have to admit its a miracle in itself that I got four posts up in a week, let alone five (I'll give myself a pat on the back for that later).
I had a fan-tab-ulous (another phrase from the Dictionary of Kate) week with The Boyf, we went to Brighton on Monday and had a good old nosey round the shops, and I got a few bits and bobs including some cosy PJ's, which when I added to my pile The Boyf's eyes rolled to the heavens (I have what you might call a pajama obsession, 14 pairs and counting!). We had a yummy lunch at Wagamama's which has it's own gluten free menu! We went to our favourite store, The Cook Shop, which as the name suggests sells cooking equipment as well as various bits and pieces for the kitchen. There's so many things I want from there, but they will probably have to be added to the wish list that includes meeting Nigella Lawson and her telling me my cupcakes are better than hers, and staying overnight in Cinderella's Castle in Disney.
Stevie (that's The Boyf) was rather edgy as I was toting the worlds biggest handbag and several shopping bags and kept banging into things of considerable worth and knocking them off stands and shelves etc. I think he was rather glad to get out in the end.
Saturday morning saw the arrival of How to Be a Domestic Goddess thumping through my letterbox at 9am, excited wasn't the word!! It was just as good as I thought it would be, perhaps better, theres a whole chapter dedicated just to chocolate, I congratulated myself on a terrific buy by adjusting her cupcake recipe for my G/F purposes and they were YUMMY, perhaps the best cupcakes I've made yet!
Did anyone catch The Great British Bake Off on Tuesday? My favourite, Edd, was dangerously close to being booted off after a disastrous couple of rounds. I did feel sorry for him because he did so well in all the previous programs, but he was utterly flumoxed by the pudding rounds this week. In the second round they had to bake lemon souffles and all the contestants fluffed it, it made me feel very smug as I made my Lemon Curd souffles on Sunday and they came out great, especially with the help of my new electric whisk (courtesy of daddy!).
I've been reading all the fab blogs out there (some of whom are followers of mine) and I felt a bit disheartened. My blog seems a bit amateurish compared to the gorgeous blogs out there, I love all the snazzy personalised headers but due to severe lack of experience in computer programs I have no idea how to personalise my own, do you guys have any ideas?
I've also noticed that the clocks ticking on my poll, so anyone who had voted get your vote in sharpish, while I think up some recipes!
Anyway, I have one of two new recipes up my sleeve for you at the weekend, I just need to get a wiggle on and make them so I can take some snaps rather than pinching them from the BBC website.
Also in the coming weeks I have a Eating Out Guide and some tips for those of you who are gluten-free and are panicing about eating out, plus some recipes for cross over intolerance's, for example those who are gluten free and lactose intolerance. I've just realised that I've given myself quite a bit of writing and cooking to do so I'm going to have to love you and leave you for now, here's a few pics from our trip to Brighton. See you all at the weekend!

The Cook Shop

Quick Cute Quiches

Ingredients

• 1x 200g pack of Dietary Specials shortcrust pastry (or if you want to make your own pastry follow the recipe for which went with the Treacle Tart recipe I did in June)
• 4 eggs
• 100g cheese
• 100ml milk or double cream
• 1 large red onion
• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 5 mushrooms
• 2 tbsp's olive oil
• 2 thin slices of ham, or 2 rashers of bacon cooked and cooled. 

Method

• We're blind baking the pastry so look out your baking beans or in my case Uncle Ben's Rice. Pre heat your oven to Gas 6. Lightly flour your work surface and your rolling pin, roll your pastry out until its around 1/2 cm. For the large quiche line a 7inch tart case with the pastry and then line with parchment and your beans/rice and pop in the oven for 10minutes until golden round the edges. If your making the mini quiches you will need a cupcake tray with 12 holes. Use a medium sized mug or cutter to cut circles out of the pastry and use them to line the holes in the cupcake tray. the pastry will still need to be blind baked, but don't worry with faffing around lining every case, you'll be there all day and they're so small it doesnt matter if they rise slightly in the middle. Pop them in for 10 minutes, but keep an eye on them, because they're small they'll burn easily!
• While your pastry is cooking you can get one with dicing your onions and veg. Make sure you slice them all up fairly small and the same with the bacon or ham, make sure you dont have any peices that are too big to fit in your little quiche cases.
• When your case(s) are cooked, set them aside to cool.
• Next heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and gently fry your veg and onion (leaving your bacon/ham to one side). Once soft, season and spoon into the pastry case(s). If your making the mini quiches make sure they're not too full with the ham and veg mix, you need to leave room for the egg and milk mix.
• Next whisk the eggs and milk up in a bowl and pour over the veg mix until nearly full. Grate the cheese and sprinkle over the quiches and then pop in the oven for around 15-20minutes, remember to keep an eye on them. When they're cooked they will be firm, and bounce back to the touch.
• Serve hot or if they're going in lunch boxes wait for them to cool before covering.

More quick quiches.
cheese and onion quiche: omit the other veg and add an extra onion or two, use a stronger cheese.
Meat feast quiche: omit the veg, but keep the onion, add a few chopped cooked GF sausages and 3 rashers of cooked bacon cubed. 
Traffic light quiche: omit the pepper and mushroom and add 3 chopped tomatoes, 1 yellow pepper diced and a good few handfuls of whilted spinach
 
Again we are sans picture, just imagine a big quiche, but you know, really small.

Quiche Me Kate

Good job I came up with that blog title the other day, because my brain is completed fried today, despite having a million things to do, I've left all of them until today to do,which as you will have probably guessed is rather typical of me. Even at uni I used to hastily throw together an essay the night before hand in date even though Id had a good few months to write it.
Carrying on the 'Mini' theme with the 'Back to School' spesh today I'm all over mini quiches like a rash! Especially with the new Dietary Specials shortcrust pastry you can literally whip them up in seconds, well 10-20mins which is the time it takes for them to cook. I enjoy making my own pastry, but with an attention span as short as mine if the pastry doesn't go right I'm liable to throw a strop and chuck the whole lot in the bin, but not any more! I mean, I knew that ready made pastry (the non gf kind) existed but I never really thought we G/F folk would ever have something like that. Thankfully it has arrived and anyone that says its cheating should try and make gluten free pastry first! (you can't see me, but I'm dramatically throwing my head back in disgust!).
On a lighter note, my dad bought me my very own electric whisk today, which was very exciting indeed, no more tedious hours meringue making with a balloon whisk. Sorry...back to the quiches.
The beauty with this recipe as well as the easy peasy pastry is that you can swap and change what you want to put in your quiches. To be honest pretty much anything can go in a quiche, and the mixture measurements that I've listed will be enough for one big quiche if you didn't fancy doing itty bitty ones. As with the other recipes I've listed a few different variations you can try, but really any vegetable or meat could be thrown in as long as its cooked first.
Now, about the final post tomorrow. It made be a day or two late as I have The Boyfriend staying for a week, in an ideal world I'd get it written and posted before the week is up, but with my brain as easily distracted as it is this might not happen. although I have managed to get a blog post up the other four days this week, so that proves that miracles can happen..I just wouldn't hold your breathe waiting for this one.

Fabulous Mini Falafel Burgers

These tiny little burgers are again small enough to pop into a lunch box with a G/F pitta bread and a small tub of dip or even just left plain. The best thing of all is that they're naturally gluten free! Hooray! They're also cheap, and the mixture makes plenty that can be frozen for the future. Double Hooray!
Should you want a dip to accompany your fabulous falafel's I've listed a few quick to whip up dips and the like at the end of the recipe, good to you aren't i?

Ingredients

• 1x 425g/15oz Can of chickpeas (drained)
• 1 Large onion roughly chopped
  
• 2 Cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp Cumin (use half this amount if you or your kids don't like a bit of spice)
• 1 tsp Coriander 
• Sunflower oil for frying 

*If you wanted you could add some chopped red pepper, carrot, or spring onions, pop them in with everything else at the start of the recipe. Some people like to add breadcrumbs to the mixture, but I find they tend to make the falafel's burn when fried, but if you want to try them with breadcrumbs add 2 tbsp of G/F breadcrumbs to the mix, either make your own by whizzing two slices of bread in the food processor or buy ready made breadcrumbs, Mrs Crimbles do a hefty sized pack for under £2.

Method

• Pop your chickpeas, onion, garlic and spices into a blender, season with a bit of salt and pepper and pulse until the mixture is a smooth paste that will hold its shape.
• Shape the mixture into walnut sized balls and flatten with your palm to make them resemble incy wincy burgers.
• Heat your oil in large frying pan (around 1/4 inch of oil), test the oil to see if its hot by dipping a little bit of the mixture into the oil, it should sizzle. Be careful, they will spit!
• You will need to fry your falafel burgers in batches, I usually put them in the pan in a clockwise circle (like you would if you were cooking scallops) that way you know which burgers went in first and which will be cooked first (top tip of the day!)
• Fry until golden (not black!) and leave them to drain of a plate covered with kitchen paper to soak up all the nasty excess oil.
• Eat while  they're still warm or when they're cool, they will keep in a sealed box in the fridge for 2-3 days, and can always be popped in the freezer  to eat at a later date.

Delicious Dips

• Mango and Mint Yogurt Dip  : 1 Small can of sliced mangoes or half of one fresh ripe mango, 2 tbsp's fresh mint finely chopped, 200ml plain natural yogurt. Pop in a food mixer until well Incorporated and then spoon into a bowl serve or cover and put in the fridge until you need it.

• Guacamole: 1 Ripe avocado, 1 tomato finely chopped, 3 spring onions finely chopped, squeeze of lemon, 1tbsp fresh coriander chopped, salt and pepper. Mash the avocado up in a bowl with the back of a fork, then add the other ingredients and mix until all combined, serve or cover and pop in the fridge until you need it.

• Garlic and Coconut Dip : 5 Cloves of garlic, 5oz grated coconut, 1/4 pint of natural yogurt, tsp mild chili powder.  Pound the garlic with a pinch of salt, gradually adding the coconut and then the chili to make a paste. Stir the yogurt into the paste and serve or cover and pop in the fridge until you need it.

• Tzatziki : Half a cucumber diced, 4 spring onions finely chopped, 1 garlic clove crushed, 200ml Greek yogurt, 3 tbsp chopped mint. Pour the yogurt into a bowl and add all the ingredients, plus a pinch of salt and pepper and mix through, serve or cover and pop in the fridge until you need it.

Sadly, again I have no photo for you, take pleasure in the one that I pilfered from the BBC food website.

Day 3: Back to School Special

Its day 3 of the B.T.S.S and I'm a little bit nervous about this recipe post as it involves chickpeas. Over the years I think chickpeas have got a bit of a reputation for being ultra bland and a bit of a hippy vegetarian food rather than something that can be used in an everyday diet. To be honest I resisted eating chickpeas and lentils for ages because of the pre-conception that chickpeas are as dull as dishwater but when I turned gluten free there was suddenly a limit to the amount of things I could potentially eat and thats when I started to introduce chickpeas into my diet. Any veggie will tell you that chickpeas are actually super good for you, as well as being low in fat they're a great source of zinc and protein and also have a high calcium content, good for ankle biters growing bones.
Dont get me wrong, I'm not that much of a fan that I sit in front of the telly eating chickpeas from a tin, but they're good for bulking a meal out, or for the basis of something that you can add flavours too.
The poor humble chickpea is a hard sell, but hopefully after you try this easy peasy recipe i'll have converted you, and then maybe you can work at convincing the kids!