Gluten-Free Vanilla Bean Scones

Although it's been ages since I lasted posted...I promise I am still cooking! Turns out having a baby is really time consuming :-) 

I recently discovered vanilla bean paste and it is life changing! you get the rich flavor and little speckles of real vanilla without scraping a vanilla bean! I used Nielson-Massey bourbon vanilla bean paste which is certified gluten free and can be found on Amazon or speciality stores like Williams & Sonoma and Sur la Table. It's so flavorful and easy to incorporate into recipes. 

Vanilla Bean Scones 

Ingredients:
2 cups Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix
1/4 cup Cup 4 Cup Flour 
1/3 cup cane sugar
1 tsp baking powder
4 Tbs butter
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup milk
1 Tbs vanilla bean paste

Directions:
Mix the dry ingredients together. Cut in the butter using two knives. Add the milk, beaten egg and vanilla bean paste. Mix together with a fork or in a mixer. Dough will be thick. Using an ice-cream scoop, drop dollops of dough onto parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 15-17 minutes or until tops of scones lightly  golden.  Makes 9 or 10 scones. For a perfect tea-time treat, serve with butter and raspberry preserves. Enjoy! 

Strawberries with Chamomile Cream and Shaved Chocolate

Happy Mothers Day!

It's been awhile since my last post, but I wanted to share a easy and beautiful recipe with you. My brother-in-law made this as our dessert for brunch. I could not have asked for a more light and luscious dessert. Whipped cream perfectly infused with honey-vanilla chamomile topped over fresh strawberries is now one of my favorite treats.

                                   Strawberries with Chamomile Cream and Shaved Chocolate
Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 cup chilled heavy cream, divided
2 Honey-Vanilla Chamomile tea bags (Celestial Seasonings)
2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
3 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 chunk best quality chocolate, for shaving

Directions:

1. Heat 1/2 cup cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until bubbles form around edges of pan. Remove pan from heat; add chamomile tea bags. Let steep 20 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Cover and chill until cold, about 2 hours.

2. Meanwhile, toss strawberries with 2 tbs sugar in a medium bowl to coat. Set aside to allow juices to form.

3. Strain chamomile cream through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Add remaining 1/2 cup cream and remaining 1tbs sugar. Using a standing mixer (or electric mixer) beat chamomile cream until soft peaks form.

4. Divide berries among bowls.

5. Spoon whipped cream over berries and top with shaved chocolate.

Recipe inspired by BonAppetite yet made extra delicious by my brother-in-law, Cory, who's a fantastic chef!

Tea Time!

One of my favorite pastimes is sipping a hot cup of tea. I enjoy the warm comfort of tea in the morning, in the afternoons and sometimes before bed. I've been drinking tea for as long as I can remember. When I was very small, I would have afternoon tea with my great-grandmother, with a lot of cream and sugar added! And to this day, I still love a hot cup of earl grey with cream and sugar in a beautiful teacup.  Before I was diagnosed with celiac disease I would drink a daily dose of "stomach ease" tea in attempt to feel better. Little to my knowledge it was most likely making me feel worse! Yogi Stomach Ease Tea contains barley malt (as do 3 other flavors, including the fasting tea, calming tea, and kava stress relief.). Barley malt is not gluten free, so make sure to read all of your tea labels. Some of my favorite (gluten-free) teas include:

Celestial Seasonings: Tension Tamer and Mint Magic are wonderfully soothing teas.  Search for your favorite flavor and check the gluten status on the website.

Stash Teas: I love the Earl Grey, however all of the flavorings used do not contain any gluten. That's right, all the tea blends from Stash are gluten free :)

Mighty Leaf Teas: all teas from Mighty Leaf are free of gluten. No wheat, barley or rye, however they do have a disclaimer saying that some of the tea may be at risk for cross-contamination due to the facility where the tea is processed. hmm. Drink at your own risk! I drink the Organic English Breakfast and Orange Dulce without any issue. As an added bonus, all the tea pouch is biodegradable.

Two Leaves and a Bud, Tea Company: this tea company is fantastic. It's based out of Colorado and all of the teas are organic. The teas is packaged in beautiful little sachets that are environmentally friendly and of course are all gluten-free. Happy sipping!