Best Gluten-free Pizza Crust Yet

This is more like a light foccacia bread, but it's super tasty, and I really liked using it for pizza.  It was a moderately-adventurous experiment, as I substituted a flour mix for the original ingredients called for in the recipe, and it turned out fabulous.  So, here is my version:

Foccacia-inspired Pizza Crust

2 c. Bob's Red Mill Biscuit & Baking Mix
1 1/3 c. milk (I use plain Rice Dream)
4 eggs (~1 1/3 cup--this is useful because I get ungraded farm eggs, and they can really vary in size)
1 t. salt
1 t. garlic salt
2 T italian seasoning (or pizza seasoning)

Mix gently, don't over-beat.  Batter will be lumpy and more like thick cake batter than bread dough.  Scrape into a greased cookie sheet (the kind with sides) and spread as evenly as possible.  Bake for about 15 minutes in a 400-425F oven (my oven runs hot, so 400 it is for me).

Take it out, top with your favorite things, (make sure any meats are pre-cooked), and put it back in until the cheese is melted.  We had marinara, mozzarella, olives, sliced fresh tomatoes and kippered herring.  (All natural, Bar Harbor kippered herring--it's really yummy.)  Another good one is pesto (I like Costco's), olives, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms and smoked salmon.  Or, the kids' favorite, sauce of any kind, cheese, olives & pineapple tidbits.

This disappeared so fast that I didn't get a photo.  I'll try to snap one the next time I make it--which will probably be soon!

Comfort Soup: Italian Sausage & Veggie

• 2 ~14oz bags frozen Normandy veggies
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 8 oz. Shelton's Italian turkey sausage (no chemicals, awesome taste, get it in the health food store, or health food section)
• 1 lg. onion, chopped
• 1 16 oz. Southern Style hash brown potatoes (Mr. Dell's is the choice around here--no chemicals)
• 1/2 small bag frozen peas
• 1/2 small bag frozen corn
• 2 quarts water
• sufficient bullion cubes to make 2 cups broth

1. Thaw frozen veggies under hot running water in a colander. Warm some olive oil in your soup pot and sauté the thawed veggies until they're looking partly cooked and flavorful. Remove to a bowl for a little later.


2. Toss onion and sausage into the hot pot, along with enough water to cover the bottom of the pot 1/4", and cook until sausage is done. Cut into small pieces, if you have sausage links instead of bulk ground sausage.


3. Add frozen potatoes and cook, covered & stirring occasionally, until they're well-softened on the outside.


4. Add the reserved veggies, peas & corn, 2 quarts water & bullion.


5. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until it has thickened and looks so good you can't wait any longer to eat it.

You can easily convert this recipe for fresh veggies--just be sure you have about two pounds total of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, and about 8-10 oz each peas & corn. This was just something I came up with about 40 minutes before dinner was due, and I hadn't planned anything for dinner that day. (I know, I know. At least in my case, when necessity is the mother of invention, you get to see what I came up with. ;o)

Not-so-complicated Turkey Sandiwiches

You will need:

• Sourdough bread
• Cream Cheese
• Red Raspberry jam (I like Smuckers' Simply Fruit)
• Sprouts of your choice (alfalfa, clover, broccoli, etc)
• Sliced turkey

Spread the bread with cream cheese, topping with a thin layer of jam. Lay down a bed of sprouts (in my kitchen, the depth depends on the age of the intended diner), and top with a slice or three of roasted turkey. (A lid is optional--but I would add more turkey and other fixin's with a lid.)

This is a reasonably fast, pretty yummy twist on turkey sandwiches, and makes a nice change from the usual mayo/mustard/pickles combo. Made up with an eye for composition and cut into various shapes, or assembled on the little bitty 2" wide sourdough loaves, this would be a fun addition to a fancy brunch or grown-ups luncheon.

However, it passed muster with the munchkins.