Soft, Buttery Dinner Rolls

I thought a back to basics recipe might be nice for everyone stuck at home right now.  And easy to share, if you know of someone in need of a meal.  Rolls can be used for regular sandwiches, open-faced sandwiches, served alongside soups, chowders, pasta dishes, etc.  The good news is that this recipe is easy, AND it makes a whole baking sheet of rolls (~20 rolls).  They're soft, tasty, and they can be sliced, frozen, and reheated later.   We've enjoyed these brushed with butter or egg before baking, but you can make them plain if you prefer.  I like them best warm, but they're also good room temp.  Enjoy!

Buttery Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls.  These have a nice, soft texture - they pull apart easily

A fresh pan of butter dinner rolls, ready to move to the cooling rack

Brushed with egg, for a shiny look

Soft, Buttery Gluten Free Dinner Rolls

Makes ~20 rolls  - inspired by a recipe from glutenfreehabit.com

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Have another baking sheet on hand to put upside down over top the rolls during rising.

In a glass measuring cup, combine:
1 1/2 cup warm, not hot water
6 Tbsp sugar
4 tsp Active Dry Yeast (or rapid-rise yeast)

In a mixer, combine:
2 cups brown rice flour
1 1/2 cups arrowroot starch (or cornstarch)
1 1/2 cups tapioca starch
1 Tbsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder (I don't usually add baking powder into my rolls or bread, but in this recipe, it works nicely to aid the texture and rise)

Add and beat, scraping down the bowl occasionally, for 5-8 minutes:
yeast mixture, from above
6 Tbsp butter, softened
4 eggs
2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Using a large cookie scoop, scoop dough onto parchment-lined pan.  I find if I aim for about 4 x 5 rolls on the pan, I'm just about right.   Smooth and flatten the rolls with water - wet your hand and smooth the top of each roll (dip hand in water between each roll).

Brushed with water to smooth and flatten a bit.

Place pan in a warm location.  Put your extra baking sheet upside down over the top of the rolls.  This keeps them nice and warm and helps them rise.   Let rise 30-40 minutes, until rolls are doubled in size. 

Covered with an upside-down pan, these rise up nicely.

Brush rolls with 1-2 Tbsp melted butter OR 1 egg, beaten, if desired.

Brushed with butter (they look similar, but a little more yellow when brushed with beaten egg)

Bake at 375 F for 30 minutes.  If you're worried about your rolls browning too much, you can loosely cover with foil for the last 5-10 minutes of baking. 

Butter brushed gluten-free dinner rolls, fresh from the oven. 

Egg brushed gluten-free dinner rolls, fresh from the oven. 

Move rolls to a cooling rack (without pan or parchment paper) to cool.  These are delicious warm.  Leftovers can be sliced and frozen to use later for sandwiches, open-faced tuna melts, or with butter & jam.  Enjoy!

Soft, Buttery Gluten Free Dinner Rolls by Successfully Gluten Free!

Homemade Cheesy GF Hamburger Helper

Sometimes, it's nice to make a comfort food meal on a chilly evening.  Packed with fresh ingredients, this homemade cheesy hamburger helper isn't the usual sort of thing I make, but it was a fun change and my kids loved it and have requested it several times since.  I based it loosely off a Bon Appetit recipe, then tweaked things a bit.  Enjoy!

A comfort food dish - with plenty of leftovers for the next night, too!

Homemade Cheesy GF Hamburger Helper

(I like to start boiling my pot of water for the noodles now, so they're ready to throw in when the sauce needs to simmer)

Cook over medium heat 3-4 minutes:
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced

Add and cook until browned:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Add and cook 3-4 minutes:
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large orange bell pepper (yellow or red will work - green can be too bitter)

Add the following - once it's boiling lower to a simmer over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes:
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp GF soy sauce (I like Bragg's Soy Seasoning)
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 - 1 tsp garlic powder

While your sauce is simmering, cook in salted water (1-2 Tbsp salt in your big pot of water), then drain and rise:
16 oz gluten-free pasta of your choice (I like ones made with a mix of brown rice, quinoa, and corn)

Once your sauce has simmered, remove from heat and stir in gently:
2 cups grated Mexican cheese blend OR grated cheddar cheese
1/3 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper, to taste

Stirring the cheese into the sauce. 

Stir/fold cooked, drained & rinsed noodles into the sauce.  Serve and enjoy!

Tasty and filling - a comfort food type dish. 

A happy girl and her brother after cooking this dish mostly on her own! 

Homemade Cheesy Gluten Free Hamburger Helper by Successfully Gluten Free! 

Chocolate Coconut Yorkshire Puddings!

A sweet variation on the typical Yorkshire Pudding recipe.  These were an unexpected surprise with how tasty they turned out.  Even the leftovers were delicious - heat them up quickly and you have a sweet pudding for breakfast.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Coconut Yorkshire Puddings, fresh from the oven! 

Chocolate Coconut Yorkshire Puddings!

Makes 12

Whisk together: (I like to mix this in a 4 cup measuring cup to easily/quickly pour it into tins later.)
1 cup Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 eggs
1 cup water
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
pinch salt

Add and mix in:
1/3 - 1/2 cup sweetened (or unsweetened) shredded coconut
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Refrigerate batter at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.  If using chilled water and milk, I have found you can skip this extra refrigeration if you're short on time.


Preheat oven to 450 F.

In a metal muffin tin pan, place 1 tsp avocado oil  (or similar oil that's good at high heat) in each of the 12 muffin tins. (~1/4 cup oil total is needed)

Heat pan/oil in 450 F over for 5-10 minutes, until piping hot.

Oil, divided between muffin tins, then heated until piping hot.

Remove pan from oven and quickly divide chilled batter between muffin tins.

Bake Yorkshire puddings 20-25 minutes at 450 F without opening the oven until Yorkshire puddings have puffed a bit and are firm and golden brown.   You may need to adjust the baking time little depending on your oven.  Remove the Yorkshire puddings to a cooling rack after taking them out of the oven.

Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for a day or two or frozen.  Best served warm, although we've enjoyed them chilled straight from the refrigerator, too.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Coconut Yorkshire Puddings, fresh from the oven! 

Chocolate Coconut Yorkshire Puddings by Successfully Gluten Free!

Lemon or Lemon Poppy seed Muffins

My talented friend Christina has created some absolutely delicious recipes, and this is one of them!  These gluten free lemon (or lemon poppy seed) muffins are SO light and fluffy.  I adjusted this recipe below when I made the light & fluffy orange muffins and chocolate chocolate chip muffins recipes.  Here's the original - perfect when you need a bite of citrus during those winter months. Enjoy!

Yummy Lemon Muffins - these are delicious with or without poppy seeds. 

Lemon or Lemon Poppy seed Muffins

Based on the recipe by my amazing friend, Christina Hansen! You're awesome!
Makes 24 muffins

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line tins with paper liners OR spray with GF nonstick cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together:
1 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup white rice flour
1/4 c + 2 Tbsp arrowroot starch OR cornstarch
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp poppy seeds (optional)

Add and beat 2-3 minutes until nice and smooth, using whisk attachments:
4 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
2/3 cup milk
1 - 1 1/2 cup sugar (They're more of a dessert if you add the extra sugar, but I like it with less)
1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp packed lemon zest (OR 5 drops lemon essential oil)

Divide into prepared muffin cups.  If you have concerns about your muffins sinking in the middle, you can let the batter rest in the muffin tins for 20 minutes before baking.  I've tried it both ways and never had issues, but I do find they rise a little extra if you've let them rest before baking.   Bake muffins at 350 F for 15-20 minutes until golden brown on top.

Just out of the oven - I like them to be this nice golden brown.  Once on the cooling rack, you can glaze, if desired. 

While muffins are still warm/hot, whisk together and glaze over the top of the muffins:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
zest 1 lemon

Freshly glazed lemon muffins, ready to eat! Yum!

Lemon Or Lemon Poppy seed Muffins Recipe - Successfully Gluten Free!

Shrimp & Okra Gumbo

I grew up getting to eat gumbo fairly regularly - some of my favorite memories are times when we would go to fairs down in Georgia or South Carolina.  It wasn't until I was grown up that I realized you can actually make your own gumbo - you don't have to wait for summertime or a trip down south where okra is more readily available.  They sell okra sliced in the freezer! Yay!  I made this particularly recipe for book club, since we'd been reading a book based in the south.  It was a perfect excuse to whip up some gumbo.  And, because I wanted every Southern comfort food at the same time, I made some of my biscuits n' gravy with the naturally sweeter (coconut flour) biscuits and peach cobbler for dessert.  We had fun.  Enjoy!

Fresh shrimp & okra gumbo - ready to serve with rice. Yum!

Shrimp & Okra Gumbo - Served over rice

Based off a recipe from Southern Living


Make Rice:
This is great to start making around the same time as your gumbo.  Then everything will be ready when you're wanting to dig in! 

Make 3 cups jasmine rice to serve the shrimp & okra gumbo over according to the package or make as described here:

In a pot, bring to a boil over high heat:
4 1/2 cups water (measure with a liquid measuring cup)
3 cups white jasmine rice
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt

Once it's come to a good boil, place the cover on the pot.  Immediately lower heat to somewhere between low and medium-low and let the rice simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat (keep the lid on) and let it rest 15 minutes before fluffing and serving.   You can make this at the same time as your gumbo.


Make Gumbo:

In a large pot over medium heat, melt:
6 Tbsp butter

Add and cook, stirring regularly for 10 minutes:
2 cups onions, finely diced
2 cups green peppers, diced in small to medium sized pieces
2 cups celery, finely diced

Add and cook, stirring regularly for another 5 minutes:
5-7 cloves garlic, minced

Add and cook, stirring well for 1-2 minutes:
1 1/2 tsp ground thyme
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper

Stir in the following:
~30 oz frozen sliced okra, partially thawed (I used three 10 oz bags and let them rest on the counter until I was ready to use)
4 cups chicken broth (GF chicken bouillon paste or Asian mushroom seasoning work)
2 cans diced tomatoes (14.5 oz cans)
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes (14.5 oz can OR just an additional can of diced tomatoes, but you get an extra bite of flavor from fire roasted tomatoes)
3 bay leaves

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low (or low).  Let vegetable mixture simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Optional, to thicken the gumbo just a little bit more after simmering 30 minutes: 
In a small bowl, mix together:
1 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp water

Stir this into your gumbo, then add the shrimp and hot sauce.

You'll want to add the following shortly before you're hoping to serve the food, since you don't want the shrimp simmering for long.  Add the following to your pot:
2 lbs cooked shrimp (peeled, deveined, tails on or off - if it was frozen, thaw and rinse well before adding to your pot)
1 - 3 tsp hot sauce (Tabasco works well - taste-test after adding 1 tsp and add more if desired)

Let gumbo come back to a simmer.
Salt & pepper, to taste. 
Remove the bay leaves and serve over rice!   This shrimp & okra gumbo is delicious!

Mmm... it smelled so delicious.  

Shrimp and Okra Gumbo Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

Ham, Gruyere, Shallot, and Potato Tart/Quiche

This is a rich, delicious quiche that I've made many times, modifying it along the way into this version that we love.  It works well in a regular pie dish, but also works nicely in a tart pan - and makes it a bit flatter and fancier looking.  I love the buttermilk biscuit crust.  I've written the recipe so you can following and prepare it in order - it's best to prepare the fillings first, then the crust, and finally assemble the quiche before baking.  Enjoy!

A yummy ham, Gruyere, shallot and potato quiche, ready to eat! 

Ham, Gruyere, Shallot, and Potato Tart/Quiche

Inspired and partially based on a recipe from "The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook - the essential recipe collection for today's home cook" 


FIRST - Prepare fillings:

Finely grate 1 cup Gruyere cheese.  (You can use more, if you want it extra cheesy). Set cheese aside to use later.

In a medium pot, boil 1 russet potato, peeled and cut into large chunks.  Once boiled, dice into small, 1/2" pieces and let cool 10-15 minutes.

In a saucepan, saute the following until shallots are softened:
1 Tbsp butter
2 shallots, diced
1/2 tsp fresh thyme OR 1/4 tsp dried ground thyme

Add and stir in, cooking 1 minute:
diced potato, from above

Remove from heat and stir in:
3/4 cup diced ham (I prefer using a black forest ham)

Set aside the vegetables and ham.

In a separate bowl, whisk together:
1/2 cup cream 
2 eggs
pinch nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Set the eggs aside and prepare the base.


SECOND - Prepare buttermilk biscuit base:

In a measuring cup, combine to make buttermilk:
1 Tbsp vinegar
1/2 cup milk (just under, you want to have 1/2 cup buttermilk total)

In a large bowl, mix together:
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup cornstarch OR arrowroot starch
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda

Add and chop in with a pastry cutter, until nice and crumbly (but make sure you can still see the chunks of butter):
5 Tbsp butter

Add and mix in with a spoon:
1/2 cup buttermilk, from above

Line a 10" tart pan or pie dish with the biscuit base, using plastic wrap to help press the dough in place if it's sticking to your fingers.


THIRD - Assemble your tart:

On top of your biscuit base, spread:
1/3 cup shredded gruyere cheese

Add the potatoes/ham mixture.    Pour the egg/cream mixture evenly over the potatoes/ham mixture.  Top with an additional 2/3 cup shredded gruyere cheese.

The assembled quiche, ready to bake.  This works nicely in a tart tin, too.  

Bake at 425 F for 10 minutes.  Without opening the oven, lower the temperature to 350 F and bake an additional 20-25 minutes.   Remove from the oven.  Let cool 5 minutes before serving.  If you made it in the tart pan, you can let cool a bit longer (~20 min.) before removing from the pan and placing on a serving platter.  Enjoy!

Fresh out of the oven! 

Ham, Gruyere, Shallot and Potato Tart/Quiche Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

Baked French Toast Style Bread Pudding

This is a perfect recipe for those cold winter days.  It's great for breakfast and as leftovers, too.  I based it off a Pioneer Woman recipe, but tweaked it a little bit - making it not as sweet overall, and a little richer in the pudding aspect.   You can assemble the evening before to bake in the morning, or even make it last minute and just let it soak an hour or so before baking, if you're short on time.  I've preferred this using homemade gluten-free brioche bread, which adds an extra element of richness to make it into a nice bread pudding, in my opinion.  Enjoy!

Fresh french toast style bread pudding - yum! 

Baked French Toast Style Bread Pudding

based on a recipe by the Ree Drummond (the Pioneer Woman), but I like to cut the sugar way back.

Begin this recipe the evening before you want to bake it.  Or assemble together in the morning if you plan to bake it in the evening.  You really do want it to rest in the refrigerator for a good 8 hours.  However, you can mix and let it rest just an hour or so before baking and it will still turn out quite well. 

In a buttered 9 x 13 baking dish, spread evenly:
1 - 1 1/2 loaves GF brioche bread OR GF bread of your choice, torn or cut into large chunks

In a large bowl, whisk together:
2 1/2 cups half & half (lactose-free works great - similar dairy-free creamers will work, too)
8-10 large eggs
scant 1/4 cup white sugar
scant 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract OR vanilla bean paste (the little vanilla flecks will sink to the bottom, but I love the taste)

Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread.  Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

In a large bowl, chop together with a pastry cover the following topping: *You can mix together the topping now and refrigerate in a ziploc bag until you're ready to bake, or prepare right before you place it in the oven. 
1/2 cup Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix
1/3 - 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
dash nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, chilled

Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator 30 - 45 minutes before you plan to bake and place on the stove-top or counter.  You don't want to put a cold glass or ceramic dish directly into the hot oven, since there's a chance it could crack. 

Brioche bread after soaking, ready to bake! 

Topped with the crumble topping just before baking.

Sprinkle the chill butter/sugar/flour topping mixture over the top of the bread.  Bake the entire tray at 350 F for 45 - 60 minutes.  Great served immediately.  Leftovers can be refrigerated and heat up nicely to eat later.  Delicious served with maple syrup (although I don't find it needs any) and fresh berries or jam.

Out of the oven let rest just a minute and then serve! 

Baked French Toast Style Bread Pudding by Successfully Gluten Free!