Gluten Free Blondies with Nutella and Peanut Butter Chips

I've always loved to cook, but baking was always a little more of a challenge.  When you cook, you can create something from nothing without a lot of rules. When you bake, science takes the lead and you have to follow that lead in order to turn out an edible and appetizing creation.
Things like brownies and blondies give you a little more wiggle room and endless possibilities.
Now a days, I bake with gluten free flour and it can sometimes be challenging.  Brownies and such seem to be the easiest to make. I use Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour and always seem to have good results. This is a simple recipe and the blondies turn out really well.

Gluten Free Blondies with Nutella and Peanut Butter

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), melted
2 large eggs
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups  gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
13-ounce jar Nutella
1 cup peanut butter chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line the bottom of an 8-by-8-inch non-stick baking pan with parchment paper; set aside.

2. In a large, microwave-safe bowl add the butter and heat to melt, about 1 minute on high power.

3. Add the  brown sugar and vanilla, whisk until smooth. Then slowly add eggs, whisking.

4. Add the flour, salt, and stir until just combined, don’t overmix.

5. Turn half the batter out into prepared pan; set remaining batter aside.

6. Microwave the jar of Nutella, careful to peel away the foil seal, for about 15 seconds.

7. Turn Nutella out into the pan and spread into an even, smooth layer.

8. Turn remaining batter out over the Nutella. Add heaping rounded tablespoon-sized blobs using  a spatula to smooth them together.

9. Evenly top with peanut butter chips.

10. Bake for 30 minutes, or until top is set and golden; don’t overbake as they taste best when they’re slightly underbaked. A toothpick test is unreliable because you will hit melted Nutella. It will firm up as it cools. Place pan on a wire rack to cool for at least 90 minutes. Turn out onto a baking sheet, peel off parchment and flip over to slice.

Instant Pot Pork Chops w/ Green Beans and Potatoes

The inspiration for this recipe came from a conversation with a woman I work with and I needed to get it into my Instant Pot . When she talked about the green beans that she cooked in her pot , my mouth started watering and lightbulbs started blinking in my head. Growing up with the world's best cook, Janis Tosatto, this was a staple at our dinner table. I decided that I would try my rendition this week and it turned out perfectly .
This recipe will feed 2 people, with a few beans and potatoes leftover for lunch tomorrow. The seasoning I used on the pork and the vegetables is Red Rocks Hickory Smoke Seasoning from Savory Spice and is my go to for most everything. The beans and potatoes brought back such great childhood memories and the pork was tender and cooked through.

Instant Pot Pork Chops w/ Green Beans and Potatoes

2 10 oz Bone-in Pork Chops
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, sliced
2 cups chicken stock
14 oz green beans, broken in half
12 oz baking potato, peeled and cubed
3 garlic cloves, sliced
Salt and pepper (or seasoning of preference)

Hit the saute button and when it says hot, add olive oil. Brown chops on each side, 3 to 4 minutes and remove to plate.
Add onion, saute until soft.
Add stock, stirring to deglaze pot.
Turn off. Add beans, potatoes and garlic and more seasoning. Stir together.
Place chops on top of vegetables.
Making sure that the silicone ring is in
place, lock lid into place and close pressure valve.
Set on manual for 5 minutes at high pressure. My pot came to pressure within 12 minutes.
NPR for 10 minutes and release (with caution) remaining pressure.

Gluten Free Apple Cake

This is a fairly easy recipe that comes together pretty fast once you have the apples peeled and cored. Preparing the apples is a kind of therapy for me, kind of like any other mundane food prep. Turn on your favorite music, sing a little and sneak a couple of dance moves in while no one is watching. Life doesn't get much better than that, until you see the finished product, give it a taste and share it with others. This cake turns out beautifully, with a nice crunchy top and not overly sweet flavor. Like most gluten free baked goods, it's best eaten in the first couple of days and I recommend placing the uneaten portion in the refrigerator.

Gluten Free Apple Cake

1½ pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 8 wedges, and sliced ⅛ inch thick crosswise
1 tablespoon Orange liqueur
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¾ cup, plus 2 tablespoons 1 to 1 gluten-free baking flour
¼ cup almond flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg plus 2 large yolks
1 cup canola oil
1 cup  buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons vanilla sugar

Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven and set the temperature to 325 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with gluten-free cooking spray and place on a foil lined, rimmed baking sheet. (If you don't, you'll end up with a bit of a mess on the oven bottom)

Place apple slices on a microwave safe plate or pie dish, cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes, or until apples are slightly tender and pliable. Drizzle with orange liqueur and lemon juice and let cool for 15 minutes.

Place ¾ cup of gluten-free flour blend, almond flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add one egg, oil, milk and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. Scoop out one cup of the batter and place in another medium bowl.

Add egg yolks to the larger portion of the batter and whisk to combine. Fold in the cooled apple slices and pour mixture into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula.

Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons of gluten-free flour blend into the remaining batter and smooth batter as evenly over the apple mixture in the pan as possible, taking care to spread it all the way to the edges.

Sprinkle the top with the 2 tablespoons of vanilla sugar and bake until the center of the cake is set, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Transfer pan to a wire rack and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Run a  plastic knife around the edge of the cake along the sides of the pan and let cool completely, about 2 hours more. Cut into wedges and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Seattle Cider Basil Mint Hard Cider

I'm always excited when I stumble upon a new hard cider and was happy to come across this one. The name sounded great, Seattle Cider Basil Mint Hard Cider, especially since I love basil and mint together and thought the flavors would pair well with apple. Unfortunately, I didn't seem to taste either named ingredient and found the cider to be just a little bit on the funky side. The aroma was not enticing and the flavor was a bit flat. This was a miss for me and I would not purchase again. Seattle Cider makes others that are much better, so I will stick to those.