Pistachio Cranberry Bundt Cake

 {Gluten-Free Holidays}

Pistachio Cranberry Bundt Cake
From the gluten-free kitchen of Rachel Le Grand

Here is a recipe for a gluten-free pound cake I came up with ~ it is yummy !  Enjoy !

What you need:
Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
1/3 cup pistachios, chopped
1 package (15 oz) GF cake mix, yellow
1/4 cup vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup dried cranberries, chopped

What you do:
:: preheat oven to 350 degrees F
:: lightly mist a bundt pan with vegetable oil spray
:: scatter chopped pistachios evenly in the bottom of the bundt pan
:: place the cake mix, pudding mix, coconut milk, vegetable oil, eggs, & vanilla in a mixing bowl
:: beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds
:: scrape down the side of the bowl
:: beat on medium speed for 2 minutes
:: fold in dried cranberries
:: pour the batter over the pistachios in the prepared bundt pan
:: bake for 40-45 minutes

When I was growing up my mom always made me a loaf of cranberry bread for Christmas (my sister & brother got banana & zucchini). Last year I experimented with mixing dried cranberries & pistachios together in bark & gluten-free icebox cookies ~ they were a big hit !  So that is where I got the inspiration for this pound cake. I hope you enjoy it, I think that the red from the cranberries & the green from the pistachios make it a festive holiday dessert.

Bon appétit !

Happy Gluten-Free Holidays !!!

Rabbit with Prunes

 {Gluten-Free Holidays}

When I was living in France (1999-2001) a French friend showed me how to cook this (I still have my hand written notes).

Here we served it with brown rice couscous making it a fancy gluten-free dinner.

 Rabbit with Prunes
(serves 5-6 people)

What you need:
1 rabbit without head or blood
200 g lardons (or cut up bacon)
2 onions (or 1 onion if you don't like onions)
butter
500 g prunes
1 chicken bouillon cube (or 1 cup chicken broth)
2 carrots cut
1/3 bottle average red wine
30 g olive oil
pepper, salt, thyme, bay leaves

 What you do:
In a Le Creuset pot (Dutch oven) or large stock pot on low heat on stove
:: melt butter in pot
:: cut onions into pieces (cubes)
:: put lardons & onions in pot until they change to a golden brown color (20-30 minutes)
:: cut 2 carrots
:: remove lardons & onions from pot
:: cut rabbit into about 6-8 pieces & put in pot, grill each side
:: put rabbit, lardons, onions, chicken broth, red wine, carrots, pepper, salt, olive oil, thyme, bay leaves in pot, cover with a little opening with a wooden spoon handle for 45-60 minutes low burner
:: add prunes for 15 minutes
:: at the very end add some corn starch so the watery juices become a gravy

 notes:
:: you can add mushrooms, if you'd like
:: can serve with: beans (like green lima beans), pasta (flat noodles), or peas & carrots cooked with the juices from the rabbit

Bon appétit !

Happy Gluten-Free Holidays !!!

Octopus party featured

 Many thanks to Faith & Family magazine for featuring my 2nd son's 8th octopus birthday party. You'll find it on page 18 of their Winter 2011 issue which is their last issue. They will be joining Catholic Digest beginning with the March 2012 issue.

Thanks so much for stopping by this week @ nest full of eggs :o)

Tapenade Canapés

 {Gluten-Free Holidays}

Tapenade Canapés
From the gluten-free kitchen of Rachel Le Grand

Here is a recipe for a gluten-free appetizer I came up with ~ it is delicious !  Enjoy !

What you need:
1 1/3 cups Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Bisquick mix
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs, beaten
Tapenade (or black olive paste)
Prosciutto
Goat cheese
Sun-dried tomatoes
Fresh basil

 What you do:
Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Stir mix, seasonings, water, oil & eggs 'til combined, spread in pan.
Bake 15 minutes.

 Crust will appear cracked.

Cut crust into 2 inch by 2 inch squares.
Top each square with 1/4 to 1/2 tsp tapenade.

 Cut prosciutto into 2 inch by 2 inch squares.

 Add one prosciutto on top of each square.

 Add a few crumbs of goat cheese on top of each square.
Return to oven for 8 minutes.

 Sprinkle sun-dried tomatoes on top.

 Sprinkle cup up fresh basil on top.

 Return to oven for 3 minutes.

 The red of the sun-dried tomatoes & the green from the fresh basil make a festive holiday appetizer & those colors really pop against the white goat cheese.

Bon appétit !

Happy Gluten-Free Holidays !!!

Blessing Bags

Have you seen these yet? They are called Blessing Bags, you can learn more about them here.

Basically you fill up a gallon Ziploc bag with non-perishable food items & travel size personal hygiene items, keep it in your car & hand it out to a homeless person standing on a corner, a small thing that could mean the world to a homeless person. I put this one together for just over $10. Putting some of these together would make a great family, community, or church project.

Happy Thanksgiving !

Holiday 11 Ideas House

 {this is not my house}

Are you ready for another tour of the Bachman's Ideas House?  If you'd like, you can visit some from the past: spring 10, summer 10, holiday 10, spring 11, & summer 11.

This house was built in the early 1920's & for the Holidays 11 it was decorated with an Elegance of Winter theme, with creamy whites, cool blues, celadon, soft greens and shimmering metallic accents mixed in with botanical elements and natural textures ~ it's definitely not your traditional red and green Christmas !  Many of the one-of-a-kind items are for sale (it is highly recommended that you visit the first day if you'd like to purchase any of the one-of-a-kind items, as once they're sold, they're sold)... enjoy the tour...

 Front porch

 In the sunroom, birdcages filled with a miniature garden & clip-on bird ornaments

 Ball ornaments & wreath made into a larger wreath

 Living room

 Vintage child-size metal bed frame, bedspring, glass, & doilies used as a coffee table

 Dining room

 Oversized silver wreath made from vintage silver trays & chargers

 In the kitchen, wallpaper made from placemats, vintage metal lawyer's cabinet turned into storage shelves

 Top shelve decorated with vintage milk glass vases & ornaments

 Towel & soap holder made from a vintage basket

 Step risers spell out "Twas the night before Christmas..." using stencils, laminated paper & ribbon

 Bohemian Woodland theme in the girls bedroom

 Bed canopy made from a garden trellis with wood shelves added

 Christmas tree in a vintage child's sleigh

 Jump rope & clothes pins used to hang magazine clippings

 Decorative wall tree made from wood scraps, wood picnic table repurposed as a desk

 Ceiling light fixture created from a vintage garden basket & tassel key chains

 Craft room

 Salvaged ladders turned into shelves, wall covered in fabric & buttons

 Wire baskets become ribbon holders

 Locker doors turned into storage & magnet boards

 Bandanas used as curtain valence

 Christmas tree made from paper towels & fabric using chicken wire as a frame

 Planes, Trains & Automobiles theme in the boys bedroom

 In the master bedroom, curtain rods decorated with Christmas ornaments

Vintage dress form used to display jewelry, Christmas tree decorated with salvaged spindles, scarves, necklaces, picture frames & photos

 In the bathroom, wall-mounted vintage basket with ribbon used as towel storage

Vintage & salvaged letters in picture frames used to spell out Joy, Noel & Peace

I hope you get a chance to visit this Holiday Ideas House, it's open until Dec 18th, 2011

PS Spring 12 Ideas House will be Thursday, March 22 - Sunday, April 15, 2012