My Man's Belly » Delicious Recipes and Food Ideas – My Man’s Belly

Bacon and Dates Gluten Free Scones

Pamela — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:12:48 +0000

Many of you know that I haven’t procreated any devil spawn (which is surely what any children I might hatch would be) so you’d probably be surprised to learn that I am quite active in my local school’s fundraising activities. Yes, it’s true. Okay, maybe there’s some selfish reasons for doing this. Things like: I don’t like a dumbass, I need someone to support me when I’m (if I actually ever make it) in my golden years – so these kids need to have jobs that pay more than minimum wage, and I want my property values to go up when I decide I can’t take this over Botoxed, I have to pay what? for a house, aren’t we a major metro area and there’s no public transportation that won’t take me to an area that will get me killed, it takes me an hour to go 10 miles and it costs what to really live in California any more. Although between the husband and the dog, I feel like I have 4 year old twins most days of the week.

So no, I don’t have kids. I’m not a vegetarian (anymore). I don’t drive an eco car. I don’t watch the Kardashians. I don’t eat foie gras. I don’t eat cupcakes. I don’t do juice cleanses. I’m not a celiac and I do eat gluten.

All of that being said, sometimes I do eat vegetarian…even vegan and I do drink fresh/healthy juices. I also, sometimes, eat gluten free. And guess what? I lived to tell about it. Yes, it’s true, eating gluten free can actually taste good. Seriously! I’ve posted some gluten free recipes on here before (yes, most meat dishes are gluten free…but I’m talking about baked goods) like this chocolate ~~cake~~ bread.

I found out about these bacon dates scones while reading about some local LA restaurants and knew I had to make them. So I made these bacon dates scones with my usual scones recipe and they were terrific. The salty and sweet combo along with the creaminess and rich taste of a scone is the perfect accompaniment to a steaming hot cup of coffee. But I really wanted to see if I could make it taste just as good as a gluten free recipe.

I used Michael Ruhlman’s Ratio method for putting these together. I used his biscuit ratio formula which is 3 parts flour - 1 part fat – 2 parts liquid. By using the ratio method, it doesn’t matter if you’re making a “regular” version of a biscuit/scone or a gluten free version. Just make sure you follow the ratios and you’re almost guaranteed to have a recipe that works. I say almost because my first go round at the bacon dates scones wasn’t successful. It tasted really good, but let’s just say the scone disintegrated when you picked it up. So unless you planned on snorting your breakfast scone…this one just wasn’t going to work. Besides, you’d look really stupid with pieces of bacon and dates hanging out of your nose.

So this easy scone recipe is gluten free AND it tastes good. If you haven’t played around with gluten free flours, or if you have a cupboard full of them and have no idea what to do with them, this gluten free scones recipe is something you’re really going to want to try. Unlike traditional scones that get the majority of their flavor from the extra ingredients that get added to them (fruits, nuts, zest) gluten free scones also get a lot of their flavors from the types of flour(s) that you use when making them. Gluten free flours have different textures and flavors than your traditional wheat flour has. It can make creating a gluten free recipe somewhat difficult sometimes, because of the textures, but the flavors of the flours make gluten free baked goods a tasty treat.

I call this an easy scone recipe because all it takes is a bunch of dumping and a little stirring. Yes, that’s really all it takes to make a batch of scones. The most difficult part of making these gluten free scones will probably be finding the flours. But, even your regular grocery store is now carrying gluten free flours. I tend to use Bob’s Red Mill because I like their products, but they’re also one of the easiest to find and most economical to buy (without having to buy a 50 pound sack).

So get crackin’ on this recipe. Once you start making these, and figure out the ratio formula…the possibilities are endless for the types of scones you’ll be making.

Relationship Advice

I haven’t hopped over to CraigsList in a long time, so I thought I’d pop over there just to check in with the people who believe cupid gave them their one shot at never ending love and happiness at a red light and they ignored it. Now they realize what a fool they were and they’re hoping that the internet Gods will intervene and give them a second chance.

W4M – I never get picked to be a missed connection. I look in this section every day for eternity so far.. and so far.. NOTHING.. What the fuck? I get out. I walk these streets, I go to the library, the coffee shop, the laundry.. i GET OUT. I am not so hideous. Just once I want to look in the Missed Connections section of Craigslist and see ME.

W4M – You sounded really cute over the phone. I wish the next time I call customer service you pick up and I can ask you out.

W4M – You could of been my soul mate & you wouldn’t have known it. You left so quick I barely new your name. I miss you deeply, yet I really didn’t know you. I only what you wanted me to know. It’ s that I felt so connected to you. The way you hugged me was as if we were soulmates.Well never know

W4M – i was the chick in the porn shop wearing a slutty dress shopping for my toys, i was with a much older man and saw you. i loved what you did to me when we walked outside together, too bad i was with sumone else but am free today so i like for you to finish me up. tell me what you did so i know its you

Recipe: Bacon and Dates Gluten Free Scones

Ingredients

3 Ounces Almond Flour
3 Ounces Sorghum Flour
3 Ounces Buckwheat Flour
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/3 Cup Maple Sugar
1/3 Cup Chopped Dates
3 Strips Thick Cut Bacon (cooked and chopped)
2 Ounces Canned Pumpkin Puree
1 Ounce Almond Oil
6 Ounces Half and Half
Turbinado Sugar (for sprinkling on top before baking)

Maple Glaze

4 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
2 Teaspoons Maple Syrup
1 Teaspoon Water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.
In a large bowl add flours, baking powder, salt and sugar. Using a fork, mix the dry ingredients for at least 1 minute to thoroughly mix everything.
Add the dates and bacon to the dry ingredients and stir them into the mixture well.
Next add in the pumpkin, almond oil and half and half. Stir to mix until everything is mixed and the batter is wet.
Cover a baking sheet with a silicon baking sheet (Silpat) or parchment paper.
Scoop the batter out onto the lined baking sheet. Spread the batter out into, roughly, a 12 inch circle. Make sure that it is of even thickness.
Cut the batter into 8 triangles and then sprinkle with the turbinado sugar.
Bake for 20-30 minutes. The scones are done when the edges begin to crack slightly and the crust looks dryish on top.
Once out of the oven, run your knife over where you had previously cut.
Let cool.

Maple Glaze

In a small dish add the powdered sugar, maple syrup and water.
Stir to combine and make sure there are no lumps.
Use a fork to scoop up some of the glaze and drizzle it over the top of the scones. Continue drizzling the glaze until the glaze is gone.
Serve.

Quick notes

This recipe makes more of a really thick batter rather than a dough so don’t be alarmed. It’s also quite dark, which is from the buckwheat flour.

Preparation time: 20 minute(s)

Cooking time: 20 minute(s)

Diet type: Vegetarian

Diet tags: Gluten free

Number of servings (yield): 8

Culinary tradition: USA (General)

My Man's Belly

Cookies and Cream Meet Ice Cream in Cookie

Pamela — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 07:14:54 +0000

You’ve heard of cookies and cream, how about cream in cookies – an ice cream cookie, as in ice cream in the cookie itself. These cookies are made with chocolate ice cream and have a cinnamon swirl for a little extra kick.

Yep, that’s right, ice cream is the surprise ingredient to this chocolate cookie recipe. Not only does the chocolate ice cream give the cookie its rich base flavor (of chocolate – natch) but it’s also a big part of the moisture in the cookie as well. You could use almost any flavor of ice cream in this cookie recipe since the other ingredients are so neutral. And the cinnamon swirl would pair really nicely with vanilla or dulce de leche ice cream, for example (probably not as well with mint chocolate chip though).

The first batch of these got inhaled by our in house cookie monster aka Craig. I was shocked that he actually stopped eating them when I told him to. For the record…that’s probably the only time he’s listened to anything I’ve said in the past 6 months. I think he really stopped eating the cookies only because he had eaten so much at dinner there wasn’t room in his belly for any more food. I didn’t search his pockets as he left the room though.

Relationship Advice

The guys are off the hook today. I think I’ve done enough damage to their fragile egos for one week. No, today’s advice is strictly for and about the ladies (and I use that term very loosely here) – of course, the guys can hang out for the sheer entertainment if they’d like.

I have recently noticed that some of you ladies have decided to use your bras like cargo pants and your cleavage like the back pocket of your jeans. This morning, I learned that one of you thought that wedging a strikingly orange phone between your boobies was a better accessory than a necklace. Newsflash – it’s not! If you think that’s the best way to get a guy to notice your breasts, you’ve got a lot of learning to do. E-mail me and we can set up an appointment for you.

I was at the store, over the weekend, and saw a woman pull money out of her bra to pay for some groceries. I suppose that was better than pulling it out of her sweaty sock but, she was also carrying a purse. I wanted to pull her aside to 1 – tell her that she looked like a prostitute piggy bank pulling her money out of her bra and then returning her change to the same place and 2 – I wanted to conduct a strip search on her just to see what else she had hiding in there. Would I find a melty piece of gum, a wayward penny, a safety pin (in case her hem came loose – who am I kidding, if there was a safety pin in there she’d probably use it to pierce her ears after downing some shots of Jagermeister), a fruit roll up and maybe a couple of crumpled up receipts?

Here’s the deal ladies…the boobs, or the girls, are there for a few different reasons non of which include holding onto objects that could be held by your hands, pockets or purse. Boobs are a gift. You can nourish another human being with them, seduce men (because men think that they either talk or dance – that’s why they stare so intently at them), use them as a FREE drink coupon (c’mon, you know what I’m talking about), pay your rent/mortgage, announce to the world that you’re cold – without saying a word and they can up your IQ by at least 10 points – instantly.

So treat your boobs nicely and pamper them like the princesses that they are. After all, if you take care of them, they’ll take care of you.

Makes approximately 4 dozen

Ingredients

3 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
3/4 Cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
14 Ounces Melted Ice Cream or Sorbet (I used low fat Chocolate Häagen Dazs sorbet)
2 Eggs
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
1 Cup Toasted and Chopped Walnuts

Directions

In a large bowl add the flour, baking powder and salt. Use a fork to mix the dry ingredients thoroughly (this should take at least 1 minute).

In the bowl of your stand mixer (or you can use a hand mixer for this) add the butter and sugar and beat until well creamed.

Beat in the melted ice cream or sorbet and the eggs. (If you’re using your hand mixer this is going to be a bit messy.)

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients in thirds and make sure all of the ingredients are thoroughly mixed before adding the next batch. You’ll need to scrape down the bowl frequently while doing this step.

Add in the vanilla and beat to combine.

Scrape the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. (This dough is really sticky, so the more chilled it is the easier it is to work with.)

In a small bowl combine the granulated sugar, cinnamon and toasted and chopped walnuts.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.

Cut refrigerated dough into quarters.

On a well floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle 3/16″ thick.

Sprinkle 1/4 of the cinnamon sugar mixture onto the dough.

Starting with the long edge, roll the dough. Keep the roll as tight as you can (this makes cutting easier and the cookies stay together better).

Using a knife with a long blade, slice the dough into 1/2″ – 3/4″ thick and place onto a baking sheet (I recommend using a silicone Silpat on your baking sheet, but you could use parchment paper or a well greased pan. These cookies don’t really spread when you bake them so you only need to leave about 1″ between them.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes. Cookies are done when they have a “dry-ish” look to them and the extra sugar has caramelized around the base of each cookie.

Continue this process for with the rest of the dough.

My Man's Belly