Guest Post on Taming of the Celiac Sprue

Riskrem (a Norwegian Christmas dessert)

My friend Erin invited me to be a part of the holiday guest post series on her blog, Taming of the Celiac Sprue.  Fortunately, I discovered that two of my family's traditional Christmas desserts are gluten free!  It's been a lot of fun to see what other guests have posted about their favorite traditions and recipes, just as I had a good time last night typing up my (lengthy) post.

Click HERE to check out my post on her blog.

Shrimp Curry

From Grandma Wayman.

Prep: 5 min. / Cook: 15 min.
Yield: 4-6 servings

2 cans shrimp OR about 1/2 lb. fresh or frozen cooked shrimp
1 Tbs. chopped onion
1 Tbs. butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk (approx.)
1 Tbs. curry powder, or to taste

If necessary, thaw and devein shrimp.

Lightly brown onion in butter.  Add soup, milk, and curry powder.  Then add shrimp; heat through.

Serve over rice.

Optional toppings:
Golden raisins
Almonds
Chopped, boiled egg
Green onion
Shredded coconut
Mango
Crisp, crumbled bacon

Notes:
- I rehydrate about 1 to 1 1/2 tsp. dried minced onion in some hot water, then measure from there.
- My grandma's written recipe wasn't super specific on a lot of things (when you cook as long as she did, you just get a feel for things), so I make it with the measurements my mom guessed it (she doesn't measure things in this recipe either).
- The recipe my aunt wrote out also includes flour (add after onion browns) and dry mustard (add with curry powder)--no measurements specified.
- Do not overcook shrimp--it will turn rubbery!

Moussakas

Adapted from Mom Larsen.

1 1/2 lbs. ground lamb (or ground beef)
2 medium eggplants, peeled and ends trimmed off
2-3 potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 (8 oz) cans tomato paste
2 Tbs. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Cheese Sauce:
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. flour
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash nutmeg
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten until frothy

Saute onion in butter until transparent.  Push to side of pan.  Add ground meat and minced garlic; cook until no longer pink, breaking up the meat as it cooks.  Add basil, oregano, cinnamon, and tomato paste; stir.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.  Simmer 10 minutes, then stir in bread crumbs.  Set aside.

Cut eggplants in half lengthwise, then slice crosswise into 1/2"-thick slices.  Brush both sides of eggplant slices and potato slices with olive oil.  Place on a baking sheet and bake at 425F for 20-25 minutes, turning slices once.  (Potato slices may need to be removed sooner than eggplant slices; check at 15 minutes.)

For cheese sauce: Melt butter in saucepan.  Add flour and cook 1 minute.  Gradually add milk and chicken broth to saucepan and cook, stirring until smooth.  Remove from heat.  Add salt and nutmeg.  Stir in parmesan cheese.  Add a little sauce to eggs and stir, then carefully add eggs to sauce and mix well.

Spray 9x13" pan with cooking spray and line bottom with potatoes.  Layer 1/2 eggplant, 1/2 meat; repeat.  Pour cheese sauce over top.

Bake at 357F for 20-25 minutes.

Notes:
- My mom's recipe doesn't call for the potatoes and uses melted butter instead of olive oil.
- This can be prepared ahead and kept in the refrigerator but will need to cook longer.

Grandma's Sugar Cookies

From Grandma Larsen.

Prep: 10 min. / Bake: 8-10 min.

Yield: about 100 cookies

2 cups sugar

1 cup shortening

1 heaping tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup cream or 1/2 and 1/2

1 tsp. lemon juice

4-6 cups flour (I used 6)

Extra sugar for dipping (probably about 1/2 cup)

Cream sugar and shortening.  Add baking powder and salt; mix well.  Add vanilla and eggs; mix well.  Add cream and lemon juice; mix well again.

Add 4 cups flour, mixing well after each cup.  Gradually mix in 2 more cups flour until the dough reaches the consistency you want.

Roll small balls of dough in your hands and place on greased (or parchment-lined) cookie sheets, six cookies per sheet.  Dip a cup into a bowl of the reserved sugar and press down on a cookie until it is pretty thin; repeat for each cookie.

Bake at 375F for 8-10 minutes, or until edges turn golden brown.  Remove cookies to cooling racks immediately to prevent breakage.

Notes:

- My grandma's recipe was a little vague on some things (come on, she probably made these from memory and didn't actually need the written recipe), so I've amended it.  (For example, the original recipe calls for mixing in 3 cups of flour, then turning the dough onto a bread board to "roll or mix" with 1 more cup, then possibly adding more flour so the total comes to 6 cups.  I stuck with my Kitchen Aid (using the paddle) and gradually added flour after the first 4 cups until I thought the dough looked right.  Would you believe it was at exactly 6 cups that I thought it looked good?  Perhaps it depends on the weather.)

- Her recipe doesn't call for mixing dry and wet ingredients separately, so I didn't!  I just added them in the order they're listed.

- Her recipe notes that the cream or 1/2 and 1/2 can be sweet or sour, meaning you can use it even if it's a little old.  (Here's a great way to use the cream you forgot was in the back of your fridge.)

- I found that using a level cookie scoop's-worth (or a little less) was the perfect amount for each cookie. If you don't have a cookie scoop, use about a teaspoon (the table kind, not the measuring spoon kind); if you're picky, it's probably about 1 Tbs. of dough.

- I used a flat-bottomed, 12-oz glass tumbler for pressing my cookies.  My grandma's cookies ended up being about the same diameter as a can of sweet potatoes or pureed pumpkin; mine were about the diameter of a can of Campbell's Chunky soup.

- Before dipping the cup into the sugar, you'll want to rub your hand (after rolling up the dough balls) over the bottom so that the sugar actually sticks to something.

- These freeze really well.  My grandma would make a batch and freeze the cookies in bags so that there would always be some on the counter for us.
- One cookie has about 65 calories.

Chicken and Broccoli

From Mom Larsen.

Serves 4-6.

1 lb. chicken, cut in strips
1 can cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 cups frozen broccoli (thawed) or 2 cups fresh broccoli pieces

1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Swiss cheese

1/2 cup milk
2 Tbs. oil
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 Tbs. chopped pimiento

Saute chicken in oil until tender.

Add soup, milk, mustard, and cheese; cook over medium heat, stirring until smooth.

Add broccoli and pimiento and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes or until tender crisp.  Serve over rice or pasta.

Notes:
- I probably used 1/3 cup each of cheddar and Swiss cheeses.
- Fresh broccoli will take longer than 2 minutes to cook.  You could always parboil it it ahead of time if you want.

Ranch Chicken

From Bridget Welch.

Yield: 4-5 servings.

My sister-in-law gave me this recipe, and it is so delicious!  To make things even better, it's super easy.

1 lb. chicken
1 (8 oz) block cream cheese
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1 packet dry Ranch dressing mix

Place chicken in a crock pot.  Mix cream cheese, soup, milk, and Ranch seasoning.  Pour over chicken.

Cook on high for 1 hour and low for 4 more.  (Or cook on low for 6 hours.)

Serve with rice.

Notes:
- Really, the recipe just calls for "chicken," and so I used four breast halves.  I'm guessing that's about a pound.
- You may need to adjust the cooking time, depending on if you chicken is frozen or thawed.  Mine was semi-thawed, and four hours was just about perfect.
- I only cooked my chicken for 4 hours on low, and it was perfect.  But I have a rather finicky crock pot that seems to cook things faster than recipes typically call for.

Delicious Salad

From Mom Larsen.

Serves 10.

10 servings salad mixture of romaine, spinach, or whatever greens you want
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
2 Tbs. sliced green onions
3/4 cup slivered almonds
Several teaspoons sugar

Dressing:
1/4 cup salad oil
1 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp. vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. almond extract

Heat almonds and sugar in a skillet over medium heat, stirring and tossing almonds.  Sugar will melt and coat almonds.  You'll know they're done when the almonds & sugar are a golden brown color and you can smell toasted almonds.  Cool on wax paper.

Mix dressing ingredients together until sugar dissolves.  Just before serving, pour dressing on salad and mix well.

Notes
- I used 1 bag hearts of romaine and 1 bag baby spinach
- I didn't measure my green onions; I just sliced up two of them.
- Since the package of almonds I bought was 1 cup, I used the whole thing.
- I've been experimenting with the vinegars I use.  The first time, I used rice vinegar.  The second time, I used half white wine vinegar, half rice vinegar.
- I also really like slicing up a bunch of mushrooms and adding them to the salad--I think it's great.

Candied Yams

From Grandma Wayman.

4-5 long, thin yams (not sweet potatoes)

1/2 cup margarine

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup orange juice

Dash cinnamon

Marshmallows

Scrub yams and pierce the skin with a fork. Place on foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 1 hour at 450 F. Allow yams to cool enough to be peeled. (Yams can be baked but not peeled the night before.)

When you are ready to assemble the yams, bring the margarine, brown sugar, water, orange juice, and cinnamon to a boil in a skillet until thickened (2-6 minutes).

Cook baked, peeled yams in above mixture for 1 minute. (If skillet is not large enough to fit all the yams, cook them in more than one batch.)

Carefully lift yams out of syrup and place in greased baking dish (9x13 or 11x17). Pour remaining syrup over yams. Bake 15 minutes at 350 F.

Top yams with marshmallows and briefly broil until marshmallows are puffy and golden. (Watch them, as the marshmallows can quickly go from golden to burned.)

Notes:
- Start a while in advance, as yams must cool before being peeled.

Tortellini Chicken Soup

From Mom Larsen.

Combine in a large pot and bring to a boil:
3 (10.75 oz) cans chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
½ cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp basil
½ tsp oregano

Add 7 oz. package cheese tortellini. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes.

Add 9 oz. fresh or frozen broccoli. Simmer additional 5-10 minute or until broccoli is tender.

Serve with grated parmesan cheese.

Notes:
- Meatless Version: Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.  Use cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken soup.  Omit chicken and add more vegetables and pasta.

Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookies

From Mom Larsen.

White chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies (see Variations)

3 eggs
16 oz. (2 cups) dark brown sugar
1 ½ cups white sugar
2 Tbs. vanilla
1 lb. butter, softened (do not substitute margarine!!)
6 cups flour
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
18 ounces chocolate chips
2 cups chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Beat eggs until thickened—about 4-5 minutes. Add sugars; mix well. Add vanilla and butter; mix well.

Combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to butter/sugar/egg mixture; mix well. Dough will be thick!

Add chocolate chips and nuts (if desired); mix.

Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, drop dough on cookie sheets covered with baker’s/parchment paper. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until tops begin to crack. Cookies will not look done in the center but will continue to cook after you take them out. Leave cookies on baking sheets for 10 minutes before removing to cooling racks.

Variations:
Cocomac Cookies: Substitute coconut and macadamia nuts for chopped nuts and chocolate chips.
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies: Substitute white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts for chocolate chips and nuts.

Larry's Chili

From Dad Larsen.

In a crock-pot or large pot, add the following ingredients and turn on to a medium setting:

3 15-oz. cans of small red beans
3 15-oz. cans of Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 15-oz. can of Beef Consommé (or beef bouillon or beef broth)
1 small can (about 3 or 4 oz.) diced, green chilies
3 Tbs. chili powder (2 Tbs. for a milder flavor)
1 Tbs. ground cumin
Salt & pepper to taste (suggested: 1 tsp. salt & 1/2 tsp. black pepper)

Meanwhile, brown the following in a skillet:

1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 Tbs. olive oil (omit if hamburger is not lean)

After hamburger is browned and onion is cooked, drain off excess fat. Add hamburger and onion to crock-pot.

Cook for 1 hour or more.

Note:
- When small red beans or poquito’s are not available, use kidney beans. May use a combination of kidney and small red beans, if desired.

Linguine with Clam Sauce

From Dad Larsen.

Bring to a good boil:
6 cups water
Juice from 2 small cans chopped clams
Salt

Add to above:
1 lb. linguine noodles

Prepare separately in frying pan, cooking slightly to blend flavors:
4 oz. butter
2 cans chopped clams
4 Tbs. fresh chopped parsley
3 Tbs. fresh chopped basil
1 tsp. fresh minced thyme
1 Tbs. minced garlic
Pepper to taste

Just before linguine is ready, bring to a boil and add to clam/herb mix:
1 cup heavy cream

Drain linguine noodles, place on large warm platter, and quickly pour clam/herb/cream sauce over it.

Add to linguine mix and toss:
4 oz. melted butter (in addition to above)
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese

Salt to taste, toss, and serve.

Rodgrot (Red Berry Pudding)

Yield: about 8 servings

1 pound fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries, strawberries or boysenberries
4 cups water
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 cup sugar (reduce the amount if the berries are sweetened)
Pinch of salt
1 cup whipping cream

Combine the berries and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.

Place a sieve over a medium bowl, pour berry mixture into sieve, press with the back of a spoon to remove as much pulp as possible. Discard the seeds. Measure the juice and pulp. If necessary, add water to make 5 cups.

In a small bowl combine cornstarch with 2/3 cup of juice (the juice should not be hot), making a thin paste. Pour remaining juice and pulp into saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Stir in sugar, salt and cornstarch paste. Stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon to keep pudding smooth, cook until thickened.

Cover pan, set aside to cool 20 to 30 minutes. Pour cooled pudding into a serving bowl.

Serve immediately or cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until served. Pour whipping cream into a small pitcher. Serve pudding warm or cold, with cream.

Riskrem

Riskrem (pronounced "rees-krehm") is basically what it sounds like: a rice cream dessert.  But's not rice pudding.  By custom, Norwegian families would take a bowl of riskrem to the barn on Christmas Eve and leave it out for the Fjøsnisse (sometimes referred to simply as nisse or nissen), the guardian of the home and farm.  It's wise to remember him because he can be kind of a trickster, and if you really anger him, you may find your crops have gone bad.

Traditionally in Norway, one whole almond is hidden in the batch of riskrem.  Whoever finds the almond in his or her dish receives a yummy prize of a marzipan candy shaped like a pig, though in my family the prize was typically some See's candy or Smil (a Norwegian candy similar to Rolos).  Sadly, I'm the only one who's crazy about marzipan, so the pig is never an option.

My family has had this dessert every Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember.  My dad served in Norway as a missionary for our church, as did my grandpa and both of my dad's brothers (strange coincidence, as our missionaries do not choose where they'll go).  Plus, we are part Norwegian (and Danish and just about everything else in Europe, though more than any other single nationality, we are Icelandic--my great-grandmother was a full Icelander).  So this dessert is really part of our heritage.

My dad eats riskrem by the bowlful; he loves it that much.  While I was growing up, I'd slowly make my way through it until somebody found the almond, and then I'd stop.  But over the last few years, I've gained a new appreciation of it.  Could I eat a batch by myself?  No.  But I can safely say that I enjoy it now.

3/4 cup medium or short grained rice
4 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 pint cream
Pinch of salt
Berry syrup (recommended: strawberry, boysenberry, or raspberry)
1 almond

Cook rice, milk, and salt covered in a double boiler over low heat, stirring occasionally, until nearly all the milk is absorbed (approximately 1 1/2 hrs).

Remove from heat and stir in sugar and almond extract, then cool in refrigerator until cold (overnight is best).

Gently fluff rice with a fork.  Whip the cream until soft peaks form and fold into rice mixture.

Serve with a little berry syrup poured over the top.

Notes:
- In Norway an almond is placed into the Ris Krem just before it is served; the lucky person who finds the almond in his or her bowl gets a prize,  traditionally a piece of marzipan candy in the shape of a pig.
- This is a very rich dessert, so a little goes a long way.
- Don't allow your rice mixture to sit too long in the fridge before adding the whipped cream or it won't be a soft as it should be (the mistake I made for the batch pictured here--it was a couple days before I got around to whipping the cream).

Bread Bowls or French Bread

From Kim Herring.

Yield: 2 loaves French bread or 6 bread bowls

2 1/4 cups warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 packages or 2 T. active dry yeast
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons soft shortening or oil
6 cups flour, stirred and measured

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In large mixing bowl combine warm water and sugar. Sprinkle yeast over top; allow to soften. Add salt, shortening/oil and 3 cups flour; beat well.

Add remaining flour, stirring well with heavy spoon. Leave spoon in batter and allow dough to rest 10 minutes; stir down with spoon; allow dough to rest 10 minutes; stir down again. Repeat this process until dough has been stirred down five times.

Turn dough out onto floured board; knead two or three times to coat dough with flour so it can be handled.

For French Bread:
Divide into two parts. Roll each part of dough into rectangle 9 x 12 inches. Roll dough up, starting from long side; pinch edge of loaf to seal. Arrange seam side down on large baking sheet that's been sprinkled with cornmeal, allowing room for both loaves. Repeat with second part of dough.

For Bread Bowls:
Divide into six parts. Form into balls, smooth on top with the seam pinched together on the bottom. Arrange on a large baking sheet that's been generously sprinkled with cornmeal.

Cover lightly; allow to rise for 30 minutes. With a very sharp knife, cut three gashes at an angle in top of each loaf (I cut two gashes on each bread bowl); brush entire surface with egg wash (1 egg beaten slightly with 1 tablespoon water). If desired, sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds.

Bake for 30 minutes or until brown. Cool on racks.

Note:

- I used a bowl and wooden spoon the first time I made these, and then I switched to my Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook. Works out just the same, except my arms don't feel like they're going to fall off.

Pepper Steak

From Mom Larsen.

1 1/4 lbs. flank steak, sliced thinly across the grain
2 Tbs. cornstarch, divided
2 Tbs. soy sauce, divided
2 tsp. sugar
2/3 cup chicken broth
1 clove garlic, minced
3 slices ginger root or 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2 bell peppers, cut in strips
1/2 onion or 4 green onions, sliced
2 tsp. hoisin sauce
3-4 Tbs. oil, divided
Rice or noodles

Mix 1 Tbs. cornstarch, 1 Tbs. soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and 1 Tbs. oil in a large bowl.  Add steak and stir to coat.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together remaining cornstarch and soy sauce with sugar and broth.  Set aside.

Stir-fry peppers and onions in 1 Tbs. oil for 2-3 minutes or until tender-crisp.  Remove from pan.

Stir-fry beef in two batches in 1-2 Tbs. oil until meat is brown on the outside but still pink in the middle.

Add hoisin sauce and stir to coat.  Remove meat from pan.

Add gravy ingredients to pan and cook, stirring until it begins to thicken. Return meat and vegetables to pan and stir to combine.

Serve over rice or Chinese noodles.

Notes:
- Consider using 1 ½ times the gravy ingredients.
- Other cuts of beef may be used instead of flank steak.
- Add extra sliced peppers or some sliced bamboo shoots and/or sliced water chestnuts for more vegetables.
- This recipe can also be used for Beef and Chinese Pea Pods, substituting 1/4-1/2 pound pea pods for sliced peppers.
- Can also substitute chicken for beef.

Sloppy Joes

From Mom Larsen.

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 1/2 Tbs. flour
1 can tomato soup
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 Tbs. vinegar
1 Tbs. brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground beef and onion. Mop up excess grease with paper towel. Stir in flour.

Add remaining ingredients. Simmer until heated through. Serve on hamburger buns.

Sweet Potato Casserole

From Kim Herring.

Yield: 8-10 servings

6 medium-sized sweet potatoes
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
½ cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
2 Tbs. flour
2 Tbs. butter or margarine

Cook sweet potatoes in boiling water 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender. Let cool to touch; peel and mash.

Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, and ½ cup butter; beat at medium speed with electric mixer until smooth. Spoon into a lightly greased 2 ½ quart baking dish.

Combine brown sugar, pecans, flour, and 2 Tbs. butter; sprinkle mixture over casserole.

Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

Marsh Pie

From Dad Larsen.

1 pkg (10 oz) Frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 container (16 oz) sour cream
1 cup Mayonnaise
1 pkg Knorr Vegetable Soup, Dip and Recipe Mix
1 can (8 oz) water chestnuts, drained and chopped
3 green onions, chopped

In medium bowl, stir spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise, soup mix, water chestnuts and green onions until well mixed.

Cover; chill 2 hours to blend flavors.

Stir well, if desired, spoon into round bread bowl. Serve with cut up vegetable or chips (or pieces of the bread bowl).

Serve with pieces of sourdough bread.

Other Variations:
Spinach and Cheese Dip. Add 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese with spinach.
Yogurt Spinach Dip. Substitute 16 oz plain low fat yogurt for sour cream.

Chicken Pot Pie

From Mom Larsen (adapted from Laverne Hales).

3 cups cooked cubed chicken
1 ½ cups diced cooked carrots
1 ½-2 cups diced cooked potatoes
1 ½ cups frozen peas, thawed
½ cup chopped celery
6 Tbs. margarine or butter
1/3 cup flour
7 tsp. chicken bouillon or 7 chicken bouillon cubes
1/8-1/4 tsp. pepper
5 ½ cups milk (divided)
3 cups biscuit baking mix (like Bisquik)

Cook celery in margarine until tender. Stir in flour, bouillon, and pepper. Remove from heat and add 4 ½ cups milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.

Stir in chicken, carrots, potatoes, and peas. Remove from heat.

Combine biscuit mix and remaining 1 cup milk. Mix well. Turn 2/3 dough into well-greased 9x13” baking dish. Sprinkle with flour. With floured hands, pat dough evenly over bottom and up sides of dish.

Pour chicken mixture into prepared dish.

Knead remaining dough. Roll to 1/8 thickness. Cut into eight 3-inch rounds and arrange on casserole.

Bake at 350˚F for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden.

Notes:
- Always check the size of your bouillon cubes to make sure you're using the right amount.  I have cubes that are at least twice the size of the ones my mom uses, so I have to be really careful about measuring by the number of cubes.  In this recipe, you'll want to make sure you've got the equivalent of 7 tsp.