Super Simple Peanut Butter Cookies

I have a couple family members who have Gluten problems and have a simple recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies. So rich and good -- you'd never know they are gluten free!

You may of course omit the Gluten Free flour and use regular All Purpose Flour.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup Peanut Butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 slightly beaten Egg
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 dash of sea salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
3 scant Tbsp Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour (or 2 heaping Tbsp All purpose baking  flour)

Directions


Preheat oven to 350°.

Mix ingredients together in a bowl until well blended and roll into 1 inch balls, cross hatch tops with the back of a fork and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for approx. 8 - 10 minutes, let cool for 1 minute before removing.  Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

To make Peanut Butter Blossom cookies push a Hershey's Chocolate kiss on top of the cookie before baking.

Fresh Corn Tortillas

Have you bought that 5 lb sack of Maseca, made your tamales for the holidays and still have left over mix? Make fresh home made Corn Tortillas with the left over Maseca corn flour mix.

Ingredients:
2 cups of Maseca Corn Flour Mix
1 1/2 cups of water
1/3 t salt

Mix the salt with the cornflour mix, make a well in the center, add water to the well and mix the dough with clean hands for 1 - 2 minutes to make a pliable dough.

Pinch off dough to equal the size of a walnut and put into a Tortilla Press or roll out between two sheets of plastic film. Gently peel off the top layer of plastic and flip the tortilla onto a hot griddle. Cook tortilla for 20 seconds and flip the tortilla and 30 seconds later flip it again. It is ready to be eaten with butter; filled with cheese and sauced to make enchiladas; filled with taco meat and a mix of shredded lettuce, tomatoes and cheese; or used simply as a scoop with your carne guisada or Huevos Rancheros.

Makes 18 corn tortillas. Freezes well.

Use to make Enchiladas or serve warm with butter.

Happy New Year!

Another year, another decade, another clean slate.

I'm not going to start out this year with brand new "New Years Eve resolutions for 2011" (last year's resolutions were never really met), instead of looking back at the past with rose colored glasses. I admit, I do so often tend to do just that -- look at everything with rose colored glasses. Let's clean our slate, we have a fresh year to look forward to, therefore I want to only look FORWARD and move FORWARD this year.

I have mixed the Southwest tradition of Tamales on New Year's eve with the deep southern tradition of Black Eyed Peas and am attaching a photo of the end product. Here in the deep south of Alabama, amidst the old southern charm, lace curtains, conservative thoughts, attire and elegant homes there are many ways to do things the right way, the southern way. There are new "southern" traditions to become aware of, traditions long kept and steeped in the southern people. Some of these "beliefs" could be misconstrued as "superstitions". I write about my thoughts of eating collard greens ( representing money), greens and cornbread ("mad" money or money for your pockets) and eating 365 black eyed peas (one black eyed pea for every day of year to bring good luck, wealth and prosperity everyday of the year) on New Year's day. Hoppin John is the Black Eyed Pea recipe I speak of, many folks down here in the south have old family recipes, some eaten with white rice, some folks eat Black Eyed Peas without rice. But there is one staple - the recipe for Black Eyed Peas has onions, thyme, chopped ham or a pork meat (sausage) of some type to give the black eyed peas another layer of flavor.

Here is to mixing Hispanic traditions with Southern traditions, Green Chile Serrano Chicken Tamales with Black Eyed Peas. If I have to eat Black Eyed Peas -- I'm sure gonna make them taste extra special good and add some good hot serrano peppers and a couple of bay leafs and cook until they are very tender.

So, here's to wishing everyone a Happy New Year for 2011!