Birthday Smörgåsbord!

One year from today I'll finally be able to cook with wine!

Until then, I get to enjoy being a twenty-year-old.

I had such an awesome weekend! My mom came up from Omaha on Saturday afternoon and stayed until this morning. I had a great birthday last year with friends up in New York, but it felt so nice to spend this one with my mom. Call me a cornball, but that was the best present! I only wish that I could have been with the rest of my family. I'll be seeing them in less than three weeks though!

A majority of our day yesterday was spent in my kitchen. Otis the oven had his work cut out for him with gluten-free biscuits for breakfast, cheesecake, and butternut squash lasagna. Lemon cranberry muffins, too!

One of yesterday's comical events was my mom discovering that I've unknowingly used french vanilla half and half in my recipes for some time now. Organic Valley, you need to work on how you label your dairy. French vanilla half and half should not go in cream of mushroom soup, or in the millet biscuits posted below.

Gluten-Free Biscuits
adapted from the inspirational Celiac Teen
Makes 10 biscuits

1 cup millet flour
1 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup white rice flour
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, ice cold
1 1/4 cup buttermilk (I used half and half)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together all dry ingredients. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until chunks are no bigger than pea-sized. Add dairy and fold until the dough just comes together.

I chilled my dough for half an hour so it was easier to form the biscuits. Form dough into a 1-inch-thick rectangle. Cut into squares and place on a parchment covered baking sheet or silpat.

Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Check out that crumbly goodness.

Last night Hillary, one of my oldest friends from Omaha, came over and I cooked a little birthday dinner for all of us. Her birthday is two days before mine, which resulted in some pretty awesome parties when we were growing up. Last night didn't involve a hayrack ride, or a limo full of all our friends, but it felt great to spend another birthday with her up here in Minnesota. We stuck to tradition by having cheesecake for dessert!

Cheesecake with an Oat Almond Crust
inspired by this recipe
Makes one 9 inch cheesecake

1 cup gluten-free rolled oats, coarsely ground in a food pro
1 cup blanched almond, coarsely ground
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

2 8oz packages cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/3 cup half and half
1 tablespoon brown rice flour
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Process oats and almonds until they're coarse in texture. Combine with 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup butter. If the mixture seems too dry, add more butter.

Press crust mix into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Press a little over an inch up the sides of the pan as well. Bake for 5-10 minutes.

Using a stand mixer, cream sugar and cream cheese until smooth (about 1 minute). Add one egg at a time, allowing each egg to fully incorporate into the mixture before adding the next. Add flour, half and half, lemon zest, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute.

Prepare a water bath for the oven (fill a oven-safe pan or dish with steaming hot water. This prevents cracks in the cheesecake).

Pour cream cheese mixture into the prepared crust. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes. Once done the cheesecake should be firm on the sides but have a slight jiggle in the center. Remove from oven and allow to cool for half an hour.

Lower the oven temp to 250 degrees F.

In a medium bowl mix together sour cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Spread over the top of the warm cheesecake. Bake for 15 minutes at 250. Remove and allow the cheesecake to sit for at least 4 hours at room temp, then chill for 4-12 hours.

I always associate cheesecake with my birthday, and this one was heavenly.

Thanks to my wonderful family, I am now a proud owner of a food scale and an amazing set of knives! Things are about to get real legit in the kitchen.

I'm also as prepared as I can be for the upcoming winter thanks to a new coat, warm sweaters, and a snow shovel (thanks, Dad!).

Bring it, Minnesota.

Lemon Cranberry Muffins
specially adapted for my mom from this recipe
Makes 12 muffins

1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3 large eggs
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups fresh cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together flours, starch, xanthan gum, and baking powder.

In a separate bowl combine sugar and yogurt until smooth. Add eggs and whisk together. Add oil, lemon zest, and vanilla.

Fold wet ingredients into the dry. Batter will be wet. Fold in cranberries.

Pour batter into prepared muffin tins (with muffin liners, parchment paper, or greased cups). Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and the muffins are golden-brown on top.

Thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes! You're all wonderful!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go be a twenty-year-old.