Gluten-Free Muffins and a Natural Phenomenon

This summer, my family and I witnessed thousands of migrating Vaux swifts flying into a chimney in Healdsburg for the night. The sight was truly spectacular and I was gratified that the gluten-free birdwatching treat I brought along went over very well with the whole family! Unfortunately the pictures of my siblings together were hit-and-miss (it's hard to coordinate 4 kids all smiling at once!) but this little guy had some sweet pictures that were too cute not to include in this post!

Birdwatching is better with a sweet treat.

The birds began to form a funnel in the sky, in front of a gorgeous sunset.

The sheer numbers were astounding.

The thousands of swifts all bedded down for the night in this small chimney.

 These gluten-free muffins were a happy kitchen accident that I whipped up right before leaving for the swifts. The flavors are earthy and autumnal and I love the texture of the sorghum and brown rice flours in the final product.

Gluten-Free Cardamom Apple Muffins~ makes 12 muffins
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 apple, peeled and diced
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup almond milk (any kind of milk will do)
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1 cup brown rice flour

Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare a muffin tin with cupcake papers and spray the edges of the pan lightly with oil to prevent any "muffin tops" from sticking. In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Add the vanilla, apple, spices and egg and mix. In another bowl, mix together the remaining dry ingredients and add them to the wet mixture. Fill the muffin cups about 2/3-3/4 of the way full and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until baked through. The tops may be quite dark, but keep checking with a skewer or cake tester before removing them. Serve warm.

Christmas Morning Rice Pudding

Merry Christmas!
My mom requested this for breakfast this morning; rice pudding with a blackberry cinnamon compote. I used this combo in a school presentation a couple of weeks ago, combining British and Indian ingredients and flavors.

Rice Pudding (Kheer) with Blackberry Compote
I prefer rice pudding in the British or American style where it is a little more dense and less liquidy, so technically this isn't a real 'kheer', but it is based on the recipe.

For the rice pudding:
2 cups of coconut milk
2 cups of whole milk
3 tbs white sugar
1 cup basmati rice
2 tsp cinnamon or cardamom (optional)
Bring the coconut milk and milk to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the rice and sugar and let simmer. Stir frequently to prevent burning. Cook until the rice is soft and most of the liquid is gone. Scrape into a bowl and refrigerate. If it is dry after chilling, stir in a little milk to moisten it. You can also stir in some spices if you like.
For the blackberry compote:
2 baskets of blackberries
1 cup water
1 1/4 cup white sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Put the water and sugar into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and let sugar dissolve. Feel free to stir. Add blackberries and cinnamon and stir gently. Simmer for 30-40 minutes until the blackberries are bright red and very soft. Carefully strain and pour the berries into a heatproof bowl or jar. Add a little liquid to suspend them so they maintain their shape. Let chill, then use to garnish the rice pudding.
Bon Appetit and Happy Holidays!

Rainbow Sparkle Cookies

Amani and I just made these rainbow sparkle cookies for him to take to his little preschool tomorrow!
The recipe is from the Family Fun cookbook, which you can find in my books section! It has a lot of great, simple recipes.
I let Amani help me make them and (with washed hands), he rolled the balls of dough in the sprinkles and violently pounded them down onto the cookie sheet. It was very cute (:

I know he looks a little evil, but he would only stay still for a split second, it's the only one I got that's not 100% blurry! He's still kind of in motion though. But I had to get a picture of my chef!

Rainbow Sparkle Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
Rainbow sprinkles

Whip the butter until fluffy, then cream with sugar. Add the egg and incorporate. Add vanilla. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to the wet ingredients in thirds, mixing inbetween.
Let chill for about 30-45 minutes. You could do longer, but we did fine just letting it cool and solidify a bit. Remove from fridge and roll into balls a little larger than gumballs. Pour the sprinkles into a bowl and roll each ball in them. Pat each ball onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 350F. They won't really get golden, but they will not be doughy.
Voila! Enjoy with a friend ( : Happy Holidays!