Gluten-Free Pancakes

I've been experimenting with my gluten-free pancakes and this is my favorite pancake mix. I mix the dry ingredients and store them in a glass jar. It's perfect for camping or just to have on hand. These pancakes also freeze well if you want to make them ahead and put them in the freezer. This is a great recipe for people that have an intolerance to gluten also. We warm our homemade syrup to pour over, here are our top favorites syrup recipes:
Simply Apple Cider Syrup 
Simply Homemade Pancake Syrup
Pancake Mix
3 c white rice flour
1/3 c almond flour
1/3 c powdered milk
1/3 c organic cane sugar (or sugar of your choice)
1 tsp sea salt
1 T baking powder
Whisk all of the dry ingredients together and place in a glass jar to use at a later time or mix in a bowl to use immediately. When you are ready to mix your batter, combine in a medium bowl:
1 cup pancake mix
1 egg
3/4 c water (you  may need more or less depending how thick you like your batter)
1 T coconut oil, you can use butter or oil of your choice
Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula. Don't overmix, it's ok if it's a little lumpy. Heat an electric griddle to 325F or pan on the stove, and pour batter (or use 1/4 c) for each pancake. When the bubbles appear on the pancake, they are ready to be turned (about 1 minute).
This makes between 6-8 pancakes if you use 1 cup of dry pancake mix.
Enjoy!
Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Banana Bars

We are enjoying a cool, rainy day in the Midwest. It feels like the perfect day off to me. A day for crafts because I need to make a new fall wreath, baking because everyone is begging for treats and of course some cleaning. Today I am making two kinds of our favorite bars, Simply Homemade Pumpkin Bars and our mother-in-law's banana bars, they're the best!
Ingredients
1 1/2 c sugar
1/2 c butter, softened but not melted
1 1/2 c mashed bananas, about 3 bananas
2 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 c sour cream (I use plain Greek or thick homemade yogurt instead)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
Directions

• Mix sugar, butter, bananas and sour cream (or yogurt), then add eggs and vanilla.
• Add dry ingredients and stir. 
• Pour batter into either a greased and floured or parchment lined 9x13 pan. Bake 350F for 25-35 minutes. Test using a toothpick, if it comes out clean, the bars are done. 
• Place on a cooling rack until they have cooled then frost them using the recipe below.

The Best Frosting
Melt 1/4 cup butter in a medium pan over medium heat on the stove until delicate brown in color. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 cups powdered sugar. Beat in 1 tsp vanilla and about 3 T. milk until frosting is smooth. You can mix this with a spatula or wooden spoon.

* You can also use a jelly roll pan rather than a 9x13 pan. You will need to adjust the frosting to 1/2 cup butter and 4 c powdered sugar. You may also need to add more milk.

Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Mantle Decorating for Fall

Simply try a new decorating idea for an autumn mantle, use what you have around the house or make some of your own pumpkins. I'll be posting a tutorial for the DIY Autumn Burlap Wreath next week so keep checking back if you need a new DIY project! For the shabby pumpkins check the previous post Simply DIY Pumpkin Decorating Project.
Have a great weekend!

Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

One More Recipe for Refrigerator Dill Pickles

I picked the last of my cucumbers today from my garden and decided to make some refrigerator dill pickles. Angie had posted our grandma's pickles Simply Grandma's Refrigerator Pickles for sweet pickles, so I thought I would try some refrigerator dill pickles. I found a recipe on growveg.com so I decided to try it. It worked great! Even though canned pickles are my favorite, we liked these and they worked great on sandwiches!

Refrigerator dill pickles: 

4-5 washed, sliced cucumbers
1 cup white vinegar
1/4 c water
1/4 c sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 cloves peeled garlic

1. Place sliced cucumbers in glass gallon jar. 
2. Heat the brine mixture in small pan just enough for the sugar to dissolve. 
3. Pour over the sliced cucumbers.
4. Add 1 teaspoon dill or about a handful of seeds, leaves or flower heads.
5. Add 2-3 cloves peeled garlic.
6. Shake gently. 
7. The liquid will not cover your cucumbers, that's ok. They will settle down in the jar as they sit in the refrigerator.
8. I didn't open mine for a three days. If they are still too sour, wait a couple more days.

Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi