Gluten-free Cooking for Kids

Here is a recipe from my first book The Little Red Barn Baking Book.  This recipe was one which has very happy memories, eating cookies at my best friend's house after school, whilst doing our homework. Mrs. J, was my friend's mum.  I've been wanting to make a gluten free version for a while, and I am pleased to tell you, they are as yummy as i remember them.  Crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the outside, with just the right amount of spice. 

The picture was styled by Ruthie, and features Ratty, Panda, Rabbity and if you look very closely a small cat, whose name escapes me.  They are settling down for some cookies and milk.  And yes, these cookies are pure bliss dunked in milk.  Those cuddlies sure do know how to live. Enjoy!

This recipe comes from our good friend Muthiah who very kindly has adpated the recipe to be gluten free.  This is an Indonesian dish, which is a meal in itself, containing  noodles, meat (either beef or chicken), prawns, vegetables and egg.  As most good cooks, Muthiah's approach to cooking is to adjust the recipe as she is making it, knowing when to add a little bit more or a little bit less.  I've tried to write down as clearly as I can amounts required, but I think it will be as Indonesian tradition dictates, for the individual to add their own little touches.  This makes a great supper dish, or as part of a buffet.  In our household we have it for breakfast and although it takes a little bit of time to prepare, it is well worth waiting for.

Everyone I know is currently on The Dukan Diet   As part of my plan to sabbotage this love affair with Pierre Dukan,  I made a batch of buttercrunch toffee, placed it in a nice box and took it  to a ladies lunch yesterday to test their will power. They all crumbled.  Even the ones I had down as Dukan Diet  die hards.  The box and the contents were demolished within minutes and every last little crispy fragment was scooped out. Lesson learned, the nice box was totally redundant.  Just a paper bag would have done the trick.  Anyway, diet or not, I urge you to make this little gem.  Your waistline may not thank you but it is a very good way to cheer yourself up when the weather is lousy and lousy it is my friends. For a summer that has drought written all over it, you could have fooled me.  It's pouring here. A piece or two or three of toffee, a cup of coffee, hey, who cares what the weather is like. The recipe comes from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz with a few minor adaptations made by yours truly. 

Here is an easy recipe to have up your sleeve when the cupboard is bare or your purse is feeling empty. Three ingredients, eggs, potatoes and olive oil, come together to make something satisfying and very tasty. You can make your tortilla in advance and serve it a room temperature. Perfect picnic food, cut into chunks or wedges, nothing can beat having a wedge of tortilla served al fresco.