GF Chex Mix

Many of our holiday traditional snacks are gluten filled, but chex mix is easily made gluten free. Celia, Mom and Dad's former congregant made excellent chex mix. This is based on her recipe, which is adapted from the chex original. Given that I made the second batch of the week today (it's a hit with the neighbors), recording here for future reference.

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter or margarine
1.5 tsp. seasoned salt**
5 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 clove minced or pressed garlic
2 2/3 c Corn Chex*
2 2/3 c Cheerios
2 2/3 c Rice Chex
1 c. salted mixed nuts
1-2 c. GF pretzels

Preheat oven to 250°. Melt butter in large shallow roasting pan (15x10x2 inches) in oven. Remove.

Stir in seasoned salt, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. Add Chex and nuts. Mix until all pieces are coated. Bake in over 1 hour. Spread on absorbent paper to cool. [Editor: uh, paper towels.] Store in container with tight fitting lid.

Helpful hint from Chex: Party Mix may be frozen, so you can save time when you make
a double batch. (Celia's comment: If you have enough large pans.) Thaw at room
temperature in container in which it was stored.

*Celia prefers Crispix, but it’s not GF according to John’s research.

**Seasoned salt: 

1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp paprika
1/16 tsp. (aka pinch) turmeric

Dill Dip

Our garden plot came with dill volunteers. We tried to protect them as we rebuilt our bed, but only one survived.

That said, one dill plant is still a decent amount of dill. Maybe not for all our pickling dreams. But we're pulling it early because it was next to the tomatoes and we'd rather not have the tomatoes growth stunted. But there was no question what the first thing to make with it was.

Dill dip is a classic summer dish for John.  4th of July? Dill dip. Birthday potluck picnic in the park? Dill dip. It's the condiment for hanging out with friends, drinking iced beverage of choice, eating chips. (The recipe says it's great with raw veggies. Which is true. I still think it's better with chips.)

The recipe is in the binder of recipes from family and friends that his parents gave him around the time he graduated from college.

Dill Dip

1 cup sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons dill seed or dill weed

2 teaspoons seasoned salt

3 Tablespoons minced onions

3 Tablespoons parsley

 

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate. Let sit at least one day to allow flavor to set in. Excellent with all raw vegetables.

Rhubarb ginger pie

 Happy pi day! I still had frozen rhubarb in the freezer from last summer, so I decided rhubarb pie was called for. Much like pecan pie, every time I set out to bake a rhubarb custard pie, I try to recall which recipe I decided on last time and always forget. Was it Nana's? The other one from Nana's cookbook? Or the one from the other cookbook? I did remember that I've paired ginger with rhubarb before to much success, so I went with that.

Here's today's version, a 6 inch ~deep dish pie. Next time, defrost rhubarb. Today's filling was runny, which I suspect was due to the water in the frozen rhubarb. Still delicious.

Ingredients:

• Pie crust (I default to easy oil or combo butter/shortening. You do you.)

Filling:

• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp cream (milk would be fine)
  
• ~3/4 cup sugar
• 1.5 Tbsp flour
• a pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• a knob (1.5 Tbsp?) diced fresh ginger
  
• ~2 cups frozen rhubarb
  

Crumb topping:

• flour
• whole wheat flour
• brown sugar
• powdered ginger
  

Make filling. Pour into bottom crust. Make crumb topping. Scatter on top. If feeling crafty for pie day, cut a pi shape out of leftover crust and place on top. Bake in 375-400 degree oven for an hour. Left cool. Devour.