Gluten Free Snickerdoodle cookies...

We are only a mere 4 weeks on the other side of our Christmas festivities, and it seems like it was a million weeks ago, the cookie exchanges, gift tins with sweets, and those holiday parties laden with cookies and goodies. With over indulges mostly now long forgotten, many are in the mood for a homemade cookie. Many cookies pose challenges for the gluten free-er. But these Snickerdoodles are just like the ‘real-thing’, a.k.a.—those cinnamon-sugary cookies with gluten.
No one will know they are GF—take them to the boy scout party, the office meeting, or even your next cookie exchange (next season)—exchange away, you won't have to tell anyone they are GF! They are soft and chewy with a crisp edge. They have the perfect toasty warmth of cinnamon with the crunchy sugar.
Gift these to a gluten-free-er for their birthday or upcoming Valentines Day, or set out on your next dinner party with coffee. They are a traditional cookie, made modern for a gluten free world.

Recipe

• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 ¾ cups gluten free flour (I recommend Tom Sawyer, use what you have)
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. cream of tartar
• ¼ tsp. salt
For rolling mixture:
• 2 Tbs. granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 F. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and beat until combined. To the butter mixture, add the dry ingredients: GF Flour; baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Mix until well combined.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Place on baking sheet (dark sheets, or non-stick sheets may darken the bottom of these cookies, line dark pans with parchment if you are using them. If you have aluminum pans, you can use those unlined and ungreased.)
Bake for 9 minutes, or until lightly browned on edges and puffed. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

Green tomato and radish salad...

I am a bit of a renegade, i suppose. Why? because I plant a garden in the winter—and I plant tomatoes, a non-winter vegetable at that. But in my defense, our winters are barely what others call summer, so each year, I risk it. Now, I live in Arizona, so a winter garden is not so unusual I guess. And for my 30+ winters gardening in Arizona, only three of them (that I can remember) has had freezing temperatures...the last three. That means, emptying my linen closet (and nearly having to strip all the beds) to tromp out in 32-degrees and cover, even double-cover mind you, all my pot and plots. It is a lot of work, and sadly, my tomatoes never survive, no matter how well I tuck them into my pretty little bed sheets.

I had nearly 30 green tomatoes on the vine! That is the risk I take, I suppose, with winter gardening, even in sunny AZ. So when freezing Arizona winters give me an abundance of green tomatoes, I make salad.
Here it is:

Green Tomato and Radish Salad

• 2 small or 1 medium green tomatoes, firm ones
• 4-6 radishes
• Juice and zest of 1 tangerine, or ½ of a small orange
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbs rice vinegar
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 pinches of kosher salt to season
• Cilantro to garnish

Slice the radish and tomatoes on a mandolin on the thinnest setting, or slice as thin as you can with a knife. Toss in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Let sit for 10 minutes. Serve.
Note: if you don’t like radish, use celery or even all tomato.