Friday, September 25, 2015

Cake decorating and dinner

Another busy day in the kitchen.  I'm taking a cake decorating class, so I had to set aside time to make a two layer cake and five cups of icing.  I also had to have dinner ready, since I was leaving at dinner time, just as my husband was walking in the door.  I couldn't juggle cake and dinner at the same time, so I opted for the crockpot for dinner.

Something about fall had me craving chicken and dumplings, so I used this recipe from my favorite gluten free blogger, and her recipe for biscuits as the dumplings.  Delicious.





Next, the cake.  Silvana has a great vanilla birthday cake recipe in her second book, and I was to bring along the frosting to use in class.



The finished cake.  I came home after the kids were asleep, and it was a challenge, but the cake made it till morning so they could see it before we cut it.




The kitchen showed signs of wear despite my clean-as-I-go philosophy, but I'm happy to report that I restored it to normal order by breakfast the next morning.  If you know me, you know that's what makes me happy!

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Baking day

Fresh produce always inspires me to bake, whether it is apples in a crisp, zucchini in a bread, or berries in a special galette.  The other day I had oodles of zucchini and blueberries begging to go into muffins, and while I was taking out baking ingredients and turning on the oven, I decided to thaw a jar of pumpkin puree from my Aunt's fall harvest and make some pumpkin bread, These are two family-favorite recipes that we use again, I'll share links below the pictures.

Pumpkin bread, about to come out of the oven. This recipe is the rice flour Pumpkin bread recipe from You Won't Believe It's Gluten-Free, which is a really nice compilation of many easy gluten-free meals and treats.
I substitute applesauce for the yogurt called for in the recipe.

Zucchini blueberry muffins. This recipe was one I pulled out of Parents' magazine years ago.  The recipe isn't gluten-free, but it easily converted by just substituting a good gluten-free flour blend (with xanthan gum).  I also substitute applesauce for half of the oil.  I've made it as bread or muffins; as muffins, bake for 35 minutes at 350.
The pumpkin bread lasted for two days' of breakfasts, and muffins accompanied lunch.  Yum!

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Weekend pancakes

Two posts in a row about pancakes! Funny.  My husband came home with a big carton of fresh blueberries the other day, and it must screamed "Pancakes! !"  So, we did.



I like to try new recipes, but I always come back to this one, by Silvana of Cooking for Isaiah.  Her second book, Silvana's Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Kitchen, has the best pancake and waffle recipe.

So, pancakes for everyone, plus turkey bacon and fruit salad.

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Post-holiday kitchen

After all of the holiday cooking, I like to take a break.  We do leftovers for a few days, and then ease back into the kitchen.



Last weekend, we were craving pancakes, and I had some roasted pumpkin from my aunt's garden that I needed to use up.  I couldn't stand the thought of carbs, though, so I decided to try a new recipe. Almond flour is our go-to when we want to make a healthier breakfast.

I found this recipe and gave it a whirl.  It said it would yield enough for two, but once my griddle is out, I want leftovers.  We quadrupled it, and had enough for breakfast and at least one if not two more meals, which I put in the freezer.  We really enjoyed them, and it satisfied our pancake craving.  The baking soda taste was a little strong; next time, we will use half and try baking powder for the remainder.   Other than that, they had a nice pancake texture and were cooked through, which isn't always the case when using gluten-free flours.  Definitely going to make these again.