Gluten-Free Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

My mom used to serve a chocolate cherry cake back when we could both eat gluten. The good old days.

But now that Betty Crocker has the devil's food cake mixes, we are making this again. It is so yummy.

1 box gluten free chocolate cake mix (I used Betty Crocker)
1/2 stick butter, softened
1 egg
1 cup water
1/2 can cherry pie filling

Mix cake mix, butter, egg and water according to the directions on the box.

When you open the cherry pie filling there will be cherries and some gel-like stuff. First divide your can of cherries into 2 portions. Scoop out as much of the gel stuff as you can out of one portion and mix it with the cake mix. You can freeze the other half of the cherries and filling to save for the next time you make these cupcakes.

Pour a small amount of batter into each cupcake cup. Place about three cherries on top of the batter and then fill the cup almost until the top. I did this with most of my cupcakes and I think it tastes the best, but I did have trouble getting the cupcakes out of the cupcake holder without breaking. I also experimented with placing the cherries on top of the batter. These cupcakes did not break, but they didn't taste quite the same. Experiment with it and see which works best for you.

Bake per the directions on the cake box. Enjoy!

Storing Gluten Free Flours

Any of you who have ever baked gluten free know what a pain it is to store all the flours needed. There are a million different possibilities and it seems that every recipe calls for a different blend of different flours. I realized one day that I was rarely baking simply because I did not have the needed flours on hand or because it was too much of a pain (and too messy) to get out all those flours. So I made some changes.

My first change is that I try to only make recipes that call for the flours I have on hand. I am not willing to buy Aramanth flour for one recipe and find out that I don't like it anyway. It's too expensive and having all the different flours clutters up my cupboard anyway. I keep on hand

• white rice flour


• brown rice flour


• potato starch flour


• tapioca starch


• corn starch


• corn flour


• xanthan gum


• sorghum flour


• Jules' gluten free flour mix*

*I make Jules' flour mix myself, but I like to make it in bulk and keep it in the cupboard. That way it's always ready since it is my go-to flour mix. It's also the reason I have most of the flours I do stock. It takes six of the ones listed to make the mix.

For some reason most gluten free flours either come in a narrow box or a cellophane bag. I can't get a measuring cup in and out of them and they make a huge mess all over the counter. I bought the store brand equivalent of Gladware in a large flat size. One that could hold an entire box or bag of flour, still fit on my shelves and that I could get a measuring cup in and out of. I got a couple of larger ones for things like my flour mix. I usually make a double batch at a time and I wanted it to all fit in one bin.

They stack up great in my cupboard and I can tell at a glance which flours I need to buy more of if I'm headed to the health food store.

Silicone Bakeware

One thing that's different about gluten free baking is that the doughs are a lot stickier. One time I made my pizza crust without parchement paper. Can anyone say mistake? My husband and I were trying to chip it off of the baking sheet. Not exactly the result I was going for.

But for some odd reason the way to tear parchment paper eludes me. I cannot get it to tear in a straight line. Or anything that may resemble a straight line. So I always ended up having to fold some of the paper under and often tear off another small piece to patch up the side that doesn't have enough paper. Not fun.

So when I found out how easily food slides off silicone I was hooked. Until I priced it, that is. Yowza! They want how much for one baking sheet liner? Eventually I found a baking set on clearance. It was a bit more than I had planned to spend, but I got 2 huge baking sheet liners, 2 8"round cake pans, 1 9" square cake pan, 12 cup muffin pan, 2 bread loaf pans, and a meatloaf pan. I'm not quite sure about the meatloaf pan thingy, but the rest are awesome!

Most of gluten free baking requires 8" round pans or 9" square pans. When I used to bake with wheat flours a pan of brownies or a cake went into a 9" x 13" pan, but not anymore. This set is just the right size.

Now, I have been a bit surprised at how much better my bread turns out in the bread pans. Although they hold the same amount of bread dough as my old pan, they are longer and narrower. I think this helps compensate for the structure that is missing from the gluten in the flours.

When I took these pans out of the oven, one of the loaves of bread caught on the heating element at the top of the oven because it was so tall.



I just love my new baking set. It really does make gluten free baking much easier for me.

Gluten-Free Oreo Recipe

There are few foods that I truely miss after going gluten-free. Oreos is on the list though.

Come on, it's a classic. That chocolatey wafter with the yummy cream filling. Who doesn't love oreos?

So I was really excited when I found a recipe for homemade Oreo cookies one day on Smitten Kitchen's blog. Even though it wasn't gluten-free I copied it down thinking I could maybe alter it.

Yesterday I sat down at the computer and did a search for "gluten-free Oreo recipe". Zilch. Zip. Nada.

So I pulled the one on my computer and studied it a minute. The gluten free flour mix I use says that it can be substituted cup for cup for regular flour. What have I got to lose? I really want some Oreos and it's not like I can just waltz down to the store and get some.

So I started baking. This is what I ended up with.

Yep, that is a plate of homemade, gluten free, Oreo cookies. Yum!

They were easy and oh so yummy!

I will give you the recipe, but there are a couple of things I'd do differently next time so I'm going to make some notes on it too. Now don't freak out on me when you read the recipe. They really are not hard at all to make. And the only kind of cooking I like is easy and good. Okay, ready? Here it is!

For the chocolate wafers:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (if you are making this gluten free, I used this flour mix)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg

For the filling:
1/4 cup room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

As always, if you are baking these gluten-free please verify each of your ingredients is gluten-free before starting.

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. In a medium sized bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar, then beat in the butter, and the egg. Continue mixing until dough comes together in a mass. This is where I made my first mistake. Maybe you all know this, but if you put all the dry ingredients in a bowl and then add the butter and egg when you start to beat it the cookie mix will explode out of the bowl and all over the counters. Very messy. (Don't ask me how I know this, I just know.) Next time I will cream the butter and egg and then slowly add the dry ingredients.

3. Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set on a rack to cool. If you read my other recipes you know I don't follow directions very well. So I had to experiment. For about 2/3 of my cookies I rolled out the dough and used a round cookie cutter. I put the dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper and rolled it out thick 1/4-1/2 inch). The cutter is about the size of a regular Oreo. If you do this, be aware that your cookies will still spread and leave room on the pan for this. Otherwise you will end up with one giant cookie. These took about 7 minutes to cook. The rest of the cookies I used a cookie scoop and then flattened them slightly.

4. To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2-3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy. I used butter flavored Crisco as my shortening and it turned my cream yellow although it came out white in the pictures. Just a note in case that kind of thing would bother you.

5. To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Remember when I said not to freak out? Okay good, keep reading. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream. I don't have a pastry bag and I don't know how to pipe. That would be in direct opposition of my love for easy cooking. I tried just spooning the icing on the cookies, but it was kind of messy and didn't work well. So I loaded the icing in a ziplock bag and smooshed out all the air I could. Then I sealed the bag and cut off one of the lower corners. I squeezed the icing out of the hole into blobs on top of half of the wafters. Much easier than the spooning method. I got all the icing on in less time than it took me to load up the baggie.

The Verdict

Oh-my-goodness-these-cookies-are-awesome! Someone pass the milk.

I love them. The ones that I made with the cookie cutters were much thinner and more Oreo-like. The ones that I scooped and flattened ended up about an inch thick in the end (with filling and all). Now initially that sounds like a good thing, but ends up being a little much. If I try that method again I will have to flatten them out more. And maybe try a smaller scoop.

They do not taste like they are gluten free. I gave one to a friend who stopped by this morning (who is not gluten-free) and she declared them to be "better than Oreos!"



Oh, and because this is how my life works.... As the cookies were cooling I found a gluten-free adaptation on the web. It's very similar to the one I used and if the gluten free flour blend you are using does not already contain xantham gum, I would follow her suggestion to add 1/2 t of Xantham gum.

Jules Gluten Free Flour Blend

I refer to this gluten-free flour blend a lot when I am baking. It is my go-to flour for most of my baking recipes. It's easy to make and I keep a container of it stocked in my pantry and ready to go. I make double batches because I tend to go through it pretty quickly.

Just a quick reminder to always read the labels on every ingredient you use if you are cooking gluten free. I try to point out potential hazards but manufacturers make changes quickly and often so you always need to double check.

Jules Nearly Normal Flour Mix*

• 1 cup white rice flour
• 1 cup potato starch (not potato flour)
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup corn flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour or tapioca starch
• 4 teaspoons xanthan gum

*recipe reprinted with permisssion

If you don't want to make your own flour mix it is available by mail-order. You can visit Jules' website at JulesGlutenFree.com for more information. She also has a lot of free gluten-free recipes.

How To Start Eating Gluten Free-Traveling

Eating out is the area I struggle most in with eating gluten free. Well, and not being able to eat Krispy Kreme donuts. Or Oreos. But I digress….

I am very sensitive to gluten and I just don’t trust other people not to accidentally contaminate my food. I am always afraid that they will put my hamburger on a bun and then remember I ordered it without a bun and just take it off and serve it to me. I always wonder if chicken nuggets or onion rings have been cooked in the same fryer as the french fries.

When I was in the hospital to have Doodlebug I was offered fried chicken and macaroni and cheese, neither of which was gluten free, even though we specified all food had to be gluten free. My salad arrived with croutons on it too.

All said, I am very suspicious and always concerned when I have to eat out. I have found a couple of tricks that make traveling a little easier though.

Before going on any type of a road trip I make sure I know a few things I can eat at several fast food restaurants. I know I can walk into any Wendy’s order chili and a Frosty and my food should be gluten free. If I know things I can eat at several places it give me, and those traveling with me, a lot more choices. Most fast food places have menus that list food allergens online and I check these to make sure I am up to date. I have also printed out a few and stuck them in the car so I have the information when I need it. Although it’s available online I have not had much luck in getting this information while actually in a fast food restaurant.

I also make note of chain restaurants that have gluten free menus. Bonefish Grill, Carrabas, Outback Steakhouse and P.F. Changs all have gluten free menus if you ask for them. I personally feel more comfortable eating in places that have gluten free menus as the staff seems to be more knowledgeable of gluten and how to avoid it.

My other traveling trick is to carry my own food. I don’t always need it, but if I get caught somewhere I feel a lot better knowing that I have something that is safe for me to eat. In a restaurant a plain baked potato or a salad without croutons and dressed with vinegar and oil is usually available and is enough to get me through the meal, but I will probably want a little something later.

In my view, eating out is generally not worth the risk and I almost always choose to eat at home instead, but there are a lot of people who do eat out on a regular basis and are much more adept at explaining how to handle their food to the restaurant in such a way as to not contaminate it with gluten. If any of my readers fall into this category and have tips to add I would love to hear them.

How to Start Eating Gluten Free-Medical Providers

***Disclaimer: I am not a medical profession. These are my opinions and experiences only unless indicated otherwise in this article. Do not use this information in place of doing your own research on these issues.***

Until recently, med students were taught that Celiac disease was very, very rare. General practitioners expected to see approximately one patient with it in their lifetimes. The education they received about Celiac and eating gluten free was minimal at best. Now, Dr . Alession Fasano with the Center for Celiac Research says As many as 1 out of 133 people in the US have Celiac Disease. Of these 3 Million people in the US who have Celiac Disease it is estimated that 97% are undiagnosed. It is way more than the medical profession realized. And then you add in people who are gluten-intolerant or following a gluten free diet as part of a treatment for Autism or eating gluten free for any other health reasons and the numbers multiply exponentially.

That said I have to say I have been seriously underwhelmed at the knowledge within the medical community at large about Celiac disease and eating gluten free. Why you ask? Oh, let me share some of my experiences. Where to start….

When I started having GI symptoms over a prolonged period of time, I knew I had developed Celiac. I had several of the more classic symptoms and my mom has it, and Celiac does have a genetic component. I went to my primary care doctor, told her about my symptoms and family history and requested a blood test to begin the process of formal diagnosis. At first she told me I couldn’t have the test, I did not have Celiac. When I pressed her she told me my symptoms did not match with Celiac and that family history did not really play a role. What???????? I finally insisted she give me the blood test. She was surprised it was positive. I was not.

Just before I gave birth to my son my nurse called down to get me a dinner plate for after the delivery. When she told them I had to have gluten free food they told her I could pick from fried chicken or macaroni and cheese. Neither of those were gluten free. I was also served toast, croutons and oatmeal before I finally told them to just stop bringing me food. Thankfully we had thought ahead and brought some food from home with us so I knew it was gluten free.

A physician assistant working in at my gastroenterologist’s office told me medication never has gluten in it. Actually she laughed at me when I questioned whether she had verified a medication she was trying to give me had gluten in it and then told me that no drugs contain gluten. She was wrong.

My son’s pediatrician and my pharmacist were shocked to learn some medications do contain gluten.

If you are diagnosed with Celiac or decide to go on gluten free diet for any other reason know that you are going to have to be your own advocate. Know that you will have to do lots of research. Know that you will have to ask lots of questions and educate many people, some of whom will be in the medical field. It is frustrating, and can be exhausting. Right after being in labor for 12 hours, up for over 48 hours in a row, having just had a c-section and trying to learn to nurse was not when I wanted to educate the head of the department that prepares all the patients’ food. But that’s when the opportunity came, so I did.

I have actually found that in questioning medical professionals about being gluten free I can learn quite a lot about them and how they practice medicine.

My son’s pediatrician, who is wonderful, was very receptive to me bringing him information on research studies on Celiac. He also did some research on his own after I told him that some meds contain gluten. When he prescribed meds to my friend’s little boy (who is gluten free) a couple months later he mentioned to her that some meds do contain gluten and to have the pharmacist double check before filling the prescription.

I gave my son’s former gastroenterologist a summary of a research report on introducing gluten to kids who may have the gene for Celiac and he glanced at it, shoved it back at me and told me he would get all the information he needed at a conference that fall. I was pretty surprised because the study was the same information I had asked him about on our last visit, and he had no answers.

The pediatrician listens to patients, learns from patients and does research on things he does not know about. The gastroenterologist does not think patients can bring him any knowledge and that he already knows it all. I know which doc I want to work with and which one needs to go.

How to Start Eating Gluten Free-Part Three-Medications

Make sure you check for gluten in medications. I have been told numerous times (from health care professionals who should know better) that there is no gluten in medications. This is not true. Gluten containing products are sometimes used as a filler. You can check this site http://www.glutenfreedrugs.com for some name brand medicines but your pharmacist will need to call for most generics. They may have to leave a message and these calls are only answered M-F during business hours. You can ask your pharmacy to flag your account that they need to verify all meds are gluten free.

A word of caution on the medications, unless you know your pharmacist well, always ask if they have verified the medication is gluten free from the manufacturer. Even though my account is flagged at my pharmacy a substitute pharmacist did not bother to do this for me. When I asked he did call the manufacturer and left a message for them to call him back. They didn’t. I had to call my regular pharmacist the next day to have him do it. It took me over 24 hours to get antibiotics for strep throat. Not fun.

How to Start Eating Gluten Free-Part Two-Baking

Let me just say that baking gluten free is much, much different than baking with gluten. The biggest shocker for me was the vast difference in the consistency of the dough for bread and pizza crust. With gluten you can roll the dough up into a ball. Gluten free dough is more like a thick brownie batter. My first rounds of gluten free baking involved many skeptical looks, deep breaths and cooking the stuff anyway. Usually it came out fine. Gluten free baking is also a lot more finicky than what you are probably used to. It’s really tempting to make substitutions in recipes and make things your own way, but I would recommend that you find a recipe that looks good and follow it. Once it comes out the way you want it to, then start to tweak it. By tweaking one thing at a time you will most likely avoid the scenario below. I pulled this from the comments section of a recipe I found posted on line.

After 60 minutes, the centre of the cake in a Bundt pan is mushy and I don't think it will improve. Nope: an hour later - bound for the garbage can Time and money spent, all for nothing. I made a couple of substitutes - 2C almond flour + 1C Red Mill 'all-purpose' gluten free flour vs. the suggested flour mixture; 2 Tsp vanilla, 2 Tsp almond flavoring, neither of which was gluten free; added 3/4 Tsp guar gum and 1/2 Tsp baking soda and 2 Tsp baking powder.

Here are the most likely culprits in her cake disaster. The substitution of flours. There are a lot of gluten free flours out there but many are not able to be swapped out cup for cup. If one of the flours is denser or holds more moisture it can drastically change the finished product. If you need to substitute flours do an internet search and see what flours will substitute well for the one you want to eliminate. Usually all purpose gluten free flours can be exchanged out cup for cup, with very little difference.

I’m not really sure why she added the guar gum, baking soda and extra baking powder. I am guessing that the guar gum was used as a substitution for the Xanthan gum in the all purpose flour recipe. Guar gum and xanthan gum are often used in gluten free baking. Gluten is what holds together traditional baked good and when it is removed from a recipe Guar or Xanthan gum are used to help bind the finished product. In this case, I would expect that it is already a part of the all purpose gluten free flour mix.

One other critical mistake was using vanilla and almond flavoring that were not gluten free. Even if the cake had turned out fine, the small amounts of gluten in the flavorings would have contaminated the rest of the cake.

The recipe being discussed above is the one I base my pound cake on.


And yes, I did make a couple of substitutions. I know, I know, I just told you not to do it. A classic case of do as I say, not as I do. I was fortunate and the recipe came out okay. Had it not come out okay I would not know what was to blame. Was it just a bad day? Did the flours change things? Was it the substitution of corn starch for an egg? Then I have to decide if I want to try that recipe again and see if I can figure out the problem, or just move on.

One final note about baking gluten free, it's really easy to get caught up in buying tons of different flours and baking mixes and that gets expensive quickly. I have tapioca flour, potato starch flour, corn starch, corn flour, white rice flour and brown rice flour. Those are some of the most affordable flours and I have founds I can make almost anything I need to with them. When I want to try a new gluten free recipe I hunt for one that uses only the flours I have in my cupboard. If I can't find a recipe using those, then I will buy a new type of flour. It helps.

How to Start Eating Gluten Free-Where to Start

It's really overwhelming when you are told you have to start eating gluten free. What is gluten? What is it in? What ingredients do I need to look for? My doctors office gave me almost no information and sent me on my way.

Gluten in a protien found in wheat, barley and rye. There is a lot of debate about oatmeal and whether it is safe. To me, oatmeal's just not worth the risk so I avoid it too.

Gluten is in a lot of foods. Pretty much everything in the bakery, cookie and cracker aisles. It's also in places you wouldn't expect like turkey, broth and soy sauce. It means you need to read the labels. And since formulations are changing constantly you need to read labels every single time you go shopping.

Here is the unsafe food list for gluten-free eating. I suggest printing it out and taking it to the grocery store with you, at least the first time shopping.

Plan some extra time your first few shopping trips. Reading all the labels and having to try 5 different chicken broths before you find one you can eat will take some time. Here's a couple of tips to get you in and out of the grocery store a little faster. The produce section is great. There's some debate over mushrooms (they are grown in a substance that contains wheat and could get caught in the gills) but pretty much everything else is good. Plain meat is pretty easy. Turkey is the most problematic since they often add broth to make it juicier and that is not always gluten-free. Occasionally you will see this with chicken too. Dairy is also pretty good. Yogurt and ice cream seem to be the hardest. Some yogurts, like yoplait, are labeling individual flavors gluten-free. If you don't go that route look for ones that are all natural. If there are only three or four ingredients it's much easier to make sure you can eat it. Especially if you can pronounce all the ingredient names.

Another great source of gluten-free foods is in the Asian food section. Just watch out for the soy suace. Most (not all) of it has wheat in it. Many dishes like pad tai and peanut noodles are made with rice pasta and they often have rice crackers too. I have been pleasantly surprised that these are often labeled "gluten-free" on the package.

I will continue this in another post. Still to come, gluten-free and medications, finding a support group, where to find recipes etc.

******************Disclaimer******************

Although I would not deliberately give out incorrect information about eating gluten free and everything on this page is correct, to my knowledge, at the time I am writing this post, I can't guarantee its validity. Food formulations change constantly and please verify that any food you eat is gluten-free before consuming it if you are on a gluten-free diet.

Sneaky Brownies-Gluten Free, Of Course

Over the past couple of weeks I have been cooking out of the Sneaky Chef cookbooks. Have you heard about these? It's a cookbook featuring recipes that hide healthy foods in dishes you would normally eat. She teaches you how to incorporate carrots and sweet potatoes into tomato sauces for pizza or spaghetti, blueberries and spinach into brownies and winter squash into macaroni and cheese. I've tried all three of these and the only thing I could taste was the blueberries in the brownies. It wasn't bad but I think I will try it with cherries next time. Doodlebug didn't seem to mind the blueberries or spinach one bit!



Not all of the recipies in the cookbook are gluten free, but several can be easily converted. I also found a version called The Sneaky Chef to the Rescue. This cookbook has many of the recipes in her other cookbooks that have been converted to be allergen free. There's even a whole section on gluten free! This is where I found the gluten free brownie recipe and there's a cookie recipe I hope to try next.

I love the idea of sneaking veggies into foods that I eat and love. Who couldn't use a few more fruits and veggies in their day? And even though it doesn't magically transform brownies into health food, it makes it easier for me to rationalize eating it. If it has spinach in it, I think I can count it as a salad, right?

Chex Treats

Since going on the gluten free diet I've had to give up Rice Krispy treats. Rice krispies seem like a cereal that would not have gluten, but they add a small amount of malt to it which makes it off limits to me.

But seriously, I want to make these with my son. I want to eat them too. I have childhood memories of the ooey gooeyness of the marshmellows melting and I want to pass it on.

My friend hit up on a brilliant solution. Substitue Rice Chex for the Rice Krispies. Why didn't I think of that?



Here's the recipe.

6 cups of Rice Chex
4 cups mini marshmellows
3 T butter

Melt butter over low heat. Add marshmellows and stir frequently until marshmellows melt. Pour into a greased (or sprayed) 9 x 13 baking dish and press down into an even layer. Let cool before eating.

We had a good time making the treats. I had 2 helpers. My official taste tester and my offical cutie pie.




Oh my, these were so good! My little helper (Doodlebug's friend who was staying with us that day) declared loudly, "I love this treat!" I couldn't have said it better myself.

Spinach Salad

Unless I’m baking, I don’t really follow recipes all that well. It’s not that I can’t, I just don’t. I can’t be bothered to measure out teaspoons of ketchup or cups of chicken broth. I sometimes discover I’m out of an ingredient ¾’s of the way through a recipe. I am lazy. Why drag out the food processor to grate an apple when I have perfectly good applesause sitting in the fridge. Those are about the same.

For sheer entertainment I’m going to write out this recipe along with the thoughts that go through my head as I am typing it out. This is not for the faint of heart.

Spinach Salad (I know it sounds really gross, but if it makes me want to eat spinach, it’s got to be pretty great. Trust me. I know what I’m talking about. I am a very picky eater.)

2 cups raw baby spinach (The ‘experts’ always tell people to wash their spinach. Should I mention that? I mean, this is a recipe not a cooking lesson. And that would be kind of hypocritical since I never wash mine.)

2 T vegetable oil (Seriously, I have no idea how much oil to use. I just pour a little in the pan. 2T sounds like a good amount though. And who’s really going to measure it anyway?)

½ minced onion (Or maybe a little less. Heck, just use whatever’s hanging around in the fridge. It’s just about adding some flavor anyway.)

2T brown sugar. (I think it’s supposed to be the same as the oil. Maybe not. I can’t remember. Just throw some it.)

½ cup Mandarin oranges (That sounds about right. Assuming you have Mandarin oranges. Last week I didn’t so I used dried cranberries. It was pretty tasty. Maybe I should change it to cranberries. Or both. I bet it would be good with both. I’d better remember to add both to the grocery list for next week. And spinach. I won’t get far without the spinach. Is there anything else we need from the grocery…? Wait, what was I doing? Oh yeah, typing up a recipe. Where was I?)

¼ almonds. (Use whatever nuts you have that seem to go with the other ingredients. Throw in what you want. Seriously. It’s not that hard.)

Heat oil in a small pan. Add minced onion and cook until translucent. (I hate using that term. When are the onions translucent? No idea. But it’s better than trying to figure out how long I actually cooked them last time. As long as they aren't burnt you will be okay.)

Take pan off the heat and add in brown sugar. (I know, it sounds insane. But think of it like dressing. It really does taste good. Promise. Cross my picky-eater’s heart.) Stir until well combined. Pour mixture over the spinach. Toss well to coat. (You’re gonna be standing there tossing for a few minutes. It doesn’t look like it’ll be enough, but it is. Promise.)

Top with Mandarin oranges and almonds. (Oh so healthy, and thanks to the sugar, oh so yummy too. I wonder what other fruits and nuts would work here.)

Super Saucy Pork Chops

I can't remember where this recipe came from originally, so if anyone recognizes let me know so I can credit the creator of this yummy dish. We haven't had it in a while, we've been out of pork chops and they haven't been on sale. Finally this week they are on sale so I'm planning to have these soon.

2 pork chops (fat trimmed and bone removed)
14 oz can of peeled, crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T vinegar
1 t garlic powder
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
1 T molasses
1-2 cups cooked pasta (if you are going gluten-free use a gluten-free pasta here)

1. Pour tomatoes in blender and pulse to break up tomatoes. We like ours just a little chunky.

2. Combine all ingredients in a crock pot, except pork chops and pasta, and stir.

3. Place pork chops on top.

4. Cook for 6-8 hours on low.

5. Serve over pasta.

This makes enough for my husband and I to eat for dinner with enough leftover for the next days lunch.

Mexican Chicken Soup

We don't do many soups in our house. Neither my husband or I especially enjoy them but we do have a couple of recipes we pull out from time to time. This is one of my favorites because it is very flexible, quick and yummy. It's also a great way to use up leftover cooked chicken.

Ingredients

Boneless, skinless chicken (This can be cut into cubes now, or shredded with a fork after cooking.)
1 can Mexican tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth (If you are making this gluten free be sure the chicken broth is gluten free.)
1 stalk of celery cut into small pieces
1 cup of frozen or canned corn
1/2 cup frozen green beans cut to about 1" long
1 t cumin
2 t minced garlic

Puree tomatoes to break up most of the chunks. Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

I have done all sorts of combinations in this soup. When I haven't had Mexican tomatoes I've used regular tomatoes and added some salsa. Sometimes I brown the celery and garlic before adding it to the crock pot. I have used this recipe with both raw and cooked chicken and it works either way. I omit the celery when I don't have it. When I'm reheating it I will often mix in some shredded Mexican cheese. It's a pretty flexible dish with very little prep work.

Doodlebug's First Birthday

As we neared Doodlebug's birthday we suddenly got bunches of catalogues showing all the latest 'accessories' we would need to have a memorable day. Everything from high chairs covers (for that perfect photo) to themed invitations, to little royal thrones. Are you kidding me???

We took a slightly simpler approach. I sent out evites (and mailed a hard copy to the one person on our list without email), Daddy made a cake, Mommy made cookies, we bought balloons at the Dollar store as favors and called it a day. We also limited our guest list to family, godparents and one family that we have regular playdates with. Even without all that stuff from the catalogue we managed to have a pretty good time and some really cute photos.



The highlight for the boys was chasing my dad through the kitchen, down the hall and back into the kitchen. I have no idea why that was such a hit but they were laughing hysterically almost the entire time.






Doodlebug needed a little help opening his presents so both kids gladly jumped in.





Doodlebug was pretty preoccupied with the ribbon off of one of the packages.



Here's his little friend helping with the wrapping paper. Yet another activity that I had no idea would bring such a thrill.



This sweet little girl is known for her one liners. When I asked her who the gift was from she replied, with great enthusiasm, "Target!!!!!" And when her mom told her to thank us for having them over she came in the family room, gave me a great big hug and yelled "I love this party!" She just cracks me up.



We wrapped the party up with a little bit of cake before the guest of honor crashed and had to leave for a nap.



Exhausting, but oh so much fun!

Birthday Cake

We had Doodlebug's first birthday party over the weekend. It was so much fun! And I am so tired.

I was planning to upload a bunch of pictures and make a fancy collage. What was I thinking?

I thought I'd start a bit smaller and upload our cake pictures. My sweet hubby made a really cute cake for Doodlebug.

First he baked two 9 x 9 yellow cakes and carved them into the shape of a "1". We had a little trouble with the top and had to perform a little cake surgery. But it was all covered up by the frosting in the end.



Here he is frosting the cake. After he made the cake he told me this is only the second one he's ever frosted. I was very impressed.



After Chris frosted the cake we outlined it with jellybeans. They added some color and covered up the places where we smeared the frosting on our cake board.



I think the cake turned out really cute for our first attempt.

Turkey Meatballs

It can be a little tricky trying to cook at the end of a long day with an infant. I decided to pull out our crock pot and start trying all the crock pot recipies I could find. This one had been saved in a file for a long, long time. It sounded good, but also a little odd. I just wasn't sure if I would like it. Well after making it I discovered that I don't like it. I love it! I was astonished that meatballs put in the crockpot raw actually browned, but they do.

This recipe tastes even better the next day and freezes really well if you happen to have any meatballs left over. Mmm...turkey meatballs.

Turkey meatballs

Ingredients

--1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
--1 egg
--1 tsp kosher salt
--1 tsp ground black pepper
--1 ½ t poultry seasoning
--1/2 onion, finely chopped
--1 cup natural applesauce or 1 peeled and finely chopped apple
--1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
--1/2 cup dried unsweetened cranberries (optional)

Directions.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the ground turkey with the rest of the ingredients.

Make golf-ball sized meatballs, and drop them into your crockpot. It’s fine to stack them on top of each other.

Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 5-9---the cooking time will depend the number of meatballs and the size of your crockpot.

No Noodle Lasagna

A couple of years ago, before I developed Celiac, I was trying to reduce the amount of refined flour and sugar in my diet. Since it was summer and zuchini was plentiful I decided to try to use it in place of noodles in lasagna. Much to my suprise, it worked! I really never missed the noodles and the zuchini blends in nicely with the tomatos and cheeses. Now that I can't have traditional lasagna noodles this has become a staple in my kitchen.

I do need to warn you that this gluten free lasagna does not cut into neat little squares. When it it hot and the lasanga is cut up it will spread over your plate. If you like it to be a little neater cook it the day before you need it. The leftovers always taste better and look better than the day it is served.

No Noodle Lasagna

1 lb ground beef (also works well with 1/2 lb ground beef and 1/2 lb ground pork)
¾ cup chopped onion
Cooking spray
1 can tomatoes
2 small cans tomato paste
½ cup water
1 T parsley
2 t salt
1 T sugar
1 T garlic powder
½ t pepper
½ t oregano
2-3 small zucchini
1 lb cottage cheese
4 cups mozzarella cheese


Cut zucchini into thin rounds and steam cook in the microwave for 2-3 min. Brown ground beef together with onion. Mix together with rest of ingredients except zucchini and mozzarella cheese. Layer a little sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Add a layer of zucchini rounds, cheese then sauce. Repeat until you have 2-3 layers ending with mozzarella cheese on top. Bake at 350°for 40-50 min.

Gluten Free Bread that Tastes Good

Really Good Gluten Free Bread It sounds like a contradiction in terms. Good and gluten free bread doesn’t it? I haven’t eaten much bread in the past two years since I found out I have Celiac. Why spend $6.00 for a loaf of bread that tastes awful? Why spend my time making homemade bread with a dozen exotic flours for it to taste like cardboard?

But I really wanted garlic bread. And a grilled cheese sandwich. So I decided to try making bread at home. I like to bake. This could work.

My recipe requirements were only that it could not contain any flours that I did not already have in my kitchen. It is really frustrating to buy a box of flour for a recipe that I end up not liking anyway.

I found a bread recipe that looked promising here.

Of course, I don’t have a bread maker or all of the flours listed in this blogger’s all purpose flour. So I started making substitutions.



This is the recipe that I am using now, and I love it!

1 package (or 2 ¼ t) active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/3 c. water (105 degrees or a little less than hot)
2 ½ cups Jules Nearly Normal Flour Mix
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 ½ Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. white or rice wine vinegar

1. Combine yeast, sugar and water in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Combine the flour mix, xanthan gum and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix well.

3. In a third bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and vinegar until the eggs are a bit frothy.

4. Check the yeast. By now, it should look a bit frothy on top. This is an indication your yeast is working well.

5. Pour both liquid mixtures into the flour mixture. Stir until all ingredients are well mixed. It’s important not to undermix the dough. I put my in my mixer and turn it on for at least three minutes.

6. At this point the dough will resemble a thick cake or brownie batter. It will not form into a loose ball like dough using gluten.

7. Pour dough into an oiled 2 cup bread pan and smooth the top.

8. Cover bread dough with plastic wrap and allow to rise until it just reaches the top of the bread pan.

9. Bake at 375 for 50-60 minutes. The top of the bread will be a golden brown and will sound hollow when tapped.

10. Allow bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then place on a wire rack to finish cooling.

11. When fully cooled slice with a serrated bread knife.

Gluten free bread is much more tempermental than it’s gluten containing counterparts. Even the best bakers will occasionally have loaves that turn out hard or fall. Since gluten is what gives bread structure making gluten free bread often has some issues with shrinking or collapsing after coming out of the oven.
If your bread is collapsing and has large air pockets in it, this is a sign you are using too much liquid. Cut back on the liquid in the recipe until you have a more stable loaf with small even air pockets throughout. You can see in my picture above that I have some rather large air pockets and I may need to cut back slightly on my liquids.

Most gluten free cooks like to vary recipes. If you do this, take it one step at a time. It’s generally not a good idea to cut back on liquid, change the type of vinegar, use a different sized loaf pan and substitute guar gum for xantham gum all in the same recipe. If your loaf does not come out as you had hoped you have no idea what you need to change to get back on track.