James' Triple Chocolate Birthday Cake

When we were married, we had three different types of cake: chocolate chocolate chip for James, carrot for me, and white for everyone who couldn't handle flavor...all smothered in cream cheese frosting.  Six years later, I'm still chopping up chocolate chips when I forget to buy (or can't find) minis because the regular-sized ones fall to the bottom before they bake.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

6 Tbsp. Butter (do not substitute with Margarine or you will regret it)
4 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. milk

Soften butter to room temperature.  Blend together until smooth.

Double Chocolate Cake from Scratch

2 Tbsp. (rounded) shortening
2 eggs
2 C. sugar
2 C. hot water
2 tsp. baking soda
1 C. cocoa powder
2 C. flour
1 C. chocolate chips, coarsely chopped

Add all ingredients to a bowl, mix well.  Bake at 350'F for 35 minutes (or until cake tests done).

Saucy Chicken from Karen's Cafe

This isn't the first recipe I've "copied" by using my tongue and I'm sure it won't be the last.  James and I went to a Christmas Eve Cocktail party nearly starving and found ourselves walking up 25th Street from Union Station in search of good food.  Our favorite place is closed on Monday nights, so we ducked into the first place that didn't have "coffee" in the title.  Karen's Cafe is a delicious little spot featuring country music, good ole home cookin', and the coolest iron sculptured cowboys salt and pepper holders.  (Wish I'd carried my camera.) 

Ingredients

Karen's Sauce

Vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, smashed and diced
1 Walla Walla onion, sliced in rings
1 Green Bell pepper, chopped in chunks
1/2 pint sliced mushrooms
1 can Stewed, Diced tomatoes
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of pepper

Heat to medium a large frying pan, drizzle some oil and add garlic and onions.  Cook until onions are clear.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Simmer to allow flavors to blend.  Then begin the chicken.

2 lbs. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
Salt
Olive oil

Spray cast iron skillet with oil.  (Use the grooved side to sear lines into meat.)  Heat on medium high until skillet is fully heated, lay breasts on skillet.  Cook 5-7 minutes on both sides (or until cooked through).  Serve chicken with a heaping ladel full of sauce.  Enjoy!

When I was recreating this recipe, I missed out on the ketchup and the flavor wasn't quite there.  I've never added ketchup to ANYTHING, but it's amazing what it does to both thicken the sauce and clinch the distinctive flavor on your tongue. 

p.s...leftovers make for an AWESOME Saucy Chicken Pizza

Gluten free flour for baking

When I bake, I do it in double batches.  One gluten-free, the other regular.  It's expensive to feed a family of seven on pasta or baked goods that are gluten-free.  You can save money by grinding your own brown rice flour using an electric flour mill, by mixing your own baking flour, and baking your own goodies.  Here is my recipe and a few things I've learned using it.

GF Flour Ingredients:
(all available through Blue Chip Group)

1 lb. brown rice flour
1 lb. potato starch
4 TBSP. xanthum gum

1) GF flour LOVES fruit acid.  The baked good that turn out with the best texture are those that include some fruit and/or their juices.  Although I haven't checked it out under a microscope, I believe the rice grain is softened more completely by the fruit acid than anything else.  Even rice flour milled to the finest texture has some tell-tale grit to it unless fruit is added.

2) Xanthum gum needs to be just right.  (That's 1 TBSP per 1 Cup of flour.)  Too much xanthum gum makes batter too thick and gummy textured.  Too little, and your batter will not hold together.

3) If at first you don't succeed... it's okay.  Even though it feels like an expensive mistake or a terrible waste.  GF baking will not have the same feel as what you're used to, but getting it right so you can enjoy a blueberry muffin in the morning or cupcakes on your birthday is worth it.

4)  Waxed paper is your friend.  Anything that needs to be formed first (from pie crust to scones) can be shaped using waxed paper.  A lite coating of canola oil helps. 

5)  GF flour should be stored in an air-tight container and kept in a cool dry place.  It does NOT have the shelf life of wheat flours.  So, investing in a 50 lb. bucket is a bad idea unless you open a GF bakery.  (The three pound mix above lasts a full month during the busy holiday baking season.)

6)  Have fun!  Changing the food you eat can feel devastating at first.  So many people will ask you -- Can you eat anything?!  The answer is YES, YOU CAN.  It will take some getting used to, but having your body running at full steam ahead and healthy is totally worth all of the labels you will read and careful preparations you will make.

Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies

This cookie has become a holiday favorite.  Oh, let's be serious!  It's a year-round yummy!  I stock up on canned pumpkin just because our family loves it so much.  The version I'm posting is gluten-free.  For a "normal" cookie, just use regular baking flour in exchange.

GF Flour Ingredients:
(all available through Blue Chip Group)

1 lb. brown rice flour
1 lb. tapioca starch
1 lb. potato starch
6 TBSP. xanthum gum

Cookie Ingredients:


1/2 C. shortening
1½ C. sugar
1 C. prepared pumkin (canned or cooked/mashed)
1 egg
1½  tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. ginger
2½ C. GF baking flour
1 tsp. Rumford baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 Bag White Chocolate Chips

Cream shortening, sugar, egg, and pumpkin.  Add dry ingredients.  Stir with a wooden spoon until combined.  Add Chips.  Drop by teaspoonsful on cookie sheet.  Bake at 375'F for 10 minutes.

Corn Chowder

For our family last night, you could say this was a recipe of "desperation."  Not that anyone was actually desperate on Christmas night, but a tummy flu was finishing up its final rounds and we needed something lighter than Christmas ham.  This simple soup is very gratifying.

Ingredients:

7 potatoes (one for each person to be served)

1 can of corn

1 cup of cream (or milk)

1/2 cup of dehydrated onion

1 tsp. Better Than Bullion chicken flavored

water

salt, pepper (to taste)

1½ tsp. paprika

Peel and chop potatoes (bite-sized pieces) and place in pot.  Fill pot with enough water to cover potatoes.  Bring to boil.  Add corn, onion, spices, and bullion. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.  Taste the broth for seasoning.  Lower heat to low and add cream.  Heat through and serve.

This would be delicious with your favorite cheese or bacon. 



Apricot Glazed Chicken

This recipe came about after a disasterous first attempt at Apricot-Pineapple Jam. My family swore it tasted all right and I knew better.  But, I couldn't bring myself to waste all of the effort.  So, I poured it on some chicken.  Delicious!

Bone-in Chicken (thighs, legs, or breasts)
Apricot Jam
salt and pepper to taste
Oil spray

Coat broiler pan lightly with the oil spray.  Place chicken on a broiler pan and place in a 400'F oven for 60 minutes.  Ta-dah!  NOTE: Time may be shorter for chicken that is fully thawed before placed in the oven.  I'm usually pulling the meat out a half-hour before dinner prep needs to get serious, and, well, it's not always enough time for the microwave to do its magic.

Hamburger Gravy

I first married at nearly 20 and hadn't paid much attention to the food my mother made using the palms of her hands as measurements.  I found myself on the phone asking her for this recipe. I was desperate for a taste of home and needed to know how to make something my young ones could eat. This has been a family favorite for years. It can be served over toast, white rice, or mashed potatoes. Last night, with the help of leftovers, I served up all three!

1 pound hamburger
salt
pepper
garlic
onion
(all to taste)
3 tsp Better Than Bullion Mushroom
3.5 TBSP Corn starch
3 Cups water

In our family, I used the powdered form of onion and garlic because I have two that hate the texture. This dinner is one I make on those busy, long days when we need it simple and without complaints at night. Why push the onions? Better Than Bullion is one of the rare gluten-free bullions...don't use the Aus Juis flavor, though! (Always check the label.)

Brown the beef in a skillet over medium heat. Add seasonings to taste. Sprinkle corn starch over browned meat. Stir until coated. Add water. Let simmer until the corn starch turns from opaque to "clear" and of gravy thickness. TIP: If you like your gravy thicker, stir another tablespoon of corn starch into a quarter cup of cold water and then add it to the hot mixture. This prevents LUMPS. (And no one likes lumpy gravy.)

We served this up with canned green beans and grated mozarella for those who wanted the cheese.