I’m almost eight months into my new gluten-free world, and while I’ve adapted most of my day-to-day cooking to GF, I’m still working to build my skill.

Yesterday was my brother’s 29th birthday, and while I couldn’t be with him on his real birthday, we settled for celebrating this past weekend.  Knowing that I wouldn’t be able to eat a normal birthday dessert, I asked my mom if it was ok if I brought a gluten-free dessert for us all to share. After much research on the internet, I finally decided to tweak a recipe I had seen in my blogroll and add my go-to frosting recipe with a lemon twist to make Strawberry Lemonade GF Cupcakes.  And they were amazing!  I definitely recommend them for any GF sensitive friends and family!

Strawberry Cupcakes (tweaked from Yum Yum Yum):

Ingredients: 
2 boxes Betty Crocker Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Mix
2 small boxes of strawberry jell-o
1 cup melted butter (2 stick)
8 eggs
1 pint of of fresh, hulled strawberries
1 cup buttermilk

Directions:
Combine cake mix and jell-o in a large mixing bowl. Puree strawberries and buttermilk in a blender. Add to mixing bowl. Mix on low to combine. Add melted butter. Mix again. Add 8 eggs (I added 2 at a time – mixing after each pair). After all the ingredients have been combined, mix on high for about 2 minutes.  Let sit for 10 minutes.  Using 1/3 cup scoop filled regular sized muffin tins (should make about 36).  Baked at 350 for about 21 minutes.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting (my usual cream cheese frosting with extra lemoniness):

Ingredients: 
2 sticks of room temperature butter
1 8oz. brick of room temperature cream cheese
2 tsp of vanilla
8 cups of powdered sugar
zest from two lemons
juice from two lemons

Directions:

Beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.  Slowly add in vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice. A half a cup at a time mix in powdered sugar.  Scrapping down sides of bowl between each sugar addition.  Once all is mixed thoroughly, add to piping bag and pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Orange-Berry Crumble

• 3 cups oats
• 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 2 Tb
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp of cinnamon
• zest of two oranges
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 40 oz of frozen berries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.  In a large bowl, toss together oats, 1/2 cup flour, pecans (I used pecans that were already covered in cinnamon and sugar from a local orchard), brown sugar, 1/2 of the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and zest of 1 of the oranges.  Add butter and gently press with fingers to incorporate into mixture; set aside.
2. Place berries (I used 16 oz of raspberries, 16 oz of blackberries and 8 oz of blueberries) in a 12-inch cast iron skillet.  Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, zest of second orange, and 2 TB of flour and gently toss.  Scatter oat mixture over berries.  Transfer to oven and bake until fruit is bubbly and topping is golden about 35-45 minutes.

(Taken from Country Living magazine and tweaked a bit to my taste.)

Homemade Chicken Potpie

• 2 Tb unsalted butter
• 1/2 medium white onion, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 medium carrots, sliced into 1/4 inch-thick coins
• 2 ribs celery, sliced
• 2 baby Yukon gold potatoes, sliced
• 3 Tb all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups roasted chicken breast meat
• 3/4 cup of frozen peas and pearl onions
• 1/2 cup of frozen sweet corn
• 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 (9-inch) store-bought pie crust
• 1 egg, beaten
• salt
• pepper

Directions:

1. You have two options for the roasted chicken in this recipe.  The first is to buy a grocery-store roasted chicken and just use all of the meat from it.  However, I roasted my own chicken breasts and LOVED the taste when I made this pot pie.  To do what I did, take 3 large split breasts that still have skin and pat them until they are completely dry.  Generously, salt and pepper, add a pat or two of butter and add a sprig of thyme to each breast under the skin. Drizzle the skin with a tsp of olive oil and roast all three on a jelly roll pan at 400° F for 45 minutes or until chicken is juicy and almost cooked.  Chicken may be 5-10 minutes from being completely cooked but remember that if will finish cooking in the pot pie. Once chicken is cooled, chop into large chunks and set aside.
2. Heat butter in 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, and garlic and cook until carrots and potatoes begin to soften.  Season generously with salt and pepper from the start.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in flour.  Cook 1 minute. Stir in heavy cream and broth, using a whisk, until combined.  Stir in chicken, peas and onions, corn and 2 thyme sprigs and bring mixture to a boil.  Make sure to taste mixture and season accordingly.Cook mixture on stove until all ingredients are heated thoroughly.  Remove from heat.
4. Gently roll out store-bought pie crust until it reaches 12 inches in diameter.  Place dough atop chicken mixture and brush with egg; cut vents in pastry.  Transfer skillet to over and bake until crust is browned and flaky, about 35 minutes at 400° F.

(Modified from Country Living recipe)

Yesterday was my first Easter that I didn’t spend with at least one member of my family. In order to make my own traditions and keep from being too homesick, I decided to make one of my favorite non-traditional comfort foods. It’s simple and easy, and the best part is the leftovers.
Curried Chicken with Veggies

* Mild Curry Paste
* 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts chopped into 1 inch cubes
* Bag of frozen green beans
* Bag of frozen crinkle-cut carrots
* 1 can of coconut milk
* 2 Tb vegetable oil
* 2 Tb fish sauce
* 2 cups of jasmine rice

Begin by rinsing rice in cool water until water is runs clear through rice.  Cook rice  according to package or following these instructions.  Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes and add chicken to 1 Tb of hot oil in wok or large skill.  Cook chicken completely.  At the same time reheat vegetables in an additional pot until veggies are cooked through.  Combine veggies into chicken and add fish sauce, coconut milk, and curry to taste.  (I usually add 1/3 to 1/2 of jar.)  Cook for 15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and coated chicken and veggies.  Serve over rice and enjoy!

After my mom served this cake for Zac’s birthday bbq, Cory decided he wanted it for his bday. I’ll warn you now… the icing is difficult to get on the cake (because it’s a tadbit runny and tastes so good you wanna just eat it out of the bowl).

Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake
Makes 1 (9-inch) 2 layer cake
1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix
1 (3-ounce) box strawberry flavored instant gelatin
1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
4 large eggs
1/2cup vegetable oil
1/4cup water
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
Garnish: sliced fresh strawberries
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 2 round 9-inch cake pans.
In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil, and water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Spread Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting in between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with sliced fresh strawberries, if desired.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes about 4 cups
1/4cup butter, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream sheese,m softened
1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
1/2teaspoon strawberry extract
7 cups confectioners’ sugar
In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup strawberry puree, reserving remaining for another use. Beat in extract. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth.
Note: For pinker frosting, add 2 to 3 drops of red food coloring to frosting.

I ran to the store last night to grab a few things I needed and was amazed at the extravagance of two women describing how they would be preparing their turkey.  Brining, stuffings composed of 26 items, and the perfect breast massage (cannot believe I just typed that) all seem like way too much in comparison to our way of doing things.  If you’re looking for a simple, easy way to make a delicious and moist turkey, let me introduce you to Mrs. C’s brown bag turkey recipe.  I swear it will change your life!

Mrs. C’s Brown Bag Turkey:

1 lg. paper grocery bag
1 stick butter
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper

Use whole stick of butter to grease inside of bag starting with the bottom and working your way out.  All butter must be rubbed into bag.  This creates an oil sack that bastes the birds as it cooks.  Salt and pepper the cavity and top of the turkey.  Slide turkey into the bag breast down.  Twist ends shut and tie with string.  Put on rack in broiler pan and back at 325 degrees.  For a bird 12lbs or smaller cook 20 minutes per pound.  For a bird larger than 12 lbs cook 25 minutes per pound.  Don’t peek, poke or baste.  Juices will run into the bottom of pan. Remove after allotted time and let set for thirty minutes.  Carve and enjoy.

Convincing college kids that giving up a few hours of their precious free time is not one of the easiest parts of my job. Most of the time I have to bribe them with some form of a prize or reward. With the semester almost half-way over, it’s time for student staff meetings again and I’m equipped with my fluffy chocolate chip cookies and my new favorite Dreamsicle Delights.

Dreamsicle Delights

1 cup Tang orange drink mix
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup butter
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups white chocolate/vanilla baking chips

-Beat together all ingredients, except the vanilla chips.
-Stir in vanilla chips.
-Drop by Tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet.
-Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12-14 minutes.

My mom found this recipe years ago in some Americana craft magazine.  It’s become one of my family’s favorites on a hot day, and I can’t help but make it as often as possible for friends. Chocolate base with a hint of orange and fresh berries on top.  So amazin’.

Red, White and Blueberry Pie

Ingredients:

Pastry for Single-Crust Pie:
·    1 1/4 cup flour
·    1/4 tsp salt
·    1/3 cup shortening
·    1 Tb cold water
·    3-4 more Tb cold water

Filling:
·    6 oz. (1 Cup) semisweet chocolate pieces
·    1 Tb margarine
·    8 oz cream cheese, softened
·     2 Tb freshly squeezed orange juice (squeeze after you’ve grated the rind)
·    1/4 c. powdered sugar
·    1 qt. fresh strawberries with stems removed.
·    1 cup fresh blueberries or raspberries
·    2 Tb red currant jelly *(opt.)

Whipped Cream:
·    1/2 cup whipping cream
·    2 Tb powdered sugar
·    1/2 tsp finely shredded orange peel

Click To Continue Reading…

Our 2nd Annual First Day of Summer breakfast for Academic Computing was this morning, and I’m stuffed. Eggs galore, tons of pork fat, potato cakes that were to-die-for, and my homemade pancakes hot off the griddle fed the masses. My pancake recipe is a mixture of three of my favorite recipes. 4 years of monthly pancake breakfasts for my apartment complex has helped to perfect these little circles of goodness. Sugar… nutmeg… cinnamon. Amazing! I promise when you make (and you really gotta) you can eat them without syrup or butter. Just make a batch and freeze them. Pop them in the toaster and instant, yummy breakfast on the go!

Laurel’s Homemade Pancakes

• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Separate egg white from egg yolk and set white aside. Mix yolk and liquid ingredients. In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients and slowly mix them into wet mixture. When dry and wet ingredients are completely mixed, beat egg white until it forms soft-medium peaks. Fold egg white into batter. Spoon 1/3 cup servings onto hot griddle and flip only when bubbles form, break, and do not fill back in.

I think I have a stalker. Actually, I’m 99.9% sure I have a stalker. Most people might be freaked out to know that they have a neighbor who watches for them to come home from work or wherever they’ve been each day and knows what car they drive and exactly where they live. Surprisingly enough though, I’m not that concerned because I have these gut feeling that my stalker is harmless. It might be the fact that she’s still under 3.5 feet tall or isn’t yet four years old that makes her seem more like a friendly shadow and less like a cloud of doom. There’s just something heartwarming about a lil munchkin who waits for me to come home, so she can come over and jam out to Paramore or create ‘toddler art’. So as I pulled up and parked yesterday after escaping work early, I had to smile as she screamed my name and came running over to check out what I was carrying in my bags. When I told her I was making cookies, she looked up at me with those huge brown eyes giving their best puppy dog expression and asked if she could help. There was no way I could say no.

It had been a month since I’d had time to spend time in the kitchen for fun, and I was looking forward to a marathon baking session. As always, I was not planning to make a dozen or so cookies and be done. Nope, I was counting on making at least 150 cookies to deliver to a friend’s workplace for their birthday today, neighbors including my helper’s family, a box of goodies I needed to mail to a friend, and my twenty-eight student workers for our staff meetings the next two nights. After insisting that we both put our aprons on before we began, my personal baking helper and I started to gather the needed ingredients for cookies. I had considered tackling a more extravagant cookie recipe like Dreamsicle cookies or Snickerdoodles but decided that there really was nothing better than simple, homemade chocolate chip cookies, and I had just the recipe. I’m not sure about you but when I think of the perfect chocolate chip cookie I think about soft, chewy cookies that are more likely to melt in your mouth than break your teeth. This recipe creates the most amazing, perfect cookies that will have people asking if you bought them from a bakery or the store. My only recommendation to you if you do decide to trust me and try this recipe is don’t enlist a three year-old to be your sous chef. They might look adorable in your apron, but they really just want to spend the whole time tasting the dough.

Fluffy, Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 small boxes of instant vanilla pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 18 oz. mini semisweet chocolate chips

Fluffy, Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookie Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and allow butter to soften.

2) In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla.

3) Sift together the flour and baking soda. Slowly, add flour mixture into creamed mixture until well-mixed. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips.

4) Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. (I use my small cookie scoop for cookie uniformity.)

5) Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.

6 ) Once you remove the cookie sheets from the oven, bang the sheet on a hard surface causing the cookies to deflate. This will remove all of the air from the cookies and all them to stay soft longer. Place on cooling rack until firm enough to stack in air-tight container. This should make between 80-100 cookies depending on size.

Since I began as a CaresTeam, we have scheduled at least one large free food gathering per month for our apartment complex. From summer pool-side BBQs to Thanksgiving dinners, I’ve learned in the past four years to cook for a crowd on a small budget in a tiny kitchen. One of my favorite monthly events we host is Taco Tuesday/Thursday. Growing up in ‘North Mexico’, my standard of good Mexican food is pretty high, so I must warn you this is not the most authentic taco recipe ever. However, to their benefit, they take very little effort and taste amazing. Plus, if you’re into cooking once or twice a week for the rest of the week, you can make as little or much as you need of this recipe and reuse the leftover meat for countless dishes.

Spicy Chicken Taco Meat:
The morning before you plan on serving the tacos, place the chicken cut of your choice in a crockpot. I prefer to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts when I can find them on-sale, but have used skinless, split-breasts (removing the bones before I served the meat) and boneless chicken thighs, too. Over the chicken,
I pour the miraculous El Pato sauce in a ratio of one small can to 2-3 lbs of chicken. (El Pato is a hot tomato sauce made with fresh chiles, tomatoes, onions, cilantro and garlic. I use it for everything!) Just remember, the more
El Pato… the spicier the chicken. Whether to cook the chicken on high or low depends on the size of your crockpot, amount of chicken you’re cooking, and time you have to cook it. Usually, I place the chicken in on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Make sure to keep the lid on and add water if needed to keep the mixture from drying out. The chicken should literally shred itself as it cooks. Click To Continue Reading…

Imagine soft, wonderful peanut butter cookies with a Hershey’s kiss on top. Made like 87 today. Now you can, too!

1/2 c. margarine, softened
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 egg
2 T milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Bag of Hershey’s kisses

Mix together everything but kisses. Make teaspoon of dough into a ball. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. After removing from oven immediately press an unwrapped Hershey kiss into each cookie.

Every year one of my favorite moments of the holiday season is getting to slow down and spend time baking and creating delicious (my opinion, of course) goodies for my family and friends. This year my goody boxes included peanut butter fudge, fudge with walnuts, mint fudge, peppermint bark, Andes mint brownies, peanut butter blossom cookies, and my all-time favorite… raspberry thumbprint cookies. I thought I’d post the recipe today for raspberry thumbprints in case you’d like to try them. Maybe they’ll wind up as one of your traditional Christmas-time cookies.

Ingredients:
• 3/4 cup margarine
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3 3/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts
• 1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 6 oz chocolate chips
• 6 oz white chips

Combine everything except chips. Mix until smooth. Stir chips in. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Share with everyone around you. Bake more when these are all gone.