The Gluten-Free Homemaker

It’s hard to believe that June is about over.  With summer here, I thought I would have more time to give to blogging, but I’m more distracted than ever. For that reason, and because many of you are busy with travels and summer activities, I’m not going to have a July challenge.  I plan on bringing it back for August though, and Gluten-Free Wednesdays will continue as usual.

June’s burger challenge picked up speed last week with lots of great ideas.  I knew you guys could get creative and come up with some non-traditional burgers.  Here are a few:

1. Pat @ Gluten-Free Food That Even My Husband Likes (Burgers w/Vegetables) 2. Aubree Cherie @ Living Free (Pasta-Less Turkey Lasagna) 3. Tia @ Glugle Gluten-Free (Elk Burgers) 4. Jenn Cuisine (Marinated Pan-Fried Salmon) 5. Iris of The Daily Dietribe (Review of a cake recipe) 6. Diane@The W.H.O.L.E. Gang-Individual Lasagna-NO gluten, dairy, soy

7. Katrina @ Gluten Free Gidget- Blueberry Mookies 8. Easy To Be Gluten Free - Mexican Corn Casserole 9. Jason@JLHealthTulsa (GF Fish Tacos) 10. TheNotSoPerfectHousewife - GF Hamburger/Hot Dog Rolls 11. Sophie (corn spaghetti, garlic, veggies, & feta) 12. Shirley @ gfe (Cavemen Cookies Review & Giveaway)

13. Wendy@Celiacs in the House(Burrito Turkey Burgers) 14. Wendy@Celiacs in the House(Greek Turkey Burgers) 15. Meal in a Muffin 16. Gluten-free, Corn-free Blondies 17. Moneywise Moms - Asian Fish in a Packet

Labels: Gluten-Free Wednesdays

We’re eating lots of zucchini these days.  Friday night one of my kids asked, “Do we have to have it on pizza!?!”  Don’t get me wrong, they like zucchini, but a person can get tired of it after a while.  I’ll admit that three zucchini plants is too much for our family.  I give some away, but I still end up eating it every day at some meal.  I serve it quite frequently with dinner, and this recipe has become a favorite, especially for my pickiest eater.  He now wants me to make it this way all the time.  I can’t complain.  It is a very simple and tasty way to enjoy zucchini.  Feel free to vary the ingredient amounts to taste.

If you are like me and have lots of zucchini to use, or are just looking for new zucchini recipes, Amy at The Finer Things in Life has a list of links.  They are not gluten free (though some are naturally gf), but they might inspire you to try a gluten free version.

Zucchini with Walnuts

• 3 medium zucchini
• 1-2 Tb. coconut oil, butter, or oil of choice
• 1/4 – 1/2 c. chopped walnuts, plus halves for garnish
• salt & pepper to taste

Wash and slice zucchini.  I prefer to make medium to thick slices so the zucchini does not get soft too quickly.  We like ours slightly crunchy.  Heat the oil in a skillet and add the zucchini.  Stir and cook until almost to desired doneness.  Add the chopped walnuts, stir, and heat for about another minute until the walnuts are hot.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with walnut halves.

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This post is linked to Ultimate Recipe Swap,  Delicious Dishes, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday,  Tasty Tuesday, and Real Food Wednesday.

Labels: vegetables and side dishes

The Magic Bullet is one of my favorite small appliances for the summer.  A friend of mine got me hooked on it a couple of years ago, and I’m so glad she did.  My experience with the Bullet is limited to making smoothies, though I’m sure there is more you can do with it.  In fact, I just found this recipe page at the Magic Bullet web site and it includes things like bean dip, soup, and egg salad.

The thing I like about the Magic Bullet is that you make individual smoothies.  You actually screw the blender piece directly onto the cup.  When you are done, the colored rings are screwed on to make the edge of the cup smooth.  If you have kids old enough to make their own smoothie, this is a great way to let them do it.  Everyone can make their own just the way they want it.  I also like the fact that the cups go straight into the dishwasher and there is no big blender bowl to clean up. 

Smoothies are a great way to get fruit and vegetables into your kids.  There are lots of smoothie recipes out there, but really all you need to do is put in fruit and/or veggies, liquid, and mix it up.  I have also added things like:

• oatmeal
• flax seed
• almond meal
• ice cream

For liquid you can use:

• milk
• milk substitute
• juice
• yogurt
• water

For a cold treat you can use frozen fruit or add ice.  You can also use ingredients at their normal temperature.  I enjoy a blend of fresh fruit and almond milk. 

If you own a Magic Bullet or something similar, I would love to hear how you use it.  Do you use it for things other than smoothies?  What are your favorite smoothie ingredients?

Labels: tools of the trade

Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free is a monthly blog carnival that is run by Naomi of Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried.  However, each month the carnival is hosted by a different blogger.  June’s hostess is Zoe's of Z’s Cup of Tea.  There is still time to join this month’s carnival since Zoe extended the deadline to Sunday, June 27th.  Click on the link for more details.

Zoe’s theme for this month is Dairy-Free Delights.  That’s perfect for me since I recently began eating dairy free.  Ironically, I’m doing my first dairy challenge today, and I’m sitting here eating ice cream since it is almost 100 degrees outside.  However, I have been very strict since beginning my dairy-free diet over a month ago. I accidentally ate dairy twice in the first week or so, but since then I’ve been as careful as I am with gluten. I’m surprised I haven’t noticed a difference in how I feel, but there are a lot of things that play into that and I might have other food intolerances as well.  I’m doing this challenge because I’m curious to see how I’ll react.  However, I’m planning on staying dairy-free for a while.

I can’t wait to see what other dairy-free delights are submitted.  Though I was excited about the theme, I realized earlier this week that the deadline was almost here, and I didn’t have anything to submit.  That’s when I decided to make a dairy-free creamy pasta sauce.  The thing I don’t like about this recipe is that it requires using an ingredient that may not be readily available to most people.  Maybe it is, I just don’t know.  I found Mimiccreme cream substitute at my local health food store.  It is gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free, but it does contain nuts.  I used the unsweetened variety.

We were very impressed with this cream sauce.  My middle son who is not a big cheese fan said that he liked it much better than regular Alfredo sauce.  I found the Mimiccreme to be thinner than regular cream, and therefore I added some cornstarch to thicken it up.  This is a very simple and versatile recipe, and I hope you feel free to play around with it.

Dairy-Free Cream Sauce

• 3 Tb. coconut oil
• 3 Tb. olive oil
• 1 1/2 c. Mimiccreme (unsweetened)
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1 Tb. corn starch
• 3 Tb. cold water
• salt & pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil until melted.  Add the olive oil, Mimiccreme, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.  Heat and stir until hot.  In a small bowl or cup, stir together the corn starch and cold water.  Add to the skillet and stir to combine.  Heat and stir until bubbly and slightly thickened.  Stir in salt and pepper to taste.  Mine looked like this:


At this point, you can put it on pasta or whatever you like, or you can add more to it.  I added ground beef that I had cooked and frozen.  I added a lot for two reasons.  One, I was cleaning out my freezer and it needed to be used.  Two, my oldest son has a summer job where he is physically active and works long, hot hours.  He comes home very hungry and consumes large quantities of food.  So after adding meat, mine looked like this:



Afterwards, I wished I had not put so much meat in and just saved the extra for my son to add to his, but once it was in there I couldn’t do much about it.  I would like to make this sauce again and just enjoy the sauce by itself on pasta.  It really was good.

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This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.  Stop by for more fabulous food mad a little bit healthier.

Labels: other recipes

Welcome back to Gluten-Free Wednesdays.  Any gluten-free eating idea is welcome, but I’m keeping my eye out for burgers because of this month’s create a burger challenge.

Last week, Iris served up a great looking Basil Chickpea Burger

and Chaya delivered Blast Off Chicken Burgers.

I have been very delinquent regarding this month’s challenge.  I have made burgers a couple of times, but I have not experimented the way I had hoped to.  I did work at putting some extras into my hamburgers, though.  I don’t have an exact recipe, just a list of things I added to the ground beef before grilling the burgers.

• onions
• bell pepper
• garlic
• soy sauce (gluten-free)

I thought they were very good. My family scarfed them down and barely noticed a difference, though.  I was out of gluten-free buns and ate mine with lettuce.  Sometimes I really enjoy a hamburger on a good bun, but often I’m happy to go without the extra carbs.  How do you like to eat your burgers?

Make sure you don’t miss this week’s cookie dough giveaway. 

Carnival reminders:  Please link to an individual post and include a link back here.

1. Lynns Recipe Adventures ( chocolate pudding cake) 2. Chaya - My Sweet and Savory - Cabbage Salad with Peanuts 3. Chaya - A New Experience - Rice Stick Noodles 4. Aubree Cherie @ Living Free (Tropical Nut Burgers) 5. Katrina @ Gluten Free Gidget- Caprese Turkey Burgers 6. Jason@JLHealthTulsa (GF Venison Steak)

7. The Baking Beauties (Penne with Chicken & Pesto) 8. Shirley @ gfe (Blackened Black Bean Burgers) 9. Alea @ Gluten Free Flavor Full (GF Chicken and Veggie Wraps) 10. Jillian @ Funny (allergen-free) Girl - Bison Meatballs with a Cranberry Sauce 11. Diane@The W.H.O.L.E. Gang- Turducken Burger 12. Diane@The W.H.O.L.E. Gang- Black Bean Cakes

13. Diane@The W.H.O.L.E. Gang- Chipotle Burgers with Tomatillo Salsa 14. Jenn Cuisine (GF Granola) 15. Celiacs in the House(Spicy Fish Cakes) 16. Tracee(Mrs. Ed) Ed's Portobello Burgers 17. Ina (Vegetarian Quinoa Burgers)

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Labels: Gluten-Free Wednesdays

Slow cookers (AKA crock pots) are not what they used to be.  They used to actually cook slowly!  Today’s slow cookers cook hotter than they used to for food safety reasons.  I guess I should be glad about that, but I only find it frustrating when my old recipes turn out over done and dry.  The first “hot” slow cooker I bought was a 4 quart model and it has things boiling in no time.  Recently I bought a 7 quart model hoping the larger pot would not heat quite as quickly.  It doesn’t, but it is still hotter than my old ones were.  The problem with the 7 quart model is that I have to put a lot of food in it.  A crock pot should ideally be 1/2 to 3/4 full.  Even with three teenage boys in my family, that makes more than we eat in one meal, often more than we eat in two meals (depending on if it is only meat or meat and vegetables).

In this case, I used 6 pounds of chicken thighs (with bone) that I bought at BJ’s.  I like their chicken thighs, but it is a lot to use.  It was nice to cook it all at once, have meat for a couple of dinners, and some to put in the freezer.  The first night I served the chicken pieces whole with the sauce.  For the leftovers, I pulled out the chicken pieces, removed the bones, and shredded the meat, then added it back to the sauce.  It was great both ways.

This recipe is a modified version of a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes.  In case you are wondering, both the orange and cinnamon flavors are subtle in this, but my family likes subtle.  I hope you do too.

Slow Cooker Citrus Cinnamon Chicken

• 1 c. ketchup
• 1/4 c. instant tapioca
• 1 c. orange juice
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 6 lbs. chicken thighs, bone-in, skin removed

In a bowl, combine the ketchup, tapioca, and orange juice.  Put about half in the bottom of your slow cooker.  Place the cinnamon stick on top of the sauce.  Put a single layer of chicken in the pot, spoon some sauce over each piece, add another layer of chicken and sauce.  Repeat if necessary. 



Cook on low 6 – 7 hours, or high 4 hours or until chicken is done.



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This post is linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, and Delicious Dishes.

Labels: chicken, main dish recipes

Immaculate Baking Company, a company that makes All Natural and Organic lines of Ready-to-Bake doughs, now offers gluten-free, dairy-free cookie dough!  They have one variety—chocolate chunk, and they sent me free samples to review for you.

Before agreeing to do product reviews, I always ask about manufacturing practices to avoid cross contamination.  This is the information I was given:

After a full wash down to sanitize our machinery, we conduct a swab test to ensure it is negative for wheat and dairy. We do not store the gluten-free ingredients at the facility and instead bring them in when machinery is ready for production. We also isolate the production so no wheat products are in the vicinity while we're running the gluten free doughs. Finally, we always conduct a gluten and dairy test on the final dough before moving forward with packaging. Our packaging is kept in a gluten-free area until used.

We also meet the standards of the Gluten-Free Certification Organization and proudly display the symbol on our package.

The Cookies:




The dough arrives in a styrofoam box with cold packs and should be refrigerated as soon as possible.  Each package contains twelve cookie dough chunks like this:



Baking cookies couldn’t be easier!  Just put them on an ungreased tray and bake them.  The cookies do not spread much and turn out thick and soft.   We really liked them.  I was thrilled when I learned they were dairy free, but I did miss that buttery taste.  My youngest son said, “Yours are better.”  But then I told him these were dairy free and I have not yet made any dairy free cookies.  Then he understood, and he still enjoyed eating them.  I like a thick soft cookie, but if you want yours thinner you could probably just flatten out the dough and maybe divide it. 

The Giveaway:

One winner will be randomly selected to receive two packs of gluten-free cookie dough.  To enter, leave a comment on this post (please do not send an email) telling me your favorite type of cookie or if you have a favorite gluten-free cookie brand.  The giveaway will end Friday, June 25th at 11:59 p.m. eastern time.  The winner will be contacted by email so be sure to leave your address in the comment if your name is not linked to a blog where I can reach you.  The winner will have 24 hours to respond before I pick a new winner.  When I have heard back from the winner, I will announce it on Facebook.

Labels: giveaway, reviews

Zucchini is one of our favorite vegetables.  The whole family likes it, even the the dogs.  Last year I had one zucchini plant in my garden, but this year I have three.  Two would be enough, but I wanted an extra in case one plant didn’t make it.  Now, all three are thriving and producing lovely zucchini for us.  I will likely freeze some of it, but I might also have to get creative like I did last year when I made zucchini crust pizza.

These zucchini cakes are an easy tasty way to use zucchini, and you can serve them for any meal.  I particularly like them for breakfast, though.  I used dried dill in this recipe, but you can experiment with different dried or fresh herbs for variety.  Fresh basil is very good in this.

Gluten-Free Zucchini Cakes

• 2 medium zucchini, shredded (about 4 c.)
• 1/2 c. sorghum flour (or try any other whole grain flour)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed (or other herb)
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 4 eggs
• 2 – 4 Tb. coconut oil (or oil of choice)

Place the shredded zucchini, flour, seasonings, and baking powder in a medium bowl.  In a smaller bowl, lightly beat the eggs.  Add the eggs to the larger bowl and stir to mix everything.



Heat the oil in a large skillet using enough to just cover the bottom.  Spoon the zucchini mixture into the skillet to form six large cakes (or you could make smaller ones).



Cook for several minutes on each side, rotating partway through the time to ensure even heating.  Check the center of a cake to make sure the egg is cooked.  The zucchini should be soft and slightly wet, but not mushy.



View Printable Recipe
If you are cooking for one or two people, View the Printable Half Recipe.

Check out Slightly Indulgent Tuesday and Real Food Wednesday for more great food.

Labels: vegetables and side dishes

You may have seen the acronym CSA floating around and wondered what it is.  CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  With CSA, people help to support a local farm by paying a subscription  price to receive weekly produce. 



I decided to try out participating in CSA this summer.  I paid for 20 weeks of locally grown, organic produce up front.  The farm is in Maryland, which is a small state, but it’s not particularly close to me.  However, they have numerous places where they drop off CSA produce and one happens to be at a residence in my town.  I have had four weeks of produce now, and I’ve been very happy with it.  We’ve gotten an assortment that varies each week.  The above picture shows just a portion of what I got one week.  Over the past four weeks, I received these items (and probably a couple I’m forgetting), but not all of them every week:

• lettuces
• spring onions
• collard greens
• kholrabi
• snow peas
• rhubarb
• zucchini
• mushrooms
• spinach
• strawberries
• cherries
• beet greens
• beets
• mint
• parsley

A couple of the items we have not liked, such as collard greens.  I know they are good for you, we just don’t care for them.  However, we tried kohlrabi for the first time and liked it.  Last week I cooked beets for the first time, which I posted about on Monday, and the family liked them too.

One thing we’ve had lots of is lettuce, particularly green and red leaf lettuce.  For several weeks we’ve had build-your-own salad for dinner on Thursday (the day I pick up my produce).  Another item I’ve gotten each week is spring onions.  We eat onions a lot so those have been great. 

This is the first year I have had a CSA subscription, and it’s an experiment.  I am happy to help support a local farm, and I like the ease of picking up my produce from a convenient place.  The farmer’s markets in my area are not as convenient, and I am often disappointed in how much produce is actually there.  On the other hand, with CSA I have no choice about what produce I am given.  I am hoping that there will be very little that we don’t eat and not too much overlap with my own garden.  I’m also limited to picking up the produce on Thursday, and it makes shopping earlier in the week difficult when I don’t know what I will be getting.  So far, though, I am happy with it, and I look forward to seeing what will be in the box each week.

How About You
Do you have a CSA subscription or have you had one in the past?  What do you think about it?

To learn more about CSA and to search for one in your area, visit Local Harvest.

Labels: CSA

Welcome back to Gluten-Free Wednesdays!  Please add your link to a gluten-free eating idea, and take a look at the others.  This month I gave a burger challenge.  So far, I haven’t seen any burger recipes, and I didn’t get much feedback on that one.  I guess burgers aren’t too interesting or maybe not challenging enough.  That’s okay, but if you are working on the challenge, remember to link your recipe some time this month.  There will not be a roundup week.



I hope you had a look through all of last week’s links.  As usual, they were all terrific.  A couple that have my mouth watering are Aubree’s Maple Walnut Ice Cream, especially since it is dairy free, and Karen’s Strawberry Scones which can easily be made dairy free with a butter substitute.

Last week I receive some beets in my CSA box (a post coming on that on Thursday), so I had to come up with a beet recipe.  We enjoyed this one:

1. Iris of The Daily Dietribe (Basil Chickpea Burger) 2. Lynns Recipe Adventures (gf mac and cheese) 3. Jillian @ Funny (allergen-free) Girl - White Sandwich Bread 4. Alea @ Gluten Free flavor Full (gf oatmeal shortbread) 5. Jason@JLHealthTulsa (GF Dutch Oven Chili)

6. Jenn Cuisine (NY Style Sun-dried Tomato Bagels) 7. Aubree Cherie @ Living Free (Kickin' Corn Patties) 8. Easy To Be Gluten Free - Skillet Chicken and Rice 9. Amy @ Simply Sugar & Gluten Free (Curried Rice & Lentils) 10. Spaghetti Pie Inspired by Emeril

11. Red Pepper Stuffed with Mashed Cream Potatoes 12. BLAST OFF BURGERS 13. Shirley @ gfe (Kiva's Golden Flax Bread) 14. Renee @ Beyond Rice and Tofu (Summer Grillin' - Veggie) 15. Stephanie @ No Grain No Pain (Amazing Sloppy Dudes!)

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Labels: Gluten-Free Wednesdays

I have never been a fan of beets.  Because my mom likes beets, I have eaten them before.  However, until last week, I had never cooked them myself.  I received a small bunch of beets in my CSA box, and I was determined to do something with them (besides give them away).    If you don’t know what CSA stands for, look for my explanation on Thursday.



I looked at a few recipes and decided that honeyed beets sounded good, and I thought the honey might help my family to like them better.  I combined ingredients and amounts from several recipes and came up with the one below.  As expected, my family was skeptical about the beets, but they’ll try anything once.  And, as expected, everyone but my pickiest eater liked them. At first my husband said I had ruined them with the honey sauce (I didn’t even know he liked beets!), but then he gave them a good try and was soon reaching for seconds, admitting that I didn’t ruin them after all.

Honeyed Beets

• 6 small beets (about 1 pound)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 Tb. butter (or substitute)
• 2 Tb. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. corn starch
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 c. honey
• 2 tsp. fresh parsley

Wash and trim the beets.  Leave about 2 inches of the stem and do not cut the root. 




Pressure cook:  Add about 1/2 water to the bottom of your pot.  Use a steaming trivet or basket and cook the betts under high pressure for 10 -12 minutes.  Mine were small, so I started with 8 minutes, but ended up cooking them for a total of 12 minutes.

Boil:  You can also cook the beets in 6 c. boiling water with 1 tablespoon vinegar added to preserve the color and 1 teaspoon salt.  Cook 40 – 50 minutes until tender.

Steam:  Place water in the bottom of a pot.  Use enough to cover the bottom of the pot well (1/2 inch) but not enough to touch the bottom of the steamer basket.  Place whole beets in the basket, cover, and heat on high until the water is steaming.  Reduce the heat and cook for 40 – 50 minutes until tender.  Keep an eye on the pot and add more water if needed.

After beets are cooked, run cold water over them.  Remove the skin, root, and stem.  Slice the beets and cut into long pieces, or simply chop them.



In a saucepan, cook the onion in melted butter until tender.  Combine the lemon juice and corn starch and add it to the onions along with the salt and honey.  Cook until boiling and slightly thickened.  Stir in the beets mixing gently and heat until the beets are hot through.  Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with fresh parsley.



For more delicious recipes visit  Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Delicious Dishes, and Friday Foodie Fix.

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Labels: vegetables and side dishes

This week, Heather from Celiac Family is hosting the Gluten Free Menu Swap with a theme of strawberries, and I thought it would be a good week to join in. Stop by on Monday to add your menu and view the others.  Here is a plan for the week, but don’t hold me to it!


You can find many more menus at Menu Plan Monday.

Labels: menu plan

I remember having a couple of rhubarb plants in our back yard when I was growing up.  I don’t remember what my mom did with it, but I do remember that I loved to eat it raw.  Now I prefer it cooked, but I will occasionally munch on a small piece.

My parents have moved since those days when I ate it raw, but my mom still grows rhubarb in her back yard, and I’m still not sure what she does with it.  I don’t grow rhubarb, and so when I went to visit her the other week, I brought home a bunch of it (the above picture is not mine, and I didn’t bring home that much).  One thing I did learn from her is that you can freeze rhubarb.  Just wash and trim it, then cut it in pieces and freeze it in a container.  I have some in the freezer now, but I having tried using any frozen pieces yet.

Many recipes pair rhubarb with strawberries, and a couple of my previous recipes do just that:  Strawberry Rhubarb Pie and Strawberry Rhubarb Topping.  This recipe just uses rhubarb, though, and a good bit of it.  Rhubarb, like most things, gets soft when it is cooked.   If you don’t like a bit of mushiness in your cake, then you won’t like this, but we thought it was great.  Just keep the pieces of rhubarb cut pretty small, and even cut back the amount if you want. 

Gluten-Free Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

• 1/4 c. coconut oil (or other oil, or butter)
• 1/2 c. agave nectar (or use sugar and add a little extra milk)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 c. brown rice flour
• 3/4 c. sorghum flour
• 1/2 c. potato starch
• 1 tsp. xanthan gum
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 – 1/2 c. almond milk (or regular milk)
• 2 c. chopped rhubarb

Topping:

• 1/2 c. gluten free flour mix (just use whatever flour mix you have on hand)
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 3 Tb. butter (or substitute)

Wash and trim the rhubarb.  Chop it into 1/4 – 1/2 inch pieces.  Set aside.  In your mixer bowl, beat together the coconut oil, agave, eggs, and sugar.  Mix in the vanilla.  In a smaller bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients.  Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mix.  Use 1/3 c. milk and add the rest if the batter seems too thick.  Stir in the rhubarb and pour it all into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. 



Combine the topping ingredients, cutting in the cold butter with a pastry blender or fork.  Sprinkle on top of the batter.



Bake at 350 degrees about 45 minutes or until the cake tests done.



This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

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Labels: breakfast recipes, cake, dessert recipes

Welcome to Gluten-Free Wednesdays.  I hope you will join us by adding your link to a gluten-free eating idea.  If you are new, please read the guidelines.  Last week we had a delicious round up of cakes along with a few other good recipes and ideas.  I stared and stared at last week’s list and simply couldn’t decide which ones to highlight.  Who can choose from a bunch of great cakes?!



If you haven’t yet added your name to my gluten-free blog roll, I hope you will.  You can also grab a button there if you are interested in putting it in your sidebar.

This week I have been using my new crock pot.  I made Sloppy Joes and a tasty chicken recipe that I’ll post one of these days.  Remember, you can see what were having for dinner each night on my Facebook page or by clicking the Facebook tab on the widget at the end of this page.

1. Gina (Easy GF DF Waffles) 2. Lynns Recipe Adventures (cheese rolls) 3. Jason@JLHealthTulsa (GF Sourdough Biscuits) WooHoo! 4. Jenn Cuisine (Chicken Quesadillas) 5. Shirley @ gfe (Gluten-Free Krums & Avocado Artichoke Salsa)

6. Easy To Be Gluten Free - Sautéed Summer Squash 7. The W.H.O.L.E. Gang-Homemade Hamburger Helper & Giveaway 8. What "Bok Choy Slaw" is....Delicious 9. Comfy Cook - Swcret in the Corn Muffin 10. Ellen @ I Am Gluten Free - Three Bean Vegetarian Chili

11. Denise Therese @ Free to Feast (Quick & Easy Alfredo Sauce) 12. Amy @ Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free (Strawberry Orange Cornmeal Cake) 13. Renee @ Beyond Rice and Tofu (Wild Rice Tabouli) 14. Aubree Cherie @ Living Free (Vegan Maple Walnut Ice Cream) 15. Cook 4 Seasons - Gluten Free Strawberry Scones

Labels: Gluten-Free Wednesdays

Last week I bought one of those really big packs of ground beef at BJ’s (I think it was 6 pounds).  We had burgers Friday night, and yes, I worked on that burger challenge.   But I still had a lot of beef left over.  Well, Saturday most of us were sick with a tummy virus and didn’t eat, but by Sunday my husband and kids were ready for a meal.  I was anxious to try the new crock pot I bought, and I still had a bunch of hamburger buns (not gluten free for the rest of the family) since I bought a big pack of those at BJ’s.  If I knew we were going to get sick, I would never have bought large quantities of food, but you never know when these things are going to hit.  Anyway, I set out to make Sloppy Joes in my slow cooker.  The picture shows it in a bowl because that’s how I ate it, when I did get around to eating, along with some delicious Udi’s bread.  You could of course serve it on a bun the way the rest of my family ate it.  I was out of gluten-free buns, and I wasn't about to put a picture of a wheat bun on this blog!

This recipe is based on my Mom’s recipe.  It makes a lot so you can cut it in half if you don’t need so much, or freeze some for later use.  If you are cooking for a crowd, you might need to double it.  You can also adjust the ingredients to your taste.

Sloppy Joes

• 3 lbs. ground beef (I used 85% lean)
• 2 c. chopped onion
• 1 1/2 c. diced celery
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 3 Tb. brown sugar
• 2 Tb. gluten-free soy sauce (Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or San-J wheat free)
• 2 Tb. apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 c. ketchup (I used Wild Harvest organic)
• 1/2 c. water

In a skillet, cook the ground beef and onion until the meat is browned and the onion is soft.  Drain.  Place all ingredients in your slow cooker and stir to mix well.  Cook on low 4 – 6 hours. 

Note:  Today’s slow cookers are much hotter than old ones.  Even on low I find that 4 hours is often enough.  Since the beef is already cooked in this recipe, test the celery for doneness to determine when it’s ready.  If it gets done and you are not ready to eat, use the warm setting if you have one.

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For more great recipes, visit Delicious Dishes, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesday,  Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, and Ultimate Recipe Swap.

Labels: beef, main dish recipes, slow cooker

Here is the round up of carnival links from May.  At the beginning of the month we had our quiche round up.  You’ll also find quite a few cake recipes from May’s cake challenge.  Don’t miss all the other wonderful recipes and ideas mixed in.  I hope you take a minute to review this list and visit any you missed or those you wanted to try but didn't.

Thank you to everyone who participated.



Quiche
Sweet Potato Quiche with a Cashew Crust - Aubree Cherie @ Living Free
Mushrooms & Leek Quiche with Goat Cheese - Iris @ The Daily Dietribe
Vegan quiche - Ricki @ Diet, Dessert and Dogs
Crustless Canadian Quiche - Jillian @ Funny (allergen-free) Girl
Springtime Vegetable Quiche - Jenn Cuisine
Crustless Quiches - Shirley @ gfe
Broccoli Mushroom Quiche in Potato Crust - Comfy Cook
Vegetable Quiche with Cornmeal Crust - Comfy Cook
Crustless Breakfast Quiche - Aubree Cherie @ Living Free
Green Eggs & Ham Quiche - Heidi @adventuresgfmom
Broccolini Quiche - Miss Jolie Ann's Kitchen Garden


Main Dish
Meat and Potatoes Casserole - Easy To Be Gluten Free
Mushroom Fettucine with Cheese Sauce - Comfy Cook
Creamy Taco Mac - Jenn Cuisine
Black Bean Beef & Rice Skillet - Easy To Be Gluten Free
Thai Enchiladas - Jenn Cuisine
Spicy Ginger Chicken - Denise Therese @ Free to Feast
Lentil Latkes – Chaya
You Have it All Baby – Chaya
Chicken & Sausage Gumbo - Jason@JLHealthTulsa

Desserts
Pumpkin Pie - Denise Therese @ Free to Feast
Fudgie Chocolate Cupcakes - Libby@The Allergic Kid
Peanut Butter Cookies - Anna @ Girl With Blog
Puff Pastry & a Strawberry Tart - Zoe @ Z's Cup of Tea
Chocolate Cake - Lynns Recipe Adventures
GF Cola Cake - Alea @ Gluten Free Flavor Full
Quinanna Cookies – Cindy @ clean food kitchen
Raspberry Quinoa Bars - Jillian @ Funny (allergen-free) Girl
Pretty, Decorated Sugar Cookies – Nancy
Easy GF Triple Chocolate Cake - Alea @ Gluten-Free Flavor Full
Flourless Maple Walnut Cake - Easy To Be Gluten Free
Rhubarb Lemon Bundt Cake - Lauren @ Celiac Teen
Strawberry Rhubarb Tapioca Pudding Cake - Lauren @ Celiac Teen
Brownie Pops Flower Bouquet - Heather @Celiac Family
Gluten Free Graduation Cake – TheNotSoPerfectHousewife
Greek Strawberry Tart - Jillian @ Funny (allergen-free) Girl
Eclair - Jason@JLHealthTulsa

Breads
Perfect GF Flour Tortillas – Nancy
GF Strawberry Kiwi Muffins
Review GF Gobsmacked Recipes--Rolls and Pizza - Shirley @ gfe
GF Whole Grain Bread - Aubree Cherie @ Living Free
GF French Toast To-Go! - Aubree Cherie @ Living Free
Elegant and Easy Party Puffs - Shirley @ gfe

Other
Oatmeal Brulee - Shirley @ gfe
Herbed Cashew Rice with Dried Apricots – Chaya
Yogurt Cream Cheese & Sauerkraut (Not together) - Oystergirl@A Moderate Life
Potato Salad for a Crowd - Heather @Celiac Family
Blackberry Jam - Denise Therese @ Free to Feast
Black Bean Salad - Lisa @ Extraordinary Life
Breakfast Quesadillas - Jenn Cuisine
Roasted Parmesan Potatoes - Easy To Be Gluten Free
GF Breakfast Casserole - Jason@JLHealthTulsa
Potato Pancakes - Jason@jlhealthtulsa

Labels: Gluten-Free Wednesdays

While it isn’t officially summer yet, here in Maryland we’ve had some hot days.  And when the weather turns hot, I change the way I cook.  Casseroles are put on hold for cooler days.  Soups are saved for days when we need to be warmed.  The grill is fired up and the oven is used much less.  I try to keep the kitchen as cool as possible to save on the cost of air conditioning.   Here are some appliances I use to help me with that.

 
Grill. That’s a pretty obvious one for most of us.  A grill keeps the heat outside.  Many gas grills also have side burners allowing you to prepare multiple parts of the meal outside.  All kinds of meat, poultry, and fish can be cooked on the grill, as well as many vegetables.


Slow Cooker.  I plan on buying a new one soon and hope to use it frequently this summer.  Since crock pots run hotter than they used to, you might find it heats up the kitchen more than you would like.  For that reason, many people put theirs outside or in the garage.  I hope to try that too.


Pressure Cooker.  I love pressure cooking.  If you haven’t bought a pressure cooker yet, the summer is a great time to give it a try.  I highly recommend Kuhn Rikon, though it is costly.  I bought a second one on eBay and I often use both my pressure cookers for one meal.  A pressure cooker has several advantages, but the biggest one is that it cooks faster than regular methods.  Faster equals less heat and energy used.


Turbo Oven.  The Turbo Oven is a countertop convection oven.  This is another appliance I use all the time.  In the summer it allows me to cook things like roast chicken or oven fries without heating up my big oven.  I actually use it for those items year round because it cooks them faster and uses less energy than my conventional oven.

If you are considering buying a turbo oven, I have Aroma brand.  I have been happy with the way it cooks, but was very unhappy that the handle broke.  It is much more difficult to handle the hot lid with a broken handle.  I would not buy that brand again unless they redesign the handle.  There are other brandsto choose from though.

What do you do to keep your kitchen cool in the summer?

For other frugal ideas, visit Frugal Fridays at Life as Mom.

Labels: frugal tips