More pictures - from my recent trips to Oregon:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sweetfudge/

Thought i ought to list the story behind the ooey-gooey goodness:

so i used Ursa's recipe for a black forest chocolate cake, link below, and it turned out wonderfully! was worried as i had a few setbacks-the first cake did not cook through, and collapsed on my kitchen counter while cooling. i just used the outside pieces, which were cooked, and used those to create the middle layer of the cake. i also made quite a mess when i knocked over the blender full of almond meal. thankfully i had some extra almonds in the freezer! also, i didn't use rum extract in my recipe b/c when i went to the store to get ingredients, they only had one brand of extract. i called the company, but they were closed. it was mccormicks...anyone know for future reference whether they use gluten-free caramel color? i adapted the recipe a bit by using a different recipe for the chocolate cake. that's listed below as well. and instead of cutting off half of the cake, i made cupcakes. those by themselves were delicious!here's the recipe:http://www.glutenfreeforum.com/index.php?s...mp;#entry347305 here's the chocolate cake recipe: http://www.eatingglutenfree.com/recipes_de.../#chocolatecake (so good even on it's own!).

Gluten Free Black Forest Chocolate Cake

Happy Birthday to ME!

GF Yellow Cake - Coconut Cupcakes

These are amazing! I wanted to show in this picture the texture, and the coloring, which was perfect! These cupcakes were everything I remember of my pre-gluten-free days! Everyone who I shared them with loved them as well!
I adapted the recipe from my sacred "Life Tastes Good Again" cookbook, by the ladies at www.eaetingglutenfree.com

Here goes:

*Adapted* Yellow Cake (shortening based)

1 c. Featherlight mix
1/2 c. GF mix
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. unflavored gelatin
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. shredded coconut
/12 c. shortening
3/4 c. milk
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375. Grease and flour cupcake pan (if using liners, grease them as well).
Combine flour mixes, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, gelatin, sugar and coconut. Add shortening, and mix w/ electric mixer until crumbled.
Combine the milk, lemon juice and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients. Beat on low to medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping sides occasionally. Add the eggs and beat 2 minutes more.
Pour batter into pan.
Bake for 18 minutes (at high altitude), or 14 minutes for mini cupcakes.
Frost and enjoy.

Notes:
Be sure to grease whatever baking pan you use, that was the only problem I had w/ mine. I didn't have enough pam to cover the whole pan, and some got stuck inside.
These are great without any frosting!
Next time I make them I will use 1 c. sugar, it was just a bit overly sweet for my taste.

Heavenly Spaghetti


I had so many veggies in my garden, and no idea what to do w/ them. So I made a batch of spaghetti sauce. It was to die for!

Ingredients:
Lots of fresh tomatoes
A cup or two of chopped zucchini
A can of mushroom pieces
Fresh basil
A can of tomato paste
A few cloves of garlic
Lots of onion powder (husband isn't a fan of the real thing)
1 cup of premade spaghetti sauce (just cuz I had it in the fridge to use up)

I put everything in a big pot and let it simmer for a couple hours. I then put it into a food processor and pulsed it a few times, to make the pieces smaller.
Then I simmered it more. Add 2 cups or so of browned hamburger. Serve, with lots of yummy mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses! Prepare to be amazed!!

Amazing Italian!

Here I have my homemade pesto cavatappi ingredients:

cooked tomatoes and portobello in olive oil


and the super yummy pesto itself


i ate too fast to get a picture of the finished product. i liked it better w/out the chicken (kind of bland). just the gluten-free pasta, lots of spicy pesto, some veggies, and LOTS of cheese on top!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie, Sugar Cookies and Lemon-Lavender Muffins


I processed the berries in my food processor. Faster than chopping!


My finished pie. It was so delicious! Even the girls at work thought so! I need to make it again.


Made some great sugar cookies w/ cream cheese frosting. Used the recipe from www.eatingglutenfree.com


Mmm, these muffins are so good! Best when you add a little streusel-like topping to them. Very mild lavender taste. Used homegrown lavender!! Also got the muffin recipe from www.eatingglutenfree.com

AMAZING "BREAD CRUMBS"

So I have experimented on GF bread crumbs without much success. I was given a tip to use toasted waffles, and here's the results! They were great!!!

Just toast 2 Van's waffles, throw 'em in your food processor and grind for a few seconds. Then pour them into a hot pan of melted butter (about 2 tbsp) and let them fry for a couple minutes. Then top your fave dish w/ them and bake. I made tuna noodle casserole for lunch today (first pic), and loved the flavor and crunch the crumbs added!

Threw the rest in the freezer, gonna see how they do second time around. :D

Chicken and dumplings - recipe adapted from the food network's 30 minute meal recipe. I used half and half of Pamela's GF baking mix and Bette Hagman's Featherlight mix flours to make the dumplings, and I added carrots, potatoes, and corn as my veggies (all I had on hand). Next time I'd add peas I think, and make the dumplings way smaller. they each ended up being about a handful sized (measured in a woman's med-sized hand). I also used chicken stock that I had leftover from a bird I cooked awhile back. Cut everything up into small pieces so you can just slurp it all up! The broth was fabulous! The dumplings weren't so bad either, for being GF :D



Gluten Free Eclair Cake
Behold my delectable dessert! A Gluten Free masterpiece! It doesn't look like much, but my was it delicious! Thrown together from a recipe from "Life Tastes Good Again" from my favorite site: eatingglutenfree.com
It didn't hold together very well....I didn't have time to refridgerate it, but that was ok. My friends and I devoured it anyway! Tasted just the same as I'd always remembered cream puffs to taste like, but w/out the gluten!!! Splendid!

I made a great dinner tonight! Got the recipe from one of rachel ray's 30 min meals on food network, adapted a bit.

Here it is:

Gluten Free Chicken Cordon Bleu Burger

Surprisingly delicious! Sorry I forgot to take a pic as I was to busy devouring it!

Ingredients:

2 slices canadian bacon

1 slice swiss cheese

enough ground meat for a burger (I used ground turkey)

1 hamburger bun (or just a half for open-faced)

seasonings for meat: paprika, onion powder, garlic salt

1-2 tbsp EV olive oil

mustard/mayo if desired

Fry the canadian bacon in hot oil until just starting to crisp, then remove to paper towel.

Knead the meat and seasonings together, and form a ball. Flatten into pan, and cook until no longer pink.

Meanwhile, toast the bun, place the cheese, and meats on top of bun, and either microwave or toast until cheese melts. Add mustard. Eat up!

Been awhile since I posted. Here are my latest concoctions:

Super yummy, very healthy spinach salad!

Completely gluten-free :D

Ingredients:

Spinach

Mandarin orange pieces

Raw mushroom pieces

Shredded mozzarella cheese (I used good ol' string cheese)

Toasted almonds (chopped, then baked @ 350 degrees for 10 minutes)

Bacon or chicken pieces

Kraft Creamy Poppyseed dressing

Directions: Mix, then scarf!

My attempt at Gluten Free "Thin Mint"-like cookies.

Made the cookies using a cake mix by Eating Gluten Free (check out the website at www.eatingglutenfree.com), which is my friend's local business.

The cookies turned out great, very crisp and flavorful. But the coating was another adventure...