My Birthday Cake

Isn't that the sweetest, best cake in the history of ever?!?!?!?!

This is my birthday cake made for me by my husband and decorated by my daughter (Olivia-9 years old).

I just had to share it! That is all. More scrumditiliumptious recipes coming soon!

Sheryl

Baked Puff Pancakes

This is one of those recipes that makes a statement. It is great for entertaining, but because it is so easy to make, it is great for Saturday mornings as well. I really love the custardy texture and the versatility of it. You can eat it plain (like my Olivia likes it) or top it with your favorite fruit topping. I really like cinnamon apple, raspberry or strawberry, but it would also be great with bananas foster, fresh berries or powdered sugar. 

It is super easy to make for one or a crowd. Simply multiply the recipe by the number of people you are serving, and pick the right size oven proof skillet. I use a 6 inch cast iron skillet for 2-4 servings, a 10 inch for 5-8 servings, and a 12 inch for 9-12 servings.

Let's do this.

What You Will Need:
Blender
Oven Proof Skillet

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Large Egg
1/4 cup Non-Fat Milk
2 Tablespoons Soy Flour
1 Tablespoon Tapioca Starch/Flour
1 Tablespoon Potato Starch
1/8 teaspoon Salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 475°F.

I made a puff pancake to serve two, so keep that in mind when you look at these pictures.

In the oven proof skillet, add butter.

Place the skillet in the oven to melt the butter. You want the butter melted, not browned or burned, so watch it closely. Remove the skillet from the oven.

In a blender, add egg(s).

Add milk.

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy flour, tapioca starch, potato starch and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the blender.

Blend the ingredients until completely incorporated.

Pour batter into hot skillet. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and fluffy. (Time will vary for larger portions.)

Look at that fluffy, golden beauty! You will love this. I guarantee it. 

TIP: For fluffy, thick pancakes, use a smaller skillet. For drier, thinner pancakes, use a larger skillet.

"Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tip toe if you must, but take the step."

Sheryl

Red Wings Birthday Cake

This post is for my favorite son. OK, you got me. He is my only son, but still. His 12th birthday was Sunday, October 13. I can't believe it has been 12 years since he came into our lives. It has been such an incredible ride, and a complete honor being his mommy. AND I am so excited to see what the next 12+ years bring. 

The recipes that I used to make this cake have all been posted, but I promised him that I would share this cake.

Cake (posted on August 1, 2013) - I split the batter in two 9 x 13 pans.
Raspberry Buttercream Frosting (posted on July 5, 2013) I used a double batch to fill and dirty ice the cake. I used half a batch for the decorations, and had lots of left overs. I didn't add the extract, but used red gel coloring to color it.
Fondant (found on The Chaplain's Wife blog) - So, it turns out I didn't post this recipe. This is the blog where I found the recipe. It really is an amazing recipe, and works really well. My only recommendation is to make sure you use LOTS of powdered sugar to "flour" and "re-flour" your surface while you are rolling it out.

I hope you enjoy this cake as much as we did. I would love to hear how it works out for you, and for what occasion you make it.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11

Sheryl

Chocolate Caramel Cookies

Those of you who know me or have been reading my blog for any amount of time, probably know that one of my favorite flavor combinations is chocolate and caramel. So you shouldn't be too surprised to see a chocolate caramel cookie recipe. 

Again I feel like I should apologize, because I am not baking apple or pumpkin goodies; but I just can't help myself. I LOVE chocolate so much! Since I don't have nearly as much time to bake as I did when I was unemployed, I tend to want to make the most of the baking time that I have. That means making something chocolate.

Don't get me wrong, I like apples and pumpkins; and I have some really great recipes for each of them. I really do intend to make those recipes and share them with you at some point. But until then, check out these moist and gooey cookies.

What You Will Need:
Large Bowl
Small Bowl
Whisk
Medium Saucepan
Large Cookie Scoop
Cookies Sheets lined with parchment or silicone mats
Cooling Racks

Ingredients:
6 Tablespoons Cocoa
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
2 Large Eggs, room temperature
1 cup Soy Flour
1/2 cup Tapioca Starch/Flour
1/4 cup Potato Starch
1/4 cup Corn Starch
1 teaspoon Xanthum Gum
1/4 - 1/2 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (The original recipe called for 3/4 cup, but it was VERY difficult to get them to mix into the batter, and not all of them did.)
24 (approximately) Kraft Caramels (I used Kraft Caramel Bits, because that is what I had on hand, and I wanted to see how it would work. I recommend using Kraft Caramels instead. They will get more gooey than the bits.)

Directions:
In large bowl, whisk together cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In small bowl, whisk together soy flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, corn starch, and xanthum gum. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Remove from heat.

Add sugar and mix until combined.

Add brown sugar and mix until combined.

Add vanilla and mix until combined.

Add eggs one at a time and mix until combined.

Add butter mixture to cocoa mixture and mix until combined.

Add flour and mix until combined. Batter will be thick.

Mix in chocolate chips.

Using a large cookie scoop, scoop dough into palm of your hand. (If you don't have a scoop, approximately 1.5-2 Tablespoons of dough.)

Use your finger to create a whole in the dough - kind of like a bird nest shape.

Place a caramel in the center of the nest. (In the picture below, you will see Caramel Bits, but again I think you will be much better off with a caramel instead of the bits.)

Fold in dough around caramel and form into a ball.

Place on lined cookie sheet approximately 2 inches apart.

Bake for approximately 9-11 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes until transferring to a cooling rack.

They are incredibly delectable. Check out my son, Tommy, in the picture below. He helped me make them, so I promised to put his picture in the blog post. Since he helped make them, he also got to try the first one. They ranked a double thumbs up. Can't get much better than that, right?

Take another look at the middle of that cookie! A true work of art, don't you think? Moist chocolate cookie with gooey caramel oozing out of the middle. MMMM

I hope you love them as much as we do.

"So, there's this boy - he kind of stole my heart. He calls me mom."
Happy early 12th birthday to my son. I am so very proud to be his mom. I love him more than words can explain. 

Is there a boy, or maybe a girl, who stole your heart? Make sure you tell them regularly, and maybe even bake some yummy cookies with them. . .

Sheryl

Stuffing Waffles

My husband was born on Thanksgiving. It's no wonder then that turkey dinner with all the fixings is his favorite meal. I enjoy turkey dinner as well, but to be honest, the stuffing is really my favorite part of the meal. 

Unfortunately, until recently, I endured many turkey dinners without stuffing, because gluten free stuffing can be tricky. It has a tendency to turn to mush if it gets too moist. Since I like my stuffing stuffed inside the turkey (isn't that why it is called stuffing?!?), this was a real concern.

Then one day, my husband and I were watching a cooking show (I think it was Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, but I'm not sure.) on Food Network, and we saw a guy cooking bread stuffing in a waffle maker. It was one of those great minds think alike moments - we looked at each other, and we both knew that we were thinking the same thing.

I almost immediately started experimenting with a stuffing recipe to cook in my Belgium waffle maker. We debuted our stuffing waffles at our annual New Year's Eve party last year. They were an instant hit.

This past Sunday, we had friends over for turkey dinner, and of course, we had stuffing waffles. Our friends loved them, and as you can see from my plate above, stuffing is still my favorite part of the meal.

What You Will Need:
Waffle Maker
Cooling Racks

Ingredients:
Best Gluten Free Bread (Posted on May 29, 2013), 3 loaves cubed and toasted (I baked my cubed bread in the oven at 350°F for approximately 30 minutes.)
4 cups Chicken Stock or Soup Base
3/4 cup Unsalted Butter, melted
1/2 cup Dried Minced Onion
1 1/2 teaspoon Celery Salt
1 teaspoon Sage
1/2 teaspoon Thyme

Directions:
In a medium bowl, mix chicken base, butter, onions, celery salt, sage and thyme.

In a large bowl, mix bread cubes and seasoning mixture.

Preheat waffle maker.

Spoon stuffing mix into waffle maker, and cook until golden brown.

Make sure you really fill the waffle maker. If you
only use this much stuffing, you will not get
a complete waffle.

Place waffles on a cooling rack until ready to serve. (You could also place them in a warm oven to keep them warm until serving time. Make sure you place them on a baking sheet lined with a cooling rack, so they stay crisp.)

Has it been a while since you have been able to enjoy bread stuffing with your turkey? Don't wait another day. Get yourself a turkey, invite some family and/or friends over, and live it up. 

"Live like it's Thanksgiving every day."

What are you thankful for today?

Sheryl

Caramel Apple Tart

It's time! I promised an amazing apple recipe, and here it is. Prepare to have your socks knocked off. This apple tart is just the right mix of sweet, tart, and crunchy in a buttery pastry crust; AND it is super simple to make. What more could you ask for, right?

As far as I'm concerned, you really can't ask for more. Not only is it delicious, but it is also a show stopper. Although it is quick and easy to make, it's rustic look is sure to impress any of your toughest critics.

What You Will Need:
Pastry Mat or Clean Surface for Rolling Dough
Rolling Pin
Baking Stone or Pizza Pan
Pastry Brush

Ingredients:
Pastry Dough (see post from May 18, 2013)
1/2 cup Kraft Caramel Bits
2 Tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Granny Smith Apples; cored, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
2 tablespoons Corn Starch
1/2 cup Pecans, chopped
1/8 cup Apple Jelly

Directions:
On a well-floured (soy flour or any other gluten free flour) surface, roll out pastry dough until approximately 1/8 inch thick.

(As you can see, my crust was not a perfect circle.

That is fine, but I would try to make it a little

more even if you can. Because mine was such an

odd shape, most of the caramel was able to

ooze out while it was baking in the oven.

More on that later.)

Roll dough onto your rolling pin, and transfer it to your baking stone or pizza pan.

In a small, microwave-safe bowl, combine caramel bits and heavy whipping cream. Melt in microwave for approximately 50 seconds, checking and stirring after 30. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a medium bowl, mix together apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and corn starch. Set aside.

Spread cooled caramel over center of dough. This will create the size of the bottom of the tart. Be mindful that you leave enough dough to come up over the apples to create a side. (If you don't have enough dough to create a solid side for the tart, all of your delicious caramel will ooze out during the baking process. As you can see, I was not very mindful of this, and my caramel oozed out. Very sad situation.)

Layer apples over caramel in a pretty flower pattern. (Of course the pretty flower pattern is optional, but it adds to the stability of the tart, and to the "wow" factor.)

Sprinkle with pecans.

Fold dough up and over the filling. The middle should be open. (If you have too much dough, you can tear some off to create an open center.)

In a small, microwave-safe bowl, melt apple jelly - approximately 30 seconds.

Brush melted jelly over the entire tart.

Bake for 20-30 minutes (until golden brown).

Doesn't that look scrum-ditilly-umptious!?! Believe me, I had a hard time not eating the whole thing. Just think, if it was that good after all of my caramel oozed out, how great is yours going to be? It's a good thing the pastry dough recipe makes two pie crusts. . .

Slice it like a pie, and serve it warm.

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Believe in yourself. You can do amazing things when you do.

Sheryl