Margaret's Norwegian Summer Cream Cake

This was Gretta's Birthday cake!

This recipe came from our lovely cousin Margaret, and it is easy, unusual and really delicious. I made this one gluten free by using rice flour and it turned out great! I wasn't sure how much fruit to put in it so I just did a layer of strawberries. We all agreed it needed more fruit but was still wonderful. I am making another one next week for a friend's birthday lunch. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Norwegian Summer Cream Cake

Cream together:
5 oz. butter
1/3 C sugar

Then add:
3 egg yolks
2/3 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 C milk

Spread batter in 9x13 pan, sprayed with oil. Then spread the meringue on top of the batter.

Meringue-Beat 3 egg whites and 2/3 c sugar until stiff and shiny.

Bake cake at 325* for about 20-25 minutes. Once cooled, cut cake in half. On the bottom half top with whipping cream and fresh fruit/berries. Carefully pick up the other side and place on top, meringue side up, of course! We then just decorated it with a few strawberries.

Totally stole this from a site bigredkitchen.com. So easy! So good! and gluten free, right? They also suggested you could use chocolate cake mix.

One Cake mix- I used yellow
1 -15 ounce can pumpkin filling

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl mix cake mix with pumpkin filling using a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour batter into a greased 7 x 11 inch baking dish. Bake for 28 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting. Serves 8.

Apple Cider Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 T. apple cider
1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice

In a small bowl blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour over Pumpkin Cake letting it drizzle down the sides of the cake. Let set before covering.

Really, really good Chocolate Torte (Gluten Free!)

I think I have talked to some of you about this really good, dense chocolate flour-less torte or cake. I found the recipe on line but I can't remember where. It reminds me of a flour-less cake I made years ago as well as one Tina makes. They had a pound of butter in them with lots of eggs and they were really fattening. This one is delicious and if I fed it to you, you would never guess the secret ingredient in it!!! It doesn't have a pound of butter... but it does have protein and fiber in it which is a bonus as well as being gluten free for the J-man! woo-hoo!

Chocolate Torte

1 1/2 C Chocolate chips

1 15-19 oz can of drained garbanzo beans

4 eggs

3/4 C sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350* and grease and "flour" a spring form pan with coco powder.

2. Melt the chocolate chips.

3. In food processor, combine eggs and garbanzo beans until completely smooth.

4. Add sugar, baking powder and vanilla. Then add in melted chocolate while processor is going.

5. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

6. Let cool about 15 minutes before removing from the pan. The center will sink down a bit.

The original recipe did not call for any topping but I think it is a must. I made a simple chocolate frosting the first time (in picture). I think chocolate whipped cream would be delicious as well as a ganache poured on top. Vaughn doesn't love really dense chocolate things so the second time I made it, I used half white chocolate chips and half semi sweet, topped with cream cheese frosting and it turned out great. I thought the frosting was a little over the top but V loved it. I guess milk chocolate could be used as well instead of semi sweet chocolate.

Anyway, give this a try. I think you will be surprised, but please don't tell my kids what is in it!

How We Eat Fruit (and its GF)

You all know how some of my children (one to be exact) have an extremely difficult time eating fruit and refuses all veggies...ALL! So I try to get things down any way I can. So we have these fruit smoothies at least once a week but usually more. I try to pack as much fruit in it and as few carbohydrates as possible.

FULL OF FRUIT SMOOTHIES

1. First use about 12 to 16 ounces of frozen fruit. I usually use a whole bag of mixed berries from Trader Joe's but in this one I only had part of a bag so I put in frozen mango also. If you let it sit in the blender for about 5-10 minutes it will be easier to mix, but I really rarely do that.

2. Add one cup of milk and then start blending. I usually stop a bunch and loosen it up.

3. This is my secret...I add one 12 ounce can of Diet 7up or diet Sprite or Diet Squirt or Diet Hansens Soda (Pomegranite was really good). Then keep blending.

4. Once it is mostly the thickness you like, taste it. Sometimes I add splenda if the fruit is not sweet enough. I will also add a titch of almond or vanilla flavoring if it seems to be lacking something. (And sometimes you need a little more liquid if it stays too thick.)

5. It seems to divide perfectly into five of these kids Ikea cups. We all love them, but all my kids have decided a straw is a must. It makes it fancy.

The BEST Peanut Butter [brittle] Cookies Ever

I found this recipe on Kill the Gluten blog when Jonah was first diagnosed with Celiacs. They really are the best P.B. cookies I have ever had. (I made them in Albuquerque for Kathy--what do you think Kath?) We make them about once a week. We almost always use chocolate chips in them but they are delicious plain as well.

I love experimenting, even on something that is near perfect anyway, so last week I added about two handfuls of mini marshmallows and oh my......let me tell you, they are now more amazing cookies. We have named them Peanut Brittle Cookies because some of the marshmallows melt on the sheet and caramelize to a crispy brittle while other marshmallows melt into the cookie leaving a chewy caramel like texture. I am all about texture in food and these have it all. They may not be perfect round cookies now because you never know which way the marshmallow melts but they are worth it anyway. We will still make them just PB but if you want extra special try the "brittle"!

Peanut Butter [Brittle] Cookies

1 C peanut butter (I use crunchy and it should be Jiff or Skippy type)

3/4 C sugar

1 beaten egg

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 C chocolate chips (or more or without)

about 1 cup mini marshmallows (optional)

Combine the PB, sugar, egg, baking soda and salt together. Mix in chocolate chips and marshmallows. I then use a cookie scoop to put dough on a cookie sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper. You could also roll in balls as well. I always flatten just a bit. Bake in a 350* oven 10 to 14 minutes. If you make them with the marshmallows, let the melted marshmallows turn a golden color before removing, and use parchment or a silpat. I think the cookies would be hard to remove from the cookie sheet without it.

Tina's Creme Brulee... Oh my.. (and it is gluten Free..yippeee)

Here is Tina's requested recipe. I have read lots of Creme Brulee recipes (mom even gave me a small cookbook of all CB recipes) and I still love this recipe the best. It is simple and so yummy.

3 C Heavy cream (I admit I have used half n' half before)
1-2 tsp vanilla
6 large egg yolks
1/2 C sugar
more sugar for brulee-ing the top

Heat oven to 350*. Bring cream to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from burner and add vanilla.
In mixing bowl, whisk yolks and sugar until thick, pale yellow. Stir the hot cream in slowly, drip by drip until combined. Don't whip it or you will get it to foamy. Strain mixture and pour into eight 4 oz ramekins in a baking pan. Pour hot water into baking pan, coming up half way up sides of ramekins. Bake in water bath for 30-35 minutes, until the tops are set, but the custard in the center is still quite soft to the touch. Carefully remove the ramekins from the hot water and let cool. Refrigerate til ready to use.

Sprinkle tops with 1-2 T of sugar in an even layer. (I dont think I use this much). Light torch and melt and carmalize the sugar with torch. You want it a golden amber color not just clear but dont burn it because that tastes yucky. (duhh!) Let sugar rest about 1 minute to harden. Eat up!