Melt in Your Mouth Meat Loaf

I never know what to do with ground beef.  I too often make hamburgers and use it to make a meat sauce for spaghetti.  My husband recently suggested a meat loaf and I am glad that he did!

The pictures don't do the taste justice!  I am not a great photographer.

Ingredients:

2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup crushed Rice Chex
1/4 cup milk
1/4 onion finely chopped
2 Tablespoons parsley
1/4 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 lb. to 2 lbs. ground beef
catsup

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2.  In a mixing bowl combine eggs, crushed cereal, milk, onion, parsley, sage, thyme, basil, salt, and pepper
3.  Add the ground meat and mix well (I usually have my husband use is hands and mix it very thoroughly)
4.  Line a bread loaf pan with tinfoil
5.  Pat meat mixture into pan to form a "loaf"
6.  Bake for 45-50 minutes or until no pink remains
7.  Drain the fat and using the tinfoil flip onto a serving plate. 
8.  Use basting brush to brush on desired amount of catsup

I served this comfort-food dish with mashed potatoes and steamed carrots.  It was DELICIOUS!

FLUFFY Buttermilk Pancakes

The other pancake recipe I posted is good, this one is AMAZING!  The buttermilk adds a fluffiness to the pancakes that the other recipe doesn't have.  The other recipe has the right flavor and texture but the pancakes themselves can come out a little thin. 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup soy flour, white rice flour, sweet rice flour, and tapioca flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tablespoons cooking oil

1.  Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
2.  Add egg, buttermilk, and cooking oil
3.  Whisk until thoroughly combined
4.  Using about a 1/4 cup pour batter onto a warm/hot skillet
5.  Flip with a spatula when the center is bubbly and the edges are a little dry
6.  Cook thoroughly and until golden brown

*Place the finished pancakes in the oven at 200 degrees or on the keep warm setting if you are not serving them as they are finished.

BBQ Chicken

This recipe is a wonderful recipe to have during the spring and summer.  Since we live in Seattle nice weekends are rare and we took advantage of one recently to make this BBQ chicken.  This is a easy recipe that does not require a lot of prep or cook time.  We use a charcoal grill but a gas or propane grill works just as well.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts (bone-in with skin)
1 bottle of BBQ sauce (check the label to ensure it is gluten-free)

1.  Light the grill (I put this step first so it is nice and hot when you are ready for it and so you don't forget like I have done)
2.  In a large pot parboil the chicken (basically boil the chicken until it is cooked through which takes about 15-20 minutes)
3.  Remove chicken from the water and pat dry
4.  Using a basting brush cover the chicken with the sauce on all sides
5.  Place skin side down on the grill away from the direct flame for only a few minutes (don't burn!)
6.  Turn over and smother with sauce again sauce again
7.  Leave on the the grill until the skin is crispy but not burned

I love to serve this dish with mashed potatoes and a fresh veggie. 

Sour cream and Onion Chicken

This is one of my go-to recipes.  It takes only a few minutes of preparation and less than an hour of bake time.  The sour cream and onion comes from the the chips that I coat the chicken in.  I use Lays brand and here is there ingredient info:  http://www.fritolay.com/our-snacks/lays.html.  The chicken comes out crispy and flavorful. 

Ingredients:

2-3 cups buttermilk
3-4 cups crushed sour cream and onion chips
1-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken

1.  Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
2.  Cut up chicken into desired size (the larger the pieces the longer they will take to cook)
3.  Rinse the chicken and coat with buttermilk (You can also marinate the chicken for a couple of hours in the buttermilk for a couple of hours for extra flavor if desired)
4.  Cover the buttermilk coated chicken with the crushed chips
5.  Place on a baking sheet
6.  Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through and the coating is golden brown

My Husband's 25th Birthday Cake

My husband celebrated his 25th birthday yesterday.  I asked him what kind of cake he wanted and he said chocolate chocolate.  I am telling you, he is a man after my own heart.  I used my favorite chocolate cake recipe (see the NY Giants Cake recipe from January).  I used the same recipe with a few minor changes.  First, I used a dark cocoa instead of just a regular cocoa (same amount I just substituted the dark for the regular).  Second, I made a chocolate frosting.  Third, I made it a circular layer cake (same process just use greased and floured circular pans and it cooks for 30-35 minutes instead of 35-40 minutes).  The frosting is what I really want to share with you.

Ingredients for chocolate frosting:

1/2 cup (stick) butter melted
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup dark cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar

1.  Stir the melted butter into the cocoa and dark cocoa mixing thoroughly
2.  Add about half the milk and half the milk and powdered sugar and beat on high with an electric mixer
3.  Add the rest of the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla, beat with a mixer until thoroughly combined and until it becomes spreadable (add extra milk to help with consistency if desired)

The cake turned out wonderfully and was a hit with our birthday guests.  I added some sprinkles for color and of course, birthday candles.

Gluten-Free Butter Cookies

I could not think of a good name for these cookies.  This is my grandmother's cookie recipe and one of the simplest to make.  It has only three ingredients and they come out sweet, flaky, and buttery.  Trust me you will love this recipe.

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter softened (1/2 pound)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup each sweet rice flour, tapioca flour, white rice flour, and soy flour

1.  Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
2.  Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until it is fluffy and well combined
3.  Add the flour and beat again until well combined (This dough will be dry)
4.  Using your hands roll the dough into small balls and place on cookie sheet
5.  Using a fork press the balls creating a design and flattening the cookies a little (much like peanut butter cookies)
6.  Add sprinkles if desired and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the dough is cooked thoroughly
7.  Cool on a wire rack and then store in a sealed container

Gluten-Free Oven Fried Chicken

This recipe is a healthier and easier version of traditional fried chicken.  You can make this recipe using boneless or bone-in chicken and skinned or skinless chicken.  For my blog I used skinned and it came out delicious and crispy.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup crushed rice cereal (Rice Chex, Safeway Rice Pockets etc.)
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
3 Tablespoons melted butter
Chicken (3 breasts)

1.  Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
2.  In a medium bowl mix egg, milk, cornstarch, salt, pepper,  and chili powder
3.  Place crushed rice cereal in a separate bowl next to the wet mixture
4.  Rinse the chicken and coat with wet mixture followed by the cereal
5.  Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining chicken
6.  Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on the size of the breasts (make sure the chicken is cooked thoroughly so you don't get sick!)