Easy Baked Chicken Breasts

I like to make things that are easy and create leftovers to use as ingredients in other dishes.  This recipe is both those things.  I always make an extra chicken breast to use in my chicken pot pie (tomorrow's blog). 
To make baked chicken breasts you will need the following.

Skinned Bone-In Chicken Breasts
Poultry Seasoning
Very Mild Red Chili Powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place uncooked chicken breasts on a baking sheet
3. Sprinkle lightly with poultry seasoning and chili powder
4. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until completely cooked throughout (aka no pink or red in the middle)

Here is what my chicken breast look like uncooked.

Here is what they should look like when they are finished baking.

I serve the chicken with my faithful standby sides, rice, baked or mashed potatoes, and a vegetable (tonight it was corn). 



Tomorrow I will be making a chicken pot pie with the second chicken breast.  It is my husbands favorite dish so please keep reading!

Oh yeah...YAY GIANTS!!

Gluten-Free NY Giants Chocolate Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

My wonderful father is a huge NY Giants fan and they happen to be playing in the Superbowl this year.  I made this cake as a way to celebrate with him even though we live more than 1,000 miles apart.  I decorated the cake with red and blue M&M's and cream cheese frosting.

Here is what you will need to make this delicious cake.

2 cups sugar
1/4 cup and 3 Tablespoons of white rice, sweet rice, tapioca, and soy flour
3/4 cup Cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup boiling water

1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees
2.  Grease and flour (with extra from the above list of flour) 13x9x2 inch baking pan
3.  Stir together sugar, flours, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
5.  Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla
6.  Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes
7.  Stir in boiling water (the batter will be thin)
8.  Pour into prepared pan
9.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a wooden tooth pick comes out clean if inserted into the center
10.  Cool and then turn out of pan and onto a plate for decoration

To make the frosting you will need:

6 oz. softened cream cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
4 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon of milk

1.  Beat the cream cheese and butter with electric mixer until smooth
2.  Add half the powdered sugar, the vanilla, and the milk and mix completely
3.  Add the other half of the powdered sugar and mix completely
4.  Spread onto completely cooled cake and decorate

Gluten-Free Waffles that are Awesome

On Saturday mornings I like to make a good breakfast because for most of the week we have cold cereal on the way out the door before work.  Today I made Waffles. 

These waffles are light and crispy and pretty easy to make.  I sometimes make them during the week as a dinner.  You can also freeze any leftovers and they reheat well in a toaster or toaster oven.

Here is what you will need.

1/4 cup and 3 Tablespoons of white rice flour, sweet rice flour, soy flour, and tapioca flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

2 eggs

1 3/4 cup of milk

1/2 cup cooking oil (not pictured)

1.  In a large bowl thoroughly combine all four flours, baking powder, and salt

2.  Add the wet ingredients

3.  Pour onto warm waffle iron and cook according to the waffle irons manufacturers directions

4.  Repeat with remaining batter

5.  To keep already cooked waffles warm set oven to 200 degree and place waffles inside

The batter should look something like this.

The cooked waffles should look something like this.

Enjoy!

Tomorrow's recipe is my homemade gluten-free chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting decorated with the New York Giants colors for the Super Bowl.  Go Giants!



 

Easy Gluten-Free Chicken Fried Steak

One of my favorite gluten-free things to make for dinner is chicken fried steak.  This recipe is fast, easy, and inexpensive to make.  I usually serve it with mashed potatoes, a baked potato, or rice.  I sometimes make gravy to go with it especially if I have it with mashed potatoes.  This time we had it with rice and I skipped the gravy.

Here is what you will need.

Cube Steak (I use 2 or 3 for my husband and I)
1/4 cup of sweet rice flour, white rice flour, tapioca flour, and cornstarch
1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, and red chili powder
3-4 eggs
Smidge of milk
Oil

1.  Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a frying pan
2.  Mix the flours and cornstarch in a small bowl with the salt, pepper, and red chili powder
3.  Beat the eggs and milk together in a separate bowl
5.  Carefully place the cube steak into the heated oil and cook about 5-6 minutes on each side or until browned and cooked all the way through
6.Place cooked steak on a plate with paper towels to drain off excess oil
7. Enjoy

Tomorrow I am making waffles!

*I use tongs to turn the cube steak over to avoid splashing hot oil all over myself and the kitchen.
**Be sure to cook the steak sufficiently to avoid food borne illness.

Helpful Info on Shopping for Gluten-Free Food

Over the past few years, the gluten-free diet has become more well known and as a result it is no longer necessary to shop exclusively at health food stores.   

Because labeling laws are soon changing, you will notice a lot of the products now say somewhere on the packaging if gluten is part of their product.  Many big brand name companies are creating or adjusting their products to be gluten-free.  Companies such as Betty Crocker are making cake mixes, a brownie mix, and cookie mix that are gluten-free.  Kellogg's Rice Krispies now come in a gluten-free variety.  General Mills Chex cereals have also changed a few of their cereals, not all, to be gluten-free.  Progresso brand of chicken, beef, and vegetable broths as well as many Boars Head deli meats are gluten-free as well.  Many grocery store chains now offer some of their own products gluten-free which can save you a lot of money. 

In the future we will see a huge growth in the market for gluten-free products whether it is name brand or store brand.

Remember to always read the labels!

Gluten-Free Brownies

The more I continue to blog and the more that people read this blog the more obvious it will be that I LOVE baked goods.  I love to make treats from scratch and I love to use pre-made mixes when I am short on time.  I love to bake because it makes my house smell wonderful and also because gluten-free baked goods can be amazing.

Today I want to share one of my favorite pre-made brownie mixes.  It is the King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Brownie Mix.  This mix most closely resembles other name brand non-gluten-free mixes and is one of my go-tos.  I find it at my local gluten-free market and sometimes in the regular grocery stores.  You can also find it on King Arthur's Flour website.

This mix takes 30-35 minutes to bake and about 3 minutes to mix together.  All you need to add is 2 eggs, 2 Tablespoons of water, and 1/2 cup of melted butter or oil. 

It mixes up on only one bowl and comes out looking like this.

The only tip I can give you about making these brownies is to makes sure you grease the pan well or they WILL stick.

I appreciate everyone who has been reading my blog.  Soon I will post instructions about how to make a gluten-free cake from scratch.





In the Beginning...

The very first time I went shopping I learned that just because the package says the product is "wheat free" doesn't mean it is "gluten free".

 You must educate yourself with the words that are used in ingredient lists of the products you purchase.  Gluten is in so many products that you may not even think of.  Foods that may or may not contain gluten are: baked goods, baking powder, battered and breaded foods, burgers, candy, cereal, corn bread, deli meats, granola, gravy mixes, icings, instant cocoa, pie crusts, powder drink mixes, salad dressings, sauces, sausages, seasonings, soy sauce, and stuffing mixes to name just a few. 

 Some words to look for on the ingredient labels that may reveal gluten in a product are:  bran, bread and bread crumbs, bulgur, cereal extract, coucous, crackers and cracker meal, dextrin, farina, flour, gluten, graham, hydrolyzed plant protein, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, maltodextrin, modified food starch (unless specified otherwise), seasoning and spelt to name a few.

 Until you become familiar with these words, I recommend that you carry a list of words with you and refer to it often.  Like any other life change, this way of eating for becomes normal.  In the meantime, plan extra time for your shopping!