Chocolate Chocolate Cake

This recipe comes from the infamous Margie Heard but I think she got it from my aunt, Catherine. (Waiting on confirmation.) It's chocolate cake that is mix-easy but has some improvements that make it awesomesauce.

Chocolate Cake Mix (2 Layers) To make this gluten-free, get 2 boxes of Betty Crocker's gf devil's food cake mix.
Instant chocolate pudding mix (4 portion)
4 eggs large
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Another 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips :)
2-3 Tbsp butter
1 cup berries of your choice, I like blackberries and raspberries but Mom says blueberries and strawberries.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, water, oil and sour cream in large bowl. Beat on low to moisten then increase to medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips. Turn into a greased bundt pan.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Use a pick to check and it is done when it comes clean. Immediately turn upside down on a wire rack. Let stand. Move to rack and it should fall out onto a plate.

Glaze when cool. To make the glaze melt 1/2 cup of chocolate chips with the butter. Mix and drizzle over the cake; it should be thick. Decorate with berries.

Enjoy with  friends! My family has a great tradition where when we cut a cake for birthdays, everyone gets to make a wish. This comes from the South African side of the family but we are not sure when/who started it. After you blow out the candles the birthday person holds the knife over the cake and everyone puts their hand over it. As a group you lower the knife, cut the cake and everyone makes a wish. Like this!

Butterlicious Gluten-free Cupcakes

Ok so this is mostly based on a mix recipe. But I made a wonderous discovery that is true to this blog's name. I accidentally doubled the butter in the recipe tonight but decided to cook them anyway because I have two beliefs in food: 1. bacon makes everything better and  2. butter is basically liquid bacon.

So with no further ado, here is my new and improved gluten-free cupcake recipe courtesy of Betty Crocker's box.

1 Betty Crocker gluten-free Devil's Food Cake mix. (425g)
1 cup of water
3 eggs
1 cup of softened butter (recipe calls for a half but...)


Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine the mix, water, eggs and butter. Beat on low speed for one minute and then increase to medium speed for 2 minutes.

Pour into cupcake liners. Bake for 18-24 minutes. Stick with a toothpick and they are ready when the pick comes out clean.

My friend, Jessie, came over tonight to help me ice them and we taste tested the regular butter and extra butter batches. She's a non-celiac and affirmed that the extra butter made them taste close to normal. And yes, I am well aware of the fact that a cup of butter is the opposite of healthy but considering how little baking I now eat being celiac, I figure one batch of cupcakes that actually taste good won't kill me.

Curried Pork Delicious! (aka burgers)

I have a sneaking suspicion my dad has been pushing this recipe on me for ages but I've had an irrational fear of jalapenos. Thanks to the success of the tex-mex lasagna a few weeks back (recipe to come), I've mastered chopping them up without burning my skin or eyes. This is a super quick but fancy weeknight dish to jazz up burgers.

Serves 4

1 lb lean ground pork
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander (aka cilantro)
1/3 cup crumbled low fat feta cheese
2 Tbsp curry paste (I use VH's Yellow Curry for a gluten-free, nut-free option which is tricky to find)
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp minced gingerroot
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (I chickened out and used 1/2; working up to a whole one)
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt (I just sprinkled a dash in)
1/4 tsp pepper

In large bowl, mix together pork, coriander, feta, curry paste, garlic, ginger, jalapeno pepper, cumin, salt and pepper. Divide into quarters; shape into burgers. Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Place on a greased grill over medium-high heat; close lid and grill, turning once, about ten minutes. Check with a thermometer and it should be 160 F.

Serve with gluten-free buns or more delicious gluten-filled ones (no hard feelings here!) I use Kinnikinnick hamburger buns and I find that toasted, they are yummy.

Review: They seemed super crumbly when I flipped them. Going to add an egg and some gluten-free bread crumbs next time! But super juicy and amazing!

Courtesy of Canadian Living.

Tandoori Chicken with Green Apple Raita

I'm not going to pretend this is probably authentic Indian food. But it is delicious! And bonus, I'm not allergic to it. Serves great with brown rice.

1 cup plain yogurt (I use low fat)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground tumeric
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt (recipe calls for 2 but I always cut salt down)
1/4 tsp ground pepper
4 bone-in skinless chicken breast halves (I usually just use 2 boneless breasts)
2 Granny Smith apples
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (or the tube stuff from Safeway)

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. IN a large bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of yogurt, the garlic, tumeric, ginger, salt, and pepper. Add chicken and turn to coat.

Transfer the chicken to a rimmed (and tinfoil lined) baking sheet. Roast for 25-30 minutes.

While chicken is cooking, peel the apple. Grate into a medium bowl. Add the cilantro and the rest of the yogurt. Season with salt and pepper (I usually don't). Serve the sauce with the chicken. Goes great with rice!

Recipe is from Everyday Foods.

"Better than Classy" Chicken Divan

I've squared off with a few people over the years as to what exactly is on my plate at lunch. They call it Classy Chicken. I call it Chicken Divan. What divides these two delicious dinners is about a teaspoon of curry and 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs. Not enough to start an all out war over, but I still maintain Divan is better. Recipe is courtesy of my mom, the one and only Margie Heard.

2 10 oz frozen broccoli spears (I use about 1 1/2 fresh broccoli heads)
2 cups cooked chicken (a roasted one from the store saves you time)
2 cans of cream of chicken soup (get No Name brand at Superstore if you want gluten-free)
1 cup of mayo (I always go low fat)
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup bread crumbs (gluten-free)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar (or more)
1 Tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook broccoli until just tender. I tend to boil/steam it. Arrange stalks in a greased 11x7 dish (or 8x8 if you broke the other one like me). Add chicken.

Combine soup, mayo, lemon juice and curry. Pour on broccoli and chicken.

In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs with melted butter and fluff with a fork. Sprinkle this over the dish.

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. I serve it with brown rice. Serves 4-6.

Sidebar: What makes my mom so special? Well, for one she's put up with me for 32 years and 6 concussions (stories to follow later). But mostly she's awesome cause she takes pictures like this when she stays up later than me over the holidays.

World's Best Spaghetti

This recipe is courtesy of Emeril via the Food Network. I got bored with my homemade spaghetti recipe last year and gave this a try. With a few adjustments it's officially become known as the best thing I make. It does take about 3 hours to cook so free up a Sunday afternoon.

1 giant pot cause this makes a lot. 6-8 servings.
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 ounces bacon diced
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
3/4 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound pork sausage, removed from casings, or ground pork.
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 cup red wine
1 28 oz can of tomatoes (I buy whole tomatoes and cut them up with scissors in the can. Don't buy crushed or diced, they loose flavour)
3/4's of a 650 ml jar of spaghetti sauce
1 cup beef stock (gluten free)
2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup cream
2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 pound spaghetti (gluten free)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, until browned, about 4-5 minutes. Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until soft about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic, pepper, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Add the beef and sausages, and cook, stirring, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until half the liquid is evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and their juices, the spaghetti sauce, beef broth and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and flavourful, about 1 1/2 hours. Add the cream, butter, and parsley, stir well and simmer for 2 minutes. Pick out the bay leaves and adjust the seasoning to taste. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, cook your pasta. I use gluten-free pasta and it needs to be rinsed well before you serve it or it is super gross and gungey.

Add 1/2 cup of the cheese to the sauce and toss to blend. Pour sauce on spaghetti and serve!

This makes a lot, so invite friends over. But be warned if you do, this might happen.

Buttermilk gluten-free biscuits (that don't taste like cardboard)

This recipe was shared to me via Sherry who has been a wealth of information since I found out I was celiac. She put me onto the Blackbird Bakery which is full of delicious recipes. I used to bake scones every weekend and thanks to this book, I still can!

Makes 8 biscuits

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup tapioca flour (plus 1/4 cup for dusting)
1 tsp guar gum
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, diced
3 Tbsp cold vegetable shortening, diced
1 cup buttermilk (you can make buttermilk by adding 1 Tbsp of lemon juice to regular milk and letting it stand in the fridge for 10 minutes. It gets chunky, that's ok)
2 to 3 Tbsp water, if needed.

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F. Position rack in middle of the oven.

In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Stir with a whisk to blend. Add the butter and vegetable shortening. Using a pastry cutter (or your hands), cut the fats into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles small peas.

Stir the buttermilk until the dough forms a ball. It's usually pretty gungy at this point and looks like a right disaster. Just trust it. If the mixture is too dry, add water 1 Tbsp at a time. I usually don't.

Turn the dough onto a counter that has been dusted with tapioca flour. Knead until very smooth, 3 to 4 turns. Biscuits are better the less you knead them, that's a tip from Omy Mayo.

Form the dough into a disk 1 inch thick. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter (or scotch glass), cut out biscuits. I dust the glass with flour to prevent sticking.

Put the biscuits on an unbuttered cookie sheet. I usually do 2 batches of 4 biscuits at a time because unlike most gluten-free cooking, these actually rise!

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack to cool.

I recommend you serve these with Allison Inkpen's cherry jam or anything from Island Preserves.