Cream Cheese Frosting (GF)

Cream Cheese Frosting (GF)

(2 cups)

 

Ingredients:

8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened

5 tbsp. Unsalted Butter, cut into pieces and softened

1 tbsp. Sour Cream

¾ tsp. Vanilla

1/8 tsp. Salt

1 cup Powdered Sugar

Directions:

Using a mixer with a whisk, whip cream cheese, butter, sour cream, vanilla and salt on medium-high speed for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth.  Reduce speed to medium-low and slowly add powdered sugar.  Whip 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth.  Increase speed to medium-high and whip 3 to 5 minutes or until frosting until light and fluffy.

Note:               You can easily double this recipe and use to frost cakes too.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Red Velvet Cupcakes (GF)

Red Velvet Cupcakes (GF)

(12 cupcakes)

 

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups Gluten-Free Flour Blend (recipe under Odds ‘N Ends tab)

¼ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 tsp. Baking Powder

½ tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Zanthan Gum

1/8 tsp. Baking Soda

1¼ cups Sugar

2/3 cup Sour Cream

6 tbsp. Vegetable Oil

2 large Fresh Eggs

1 tbsp. Red Food Coloring

1 ½ tsp. Vanilla

2 cups Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe posted day after this recipe on blog)

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together flour blend, cocoa, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum and baking soda.  In another large bowl, whisk sugar, sour cream, oil, eggs, food coloring and vanilla until combined.  Add in flour mixture to sugar mixture whisking until smooth.  Portion batter into 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.  Place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool muffins in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove cupcakes for tin and continue cooling on rack for 1 hour.  Frost the cupcakes and serve.

Note:               Cupcakes unfrosted in an airtight container will keep for 1 day.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Lemon Rice Chiffon Cake (GF)

Lemon Rice Chiffon Cake (GF)

(10-12 servings)

 

Ingredients:

1 cup plus 2 tbsp. Sugar, divided

5 large Fresh Egg Yolks, room temperature

¾ cup Cool Water

½ cup Corn Oil (or other flavorless vegetable oil)

1 1/3 cups White Rice Flour (2 cups if using Thai White Rice Flour)

2 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Salt

1 medium Lemon, zested

8 large Fresh Egg Whites, room temperature

½ tsp. Cream of Tartar

Directions:

Using a mixer with a whisk attachment, combine sugar (minus ¼ cup for later), egg yolks, water, oil, rice flour, baking powder and salt.  Whisk until well blended and then set aside.  In a large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with whisk attachment on medium-high speed until mixture is creamy white and holds a soft shape.  Slowly sprinkle remaining sugar beating on high speed until mixture is stiff but not dry.  Sprinkle lemon zest on top of batter.  Scrape ¼ of egg whites into batter and fold in with a rubber spatula.  Fold in remaining egg whites.  Scape finished batter into a 10-inch tube pan with removable bottom ungreased.  Spread evenly and place in a pre-heated 325 degree oven for 50 to 55 minutes.  Or until cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Set pan on a rack.    While cake is still hot, slide a knife around the sides, pressing against the pan to avoid tearing cake.  Leave cake in pan to cool.  It will settle at least an inch.  When cool, lift the tube to remove cake.  Slide a knife under cake and around tube to release.  Using 2 spatulas (one of either side) lift cake off pan and place on serving platter. 

Note:               Wrapped airtight at room temperature, cake will keep 3 days and in freezer for 3 months.  If frozen, bring to room temperature before serving.  Slice with a serrated knife.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Gluten-Free Desserts

Because of the "Labor Day Weekend" holiday, I'm not writing too much for today.  Had family in and limited time for my food blog.

I do have 3 recipes for you this week though.  They are "Gluten-Free"  desserts.  Wednesday's recipe is a GF "Lemon Rice Chiffon Cake" and doesn't use any frosting.  Thursday I have a GF recipe for "Red Velvet Cupcakes" and the icing for these will come on Friday.  GF "Cream Cheese Frosting" is the recipe on Friday.

I hope you try and like these gluten-free dessert recipes.  If you have a tasty GF recipe, please let me know and I'll try it and hopefully post it too.  "Happy Cooking" and remember to share my food blog site with family and friends.

Pizza Hot Dish

Pizza Hot Dish

(8-10 servings)

 

Ingredients:

1½ lb. Ground Beef

½ cup Yellow Onion, chopped

¼ cup Green Pepper, chopped

1 can (4 oz.) Sliced Mushrooms

1 tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Black Pepper

1/8 tsp. Oregano

1 pkg. (16 oz.) Wide Egg Noodles

2 cans (10 oz.) Pizza Sauce

1 can (8 oz.) Tomato Sauce

1 cup Milk

1 cup Pepperoni, sliced

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:

Brown ground beef with onion, green pepper, mushrooms, salt, pepper and oregano.  Drain excess grease.  While ground beef is cooking, cook noodles according to package.  In a Dutch oven dish, combine the ground beef mixture, cooked noodles, pizza sauce, tomato sauce, milk and pepperoni.  Top this mixture with the shredded cheese and place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven covered for 45 minutes.  Remove lid and continue baking 15 minutes or until cheese has browned slightly.  Serve with garlic bread and salad for a great dinner.

Note:               You could try changing out one or both of the meats for a different flavor profile.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Company Hot Dish

Company Hot dish

(6-8 servings)

 

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Noodles (your choice)

2 tbsp. unsalted Butter

1½ lb. Ground Beef

1 tsp. Salt

½ tsp. Black Pepper

½ tsp. Garlic Powder

1 can (8 oz.) Tomato Sauce

1 cup Cottage Cheese

1 cup Sour Cream

6 Green Onions, sliced using white and some of green parts

¾ cup (plus extra) Cheddar Cheese, grated

Olives & Parsley, optional

Directions:

Cook noodles according to package, rinse and drain.  While noodles are cooking, brown the ground beef in the melted butter.  Then add salt, pepper, garlic powder and tomato sauce.  Continue cooking another 5 minutes.  Combine cottage cheese, sour cream, onions, cheddar cheese and cooked noodles.  In a buttered 2 quart baking dish, alternate layers of the noodle and meat mixtures.  Start with the noodle one and end with the meat mixture.  Sprinkle the extra cheddar cheese on top and place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.  Just before serving, place slices of stuffed olives and chopped parsley around the edge of dish if using. 

Note:               You could use ground turkey, chicken, pork or lamb in this dish too.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Minnesota Hot Dish Season Coming Up

I know I've mentioned "Minnesota Hot Dish" before on this food blog.  But with the coming of fall, it becomes the season (fall through winter) for everyone to start thinking about which hot dishes they might make this year.

I know many will just stick to their usual traditional ones.  That's good to do but it gets a little boring.  I'm suggesting that everyone tries at least one new to them hot dish recipe this season.

A reminder to everyone not familiar with "Hot Dish"  recipes.   A hot dish is just another name for what most people call a "Casserole" dish.  Now granted in Minnesota, a hot dish has some rules as to what ingredients must be in them.  Technically it should have a can or two of "Cream of Something Soup" in it.  I think originally it had to have "Tatar Tots" too.

Now I've  only been living in Minnesota for just over 3 years.  So I  may have some of this wrong.  But when someone asks you to bring a hot dish to an event, they are checking it out pretty close to make sure it's acceptable.

I recently came into possession of a church produced cookbook that contained many hot dish recipes.  I found two that I thought sounded interesting and will give them a try this fall.  I don't post a recipe that I haven't tried with few exceptions.  I have a few ingredients that I don't care to eat.  So I'll have others try or taste it for me.  This week because of some things that came up, I wasn't able to get that done.  So these two recipes have not been tested by me or a close associate.

Another interesting fact about these two recipes is they don't have a cream of something soup in them either.  Actually that's one of the reasons why I picked them.  They don't use tatar tots either.

Tomorrows recipe is for "Company Hot Dish" and it uses noodles.  On Thursday, it will be "Pizza Hot Dish" and it too uses noodles in the recipe.  As I stated, the recipes look interesting and sound tasty to me.  So I'll be trying them right along with you this time.

So until next week, "Happy Cooking" and please share my food blog link with others.  Thank you.