Cake Baking Made Easy

One thing I missed more than anything after I became gluten free was dessert. That may have been the hardest thing to figure out. Well, thanks to Betty Crocker and some trial and error, well can you call it error when you still get a cake out of it) I have a fool proof recipe. And I am about to share it with you!

I have made chocolate and strawberry cake this way (obviously subbing the appropriate mixes) and a friend did to and it was a hit!

Enough suspense...here is what you need:

 Cause we are making Strawberry Cake!!

The actual recipe list is as follows:

2 Cups Half and Half

1 Stick of Butter - Softened

1 Tablespoon Vanilla

3 Eggs

1 Package Strawberries and Creme Pudding Mix (Jell-O brand is gluten free)

1 Yellow Cake Mix (gluten free) - Betty Crocker

1 Pint Fresh Strawberries

You can make your own frosting but this time I used Betty Crocker's Vanilla Frosting (also Gluten Free). It is REALLY good with this cake!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray pans with PAM

Slice strawberries and set aside. 

Mix all other ingredients together well in mixer. I use my Kitchen Aid on slow for 1 minute then on 3 for 3-4 minutes. Making sure to periodically scrape the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the ingredients. If you want to you can mix in a 1/4 to 1/3 of the sliced strawberries. 

Bake for 41 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean. 

Allow to cool completely and frost with vanilla frosting. Top with strawberries or any other toppings you would like to.

I did a 9x13 cake but my friend GM did a 8 inch round layer cake. Both turned out beautifully!

Trust me - you won't regret making this cake!!! Enjoy!

See you soon!

Mother's Day Made Easy

Hello friends!

I hope everyone is doing well. Life is...busy right now as I am sure everyone is experiencing with summer and graduation barreling down upon us. The hubs and I working hard and while I write this post, he is in the garage rebuilding the engine for the race car. In case you have forgotten here we are at one of our favorite fall activities, Razorback Football! (Isn't he a cutie!)

While I know this isn't on the topic of food, it is on my heart right now,CHERISH your loved ones. Mother's Day is tomorrow and sadly, my Momma and Grandma are both gone. They are safe in Heaven with my Lord and Savior but I miss them daily. (Cue the sweet pics)

 Here is Grandma and Grandpa (Mom's Parents - both with the Lord)

Here are my Parents (Also both with the Lord)

Make sure you tell a Momma or Grandma how precious and special they are this weekend. A great way to do that is by helping with their workload. We all know they work so hard and the one thing they would love as much as chocolate or flowers would be a home-cooked meal by someone who loves them. Think you can't do it? Don't have a good enough recipe? Well, I have one for you! It is simple and tasty. Today I am going to give you a main dish, side dish and easy dessert so get ready!

Main Dish: Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs

Side Dish: Sauteed Greens and Jasmine Rice

Dessert: Apple Crumble

This menu as described will serve 4,  you can increase or decrease as needed.

Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs

1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs

1 C Honey (Raw if possible)

1 C Soy Sauce (I prefer San J Gluten Free Soy Sauce)

1 Stick Butter 

1 TBSP Garlic Powder

1 TBSP Onion Powder

1/4 C Dijon Mustard 

1/4 C Apricot Preserves (If you can't get these use Orange Marmalade - if you select the low sugar type it doesn't change the flavor at all)

Spray a 9x13 Pyrex dish with cooking spray. Lay out your chicken thighs. In medium saucepan combine the rest of the ingredients except Preserves and heat until butter is melted and all other ingredients are incorporate. Remove from heat, add preserves and mix well. Poor over thighs, season with salt and pepper to taste and cook at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes covered. Sauce should be bubbly, remove foil and increase heat to 450 and cook an additional 5 minutes. (Don't ask me why but for some reason this adds a nice caramelization and super flavor.)

Rice - pick your favorite rice and prepare according to the package. This should be simple you don't want overly competitive flavors. But do use chicken stock and/or add some parsley to make it pop.

Sauteed Greens

This is quick and simple!

1 package Kale, Rainbow Chard and Spinach Mix

3 Cloves of Garlic, minced

1 small Onion finely diced 

1/4 C Soy Sauce

8 oz Portobello Mushrooms sliced (you can sub Button or any of your favorite mushrooms or omit for picky eaters)

EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) to saute

Start by sauteing onions and mushrooms in EVOO. when onions are transparent and mushrooms are soft add greens, garlic and soy sauce. Saute until all is wilted. Serve warm. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Now for dessert!

Apple Crumble

5 Gala, Pink Lady or other Cooking Apple - peeled and sliced

1 C Oats

2 tsp Cinnamon 

1 TBSP

1/2 C Orange Juice (I prefer Simply Orange)

2 C Brown Sugar (pressed down-divided)

Spray 9x13 Pyrex dish with cooking spray and preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium saucepan combine 1 stick of butter, 1 C brown sugar, orange juice and 1 tsp cinnamon and heat until melted and well mixed. Place sliced apples in dish and pour heated mixture over them. In a bowl combine oats, 1 tsp cinnamon, vanilla and 1 stick of softened butter. Spread evenly over apples. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden brown and the apple mixture is bubbly. 

See - easy - make the Apple Crumble the night before and your oven is free for your Chicken. This is a yummy meal and picture number 9 from the post letting you choose what you wanted to see on here. 

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there and especially to my Mother-in-Love, Carolyn.

See you all next time!

Hugs,

Makisa

Stuffed Chicken Breasts - YUM

Cooking for me has always been about friends and family and love. It is about taking time and investing a part of myself in creating something for them that they can enjoy. I have to admit I have had those, "it took me all day to make this meal and it's gone in 20 minutes" moments but even those are worth it. Cooking is my art, it is where I get a moment to create and to invent things that others haven't ever done or at least not the way I am doing them. It is how I say, "I love you", or "You matter to me".

Cooking is my art and a gift I give. I am sitting here struggling as I write this blog, I am distracted and need groceries and a grocery list. My house is a mess and I need to clean it. But cooking is so much more fun! So, based on the fact that all the requests I got were for everything or the stuffed chicken breasts, I will start with this recipe.

I have set this recipe up to serve 2 people but it would be crazy easy to make more.

Ingredients:
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken breasts
3 Small Tomatoes (pick a sweet one like capellini)
6 Fresh Basil Leaves (medium to large)
1 Ball of Fresh Mozzarella (you will use about half)
3 Slices Provolone
2 Cups Fresh Spinach (stems trimmed)
Smoked Paprika
Salt and Pepper
Non-stick cooking spray (PAM)

Cooking Utensils:
1 9x13 glass/Pyrex baking dish
Meat Tenderizing Hammer
Plastic Glad Freezer Bag
Tongs

Oven Temp: 350°

Directions:
Slice tomatoes thinly (the goal is to have 12 slices of tomato) and set aside.
Slice 3-4 1/4 inch thick slices of Mozzarella and set aside.
Rinse and pat dry your spinach and basil and separate both into two equal stacks and set aside. - Just a note my basil, spinach, mozzarella and tomatoes I place on a nice large cutting board to have handy.
Place 1 chicken breast in freezer bag. Using tenderizing hammer pound chicken breast starting from the center and working out until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Set aside and repeat process with second chicken breast.
Once this is complete start by layering on half of a chicken breast the following: spinach, basil, mozzarella (1 and 1/2 slices) and three slices of tomato. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Gently fold other half of the chicken breast over. Tuck the ends in as you do to protect the cheese.
Once you have completed this lay the chicken in the 9x13 dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Repeat the process with the second piece of chicken.
Now place 3 slices of tomato on top of each piece of chicken and cover them with 1 and 1/2 slices of provolone.
Sprinkle with smoked paprika.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and cheese on top is bubbly.

TIME SAVER TIP: If you have a food prep day: slice your mozzarella then and portion your veggies out early. Pound your chicken breast out and put waxed paper between them. You could even make and freeze your stuffed chicken breasts (I would leave the tomatoes out) and just let them thaw a day before you want to make them.

I served this with Kale and Mac and Cheese - I LOVE Annie's Gluten Free Mac and Cheese. It's very cheesy with wonderful noodles and great flavor. This would be good over rice, with broccoli, oven roasted asparagus or brussel sprouts.

Please enjoy - this is a great meal and despite being slightly involved it didn't take long. From start to food on the plate it was about an hour. (I have to admit to having to clean the kitchen during this process so it took a bit longer.)

Below is my picture of the dish, I would love to see you post yours!

Have a blessed Easter!

Catch you later,
Makisa

I'm Back!

Hello Friends,

I hope you haven't given up on me. I know I have been gone a long time and I was quite frankly surprised to find my long ago blog still here. (Not sure why it surprised me as nothing really goes away on the internet.) I apologize for being away so long, but in that time I have developed some AWESOME recipes for you.

I have been busy, my life has expanded greatly. Here is what I have been up to in addition to cooking.

My job has grown and I know have a team that reports to me. It is really great but very time consuming and my hubs and I are now a part of Rally America. This is a car racing circuit and we love being a part of it. Here is a shot of our Ford Focus SVT! He drives and I co-drive.

Needless to say I haven't had as much time to cook as I would like but I wanted to share a few teasers with you for your viewing pleasure. These recipes will be coming soon!

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

All these amazing recipes are coming soon to this blog! They are all gluten free and most are pretty easy to make, especially since I don't have a lot of time to spend cooking.

Also, in case you are wondering about me. Here I am, all glammed up for a night out with the hubs!

One question - Tell me which picture looks most interesting to you and that you would most like to have the recipe for first! I will try to do them in fan order!

Looking forward to sharing more with you!

Thanks for coming back!
Makisa

South of the Border for the Cold Weather

Welcome to Cooking with Sherry!

It's getting colder so its time to pull out your crock-pot and try something warm. This is a very yummy recipe I came up with trying to put together a dish for a food day for work that I forgot about. Oops! I looked into my fridge, freezer and pantry and found, rotel, corn, frozen chicken and seasonings. When I was done I had this delightful ... stew, I call it a stew.

Mexican Chicken Stew

Ingredients:
     6 Frozen Chicken Breasts
     1 can (10oz) Rotel Cilantro and Lime
     1 can (26 oz) Black Beans
     1 can (14.5 oz) Diced Tomatoes (drained)
     1 medium onion chopped
     10 oz Frozen Corn or 1 can Hominy drained
     2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
     2 Tbsp Onion Powder
     Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions
     Put all ingredients in a crock-pot and cook overnight on low. Shred chicken with a fork the next morning.
     Serve with cheese and sour cream over rice or with tortillas or tortilla chips. Serves around 12.

Then when my totally great brother-in-love was hanging out one night I mixed my stew with some cheese dip and created the now famous...Pollo Blanco. Take the recipe and a couple hours before serving add 1 can mild Rotel and 1 block Velveeta (1lb) Queso Blanco and two dashes of your favorite hot sauce. Its AMAZING. You can make nachos, tacos, or even enchiladas with this. Give it a shot and let me know what you think about it!

Happy eating and I will be posting more soon!