New GF Pasta and Smith's

 

I am always on the hunt for new gluten free products on my grocery store shelves.  I was excited to find these Kroger brand gf spaghetti noodles for under 3 dollars at my nearby Smith's store.  They are a corn and rice noodle which tastes far better than many others we have tried.  I don't shop Walmart very often, but I do make a trip there specifically for their brand of gf noodles.  Now I will have one less reason to ever go there:)  I am loving all the gf products that are now being stocked on the shelves at my Smith's store.  Things are so much more readily available now then they were 5yrs ago when we started our gluten free journey.  Thank goodness!

Oven Baked Tacos

(photo courtesy of blogchef.net)



Several of my friends have raved about doing tacos this way so I thought we would give it a try.  I've never been the biggest fan of a meat taco, but this filling mixture is amazing!  Not only does it combine the meat and beans but I loved adding in my own seasonings rather than a package mix.  I would definitely recommend using the stand and stuff style of taco shells that are flat on the bottom as the cheaper round ones don't line up as well in the pan.  This is a great way to have all the tacos hot and ready so I don't have to be a short order cook and prepare each persons meal one at a time.  We will be making this again soon!  I used this recipe found HERE at blogchef.net.

Ingredients:

2lbs ground beef
4 teaspoons dried minced onion
3 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
2 cups shredded Colby-jack cheese
18-20 hard taco shells
Optional Condiments-
lettuce (shredded)
tomato (diced)
Salsa
Guacamole

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl combine dried minced onion, chili powder, cornstarch, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Mix well and set aside.


Step 2: In a large skillet brown ground beef over medium-high heat. Drain off any excess liquid. Add refried beans, tomato sauce, and prepared taco seasoning. Mix well.

Step 3: Spoon the taco meat mixture into the taco shells and place into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, standing up. Sprinkle cheese over the top of the taco meat in each shell. Place into the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the tacos are heated through. Remove from the oven and top with any optional condiments for serving.

(Makes 8-10 Servings)

Gluten Free Yellow Cake

We were having a lazy Sunday afternoon when my girls decided it would be a great day to make a cake.  The only problem was that we didn't have a gluten free cake mix in the pantry.  So what to do?  I haven't always had the best of luck baking gluten free goodies from scratch.  I did have a box of Gluten Free Pantry All Purpose Flour so I felt I might have a chance.   

I googled gluten free cake mix recipes and found THIS one on allrecipes.com. 

I was surprised to see mayo on the ingredient list but the picture of a perfect looking cupcake made me want to give it a try.  I must say that it turned out great.  Maybe even better than great!  In fact, I also made another store bought gluten filled box cake for the rest of the family and even I couldn't tell the difference.  I like this recipe because it filled a 9x13 pan.  Most boxed gf mixes are only enough for an 8x8 pan.  I've included my own pictures to show just how lovely it really was.  I used Pillsbury's Funfetti frosting on top. 

1 1/2 cups white rice flour (I used 2 1/4 cup Gluten Free Pantry All Purpose flour instead of the 2 listed flours)
3/4 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon xantham gum
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups white sugar
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and rice flour two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans. (I used a glass 9x13 glass dish.)

2.Mix the white rice flour, tapioca flour (this is where I used my all purpose flour instead), salt, baking soda, baking powder and xanthan gum together and set aside.

3.Mix the eggs, sugar, and mayonnaise until fluffy. Add the flour mixture, milk and vanilla and mix well. Spread batter into the prepared pans.

4.Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 minutes. Cakes are done when they spring back when lightly touched or when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let cool completely then frost, if desired.