Katie

Chocolate Cupcakes

2009-12-09T19:39:00.014-05:00

It's been a long time since I've posted anything on here...but I thought this warranted a post. Today at my work we had a cupcake competition..."The Ultimate Cupcake Warrior" We literally had over 100 cupcakes! This was my first attempt at a new chocolate cupcake recipe and it was really good...the cupcakes were moist and fluffy! Check out the pics of my cupcakes, the other entries, and the judges deliberating! I didn't win...but I was the only gluten free one...at least mine were unique! :-)

I used Martha Stewarts Snowman Cupcake idea, which you can find [HERE] and below is the chocolate cupcake recipe, enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1 package Bob's Red Mill gluten-free chocolate cake mix
2/3 cup applesauce (you can make you own, if you wish)
1/3 cup milk (this works with soy or rice milk too)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (apple cider vinegar works too)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup hot water (110°)
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preparing for baking. Preheat the oven to 350°. Bring all the ingredients to room temperature. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners.

2. Making the batter. In the bowl of the stand mixer, start beating the butter until it is creamy. Add the cake mix, the applesauce, the milk, the lemon juice, and the eggs. Beat at low speed for 30 seconds, scraping down the sides when necessary. Raise the speed to low-medium and let it run for another moment. Add the hot water and the vanilla extract. Run the mixer for one more minute, scraping down the sides.

3. Baking the cupcakes. Carefully spoon the cupcake batter into the prepared muffin tins. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the cupcakes. (In our oven, the regular-sized cupcakes took 17 minutes, the jumbo ones 20 minutes.) Allow them to cool in the cupcake tin for 10 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack and let them sit for another 20 minutes before eating.

Cookie Dough Icecream!

2009-08-26T19:22:00.003-04:00

I've found myself very busy after graduation but I had to post about this find. Gluten free cookie dough icecream...how fun! This might be old news but this is the first time I've seen it. It's by a brand called Turtle Mountain–Purely Decadent, and they are also dairy free! You can check out their website [HERE]

I graduated!

2009-06-23T14:08:00.004-04:00

Well, I haven't blogged in over a month! I've been busy trying to graduate, and I finally have! Here are some photos from my portfolio show and graduation.

Also, check out my new website: www.katiedierkes.com

Lemon Chicken

2009-05-10T23:07:00.005-04:00

This was really tasty! I used skinless chicken breast even though the recipe calls for chicken parts with skin. It was good this way too!

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs chicken parts (thighs and legs recommended), skin-on, bone-in, trimmed of excess fat.
2 Tbsp lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp fresh chopped thyme (or teaspoons dried)
1 Tbsp fresh chopped rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2-3 Tbsp melted butter
Lemon slices for garnish

Directions:

1. Place lemon juice, lemon peel, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper in a small bowl, whisk to combine. With the tip of a sharp knife, cut into each chicken piece one or two times by about 1/2 an inch. Place the chicken pieces and the marinade in a gallon-sized freezer bag. Rotate the bag so that all the chicken pieces are coated with the marinade. Seal the bag and place in a bowl in the refrigerator. Let marinate for at least 2 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 425. Remove chicken from marinade and place in a single layer in a large baking dish, skin side up. Reserve the marinade. Use a pastry brush to brush a little melted butter on to each piece of chicken.

3. Bake for a total of 50-55 minutes, until the skins are crispy brown and the chicken is cooked through, juices running clear. (Because I used skinless chicken breast mine was done in about 30 minutes) Halfway through the baking, baste the chicken pieces generously with reserved marinade. Let rest, covered in foil, for 10 minutes before serving.

4. Pour the juices from the pan into a serving bowl. Serve the chicken with the juices on the side or a little poured over the top of the chicken.

Home Fries

2009-05-10T23:00:00.004-04:00

These were yummy!! I found the recipe at allrecipes.com, you can either click [HERE] or see below!

Ingredients:

4 large Yukon Gold Potatoes
6 tablespoons butter
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and chop.

2. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, green bell pepper and garlic, and cook until tender, 5-10 minutes.

3. Mix potatoes and remaining butter into the saucepan. Season with paprika, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until well mixed and tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Cover while cooking if moist potatoes are preferred.

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Mixes

2009-05-07T20:29:00.003-04:00

I got an email from my cousin with a photo of her with three gluten free Betty Crocker mixes! I can not wait to try these! Looks like I'll be able to really soon! yay!

Check out more info [HERE]

Go Picnic

2009-05-06T16:05:00.008-04:00

I got this Go Picnic at the Gluten Free Cooking Spree the other night. It's pretty neat! Not only is it gluten free, it is also casein free, vegetarian and halal. Go Picnic comes in all different varieties but this one in particular was the Safari Munch and came with chips, salsa, strawberry applesauce, cookies, some other little snackies and even a hand wipe and a temporary tattoo!

You can check out other varieties [HERE]

I really liked the convenience of it! The chips and salsa were my fav! Although, the cookies and temporary tattoo were a close second :-)

The G-Free Diet

2009-05-05T13:39:00.007-04:00

Elizabeth Hasselbeck, one of the hosts of The View who also has celiac disease has been out promoting her new book The G-Free Diet. I have so many books on celiac and the gluten free diet, but I might have to get this one too! Click [HERE] to see her promoting the book on ABC's Good Morning America.

Starbucks Valencia Orange Cake

2009-05-04T14:02:00.004-04:00

Starting tomorrow Starbucks will offer a gluten free pastry and I got a chance to try the Valencia Orange Cake at the Gluten Free Cooking Spree I went to in Bethesda this past Friday. It was yummy, not dry at all! Check out your local Starbucks tomorrow for a taste!

Gluten Free Cooking Spree

2009-05-02T23:12:00.005-04:00

This Friday I went to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness Gluten Free Cooking Spree in Bethesda, Maryland. I've never been to this event before but it was pretty awesome!

The event is held to raise awareness of celiac disease and gives us gluties a chance to eat some yummy gluten free food! Top chefs, doctors and reporters were put on teams of three which included one chef, one doctor and one reporter and each team worked to create the best gluten-free dish.

There were 9 teams with chefs from different restaurants in the DC area which included, Wildfire Restaurant, Jaleo, Zengo, Pete's New HAven Style Apizza, Peacock Grand Cafe, Lilit Cafe, Hyatt Regency Bethesda, Sweet Sin and Legal Sea Foods.

Each of these teams came up with yummy dishes like...bacon wrapped scallops, pizza, crab cakes, lamb chops and paella!

There were also several doctors present that gave some really interesting presentations. Did you know that celiac disease is diagnosed in 1 in 4 people in Australia? We are way behind in the US and the amount of time between onset of symptoms and diagnosis is 9+ years in the US! Hopefully with more events like this, that will change.

I had a great time! I also got to take home a bunch of gluten free products! and I brought my boyfriend so I got two of everything :-) Lucky me!

Grilled Tuscan Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon

2009-04-27T10:54:00.005-04:00

This was super delicious. I recommend marinating the chicken overnight, but it's great either way!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary or 1 Tbsp. dried rosemary
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves coarse salt and ground pepper
chicken breasts
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Heat the grill to medium.
2. In a small saucepan, bring 1/3 c. water and the rosemary to a boil; remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 5 minutes.
3. Transfer to a blender. Add the oil and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth; let cool.
4. Combine the chicken and the rosemary oil in a shallow dish or resealable plastic bag, and turn to coat. Cover, and let marinate for at least 15 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator, turning the chicken occasionally.
5. Remove the chicken from the marinade; place on the grill. Discard the marinade. Cook, basting frequently with the lemon juice and turning as needed to prevent burning, until cooked throughout, 20-30 minutes.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-04-07T15:25:00.003-04:00

I found the recipe for these cookies on Madison Paper's Blog. They are soooo yummy! I snapped a picture from my phone so they don't look nearly as good as they taste!

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
9 oz. GF chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream together all ingredients except the chocolate chips. Add chocolate chips.
3. Roll the cookies into medium sized balls on a greased cookie sheet. Flatten with fork.
4. Bake 9-10 minutes. Cool about 10 minutes before removing from cookie sheet.
5. Enjoy!

Coastal Flats

2009-04-01T16:17:00.007-04:00

Last night I had dinner and a movie with my two girlfriends. We enjoyed a lovely dinner at Coastal Flats, located in Tysons Corner Mall in Mclean, VA. We had super great service and they even offered a gluten-free menu! I had a grilled chicken breast and some very yummy mashed potatoes (not pictured).

After dinner we headed to Monsters vs. Aliens 3D, it was awesome!

Check out Coastal Flats [HERE] They also have a location in the Fairfax area.

The Bluegrass Grill and Bakery/OkayYellow Party!

2009-03-29T16:56:00.013-04:00

I was in Charlottesville this Friday for my older brother's companies 3 year anniversary party. Okayyellow is an advertising firm my brother started with two of his good friends. They are pretty awesome, you should check out their site by clicking [HERE]

My parents came down for the occasion and this is the whole fam all yellowed out :-) The men got yellow ties and the woman yellow scarves. You can't tell here, but I even painted my nails yellow!

Anyway, Charlottesville is a pretty cool town and we headed out for breakfast at this cute little place the next morning, The Bluegrass Grill and Bakery. While they did not offer anything specifically gluten free, they were very aware of the gluten free diet and able to accommodate it no problem. (they were aware of cross-contamination issues and even brought out our food separately from everyone elses)

I ordered some delicious scrambled eggs, bacon and home fries with a side of fruit and my sister ordered an omlette and fries. We also had some tea that came in an adorable pot :-)

Amy's Kids Meals

2009-03-24T12:46:00.006-04:00

I've been told by my sister that I should blog about how yummy Amy's gluten-free kids meals are! I'll take her word for it. Also...she mentioned they come with a fake tattoo!! ha :-)

UPDATE: Turns out only the Baked Ziti version is gluten free!

Shepherds Pie

2009-03-15T17:06:00.010-04:00

This recipe is delicious...I left out all the vegetables because I'm super picky but feel free to add all sorts of vegetable goodness!

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 lb. sirloin tips
1 Tbsp of shortening or butter
3 cups of GF beef broth (I use Pacific Natural Foods beef broth)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp GF flour or corn starch
1 small onion

Topping:

4 large potatoes
2 Tbsp butter
milk or heavy cream

Directions:

Filling:

1. Coat the sirloin tips in GF flour, salt and pepper.
2. Brown sirloin tips on medium heat in a 12 inch skillet. Chop onion and add.
3. Add 3 cups GF beef broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until beef is tender.

Topping:

1. Peel, cube and boil potatoes for 15-20 minutes.
2. Drain water and add butter.
3. Mash and add milk until desired consistency.

Combine:

1. Pour stew into a medium sized casserole dish and cover with mashed potatoes.
2. Broil until potatoes begin to brown.

Peanut Butter Bars

2009-02-28T22:21:00.006-05:00

Ingredients:

1 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups gluten-free graham cracker crumbs (I used Josef's gluten-free cinnamon graham crackers)
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
4 tablespoons peanut butter

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter or margarine, GF graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.

2. In a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the 4 tablespoons of peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T19:06:00.004-05:00

Cinnamon Toasties

2009-02-14T16:45:00.006-05:00

I've blogged about these before. The recipe comes from Erin McKenna from Babycakes Vegan Bakery in NYC. I altered the recipe a little bit so I didn't have to buy new flour, and it still turned out pretty tasty. A bit spongy, but quite scrumptious!

1/2 cup canola oil, plus more for pan
1 1/4 cup GF flour mixture**
1/2 cup potato starch
1 1/4 cups unrefined sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup store-bought unsweetened applesauce

Gluten Free Flour Mixture**

1.5 cups white rice flour
1.5 cups corn starch
1 cup tapioca flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Brush a 6 3/4-by-4 1/4-by-2 3/4-inch loaf pan with oil; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, potato starch, arrowroot, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum, and 1 tablespoon cinnamon.
In a medium bowl, stir together oil, applesauce, and 1 cup hot water. Add oil mixture to flour mixture; stir until well combined. Measure out 1/3 cup of batter and place in a small bowl. Pour remaining batter into prepared loaf pan. Stir remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon into reserved batter. Add to loaf pan, swirling to combine.
Transfer to oven and bake about 20 minutes. Brush top of loaf with oil and continue baking until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack before unmolding.

ZPizza

2009-01-27T23:57:00.005-05:00

Looks like gluten-free pizza is becoming more and more popular! Zpizza which has 16 locations in Virginia and many many more all over the US has now started serving gluten-free pizza. I think I'll try out their Arlington or Dulles location. I'll let you know how it goes! :-)

Oh and it looks like they deliver...now that's even more exciting.

For more of their locations click [HERE]

For their website click [HERE]

Uno's Gluten Free Pizza!

2009-01-20T10:32:00.006-05:00

I just read this post over at Gluten Free Fun. Uno's Chicago Grill is now offering gluten free pizza! That is awesome! Of course my main concern is, can it really be gluten free? No cross contamination in a kitchen full of gluten?? I guess I'll have to go to my local Uno's and find out...either way, this is very exciting news! The awareness for Celiac and gluten intolerance is growing...and that makes me happy!

UPDATE:

I tried Uno's pizza tonight and it was AWESOME! It's so cool to know I can get pizza whenever I want and I don't have to make it myself!! I think I might make this a weekly thing :-)

Uno's also has a lot of other gluten free options and even icecream for dessert. I think they should think about having a gluten free brownie dessert next! ;-)

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

2009-01-19T09:52:00.005-05:00

This is ridiculously easy, and really tasty. I love the way the rice turns out. I'm a really picky eater so I left out the veggies but I'm sure they make it better :-)

Ingredients:

1 can GF Cream of Chicken Soup (I use Health Valley)
1 1/3 cups water
3/4 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
2 cups fresh or frozen vegetables
1/2 tsp. onion powder
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Stir soup, water, rice, vegetables and onion powder in 12"x18" shallow baking dish.

2. Top with chicken. Season chicken as desired. Cover.

3. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 min. or until done. Top with cheese. Makes 4 servings.

Baby Shower Cake + Cupcakes

2009-01-10T23:16:00.014-05:00

I had a chance to bake and decorate some cupcakes and a cake for a baby shower. (gluten-free of course!) The colors were pink, brown, beige and gold. I think I managed to cover them all! This was my first experience using fondant for the icing on the cake, it was fun!

Cookies!

2009-01-07T19:54:00.008-05:00

I've been baking a lot for a school project, check out the pics..thanks to my photographer friend John!

Skillet Macaroni and Cheese

2009-01-01T18:09:00.005-05:00

I tried this macaroni and cheese for the first time tonight and it was to die for! (and super easy)

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked GF pasta (1 bag)
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons GF all-purpose flour (I use Pamela's Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix)
1 1/2 cups half and half cream
3/4 pound processed cheese (Velveeta), cubed
pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook macaroni according to the package directions.
2. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth.
3. Gradually add cream; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat.
4. Stir in cheese until melted.
5. Drain macaroni; add cheese mixture. Cook and stir for 3-4 minutes or until heated through. Add pepper to taste.