DreamFarm Archives - MI Gluten Free Gal

Favorite Kitchen Appliances & Accessories

Margaret Clegg — Sun, 01 Dec 2019 11:00:33 +0000

I spend lots of time in my kitchen. Living with a dietary restriction, you quickly learn how to adapt recipes to make life easier, and more delicious! Many of these kitchen appliances have helped me greatly. Others are on my own “wish list,” and I think would help you as well!

Electric Kitchen Appliances

Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, 6 Quart

I purchased this Instant Pot in 2019, and I use it weekly. I love the ability to cook meat from frozen, make porridge overnight, and other amazing things.

KitchenAid Artisan 5 Quart Tilt Head Stand Mixer

It’s true. One doesn’t NEED a KitchenAid stand mixer. However, they make cooking dramatically easier. I seriously don’t know how I lived without one for so long.

Gourmia 7 Quart Air Fryer

My husband and I bought a Gourmia 7 qt air fryer from Costco and we LOVE it. I’ve used it to cook nuggets and fries, but also roast whole chickens.

Ninja SP101 Digital Air Fry Countertop Oven

From Amazon- "8-IN-1 VERSATILITY: The ultimate meal-making machine with 8-in-1 functionality: Air Fry, Air Roast, Air Broil, Bake, Bagel, Toast, Dehydrate, and Keep Warm all in one powerful, 1800-watt appliance. The height of the interior of this machine is approximately 3".

Kitchen Appliances – Waffle Makers

Waffle Makers

DASH Mini Maker for Individual Waffles, 4 Inch, Red

I can’t begin to tell you how much I LOVE this little waffle maker. Make homemade “eggo” waffles for a fraction of the prize of frozen. P.S. Use it to waffle brownie batter and thank me later. (And now I want their Mini Pizzelle Maker!)

Cuisinart WMR-CAP2 Round Classic Waffle Make

Looking to make larger waffles? This Cuisinart model makes large waffles the size of your plate. I also use this waffle maker to cook breaded chicken!

Presto 03510 Ceramic FlipSide Belgian Waffle Maker,Black

This was actually the first waffle maker I ever owned. My grandmother gifted it to us years ago, and we still use it. I love to use it to make easy gluten free cornbread!

CucinaPro Piccolo Pizzelle Baker

Use this pizzelle maker to make pizzelle, cannolis, and your own homemade ice cream cones. Visit GF Jules for her Gluten Free Pizzelle recipe for more ideas!

Favorite Kitchen Cookware

Favorite Cookware

STAUB Braiser with Glass Lid, 3.5-Qt, Cherry

I received a 4 qt Staub Universal Pot years ago as a birthday gift. Their newer 3.5 qt Brasier is a great option, as well. My Staub has quickly become a workhorse in our kitchen. Can be used on the stovetop, in the oven, and is striking as a serving dish.

Lodge 12 inch Cast Iron Skillet

For years we only owned the large skillet. This updated model has a an additional handle, which I wish ours had. Recently, we were gifted a small one and I use it daily. I also recently bought their red silicone handle separately, and it’s been a game changer.

Cuisinart 1-Quart Saucepan

Living in a household of two, I use this daily. I cook small batches of rice, prepare Full Flavor Foods gravies and cheese sauce mixes, or boil 2 or 3 eggs.

Wilton Non-Stick 6-Cavity Donut Baking Pans, 2-Count

I “donut” know anyone that doesn’t like a good doughnut. I’ve owned these Wilton donut pans for years and can’t recommend them enough. Perfect for this basic gluten free donut recipe.

Kitchen Appliances – Baking Gadgets

Baking Gadgets

Wilton Cookie Cutters Set, 101-Piece

I bought this cookie cutter set when my niece and nephew were 4 years old. They’re now 22! Durable and color organized by season, this cookie cutter set will have you baking up a storm.

Totally Bamboo Rolling Pin, 20.5-Inch

I bought this a few years ago and I LOVE it. Despite its length, it is lightweight and easy to use.

OXO Good Grips 11-Pound Stainless Steel Food Scale with Pull-Out Display

If you hate doing dishes, you need a kitchen scale. (Imagine all the measuring cups you won’t have to wash!) This allows precise measurements for perfect baked goods.

Talisman Designs Baking Pie Crust Shield Protector

I never successfully keep my pie crusts from over cooking. We all need to add this adjustable pie shield to our wish list. I know I am!

Small But Mighty Kitchen Accessories

Small But Mighty Kitchen Gadgets

Dreamfarm Mini Supoon

I’m sure you’re thinking, “it’s just a spoon.” But this spatula / spoon combo cleans the remnants in your peanut butter jar with ease. Waste not, want not. The larger Supoon also has tsp and tbsp markings.

Planit Toast A Bags

These bags are perfect for “gluten free on the go.” It prevents cross contact from crumbs in toasters. Toast your bread and bagels, and even use them to reheat pizza slices!

HIC Kitchen Snap Ball Tea Infuser

Confession. I don’t use this for tea. I use it dust muffin pans with flour, or sift powdered sugar on top of desserts. Of course, you can also use it to make tea. I like organic Fraser Teas!

Bodum Chambord French Press 1 Liter, 34 Ounce,

As we look towards good ecology practices, this coffee pot makes coffee without filters. This La Colombe video also shows how to use the plunger as a milk frother. My husband takes this on all our trips!

Hopefully this give you some tips for your own kitchen, or others on your shopping list. If you’re looking for what to cook, check out my list of my favorite gluten free cookbooks, many which accommodate additional food allergens.

**All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not paid to mention these brands. However, this post does contain affiliate links. Purchases made through those links help support this blog with no extra expense to you. For more of my favorite products, visit my Amazon Storefront. Thank you for your continued support!**

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Gluten Free Upside Down Cake

Margaret Clegg — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 12:30:38 +0000

This year I attempted my first ever gluten free upside down cake. Well, truly my first upside down cake, EVER. It turned out fantastic! I’m excited to share it, and our family’s basic recipe with you.

This Recipe Uses One Measuring Cup

This simple recipe for a gluten free upside down cake originates with my husband’s grandmother. This recipe’s uniqueness stems from its usage of mainly one measuring device. A one cup measuring cup, in fact. He told me about this “heaping cup, scant cup” years ago and it fascinated me.

As you’ve seen me state before, measuring flour should be an exact task. One should spoon the gluten free flour into a cup and then level it off. (This Levup from DreamFarm makes that easy with a built in leveler.) However, this recipe throws that knowledge to the wind. If grandma say “heaping cup of flour,” that’s what we’ll do!

How much is a heaping cup of flour? Approximately 1 1/4 cup.

So Easy It Worked the First Time

One thing I wish to accomplish with this blog is to make old things new. To allow you to remake old recipes you loved, before you started this gluten free journey. Also, I want to show that just because we follow a strict diet doesn’t mean there’s not room for creativity.

Would you believe I’ve never made an upside down cake? My grandmother made many cakes when I was a child. However, I don’t remember even eating pineapple upside down cake once. So I decided this would be my year to do so. And when I had leftover cherries from my Gluten Free Cherry Chocolate Chunk Cookie photos, I decided it was time.

No cherry pitter? No problem! I simply used a paring knife to cut my cherries into fourths

How Much Baking Powder per Cup of Flour?

So, I wanted to get this gluten free upside down cake started. However, my husband was fast asleep in the recliner, and the recipe was in his noggin’. Therefore, I called my mother-in-law to ask her. Since the quick cake base originated with HER mother-in-law, she wasn’t sure of the ingredients either.

Luckily, he woke up while we were on the phone. As I started to relay the recipe to her over the phone, she started to jot it down herself. None of us were certain on how much baking powder, salt or vanilla. After searching the internet for rations and discussing things further, we arrived at a recipe.

What’s the ratio of baking powder to flour? 1 tsp baking powder per 1 cup flour

How Long Should You Bake an Upside Down Cake?

While we all agreed on the cake portion, the fruit portion left me a bit stumped. I relied heavily on The Kitchn’s “How to Make an Upside Down Cake with Almost Any Fruit.” They state to melt the butter and sugar in the pan, then place the fruit on top. My husband says grandma mixed the fruit in with the sugar.

I did it the Kitchn’s way. They stated to cook it for 40-45 minutes. I did it for 30 minutes. However, when I flipped it over, the center was undercooked. I magically managed to flip it back into the pan and bake it for another 10 minutes, which did the trick. For a rookie, I sure lucked out.

Just Like Grandma Used to Make

Again, never having made a gluten free upside down cake before, I relied on my husband’s taster for an opinion. He stated “That’s exactly what an upside down cake is supposed to taste like!” I’d like to think grandma would be proud.

This is one of just many family recipes I’ve recreated from my husband’s family. If you like lemon, try my mother in law’s Gluten Free Layer Cake filled with homemade Lemon Curd. Prefer chocolate? Try my Gluten Free Wacky Cake recipes, which also happens to be egg and dairy free. Not into sweet stuff? Try Grandpa’s Gluten Free Buckwheat bread recipe.

Gluten Free Upside Down Cake

Equipment

Ingredients

Heaping cup of gluten free flour blend 1 1/4 cup (I used gluten free Cup 4 Cup flour)
Scant cup of sugar 3/4 cup
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

In a one cup measuring cup, mix together

1 egg
2 tbsp oil
then fill the rest with milk
1 tsp vanilla

For the fruit “topping”

3 tbsp melted butter
1 c sugar
2 cups of fruit I used 10 oz of fresh cherries, quartered

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
In a one cup measuring cup, add a cracked egg and beat. To that, add 2 tbsp oil of choice, and mix. Finally, fill the rest of that one cup measuring cup with milk. Add to dry ingredients and mix well.
Add vanilla to batter and blend. Set aside.
In a 9 inch round baking pan, melt butter. I did so placing it in the oven while it heated. To that, I added the sugar, stirred it carefully, and returned it to the oven to stay warm.
Prepare your fruit by chopping it into smaller pieces. You should have approximately 2 to 3 cups. I simply used enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
Remove warm pan of butter and sugar from the oven, and add fruit on top.
Next, pour batter over fruit, and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.
After removing from the oven, place a plate or platter over the top of the pan, and flip it over onto the plate. Do so shortly after removing it from the oven, or the sugar will harden, making it difficult to remove from the pan.

**Dreamfarm sent me some of their products to try, for free. I was not otherwise compensated for this post. However, this post does contain Amazon affiliate links. Anything purchased through them does credit me with a small portion of the sale. It does not, however, affect your cost.**

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