How kind the Lord is to allow our D&D ministry to start back up two weekends ago. We returned to a church in Florida for a meeting. It was a great time with these precious people!
After it ended, we had the fun of meeting our daughter, Whitney and her husband, Paul at Disney World! It had been 40 years since we were there, and that was as sponsors for a school trip, so it wasn’t really a true experience of the parks. Paul and Whitney are pro’s, so she planned our trip and we got to go along for the ride (pun intended!).
Since Monday is normally recipe day here on my blog, I’m going to share some of the amazing food we ate while there. The blessing is that though we took in some calories, we walked an average of six to eight miles each day, so we got in plenty of exercise!
We didn’t just eat inside the parks; we went to the different resorts to enjoy their restaurants as well. That was one of the blessings of traveling Disney with seasoned veterans!
Here are the some of the delicious things we enjoyed and the place where we ate it…
When our family went to the Apple orchard in August we picked about Sixteen pounds of apples!
We obviously weren’t going to eat them all fresh from the orchard, so I decided to freeze some of them. The methods I used were simple, and also kept them from turning brown.
This weekend I had the joy of hosting a precious family for Sunday dinner. One of my guests was Gluten-free, so I set about finding a menu that everyone could eat and enjoy. Here’s what I made:
Taco Salad Bar
Lettuce
Grape tomatoes
Red onion
Cheddar Cheese
Corn
Avocado
Chicken Breast
Ground Beef
Dressing
Corn Tortilla Chips
Refried Beans – These are so much better than store bought!
When I seasoned my beef, I failed to check the packaged Taco seasoning and then realized it contained Wheat, so when I cooked the chicken, I made up my homemade Taco Seasoning so it would be safe for the Gluten-free person! It’s so easy to mix together and keep on hand.
In the past, I made a flourless cake, and it was good, but I came across another recipe that was amazing! It’s very rich, so it only takes a thin slice to satisfy the sweet tooth. There were a total of nine of us, and I was so busy hosting that I didn’t get a picture of the food! I was so disappointed when I realized it, but please go to JoyFoodSunshine.com and check out her delicious recipe for this GF cake and also LOTS of detailed instructions.
1 teaspoon Espresso Powder – This will boost the chocolate flavor!
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease one 9” round cake pan (or glass pie plate) and set aside. (Note: I always cut a piece of parchment paper into a circle with “handles” and place it on the bottom of the pan. Then I grease the pan with the parchment paper in it).
In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the water, salt and sugar. Whisk every 60 seconds until completely dissolved and set aside.
Melt the chocolate chips (in the microwave or in a double boiler) and pour into the bowl of a standing mixer.
Cut the butter into 1 Tablespoon pieces and beat it into the chocolate, 1 piece at a time.
Mix in the warm sugar/water mixture until combined.
Slowly beat in the eggs, one at a time until completely smooth.
Add vanilla and espresso powder and mix until just combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan.
Prepare the water bath
Put the 9″ cake pan in a larger pan then put the pans in the preheated oven.
Once in the oven, pour boiling water into the larger, bottom cake pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the 9″ cake pan that contains the flourless chocolate cake.
Bake
Bake the flourless chocolate cake in the water bath at 300 degrees F for 45 minutes. The center will still look a little wet, but the edge will look set and the cake should only jiggle slightly.
Remove the cake from the water bath and let it cool on a wire rack.
Chill overnight
Chill cake overnight (or for at least 6 hours) in the pan.
Serve Carefully lift the parchment paper out of the pan and the cake with it. Put it on a serving plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar! Serve with fresh berries, ice cream, etc!
Above is the first Flourless cake I made and this Truffle cake looks very similar, but the texture is much more creamy! However, it is a little bit lighter, though still a rich dessert.
I’m pretty sure everyone left the table full and happy! I was thankful to find a menu that suited the Gluten-free need, but also tasted delicious! I’ve added this menu to my Gluten-Free recipe Page.
Valentine’s Day begs for a special treat! Since the 14th is just days away, I wanted to share a simple treat that is served up in individual portions. Years ago I made a delicious treat – Salted Caramel Cheesecakes from The Rustic Willow Food blog. These were so delicious and what could be more “Valentines-y” than Cheesecake wrapped in a red wrapper?!
I tweaked the recipe a little, but it’s great which ever way you do it! You can’t go wrong with cheesecake, caramel and chocolate, right? I like this miniature version, because it’s not as intimidating to make as a whole cheesecake that can crack down the middle. These are pretty much fool proof.
Today I’m featuring a pie that I barely mentioned on my blog a long time ago! I recently made this jewel again and was reminded why it was a favorite of ours!
Years ago while living in Indiana, we frequented a restaurant, Lakeview, that served an amazing Peanut Butter Pie. Then one day a friend from church invited us over for dinner and she served Peanut Butter Pie for dessert that tasted exactly like the pie we loved so much! I was so happy when she willingly shared her recipe with me! The “secret” that makes this pie different than many Peanut Butter Pies is the crumbly peanut butter mixture that is hidden under the filling and then also adorns the top of the pie! It’s so good!
RefreshHer 