The majority of my posts have some reference to waves, ocean, water, etc. but, just like a surfer who needs to take a break from the waves, this post will be taking a break from that theme. We'll be chilling out on the beach so to speak. What do you do when you chill out on the beach? I like to read a book.
The second recipe was the Easy Chocolate Cake on page 269. Anything with “chocolate” in the title gets my attention, so I was really glad Carrie gave me this recipe to try.
I'm so excited to share this book review with you! This month, I was honored to be chosen to test two recipes
from the now-released (early!) "Everything-Gluten-Free-Slow-Cooker-Cookbook" written by Carrie S. Forbes - aka Gingerlemongirl.
I had a few delays in getting started. First delay - I had loaned my large slow
cooker to a friend in June and had to wait to get it back from her. Next delay was realizing that during the
summer, I don’t eat much canned food, and both recipes I was testing required
the use of empty 15-oz cans. After
jotting a message to Carrie, I decided to try wide-mouth canning jars. Off to Wal-Mart to buy some canning jars, get
home, and realize the pint-sized canning jars really are not as wide-mouthed as
I needed. But, since I was running “behind”
I proceeded with the recipes anyway…
The first recipe was the Millet Bread on page 45 of the
cookbook. I greased three pint-sized
mason jars and divided the batter evenly among the jars, and voila - 3 ½ hours
later, I had delicious millet bread! I
loved how the house smelled as this was cooking!
Since my jar was not truly “wide-mouth”, I had to cut the
bread into fourths, like pickle spears, and the sections came out of the jar
easily. This is not what Carrie intended
for her recipe, so please do use the cans as she suggests. Plus, it’s cheaper to buy a bunch of canned
beans or vegetables and make a soup with the contents, than it is to buy the
canning jars that don’t yield the shape loaf you’re wanting here.
However, the shape does not affect the taste and texture. My millet bread “spears” had a great texture
and crumb factor. The flavor reminded me
a little bit of sweet cornbread, like the Jiffy brand in my pre-gluten-free
days, but it was not overpowering. I
will definitely be making this again!
The second recipe was the Easy Chocolate Cake on page 269. Anything with “chocolate” in the title gets my attention, so I was really glad Carrie gave me this recipe to try.
I again used a pint-sized canning jar for part of this
recipe, and I used my 1-quart slow cooker for the remainder, which made this
cute “personal size” cake.
This size slow cooker makes two very generous servings of
cake or four regular size -a perfect sized cake for those celebrations where
the celebrant does not want a lot of cake left over.
I added the mini chocolate chips per Carrie’s “tip box”.
After all, you can never have too much chocolate, right? I also love Carrie’s
suggestion at the top of the page about using this mix as a “gift in a jar”.
This cake was definitely easy, and oh-so-moist!! Not runny
like some “moist” gluten-free cakes. It
held up to the frosting. It was
delicious and satisfied that cupcake craving and chocolate craving at the same
time. How exciting to think you can mix this up before you leave for work, and when you get home, dessert is ready!
BOTH of these recipes "travel well" - I threw them in "ziploc" bags and took them to various functions over the weekend, and they held up nicely. They did not fall apart or turn into crumbs, and they only "protection" they had was the bag.
BOTH of these recipes "travel well" - I threw them in "ziploc" bags and took them to various functions over the weekend, and they held up nicely. They did not fall apart or turn into crumbs, and they only "protection" they had was the bag.
A few days after testing the recipes, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that cookbook orders were shipping early from Amazon. I started tracking my order, and then anxiously
looking out the window all day long on the day of delivery. It felt like Christmas! As soon as it arrived I started leafing
through the recipes. My first thought
was - “so many recipes - where to start?” and my second thought was “I need to
buy more slow cookers!”
I love everything about this cookbook! I love that Carrie uses easy-to-find
ingredients and gives dairy-free ingredient substitutions. I love the trivia, tips and suggestions she
peppers throughout the book. I LOVE that
the nutrition information is included at the bottom of the page for each recipe
- so helpful for those who are on diets where they need to know that
information. I even love the index of
this book! You can find recipes very easily. For example, the “Easy Chocolate
Cake” is found under “chocolate”, “desserts” and “easy chocolate cake” sections
in the back. This may sound trivial, but
believe me, there are some cookbooks that make it very difficult to use their
index.
Even if you don’t have to eat gluten-free, you’d enjoy this
cookbook. As of today’s blog post, this
cookbook is available at Amazon for an unbelievable price - less than $10! So hurry on over to Amazon or your local bookstore and buy this cookbook for yourself and several to give as gifts!
As for me, I’m off to buy or borrow more slow cookers so I
can try more recipes!
"Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him." Psalm 34:8
