Flag Cake

Repost from last year: Since this weekend is the 4th of July I thought it would be a good idea to show you again the flag cake. When I saw the demonstration on how to put a flag cake together here, it looked so fun. I knew I could make it a healthy cake. And I wanted to make it for the 4th of July. I'm posting it now because I live in Utah and we still have our statehood celebration coming up on the 24th. So it can be made again. If you live outside of Utah keep this in mind for next year. :]

It doesn't have food coloring, which is nice because in the original recipe you have to use tons of red food coloring to make the stripes, and it's made from a cake mix. You really can't tell very well in the picture the white and red stripes, white is on the bottom layer, then red, white, and red again. I guess you could put a few drops in this cake if you wanted to make them a little more visible. The only thing I wish I would have done different is frost it the day I served it. I frosted it the night before because I wouldn't have time the next day and the frosting started to blend into the layers. Other than that it was a very moist, yummy berry cake! Have fun with it!

Low Gluten Flag Cake

Ingredients

2 cups LG flour mix

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon xantham gum

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cup evaporated cane juice

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup applesauce

2 eggs

1 cup rice milk

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

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3/4 cup applesauce

3/4 cup blueberry puree

3/4 cup strawberry puree
Directions

Preheat oven to 350*F. Grease and line bottom of three 9" round cake pans with parchment paper.

In two separate bowls (you're making a double batch, the recipe above is for a single batch) mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, xantham gum, salt, and evaporated cane juice. Then add eggs, oil, applesauce, rice milk, and vanilla and mix well. Divide the batters into thirds, about 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups, into three separate bowls (If there is left over batter you can make cupcakes). In one bowl add 3/4 cup applesauce, this will be your white layer, and mix well. In a second bowl add 3/4 cup blueberry puree, this will be your blue layer, and mix well. In a third bowl add 3/4 cup strawberry puree, this will be your red layer, and mix well. Bake each cake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely. Take another piece of parchment paper and top each cake with it, then wrap in plastic wrap and freeze over night.

How to assemble:

Take cakes out of freezer. Allow to sit on counter for a few minutes to thaw slightly. Remove plastic wrap and parchment paper. Take white and red layers and cut in half length wise. Put one half of a red layer on plate and frost and very thin layer of white cream cheese frosting. Place one of the white layers on top and frost a thin layer also. Off to the side stack the remaining red and white layers on top of each other and place the full blue cake on top of them. Take a bowl, about 3" in diameter, and place it upside down on top of the three layers. Take a long knife and while holding the bowl in place, cut down through all layers of cake along the out side edge of the bowl. When finished take the outside part of the blue layer and place it on top of the slightly frosted white layer of cake. Frost the inside edges of the blue layer. Next take the inside round part of the last red layer and put it into the round hole of the frosted blue layer. Thinly frost the top of the red layer. Then take the inside round part of the last white layer and put on top of the red layer inside the blue layer. Frost the entire cake, top and sides. You can choose to top cake with extra blueberries and strawberries or just leave all white. You can either throw away the remaining pieces of cake or make them into a trifle. I did the trifle option, I post that recipe later.

This cake is a huge hit at any 4th of July party. It is a big surprise to see the flag on the inside when you cut into it. Have fun and enjoy and healthier alternative!

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Was the wait too much for you? :] These ice cream sandwiches are so incredibly delicious! The cookies, from Tuesday, are so soft and chewy similar to store bought ice cream sandwiches. But remember these are practically fat free! Even after 6 weeks of being in the freezer the cookies are immediately soft while the ice cream stays frozen. They didn't taste like freezer burn either!!

I used Rice Dream and Almond Dream 'ice cream', though it is really dairy free. There are many different varieties. The ones I like the best so far in the ice cream sandwiches are; Mint Carob Chip, Carob Almond, Strawberry (my children really liked this one), and vanilla. I haven't tried praline crunch yet, it's just my favorite one and I wanted you to see one of each brand. :]

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ingredients

Chocolate Chocolate cookie, found here

Your choice of ice cream

Plastic rap

Directions

Take two cookies that are similar in size (make sure they are completely cooled down). Flip them over. Take a scoop of slightly melted ice cream and place it in the middle of the bottom side of one of the cookies. Take the second cookie and place the bottom of it on the opposite side of the scoop of ice cream. Slightly smash cookies together until the ice cream comes to the edges of the cookies. Wrap in plastic rap, place on a cookie sheet, and put in freezer. Do not stack them until the ice cream is frozen again. Once the ice cream is refrozen you can take the ice cream sandwiches off the cookies sheet. Enjoy this extremely low fat, low gluten, guilt free treat!

Potato Salad

I like potato salad, but I do not like store bought potato salad at all. I don't like pickles that much so maybe that is why. But then again this recipe, that I got from my amazing mother, has pickle juice in it. So maybe it is because I like simple potato salad. They put way too many things in store bought potato salad. I like how simple this recipe is and yet it has a very yummy flavor to it. When ever I take it to BBQ's I get tons of good comments about it. People are always shocked when I tell them what is in it. They can't believe that that is it. So if you're looking for a potato salad that is extremely easy to make with lots of wonderful flavor, you've come to the right place. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Potato Salad

Ingredients

16 medium potatoes

14 hard boiled eggs, peeled

1 3/4 cup Fat Free Mayonnaise

1 1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1 1/4 teaspoon mustard

3 tablespoon honey

4 tablespoons pickle juice

Directions
Wash potatoes. Place potatoes in large pot, cover with water, and boil on stove top until you can insert a butter knife easily into the potatoes. Drain water and let cool. In the mean time, in a medium bowl combine Mayonnaise, celery salt, mustard, honey, and pickle juice. Make sure the honey gets completely dissolved. Set aside. Once the potatoes are cooled, peel and then cube. Then cube hard boiled eggs. Combine potatoes, eggs, and sauce in a medium size bowl, making sure the potatoes and eggs are completely covered. Place in fridge until ready to serve.

Logan and Brin's Favorite Salad

(I didn't know my camera had a dirty lens when I took this)

We have been making this fun and yummy salad for a few years now. It is my children's favorite salad, so it is named after them. I know there are a lot of different ways to make it with different dressings, this is just the way we like to make it. When I make it, I make a lot and it doesn't last that long. It is a perfect side dish for grilled chicken and veggies. Or to take to a baby or bridal shower, because you can make it ahead of time and it can be left out on the counter longer than potato salad can. I've taken it many places and people always ask me for the recipe. It's so simple and easy to make. Hope you enjoy it too.

Logan and Brin's Favorite Salad

Ingredients

1 package whole wheat Rotini, rice penne noodles.

2 small package cherry tomatoes

3 cups medium cheddar cheese, cubed and separated

1 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

2 cans whole olives, drained

2 cups broccoli, chopped

2 cucumbers, peeled and cubed

1 16 oz jar Kraft Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette dressing

Directions

Cook Rotini according to package directions. After draining the water, rinse well with cold water. (This helps to get off the extra starch and cool the noodles faster) When noodles are cold put into large bowl. Add tomatoes, cheddar cheese, olives, broccoli, and cucumbers. Pour half of the dressing and half of the Parmesan cheese on top and stir well. Next add the remainder of the cheese and a little more of the dressing, about 1/4 of what is left, and stir well. Taste it and see if it is wet enough for your liking. If you think it needs more dressing then add more. It's all about how you like it! Served chilled.

*If serving it the next day you will need to add a little more of the dressing or don't add it until right before serving. It tends to dry out just a little over night.

Variations:

You can take and add different things to this salad. You can add cooked, grilled, chicken and make it more of a main dish. In the fall I add my own cherry tomatoes with small pear tomatoes. I've put sliced sweet bell pepper in it. What ever vegetable you like. Have fun with it.