Strawberry Angel Dessert

While on the topic of great summery foods, of course a few favorites of my family include dessert recipes! This one combines the delectable flavor of fresh strawberries, cool whip, Junket strawberry dessert, and MMMMM angel food cake! It is of course a must-have and is so popular with friends/family that we have actually gotten requests for this to be substituted instead of buying people gifts/money for graduation presents. (of course then it is not set out at the open house, but savored later). Of course, the best way is to make it with Dunken Hines Angel Food Cake Mix, but due to the dang gluten, we have had to experiment with our own cake recipe. This actually makes the dessert even more fun to make and gives it a bit more homeley of a feel. (however, does take a bit longer to make, but not bad!)
Gluten Free Angel Food Cake
1/4 cup Rice Flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1 tsp xanthan
12 egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
2 T vanilla
1 T almond extract
1 1/2 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 325. Separate egg whites from yolks and place in steel bowl of your mixer. In another bowl, sift the flours, salt, xanthan, and 3/4 cup sugar, set aside. Beat the egg whites until foamy, then add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Beat in other 3/4 c sugar, 1/8 cup at a time and continue to beat on high until stiff peaks form. Slowly fold in the flour mixture, about 1/4 cup at a time. Then, fold in the vanilla and almond extract. Pour batter into pan and bake for 50-55 minutes until the top is golden. Remove from oven, flip cake pan upside-down (we balance it on three upside-down cereal bowls) and let cool.

While the cake is baking, prepare the Junket Dessert. We use 2 of the boxes of Junket Strawberry Danish Dessert Mix and prepare them according to directions on the box:

Stir contents of both packages into 3 1/2 cups of cold water in a medium-large saucepan. Bring to a full boil and let boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from stove-top and let cool.

Strawberry Angel Dessert Recipe:

1 GF Angel Food Cake
Junket Strawberry Dessert Mix
1 container light cool whip
1 quart fresh strawberries

Once the cake has cooled, slice it into thin slices (about 1/2 inch thick). Mix the sliced strawberries into the cooled (can still be warm) Junket mix.

Place about 1/3 of the cake on the bottom of a 9 in round dish or 9x9 pan. Next, cover the cake with a layer of about 1/3 of the strawberry mixture. Cover this with about 1/3 of the cool whip. Repeat for two more layers. If you have extra strawberries (or even blueberries for a special RedWhiteBlue treat), arrange them in a decorative manner on top of the final layer of cool whip.
Dig in and enjoy! (to keep, refrigerate it or it may get a bit soupy)

**Also, in the pictures shown, we decided to experiment and use frozen raspberries instead of strawberries. For this, just use Raspberry Junket and about 5 cups of frozen berries. We were a bit skeptical as we love the strawberry version so much, but it was very good as well, and a big hit with non GF friends as well!

Rice Medley

Finally weather up here in Michigan is beginning to warm up, and the farmers markets/grocery stores are beginning to bring in the oh-so-good fresh local fruits and veggies. I love Michigan winters and the diverse seasons (I know, I'm ones of "those" crazy people who absolutely LOVE snow and cold!), but one of my favorite things about northern Michigan is the produce that comes out in the summer. My family is addicted to fruits and veggies as it is and when they are locally grown and fresh....ahh you just can't stop us!

This light and summery dish therefore speaks right to us and it becomes no surprise that it has long been a family favorite. My mom and dad had something like it when they lived in Iowa and did not stop experimenting until they created their own spectacular version of what we now call "Rice Medley." It is great anytime, but especially spectacular with fresh summer tomatoes!!! MMM! It is naturally gluten free (with the exception of having to use gluten free soy sauce) and is also a great dish for vegetarians.


1 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice (about 4 1/2 cups cooked)
3-4 large carrots, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 large green pepper
1 container fresh mushrooms, sliced
3-5 tomatoes, sliced
2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Gluten Free Soy Sauce

Lightly grease a 9x13 pan. Cook the rice until chewy (we steam it, but any way works). Dump the cooked rice into the pan and add the shredded carrots. Mix these together, sprinkle with soy sauce, and spread out evenly into the pan. Slice the green peppers and lay out on the rice/carrot mixture. Cover this completely with the sliced mushrooms and then cover with sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle the cheese over the top to completely cover everything (you may need more than 2 cups, we just dump and sprinkle)
Place in the oven at 350 F and bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown on the edges.
Enjoy!!



We often just have this dish by itself, but when serving men or if we want to incorporate a bit more protein into the meal, we will often serve it with chicken on the side. We simply cut up chicken breast into strips or stir fry size pieces and saute it in a small amount of soy sauce. Great as well!

Raspberry Fluff

With the season of open houses, summer BBQs, cookouts, and reunions approaching fast, I cant help but laugh at the silly traditions that coincide these festive times. It seems like no matter what the occasion or who's involved, there are always certain 'expectations' that are givens for everyone involved.
For example, if a certain person or family is invited, everyone else just expects that person to bring their 'specialty'. If you are the one who always make the corn casserole, by god you better bring that to susie's open house. If you feel like experimenting, fine, but the experiment better be in addition to your traditional piece, or BIG trouble. The traditional specialties vary from person to person and group to group, but I really think that almost everyone must have something that they are at some time just expected to provide.

For my family, this unique jello salad is our "must bring." I have to admit we have tried to (or at least talked of it) mix up our contribution to open houses and christmas parties in the past, but the wrath that followed was enough to ensure the presence of raspberry fluff forevermore. Even to those who are not as familiar with it, when we ask the good old "what can we bring," chances are, if theyve tried it, the answer is "RASPBERRY FLUFF!" Then, at that event, 10 more people comment on how fresh and yummy it is, and the cycle goes on.... :)

So without any further adue... here is probably one of my all-time favorite dishes. This is a type of jello salad I guess, but it is truly unique in its fresh taste and fruity flavor. I cant really explain it any better, so I guess the rest of the evaluation is up to you!

1 large (6oz) package raspberry jello
1 small (3oz) package raspberry jello
1 large (6oz) package orange jello
5 cups boiling water
4 packages (10oz each) frozen strawberries
1 jar (20oz) chunky applesauce
5 cups miniature marshmallows
1 large (12 oz) coolwhip

Dissolve jello in 5 cups boiling water in a LARGE bowl. Add frozen strawberries, stir. Add chunky applesauce and stir. Let sit until slightly set, then stir in marshmallows and coolwhip. Spoon into jello molds, serving bowls, or 9x13 pans. Refrigerate until fully set.