Glazed Over

The other day a box of Krispy Kreme donuts was delivered to my door. A fundraiser was happening through a friend, so I signed up for a dozen donuts... for my mom. You see, she is the President of the Krispy Kreme Donut Fan Club.

OK, not really.

But if there was a KKDFC, she would most definitely be the President. I don't think she can drive past a KKD store without stopping. Thankfully, they aren't in the local area so she can only stop when she's traveling... which is a very good thing, because she would be a very large woman, indeed.

She was incredibly kind about having them in the house, never eating one upstairs in my presence. Although watching someone eat a "regular" food doesn't bother me anymore (except for pizza, eating that in front of me is just plain MEAN) she is always sensitive to my gf status.

So, although I never saw one of the donuts, they did get me thinking... about glaze. There is just something about a glazed donut. The slightly set, yet still soft glaze that covers it sends a donut over the top.

Glaze.

I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I decided to do something about it.

Below you will find a once-glutenous-now-gf cake recipe called "Honey Bun Cake"... complete with.... you guessed it... GLAZE.

Here's the thing, though. It will be tempting to shove your face right into the pan after glazing. Don't do that. Two reasons.

First, searing hot cake.

Second, it actually tastes even better after it has completely cooled.

Trust me, it will be worth the wait.

My apologies for the terrible photo. After waiting and waiting for this cake to cool, I must confess my mind was NOT focused on getting a good shot. It was focused on EATING IT.


Gluten Free Honey Bun Cake

1 cup brown sugar (I used light brown)
2 tsp cinnamon

1 box gf yellow cake mix (I used Wegmans, you can also use Betty Crocker)
1 cup sour cream (I used light sour cream)
4 eggs
1/2 cup melted coconut oil (or veggie, canola)

2 cups powdered sugar
5-6 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl, blend the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix, sour cream, eggs and oil using a whisk. Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread to cover the entire bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture over the batter, then spoon the remaining batter over the brown sugar and spread, covering all the brown sugar.

Using a knife, swirl the batter, running the knife in a zig-zag pattern.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. While the cake is baking, combine the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Immediately after removing the cake from the oven, drizzle the glaze over the cake and spread with a spatula.

Allow to cool completely before cutting.

Kid Friendly!

I'm in that season of life where my kids can't seem to coordinate things.

For example, if they would just get their winter colds at the same time, as opposed to having one get sick, then sharing it with the other, who then shares it back again, etc... so that they are sick (off and on) all winter, that would be GREAT.

My kids can't seem to agree on what dinners they like. If one likes it, the other doesn't. Don't get me wrong, I don't make separate meals for my kids. What I make for dinner, I make for dinner and that's that... but it sure would be nice if they BOTH sat down to the dinner table, a look of joy on their sweet faces as they explain, "OH MOTHER! What a wonderful dinner you have prepared for us!"

What! A mama can dream, can't she?

I have, however, come across a dinner that, though it doesn't render them speechless with excitement, DOES get eaten without any complaint. In fact, my 5-year-old actually said, "Oh, THIS chicken? I like THIS chicken!" and my daughter, who generally is a good eater, sat down and munched away.

Can I get an "amen"?

All around, this dinner is actually fun to eat. It's like eating a sourdough pretzel with mustard, only it's a chicken dish. It's fast and easy, and only requires 3 ingredients (unless you decide to dip your tenders in honey mustard dressing, which I highly recommend). And your kids will like it!

Can I get just one more "amen"?

Gluten Free Pretzels 'n Mustard Chicken Tenders

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken tenders
1/4 cup yellow mustard
3-4 cups of gluten free pretzels

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.

Place the pretzels in a gallon size baggie and smash with a meat mallot or rolling pin until ground into very small pieces. Pour pretzel bits onto a large plate.

Place mustard on another large plate.

Using a basting brush (or your hands if you don't have a brush!), thinly coat a piece of chicken with mustard. Then place the mustard-covered tender in the pretzels bits, flip it over and press down to coat on all sides. Place tender on the cookie sheet and repeat for the rest of the chicken.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 9 minutes, flip the chicken tenders and cook for another 9 minutes.