Thrown Together

Once in a blue moon, a recipe just works... the first time, without any real effort on my part. It's a lovely thing, really.

Tonight, my mom came upstairs, longing for a cookie. Have you ever just needed a cookie? One does not simply ignore the urge... because it's just not going to go away. One must hunt down a cookie at all costs.

There was only only problem. No cookies in the house. So, I rummaged in the back of my snack cupboard and found 2 or 3 piddly little gluten free shortbread cookies (Scharr brand). She happily snacked on her cookies with a cup of tea... you could almost see the cookie urge leaving her.

I began to plan dinner at that point, and opened a cupboard to grab a jar of marinara sauce. It was then I saw it... the can of crushed pineapple I had recently thrown into my grocery cart - quite recklessly, I might add - with the intention of trying a new recipe. I nonchalantly asked, "Should I make a pineapple cake tonight?" Immediately, actually I think it might have been before I finished the word "tonight", my mom answered with a swift, "YES."

I think maybe those 3 piddly gf shortbread cookies didn't quite cut it.

Now, I must remind you that the reason I had seen that can of pineapple in the first place was because I was starting to make dinner. It was dinner time... this is not the time to make a dessert, for Pete's sake! But rather than using common sense, I threw caution to the wind and turned on the oven.

The recipe was a "normal" one that I had intended to work on to make it gluten free. Usually, I will spend some time looking over the recipe, checking and double checking the changes I want to make. Not tonight. Tonight, I threw all the ingredients into the bowl, mixed it up and threw it in the baking pan. Into the oven it went! Back to making dinner I went.

40 minutes later I pulled a miracle out of my oven. A golden, perfectly baked cake. I even somehow managed to whip up some cream cheese frosting for it! (One can always make time for cream cheese frosting. Dinner can wait!)

Can I just? Can I? I must. I must herald the miracle of this cake. This completely unplanned, thrown together cake is so, so, so, so, SO GOOD. It's moist (even though there's not a speck of oil or butter in it). And the frosting... oh, the frosting! It just takes a delicious cake and puts it over the top.

This can be one of those "Oh dear, Susie is stopping by for a quick visit on her way from Princeton to Pittsburgh and I haven't a THING in the house, what shall I do?" kinds of cake. Because literally, you will just throw it all in a bowl, throw it in a pan and then throw it in the oven. It will come out, cool for a bit and then you'll throw together some frosting and throw it on top.

Did I mention it's good? It's so, so, so, so, SO good.

It's that good. Good enough to deserve 5 "so's". Maybe even 6. You decide!



















Gluten Free Pineapple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

For Cake:
2 cups Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
20 oz can crushed pineapple (with juice)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray. Mix all the ingredients above in a large bowl. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a cooling rack.

For Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temp
4 Tbsp butter, softened to room temp
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add vanilla and beat to incorporate. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until completely mixed and smooth. Frost cake while it is still slightly warm.

Dinner in a Hurry

It was one of those days today.

After getting through various subjects during our homeschool day, we snarfed down some lunch, threw ourselves into the car and headed out for an afternoon of errands. I had planned my errand run so that they were (miraculously) all west of where we live. As we banged out errand after errand, I was pleased with how smoothly things were going... and how I was actually able to accomplish everything on my list.

It's such an adrenaline rush... crossing off everything on your list. (Or is that just one of my quirks? Huh.)

We would get home with more than enough time for me to plan and execute a nice dinner for all. No rushing, no panicking... just planning and executing.

Then, in a split second, I blew it all to pieces. I mentioned to my mom, who had come along for the ride (literally) that I needed to get to the library STAT because my 3rd grade avid reader was desperate for something new to read. She has read every age appropriate book in my house. Twice.

Now, I should mention that my mom is the epitome of fun. She loves spontaneity and adventure (the non-adventurous type of adventure... like trying a new restaurant, things like that). So when I mentioned the need for the library run, she immediately jumped on it, saying we could throw that into our afternoon of errands.

Some of her spontaneity must have sloughed off of her and landed on me, because I agreed to it. I should mention, as well, that I am NOT the epitome of fun, spontaneity or adventure (the non-adventurous type or the adventurous type!). Nevertheless, off we went.

Did I mention the library is 20 minutes east of our home? Not in the westward plan.

30+ books later, we were headed back home. My backseat was filled with contented children, reading their newly acquired library books.

Remember my plan? My plan to plan and execute a lovely dinner? Out the window.

I came home, brought all the books and various items from our errands into the house, set the kids up with their books on the couch... and ran into the kitchen.

I floated between the fridge and cupboards, frantically looking for something to feed my family.

It's times like these that I love food that can be thrown (sometimes literally) together. Within 30 minutes, I had dinner on the table. And... AND.... it was yummy! Whew.

So what you have below is more of a guideline. There is so much wiggle room in this recipe, it's ridiculous. I've done this before for you, Reader, and I'll probably do it again.

Enjoy experimenting! But may I suggest waiting until a day where you lose your mind and spontaneously throw more on your plate than originally planned? That day where you won't possibly be able to throw dinner together in time?

This might make you look like a culinary rock star.

Gluten Free Pineapple Fried Rice

• 4 cups cooked white rice (or brown rice, or Nishiki sticky rice)
• 1/4 cup diced onion (red or sweet... or scallions)
• 1 cup diced ham (deli or cubed ham steak)
• 1/2 cup green peas (or edamame, or snow peas, or sugar snap peas)
• 1 (8oz) can pineapple chunks, drained (or 1 cup fresh)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 Tbsp white sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder (or more, if you want)
• 1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce (or gf tamari)

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add non-stick cooking spray to coat. Cook and stir the onion, ham, and peas in the hot pan until onions have softened, about 2 minutes. Stir the pineapple chunks into the pan; cook until pineapple begins to darken, about 2 minutes.

In a small non-stick pan, cook eggs to scrambled. Add to the onion mixture and stir to combine.

Mix the rice, sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder into the pan; stirring constantly. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Add the soy sauce, and stir to combine.

Serves 4.