Monday, May 25, 2015

Easy Pavlova Cake!

School's out, which means more time to sleep and of course experiment with recipes! I'm also getting ready for my trip to Norway in two weeks, but more on that later. Today's recipe is so easy to make, yet it really brings a festive vibe to all summer parties. So, when someone asks you to bring a dessert, you can bring this naturally gluten-free cake that will have everyone asking for the recipe!

Cake Ingredients
6 room temperature eggs
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Dash of white wine vinegar

Procedure
1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. 
2. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks, we will only need the egg whites for this recipe.
3. Place the egg whites in a food mixer. That way you don't have to beat it by hand, because trust me, that would take a while.
4. Set the mixer on high, and start mixing until it turns into a creamy white substance.
5. SLOWLY add in the sugar in a thin stream, as to not clump anything up.
6. Add the vanilla, cornstarch, and vinegar.
7. Let it mix until it because so thick that it doesn't run out when you tilt it over.
8. Place parchment paper over a round oven pan. (I used a pizza pan and cut out a sheet of parchment paper to fit it.)
9. Evenly distribute the batter over the pan.
10. Set it into the oven for 1 hour.


Topping Ingredients
1 pint of whipping cream
3 tablespoons of sugar (or however much you want to sweeten the cream)
Fruit of choice (I used blueberries and strawberries)

Procedure
1. Whip the cream, adding in the sugar. You want to whip it until it becomes spreadable.
2. Wash, cut, and dry the fruit. I cut strawberries into little bits, and added blueberries.

Once your cake has cooled down, add the whipped cream, and top it with the fruit. The cake will be crispy on the outside, but creamy on the inside, and once paired with the fruit and whipped cream, it creates a delicious treat.

Voila! You have a dessert for every occasion! So the next time someone asks you to bring a gluten-free dessert, you won't break a sweat.
Enjoy!
-Sema

Sunday, May 17, 2015

GFAFEvent Recap

 Thank you so much to everyone who came out yesterday to the GFAFEvent to meet with me and hear me speak :)! I got to meet so many awesome people, and had a great time talking to all of you.

If you couldn't make it to the event, here are a few links you can check out:
Think Eat Live. I love their mixes, and think that it's so unique that they make them from sunflowers! I did a blog post on them a while back, so click here if you want to check that out.

Gluten-free Hungry Gal. Go check her out!

Gluten-free in St. Louis. She is such a sweet person, and I had an awesome time chatting with her at the event. Check out her Facebook page!

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Their booth was actually right next to mine, so I got to learn a bit about them. They are a non-profit organization and are a great educational resource!

CJ Tammons of Tumbling Gluten-free! She's a fellow gluten-free blogger, and a wonderful person.

I'm off to study for my math final!
-Sema

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Gluten and Allergy-free Wellness Event in St. Louis

Last year I had a wonderful time meeting those of you who came out to the St. Louis GFAF Wellness Event! I am looking forward to this Saturday, when I will be speaking about living on the gluten-free diet as a teenager! If you are in the area, be sure to come hear me speak at 1:00 pm. Click here to read my recap from last year.
 

Click here for more information about the event in St. Louis.
Click here to go to the event's homepage.
Click here to go to the event's Facebook page.

Happy Mother's day to all the mothers out there! I surprised my mom this morning with a breakfast, complete with star-shaped pineapple, because she's a star. (Sorry to be cheesy, it had to be said.) I am truly thankful for my best friend, and am truly thankful for everything my mom has done for me. Thank you mom :').


Happy Celiac Awareness month!
-Sema

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Easy Candied Walnuts

Tomorrow I have my first AP test for this semester, so I will be spending the majority of today reviewing environmental science. I think the best way to stay motivated with studying is with study snacks! Today I really didn't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen when I needed to be going over all the material, prompting me to make candied walnuts. This 4-ingredient snack takes about 5 minutes to make, and will satisfy your sweet cravings!

Ingredients
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup walnuts
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon-1 tablespoon of cinnamon (depending on how much of a cinnamon-y taste you want)

Procedure
1. Melt the butter in a small pot.
2. Add the sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon.
3. Stir everything together (keep stirring so nothing burns) until the sugar has caramelized and coated the walnuts.
4. Immediately transfer the walnuts to a plate, separating them. If you just leave it in the pot, you'll have a huge clump of walnuts!

Voila! You candied walnuts and have the perfect snack to satisfy your sweet tooth!
Enjoy!
-Sema