Eureka!

I get overexcited over pretty simple things, maybe to the point of embarrassment to those around me. I often catch myself overly panting and awkwardly commenting to myself when these periods of overwhelming elation happen. Case in point, the blueberry sale at whole foods yesterday. It was a “EUREKA” highlight and apparently my subconscious decided she had to celebrate publicly.


Let me paint a picture for you. I had been aimlessly wandering around the store prior to the eureka occurrence, pondering what kind of birthday cake I was going to make for my neighbor, and dear friend. It had to be quick. It had to be delicious. And, it had to be gluten free. Does anybody else feel the desperation that manifested itself while I mulled over these monstrous demands?

Ok, maybe not monstrous, but last second miracles rarely turn out as well as this did. I fist pumped the gluten free gods after this one.

I digress. After grabbing Pamela’s gluten free cake mix (yes I had to cheat friends, don’t judge), I found myself trying to find solace in the produce section. And there they were. Carton after carton stacked delicately upon wooden crates and screaming, “Here I am! Use ME in you cake and all your troubles will melt away.” I may have hit the point of frantic delirious cook at this point. Blueberries. Bright, juicy, unbelievable plump blueberries. The saliva pooled in my anxious dry mouth, and I began to tremble with excitement. Lemon zest, blueberries, whipped vanilla icing… perfection. And to pack in a real punch, and feed the crowd, I decided it had to be two layers. Yes, I embraced insanity and it never tasted so good.

Lemon Blueberry Gluten Free Cake
I have always liked how moist Pamela’s gluten free cake mix turns out for me. I am excited to try this recipe subbing my own almond flour mix next time, but trust me don’t overlook this recipe. The cakes stacked with fluffy delight on top of one another and burst with sweet blueberry and fresh lemony flavor.

Ingredients
• 1 bag Pamela’s gluten free vanilla cake mix
• 1 pint blueberries
• Zest of one large lemon
• ½ large lemon, squeezed
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• ¼ cup water

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease two round cake pans.

In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients except blueberries and mix well. Do not over mix. Gently fold in your blueberries. Pour evenly into the 2 pans.

Bake for 20-23 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes at least before transferring to stack. I made the cakes at lunch and let them settle and cool in the pans for a couple hours.

To assemble, tip first cake onto serving dish. Gently pat a thin layer of vanilla, whipped with a little lemon zest, icing over the top. Place second cake on top, and gently press down to help it stick. Lightly cover the top of the cake with another layer of icing. Add blueberries for decoration if you wish.

I let mine sit in the fridge until it was time to serve which helped it not crumble, and keep moist.

Skating Rinks, Scrunchies, & Several Surprises

Some of my most favorite birthday memories were those spent at the local skating rink with my childhood friend Rachel who shares the same February 16th birthday. Both classes were invited, balloons donned the picnic tables plastered with plastic tablecloths, and cookie cakes piled high with sugary icing paraded themselves as centerpieces. Of the “rollerblade” generation, Rachel and I would look forward to another year at the rink where all eyes were on us in the disco lit oval stage. No matter how hard I tried, she always beat me in the round robin races but I am sure if there was a contest of who wore the most bracelets, the most washed denim, or had the blondest perm I would have won. Take note to new awards present day skating rinks. I just might show up and upstage on my birthday.

Birthday parties, office or family, can throw gluten intolerant gals and pals into a tizzy now a days. Cakes, cupcakes, cookies…I always feel bad making people go out of their way to make special arrangements. “Yes, please get me a cake. Just get make sure it’s gluten free. Oh, and you can only find them here and here. Don’t be surprised if it looks and feels like a brick too.” Not exactly the conversation you want to have around you birthday. And asking non-gluten free folks to bake at home for you? Forget about it! Asking my manager to foray into the unknown and risk explosive oven disasters doesn’t encourage job stability.

However, I was delightfully surprised multiple times yesterday. The first time was from my pops in our office lobby holding a beautiful bouquet of a dozen pink roses. (insert AWWWWWs here). They really brightened up and my day and desk! Thank you!

The second surprise came after lunch when my fellow coworkers serenaded me in an embarrassing rendition of 'Happy Birthday' and presented me with a Deerfields Bakery large, triple chocolate, gluten free brownie. Everyone was eager to dig in and it was, if I may say so myself, fabulous!! A little crumbly on the outside which I venture was due to packaging but magnificently moist on the inside. Rich squares of chocolate melted into smooth, sinful chocolate cake. This was a new brand for me and I highly recommend it! They found it at Merrits bakery here in town but if you are interested in their other products or aren’t local here is their site: http://deerfieldsbakery.com/home.aspx

My husband surprised me with a birthday gift and took me out to dinner where my last surprise awaited. After a delicious local dinner at Juniper, one of the chefs, Justin Benner, surprised me with a delicious ending to the night…a silky mousse topped with ripe blueberries and raspberries. Now at this point I must admit a few things. One, I was stuffed more than my husband’s tenderloin special. Two, I am not the biggest dessert buff. I love making it but I am more a salt craver. However, neither of these points stopped me from attacking the seducing martini glass holding heaven in dessert form. I barely took a breath. I am sure I looked quite charming to the onlooker but I didn’t care.

On a side note, if you haven’t tried out Juniper yet, I highly recommend it!! Plus, I know you want one more reason to support local. Here is their website: http://www.junipertulsa.com/

All in all, one of the best birthdays I have ever had. It didn’t involve perms, scrunchied pony tails/t-shirts, or a skating rink, but it held some thoughtful and delicious surprises. Maybe I will call up Rachel for a white wash denim dual at the rink next year.