"American Pie" Summer Trifle

A fresh and colorful, "red, white and blue" dessert for Memorial Day and the Fourth of July holidays.

Cut the calories with low fat vanilla yogurt in place of some of the cream.

2 pints of fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, sliced and tossed with ¼ cup of sugar

1 pint of blueberries, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup strawberry-banana nectar juice (I used Jumex brand)

2 cups French vanilla lowfat yogurt (I used Stonyfield organic brand)

16 ounce container of whipping cream, whipped to hold stiff peaks, with ¼ cup of sugar folded in

1 large strawberry, cut into fan shape (see photo)

1 package Namaste brand Vanilla Cake Mix *

Bake cake ahead, following manufacturer instructions or choosing pound cake option below, if using. Allow to cool. Slice into cubes and place half of the cubed cake into the bottom of a large glass bowl or trifle bowl. Now drizzle one-half of the strawberry nectar over the cake cubes.

Next, add one-half of the vanilla yogurt, dropping dollops over the juice-soaked cake cubes. Now layer with one-half of the blueberries, then one-half of the sliced strawberries. Top the fruit with one-half of the whipped cream.

Now begin the layering process once again, beginning with the remaining cake cubes, the nectar, the yogurt, the berries and finishing with the whipped cream.

Place the berry garnish at the very center top of the whipped cream. Allow the trifle to rest and the flavors to macerate in the refrigerator for approximately four hours before serving.

Makes: Eight servings.

*Cake options: To modify this mix into a pound cake, follow instructions below.

1 package Namaste Vanilla Cake Mix (or any other cake mix if not doing gluten free)

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup butter, melted

½ cup buttermilk

4 t. GF vanilla extract

Mix all cake ingredients together well. Pour batter into an oiled 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake at 350˚F for 35-40 minutes and test for doneness. Do not overcook. Remove from oven and cool.

Some recipes are from my cookbook: "Delicious! The Very Best of Gluten Free and Wheat Free Cooking. It is available at:   http://www.celiacdiseaseinfo.org

Spring Lambs Are Here!

This Spring we are going with a mix of mostly "hair" sheep. These girls, aptly named "Mocha, Cappucino, and Latte" by our neighbor, are a mix of Blackbelly (Barbados), Dorset and a little Suffolk. They are 10-12 weeks old as shown here.







The girls are kept safe from predators in our 6 foot ostrich fenced lot (orchard) that is shaded by a giant peach tree and are being fed lots of organic oats and GMO-free grasses.

Stay tuned as they grow...

Cinco de Mayo Fun...Pork Carnitas Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa!

What do you do with tomatillos, 

or those ugly little green tomato-looking
things with husks on them?
You make a wonderful tart and savory
green salsa that is great with pork carnitas.
This is classic Mexican food at its best. 
And also my favorite go-to taco recipe. 

Enjoy!

Carnitas

2 1/2 pound pork shoulder, cut into chunks

3 t. dried oregano

2 t. fresh ground pepper

1 t. sea salt

1 t. ground cumin

1 onion, cut into chunks

3 whole garlic cloves

Juice of three limes

12-16 GF corn tortillas*

2 ripe avocados, sliced

Fresh cilantro

Fresh cabbage, finely shredded

Rub all spices on the outside of the pork and place seasoned pork in the bottom 
of a slow cooker.  Toss the onion and garlic on top of the pork. Squeeze the lime 
juice over the top.

Slow cook about 8 hours until meat is falling apart.  Drain the meat and shred the 
pork with a fork.

Serve with warm corn tortillas, tomatillo salsa, avocados and garnish with cilantro 
and cabbage.

Tomatillo Salsa

1 pound tomatillos, husked, halved, broiled/grilled until soft (5-10 minutes)

1/2 cup onion

1 large clove garlic, optional

1 cup cilantro leaves, loosely packed

1 T. fresh lime juice

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

Puree the broiled/grilled tomatillos and the remaining ingredients in the food
 processor until smooth. Cool in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Makes: Entire recipe of tacos and salsa makes enough for 8-10.

*Use non-GMO corn products!

This recipe is available in my gluten free cookbook:

"The Very Best of Gluten Free & Wheat Free Cooking"

by Diane B. Jacobs, available at Celiac Disease Info. org