A Valentine's Day Picnic: BLTs, rice salad, truffles, and cookies!

Going out to eat just isn't as fun as going on a picnic! Here are a few treats that are easy to pack and eat :). First, the chocolate truffles! It isn't Valentine's Day without 'em. I got the recipe from here, it's from Alton Brown. I also made chocolate covered pecan caramels, inspired by Ina Garten's recipe.


Second, tasty, soft and fluffy gluten free orange sugar cookies. Canola oil makes these cookies soft, but they still have an addicting buttery taste and classic sugar cookie flavor; I ate 5 in one day! Eat these for dessert on your picnic or eat them before the main course! The simple recipe includes the following ingredients:

Bake at for about 10-12 minutes at 375, or until edges brown slightly; it's best to refrigerate the dough overnight.

3.5 tbsp potato starch
3/4c white rice flour (more or less, depending on if you want them firmer/softer)
1/3c almond meal
1/3c tapioca flour
2/3c sugar
2tbsp milk
2tbsp canola oil
1.5 tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp orange peel
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
sprinkle with vanilla sugar

Now, the main course. A tasty BLT made with this AMAZING gluten-free bread, nitrate free applewood smoked bacon, crispy ham (I fried it :P), colby jack cheese, and the secret sauce: Jalapeno Maple Dressing (it sounds strange, but believe me, it complements the saltiness of the bacon quite nicely; it's a mayo-based sandwich dressing with a kick!). That sandwich is served with a side of ham and rice salad...jeez, so much ham! But it tastes delicious when combined with unique ingredients and veggies, see the recipe below!

Cinnamon Celebration: Gluten and Lactose Free Cinnamon Dulce de Leche Cake

This is my contribution to Grace's Cinnamon Celebration! Oh boy, did I dirty a lot of dishes to put this monster of a cake together, and it does look like a monster. Don't worry, that isn't a bacteria colony growing on the top of the cake! In fact, it's what makes the cake yummy. The edges of the cake were scrumptious -- all gooey and sweet, pudding-like in texture. I'm not kidding!

I have to admit, I was hoping to get a much more 'tres lechesy' cake out of this invention (I saw this here recipe and was totally inspired by its tastiness), but c'est la vie. The topping makes the cake; in this case, it's what's on the outside that counts; but don't let the appearance fool you, let your taste buds be your guide!

If you're lactose intolerant but also love the unique flavors found in a tres leches cake, have no fear! This one's for you. Same goes for my fellow gluten-free folks. You can have your cake and eat it too ;)!

Here are the stages of how I made the tres leches glaze:

This is what it looks like before it begins to boil:

Boiling and thickening:

Caramel-like in color...remove from stove at this stage:

Finished!