German Chocolate Cake Frosting - WITH Gluten-Free DOUBLE Chocolate Cake

GERMAN  CHOCOLATE  CAKE
AKA:  Mom's  Birthday  Cake 
(that no one else eats...)

MAKE  AHEAD  (in however many layers your heart desires!):

Gluten-FREE  DOUBLE  Chocolate  Cake 

-  CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE LINK

Using round layer cake pans, make and cool cake as directed in the recipe.  

Tip (But really a requirement):  

instead of using flour on the greased pans, use sugar!

FROSTING:

1  cup sugar

3/4  cup evaporated milk

2  egg yolks, beaten

1/3  cup LouAna refined coconut oil

1  teaspoon vanilla

1 and 3/4  cups coconut, flaked and un-sweetened 

1  cup pecans, chopped

In a medium saucepan combine sugar, evaporated milk, egg yolks, and shortening.  

Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil.  

Remove from heat.  

Stir in vanilla, coconut, and pecans.  

Let cool at least 15 minutes.  

Spread frosting ONLY between layers and on top of cake.

In a medium saucepan combine sugar,
evaporated milk, egg yolks, and shortening.

Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture 

comes to a boil.  

Remove from heat.  

Stir in vanilla, coconut, and pecans.  

Let cool at least 15 minutes.

ALL  CAKES  NEED  TO  REST
-  COOL - 
and HANG OUT
for 10 minutes before they get bumped
out of their pans.

Your cakes don't have to be as cool for this
frosting as they would need to be for
a buttercream. 

That said - they CANNOT be hot.

Spread frosting ONLY between layers
and on top of cake.

Start stacking!

SIMPLE - PRETTY - AND BONUS:
DELISHOUS!

These cake layers were made wedding cake topper pans -
AND... If you didn't know it, TOTALLY appropriate
to use on my birthday cake because I got married
ON my 21st birthday.  :0) 
2020 was our 20th anniversary!

HAPPY  BIRTHDAY  TO  ME!!!
...photographed cake from 2020 -
and at the beginning of the COVID pandemic!
I thought would be over by June, maybe July at the latest.  HA!!!

Even made a matching ice cream...
Coconut Ice Cream  :0)

Click Link FOR:      Coconut Ice Cream

Click Link FOR:    Mama Jo's Recipe Blog TABLE OF CONTENTS  

Coconut Ice Cream

1/2  cup heavy cream

1 and 1/2 cups  unsweetened coconut milk

1  cup whole milk

6  large egg yolks

1/2  cup granulated sugar

Heat the heavy cream, coconut milk and whole milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. 

Place the eggs and sugar in a heatproof mixing bowl and beat until pale yellow in color and all of the sugar has dissolved. 

Temper about 1/2 a cup of the cream mixture into the egg mixture and whisk vigorously to incorporate well. 

Add the egg mixture to the saucepan with the cream mixture, lower the heat slightly, and cook, stirring constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon, until the custard has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove from the stove and strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. 

Place the bowl in another bowl half-filled with ice and water. 

Stir occasionally until chilled.

Pour the chilled custard into an ice cream machine and process according to the manufacturer's instructions until frozen. 

Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.

Click Link FOR:   

Mama Jo's Recipe Blog TABLE OF CONTENTS  

Ginger Green Smoothie - My Jamba Juice CopyCat

Pretty sure a daily green smoothie is the only thing keeping my husband alive! (...His words, not mine.)  This particular green smoothie has slowly crept onto the entire family's "Favorite List" - starting with me at the beginning of a race weekend...

A few years ago, when we met up in Utah for a long trail race, my sister Nicole insisted I order the “Greens and Ginger” smoothie from the airport Jamba Juice before we headed out.  

I was skeptical -  :0/  GINGER???  

I’ve never been a fan.  Unless it’s in baked goods...

But then I tried it... and oh man!  What can I say?  I don't have the words to describe - but Cindy, my yoga friend, phrased it perfectly:  it is de-lush.

All my kids now ask for it  -  and I regularly make this twice a day to have a spare for myself in the fridge.

Lucky for me  -  the 2020 winter garden "smoothie bed" can finally keep up with amount of kale needed for these green smoothie requests!

Ginger Green Smoothie -  My Jamba Juice CopyCat

If you have a commercial grade blender - layer in this order and blend until throughly mixed.  Keep an extra 1/2 cup of water nearby if mix is too thick to finish blending. 

If you do not have a commercial grade blender, still blend in this order and throughly mix one layer at a time instead of mixing all at once. 

2  cups water 

4  TABLESPOONS  dry lemonade mix  

(OR  USE:   1  lemon, juiced  AND  3  TABLESPOONS  honey)

4  cups washed kales leaves and stems

1/4  cup frozen ginger pieces 

1 to 2 cups frozen mango pieces 

2  cups frozen pineapple pieces 

1/4  cup ground flaxseed 

  

Wash your fresh ginger
- then break into pieces.
Using a paring knife,
flatten the edges of
your ginger pieces
and cut away the peel.

Cut your ginger pieces
into a stackable shape
and then dice into
medium/small chunks.

Fresh on the LEFT.
Frozen on the RIGHT.
It will darken a bit once frozen.

2  cups water 

4  TABLESPOONS  dry lemonade mix  

(OR  USE:   1/2  of a lemon, juiced  

AND  3  TABLESPOONS  honey)

4  cups washed kales leaves and stems

1 to 2 cups frozen mango pieces 

2  cups frozen pineapple pieces 

1/4  cup ground flaxseed 

Cindy, my yoga friend,
phrased it perfectly: 
it is de-lush.

This is a true life
before and after photo...
The smoothie shown above was a photo
taken 24 hours before this photo.

If you have leftovers after
blending this recipe up - 
store in the fridge for up to
48 hours.

Be sure to shake or stir
in the water portion
that separates from
the more fibrous part.

Click Link FOR:

 Mama Jo's Recipe Blog TABLE OF CONTENTS  

Grilled Cowboy Quesadillas - CHICKEN

     HAPPY  NEW  YEAR!

     From:   The Davis Family

As this New Year begins and we have the opportunity to reflect on 2020, our hearts are full of gratitude for the things in our life - and the things in our family life that have been centerstage, especially these last 9 months.  Our dinner table is definitely one of them.  

“FOOD  IS  LOVE” is a mantra at our house and the making of great food has often been cited as the missing 6th love language from the standard set of 5!

Going into this New Year - may we all love each other more thoughtfully and more intentionally with all the lessons learned from the last 9 months…

“When we follow Jesus Christ we act as He would act and love as He would love.” 

- Russell M. Nelson

So in showing our love for YOU - 

We are sharing our love of food! 

A new favorite recipe from the year 2020:

Grilled  Cowboy  Quesadillas  -  CHICKEN

BY:  Kent Rollins - The Cowboy Chef

NOTE:  I have to do double this for my family of 6.

IF  YOU  DOUBLE - it is easiest to do this recipe in 

separate bags as a single recipe instead of doubling 

EVERYTHING into one gallon ziplock bag…

TO  BEGIN:

2 - 2 1/2 pounds of chicken tenders 

OR  3 chicken breasts cut into 1 inch slices

OR  2 - 2 1/2 pounds of boneless chicken thighs 

Put all the chicken pieces into a gallon ziplock.  

POUND  out the chicken with a rolling pin 

(your "husband trainer" as Kent puts is!)

- be careful not to split the chicken pieces.

ADD  TO  YOUR  GALLON  BAG  OF  CHICKEN:

4  cloves of garlic pressed

3  canned chipote adobo peppers - chopped 

juice of  1  lime

6  TABLESPOONS  olive oil

3  TABLESPOONS  honey

1  teaspoon cumin

1  TABLESPOON  K.R. Mesquite seasoning

1  teaspoon coarse black pepper

Let marinade in the fridge for 2-6 hours.

Grill for 3-4 minutes per side until 165 degrees.  

Let rest covered in foil - then cut up the chicken into pieces for a dinner of homemade quesadillas or for taco bowls.

Put all the chicken pieces into a gallon ziplock.  

POUND  out the chicken with a rolling pin 

(your "husband trainer" as Kent puts it!)

- be careful not to split the chicken pieces.

… … … … …

2025 UPDATE - and cheat 🙂

Allergy warning:
this Trader Joe’s spice blend contains milk

4  cloves of garlic pressed
juice of 1 lime
6 TABLESPOONS olive oil
3 TABLESPOONS honey
1 entire jar of Everything But the Elote Spice
- Trader Joe's

… … … … … … 

Click Link FOR:    Mama Jo's Recipe Blog TABLE OF CONTENTS