Dessert Week

This week's gluten-free menu:

Sunday - Roast Chicken, Rice Pilaf, Cooked Spinach
Monday - Chicken and Mango Salad , Tortilla Crisps
Tuesday - GF Ham, Lentil Soup, Gluten-Free Corn Muffins
Wednesday - Steak and Pear Salad , GF Crackers
Thursday - Ham and Potato Casserole, Broccoli
Friday - Tacos

About This Week's Menu
This week we're starting the week off with some lighter meals. Maybe there will be room for dessert on those days! Later it the week it's going to get cold so we're preparing for that with some warmer comfort type meals. This week there was a Spiral Cut Double Glazed Ham at Aldi's that said gluten-free on the label. Very exciting! We're using it in the Ham and Potato Casserole and I'll also serve some on Tuesday with the Lentil Soup. I'm going to cook the casserole in the crock pot this week.

Dessert
I wouldn't call myself a huge gluten-free baker, but I do bake sometimes. Mainly I bake for birthdays and for entertaining. I often bake birthday cakes from scratch. There are a lot of mixes that exist now, but somehow I don't think they made the process much easier. I've made pies before too. The fillings are easy enough to make gluten-free, but as far as the crust I've had the best luck with the Whole Foods crusts. I've also made crusts from scratch, but it's no easy task and I'm not sure I've ever created a crust that tastes or looks as good as the whole foods crust. With gluten-free products available at so many stores now I don't usually have a need to go to Whole Foods anymore, but the holidays are an exception.

I've made Paula Dean's Fruit Tart before but with a gluten-free crust.
Fresh Fruit Tart (crust is not gf)
GF Shortbread Tart Crust (use a crust like this)

Here was my attempt:

It was my dad's 74th birthday. I made this crust from scratch using the Pie Pastry recipe from the book :

125 Best Gluten-Free Recipes by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt

Often however, I try to avoid baking altogether. Here is a dessert I've made when company is over. It went over really well!
Coconut Ice Cream Sundae

Other desserts that we have that are a bit more low-key are fruit with whipped topping, ice cream, and gluten-free cookies.

This week's Gluten-free Menu Swap is hosted at Celiac Family.
Or check out OrgJunkie for more ideas about menu planning (not all gluten-free).