‘Lizard Lick’ star Amy Shirley has new gluten-free cookbook
Fans of the reality show “Lizard Lick Towing” know Amy Shirley as the power-lifting, take-no-guff task master of the Wendell repo business.
They may not be able to envision Shirley, 35, wearing an apron in the kitchen making 1-2-3-4 cake and banana pudding.
But that’s exactly what they will see if they pick up a copy of her new cookbook, “Gluten-Free in Lizard Lick.” Shirley, who grew up in Wake Forest, has her first book event at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Cary.
Shirley stars on “Lizard Lick Towing” with her husband, Ron; the show aired four seasons on truTV. Fans will want to know that the couple will be released from their truTV contract in August and is in negotiations with other networks for a new show.
Shirley, a record-setting power-lifter, has not always adhered to a gluten-free diet. But two years ago, she suffered a health scare. She lost 20 pounds and suffered from headaches, night sweats and abdominal cramps. Her doctor was worried because her white blood count was low and sent her to see an gastroenterologist.
The specialist diagnosed Shirley with allergies to gluten, sulphites and cocoa. Gluten is the protein found in wheat, barley and rye. That meant no more bread, doughnuts, pizza or baked goods. That was hard for Shirley.
“I can do a lot of things in my life. I cannot do without a sweet,” Shirley said.
The initial adjustment to a gluten-free diet was a struggle for the entire family, including her husband, Ron, and their four children, ages 4 to 18. The couple also has large extended families who get together on the weekends. Her mother’s house for Saturday lunch. His mother’s for Sunday lunch. Ron Shirley describes the spread at those lunches “like an Amish barnraising” with fried chicken and fish, fresh garden vegetables, banana pudding, cornbread and much more.
“We go from that to chewing cardboard,” Ron Shirley said.
Eventually with the help of Karen Morgan, owner of Texas-based Blackbird Bakery, which makes a line of gluten-free baking mixes, Shirley learned what she could and could not eat.
With Morgan’s help, Shirley came up with her own gluten-free flour mix that creates fluffy baked goods without any aftertaste or gritty texture – Shirley’s two complaints about other gluten free flours. (Shirley said her own brand of gluten-free flour will be available for purchase at some grocery and Walmart stores later this summer.)
Shirley said she cooks both gluten and gluten-free foods for her family so they have a choice. It hasn’t been all bad. Ron lost 65 pounds. Her daughters often opt for the gluten-free choices. The hardest part now is eating when they travel because Shirley is afraid of cross-contamination; so she tends to pack her own food and snacks.
Her 209-page cookbook contains recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and desserts. It includes Southern classics, such as biscuits, hush puppies and cornbread and more, all adapted with gluten-free versions.
Her husband, Ron, is obviously proud of his wife’s latest endeavor: “What I love the most about this book is it’s all stuff we really eat.”
Andrea Weigl: 919-829-4848, @andreaweigl
Meet Amy Shirley
Amy Shirley, star of the reality show “Lizard Lick Towing,” will be signing copies of her cookbook, “Gluten-Free in Lizard Lick,” at 1 p.m. Sunday, July 19, at the Barnes & Noble in Cary. The store is at 760 SE Maynard Road, Cary. Info: 919-467-3866.
Save the date: Shirley will sign copies of her cookbook at the annual Lizard Lick Festival on Oct. 24 at Wendell Park. Info: lizardlicktowing.com
Win a cookbook: Go to The News & Observer’s Lifestyles Facebook page for details on how to enter to win a copy of “Gluten-Free in Lizard Lick”: facebook.com/newsobserverlifestyles
Amy Shirley’s Gluten-Free 1-2-3-4 Cake
From “Gluten-Free in Lizard Lick,” by Amy Shirley (HarperCollins, 2015).
Unsalted butter for greasing pan
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
3 cups Amy’s Gluten-Free Mix (recipe below)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Buttercream Icing (recipe below)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with unsalted butter and line with parchment paper on the bottom.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, whip the butter and sugar. Add eggs and whip until light and fluffy. Next sift in the gluten-free mix, baking powder and salt. Mix on high until smooth. Add the milk and the vanilla extract last, mixing until smooth.
Divide the batter between the two pans, level the dough with a spatula, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, from top to bottom, so they bake evenly.
Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to finish cooling off.
After cakes have cooled, place one cake round on a plate or stand. Use buttercream frosting to ice the top of the cake. Add the other cake round top side down, and then ice the rest of the cake with the icing. Slice and serve.
Yield: 6-8 servings.
Buttercream Icing
From “Gluten-Free in Lizard Lick,” by Amy Shirley (HarperCollins, 2015).
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 to 3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon butter-flavored extract
In your mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar. Add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time, being sure to whip on high until super smooth after each addition. I usually add 2 tablespoons milk.
Add the vanilla and butter-flavored extracts and mix just until combined. The icing should be thick but spreadable. If it isn’t, add a little more milk until it is.
Yield: about 3 1/2 cups.
Amy Shirley’s Gluten-Free Mix
Amy Shirley said she’s been able to find ingredients for this mix at Harris Teeter, Whole Foods and Lowes Foods stores. From “Gluten-Free in Lizard Lick,” by Amy Shirley (HarperCollins, 2015). Shirley will soon be selling a version of her gluten-free mix.
2 cups millet flour
2 cups glutinous rice flour
1 cup tapioca starch
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch
6 tablespoons potato starch
6 teaspoons guar gum
Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container. Will keep for up to one year.
Yield: about 6 cups
This story was originally published July 14, 2015 at 10:28 AM with the headline "‘Lizard Lick’ star Amy Shirley has new gluten-free cookbook."