I made the German Chocolate Cake recipe from the Cake Doctor's gluten free book a couple weeks ago for my mom's birthday and it was excellent! It's a great recipe to use!
I tried the salted caramel cupcakes and was a little disappointed with the results so I have no news to post about those.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
New Website
I found this website today and it's pretty neat. It was developed by General Mills. Here's a link to an article describing the website. And here's a link to the actual website, Gluten Freely. It's got some pretty good looking recipes using fairly common and easy to find ingredients. There's one for a Fruit Swirl Coffee Cake using GF Bisquick that is making me drool. There's also a shop with a lot of name brand GF products. I haven't done any price comparing as of now but it might be something to keep in mind. There's free shipping on orders over $40 until the end of August. There is a bulk section with some items at a cheaper price for buying over a certain quantity. I'm going to have to look into that coffee cake recipe.
Monday, August 22, 2011
FDA Comments on Gluten Free Labeling
I forgot to put this in my other post. I read a blog called The Savvy Celiac and it had a link to the FDA's website where you can comment on new GF Labeling Requirements. If you're interested here is a link to the The Savvy Celiac's post.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Random Things and Exciting New from Subway
I haven't been doing too much new lately. I baked chocolate zucchini cake and a peach pie for the fair and got two blue ribbons. I'm pretty proud of that! They were made with real flour though. I couldn't bring myself to use $6 worth of special flour and then have my stuff get thrown away. My mom says I should lobby them for a gluten free category.
I read an exciting article about Subway from a friend in the gluten free world. They are testing gluten free bread!!!! I CANNOT WAIT!!!! I went to Jimmy John's the other day. They make sandwiches wrapped in lettuce. They advertise this as the "carb free" option. They really ought to advertise it as the "gluten free" option because that's why I got it. It was pretty delicious except for the overuse of the mayo. Eat this with caution as it went down the same line as all the bread sandwiches. Here's the link to the Subway article if you are interested. I would go back to my once a week visit if they did this!
http://www.qsrweb.com/article/183399/Subway-expands-gluten-free-test
Recently I've been having a craving for salted caramel cupcakes. There used to be a bakery in Wichita that made them and they were to die for. They've gone out of business but I was thinking yesterday how I wish I could get one of those. Then I thought.....why not make some myself? So my next big experiment is going to be GF Salted Caramel Cupcakes. I have a family thing coming up mid-September that I am planning on trying them for. This is slightly scary since doing this involves actually making caramel, something I've never done before. I can handle the actual cake part but the caramel is going to be tricky. I'm hoping they will be good. Look for an update on that in a few weeks.
I read an exciting article about Subway from a friend in the gluten free world. They are testing gluten free bread!!!! I CANNOT WAIT!!!! I went to Jimmy John's the other day. They make sandwiches wrapped in lettuce. They advertise this as the "carb free" option. They really ought to advertise it as the "gluten free" option because that's why I got it. It was pretty delicious except for the overuse of the mayo. Eat this with caution as it went down the same line as all the bread sandwiches. Here's the link to the Subway article if you are interested. I would go back to my once a week visit if they did this!
http://www.qsrweb.com/article/183399/Subway-expands-gluten-free-test
Recently I've been having a craving for salted caramel cupcakes. There used to be a bakery in Wichita that made them and they were to die for. They've gone out of business but I was thinking yesterday how I wish I could get one of those. Then I thought.....why not make some myself? So my next big experiment is going to be GF Salted Caramel Cupcakes. I have a family thing coming up mid-September that I am planning on trying them for. This is slightly scary since doing this involves actually making caramel, something I've never done before. I can handle the actual cake part but the caramel is going to be tricky. I'm hoping they will be good. Look for an update on that in a few weeks.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Hawaiian Sweet Bread and Zucchini Cake
Over the 4th of July weekend I did a couple different GF recipes. The first was the Hawaiian Sweet Bread recipe from the Aug/Sept issue of Living Without. See the website for the recipe if you don't get the magazine. This recipe worked pretty good. I had some trouble getting my bread to rise. I finally put the bread on my deck in the sun to rise and that worked better than anyplace in our house. Apparently the house was too cool. My loaves rose pretty good but I think they did need longer. They were almost to the top of the pan when I took them out of the oven and then they sank as the cooled. So next time I'm going to focus on fluff. The taste of the bread was good though.
I also made a chocolate zucchini cake for the 4th of July party we had. I used the GF flour mixture and it worked wonderfully! This cake is a good one for substitution. It came out really moist and was as tall as the cake would have been with regular flour. I just got the recipe from a local church cookbook. We served it with homemade ice cream. Delicious!
I also made a chocolate zucchini cake for the 4th of July party we had. I used the GF flour mixture and it worked wonderfully! This cake is a good one for substitution. It came out really moist and was as tall as the cake would have been with regular flour. I just got the recipe from a local church cookbook. We served it with homemade ice cream. Delicious!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Zucchini Bread, Cherry Limeades, and Guacamole
Cherry limeades...what an awesome summer treat. These are GF I want to post the recipe because they are just so darn good. The last couple of weeks my husband and I have been making cherry limeades every evening. We got into making our own a couple of summers ago after my mother-in-law made some for us. She used to work at Lo-Mar so she knows all the secrets. Lo-Mar had the best cherry limeades. I'm probably giving away the family secret here but they are so good I just have to share.
Melinda's Cherry Limeades
-2 limes
-grenadine (or other flavoring of choice)
-simple syrup
-club soda
-ice
1. Make simple syrup. We use 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water. To dissolve the sugar, heat the water and sugar on the stove.
2. Fill cup 1/3 full of ice. We make ours in a 32 ounce cup.
3. Squeeze juice out of both limes. The recipe says to use 6 ounces of simple syrup. We usually use less. Less syrup makes the limeade more tart, more syrup makes it less tart. You can play around with that.
4. Fill cup almost to the top with club soda. Then add grenadine. Stir. I usually pour in enough grenadine to make the limeade nice and red and then taste. If it's not enough cherry I add more.
TIPS: We tried POM pomegranate juice the other day. It's good but not as good as the cherry version. You can add any flavor you'd like just like they do at a certain drive in fast food place. We get our cups from gas stations. They come with plastic lids most of the time which is also handy if you want to make one and take it somewhere. Instead of using a lime press, we've found it easier to use a lemon press. The lime one was really too small for our limes. We buy those at Sam's. You can get a big bag of them for around $3 instead of paying .50 for one at a grocery store.
My next recipe is guacamole. Also GF but not why I'm posting it. Five years ago I wouldn't have touched the stuff with a 10 foot stick. I don't know why. Probably because I never ate it growing up so I was assuming I didn't like it. But my husband talked me into trying some and I've been a fan ever since. For some odd reason we decided to try making our own the other night. I thought it was awesome! The only mistake we made was buying an avocado that was too firm. It didn't mash well so the guac was kind of lumpy.
Guacamole
-2 avocados
-cilantro
-1 Roma tomato
-2 Serrano peppers
-small white onion
-1 tsp. salt
-lime juice
1. I put the cilantro in a food processor with 1/4 of the onion. I also put in 1/2 the tomato (take out seeds and ribs) and 1 1/2 of the peppers (take out ribs and seeds). I pureed it up as best as I could.
2. I got the avocados out of their skins and mashed them up in a bowl with the food processor mix and the salt.
3. Sprinkle with lime juice and mix some more. This should keep it from browning, at least for a little while.
TIPS: This is also a recipe you can play around with. If you want it hotter, use more pepper or leave some seeds in. The cilantro is something that you'd have to add to taste. We threw in maybe 8-10 leaves. When we were done eating, we put in more lime juice and covered it with plastic that was tight against the dip and put it in the fridge. The next morning the top was brown but the stuff on the bottom of the bowl was still green and good to eat.
This last week I also made gluten free zucchini bread with a homegrown zucchini. It is pretty good. It's even been approved by my sister-in-law. I think that's the ultimate test of a GF recipe. If non-GF people like it then it's good. Here's the recipe I use for that.
Zucchini Bread
-3 eggs
-2 c. sugar
-1 c. oil
-3 tsp. vanilla
-1 tsp. baking soda
-1/2 cup nuts (optional)
-3 c. grated zucchini
-1 tsp. salt
-3 c. GF flour mixture (see here) or regular flour
-1/2 tsp. baking powder
-2 tsp. cinnamon
1. Combine eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Mix well.
2. Add rest of ingredients. Mix well.
3. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.
This make 2 loaves.
And aren't those the simplest directions ever?
Tomorrow project - gluten free Hawaiian sweet bread. I'll let you know how it goes.
Melinda's Cherry Limeades
-2 limes
-grenadine (or other flavoring of choice)
-simple syrup
-club soda
-ice
1. Make simple syrup. We use 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water. To dissolve the sugar, heat the water and sugar on the stove.
2. Fill cup 1/3 full of ice. We make ours in a 32 ounce cup.
3. Squeeze juice out of both limes. The recipe says to use 6 ounces of simple syrup. We usually use less. Less syrup makes the limeade more tart, more syrup makes it less tart. You can play around with that.
4. Fill cup almost to the top with club soda. Then add grenadine. Stir. I usually pour in enough grenadine to make the limeade nice and red and then taste. If it's not enough cherry I add more.
TIPS: We tried POM pomegranate juice the other day. It's good but not as good as the cherry version. You can add any flavor you'd like just like they do at a certain drive in fast food place. We get our cups from gas stations. They come with plastic lids most of the time which is also handy if you want to make one and take it somewhere. Instead of using a lime press, we've found it easier to use a lemon press. The lime one was really too small for our limes. We buy those at Sam's. You can get a big bag of them for around $3 instead of paying .50 for one at a grocery store.
My next recipe is guacamole. Also GF but not why I'm posting it. Five years ago I wouldn't have touched the stuff with a 10 foot stick. I don't know why. Probably because I never ate it growing up so I was assuming I didn't like it. But my husband talked me into trying some and I've been a fan ever since. For some odd reason we decided to try making our own the other night. I thought it was awesome! The only mistake we made was buying an avocado that was too firm. It didn't mash well so the guac was kind of lumpy.
Guacamole
-2 avocados
-cilantro
-1 Roma tomato
-2 Serrano peppers
-small white onion
-1 tsp. salt
-lime juice
1. I put the cilantro in a food processor with 1/4 of the onion. I also put in 1/2 the tomato (take out seeds and ribs) and 1 1/2 of the peppers (take out ribs and seeds). I pureed it up as best as I could.
2. I got the avocados out of their skins and mashed them up in a bowl with the food processor mix and the salt.
3. Sprinkle with lime juice and mix some more. This should keep it from browning, at least for a little while.
TIPS: This is also a recipe you can play around with. If you want it hotter, use more pepper or leave some seeds in. The cilantro is something that you'd have to add to taste. We threw in maybe 8-10 leaves. When we were done eating, we put in more lime juice and covered it with plastic that was tight against the dip and put it in the fridge. The next morning the top was brown but the stuff on the bottom of the bowl was still green and good to eat.
This last week I also made gluten free zucchini bread with a homegrown zucchini. It is pretty good. It's even been approved by my sister-in-law. I think that's the ultimate test of a GF recipe. If non-GF people like it then it's good. Here's the recipe I use for that.
Zucchini Bread
-3 eggs
-2 c. sugar
-1 c. oil
-3 tsp. vanilla
-1 tsp. baking soda
-1/2 cup nuts (optional)
-3 c. grated zucchini
-1 tsp. salt
-3 c. GF flour mixture (see here) or regular flour
-1/2 tsp. baking powder
-2 tsp. cinnamon
1. Combine eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Mix well.
2. Add rest of ingredients. Mix well.
3. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.
This make 2 loaves.
And aren't those the simplest directions ever?
Tomorrow project - gluten free Hawaiian sweet bread. I'll let you know how it goes.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Passing on a Link
A fellow gluten-free gal passed this link on to me so I thought I'd share with everyone. It's good for people who eat gluten-free and those who are trying to cook for those that are gluten-free. It's how to read labels to tell if something has an ingredient containing gluten in it. I hope you find it useful. I thought it was pretty interesting.
Gluten Free Label Reading
Gluten Free Label Reading
Monday, June 6, 2011
Vacation - Philadelphia
I've been kind of slow on updating this. But I've been kind of busy lately and haven't had a whole lot of new information either. However, we did go on vacation a couple weeks ago to Philadelphia and I have some interesting information to pass on.
First I have to say, we loved Philly (we can call it that because we've been there). We also went to Hershey and Lancaster County. If you're considering it and looking for activities to do (or not do), let me know. I won't post them all here, but it was a great vacation!
I was looking into GF places to eat in Philly before going. I figured since it was a large city with a diverse population there would be more options than you tend to find around Kansas. I hadn't had a whole lot of luck until I found a Facebook page called Living Simply Gluten Free Philadelphia. It's awesome because it has a whole bunch of information about places to go. Since I only found this website about a week before we left, I decided to email them to find out their best suggestions without having to go through all the information. And they came through big time! The creator of the website wanted to know my preferences. Then she sent me a big list of places based on the budget I told her and our favorite types of food and where we were staying. It was so great!
Because of our time constraints, we only got to two places that had GF options. Most of my meals were hot dogs with no bun which is not exciting or healthy. The first place we tried was Giorgio On Pine. It was fantastic! We had a stuffed portobello appetizer. I had the gluten free prosciutto and arugula pizza. My husband took one for the team and had GF spaghetti so that I could try it. It was good stuff! The portobello was probably my favorite. And we had creme brule for dessert.
We also stopped at Sweet Freedom Bakery. I picked up several items to take along and try. I had two different cookie sandwiches, a vanilla cupcake, and a samoa cupcake. My favorite, by far, was the samoa cupcake.
Hershey was, of course, a great place. I love candy and I can eat almost everything they make. Can't go wrong there.
Lancaster County was hard. It's known for it's Amish community so everywhere you go there are homemade pies, breads, whoopie pies, cookies, etc. I managed to avoid most of it. I did have a small piece of bread because I wanted to try the fresh butter at one place we stopped. If you are there, definitely get the Lapp Valley Farm ice cream. I don't think there are words to describe how amazing this ice cream was! We had chocolate marshmallow. If I could have brought it home, I would have!
That's just a quick update. I guess the best thing I learned is that if you are planning on going somewhere and can find some sort of web page like I did, don't be afraid to ask! I would never have found Giorgio had I not asked and it was good!
First I have to say, we loved Philly (we can call it that because we've been there). We also went to Hershey and Lancaster County. If you're considering it and looking for activities to do (or not do), let me know. I won't post them all here, but it was a great vacation!
I was looking into GF places to eat in Philly before going. I figured since it was a large city with a diverse population there would be more options than you tend to find around Kansas. I hadn't had a whole lot of luck until I found a Facebook page called Living Simply Gluten Free Philadelphia. It's awesome because it has a whole bunch of information about places to go. Since I only found this website about a week before we left, I decided to email them to find out their best suggestions without having to go through all the information. And they came through big time! The creator of the website wanted to know my preferences. Then she sent me a big list of places based on the budget I told her and our favorite types of food and where we were staying. It was so great!
Because of our time constraints, we only got to two places that had GF options. Most of my meals were hot dogs with no bun which is not exciting or healthy. The first place we tried was Giorgio On Pine. It was fantastic! We had a stuffed portobello appetizer. I had the gluten free prosciutto and arugula pizza. My husband took one for the team and had GF spaghetti so that I could try it. It was good stuff! The portobello was probably my favorite. And we had creme brule for dessert.
We also stopped at Sweet Freedom Bakery. I picked up several items to take along and try. I had two different cookie sandwiches, a vanilla cupcake, and a samoa cupcake. My favorite, by far, was the samoa cupcake.
Hershey was, of course, a great place. I love candy and I can eat almost everything they make. Can't go wrong there.
Lancaster County was hard. It's known for it's Amish community so everywhere you go there are homemade pies, breads, whoopie pies, cookies, etc. I managed to avoid most of it. I did have a small piece of bread because I wanted to try the fresh butter at one place we stopped. If you are there, definitely get the Lapp Valley Farm ice cream. I don't think there are words to describe how amazing this ice cream was! We had chocolate marshmallow. If I could have brought it home, I would have!
That's just a quick update. I guess the best thing I learned is that if you are planning on going somewhere and can find some sort of web page like I did, don't be afraid to ask! I would never have found Giorgio had I not asked and it was good!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Wild Thyme Cafe & Bakery
I had heard about a place in Wichita called Wild Thyme Cafe & Bakery so I decided to stop by and try some baked goods this weekend. I got a frosted sugar cookie, brownie, and a dinner roll. There wasn't much selection when I got there because it was like 3:50 on Saturday afternoon and they close at 4 for the weekend.
This is half the cookie I got. It was a butterfly. I decided that I should take a picture of it before I ate it all. It is AMAZING! I highly recommend their sugar cookies. The cookie was a basic sugar cookie taste. But the frosting is wonderful. It has a really good flavor with a hint of lemon maybe. YUMMY! I also have to say that I enjoy the cookie being decorated so beautifully. Some things that are gluten free are not appetizing to look at let alone eat. So it feels good to have a place to get beautiful and delicious treats. If you are ever near Wild Thyme you have to stop. I have not had a chance to try my brownie or roll. Both smell good if that counts.
I got a copy of the menu and they have salads that come with gluten free bread. They can also make several types of sandwiches with gluten free bread. It also says that they have cupcakes, cookies, bars, brownies, pies, and cakes they can make gluten free. I'm assuming that since gluten free is just an option and not the norm that most of this stuff is exposed to cross-contamination with regular wheat flour. So be aware of that.
I'm definitely looking forward to going back and trying other things.
I also stopped at Whole Foods in Wichita. Not the real Whole Foods but a locally owned chain in Wichita. They have a HUGE selection of gluten free products if you haven't stopped there.
I also read about an interesting product in a magazine this week. They are called No Oodles. They are noodles made from yam flour and are gluten free and apparently have no calories. I'd like to try these too but they are only available at select stores right now. I believe the closest one is the real Whole Foods in Kansas City (not the chain of Whole Foods in Wichita). I'm hoping to get there in a couple weeks. I'm also interested to see what that chain of Whole Foods has available for gluten free products. I've read they have a good selection also.
I got a copy of the menu and they have salads that come with gluten free bread. They can also make several types of sandwiches with gluten free bread. It also says that they have cupcakes, cookies, bars, brownies, pies, and cakes they can make gluten free. I'm assuming that since gluten free is just an option and not the norm that most of this stuff is exposed to cross-contamination with regular wheat flour. So be aware of that.
I'm definitely looking forward to going back and trying other things.
I also stopped at Whole Foods in Wichita. Not the real Whole Foods but a locally owned chain in Wichita. They have a HUGE selection of gluten free products if you haven't stopped there.
I also read about an interesting product in a magazine this week. They are called No Oodles. They are noodles made from yam flour and are gluten free and apparently have no calories. I'd like to try these too but they are only available at select stores right now. I believe the closest one is the real Whole Foods in Kansas City (not the chain of Whole Foods in Wichita). I'm hoping to get there in a couple weeks. I'm also interested to see what that chain of Whole Foods has available for gluten free products. I've read they have a good selection also.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
An Interesting Dilemma
Tonight I had an interesting problem. I think it's one of those things only people who eat gluten free food might understand. I don't even know if they would understand.
I decided to make macaroni and cheese for supper. When I started eating gluten free I had some boxes of Kraft Mac & Cheese that I couldn't eat anymore but I kept them to use the cheese flavoring with my gluten free pasta. I decided I'd use one of those tonight. I got to the step where you put the cheese packet on and when I dumped it out, three worms fell out into my pasta. Totally disgusting, right? Normally I'd just throw the whole pot of pasta away but now I have an interesting dilemma. First, I spent almost 15 minutes boiling these noodles because gluten free pasta takes longer than regular pasta. Second, I'm starving because it's almost 6:30. Third, gluten free noodles are expensive. I used almost half a bag which is probably $3. They're not 50 cents a box like glutenous pasta. And fourth, I can't just go to Subway and get a sandwich instead so I'm kind of stuck.
So I decided I'd just pick the worms out and make my pasta anyway. I got two out okay but lost the third in the pot somewhere. Now I have an even bigger problem. I was really looking forward to this macaroni and cheese. I finished making the mac & cheese and decided to eat it anyway. I'm assuming that the worm got cooked in the pot, right? I picked around at it tonight and didn't find the worm in tonight's serving so I guess at lunch tomorrow I'll have to look extra close again. I guess if I don't ever find it, I ate it. People in other countries eat insects all the time. It was a tiny worm so it can't be that bad. You're probably alll gagging right now.
After I started thinking about what had happened I realized I probably seem totally crazy for doing that. But that was some goooood mac & cheese. I haven't had mac & cheese in quite awhile so it's worth it. The only semi-good way I can come up with to rationalize this is that the last few weeks have been totally crazy and my brain is fried. How ridiculous has my life become when I decide it's okay to eat macaroni & cheese with worms in it?
I decided to make macaroni and cheese for supper. When I started eating gluten free I had some boxes of Kraft Mac & Cheese that I couldn't eat anymore but I kept them to use the cheese flavoring with my gluten free pasta. I decided I'd use one of those tonight. I got to the step where you put the cheese packet on and when I dumped it out, three worms fell out into my pasta. Totally disgusting, right? Normally I'd just throw the whole pot of pasta away but now I have an interesting dilemma. First, I spent almost 15 minutes boiling these noodles because gluten free pasta takes longer than regular pasta. Second, I'm starving because it's almost 6:30. Third, gluten free noodles are expensive. I used almost half a bag which is probably $3. They're not 50 cents a box like glutenous pasta. And fourth, I can't just go to Subway and get a sandwich instead so I'm kind of stuck.
So I decided I'd just pick the worms out and make my pasta anyway. I got two out okay but lost the third in the pot somewhere. Now I have an even bigger problem. I was really looking forward to this macaroni and cheese. I finished making the mac & cheese and decided to eat it anyway. I'm assuming that the worm got cooked in the pot, right? I picked around at it tonight and didn't find the worm in tonight's serving so I guess at lunch tomorrow I'll have to look extra close again. I guess if I don't ever find it, I ate it. People in other countries eat insects all the time. It was a tiny worm so it can't be that bad. You're probably alll gagging right now.
After I started thinking about what had happened I realized I probably seem totally crazy for doing that. But that was some goooood mac & cheese. I haven't had mac & cheese in quite awhile so it's worth it. The only semi-good way I can come up with to rationalize this is that the last few weeks have been totally crazy and my brain is fried. How ridiculous has my life become when I decide it's okay to eat macaroni & cheese with worms in it?
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Convention
Yesterday I found the dorkiest thing ever! It's a whole convention about gluten free stuff! And I kind of want to go! Here's a link to the website if you are interested. Gluten Free Expo It's in Dallas in October and I keep trying to convince my husband to go with me but I don't think I'm getting anywhere. It looks interesting. One of the speakers scheduled in Chicago is the Cake Doctor whom I love. And I think the vendor fair would be great. It'd be nice to taste stuff and make notes on what's good instead of having to buy stuff and find out if it's good after baking it. So we'll see. I really think I might go. We'll see if I get my husband talked into going with me.
I found something else I really like. I've been looking for a good pizza crust. I found some Udi's pizza crusts a couple weeks ago at Green Acres and they are really good. They are the best we've had so far. Like most gluten free things they are fairly small and fairly expensive for two crusts but they taste really good. So if you can find them near you, try them out.
We made another batch of confetti cupcakes tonight. They were the first baked good I've eaten in two months. We just don't bake stuff very often because then we have to eat it by ourselves. And people have brought stuff to work or church but I can't eat any of it. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed that cupcake. It's amazing how much I miss stuff like that. I eat a lot of chocolate instead but nothing beats a good cupcake.
I found something else I really like. I've been looking for a good pizza crust. I found some Udi's pizza crusts a couple weeks ago at Green Acres and they are really good. They are the best we've had so far. Like most gluten free things they are fairly small and fairly expensive for two crusts but they taste really good. So if you can find them near you, try them out.
We made another batch of confetti cupcakes tonight. They were the first baked good I've eaten in two months. We just don't bake stuff very often because then we have to eat it by ourselves. And people have brought stuff to work or church but I can't eat any of it. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed that cupcake. It's amazing how much I miss stuff like that. I eat a lot of chocolate instead but nothing beats a good cupcake.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Chebe Sticks
I've been meaning to post this for awhile now but I've been kind of busy at work so that hasn't happened. A couple weeks ago we had some soup for supper and since I can't put crackers in my soup I like to have something else I can use to soak up the soup. Kent made these Chebe sticks for me and they were really good. We had garlic and onion with cheddar cheese. I tore them into pieces and put them in my soup like crackers and they were really good that way. They are also good plain. Here's a link to the Chebe website. They have several other gluten free products. I'm looking forward to having more breadsticks. Kent said they were also easy to make. Just mix them up, shape into sticks and bake.
Kent was gone a few days this last week and I was working late. Normally on days like those I stop by Subway or Pizza Hut on my way home to get myself supper. I was driving home and was so hungry and I remembered how easy it used to be to grab a cheese pizza. That made me sad. I really miss pizza and subs. So I came home and made myself a gluten free grilled cheese. It's one of the first times I've really missed being able to eat those types of things.
Kent was gone a few days this last week and I was working late. Normally on days like those I stop by Subway or Pizza Hut on my way home to get myself supper. I was driving home and was so hungry and I remembered how easy it used to be to grab a cheese pizza. That made me sad. I really miss pizza and subs. So I came home and made myself a gluten free grilled cheese. It's one of the first times I've really missed being able to eat those types of things.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Easy Recipe
I was sitting here thinking of things I could make for supper and I thought of this recipe and though I should share it. It's a Hamburger Helper-style recipe that uses gluten free noodles. It would also be good with regular noodles but those of us that occasionally rely on the simpleness of Hamburger Helper and have had to quit, it's a good substitute. I got it from a recipe book called "Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free Cookbook for Kids and Busy Adults".
Skillet Supper
1 lb. ground beef
2 cups water
1 15 ounce jar spaghetti sauce
1 tsp. oregano
2 cups gluten free elbow macaroni
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. When meat is browned, stir in the water, spaghetti sauce, and oregano. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
2. Stir in macaroni. Cover the pan and simmer for 6 minutes until macaroni is just cooked, stirring frequently. Stir in cheeses. Cover pan and let stand for 1 minute or until cheese is melted.
In my first experience with this recipe we discovered that the noodles really need more than 6-7 minutes to become tender. Great for leftovers!
Skillet Supper
1 lb. ground beef
2 cups water
1 15 ounce jar spaghetti sauce
1 tsp. oregano
2 cups gluten free elbow macaroni
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. When meat is browned, stir in the water, spaghetti sauce, and oregano. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
2. Stir in macaroni. Cover the pan and simmer for 6 minutes until macaroni is just cooked, stirring frequently. Stir in cheeses. Cover pan and let stand for 1 minute or until cheese is melted.
In my first experience with this recipe we discovered that the noodles really need more than 6-7 minutes to become tender. Great for leftovers!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Birthday Treats!
My birthday was last week and it's tradition for me to take treats to work. Normally it's funfetti cupcakes with rainbow chip frosting. Obviously I can't have that anymore. So as mentioned before, my husband made me confetti cupcakes with rainbow chip frosting from Anne Byrn's The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten Free and they were awesome! You couldn't even tell they were gluten free. If I remember correctly he just added some sour cream, orange juice, and pudding. The confetti is decorator sprinkles that melt when you bake them. And you might notice they were in princess cupcake wrappers. A not so subtle insult from Kent.
Along with the cupcakes, I tried making gluten free bread this week. Actually Kent baked it. It's so good. It took longer to rise than the recipe said it would but it came out in the end. It's white bread. We've toasted it to eat with soup since saltines are out. We also made garlic bread out of it and Kent used it for a grilled cheese. I highly recommend this particular brand. As you will notice it's over halfway gone. I got it at Green Acres in Wichita but I'm sure it's available elsewhere.
Along with the cupcakes, I tried making gluten free bread this week. Actually Kent baked it. It's so good. It took longer to rise than the recipe said it would but it came out in the end. It's white bread. We've toasted it to eat with soup since saltines are out. We also made garlic bread out of it and Kent used it for a grilled cheese. I highly recommend this particular brand. As you will notice it's over halfway gone. I got it at Green Acres in Wichita but I'm sure it's available elsewhere.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
My First Gluten Free Christmas
I've been in the process of working on this post now for a week and a half. I've decided it's time to get it done. I am an accountant and January 1 starts our busy season so in the last week I've worked 13 more hours than I generally have been. So I've been a little tired and I go home at night and sit on the couch not doing anything and go to bed at 9. But anyways, back to my post.
I feel like I should get one of those Christmas ornaments like you get for "Baby's First Christmas". We got one as a gift for our first Christmas we were married. The figurine who is me has blond curly hair but she's super skinny so I guess that's OK. And she looks tall.
I thought I'd post a few things about Christmas. My mother-in-law made a gluten free lasagna that was delicious! My usual lasagna usually has a lot of tomato sauce and not so much cheese. Hers had a lot of cheese and less tomato sauce and I think I like that better. She used some fresh mozzarella and ricotta. I love ricotta! She also made a loaf of Pamela's gluten free bread for supper and it was also really good. The next day I toasted it for a chicken salad sandwich. That made a good sandwich. You couldn't even taste that it wasn't real bread.
When we were at my mom's she made gluten free chicken noodle soup. Instead of egg noodles she put in gluten free shells. It was so good. I never make homemade chicken noodle soup.
We went to my mom's again yesterday for a family dinner. For dessert we had gluten free yellow cupcakes from a recipe out of Ann Byrn's book The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten Free. I've used her books for regular cakes and always loved them. These cupcakes were great! They were a boxed yellow gluten free cupcake with some stuff added. It made them taste homemade. I had two! My birthday's coming up and my husband is making the same recipe for me except adding confetti to it. He always makes me a batch of funfetti cupcakes with rainbow chip frosting for my birthday treats for work so he's going to see if this recipe can be the new substitute. I'm looking forward to them. I hope the people at the Sterling co-op are, too, because that's what you're getting this year.
When I started this blog we were only a couple days into the new year and I felt like I should comment on that. So here it is. I guess I'm looking forward to 2011. I don't know why I wouldn't. My grandma asked me the other day if I wondered what would happen this year. I guess I hadn't thought of that. It was a Deep Thought by Grandma Arlene. I'm know I'm looking forward to April 16th and that's as far as I've gotten. That's the day my job gives me my life back. We're also thinking about going to Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. I'm pretty excited about that! I found an all gluten free bakery in Philadelphia I might just check out and I think we might go to the QVC studios for a tour. I love QVC! We're also considering another trip to Disney World. I hope everyone has a happy new year and good things come to you this year. I guess we'll see what happens!
I feel like I should get one of those Christmas ornaments like you get for "Baby's First Christmas". We got one as a gift for our first Christmas we were married. The figurine who is me has blond curly hair but she's super skinny so I guess that's OK. And she looks tall.
I thought I'd post a few things about Christmas. My mother-in-law made a gluten free lasagna that was delicious! My usual lasagna usually has a lot of tomato sauce and not so much cheese. Hers had a lot of cheese and less tomato sauce and I think I like that better. She used some fresh mozzarella and ricotta. I love ricotta! She also made a loaf of Pamela's gluten free bread for supper and it was also really good. The next day I toasted it for a chicken salad sandwich. That made a good sandwich. You couldn't even taste that it wasn't real bread.
When we were at my mom's she made gluten free chicken noodle soup. Instead of egg noodles she put in gluten free shells. It was so good. I never make homemade chicken noodle soup.
We went to my mom's again yesterday for a family dinner. For dessert we had gluten free yellow cupcakes from a recipe out of Ann Byrn's book The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten Free. I've used her books for regular cakes and always loved them. These cupcakes were great! They were a boxed yellow gluten free cupcake with some stuff added. It made them taste homemade. I had two! My birthday's coming up and my husband is making the same recipe for me except adding confetti to it. He always makes me a batch of funfetti cupcakes with rainbow chip frosting for my birthday treats for work so he's going to see if this recipe can be the new substitute. I'm looking forward to them. I hope the people at the Sterling co-op are, too, because that's what you're getting this year.
When I started this blog we were only a couple days into the new year and I felt like I should comment on that. So here it is. I guess I'm looking forward to 2011. I don't know why I wouldn't. My grandma asked me the other day if I wondered what would happen this year. I guess I hadn't thought of that. It was a Deep Thought by Grandma Arlene. I'm know I'm looking forward to April 16th and that's as far as I've gotten. That's the day my job gives me my life back. We're also thinking about going to Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. I'm pretty excited about that! I found an all gluten free bakery in Philadelphia I might just check out and I think we might go to the QVC studios for a tour. I love QVC! We're also considering another trip to Disney World. I hope everyone has a happy new year and good things come to you this year. I guess we'll see what happens!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
It's Like Christmas!!!!
I found sandwiches!!!! (In my head I said that in my Oprah voice so you should too for extra impact.) I'm just realizing that blog title would be a lot more impactful had Christmas not been just a few days ago. Oh well.
This is a fairly long story but at the end you'll be so glad you read it that you might want to read it twice. Probably not. I went to Jason's Deli once a long time ago when I was in Wichita taking one of my CPA exams (Have I mentioned I'm a CPA yet? If not, I meant to. It sounds really important, doesn't it?). Anyways, I believe that day I had a roast beef sandwich and it was good. Then I was in Wichita last Wednesday waiting for my sister and husband so we could check out the new IMAX theater (which is pretty cool, by the way) and had to eat lunch by myself. I didn't want to go to On the Border or someplace like that and eat alone so I thought I'd go back to Jason's Deli because they have soup. And I don't feel dumb eating there by myself. I had the broccoli and cheese soup and it was delicious. My husband and I went back to Wichita yesterday to do a little more shopping so we decided to go to Jason's again because it seemed like a light lunch and we ate a crazy amount of food over the past few days. So he got an Amy's Turkey-O and I had the biggest baked potato you've ever seen. It's the Potato Au Broc. It comes smothered in the broccoli and cheese soup and it's delicious, too. But it's a meal for like five people really. You should definitely get the smaller portion.
Review time: I've now been to Jason's Deli twice in one week. That's really important here. So Kent had finished his lunch and I was still barely 1/10 of the way into mine. He was looking over my should and he says, "Why didn't you get a sandwich?" In my head I'm thinking he's kind of dumb. I can't eat sandwiches, right? I don't know where he's been but we've gone over this before. And then he says, "They have gluten free sandwich bread." WHAT????? Yeah, there's a sign on the counter that says in big letters "GLUTEN FREE SANDWICH BREAD". I have now walked right past it twice in the last week and my husband once. That's three trips past the sign. You can tell we really pay attention.
So I'm curious about this, of course, so I go to the counter and read the sign. It says that they bake their gluten free bread in the same kitchen with their other bread so it's not suitable for people with Celiac Disease. However, people who have slight allergies, intolerances, or choose to eat gluten free for other health reasons can eat it. Then I asked the girl behind the counter and she says you can get ANY SANDWICH on gluten free bread. I about died right there! Sandwiches! I felt like this: (in your best Oprah voice) You get a sandwich! And you get a sandwich! And you get a sandwich! Everybody gets a sandwich!
Now I'm dying to go back so I can actually get a sandwich. See Subway, it works. You should really look into it.
Here's a link to the Jason's Deli website if you'd like to scope out the options. I recommend it. But they should really advertise this gluten free option more. Like a TV commercial during my favorite show. And apparently you should address me directly or I won't get it. They have a blog on the website. The posting from November 23, 2010 is about the new gluten free options with a link to a special gluten free menu.
In other news, I'm going to post another blog at some point about my Christmas eating experience. I know you're on the edges of your seats for that!
This is a fairly long story but at the end you'll be so glad you read it that you might want to read it twice. Probably not. I went to Jason's Deli once a long time ago when I was in Wichita taking one of my CPA exams (Have I mentioned I'm a CPA yet? If not, I meant to. It sounds really important, doesn't it?). Anyways, I believe that day I had a roast beef sandwich and it was good. Then I was in Wichita last Wednesday waiting for my sister and husband so we could check out the new IMAX theater (which is pretty cool, by the way) and had to eat lunch by myself. I didn't want to go to On the Border or someplace like that and eat alone so I thought I'd go back to Jason's Deli because they have soup. And I don't feel dumb eating there by myself. I had the broccoli and cheese soup and it was delicious. My husband and I went back to Wichita yesterday to do a little more shopping so we decided to go to Jason's again because it seemed like a light lunch and we ate a crazy amount of food over the past few days. So he got an Amy's Turkey-O and I had the biggest baked potato you've ever seen. It's the Potato Au Broc. It comes smothered in the broccoli and cheese soup and it's delicious, too. But it's a meal for like five people really. You should definitely get the smaller portion.
Review time: I've now been to Jason's Deli twice in one week. That's really important here. So Kent had finished his lunch and I was still barely 1/10 of the way into mine. He was looking over my should and he says, "Why didn't you get a sandwich?" In my head I'm thinking he's kind of dumb. I can't eat sandwiches, right? I don't know where he's been but we've gone over this before. And then he says, "They have gluten free sandwich bread." WHAT????? Yeah, there's a sign on the counter that says in big letters "GLUTEN FREE SANDWICH BREAD". I have now walked right past it twice in the last week and my husband once. That's three trips past the sign. You can tell we really pay attention.
So I'm curious about this, of course, so I go to the counter and read the sign. It says that they bake their gluten free bread in the same kitchen with their other bread so it's not suitable for people with Celiac Disease. However, people who have slight allergies, intolerances, or choose to eat gluten free for other health reasons can eat it. Then I asked the girl behind the counter and she says you can get ANY SANDWICH on gluten free bread. I about died right there! Sandwiches! I felt like this: (in your best Oprah voice) You get a sandwich! And you get a sandwich! And you get a sandwich! Everybody gets a sandwich!
Now I'm dying to go back so I can actually get a sandwich. See Subway, it works. You should really look into it.
Here's a link to the Jason's Deli website if you'd like to scope out the options. I recommend it. But they should really advertise this gluten free option more. Like a TV commercial during my favorite show. And apparently you should address me directly or I won't get it. They have a blog on the website. The posting from November 23, 2010 is about the new gluten free options with a link to a special gluten free menu.
In other news, I'm going to post another blog at some point about my Christmas eating experience. I know you're on the edges of your seats for that!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
More Holiday Baking
Before I get to the baking I must tell you something else. I went to our little grocery store here in Hesston yesterday, the Hesston Food Market, and they have gluten free Bisquick! I was so excited! I bought some in Lawrence at Hy Vee and you can hardly tell the difference between GF and regular waffle mix. I had my sister buy four boxes to bring home this weekend. Now I don't have to have her get them. I can get them myself. Way to go HFM! I also tried their gluten free pizza crusts last week and they aren't too bad. They don't beat Pizza Hut or Papa John's but they work.
Now to the really important stuff. This weekend is our Diener family Christmas. For those of you not privileged enough to be a Diener, I will tell you it's basically a food fest. First we eat lunch. Then we open presents. Then for some reason we break out about a million different snacks and pig out on those. Then we eat supper. My stomach hurts just thinking about that. My Aunt Sharon always makes caramel from scratch and it's wonderful. I'm in charge of the mint chocolate brownies. My mom usually does puppy chow and cinnamon popcorn...you get the picture. Snack time has changed in recent years because of the gluten free issue, but it's still a smorgasbord.
One of my other favorite things to make beside mint chocolate brownies (more on those later) is poppy seed bread. I needed some for this weekend and it's snack day at work tomorrow so I'm taking the second loaf there. Sorry to spoil that surprise for my co-workers. I used my flour mixture from the previous baking post in place of the regular flour and it worked wonderfully. My loaves are slightly shorter than normal but taste AMAZING! You'll notice in my picture that one loaf is a wee bit shorter than the other. That's where I cut off my sample piece. The ends are soooo good! I'm having a hard time not eating it all! Below is a picture and the recipe if you want to try it.
Poppy seed Bread
2 cups flour or gluten free flour mixture
1 tsp. butter flavor
3/4 cup oil
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup milk
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. almond flavor
Mix ingredients. Pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. While hot and still in pan, drizzle with glaze. Remove from pans after 10-15 minutes of cooling (loaves will fall out easily).
Glaze
1 Tbsp. orange juice
1 Tbsp. water
1/4 tsp. each vanilla, butter, almond flavor
6 Tbsp. powdered sugar
Back to the mint chocolate brownies. The pan on the left is Betty Crocker gluten free brownie mix, also from Hesston Food Market. The one on the right is a glutenous brownie. Tomorrow night I'm going to make a green mint layer and then chill them. When that's set, I add a chocolate layer on top and chill again. YUMMY!
Now to the really important stuff. This weekend is our Diener family Christmas. For those of you not privileged enough to be a Diener, I will tell you it's basically a food fest. First we eat lunch. Then we open presents. Then for some reason we break out about a million different snacks and pig out on those. Then we eat supper. My stomach hurts just thinking about that. My Aunt Sharon always makes caramel from scratch and it's wonderful. I'm in charge of the mint chocolate brownies. My mom usually does puppy chow and cinnamon popcorn...you get the picture. Snack time has changed in recent years because of the gluten free issue, but it's still a smorgasbord.
One of my other favorite things to make beside mint chocolate brownies (more on those later) is poppy seed bread. I needed some for this weekend and it's snack day at work tomorrow so I'm taking the second loaf there. Sorry to spoil that surprise for my co-workers. I used my flour mixture from the previous baking post in place of the regular flour and it worked wonderfully. My loaves are slightly shorter than normal but taste AMAZING! You'll notice in my picture that one loaf is a wee bit shorter than the other. That's where I cut off my sample piece. The ends are soooo good! I'm having a hard time not eating it all! Below is a picture and the recipe if you want to try it.
Poppy seed Bread
2 cups flour or gluten free flour mixture
1 tsp. butter flavor
3/4 cup oil
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup milk
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. almond flavor
Mix ingredients. Pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. While hot and still in pan, drizzle with glaze. Remove from pans after 10-15 minutes of cooling (loaves will fall out easily).
Glaze
1 Tbsp. orange juice
1 Tbsp. water
1/4 tsp. each vanilla, butter, almond flavor
6 Tbsp. powdered sugar
Back to the mint chocolate brownies. The pan on the left is Betty Crocker gluten free brownie mix, also from Hesston Food Market. The one on the right is a glutenous brownie. Tomorrow night I'm going to make a green mint layer and then chill them. When that's set, I add a chocolate layer on top and chill again. YUMMY!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Finally Tried Some Recipes
I haven't posted in awhile but I haven't really felt there was anything to say recently. I've been trying my hardest not to eat anything with wheat flour in it and have done pretty well at that. I did eat one last Girl Scout Thin Mint before giving my stash away. I forgot I'd have to give those up and that was a sad day! If you know me, you know my weakness is mint chocolate anything.
I also cleaned out my pantry and either threw away or gave away almost everything made with wheat flour. I kept a few things my husband can eat. Then I cleaned out the freezer to make room for storing all my special flours.
First I tried gluten-free Oreos. They are awesome! I'd eat these even if I didn't have to. I got the recipe from the blog Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef. These are pretty simple. I do have some pointers before I post the recipe and directions. It says to put the dry mixture in a stand mixer before adding the egg and butter. I thought I'd use my hand mixer to combine the dry and wet ingredients. Big mistake! First, I had a giant cocoa powder cloud everywhere! I'm still cleaning cocoa powder dust off the counters! Then it took forever for it to come together. I finally got out my Kitchen Aid and it was done in like 30 seconds with a lot less dust. So use the stand mixer!!! We made the dough balls too big. My Oreos are more like whoopie pie size. So when it says a teaspoon of dough, stick to that. I found that smashing the dough balls with a glass worked better than trying to do it by hand. I just used a juice glass and sprayed the bottom with cooking spray after every few cookies and it worked like a charm. The cookies are uniform looking and almost perfectly round. My filling came out too thick to spread so I thinned it. Milk would work best for this since the filling is made with butter. If you do decide to thin it, remember just a drop or two at a time. Once you go too thin, you can't go back! So below is the recipe and also a picture.
For the cookies:
80 grams sweet rice flour60 grams white rice flour
35 grams teff flour
2 grams (1/2 teaspoon) xanthan gum
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (we used Dagoba organic)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar (we used 1/2 cup organic cane sugar and 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar)
140 grams (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg
For the creamy filling:
58 grams (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preparing to bake. Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
Making the cookie dough. Put the sweet rice flour, white rice flour, and teff flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using a whisk, stir the flours together to combine and aerate them. Add the xanthan gum, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Turn the mixer on and let everything combine in motion. While the mixer is running on low speed, add large pieces of the butter until they are all incorporated. Add the egg and mix well. (At this point, you might think the dough will be too dry. Keep mixing. It will come together.)
Baking the cookies. Scoop a rounded teaspoon of batter and form a ball. Gently flatten the dough in the palm of your hand. After you have flattened, smooth the edges of the cookie dough disk to make it evenly rounded. Place the dough disks onto the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. (These will not spread, but you do not want them to touch each other.)
Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 5 minutes, then turn the baking sheet 180 degrees. Bake until the cookies are crisp on the edges with just a touch of softness in the center, about 5 more minutes. Take the cookies out of the oven. After a few moments, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely.
Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Making the creamy filling. Put the butter and vegetable shortening into the bowl of the stand mixer. (Clean the cookie dough out first!) Whip them up together, then add the sugar and vanilla extract. Beat the filling on high until it is fluffy frosting, about 5 minutes. (Be sure to turn off the stand mixer and scrape down the sides occasionally.)
Assembling the cookies. If you have a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch round tip, you can pipe tiny dots of filling onto a cookie. We couldn't find ours, so we used a teaspoon measure and our fingers to spread the blob of creamy filling toward the edges but not entirely there. Gently, press the second cookie down onto the filling and watch the filling reach the edges.
Continue until all the cookies are little chocolate sandwiches with a creamy filling.
Makes 25 to 30 Oreos.
I also made peppernuts this weekend. My husband calls these "tiny cookies" and can't understand all the hype about them. My freshman year in college my mom sent a box of peppernuts to me and I was beyond excited! I think I ate them all in 2 days. My husband, then boyfriend, didn't get it. He thought they were good but just a small cookie and why eat a bunch of small cookies when you can eat one big one? But they are one of my favorite holiday treats. They're the kind of thing you only make once a year because they are a lot of work so I always look forward to peppernut day.
There are way too many various recipes to count. I personally prefer the orange slice peppernut. But cutting up the orange slices takes me a whole week of work so I just went with the anise peppernuts this time. I haven't found a good method for cutting up orange slices; they are too sticky.
I'd say the peppernuts came out pretty good. I used my regular recipe but substituted the 4 cups of flour with a flour mixture recipe I got from my mom. They are definitely more crunchy than when I use regular flour and they are flatter. When I took them out of the oven they were pretty fluffy but as they cooled they flattened out. I'm not sure what that's about but they taste just as good as the wheat flour version. I'll post the recipe and flour mixture recipe below with a picture.
If you've never made peppernuts before, they freeze really well.
Flour Mixture Recipe:
1 cup brown rice flour
1 1/4 cups white rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch
2/3 cup tapioca starch or flour
3/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 tsp. xantham gum
Anise Peppernuts:
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup brown Karo syrup
1 egg
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. anise seed, ground
1 tsp. soda in 1 Tbsp. hot water
1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups flour or flour mixture
Cream shortening and sugar. Beat in egg. Add syrup and soda mixed in hot water. Sift remaining dry ingredients and stir until dough is well mixed. Chill overnight in covered container. Roll into pencil sized ropes and cute the size of a dime. Place on greased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 7-8 minutes or until golden brown.
Happy Baking!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
I Cheated....On Accident
Old habits die hard. This weekend I accidentally cheated on my wheat free diet. I'm sure you're wondering how you accidentally cheat, right? We went shopping in Kansas City with my little sister and stopped to eat lunch at Wild Bill's at Legends. My sister and I were going to share a cheeseburger. This is beside the point but Wild Bill's has excellent cheeseburgers. So they brought us two plates, each with half the cheeseburger. I, of course, intended to take the bun off mine. I had a bite of cheeseburger and was getting ready for my second when my husband looks over and says, "What are you doing?". I stopped mid-bite to consider what I was doing. It took a second to figure it out and then I realized I'd left the bun on the cheeseburger. Whoops! So this weekend, I had a bite of cheeseburger with bun...on accident.
Friday, November 5, 2010
So Long Subway!
Lunch is always a challenge for me. I try to bring my lunch with me but there's just times when we don't have leftovers or I don't want to eat them. And for those days, my go to restaurant is Subway. Oh I love Subway! There's one a couple blocks from my office and I eat there once a week unless I'm on vacation or out of town for work. The ladies who work there know my order. BMT on flatbread, toasted with American cheese, pickles, and one squirt of light mayo. Every once in awhile I get crazy and change it up, but not usually. I don't have a change-it-up personality.
But my new diet says that I can't eat at Subway. Not entirely true, I guess. I could get a salad, but I probably won't. Not a salad eater. Besides, I don't really want to go into the store and smell fresh baked bread and then not be able to eat it. Talk about torturous! But I feel like I should go there one last time and explain to them why I can't come back. What if they miss me? Surely they'll be worried, right? And I'll miss them knowing what I want. It's kind of nice to not have to say my order every time. Arby's doesn't know my order. Neither does Taco Bueno. They're like friends to me at Subway. My once a week, sandwich making friends.
I'm really hoping that the fine people at Subway come out with gluten free bread (HINT, HINT, HINT) as I know I'm not the only one who'd eat it. If that happened, I'd probably just buy my own restaurant and eat at it everyday so I could at least get some of my money back. But until that day, no Subway.
So today I'm saying so long Subway! I'll miss you.
But my new diet says that I can't eat at Subway. Not entirely true, I guess. I could get a salad, but I probably won't. Not a salad eater. Besides, I don't really want to go into the store and smell fresh baked bread and then not be able to eat it. Talk about torturous! But I feel like I should go there one last time and explain to them why I can't come back. What if they miss me? Surely they'll be worried, right? And I'll miss them knowing what I want. It's kind of nice to not have to say my order every time. Arby's doesn't know my order. Neither does Taco Bueno. They're like friends to me at Subway. My once a week, sandwich making friends.
I'm really hoping that the fine people at Subway come out with gluten free bread (HINT, HINT, HINT) as I know I'm not the only one who'd eat it. If that happened, I'd probably just buy my own restaurant and eat at it everyday so I could at least get some of my money back. But until that day, no Subway.
So today I'm saying so long Subway! I'll miss you.
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