learning how to cook... gluten free!

Cinnamon rolls- step by step

2012-01-29T12:35:00.003-06:00

Cinnamon rolls. Unfortunately, we can't just pop open a can of refrigerated biscuit or croissant rolls, spread some sugar on it, and call it a day.
Some days cinnamon rolls are worth the extra effort, some days they're not. Today, they are.

I've made cinnamon rolls many times, and have eventually streamlined the process.

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

2/3 c. milk
1 t. sugar
1 pkg fast-rising yeast

1 egg
1/4 c. oil (I use light olive oil. Vegetable or canola oil should be fine)
1 t. vanilla

1 3/4 c. gluten free flour**
1/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. xanthan gum
1/2 t. salt

Filling:
2/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 T. cinnamon

Mix the sugar into the milk. Warm it to 100-110 degrees. I use a thermometer because I have not yet mastered the art of being able to tell otherwise. You can get candy thermometers for a couple of bucks.
Mix in the yeast and set it in a warm place to proof. Meanwhile, grab two bowls: 1 small, 1 big.

Large bowl: Beat the egg. Add the oil and vanilla and mix well.

Small bowl: Mix the flour, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt.

Prepare your counter space by taping a piece of waxed paper to the counter at each corner. Sprinkle 1/2 c. gf flour onto the surface. You want it covered pretty well.

After about 10 minutes, check the yeast. It should have bubbled up and will smell yeasty. It will look like this:

You can see the original level of milk, and the bubbling from the yeast. If it hasn't bubbled, try it again.

Pour the yeasty mixture into the large bowl with the egg, oil, and vanilla. Mix well to get any lumps from the yeast out. A couple small ones are ok. Add in the flour mixture from the small bowl and combine well to form the dough. The dough will be very soft. It's okay. Don't panic.

Dump the dough onto the floured surface. Spread the dough into a rectangular shape using the back of a wet spoon. Warm water works best. Work slowly. If it sticks, dip the spoon back into the water and keep going.

Take your cinnamon/ brown sugar filling and spread it over the rectangle. Don't worry too much if your sugar has gotten lumpy in the bag; you will get little pockets of melted brown sugar goodness in the cinnamon rolls and, really, that's not a bad thing.

To roll the dough, remove the tape from the corners of the waxed paper. Start lifting one end of the paper, coaxing the dough into a tight roll as you go. I prefer to use this, but a large knife would work too.

If you've floured liberally, the dough should not stick to the paper, and gravity does most of the work.You will end up with a nicely rolled piece of dough.

Slice the dough: start in the middle and cut it in half, then cut each half in half again, etc. This will ensure even-sized rolls.

Place each sliced roll into a greased pan, placing the ends cut-side-down. This is an 8x8 pan, I think. A round pan works well, too.

Cover the pan loosely with a towel and place it in a warm place for 30 minutes to rise. I stick it on top of the preheating oven.

After 30 minutes, remove the towel. They will have risen and gotten fatter and higher.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops start to get golden brown.

For a simple glaze, mix:
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. cinnamon
2 T. milk
1/8 t. salt

(It makes these rolls very sweet)

Makes 8 cinnamon rolls.

**If you don't already have a flour mix on hand, mix 3/4 c. each brown rice flour, sorghum flour and potato starch. Use 1 3/4 c. in the dough, and use the remainder to flour your surface.

Bob's GF Pancake mix & Cheese Danish attempt

2012-01-15T11:58:00.002-06:00

First off, Bob's GF Pancake mix makes a pretty good pancake. Nothing spectacular, but a good pancake.

I used to love cheese danish back in the gluten days, and I've tried once to re-create it gluten free, without much success. I recently came across a recipe on Pinterest, and my interest has been renewed. So with that on the brain yesterday morning, I used the rest of the pancake batter in this.

Recipe Link. Sandwiched filling between two layers of pancake mix, baked at 350 for 35 minutes.

I knew the texture of the pancake batter wouldn't translate into danish-consistency, so it turned out like a cheese danish coffee cake. Not bad. The cheese part turned out perfectly, and I didn't use the egg in the filling.

Now to get the bready part perfect. Anyone got a fabulous gluten free croissant recipe? Mine all turn out dense and hard, not soft and flaky.

Bob's GF Cornbread Mix

2012-01-12T15:26:00.000-06:00

What I've been eating this week:

Super easy to throw together.

Makes quite a bit of cornbread for one person.
Been eating it as second breakfast with some honey, and with leftover beef stew at lunch.

fridge-ness

2012-01-06T18:55:00.003-06:00

How often do you clean out your fridge/ freezer? I happened to have a mostly empty fridge at the start of the new year, and thought it would be a good idea to eat everything, clean it out, wipe it down, and start fresh. Including the freezer. I have a ton of stuff shoved back in the freezer that just sits there while I replenish the stuff in the front. Then a year later I'll pull out a freezer-burned chicken breast that I didn't even know was in there.

The last time it was cleaned was when Ike hit and everything spoiled, so I figure it's time.

I also need lots of gluten free goodies to fill it back up with. Giant shopping trip, can't wait.

Little Aussie Bakery

2012-01-04T17:05:00.004-06:00

It's been a while, and so much has happened.

I've been wanting to post about this AMAZING gluten free bakery/ cafe, but had an issue getting pictures. Now, I have them.

A few weeks ago, my Marine came home from Afghanistan. Actually, he came home a day earlier than I expected and surprised the heck out of me. We spent a weekend in San Antonio, kind of a mini-vacation.

Since he came home early, I didn't have time to google any gluten free places in San Antonio before we left. When he announced that he was taking me some place special for lunch, I figured it was something with a gluten-friendly menu. Imagine my delight when we pulled up to this:

Little Aussie Bakery and Cafe- 100% Gluten free! There is even a sign on the door forbidding gluten from entering the place. I had no idea this existed!

He looked it up while still in Afghanistan and planned to surprise me with it. There were a lot of surprises that weekend. There's a reason (among many) I'm marrying that man. Oh yeah, we totally got engaged!!
(Now I -really- have to learn how to cook.)

But back to the food.

This place was beyond awesome. Fresh baked bread, rolls, sweets... they even have a Sunday brunch.

They set a bread basket on the table and I felt SOOO strange even acknowledging it-- usually bread baskets are off-limits. But this bread... oh my. Fresh. Baked. Bread. Delicious fresh baked bread. In my hands. And I'm allowed to eat it. Not just that, but it's really freaking good.

It's better than Udi's. MUCH better. My new #1 bread is the glorious stuff from this place.

We had lunch- It was also strange being able to pick anything I wanted off the entire menu, no restrictions. I ordered the chicken pot pie and Chris ordered the pizza. They serve bread with everything because they're so proud of it. And for a good reason. Everything was delicious.

Even the salad was good- a variety of greens with this really great dressing.

It was so good, we came back for Sunday Brunch. I was so excited to try my french toast that the picture came out blurry. It was amazing. I was in gluten free heaven.

He ordered the mushroom quiche or something. I don't remember. I was too into my french toast. He said it was good, though.

I bought some rolls and a loaf of bread to take home, and literally made meals out of it. Buttered bread, the rolls drizzled with honey, dipped in olive oil & herbs, sandwiches... my mouth is watering just thinking about it. I wish it was closer so I could go get more. It's the stuff gluten free dreams are made of!

We also bought quite a few slices of cake. Fancy cakes, too. Layer cakes. Chocolate and pecan cake with some sort of chocolate mousse layer, lemon cheesecake, vanilla sponge cake... it was awesome. AWESOME!

It's safe to say that if I ever find myself within a 50-mile radius, I'm going and having lunch, then bringing a ton of stuff home. And also if anyone I know is going to San Antonio, they're required to bring me back some bread.

tator tots, eggs, and cheese

2011-12-02T18:08:00.001-06:00

leftover tator tots, crumbled into pieces

+

4 eggs beaten, salt & pepper

+

shredded cheese sprinkled on top

350 degrees for 15-20 minutes= NOM

P.S. Would have added spinach or ham or peppers, but I need to go grocery shopping real bad.

PSA

2011-11-26T09:44:00.001-06:00

If you read this blog, I think it's okay to assume that you know what I'm talking about when I say, Don't you hate it when your belly goes crazy for no apparent reason?

Then you start to wonder what had the gluten, or if something carelessly got contaminated, even if my family are veterans when it comes to preventing it. Or maybe my body just can't take the overindulgence of a holiday weekend. It seems that on holidays or when I travel, it's an almost guaranteed stomachache. I suppose that it just becomes easier for the gluten to slip in there, or I just assume that what I'm eating should be okay.

Whatever it is, I spent my night with the heating pad instead of at a well-anticipated party.
I don't want to whine and bitch about how it's not fair, but man, sometimes it just really sucks.

And yet again I'm reminded to be more careful.

Take heed! Just a reminder, as the holiday season rolls around, be vigilant about what goes into your stomach. Gluten doesn't take a vacation just because we do!

On another note, I'll have a recipe for pineapple upside down cake in a bit. :o)

Joe's Crab Shack Eat-at-Home

2011-11-06T16:49:00.001-06:00

I caught these new Joe's Crab Shack steamable meals on sale at HEB a few weeks ago.

Intrigued, I picked then up and saw that the salmon with dijon mustard was labeled gluten free. Sweeeet. They're not all gluten free, but this particular one is.

Quick shot- because I was too hungry to fool with picture-taking.

It's ridiculously easy. It all comes packaged in pouches, which you microwave, then pour out onto a plate. Pretty good hunk of meat, tasty sides. Dinner for two in 10 minutes with hardly any dishes to clean. I really couldn't ask for more. Except for a cat who doesn't go berserk because I cooked fish. And, you know, someone to eat the other serving. (Shmoop alert: One month till he is out of that war zone and back in my arms. Shmoop over) At least I get some good leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

The only con is that when the fish is done cooking it looks kinda funky- like when you boil chicken and it gets that residue on the pot. But they give you sauce to pour over it and then you can't even tell.

Anyway. Good product, will be buying it again.

White bean soup with herb bread

2011-10-30T12:22:00.000-05:00

My contribution for the annual pumpkin carving party:

White bean (butternut squash) soup with herb bread

Soup:

Soak 1 1/2 c. white beans overnight

Put a large pot over medium heat and add 1 T. olive oil.
Chop and add to the pot:
3 carrots
3 stalks of celery
1 potato
1/2 red onion

Cover and let the veggies heat up and get slightly tender, mixing frequently.
Pour in vegetable broth, or some butternut squash soup (like this). If you use the soup, thin it out with some water because it's kind of thick.

Mince and add in:

2 cloves garlic
1 sage leaf
6 basil leaves
few sprigs of fresh parsley

Season with salt, pepper, and ground thyme. (I didn't have any fresh)

Bring to a boil, then cover and bring the temperature down to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about an hour or until the beans are tender.

The butternut squash makes it less savory and a tad bit sweet, even with all the herbs.

Serve with herbed bread.

Herbed Bread:

Proof your fast-rising yeast by adding 1 t. sugar to 1 c. water at 110-115 degrees. Add in the yeast and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix into a large bowl:

1 1/2 c. gluten free flour mix (see sidebar)
1 t. xanthan gum
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

In a smaller bowl, beat 1 egg and mix in 1 T. light olive oil.
Mince 2 sage leaves and a few basil leaves, and add it to the flour mixture, along with 1 t. dried oregano.

Mix the yeasty mixture (if it's good, it will be foamy on top) and the egg mixture into the large bowl with the flour. Form a wet-ish dough.

Pour it into a greased 8x8 pan and cover it with a towel. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place it in a warm place to rise for about 20 minutes, then bake at 425 for appx 20 minutes.

Has a subtle herb taste- to punch it up, simply add more.

Let it cool and cut into squares and serve with soup. Perfect fall meal.

Pumpkin, chocolate chip, oatmeal... cookies

2011-10-29T15:44:00.002-05:00

I had leftover pumpkin after making some muffins, so these cookies were born. I was actually laying in bed this morning thinking of what kind of cookie to make. Once I had it all figured out in my head, I had motivation to get up.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
1 large egg
1/4 t. vanilla
1 c. pumpkin puree
1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cups gluten free oats
1/4 c. brown rice flour
1/4 c. sorghum flour
1/4 c. potato starch
1/8 t. xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips

cinnamon & sugar (1/2 c. sugar + 1 T. cinnamon)

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Using an electric mixer, beat shortening and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg, pumpkin, and vanilla, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to wet mixture, mixing well. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets and sprinkle with cinnamon/ sugar mixture. They won't spread. Bake for 15 minutes or until set. Cool on wire rack.

These cookies bake up not too sweet, with a hint of every flavor.

Makes appx 18 cookies

Ratatouille

2011-10-26T17:48:00.000-05:00

...ish.

Inspired by the movie, of course.

Real ratatouille has zucchini and eggplant and peppers and stuff, and I only had an abundance of squash and a small sweet potato in the pantry. There was no way I was going to the store, so I improvised.

The vegetables turn out tender but not mushy.

I was surprised by how good this is. I figured it would just be vegetable-y and meh. But it's flavorful, has a perfect texture, and is very satisfying.

Overall, this is just a really tasty dish and I will absolutely be making it again-- even if I don't find myself with a ton of squash needing to be eaten.

I used:

5 small yellow squash
1 small sweet potato
1 (8 oz) can of tomato sauce
1 garlic clove, chopped finely
5 basil leaves, chopped finely
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
olive oil
salt & pepper
thyme

Preheat the oven to 375.

Slice your sweet potato and squash thinly. Pour the tomato sauce into the casserole dish and stir in the garlic and basil, as well as the pepper, any small bits of veggie that will be too small to arrange nicely.

Arrange your veggie slices around the edge of the dish, then on the inside. Jam any leftovers wherever they can fit.

Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the top. Generously salt and pepper the dish, and sprinkle on a little thyme.

Cover the dish with a lid or foil, and bake for 45 minutes, until the veggies are tender.

I served this over leftover brown rice and it was soso good.

Pumpkin gingerbread muffins

2011-10-23T11:53:00.000-05:00

The inspiration for this post comes from Oh She Glows. To be honest it was the spiced buttercream that caught my eye- what a great idea.

The muffins have a stronger gingerbread taste and a subtle pumpkin taste, and the pumpkin helps keep them moist.

The recipe was modified a bit to make it gluten free and use what I had on hand.

Again, the original vegan recipe is here.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins

1 c. plus 2 T. canned pumpkin
2/3 c. loosely packed brown sugar
1/4 c. light olive oil
1/4 c. molasses
1 egg, beaten
1 1/3 c. gluten free flour mix (See sidebar -->)
1/2 T. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/8 t. ground cloves

Preheat your oven to 350.

Mix the wet ingredients together in a bowl. Use the same measuring cup for the oil and the molasses- after you measure the oil, the molasses will slide out easily. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, and combine the wet & dry ingredients well.
*Don't forget your xanthan gum. I did, and they turned out a little crumbly.

Scoop into lined muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

These muffins are very tasty on their own.
To get more of a dessert taste, top with spiced frosting.
I combined cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, a ton of pumpkin pie spice, and a tiny bit of milk to make an icing/ glaze. For an actual recipe for spiced buttercream, see the original recipe at Oh She Glows.

Since the recipe doesn't use an entire can of pumpkin, expect another pumpkin recipe soon!

Cupcake win

2011-10-22T17:38:00.001-05:00

Chocolate cupcake (made with black beans!) + Nutella frosting* = WIN

*To give the Nutella a stiffer consistency for piping, mix 1/4 c. Nutella with 1 t. corn starch.

Pork!

2011-10-13T17:27:00.001-05:00

This is first time I've EVER cooked pork. I know, such a milestone.

Six of these "boneless wafer thin center loin chops" were on sale for less than 2 bucks, so I grabbed them. Then I coated them in a tangy marinade/sauce. Good call. It's tangy with a hint of fruity, balanced with a little bit of sweetness.

Then I made a rice pilaf to go with them. Actually, I just throw sliced almonds into some rice and some other stuff and call it a pilaf. It works for me.

Anyway. Recipe.

Preheat a heavy skillet on medium/high heat. It's ready when water droplets dance around for a second before evaporating.

Marinade:

1/3 c. yellow mustard
2 T. balsamic vinegar (Used this fabulous pomegranate balsamic vinegar that I got at the farmer's market)
1 T. brown sugar
pepper

*I didn't have time to actually marinade them, and they still turned out tasty. Next time I'll try leaving them in there for a few hours.

Coat the meat in the sauce/marinade, and throw it in your pan. Cook it literally about a minute on each side, because they're so thin. After they're all done, splash a small amount of chicken broth (2 thawed cubes) into the pan and make a sauce with the stuff that carmelized in the pan. Serve with rice pilaf.

Rice pilaf-ish:

1 c. brown rice cooked in 2 cups beef broth
1/4 c. slivered almonds
1 handful of finely chopped spinach
2 T. toasted coconut
sprinkle of paprika

Mix it all up. Done.

slightly cooking: pizza bagels

2011-10-06T17:12:00.003-05:00

I still have a bag of Udi's bagels in my freezer. I've tried using them up as much as I can, here and there. But I still had more!

Tonight I wanted to use up some tomatoes that have been sitting on the counter. The next logical step was pizza bagels.

And it's not really cooking, but at the end your belly's not hungry anymore and all you have to wash is a knife, a cutting board, and a plate. Dinner WIN.

Take a bagel. Toast it.

Top with sliced tomato. Cover up the hole so no toppings get lost.
Layer on fresh chopped basil and spinach leaves.
Sprinkle on pepper and oregano.
Sprinkle on shredded (or bits of) mozzarella cheese.

Broil for a few minutes-- watch it, because as soon as you walk away, they will burn.

Enjoy dinner.

Oat and Cranberry Muffins

2011-10-02T17:49:00.000-05:00

The other day I found myself checking out a blog called Frills in the Hills. I saw this muffin recipe and HAD to make it.

photo courtesy of Frills in the Hills- hers just looked SO pretty.

So I converted this recipe to be gluten free, and it turned out really well. I love the oats in the batter- they make it more of a rustic texture. You can find the original recipe here.

Ingredients
1 c. gluten free flour (1/3 c. each of brown rice flour, sorghum flour, potato starch. Plus 1/8 t. xanthan gum)
1/2 t. baking powder
1/8 t. baking soda
1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup craisins or dried cranberries, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
2 T. light olive oil
1 egg
1/2 + 1/3 cup buttermilk or yogurt (I used vanilla yogurt)
1/2 t. vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350. Mix the dry ingredients together, and mix the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl. Mix them all together. Drain the cranberries and mix those in, too.

Pour the batter into 6 lined muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Post gluten free cereals

2011-10-02T09:06:00.000-05:00

Kellog's and General Mills aren't the only mainstream cereal brands jumping on the gluten free wagon.
Did you know that Cocoa Pebbles are gluten free??

I didn't. One of my coworkers eats Cocoa Pebbles every day for breakfast like I eat Cinnamon Chex. She asked me the other day if I ate Cocoa Pebbles. I said no, because they're not gluten free. She was all, "Yeah they are. Says it right on the box." And I was like, "Whaaa?"

Sure enough, I went to the store and they were there, with a huge GLUTEN FREE right on the box. So are fruity pebbles and the marshmallow ones. And so are the snack bars.

I don't know when this happened, but it happened under my radar. And I totally had cocoa pebbles for breakfast today.

Coffee Cake Muffins

2011-09-25T13:06:00.000-05:00

Coffee cake muffins happened today. Moist, cinnamon-y muffins. With pretty liners I found in the back of the cabinet- left over from my sister's bridal shower.

Used this as a base and modified it to use up whatever I had lingering in the fridge. Also, I find that gluten free muffins don't dry out as quickly when you substitute applesauce for oil and throw some yogurt in there.

Coffee cake muffins:

1/3 c. each brown rice flour, sorghum flour, potato starch
1/8 t. xanthan gum
2 T. flaxseed meal
1/4 t. salt
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon

1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. vanilla or plain yogurt
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. lemon juice
1/3 c. applesauce
1 egg

"Streusel" topping: 2 T. almond meal (take some almonds and grind those babies up), 1 T. sugar, 1/4 t. cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350.

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Beat the egg in a separate bowl, and mix in the rest of the wet ingredients. Combine the wet & dry ingredients. Spoon into a lined muffin tin (makes 6).

Since there's no oil in the batter they like to stick, so spritz each paper liner with cooking spray before filling. Sprinkle the almond/sugar mixture over the top and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Currently eating...

2011-09-19T16:38:00.001-05:00

There's nothing like a good meal.

The past few weeks have been takeout, Amy's, cereal, and random snacky meals.

I've been craving something substantial and hearty.
So last night I set up my crock pot with a frozen cornish game hen, some sad back-of-the-fridge celery, the last of some white wine and leftover chicken broth, a squeeze of lemon, a sprinkle of thyme, and some fresh oregano. ASH: I PUT IT BACK IN THE FRIDGE OVERNIGHT. haha

I set it on low when I left for work this morning, and came home to the smell of delicious chicken. And a frantic cat who must have been going berserk smelling chicken cooking all day.

Chopped some carrots and added them to a small pot on medium heat. Splashed in a little of the chicken broth from the crock pot, and after it started to boil I turned it to low and covered it. Meanwhile I took the meat off the bones and seasoned it with pepper. I squeezed a little honey over the carrots when they were tender, and enjoyed a simple meal of chicken and carrots.

I love putting chickens in the crock pot because you really can't go wrong. Just throw it in there, even frozen, with a little bit of seasonings and liquid. I usually let mine go for 10-11 hours so I add a little more liquid to keep it from drying out. Then, since it's just me, I have enough for leftovers the next day. I'm thinking chicken salad.

Currently enjoying a dessert of chai tea and cookies.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate cookies

2011-09-18T14:28:00.000-05:00

picture from the Ocean Spray website

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate cookies. You really can't go wrong with that.

I've been a Craisins fan for years. [PLEASE bring back the chocolate covered Craisins!]

And over the years, I've read the back of the bag, and this recipe. And for years, I've wanted to make them. Today, I did. And they are delicious.

I halved and made a few changes to the original recipe, which I'll include here.

1/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
1 large egg
1/4 t. vanilla
3/4 cups gluten free oats
1/4 c. brown rice flour
1/4 c. sorghum flour
1/4 c. potato starch
1/8 t. xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 c. Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Dried Cranberries
3/4 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Using an electric mixer, beat shortening and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture, mixing well. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

P. S. If you use butter instead of shortening, they'll spread a little more.

Bob's GF Brownie Mix

2011-09-17T08:49:00.004-05:00

So last night I crashed a casual dinner party of sorts. It wasn't a gluten free meal, so I brought my own meal* and joined in on the fun. This is why my friends are awesome, haha. Even more awesome was the gluten free dessert, Gluten Free Brownies from Bob's Red Mill.

I'm not including a picture because we all know what brownies look like, and I can't find my camera.

So how were they? I thought they were good. They've got a richer chocolate texture than most brownies and a cake-like texture. There were a couple comments from the gluten-eaters that they were slightly grainy, and that they left kind of a slimy aftertaste (presumably from the xanthan gum and various starches?) but I guess I'm just used to that kind of thing because I didn't really notice it until it was pointed out.

I'd say they are my third favorite brownies, under Nestle's and Betty Crocker's- which has little tiny chocolate chips in it.

*I absolutely LOVE Amy's gluten free frozen meals. Especially the enchiladas- the sauce is amazing. The baked ziti is fantastic, too. As is the mac n cheese. I don't think I've ever tried anything bad from Amy's; those are just my favorites.

Creamy Chicken Soup

2011-09-09T16:32:00.003-05:00

I know! No picture! I suck! But I forgot and just ate my meal. I always hate when people post recipes and neglect to post a picture. But, sigh, it happens occasionally.

Instead of chicken soup, you get a picture of kitties in a bowl:

I recently discovered how wonderful corn flour can be as a thickener. I prefer the texture to dishes thickened with corn starch. I'm also a big fan of using milk in place of cream, mostly because I just don't buy cream. This works great and keeps the dish lighter.

Creamy Chicken Soup

2 large stalks of celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1/4 c. chopped bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
2 T. fresh oregano, finely chopped
large chicken breast, cut into pieces

3 c. chicken broth (make sure it's gf)
1/4 t. thyme
1 t. pepper
1 T. corn flour (NOT corn meal or corn starch)
salt to taste
1/4 c. milk
2 T. sour cream

Toss your veggies in a pan over medium-high heat and cook them for a few minutes to soften. Add in the chicken and garlic and cook for another minute to get a sear on the chicken. Pour in the chicken broth, herbs, and spices and bring to a boil, cooking the chicken through. Sprinkle the corn flour over the top and stir it in, boiling until it starts to thicken. Turn the heat off and let it stop boiling for a few minutes before stirring in the milk and sour cream. Salt to taste (will vary depending on how salty the broth is).

Serve it with some corn bread muffins, crank down the ac, and pretend it's cold outside.

Ruggles Green

2011-09-04T19:01:00.000-05:00

Last night I FINALLY tried Ruggles Green, who I've heard for years has had a gluten free menu, or at least gluten free menu items.

I hit the location at City Centre and happened to choose an incredibly busy time. I ordered the gluten free fish tacos, and was slightly worried that because they were so busy that the gluten-free-ness might be overlooked.

When the server brought the tacos, I asked him if they were gluten free and he said yes. I was skeptical, but then, when he set the plate down, I was surprise to see this:

Tucked under my tacos were little notes stating that they were prepared gluten free! Way to give me peace of mind, Ruggles Green. I dug in and they were delicious.

I will definitely go back, to try the rest of their gluten free fare; some of it looks really good.

Jason's Deli NOM

2011-09-02T19:49:00.001-05:00

Just finished eating a fantastic sandwich- from Jason's Deli.

I'm a fan of this place. Huge baked potatoes and a new gluten free menu. Although the cross-contamination issue has been sketchy (I found a noodle in my baked potato once. No idea how it got there), I generally don't feel icky after my meal and I'm confident that I'm not being glutened.

The parentals were ordering dinner and I declined because I wasn't really hungry. Then mom mentioned the gluten free menu. Wellllll I guess it couldn't hurt to check it out...

It was actually really really cool. You order it online, specify gluten free (they use Udi's bread), and then all of these special instructions pop up that tell the server to change gloves, etc.

The next thing I knew, the delivery guy was at the door and I was holding this glorious sandwich in my hands.

Crappy phone pictures were all I had time for. It was SO GOOD.

I also ordered the red pepper hummus and blue corn chips. HEAVEN.

Bonus: I didn't have to cook, or put on clothes appropriate for venturing out in public.

Bread pudding

2011-08-28T15:45:00.000-05:00

To be honest, the first time I'd heard of bread pudding wasn't until after I was diagnosed with Celiac, so I've never tried it. I've also never been a huge fan of bread, so the idea of bread pudding never really struck me as something delicious. But, everyone I know raves about it.

Well, today I had stale bread. I bought some Udi's hamburger buns on clearance and haven't been able to use them for actual hamburgers yet. They were getting pretty old, so I wanted to use them up quickly. I get the idea- kind of like a custard but with bread in it.

So I tried it out.

Bread Pudding

1 1/2 c. milk
1 T. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
3 eggs
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1 t. vanilla
3 1/2 c. stale gluten free bread, torn up into pieces
1/2 c. pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Place the bread and pecans into a 1 qt casserole dish, mixing them up. (I placed them in the dish, put the lid on, and shake it around.) Beat the eggs in a bowl.

Heat the other ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat,stirring frequently until the butter has melted. Turn off the heat. Mix a spoonful of the warm mixture into the eggs- mixing quickly and using a spoonful at a time so that the eggs don't scramble.

When half of the warm mixture has been added to the eggs, stir the warmed egg mixture back into the saucepan. Pour the entire mixture over the bread, soaking each piece, and bake covered for 40-45 minutes. I removed the lid for the last 10 minutes of baking to get kind of a crusty top.

Rather than fiddling with a sauce, I poured a smidgen of straight brandy over the warm bread pudding.

It tasted kinda like a glorified alcoholic french toast. Definitely not bad.

Now, I can't compare it to normal bread puddings, but I wont have a problem finishing the rest of the batch. Second breakfasts are going to be good this week!

**I suppose that heating up the milk and tempering the eggs wasn't necessary; you could probably just mix it all up cold and pour it over the bread with the same results.

*** Update: Maybe not. Check out the comment regarding cooking time/ texture changes.

GF Bisquick SnickerDOODLES

2011-08-07T15:38:00.002-05:00

Old box of gluten free bisquick in the pantry. Decided that today was the day it was going to be used up.

After a quick google search, I suddenly HAD to have snickerdoodles.

photo snagged here

Oh yes.

I halved the recipe, used less sugar, added some vanilla, and used brown sugar for the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

GF Bisquick Snickerdoodles

3/4 c. GF bisquick
1/4 c. rice flour ( I ran out of Bisquick)
1 egg
2 T each softened butter & shortening
1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 c. sugar

Cinnamon/sugar mixture:
3 T. brown sugar
2 t. cinnamon

Cream the butter, shortening, and sugar. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour and bisquick and mix up into a dough. Roll the dough into balls and coat in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. (I used my Xpress Redi Set Go again, baking them in the mini muffin insert for 5 minutes. That thing is AMAZING in this summer heat)

Made about 12 little cookies.

They come out like a cross between a muffin, coffee cake, and a cookie; definitely a cake-like cookie rather than a crispy cokie. I can't wait to eat them with coffee during my break tomorrow.

cherry coconut muffins

2011-08-02T13:47:00.001-05:00

Perfect for an afternoon off work when there's no food in the cupboards.

Found cherries and coconut in the freezer, and it seemed too easy.

And in case you're wondering, heck no my oven did not turn on. I used the Xpress Redi Set Go I got last Christmas, and I wanted it for this very reason.

Cherry Coconut Muffins (mini!)

1/3 c. each sorghum, brown rice flour, and corn starch
1 t. baking powder
1/8 t. baking soda
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/3 c. milk
1 T. light olive oil
1 t. vanilla
1/4 c. each chopped cherries and shredded coconut

Mix it all in a bowl.
I spooned the batter into the mini muffin insert, topped with some more coconut, and cooked for 5 minutes.

For conventional ovens, preheat to 350 and bake for 5-7 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. For regular muffins, 10-15 minutes.

The cherries give the batter a funny color, but they taste great, with a hint of every flavor.

Tonight's dinner

2011-07-31T17:22:00.000-05:00

Dinner:

Chicken, white beans
white wine, balsamic vinegar
spinach, carrots
seasoned with thyme, bay leaf, garlic.

(with brown rice)

Pasta with creamy pesto-ish sauce

2011-07-28T17:29:00.000-05:00

IT'S EFFING HOT.

I overheard somebody call these the dog days of summer. Everyone's seeking solace in air-conditioned havens, myself included. You think I'm going to heat up my kitchen? Don't think so. It's been lunchmeat and cereal city over here. For a while.

But my belly is hungry, and getting tired of mediocre meals. So in one simultaneous move, I cranked the AC on full blast and turned on the stove.

The only thing to survive in my herb garden this year is a basil plant. Apparently this particular plant loves the drought and 100+ temperatures. In fact, it's going pretty strong. If it looks droopy I just water it and it perks right up.

This was inspired by leftover spinach that needs to be eaten soon. No, I can't eat another freaking salad. Was going to make a pesto but I also had cream cheese to use up. So I changed the plan a little, with great success.

I give you, this.

Okay, I'm not a food photographer.
Please, it tastes much better than it looks.

Have you seen that cooking creme? It's like that, but better.

Heat up your skillet to medium-high heat, salt & pepper your chicken, throw it in the pan and cook it until it's done.

Meanwhile, bust out your little tiny food processor that's cracked and old but still works.

Add to it:

1/2 block of softened cream cheese (or neufchatel cheese)
a splash of milk
a dash of garlic powder
1/4 c. shredded parmesan cheese
1 handful each of fresh basil and spinach leaves
as much pepper as you like

Process that until it's relatively smooth, and pour it into the pan. Remove it from heat, and toss with your favorite gf pasta.

Then have ice cream for dessert, kuz it's just too darn hot not to.

Black Bean... Cake!

2011-07-23T12:37:00.000-05:00

We've all heard of the chocolate cake or brownies made using black beans instead of flour. After trying one of these cupcakes that a friend made, I was amazed and finally decided to try it.

It's so freaking easy, and I have to admit I was skeptical as I was mixing the batter together. It's very wet. And even though I pureed the heck out of the beans, there were little bean skin pieces floating around in it.

However, when they came out of the oven and eventually made their way into my mouth, I was a believer all over again.

I used the recipe provided at Chocolate and Carrots (darling blog). Instead of all the embellishments, I made the basic cake recipe and added store-bought german chocolate icing for my sister's favorite birthday cake.

Unfortunately, the only picture I took was one with my crappy camera phone, sent to her with a note: Come over after work. (She did.)

They are moist, a bit dense, and perfectly chocolatey.

I fed them to my family, watched them eating, and asked, "You wanna know what's in there??"
They stopped eating and their faces became skeptical. When I told them, they were all, "No way!" and polished them off. You really can't tell there are beans in the batter.

One thing to note: they don't rise very high and get that traditional domed cupcake shape; I suppose it's just the nature of the recipe, but it's ok because you get to put more icing on that way. :o)

So, whether you make the surprise cupcakes with peanut butter frosting (which are, by the way, AH-MAY-ZING) or just use the plain chocolate cake recipe, it's all good.

Just make them.

GF Expo in Dallas

2011-07-21T15:11:00.000-05:00

Hey! Spotted at simply sugar and gluten free, a GF expo in Dallas!

I've seen other bloggers posting about expos, and have been waiting for one to come to Houston, but Dallas is close enough! I could totally go up there for a weekend. How fun would that be?? Road tripppp.

I'm pretty darn excited about this.

GF Rice Krispies!

2011-07-01T18:01:00.001-05:00

I finally found the new Gluten Free Rice Krispies on shelves!

At first I was excited to see them, but then the price tag kinda put a damper on it. $4.19 for a box of the gluten free stuff, and $2.88 for a box of the regular stuff. I was looking forward to mainstream cereals being a little cheaper than the specialty stuff. Especially since the website advertises that they're the same price! Still, I bought them. At least it was a big box, unlike most GF cereals that are like 5 bucks for a tiny box.

I had a big bowl for breakfast today, complete with bananas, just the way I like it.

I don't remember how regular Rice Krispies taste, but these are pretty good. They even snap, krackle, and pop. So you don't miss out on the Rice Krispie experience.

All in all, another win for GF awareness, and my tummy.

Local GF Resources

2011-06-25T10:17:00.006-05:00

My sister had me jot down some GF notes for someone she recently met who was new(ish) to the Celiac world. I figured I'd share it here too:

Places with gluten free menus in the Sugar Land/ Houston area:

Pei Wei- ask for it at the restaurant

PF Changs- at the restaurant

Souper Salad- online

BJs Brewhouse- at the restaurant

Chick fil A- online- last time I checked they used a dedicated fryer for fries

Wendy’s- online

Outback Steakhouse- at the restaurant- they even have a chocolate cake

Chili’s- online

Tx Land & Cattle- online

Pepperoni’s makes GF pizza

Russo’s NY Pizzeria at the Galleria location makes GF pizza

Cheesecake factory- I haven’t seen an official gf menu, but they were pretty helpful and knowledgeable when I ate there

Jason’s Deli- have an allergen menu and the last time I was there they offered GF bread- AND deliver!

Sprinkles in the Galleria sells a GF red velvet cupcake

Ruggles- very impressed.

Paciugo- used to get gelato from there all the time- they have GF status on the back of the cards that display the flavor- just ask

Bucca di Beppo- the last time I was there, there was no GF menu, but apparently now there is.

And here's a larger list.

Grocery stores with large GF selections:

Whole Foods

Kroger on Sweetwater

HEB on Hwy 6 @ Austin Pkwy

Products:

Udi’s is the best bread I’ve come across. Not perfect, but not as terrible as some that I’ve tried. Schar also makes decent rolls.

The Glutino pretzels and crackers are good

The Betty Crocker mixes are fantastic

There’s a gluten free bakery off I-10- http://glutenfreehouston.com/

Also one up north- Mary’s- http://marysglutenfree.com/

Not an all-inclusive list, but it's a nice start.

I didn't realize how many places have gotten gluten-savvy in recent years until I started to list them. Definitely an upside to the recent celebrity gluten free trend!

Did I miss anything?

Baker's Challenge Giveaway Winner

2011-06-22T15:41:00.000-05:00

The winner of the GF prize pack giveaway (by Betty Crocker and myblogspark) is

Congrats!

Enjoy the goodies, and for all those interested, the GF Baker's Challenge is open for entries for another week or so.

(I like the guy at the end, haha)

Gluten Free Baker's Challenge & Giveaway

2011-06-08T18:01:00.002-05:00

So. Myblogspark alerted me that Betty Crocker is having a gluten free baker's challenge. I've heard of the regular baker's challenges, but the gluten free one is new to me!

You just submit your awesome GF recipe made using one of the Betty Crocker mixes by June 30th and get a chance to win a grand prize of $5,000, or receive a gluten free baking gift basket as one of 10 finalists.

Baking + a chance at cash or free stuff? Sounds good to me!

Also, even if you don't participate in the contest, you can get discounts on the gluten free Betty Crocker mixes when you visit the gluten free online store at Glutenfreely.com.

Aaannnddd, to sweeten things up a bit and maybe help us get jump-started on our entries, Betty Crocker (via Myblogspark) is offering a GF prize pack! Yay!

Oh, the possibilities.

To enter the giveaway, spread the word about the Gluten Freely's 20% off sale going on through June, and also leave a comment- I'd love to know which GF mix is your favorite. You have through June 17th to enter!

Personally, I love the yellow cake mix. I even used it for my sister's wedding cake and everyone loved it, no one knew it was gluten free. Heck yes. I can't wait to play with it and create something worthy of the grand prize. And also, get to eat it, haha.

Waffles

2011-05-29T09:52:00.003-05:00

chocolate chip waffles

Today was a waffle-making kind of morning.

Before Chris left to do Marine-type-stuff, we'd have a late, leisurely breakfast on most Saturday mornings. Eggs, pancakes, waffles, bacon, hashbrowns, whatever. Wake up late, put on a pot of coffee, and slowly get around to cooking breakfast. He got me a waffle maker, and then started requesting these waffles a lot. They were good, but there were points where I had to veto waffles because I was getting tired of eating them!

They're easy peasy to make, and come out soft with just the right amount of toasted crunch. They freeze really well, too.

I actually haven't made them in over a year, but I felt like it this morning. I made a large batch to freeze and pull out for mid-morning "second breakfast" at work.

Basic recipe:

2/3 c. brown rice flour
2/3 c. sorghum flour
2/3 c. potato starch
1/8 t. xanthan gum
1/4 t. salt
2 t. baking powder
1/8 t. baking soda
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 3/4 c. milk

Mix your dry ingredients with a whisk. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, and stir them really well into the dry ingredients. It should be pourable, but not too runny or thick.

Pour ~1/2 c. of batter into a preheated waffle iron and cook for a few minutes- I check to see if they're done when the steaming has calmed down.

I've made them several ways, using the basic recipe and adding:

-chocolate chips, fruit, or peanut butter
-1 t. vanilla and 1/2 t. cinnamon
-1/2 c. shredded cheese and bacon. <-- Freaking YUM.

Makes 6 waffles.

Balsamic and Orange Chicken

2011-05-22T13:08:00.002-05:00

I have a lot of these lying around.

photo links to recipe

Sometimes they get lost, thrown away, or stuck in a pile with other recipes torn out of magazines that I'd like to try some day.

But this one, this one actually got made. And it was pretty good. I don't think I've ever tried orange and balsamic flavors together before. The first bite was ok, but by the end I was pretty much diggin it. There's a nice tang from both the orange juice and the vinegar, but they balance each other nicely.

I just used some gluten free flour (see sidebar --> ) in place of the all-purpose flour. I paired mine with green beans and served the chicken & sauce over wild rice cooked in chicken broth. Delish.

Looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Udi's muffins

2011-05-10T16:40:00.000-05:00

I would like to start by saying that I generally do not care for blueberry muffins. I know... but I don't.

However, I really like the blueberry muffins from Udi's.

Kroger had them on sale a few weeks ago, so I tried them, the cinnamon rolls, and the double chocolate muffins.

My favorite turned out to be the ones I thought I'd like the least- blueberry. I just love the texture and the flavor. I pop them in the freezer at work and take one out for my "second breakfast" and they keep me going for a couple more hours.

The chocolate muffins were ok. They were really sweet; more brownie-like than muffin-like, and they were kind of dry. Overall I didn't care for them as a second breakfast, but as a dessert they were ok.

I thought I'd like the cinnamon rolls the best, but it turns out I liked them the least. They were very tough, so that I couldn't cut them with a fork, and the flavor was so-so. Definitely not worth the calories. Homemade are ten times better.

I did not get to try the lemon ones included on this page, but judging from their other muffins, if I found them I'd try them.

Lemon Basil Bean Soup

2011-05-08T14:46:00.001-05:00

My hands smell like lemon, garlic and basil. Mmmm.

Please forgive my terrible photography skills.

This was one of those "pull everything from the fridge that needs to be eaten" types of meals. I really loved the combination of bay leaves and lemon when I made the artichoke, so I created the same kind of taste here.

Chicken broth, a half-used lemon, and some sad-looking celery and carrots were pulled out and paired with some dried beans from the back of the pantry and some fresh herbs from the garden. I could be getting the hang of this.

Lemon Basil Bean Soup

1 T. olive oil
1/2 c. chopped celery
1 chopped carrot
1 clove of garlic, minced

1/2 T. crushed bay leaves, or 2 whole ones
1 1/2 c. dried beans
Fresh parsley, handful-ish, roughly chopped
Fresh basil, handful-ish, roughly chopped
3 c. chicken broth
zest and juice from 1 lemon

1/4 c. fresh basil and parsley, finely chopped, to add after cooking
salt and pepper

Soak the beans overnight, or quick soak: Rinse, bring to a boil in some water, cover and turn the heat off, let them sit for an hour. Drain before using.

In your soup pot, heat up olive oil. Sautee the carrot and celery for a few minutes until they start to get soft. Add in the garlic for a minute. Toss in the drained beans, herbs, lemon juice & zest, and broth. Simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the beans get soft but aren't too mushy yet.

I like to mush up a few of the beans and add them back into the soup. Reserve 1/4 of the soup. I recently discovered that I have this badass immersion blender. That thing is fun. Blend it with the extra 1/4 c. herbs, and add it all back to the pot.

Season with salt and pepper.

Cooking an artichoke

2011-05-03T18:21:00.001-05:00

Today I cooked an artichoke.

I found them on sale at the grocery store and thought I'd give it a try.

And it's not that hard!

First cut off the stem. I found that a serrated knife worked best.

Then, trim off the top third. In hindsight, I don't really know if this is necessary. I kinda cut of some of the good parts of the leaves.

Then, I steamed it for 30 minutes.

I don't have a steamer, so I just added to a pot: a couple inches of water, a garlic clove, a lemon slice, and some bay leaves. I stuck the artichoke in, put the lid on, and brought it to a boil. Once it was boiling, I turned the heat to low and set the timer for 30 minutes. The smell was awesome.

When it was done, it looked like this

The leaves just kinda fall off and you eat them. A certain way, apparently. I had to google it. You grab the wide part and put the white end in your mouth, and scrape off with your teeth. It took me a few tries to get the hang of it.

Then, don't be like me and throw away the heart. I got to the middle, tried to eat some of the leaves, but they were pointy! I had to google again to figure it out, and dig it out of the trash. (It was just on top, haha). This link was very helpful. There's going to be a fuzzy part. Scrape it out. The bottom of that is the heart. How easy is that?

Most of the time you dip the leaves in a sauce and then eat them. I wasn't feeling it, so I scraped some of the leaves with a spoon and added it to the pasta I was making for dinner, along with the hearts. Pretty yummy.

I feel like this would be a fun thing to have with friends over. I just need a good dip.

Currently Eating

2011-05-01T10:22:00.001-05:00

Sunday breakfast: cheesy scrambled eggs, jelly toast (Udi's), and strawberries.

For fluffy (vs creamy) eggs, add a little bit of water before you whisk.

The Melting Pot

2011-04-30T09:26:00.004-05:00

Last night I went to The Melting Pot. I heard of it years ago and have been wanting to go, but for some reason I never went until now. And I had so much fun! And I didn't leave hungry!

I did not go anticipating a blog post, so there are no pictures. You should just go and see for yourself.

We went for happy hour to celebrate Missy's birthday, and sat in the bar area for fondue. She, being awesome, had checked it out beforehand and said there was a GF menu. (It's right on the website)

Right after we ordered, I inquired about the gluten content. Our waiter said he could make both the cheese and chocolate fondue gluten free. I was happy that he even knew what I was talking about.

They made the fondue right at our table, and starting by pouring in a type of (my guess) cornstarch slurry and beer. Um, beer? (slightly panicked) Excuse me, was that beer? The waiter just laughed and said it was cool; he wasn't going to poison me. It was some kind of gluten free beer. AWESOME!

By the way, the waiters there were really friendly and personable, not like some places where they dryly ask you what you want to eat and that's about it.

Then they brought out plates of dippings; vegetables and fruits and breads and chips. He handed me a tray of fruits and veggies before they got contaminated. We had two pots and were originally going to keep one gluten free and the other one glutened, but I ended up taking a small bowl of fondue for myself and letting everyone gluten to their hearts desire. Next time I will try to bring some Udi's bread or crackers to dip.

And THEN. The dessert. We ordered the disarrono chocolate fondue. It came with an assortment of fruits and brownies, cheesecake, pound cake, and marshmallows. We were given two plates- one gluten and one gluten free. I love how conscious they were of cross contamination.

Let me tell you about this particular chocolate fondue. It's brought out and flambeed, which was really cool. The first bite I chose was a marshmallow dipped in heaven. Now, I generally don't exaggerate just for the sake of exaggeration, but I literally said, "Oh my God" out loud. It was amazing. At one point Akhtar looked at me, ready to dip a marshmallow, and said excitedly, "This is going to be so awesome!!" It was that good. I just can't begin to tell you how good it was.

Overall a great experience and good company. I'm definitely going back.

Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

2011-04-27T17:15:00.001-05:00

Chicken cacciatore is a super easy dish that ends up tasting like you spent hours cooking it.

It's kind of like a spaghetti sauce with chicken. Kind of. At least this version is.

I love to use my crock pot for this dish, and I either use chicken breasts or a cornish hen, because a real chicken is too big to fit in my little crock pot. I don't brown the chicken before tossing it into the crock pot, because I hate doing extra dishes. It tastes great without it, but feel free to add this step.

Also. This does not make a large amount of food, since I'm just cooking for one person.

Ingredients:

1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
4 fresh basil leaves, picked fresh from your herb garden. Don't have one? Start one. It will change your ~~life~~ ...~~cooking~~... life.
1 tsp dried (or fresh!) oregano (My oregano didn't grow so I used dried)
2 chicken breasts or 1 frozen cornish hen
salt and pepper
1 can of diced tomatoes
Most chicken cacciatore recipes call for mushrooms, but I don't like them so I don't use them. I love being able to do that.

My crock pot directions are all the same: Toss everything into the crock pot the night before, put it in the fridge overnight, and set it on low when you leave for work in the morning. I can't stress this enough: Don't forget to plug it in and turn it on!

When you come home hungry, it will be ready. If you've cooked a whole bird, fish it out and remove the bones.

Serve over rice or pasta, or not.

Around town

2011-04-04T16:29:00.002-05:00

So I recently discovered that I do not have to go hungry in Galveston!

Tried a couple new places this weekend.

I will start at the beginning.

About a month ago, my friend who lives in north Houston happened to drive by Mary's Gluten Free Bakery and told me about it. So, like everything else, I made a mental bookmark until I was in that part of town. BTW, my friends are kickass for noticing stuff like that.

I was at the airport Friday picking up my Marine on pre-deployment leave [had to put that in there- so proud!] when I realized that Mary's was close by. So Mr. Awesome found it on his smartphone and we found our way over to the bakery. Deliciousness followed.

Talk about every single thing being absolutely wonderful. The carrot cake was BY FAR the best I'd ever tasted. The lemon squares were tart and smooth. The cookies were amazing. I left with a large bag of goodies and a satisfied sweet tooth. I should note they don't have fresh-baked bread, which would be just heaven. Maybe one day...

Also, in anticipation of being hungry at some point in Galveston, I researched on the internet and called a few places that were deemed "gluten friendly." I ended up finding 4 and was overjoyed.

Joe's Crab Shack- have a gluten free menu

Olympia Grill- have a gluten free menu

Courtyard Cafe- don't have a gluten free menu because their menu changes, but she assured me that they have something gluten free every day. You pretty much just walk in and say, "What have you got?" and they feed you. I really want to try this place.

Mario's- We ended up eating here. They offer gluten free pizza and pasta. When I got there, I noticed that on the menu there is a little area that advertises gluten free pasta and pizza. So, I asked the waiter how I go about ordering something gluten free- do you just order a regular pasta dish and ask to substitute gf past or what?

He had no idea. Uh, okay.

So he went to go ask and came back with a half-assed explanation and said he really didn't know and shrugged. Uh, okay. I figured at that point I'd just order plain pasta and sauce, and hope the kitchen knew what he was talking about.

Then Mr. Awesome jumped in and told him to go find out exactly how to order it. And he did. And you pretty much just order any pasta dish (besides stuff that's pre-made like lasagna or ravioli) and you get gf penne instead. I could handle that.

So my order came and I was slightly nervous about whether or not it was gluten free. (Un?) fortunately, I could tell right away, just by the way the pasta looked. It was slightly overcooked, as it's easy to do with gf pasta, but it tasted fine and the rest of the dish (some kind of shrimp tomato thing) was really tasty. I was happy to have something besides salad in a restaurant.

GF media

2011-03-11T17:02:00.000-06:00

I would like to thank this month's Good Housekeeping. They have a great short article about how trying a gluten free diet to lose weight is not the best idea.

After all these celebrity diets and stuff, people are becoming familiar with the phrase "gluten free," but not necessarily in the correct ways.

I get really tired of people hearing that I don't eat gluten and saying, "Oh THAT's why you're skinny- you don't eat gluten. I want to try that diet."

It's frustrating to say the least.

So yay for finally putting some good info out there!

Pizza for dinner, ice cream sandwiches for dessert

2011-03-06T08:22:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was a great day for my belly, thanks to tips from gluten free in the 713.

After we worked up a hunger shopping at IKEA, my buddy and I headed over to Pink's pizza.
When you walk in, you can see the entire kitchen and it's kinda neat. I asked the guy at the counter how they prevent contamination of the gluten free pizza. His response? "Well, if you have Celiac we don't recommend that you eat the gluten free pizza."

My heart fell!
I asked him why even make gluten free pizza at all if Celiacs can't eat it and he said something about intolerances. Still, I pressed on. I asked if they use separate pans and he said: they did, that the crust comes pre-made and they use separate everything, but it's clear to see that there's flour flying around everywhere.

I told him I'd chance it and would like to order a gluten free pizza.

And then I got to watch him make it. The only significant source of contamination that I could see is that they use the same ladle for the sauce as the regular pizzas.

But I was starving and I ate it anyway. It was heaven. The crust itself was okay- it was a thin crust, a tad gummy. But the toppings completely made up for it. Oh my gosh. I don't know what the secret is, but it was amazing. And I haven't had any belly problems either. I'm not sure if I'd go back knowing that there are possible contamination issues.

Afterwards, we headed down the street to Kroger to see if I could find some gluten free ice cream sandwiches, something I've been trying to track down for years.

And I found them!

Julie's GF ice cream sandwiches. And they were amazing. SO GOOD.
They'd better be- I paid about $8 for a box of 4! A splurge, but worth it. Plus, I've gotten used to paying ridiculous amounts of money for gluten free fare.

P.S. I found these at Whole Foods for $4-something.

French Meadow Bakery

2011-03-01T16:31:00.003-06:00

Part of eating gluten free is trying new products. All the time. You never know when you're going to find the best bread or pasta or whatever it is that you miss. Some turn out to be awesome, and some turn out to be bad.

My boss mentioned the other day that she saw some gluten free items at the local grocery store.

Of course, I headed over to check them out. I was so excited when I saw a freezer display with some gluten free products from French Meadow Bakery.

There were some sweets like brownies, muffins, and cookies, but I was interested in the harder-to-make-myself products like bread and... flour tortillas!

I was super excited to try them out, especially the tortillas, because I was planning to make some pinwheels at my sister's upcoming bridal shower. And how sweet would it be to make some gluten free ones??

Well, I took a few tortillas out to thaw and went about finishing some errands. What I came back to was tortillas that had thawed, but had mysteriously curled up and hardened. When I tried to roll them up, they cracked and sprang back out into the curled-up shape. Determined, I made a wrap anyway and tried to eat it.
Tried. The tortilla was so hard that I couldn't take a decent bite without tearing apart a huge chunk, destroying the integrity of the wrap, and chewing for a good few minutes. I tried thawing them in the microwave, heating them up a little after they thawed at room temperature, etc etc. Nothing changed the texture and inedible-ness. I was very bummed and also annoyed that I paid 4 bucks for a product that advertised "soft and delicious" on the packaging. They were neither.

The bread was nothing to write home about, either. Just your standard kinda dry and crumbly gluten free bread. Good thing I still have Udi's!

So yes, I was very disappointed with these products, but at least now I know! And you do too. I always try to post the stuff I don't like along with the stuff I do like, because there have been plenty of times that I've wondered about a product and read a review on someone else's blog and either been relieved that I didn't waste my money, or been excited to try it.

I don't know if I got a bad batch or something, but my advice is don't waste your money!

Glutino Cheddar Crackers are not like Cheeze-its.

2011-02-05T10:18:00.000-06:00

I really miss Cheeze-it. I love those little intense cheese crackers.

I caught some of the Glutino cheddar crackers on sale and thought with a watering mouth that they'd be my gluten-free substitutes for Cheeze-its.

It might just be me, but I can barely taste the cheese! I would not have thought they were cheddar if I didn't already know they were supposed to be. The word "cheese" doesn't even cross my mind when I eat these. It's almost like an aftertaste.

Not that they're bad crackers- they just aren't very cheesy.
So now you know.

Has anyone tried any truly cheese-flavored GF crackers? Or have a good recipe? My homemade crackers never have that awesome cracker texture.

Dinner-ish

2011-02-03T16:35:00.000-06:00

Hummus and Sweet Potato tortilla chips. Surprisingly good combination.

Swiss Roll Substitute

2011-01-30T09:27:00.000-06:00

I couldn't get rid of the craving so I made a substitute: brownies with vanilla frosting. I get the frosting part and the chocolatey part. They weren't the same, but were good enough.

Horray for resourcefulness!

cravings

2011-01-21T16:39:00.000-06:00

I saw a box of swiss rolls in the pantry. Instant craving.

Now I'm eating everything else in the world trying to get rid of that craving. Nothing is helping. The thing about cravings is, only the thing that you're craving makes it go away!

I don't want to break down and eat one- I know I will regret it.

I also don't have the time or ingredients to try and recreate one.

What do you do when this happens??

Chex Giveaway!

2010-12-18T14:45:00.000-06:00

I know, I know. It's been two weeks and I'm sure you're all dying to know who gets the awesome 2 boxes of Chex and a $25 Kroger gift card, provided by Chex and Kroger via MyBlogSpark.

We (finally) have a winner!

Congratulations, Mami2jcn! Hope you enjoy making the Chex party mix.

Chex Holiday Recipes & giveaway!

2010-12-06T17:56:00.001-06:00

I love Chex cereals. I ate chex when I was a kid, and more recently since both chex and I have become gluten free. I used to love the corn chex when I was younger. I could eat bowls of it.

I'm currently on a cinnamon chex kick. Seriously, that stuff is my motivation to get out of bed for work at 4am. I'll crawl out of my cocoon for good cereal.

I snack on dry honey nut chex when I'm out and about. I've used the chocolate chex as a replacement for rice krispies when I make rice krispy treats.

When I make Chex Mix (using only corn and rice chex, and Glutino pretzels), it hardly ever lasts more than a few days. It's so delicious and not at all hard to make.

Same goes for the classic Muddy Buddies. I have never met anybody who doesn't like puppy chow, and it makes a great little gift wrapped up in a pretty bag or tin.

They even make a pretty sweet gingerbread house roof.

I eat a lot of Chex!

Which is why I was super excited to receive the Chex Holiday Recipes gift pack from Chex and Kroger via My Blog Spark.

I'm also excited to offer a giveaway! It includes 2 samples of Chex cereal and a $25 gift card to Kroger. In addition, Kroger is putting Chex cereal on sale from December 2-25th so I can stock up on my cinnamon chex. Er, I mean, so we can entertain and create tasty, gluten free snacks and/or gifts for not a lot of money!

So what did I do with my samples?
I made some muddy buddies for the holiday snacking-age.

My dad really loves this stuff, and he's not much into sweets.

This time I also tried something different- I wanted to make a crispy coating on chicken nuggets. My camera is malfunctioning, so I'll borrow the picture from the web site. They were very yummy and easy.

There's a whole page of chex recipes on the web site, some gluten free and some that can be easily converted to gluten free.

So much chex! So little time!

To enter for the giveaway (provided by the awesomeness of Chex and Kroger via My Blog Spark), leave a comment sharing your favorite Chex recipe, or which one you'd like to try with your samples!

fail

2010-12-02T15:53:00.004-06:00

What a long, tiring, problematic day.

I had wanted to post a beef stew crock pot recipe. I set it up last night and left for work this morning with the crock pot set to low. Only I forgot to plug it in.

I came home ten hours later to very microbiologically questionable un-cooked stew. UGH. Into the trash went fresh vegetables and meat and wasted food.

No beef stew for dinner tonight :o(

Wine and cereal it is.

Chicken and Corn chili

2010-11-22T17:02:00.000-06:00

I tried this dish a few weeks ago at my friend's house. It was SO YUMMY that I just had to make it myself. Turns out it is ridiculously easy. I love love crock pot recipes.

Here's the link to the recipe on Allrecipes.com. The recipe says to cook 8 hours, but I didn't come home until after 10 hours and it was just fine. Not dry or anything. Of course I didn't drain the corn or the beans, for extra moisture. I also used black beans instead of pinto beans. NOM.

Please, be sure every ingredient that you use is gluten free. :o)

I originally wanted some avocado to go with it, but it had sat too long on my counter and was funky. Too bad, it would have really made this dish rock. Horray for leftovers! Lunch is going to be good tomorrow.

Robot Birthday Cake

2010-11-07T00:50:00.000-05:00

First Birthday Cake!

Fondant robot parts, Betty Crocker GF Vanilla Cake mix.

Inspired by a picture that my friend sent me and wanted something similar; don't know the source.

Circles were made using piping tips- the small ones were made using a number 12 round tip, and the larger circles were just the larger end of the tip. I glued the fondant pieces together using a small paint brush and water.

If I were to do this again, I'd make sure the color of icing that I chose for the cake wasn't the same as some of the parts- they kinda blend in.

Overall, I thought it was cute. :o)

Pumpkin Carving Party... gluten free

2010-10-30T19:17:00.002-05:00

Whew, I'm pooped!

But the Second Annual Pumpkin Carving party was a success.

The menu:

Vegetarian vegetable soup (recipe to follow)
Chex mix (Glutino pretzels really made the mix.)
Apple cider
Toasted pumpkin seeds

And guests brought some snacks to share:
Betty Crocker GF Chocolate cupcakes with halloween sprinkles!
Boo cups made with Kinni-toos
Mummy dogs (to make them gluten free, substitute your favorite biscuit recipe for the crescent roll dough)

The vegetable soup was delicious. Even the babies gobbled it up.

ADORABLE- especially when they're happily eating my food. :o)

I made the soup with my friend in mind. She is a vegetarian and always makes sure there is something gluten free for me at her parties, so I wanted to make sure there was an option for her in my carnivorous world that wasn't just snacks. Besides, it's a great fall recipe that feeds a crowd.

It is beyond simple to make. Here's how I made it.

Vegetable Soup

Chop into small cubes

1 large potato
2 carrots
3 stalks of celery
1 red onion

Preheat your big soup pan to medium heat, and add a glug of olive oil. Saute the veggies for a while until they're tender. Season with pepper and salt.
While they're cooking, chop finely and add in

3 cloves of garlic
a handful of fresh parsely
a handful of fresh rosemary (fresh herbs really make the dish)

Once the veggies are mostly soft, stir in 2 cups each of tomato juice and vegetable broth. Let it simmer until you're ready to serve.

I forgot to take a picture of the soup when it was finished. I did realize that I got my taste-test bowl in a picture though.

The apple cider was easy peasy too.

You can buy bottled apple cider in the juice aisle of the store. I poured some into my crock pot with a couple of orange slices and a cinnamon stick. I don't even like apple juice-type of things and I really enjoyed it.

Pumpkin seeds... Oh, such a treat.

Just separate them from the goop and rinse them in a colander. Spread them out on a cookie sheet, top with some salt, and cook for 45 minutes at 350, stirring them every 15 minutes.

Summary:

Carved pumpkins... check

Happy belly and a nap in the afternoon sun... check and check.

Pot Roast

2010-10-28T17:43:00.002-05:00

There's not much better than coming home after a long day of work to a hot meal.
Remember this post? Well, I learned how to make pot roast. And it's friggin' delicious.

I've made it a couple of ways. I like this basic recipe, and then I can change it up as I feel like it.

Needed:

Chuck roast (Use roughly 1/2 pound per person)
Beef broth (Make sure it's gluten free! I use Pacific Foods because it's pretty much the only gluten free kind they sell at my Wal-mart, and it says "Gluten free" right on it.)
Garlic cloves
Potato starch
Salt & pepper to taste

My favorite, no fuss, least-amount-of-dirty-dishes way to cook it:

The night before, place the hunk of meat in a crock pot. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of potato starch on top. Add broth to halfway cover the meat, and plop a few whole peeled garlic cloves in there. I feel like I have to mention that I keep it in the fridge overnight.

In the morning when I leave for work I set it up on low heat, and come home to amazingly tender, falling apart, flavorful pot roast.

As it cooks, the juices add to the broth, and the potato starch helps it make its own gravy. If it's not thick enough, I just take out the big hunks of meat and stir in a little more potato starch. Remember to smash up the garlic cloves with a fork- they'll be soft, and even though I love garlic I don't love finding a huge hunk of garlic in my dinner.

If you don't mind the extra dishes (I know, I have a complex), browning the meat on all sides in a little olive oil before placing it into the crock pot helps punch up the flavor. After it's browned, take a little wine and pour it into the hot pan and get all the drippings loose. Or, you know, you could use beef broth. Add the drippings/wine/broth to the crock pot too.

I also have found that I prefer my pot roast to be cooked vegetable-less. I like to cook the meat by itself, and add veggies as sides.

Regardless, there are a billion ways to cook pot roast, and this is mine.
I want to hear how you cook yours!

Glutino Honey Nut cereal

2010-10-21T19:05:00.001-05:00

I saw this in the store and thought, "Hm, I bet this would be like honey nut cheerios!" and I was really excited to try them.

I got home, opened the box, and out of habit took a sniff. Oh, wow. What a strange smell. It just kinda hits your nose like POW. What a strange, strong, pronounced odor. What is that smell? Is that honey? Is that the smell of hardcore real honey, and it's just really odd-smelling because I'm used to an artificial honey-flavor smell?

I don't know what the deal is, but it's a definite and odd, unappetizing smell. I can't bring myself to eat a bowl of this cereal. I had some ready to put in my mouth, but the smell is so off-putting that I just can't enjoy it. It's just such a weird smell! Not a bad smell like bad food or rotten eggs or wet dog or anything, just really strange.

Has anyone else had the same experience or share the same opinion? Did I just get a bad box?

Bisquick and My Blog Spark Giveaway

2010-10-15T16:10:00.001-05:00

Oops, I completely forgot about the giveaway! It has been a very busy couple of weeks. I'm all tuckered out.

I finally remembered today and put the names in a coffee cup. The winner...

Yay!

I hope she enjoys her " fresh homemade gluten free bacon and egg biscuit!"

Cube Steak in the Crockpot

2010-10-03T13:24:00.002-05:00

Last week I ended up with some cube steak in my fridge. I've never cooked cube steak and have no idea what to do with it. Thankfully, a quick google search helped me out.

I found out that cube steak is a piece of meat beat the hell up to make it tender. It's budget-friendly and it's usually used in chicken fried steak. However, I was not feeling chicken fried steak. I wanted something a little lighter. I also wanted to use the crock pot. Coming home after a long day to a hot, cooked dinner is totally underrated.

As I searched the internet for recipes involving cube steak and a crock pot, it was hard to find one that didn't call for several cans of condensed soup. Gross.
Besides, most are not gluten free.

I decided to make it up as I went along. And it turned out pretty tasty!

Crockpot Cube Steak

1 cube steak
1 c. chopped spinach
1 chopped stalk of celery
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
1 minced clove of garlic
1/4 c. red wine
1 T. Worcestershire sauce (Lee & Perrins is GF)
1 1/2 c. beef broth (check to make sure it's GF)
Green bell pepper strips (I wanted to add some but didn't have any. I think it would taste great with them)

Flour coating:
1/4 c. tapioca starch
1 T. oregano
1/2 t. pepper

Preheat a pan on medium high heat. While it's preheating, chop the veggies, parsley and garlic, and add them to the crock pot. Cut the cube steak into strips and dredge them in the tapioca starch/ oregano/ pepper mixture. Spray some cooking spray onto the pan to prevent sticking, and brown the meat on both sides. Throw it in the crock pot. Pour the wine into the pan to dislodge any leftovers from browning the meat, and add that liquid to the crock pot. Take a sip or two of wine for good health. Stir in the Worcestershire and beef broth. Cover and set at low heat for 4 hours. Serve over rice, mashed potatoes, or quinoa.

Makes 2 servings. If you make this small amount, it will probably be done sooner but leaving it in there longer doesn't hurt it. It just makes the meat more tender.

Crunchy Vanilla Sunrise

2010-10-02T09:03:00.027-05:00

I'm a big fan of cereal, and this is my new favorite cereal. It's really, really good.

Most gluten free cereals are fairly plain- simple flakes, puffs, or whatnot. This feels like a punched-up version of normal cereal. It has texture variation and a more complex flavor. But not too complex. It's just... good.

I know, I'm talking about cereal having a complex flavor, but you notice things like that when you eat the same simple cereals all the time! Even the name sounds good. Crunchy vanilla sunrise. Don't you just want to eat that? Well, I do. And it's amazing as far as breakfast cereals go.

If you're a cereal buff, or even if you're not, I definitely recommend that you try this. If you don't like it, you can give the rest of the box to me. :o)

My Blog Spark, Bisquick Baking Mix... and Giveaway!

2010-10-01T16:27:00.001-05:00

I've been getting text messages, phone calls, and hearing the buzz around the blogs about it, and Bisquick (through My Blog Spark) was kind enough to send me... a box of the new Gluten Free Bisquick baking mix!! Yay! My Blog Spark is pretty awesome, take a second to join! (No, I don't have to say that; I really mean it!)

I had so many ideas for this box of awesomeness, but decided to take inspiration from... the box. I followed the 4-ingredient biscuit recipe on the back:

2 cups Bisquick Gluten Free mix
1/3 c. shortening
2/3 c. milk
3 eggs

Heat oven to 400F. Cut shortening into mix, using fork, until particles are the size of small peas. Stir in remaining ingredients until soft dough forms. Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 13-16 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 10 biscuits.

Super quick, super easy. Super yummy.

First I made 6 large biscuits, then I went down memory lane- when I was a kid I'd make these Bisquick cookie-type things with jam in the middle. Mmmm.

Next I'm going to try pancakes with the Pancake Pen. How fun does that look?? I'm also thinking it'd work fabulously for muffins- I always seem to make a mess when I fill the pan.

If anyone reads this poor deserted blog anymore, because My Blog Spark and Bisquick are so nice, one of you will receive a Gluten Free Bisquick prize pack!

Just leave a comment and share what you'd make first with the Bisquick baking mix. Biscuits? Pancakes? This amazing-looking apple pie? Mmm, chicken and dumplings ...or something totally unique? I'll pick a random winner a week from today.

Even if you don't win the prize pack, here's a link to a coupon to save $1 when you buy a box of Bisquick GF baking mix.

Happy gluten-free-ing!

Pepperoni's gluten free pizza (!!)

2010-09-17T16:12:00.005-05:00

!!! Oh, oh, OH. I cannot contain my excitement. Gluten free pizza- DELIVERED! No heating up my oven, no dishes, no going out or driving to a restaurant, just me in my scrubs and this effortless, amazing pizza after a really long, busy day.

Let's start at the beginning. I heard a rumor a while back that a nearby pizza place, Pepperoni's, started serving gluten free pizza. Today I thought of it, and checked the website. I completely missed the gluten free ad on the homepage, and called to ask about it. Normally when I hear rumors and call to ask about the gluten free-ness of a place, I'm met with, "Huh?" so that's what I was expecting.

The guy who answered was like, "Yeah we make gluten free pizza" and my heart leapt for joy!
I asked what they do to prevent cross contamination and he said, "We wear gloves to handle your pizza and we clean EEEVVVEEERRRRYYYYTTTTHHHIIIINNNNGGGGG" that your pizza touches. The way he said "everything" was hilarious, like it was such a huge pain in the ass to clean for gluten free pizzas. But, I thought that was good enough, and ordered myself some deliciousness. I opted to pick it up this first time, just to see where the place was. In the future, it's delivery baby.

Of course on the 1.5 mile drive home the pizza is smelling AMAZING and I get behind slow drivers and a school bus and I was thisclose to eating a piece in the car. But, I made it to the house before I devoured 2 pieces, trying really hard to savor them but they were just so amazing and I was just so hungry.

Really though, this pizza was delicious. I'm going to be buying from them from now on. Oh, I'm SO SO happy! SO Happy!

Breakfast Cookies, again

2010-08-29T09:35:00.005-05:00

I decided to revise this breakfast cookie recipe to make it tastier, improve the texture, and give it a little more staying power. The previous version just didn't have enough calories to keep me going in the morning.

Breakfast Cookies

2 T. oil (I use light olive oil)
2 T. maple syrup
1 egg, beaten
pinch of xanthan gum
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. salt
1 c. GF oats
1/4 c. flaxseed meal
2 T. soy flour
1/4 c. chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, and shape into densely packed cookies on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes at 350. (Alternatively, press into an 8x8 pan and make them as bars.) They will not spread, so flatten them to your liking before baking.

Let them cool on the pan or they might fall apart. Once they cool they'll be set.

Drizzle with icing:

1/8 t. vanilla
1/4 c. powdered sugar
dash of salt
1/2 t. water

Makes about 6 chewy cookies/ bars. Very similar to Quaker's Oatmeal To Go (Which are NOT Gluten Free).

Happy portable breakfasting!

Gluten Free Houston

2010-08-28T11:53:00.004-05:00

As I type this I'm having a delicious grilled cheese & chicken sandwich on goooood gluten free bread. That's because my mom and I went to Gluten Free Houston's bake sale this morning and had a few delicious free samples of muffins, bread, and cake.

It was hard to decide on what to buy because it was all SO GOOD, but I came home with a loaf of bread, some carrot cake muffins that are AMAZING, a frozen pizza, and a loaf of bread that's frozen and unbaked- just thaw it and pop it in the oven for fresh bread. LOVE it.

I've also tried the chocolate chip cookies (purchased at the St. Luke's hospital cafeteria, of all random places!) and they are really good.

If you get a chance, try this place. I will definitely be going back!

Sorghum Noodles

2010-08-16T20:40:00.002-05:00

Found in some random asian food store and presented to me in a gluten free noodle extravaganza gift by my friend Jen.

These noodles are great. Wonderful texture, and one little bundle is perfect for a meal.

I think the company that makes them is Havista. I love these random little finds.

By the way, at 25, I still can't eat spaghetti without making a huge mess out of myself.

Sprinkles cupcakes

2010-08-06T12:14:00.006-05:00

Yesterday I tried the Red Velvet Gluten Free cupcake from Sprinkles.

I didn't even know they existed-- our program director super awesomely picked them up specially for me so I could have dessert at our luncheon. It was such a surprise and I was stoked to try them.

And of course, they were delicious. By the time I got them home they were kind of mangled from being banged around all day and left in a hot car to sort-of-melt, so there's no real-life picture. But they were awesome with a cream cheese icing that I could eat with a spoon.

Note: Don't try to eat the red G. It doesn't taste very good.

In other news,

I graduate from college today with a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science!!!!

Finally. :o)

For any fellow science geeks, check out Not So Humble Pie's science cookie roundups. They're brilliant!

Crock Pot Chicken Stew

2010-08-03T16:13:00.003-05:00

Apologies for the picture. My camera lens is jacked up and now everything's slightly blurry.

Today I made chicken stew. It's so easy, especially in a crock pot.

Chop and add to the crock pot:

1/2 onion
1/4 green bell pepper
1 carrot
1 potato (I used a leftover baked potato)
1 tsp potato starch
2 chicken breasts

Add a sprinkling of thyme, and add chicken broth to just cover the ingredients.

Mine was done on low in 2 hours.
Season with salt and pepper, and I like to serve it over rice.

New GF products

2010-08-02T15:13:00.003-05:00

My awesome friends are always texting me new gluten free items they happen to see.

I may have been under a rock and this may be old news, but has anyone heard about the gluten free bisquick? My friend texted me a picture this morning and I was so surprised. How neat is that?? Another awesome point for Betty Crocker.

I also just heard that the Jason's Deli in our area can make sandwiches on gluten free bread upon request. On Udi's bread- the best I've ever tasted. Don't know what other measures are being taken to avoid cross contamination, but I love that place and I'm happy about the potential! Check out this article for some extra info.

Any other new things in the gluten free world that I'm just now finding out about??

cooking woes

2010-07-29T17:38:00.001-05:00

I figured I'd have better luck if I post this on a blog that's actually public...

I can't figure out why I suck at cooking.

Nine times out of ten, if I try to throw something together it turns out funky-tasting. Even if I follow a recipe, it's never really good. I recently tried a fettuccine alfredo recipe that I found on one of those well-known recipe websites, and it sucked! It had a strange bitter aftertaste, and I followed the recipe exactly.

I can bake like it's nobody's business, but I can not figure out WHY I suck at cooking. I need to find a very simple, beginner's cookbook to cook my way through and gain some confidence.

I mean, I'm not completely clueless. I can boil an egg or make mashed potatoes, and spaghetti is a good standby, but I don't have the slightest idea how to check out the ingredients in my fridge and say, "Hey, these flavors would be awesome together."

One problem I have with the 10 cookbooks that I do own and the eleventy billion recipes on the internet is that they're full of crazy recipes that I wouldn't normally make. Really? Apple Fennel soup? Deviled Crab?? Sounds delicious, but that's a far cry from chicken noodle soup from a can and spaghetti.

And I really want to get away from using pre-made, pre-packaged stuff because we all know it's full of crap. If I'm going to learn how to cook, I'm going to do it the right way.

I need a cookbook full of down-home, standard recipes. Like pot roast. Everybody likes pot roast.

Anyone have any suggestions? Maybe the library has some good cookbooks...

Ingredient-based recipe search engines

2010-07-13T14:57:00.003-05:00

There are so many times that I've thought to myself, "Man, I have [insert ingredients here] that I need to use up, but I have no idea what to make.

Fortunately, I've found a few recipe search engines that let you search based on ingredient.

Supercook is one that I like. You just enter which ingredients you want to use, and recipes pop up. They also have a neat "exclude gluten" button.

Recipe Key is the same way. I don't like the format as much, but you can refine your search by cook time, cuisine type, difficulty level, etc.

Recipe Matcher is another one, but the popup ads are super annoying and most of the recipes I've found don't have pictures. I like pictures.

If you've found another great site like this, please share!

Cream Cheese and Cinnamon Coffee Cake

2010-07-04T09:26:00.005-05:00

How's that for alliteration?

I'm going to be honest with you, this cake freaking ROCKS. It's amazing. It started off as a basic coffee cake. Cream cheese and pecans really make this cake rockin'.

Cream Cheese and Pecan Coffee Cake

1/3 c. applesauce
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. flour mix or 1/3 c. each of brown rice flour, sorghum flour, and corn starch
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon

Topping:

1/4 c. brown sugar
1 T. GF flour
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 c. nuts
1/2 block of cream cheese

Preheat your oven to 375.

Mix the applesauce, egg and milk in a bowl. Mix the dry ingredients together, and stir them into the wet ingredients. Pour into a greased 8 x 8 pan.

For the topping, mix together the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut small cubes of cream cheese and place them evenly on top of the batter. Sprinkle the nuts on top next, and finish with the brown sugar mixture.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. (If you don't hit a cream cheese pocket)

Let it cool for a while until you try and cut into it, because the cream cheese needs to set. It sinks to the middle of the cake as it bakes, creating this great middle layer of cream cheese wonderfulness.

NOM.

Cowboy Soup Mix

2010-06-27T13:51:00.005-05:00

picture links to product info

Today was one of those days where you go back and forth from the fridge to the pantry because there's "nothing to eat." After a few trips, I spotted this forgotten soup mix in the back of the pantry.

I had all the ingredients (ground beef and tomatoes), so I dragged out my pot and started on soup.

The first thing I realized was that this mix makes a giant pot of soup. I had to switch to a larger pot two times. I guess I'm just used to making small amounts. But seriously, this could feed a small crowd. Anyway, it was super easy to make. I just browned the beef, added the mix, tomatoes, and water, and let it cook.

It smells delicious. The chili powder and cumin aromas are mouthwatering. It had a good flavor, not too spicy but not bland. I added some beans just because it smelled and tasted like it should have beans. I also served it with some GF garlic croutons on top. Overall, a tasty and filling soup. I think it'd make a great meal if you paired it with a grilled cheese sandwich made with Udi's bread.

I hope it freezes well because I have a lot of it!

P.S. It's not that green; I took the picture before turning the heat up and it's all the dried parsley and stuff floating on top.

little bitty chicken

2010-06-19T20:44:00.005-05:00

This little bitty chicken kinda looks like a whore -rofl-

I was browsing through the grocery store the other day when I came across these little bitty chickens. For like 2 bucks. They were actually called cornish game hens, but I prefer little bitty chicken because who has ever heard of cornish game hens? Maybe more people than I think, but anyway I bought them because they were cheap and cute.

So, I thawed one out along with some chicken broth, and busted out my crock pot. I stuck a chopped up clove of garlic into the cavity of the bird, then added it to the crockpot with the chicken broth, some chopped onion, rosemary, thyme, and pepper.

I set the temperature to high, ran some errands, and came home a few hours later to NOM-ness.
I checked the bird to make sure I don't poison myself with salmonella.

Speaking of, I had a nicely growing culture plate of salmonella dropped directly onto my shoe the other day. Just like toast never lands jelly- or butter- side up, that plate landed with such precision right face-down onto my shoe. It got a massive dose of disinfectant.

Anyway, microbe tangents aside, I checked it with a meat thermometer. Those things are awesome for my germ-conscious self.

I have decided that I like these little bitty chickens better than full-sized chickens because

They are still cheap
They make the perfect amount of chicken for about 2 or 3 me-sized meals. This means I don't have days and days of chicken leftovers followed by a freezer full of chicken. Talk about chicken burnout.
They fit perfectly into my little crock pot.

Woo chicken happiness!

King Soba Black Rice Noodles

2010-06-11T22:52:00.005-05:00

I was doing some grocery shopping in HEB, kinda browsing around, when I came across these noodles. I thought, "Black noodles? Hey wow, neat!" and threw them in the basket. They're made from black rice. I had no idea there was such a thing as black rice.

I checked out their website and they have all kinds of neat, unconventional blends of gluten free noodles.

When I cooked them, they turned kinda purple, just like the package said they would. Unlike regular noodles, they blend in with the pot and sort of disappear when you put them in the water and you're like, "Where'd they go?" Kind of a novel thing, making black noodles.

Cooking quirks aside, they also have a good flavor. Kinda nutty, but mild. Not as pronounced as, say, the flavor of quinoa. It doesn't compete with whatever you're mixing it with; it's more of a complimentary flavor.

Not only were they tasty, but there's something kinda cool about having purple-ish black noodles on your plate. I'd like to serve them at a dinner party some day and be all, "Oh those? They're just black noodles," and feel completely unique. Because black noodles are definitely unique.

Baked Rice Pudding

2010-05-30T17:38:00.004-05:00

I know, the picture looks a little funky, but give it a chance.

This is "rice pudding" that my mom has made since we were kids. You bake it up into something that can be cut into bars. She usually added raisins, but I hate raisins. I used to pick them out when I was a kid, haha.

Baked Rice Pudding

1 c. milk
3 cups cooked brown rice
dash of salt
1/2 c. brown sugar, not packed
1 T. vanilla
3 eggs, beaten
cinnamon

Mix it all up, place it into an 8x8 pan, and bake it at 350 for about 45 minutes. It is ready when a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean and the pudding is set.

Eat cold or hot.

Udi's Bread

2010-05-24T18:10:00.005-05:00

I picked up a loaf of Udi's Whole Grain Bread in the frozen gluten free section of Whole Foods.
I brought it home, made a sandwich, and was amazed.
It was delicious! Not hard, crumbly, or dense. No funky flavors or textures. Doesn't need to be toasted or slathered and confused with toppings to make it edible.

~*Cue fireworks and Celiac angels singing*~

I finally found good gluten free bread! Horray!!

Needless to say, I've happily been on a sandwich kick for the past few days. Oh, Turkey, Ham, Tuna, Club, Grilled Cheese, Egg Salad Sandwiches... I've missed you!!

[I was hungry, :o)]

So yes, Udi's is here to stay. Until I finish the loaf, which is almost gone. Then I'll go get another one!

Zesty Pasta

2010-05-21T18:01:00.003-05:00

Another one of those "I need to use stuff up" dinners.

1/2 can of Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles
a handful of frozen peas
some leftover shredded spinach
a few tablespoons of sour cream
Whatever GF pasta was in the pantry
parsley, basil, and pepper to taste

Heat the tomatoes, peas, spinach, parsley, basil and pepper on the stovetop on low while the noodles cook. When they're ready, top with the "sauce." Mix the sour cream into the tomato mixture just before serving.

It sounds kinda funky, but it was really very delicious. The sour cream brought everything together and cut down a little on the heat without being too heavy. It had a nice spicy kick- if you don't want a kick, then just use regular diced tomatoes.

Quick Red Beans and Rice

2010-05-09T14:03:00.003-05:00

First, let me apologize for the picture. My sister has my camera at the after-prom beach house, so I had my brother take a picture with his phone. I just hate to post without a picture so you get some idea of what it will look like. I assure you, it tastes better than it looks.

Disclaimers aside, this is some good shiz.

I had leftover canned red beans and some brown rice so of course the first thing that popped into my head is red beans and rice.

This recipe is more of a guideline.

3/4 can of red beans, not drained
GF andouille sausage, chopped into chunks
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t. parsley
1/2 t. crushed bay leaves
cayenne pepper, salt, pepper to taste
1 t. oil

Heat the oil in a skillet, then cook the celery, onion and garlic for a few minutes to get them soft. Add the rest of the ingredients, and let it heat throughly. Serve over rice.

Quick & easy.

Spring Rolls

2010-05-06T16:32:00.010-05:00

I love having asian-cooking-savvy friends... AKA Jen :o)

Today: Spring Rolls. Like the kind you get at restaurants. They're ridiculously easy!

Gather your ingredients:

boiled shrimp
cooked pork marinated in fish sauce (make sure it's gluten free)
rice vermicelli
carrot sticks (boiled so they're not too crunchy)
cucumber sticks
lettuce
rice spring roll wrappers (check, some have gluten)
peanuts or peanut sauce

Step 1:
Dip the spring roll wrappers in warm water. Just get it wet; don't soak it.

Step 2:
Place the wrapper on a plate and add lettuce. Placing the lettuce on first helps you roll it without tearing the rice paper.

Step 3:
Add rice vermicelli

Step 4:
Add all of the other fixins

Step 5:
Start rolling like a burrito, tucking the ends in so stuff doesn't fall out

See? Easy! (Sort of, haha)

Dip in GF fish sauce, GF soy sauce, or your favorite stuff.

Stir fry type of thing

2010-05-06T13:23:00.003-05:00

I have decided that I love cooking in my cast iron pan. It heats quickly and evenly, and puts a little of much-needed iron into my food.

Today I made a stir fry of sorts. It was delicious.

I marinated the chicken for 2 days in soy sauce and fresh grated ginger, mostly because I had planned to make it sooner but ended up eating at friends' houses.

It's got all sorts of healthy stuff and tons of flavor.

I highly recommend the fresh ginger. It's actually pretty cheap and a small hunk lasts a while. It makes such a huge difference.

Here's the recipe:

1 chicken breast, marinated in (gluten free) soy sauce and fresh grated ginger, cut up into strips or chunks
1 minced garlic clove
1/4 c. chopped red onion
1 c. shredded carrots
1 handful of fresh green beans (from my garden!!), chopped
1 handful of spinach, shredded
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 c. brown rice, cooked

Boil the carrots and green beans in some water for 1-2 minutes while the skillet heats up on high. Add the sesame oil and some extra fresh grated ginger, and cook the chicken. Set it aside on a plate.

Bring the heat down to medium. Add the rice and onions. Add the carrots and green beans, as well as some of the water used to cook them. I used about 1 c. to soften the rice back up. It also acts to deglaze all the good stuff stuck to the pan.

Stir in the garlic and all the seasonings, and add the spinach right before you serve it.
Season with salt as needed.

Makes 2-3 servings.

If you're feeling creative, roll the cold leftovers in spring roll wrappers.

Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie mix

2010-05-02T21:44:00.002-05:00

Let me just start off by saying that the box tells you to mix an egg, a teaspoon of vanilla, and a stick of butter. A whole stick. For a realistic 16 cookies. That's about 1/2 tablespoon of butter in every cookie. With that amount, you can bet that those cookies are going to taste good.

And of course, they do. Really good.

One thing to note: You really have to get in with your hands and shape them into balls to bake them.

A winner in my book.

Crockpot Baked Beans

2010-05-02T20:38:00.007-05:00

I love beans. I could happily eat them every day. As a child, one of our favorite videos (on VHS!) to watch was Mickey and the Beanstalk.

In the story Mickey, Donald and Goofy have been living off of beans for a long time, and finally they run out and Mickey goes into town to sell their cow and get some food. When Mickey brings home the magic beans (At 8:45 into the clip linked above), Goofy exclaims, "BEANS?!" "What do you mean, BEANS?!" and Donald freaks out true Donald-style.

And I think of it every time I make beans.

I don't even need BBQ as an excuse to make baked beans. I can make a meal out of beans and cornbread. ... Or really, just beans.

I used this recipe, tweaked a bit.

Baked Beans

2 cups dried navy beans
1/2 pound bacon (omitted because I forgot to buy it, oops!)
1 onion, finely diced (used much less)
3 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar

Soak the beans overnight in water. If you have a removable crockpot um, pot, then soak the beans right in the pot. Drain the water into a bowl and keep it.

Add the other ingredients, stir well, and add enough of the water to cover the beans. Cover the crockpot, set it on high, and cook for 8-10 hours, until the beans are tender. If desired, cook for an hour with the lid off to thicken it up a bit.

Makes 6 servings, or a whole lot of beans for one person, even if that person happens to love beans. I wonder if they freeze well?

Free Stuff! Nescafe Tasters Choice

2010-04-21T19:11:00.003-05:00

I got an email today from Be Free For Me about Nescafe Taster's Choice instant coffee and a free sample. Click on the "try it on us" link and enter your email & address, and there you go!

I just love free stuff.

Oh, and of course it's gluten free. According to the Be Free For Me blog, all of Taster's Choice instant coffees are gluten free. (FAQ for Nescafe)

Plain Granola Bars

2010-04-20T14:53:00.006-05:00

I have been on the quest for the perfect granola bar for a long time. Not too sweet, crunchy but not hard, the list goes on. I think this simple recipe is as close as it's going to get. For now.

1 1/2 c. gluten free oats
1 T. flaxseed meal
3 T. olive oil
2 T. honey
2 T. syrup
1/8 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon

Heat everything but the flaxseed meal and oatmeal in a saucepan. Once it's all incorporated, stir in the oats & flax. Spread the mixture onto a foil-lined (and greased) cookie sheet. Press it down firm and flat. It won't cover the entire sheet- only about half.
Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Let them cool for just a few minutes once they're out of the oven, then cut them into bars with a pizza cutter. If you wait too long, they'll be hard to cut.

Delicious & easy.

French Toast

2010-04-03T08:19:00.004-05:00

Hey guess what? THIS bread makes really great french toast. Like really good. Like the french toast that you remember.

I've tried french toast on many loaves of bread. I thought by making french toast I could salvage dry, crumbly loaves of bread. I was wrong. I just ended up with dry, crumbly french toast or a sandy mouth feel surrounded by great french toast taste. I've finally found the texture that I've been missing.

French Toast

1 egg, beaten
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 T. brown sugar
1/4 c. milk

4-5 slices of gluten free bread (like I said, I've had success with this bread)

Preaheat a pan or griddle to medium heat.

Mix the ingredients with a whisk.
If the bread is a little stale it will soak up more of the egg mixture, but if it's fresh just toast it.
I also like to cut it up into strips before I start, but whatever tickles your fancy is fine.

Soak the bread in the egg mixture on both sides, then place it in the greased pan. Let it cook until the egg is set and lightly golden, and flip it and repeat on the other side.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with syrup, fruit, whatever.

This recipe also freezes well. Just thaw, then pop in the toaster to warm them up. (I'm not sure what the texture's like if they are reheated in the microwave.)

KROGER 3 cheese potatoes

2010-04-01T17:11:00.008-05:00

So I'm feeling kinda cruddy with allergies or a cold or whatever, looking for comfort food.

The ever-awesome mom of mine found some GLUTEN FREE Kroger brand potatoes au gratin. It said it right on the box- go Kroger!

She originally bought them for Easter dinner but we agreed that we should try it out first, in case they suck.

They SO don't.

This is serious comfort food. I ate about half the pan.

I don't know what happens- every once in a while blogger uploads photos sideways and I can't figure out how to fix it. Just tilt your head.

These potatoes taste just like the potatoes that my mom has made for for years. I can never seem to recreate the taste and texture using ingredients from scratch; the only thing that tastes like "mom's" potatoes is the boxed stuff- and now, it's gluten free and I can eat it!! I'm so excited and satisfied that I want to make it every day.

Sigh, happiness.

I made some bread

2010-03-28T15:14:00.004-05:00

I've been on a bread-baking hiatus. Loaf after loaf of crappy bread just gets old after a while. I know I'm not alone with my bread woes.

I had a bag of Bob's Red Mill brown rice flour sitting on my counter, and Chris picked it up and (quite randomly) asked, "Have you tried making this bread?" There was a recipe for Walrus Bread on the back of it, and no, I've never considered making it. Why waste ingredients on a bread that will probably turn out like crap? And what the heck is Walrus bread?

After I voiced these comments, Chris insisted that I try it anyway, because you never know.

So I busted out my neglected bread machine for minimal effort, and made it. Actually I had help from Chris, which was kinda fun. No one's ever stood around and helped me make stuff, even if it's just putting ingredients into the bread machine.

I just dumped everything into the bread maker, set it, and left for three hours. When we came back, the smell was awesome. I peeked into the little window to see that it actually rose well.

I have a lot of trouble getting bread to rise correctly. I also have trouble with bread sinking after it's done. I also have trouble with gummy layers on the bottom of bread. I also have trouble with crumbling, dense, nasty bread. See why I stopped making bread? Suckage.

When it was finished, I let it cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then took it out. Afraid it'd sink like normal, I didn't wait around to watch it. We went bowling. When we came back from bowling, it had cooled and hadn't sunk at all! When I cut into it, it was moist and bendy. Look- you can bend it and it won't break. Small victories.

It's one of the better loaves of bread I've made. Still distinctly gluten free, but not terrible. So here it is. The recipe is posted here.

I made a few modifications: Instead of bean flour I used sorghum, and instead of potato starch I used corn starch. I used apple cider vinegar, and instead of vegetable oil I used light olive oil. A packet of yeast worked just fine- I think it's just short of a tablespoon.

I'm hoping that it works well with french toast, as it's been a very long time since I've made some that actually tastes good. I have learned that not all gluten free bread transforms into french toast well.

I'm not 100% satisfied and am still on the lookout for a really good plain bread recipe, so if you have one please share!!

lessons in fish!

2010-03-23T17:24:00.006-05:00

I am 100% clueless when it comes to fish.

I think I've probably eaten fish a grand total of 5 times in my whole life. And I think 3 of those times was at a restaurant. The other 2 or so have been at someone else's house.

I do like fish.

The reason I have absolutely no experience with it is because my mom hates fish. The smell, the taste, the texture. So, she never cooked it when we were growing up. Fish was something other people ate.

A few weekends ago I had the most amazing grilled catfish I've ever tasted (at a restaurant), and since then I've had a hankering for fish.

I didn't know where to begin. How do you buy it? What kind do you buy? What kind of cut do you get? How do you season it? How long do you cook it? What do you eat it with? OhmygoshIdon'tknow.

I almost retreated (yet again) into a fishless existence because of the unknown.

Fortunately, I found some frozen tilapia filets in the freezer and figured that was easier than going to the store. I thawed it out, and since I didn't know what to put on it, I went to Google. I don't think I like the whole "lemon pepper" route, so I tried a mixture of garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Does that go with fish? No clue.

I wanted that same grilled taste so I fired up the George Foreman grill, and on the fish went.

As soon as it hit the grill, I entered panic mode. How long do you cook it?? I should have looked that up beforehand.
I checked the handy dandy grill guide that came with the grill, but Tilapia wasn't on it. White Fish was, and since it was white, I figured it would work. 6 minutes. Then, I second-guessed, and did another quick Google search. Nothing concrete. Ack! I did see something about it being flaky when it's done, but what the heck did that mean??

Fortunately I heard my uncle in the other room.
"Jim!" I yelled. "You eat fish, right?"
He came in to check it, kinda laughed, and said that it was definitely done. he showed me what flaky meant. Okay, the fish had been flaky for a while. Definitely done.

I had leftover green beans and rice with it, since I have no idea what is usually eaten with fish. I had this CUTE tiny little lime- look at how cute it is!

Anyway I squeezed a bit of it onto the fish, because you're supposed to squeeze lemons/ limes on top of fish, right?

Here's my fish. I'm thinking that all meat comes out looking pretty much the same on a George Foreman grill, at least when you overcook it... because it looks like chicken.

It tasted ok, a little dry, and I think I should have used more seasonings because it was kind of bland.

I need help with my fish!
If you have any favorite fish recipes, or helpful tips, please link or post in the comments!

Conte's Gluten Free Ravioli

2010-03-22T16:33:00.004-05:00

I was super excited when I was browsing through HEB the other day and found Conte's gluten free ravioli in the frozen food section. It's been SO LONG since I've eaten ravioli. I've tried making it before and it was good, but it is pretty labor-intensive. This is quick & easy.

And tasty!

These babies are nice & big, not like wimpy wiener ravioli that I've had before. They're plump and full of cheesy filling, and the pasta is good. It's -almost- chewy like regular pasta. I detected a hint of an unusual texture, but I was being picky and it does not detract from the deliciousness of the ravioli.

I'd feed gluten-eating guests with it, and I will be buying it again. The company also offers several other products, including stuffed shells and pierogies. I can't wait to try them!

Cross section:

Fried Rice

2010-03-11T09:05:00.011-06:00

My friend Jennifer makes awesome fried rice. Actually, I think it's her mom's fried rice. Either way, I could eat it for days. So last night I snuck over there and had her teach me how to make it. It's so easy, and of course it's one of those, "I don't measure, I just throw in however much I want!" types of things.

Your ingredients:

canola oil
eggs
shrimp (or chicken)
leftover rice
frozen peas & carrots
onions, chopped
paprika
Fajita seasoning
fish oil
butter

If we had a wok, everything would be thrown in together. However, hers got lost in the move and it's not necessary. Just use a pan and make things in batches, then combine it all at the end.

First, thaw the shrimp in some water, if needed. While that's happening, make everything else.

1. Start with the rice. You really have to use a certain kind of rice. That minute rice just won't cut it. She uses jasmine rice, and stresses that it's best if you use leftover rice, as opposed to just-made.

2. De-clump the rice and sprinkle a little bit of paprika over the rice. Then, sprinkle a little bit more fajita seasoning than you did paprika. Fish sauce is optional. She added a small amount- perhaps a teaspoon- and mentioned that it's mostly for aroma rather than taste. Also add a small amount of oil, just to barely coat the rice. This will make it brown up really deliciously when you fry it.

3. Warm a pan over medium heat, then throw in your frozen veggies. She added that it's important to get the veggies nice and dehydrated, otherwise you'll have mushy fried rice. If they get a little charred, consider it a little extra flavor.

4. When the veggies are done, put them in a large bowl. In the same pan cook the onions and shrimp in some butter.

I had no idea when shrimp was cooked, but I learned. Look for a pink color, and they should curl up tighter.

5. Put the shrimp & onions in the veggie bowl, and scramble your eggs in the same pan.

Jen uses a chopstick to mix everything up- even the eggs in the pan. When they're done, stick them in the bowl too.

6. Fry the rice until it's browned and smelling awesome, and add that to the bowl. Mix it all up, and eat until you're just stuffed.

Roast Chicken aka Grownup Food

2010-02-14T13:59:00.004-06:00

(picture taken hastily because I was hungry)

I made my first roast chicken! I feel like such a grown up!

I was at the store looking at chicken breasts when I saw whole chickens for like 4 bucks. I bought one, and on the way home I was thinking, "I have no idea what to do with this!"

I tried googling what to do, but the information was so overwhelming. I went for the trusted advice of madre. (And Chris' mom, who basically said the same thing)

So. I put on some nitrile gloves to avoid freaking out about cross contamination, and started.

From what I saw on Google, some people rinse the bird, some don't. I opted to rinse.
When I took it out of the bag it was all squished together, and as I started rinsing the wings and legs kinda flopped out a little bit.
At first I started looking for the hole at the top, but then I realized it's supposed to be down by the legs. I couldn't figure out what I was looking at, but then I realized the neck was stuffed in the hole. How odd... Anyway, I removed that and chunked it, and rinsed out the inside. I figured it looked like a chicken should.

I had prepared a 13 x 9 cake pan lined with tin foil, because I don't have a roasting pan. I stuck the bird in that, removed the gloves, and liberally sprayed disinfectant all over the sink.

I sprinkled some thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic powder on top of the bird. Then I kinda rubbed it around (with gloves on), and got some of the seasonings underneath the skin and on to the breast. I felt oddly like a masseuse.

Then I flipped it over, repeated, and flipped it back over, breast side up.

I had half of an onion left over from something, so I just stuck the whole thing inside the hole, along with some watercress I found in the fridge. I dunno why, I just did.

I stuck it in the oven at 325 for a couple hours, until the juices where the leg met the body ran clear. I got kinda paranoid and left it in a little longer, just in case. I'm so scared of getting food poisoning from undercooked meat. I just remembered I have a meat thermometer, and I should have used that. Anyway, it was pretty done.

I took it out and let it sit for about 15 minutes, and when I went to rip the leg off, the meat just fell right off the bones. The skin was nice and crispy, and the meat was just falling off.

After I took all the meat off, I stuck the carcass in a pot. Actually, I just put everything from the roasting pan into a pot and simmered for a couple hours to get chicken broth, which I froze. No more canned crap!

Now I have a couple tupperware containers full of chicken and a nice stock of chicken broth. It was surprisingly easy and super cheap, and I feel awesome having cooked something substantial. Yay!

Products!

2010-02-07T12:21:00.005-06:00

I went grocery shopping and tried a few new (to me) products.

[pictures link to product info]

Gorilla Munch. First of all, what a great name.

I bought this to try out a new cereal. I love my "kids" cereals.

It's pretty good, like a cross between Captain Crunch and Kix. I like it so much, in fact, that I'm already on my second box.

Moving on to crackers.

I've tried the plain Nut-Thins before and they're ok- I like them with some kind of cheese or dip. However, I really like the Cheddar Cheese flavored ones. They make a great snack. The Country Ranch flavor is good, but the it's kind of overpowering and the flavor stays in your mouth (and on your breath) for a really long time.

I really love the Glutino strawberry wafers, and I recently tried the lemon ones. Great lemon flavor- the box was gone in a day. The chocolate coated vanilla wafers are all right- still good but not as good in my opinion. They have a funny aftertaste.

I tried another Glutino product- the Blueberry breakfast bars. They are about the same as the cranberry ones- decent texture but just way too sweet.

Next, Nana's Ginger Spice cookie bites.

Honestly, I expected these to be gross- no refined sugars, dairy, trans fat, eggs, all natural, etc. I was very surprised at the texture- a tad mealy, but not gooey or dry. The flavor was really great. Pronounced and spot-on. I like them with tea or coffee. I'm down to my last one.

I also tried Legacy Valley GF Oats. Like Bob's Red Mill oats, I have a problem with them. The oats themselves are fine, but it's hard to explain- Among the oats in the bag are something I'm going to call hulls (Link to a picture to see what I mean).

The oats cook up nice and soft, but the hulls remain hard and interrupt the texture of the oatmeal and get caught in my teeth and stuff. I don't know if it's a different kind of oat or if it's the process they use, but I really, really don't like it. Any other oatmeal I've ever eaten has not had this problem. For this reason I prefer Gluten Free Oats- all you get is the soft oatmeal.

Well, that's all for now.
Any comments on this, or any related products you'd recommend?

Banana oatmeal nut muffins

2010-01-20T19:38:00.008-06:00

This is one of those recipes that you kinda make up when you're bored and procrastinating and need to use stuff up, like a packet of oatmeal and a really ripe banana.

Makes a hearty muffin that's just barely sweet. You might want to add another 1/4 to 1/2 c. sugar if you're feelin' a sweet muffin. The banana flavor is subtle because I only had one banana, so feel free to add another one and leave out the applesauce. You can't really tell there's oatmeal in there; it blends right in. It's got kind of a crunchy top and a soft middle. Perfect for breakfast with a cup of coffee or as a snack.

Banana Oatmeal Nut Muffins

1/2 c. brown rice flour
1/2 c. corn starch
1/2 c. sorghum flour
1/2 t. xanthan gum

1/8 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
1 t. cinnamon

1 packet Gluten Freeda's Banana Maple Flax oatmeal, made according to package directions (or 1/3 c. cooked GF oatmeal. I like Gluten Free Oats)

1 egg, slightly beaten
1 T. olive oil
1 T. maple syrup
1 T. unsweetened applesauce
1 mashed, really ripe banana
1/2 t. vanilla

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Mix the dry ingredients together, then mix the wet ingredients together. Mix everything into a big bowl, then add the walnuts. Put into muffin tins either greased or lined with princess frog liners. (They don't show up in the picture but they're so CUTE!) Sprinkle a few oats on top just to make them pretty.

Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the tops start to brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 12 muffins.

Pamela's Peanut Butter Cookies

2010-01-17T11:14:00.003-06:00

picture links to product info

This box of cookies came in a gluten free gift basket of goodies I got for Christmas. This is the first time I've tried Pamela's cookies. I usually make my own because they're so simple, but sometimes it is nice to have cookies without any waiting or dishes.

I was excited because peanut butter cookies are my favorite.
So how did I like them? To be honest, I didn't. Not at all.

I didn't like them for two main reasons.

1. They were chewy, but a little -too-chewy. The texture wasn't pleasing; something was a little off, like I was chewing on candy or something other than a cookie.

2. They didn't taste enough like peanut butter. It was more like a hint of peanut butter. I like my peanut butter cookies to have that rich peanut butter taste.

So, the extra-chewy texture combined with the so-so peanut butter flavor didn't really rock my socks. It may be that I'm just a picky peanut butter cookie person, but I wouldn't spend my money on them.

Does anyone disagree, or have any other Pamela's cookie products they recommend?

Haiti & Celiac Teen

2010-01-16T10:23:00.003-06:00

Lauren at Celiac Teen is gathering submissions for an e-cookbook which will be used to help Haiti.

"Send your favourite, most loved recipe that makes you feel at home with an email subject line of "Haiti Ebook" to mail (at) celiacteen (dot) com {replacing the (at) and (dot) with applicable characters!}. Please also include a picture! The recipe does not have to be gluten free. It can be a baked good, a meal, a breakfast, a treat, anything. Whatever it is though, make sure it makes you think of home. They lost theirs, so a comforting dish is the best way in my eyes!"

I think it's a great idea and it takes just a few minutes to send her an email with your submission.

Enjoy Life Granola- New and Improved

2010-01-14T17:20:00.006-06:00

picture links to product information

The first time I tried this stuff, I was very fresh off the diagnosis train and thought it was horrible. Terrible. Worst cereal I'd ever tried. Clusters that were dry and strangely moist at the same time, with a terrible fake fruit and bitter taste. I threw it away with a sinking celiac heart.

Fast forward to a few days ago, when my mom saw a few gluten free things on sale and bought them just because they were on sale. This granola was part of that purchase, and I cringed when I saw the bag.

But, I decided to open it just for kicks. When I looked inside, I noticed that it looked different. So I tried some and oh my gosh, it was good! Nice and crispy like granola should be.

I don't know if the first box I tried was bad or what, but this granola is very much New and Improved. It's a completely different cereal and I really like it, especially on yogurt. The bag says there are pieces of freeze dried fruit, but they are not really noticeable. Either way, Yum.

German Pancakes

2009-12-21T11:46:00.004-06:00

I was looking through some old cookbooks of my mom's and I found this recipe written on a piece of paper. It looked very simple, so I tried it out. It reminds me of a dutch baby, and has a flavor that is reminiscent of french toast. I really like it, and I'll probably be making it again.

German Pancake
1/3 c. flour (a mixture of corn starch, sorghum, and brown rice flour, a little of each just kinda spooned into the measuring cup)
pinch of xanthan gum
1/3 c. milk
2 eggs
1/2 T. sugar
1/4 t. salt

Whisk the eggs, sugar, salt, and milk together, then whisk in the flour until smooth. Pour it into a greased 8-inch pan and bake it at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until it's slightly brown on the edges and done all the way through.
Top it with powdered sugar. (I used syrup as well)

Makes 1 big pancake, enough for 1 person if that's all you're eating, or 2 people if you're eating other stuff with it.

I think it might be neat to try making it savory, with cheese or something.

P.S. Make sure you grease the pan really well because mine stuck.

chocolate chip muffins

2009-12-15T09:31:00.005-06:00

Hey, I'm alive! It's been a while since I've posted. Semester 1 of CLS school is DONE! I gotta say, it was a lot harder than I thought it'd be, but I did it. (As a matter of fact, I did quite well.) Now that we get a break, I get to get back into the kitchen (and catch up on sleep). Hopefully I come out with something tasty.

Since I -am- a student and therefore broke, I plan on charming my friends with delicious baked GF goods and a few other homemade items that I can't post yet- otherwhise they'll know what they're getting for Christmas... if anyone reads this blog anymore, haha.

I really wanted cinnamon rolls this morning but I was too lazy to make them. They are a little bit of extra work, but when I actually get to doing it, it's not that bad. It's the getting started part that's always hard.

Muffins seemed easier, but my sweet tooth was aching. Easy solution? Throw in some chocolate chips. I figured I'd go easy on the chocolate, but if you're feeling it, add as much as you want. They're pretty yummy.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 egg
1/4 c. milk, non-dairy milk, or water
2 T. oil (or applesauce)
1/2 t. vanilla

1/4 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. brown rice flour
1/3 c. corn starch
1/3 c. sorghum flour
1/4 t. xanthan gum
1 t. baking powder
1/8 t. baking soda
1/8 t. salt
1/4- 1/3 c. chocolate chips

Beat the egg in a bowl, and mix in the rest of the wet ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients together, then mix them into the wet ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. When a toothpick comes out clean, they're done.

Makes 5-6 muffins.

-Really good with a cup of coffee, a purring kitten, and a magazine that has nothing to do with hematology or chemistry :o)