COOKIES

Okay, I couldn't wait to try the cookies. The cakes will have to wait.

Of course they were good. It's no surprise. So here is what I think was good about them: the outside crunch like a typical cookie that would be laden with gluten, but a soft-in-the-middle goodness. I liked how they spread as they cooked. The cookie taste was spot on with what I would relate to my favorites of the regular variety- those of the already-made cookie dough kind you find in the refrigerated section.

I will admit, the chocolate chips were tiny and didn't pack enough of a punch with that part of the cookie, but that's easy to solve. When I make these again (which I will for sure stock my pantry with these alongside the brownies) I will be adding extra chocolate chips. Also, please note I probably over-cooked them by not catching my oven timer quick enough. Which is why mine looks darker then the ones on the box. I think next time I will try to follow the guidelines more closely on cooking time. But they still tasted good!

The bottom line is- they are easy to make quickly, yummy, and to be able to have something like this on hand and easily accesable at a grocery store is a dream come true for any family feeding a celiac person (I am only assuming the availablilty ease, as I personally am not aware of where they will be distributed this summer).

I can't find another gf cookie mix I would like better, however, I do prefer the taste of a made-from-scratch recipe I have made in the past.

Note: I did not check the brownie mix and the box is trashed, but I did check the cookie mix and it is not soy or dairy free (someone asked in comments).

BROWNIES

1) It's looking like June we should be seeing these products hit the shelves. I do not have information about price points.

2) Holy COW am I a tease! Sorry for making you wait so long for further pictures and reviews.

When my husband and I were first married, prior to his Celiac diagnosis, we would make a quick brownie mix from a box every Sunday night. It was one of few traditions we had and it was one I would miss greatly when the news broke about his new dietary needs. Friends, although we have tried many gf brownie mixes that have been all over the board with taste, cost and availability, none have made their way to replace our Sunday tradition of years past. This brownie mix might finally be The One. Two words for you:

IT'S AWESOME!

What I love about a brownie is there- the most important part is the crusty, flaky top: check. They also need to hold together without crumbling apart: check. Then the type of fudgy center that your teeth sink into: check. And the most rarely accomplished with a gf chocolate treat is the after taste- if it is void of the chalky aftershocks: check!

I wish I could send everyone a box right now. But I cannot. Keep your eyes peeled in June and I will share info as I get it.

The cake mixes will be up next.......

Happy Thanksgiving!

Don't forget about this awesome gravy recipe! Sooooo good with the juices from the turkey!!!

I got stocked up on all my favorite already-made gf goods from Whole Foods. I was happy to see this year they had a special freezer endcap with all the gluten-free goods you would want for Thanksgiving, even some new to us things (biscuits).

noodles for turkey soup (leftovers)

pie and pie crusts

crackers (in case I go crazy and get fancy cheese)

bread (for turkey sandwich leftovers)

Costco

I found two gluten-free items at Costco that allowed me to feed a lot of people without actually cooking!

I put out tortilla chips for the dip and lettuce to make wraps with the chicken salad.

Chocolate Birthday Cake - Gluten Free

It was my birthday.

And my mother went to Costco and bought this.

She followed the instructions carefully and

this is what was created.

I can attest to the fact that this was, in fact, delicious.

Delicious.
I thought so, my celiac brother thought so, my dad who is a gluten lover and a chocolate addict thought so.

At Costco.

For like 6 dollars.

My mother, being the kind person that she is, sent me home with the leftovers (there weren't many). And with the additional cake and frosting mix (it comes two to a box).

I am calling this a success.

Thank you Costco.

Please don't stop selling this product anytime soon.

Or at least before I can go pick up a hundred boxes.

Sof'ella, you rock.

Thank you for making such a delicious chocolate cake mix with frosting included. I can't wait to try more of your products.

Skillet Macaroni and Cheese

*not my picture

Skillet Macaroni and Cheese

1/4 cup butter
1 8oz box macaroni, gluten free
1 onion chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups water
1 chicken bouillon cube
1-2 tablespoons rice flour
1 13-ounce can evaporated milk
2 cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Melt the butter in a large heavy skillet. Add the onion and pepper and seasonings and saute for a minute or two. Add the uncooked macaroni and saute for about 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent.

Add the water and bouillon cube. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the macaroni is almost done. Add the rice flour and stir well. Stir in the evaporated milk and cheese. Simmer and stir until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Serve hot.

This pasta is very rich and creamy, plus, simple as pie. You could easily add chicken to this for a hearty meal, or you could just serve it as a vegetarian dinner with a salad. I personally, love it as is.

My most favorite gluten free macaroni that I've found is the one pictured above, Ancient Harvest Quinoa Elbows. They retain their shape better than the rice pastas I've tried, plus I can find them at my local grocers, which is really what it's all about. Check often when you are simmering them in the water, you want your pasta to be a little undercooked before you add the milk and cheese.

I would've taken a picture of this recipe, but it's really good hot and we ate it. I blame the children. Trust me on this one, it is yummy, nothing like those boxes of mac n cheese with powdered sauce. Not that there's anything wrong with that. And leftovers will make you happy the next day, although they will not be quite as saucy.

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By the way, for all you readers you are still reading:

You Rock! We will do our best to answer emails timely, post recipes consistently, and be overall better gluten free bloggers. Because you make us happy. Celiac disease is awesome, isn't it?

RAD! Giveaway

Mary's Gone Crackers has a whole series of flavorful gluten-free crackers!

I got my own loot of samples last week and I couldn't be more pleased with the strength and durability plus the punch of flavor each of the varieties (Black Pepper, Onion, Original, Herb, Caraway) comes with every crunch. I don't see many options for gf crackers that makes me stray far from the corn chip, but this is a definite yes. Good for regular snacking and fancy enough to display at a party with a yummy cheese spread.

LEAVE A COMMENT BY THURSDAY AT MIDNIGHT

as the random winner will get their own variety samples pack sent to them.

In my photo I dipped the original flavor in Jalapeno Chutney.

p.s. Isn't this the BEST name possible for a cracker company? I love it.

p.s.s. if you don't win you can order some from amazon.com or their website.

soup

Healthy Choice Chicken with Rice is gluten-free. Hoorah!

Gluten-Free Peppermint Patty Cookies

Adapted from a recipe I got from Allyson in Utah.

Gluten-Free Peppermint Patty Cookies
Makes about 24 cookies

1 pkg. gluten-free chocolate cake mix (I used Gluten-Free Pantry's)
½ c. shortening
1 Tb. Water
2 eggs
1 tsp. peppermint extract*

Peppermint patties
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 365°. Mix above ingredients, except for peppermint patties and powdered sugar. Roll batter into 1” ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place 2” apart on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes. Let cool a couple minutes, and while still warm place a peppermint patty into the center of each cookie and press down.

*(checking to see about gluten- might need to omit this ingredient)

breakfast

Arrowhead Mills has a good gluten-free pancake mix that is nice to have on hand. I have not used it for anything else, so please share if you have found this mix to be yummy used any other way. Their products have been available in my regular grocery store's organic section (Safeway).

An easy dinner to have is breakfast: pancakes, bacon, and eggs.

Campbell's Soup: Gluten Free

I finally found (at Target!) one of the few Campbell's soups that is gluten-free: Chicken Broccoli Cheese (an potato). I was curious about the flavor and texture and can finally report on it.

It's a bit light for a meal. I found it flavorful enough for something out of a can. I think it would be perfect tossed with some cooked gf noodles (penne, linguini, or spaghetti) along with two cooked cans of the soup, perhaps with some gf biscuits. Nevermind the potatoes in it, it's not chunky enough that it would be noticable. It serves more like a thick sauce than a chunky soup.

It will be a repeat purchase to stock in my pantry, but it needs something more with it. I hear a caserole waiting to be improved with this addition....let me know if you discover it's perfect recipe/ dinner mate.

Instant Food

I like to stock up the pantry during winter with quick food, especially for the busy nights I don't have time to cook a big meal.

1) Campbell's Chunky Chicken Broccoli Cheese soup is gluten-free.

2) My husband also loves Miso soup, but not all of them are gluten-free so check your labels well! It normally comes in a box with several packets (think Lipton packaging). The best we have found comes from Trader Joe's.

3) Stagg Chili (not my photo) is another good one to have on hand.

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We have some great recipes that have been sent in to us [thank you!], I am hoping to make some of them and post with photographs. If it gets too hectic I may post and add photos another time.

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I am looking for cookie/ candy/ treat recipes for this month so as a community we can share what we bake. What will you make to eat and share with your neighbors this holiday season? I can tell you Lindsey's caramel is amazing and gluten-free!

I have a superb sugar cookie and frosting recipe you will love to use. It should be up later this week.

muffins

Gluten-Free Pantry Muffin and Scone Mix

It would have been nice to know there were not blueberries included in this package for the muffins. I probably could have read the back. I wish I had baked them a little longer for the browning on top to occur.

Taste- my husband and son enjoyed them, but I only ate a couple. I will prefer a mix with the berry in it already. They were easy to make and I would get them again.

Prairie Bread

Mike in California told us about this Prairie Bread from Whole Foods. Apparently, it's the best GF bread he has ever eaten. He put turkey, alpine swiss, and tomato between two toasted pieces. Mayo, pepper, and parmesan cheese cover the insides of the toasted bread.

Thanks, Mike!

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Here is their contact information for their GF baked goods:

Whole Foods Market Gluten-Free Bakehouse

2800 Perimeter Park DriveSuite C

Morrisville, NC 27560

email: Glutenfree.Bakehouse@wholefoods.com

Baby Shower Food Week!

Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

1 package gluten free pretzels

1 (12 oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup white chocolate chips

In a ceramic or glass bowl, pour chocolate chips. Place over double boiler to melt, or melt in the microwave at 30 second intervals. Dip pretzels and place on wax paper. Place white chocolate chips in a quart-sized freezer Ziploc bag. Melt in microwave in 30 second intervals, squishing to melt. Snip tiny corner of freezer bag and drizzle over the still warm pretzels. Let cool in refrigerator.

These pretzels are the bomb. Seriously. I'm pretty sure I ate more than I served at the shower. Pick a good chocolate for better results. And this brand of pretzels is fantastic. I could not tell the difference, and neither could anyone else. I'm going to have to try making pretzel jello with them. The only down side is that they are not super big, so it took a while to make these. But worth the effort for a chocolate-covered pretzel deprived pregnant girl and her chocolate-covered pretzel deprived sister. BTW, I found these at Sprouts. They were a little pricey, $5 for a bag. So savor them. And for heavens sakes, dip them in chocolate.

Baby Shower Food Week!

Knorr Spinach Vegetable Dip

1 package Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix

2 cups sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well

Mix all ingredients and let chill for a few hours to blend flavors. Serve with veggies or gluten free bread cubes.

I know I already posted this, but now I have a picture. And I can't get over how easy and good this recipe is. I'm sure probably all of you already make this, but if you don't, try it. It's an awesome shower food. I mean, who doesn't love a good veggie tray? It makes you feel like all the other junk you're eating is balanced out.

GF Pantry Ginger Spice Cake Mix, and Frosting

Gluten Free Pantry Ginger Spice Cake Mix
Plus Lemon Butter Frosting

I've tried this mix before and have been pretty happy with it. It's especially good warm. When you cool and frost it, it becomes a little dry, but not excessively so. My daughter gave this a thumbs up.
We used lemon butter frosting, which complements the cake very well. It gives the cake a little zest. All you do is add a lemon juice instead of milk to your butter frosting recipe. Soooooo good. I'll give you my recipe, but it's just an approximation. I never measure when I make frosting, I just add a little liquid if it's too stiff and dry, or a little sugar if it's too runny. I continue to alternate the two ingredients until I have my desired amount.

Lemon Butter Frosting

1/4 cup butter
2-4 Tbps lemon juice
2-4 cups confectioners sugar

Beat butter. Add 2 Tbsp lemon juice and 2 cups confectioners sugar. Beat well. Keep adding lemon juice and sugar until you reach your desired consistency.

gravy

Gluten-Free Gravy

I found these packets of GF gravy at a health food store several months ago and forgot about them until tonight. We tried the shitake flavor and it was AWESOME. I am sad we didn't partake of its goodness earlier.

It's made by the company Road's End Organics. Looks like you can order on-line from them not only the gravy, but other GF products as well. They also list retailers that carry their products and have a store locator feature.

Sorry, my camera ate the photos I took of the actual gravy on top of mashed potatoes. Yes, it's THAT tasty even my camera can't resist.

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This will be my final personal post for a while, I get induced to have my baby tomorrow. Enjoy our guest chefs replacing me! And catch some sleep for me, will ya?!

Chicken Alfredo with Pasta

Once again, dinner from a packet. Do I not like to make homemade? No, it's just that sometimes, I need dinner on the table fast, like before my smallest darlings die of starvation. So this is what I turn to.

I called McCormick about this one. Once again I got the "If it doesn't state gluten on the package, it has no gluten in it" answer that I always get from them. Basically it means, always read the back, because you never know if it might say wheat on it.
See, no wheat. But always check, because one time one package did say wheat, and I was sad. By the way, I always use 2 packages, but that's cuz I like things saucy. Ask anyone.

Gluten Free Chicken Alfredo with Pasta


1 package McCormick Creamy Garlic Alfredo packet
3 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 cup milk
2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
1/2 package gluten free pasta, cooked


In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the milk and the Alfredo packet and whisk. Cook over medium low heat until boiling. Simmer for 2 minutes and remove from heat.
Layer pasta, chicken and sauce on a plate. Enjoy the fact that you have successfully made dinner in about 20 minutes.

So for the pasta, I used Mrs. Leepers corn spirals, because that's what I had. Feel free to use a more traditional fettuccine type. Also, I tried both layering on the plate and tossing the sauce with the pasta and I must endorse, layering on the plate. The pasta just absorbs all the sauce when tossed together, and we all know I like my food to be saucy.

Gluten Free Pad Thai

This is a staple at our house.

My kids call it noodles with chicken.

See how it serves two? That means we use 2 boxes.
See how it says right there on the package "Gluten-Free"? We love that.

And we love Thai Kitchen, as most of their products are, in fact, gluten free.

Gluten Free Pad Thai
(from a box)

1 box Original Pad Thai
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced thin
3 Tbsp oil
1 egg, scrambled
2 green onions, sliced
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 lime
2 Tbsp peanuts, coarsely chopped

Boil 3 cups water. Add the noodles and remove from heat. Let the noodles soak for about 5 minutes, and then run under cold water.
In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp oil. Add egg and cook until done. Remove the egg from the skillet. Add the other 2 Tbsp oil and heat. Add the chicken to the skillet, cooking until just done, about 3-5 minutes. Add the noodles and the sauce packet. Stir fry for a few minutes, or until the noodles are done, adding water if necessary to keep them from sticking to the skillet.
Add the egg, green onions, cilantro, and squeeze the juice from the lime over the top. Stir for 1 minute and remove from heat.
Garnish with peanuts.