Living Without Wheat

Pie Party!!

2011-07-05T21:06:00.000-07:00

Today was a busy kitchen day. I decided last minute to participate in a pie party being thrown on twitter and Facebook by baking a pie or two. Now I'm not usually big into baking but there has been a craving rolling around in my head ever since it was posted by Brian over at Fire and Salt. You see, he made crack pie a while back... around the holidays maybe and I've been wanting to make it ever since.

Crack Pie borrowed from Brian @ Fire and Salt

I'll have to admit I haven't bitten into it yet as I just ate dinner and don't have room at the moment. I do plan however for this yummy looking pie to become my victim, unwilling or no later this evening. I'll come back and update my findings after I sample.

UPDATE:

My husband and I dug into this pie later in the evening and I must say... WOW (he even left a comment below so you know this pie had something to say.) So yummy, crisp yet ooey gooey melt in your mouth good. Brown sugar, butter and oat flavors shining through making each bite delectable. This is a dangerous pie my friends and I believe is quite accurately named Crack Pie, not only for its characteristics but because one bite and you're addicted. Please make this at least once in your lives. You won't regret it.

I also decided to make a peach pie today. Fruit pies are fairly simple: five to six cups of fruit, some sugar (I used brown for this) a bit of cornstarch to help fight runniness and a dash of nutmeg. I have to say that the hardest part of a good fruit pie for me was the crust, I've since solved that issue and have a go to. I use a vinegar pastry (You can find it in Bette Hagman's The Gluten Free Gourmet, pg. 146.) and it is so yummy, it works for both sweet and savory pies. To get a little more browning I dabbed the crust with a bit of milk.

Peach Pie with a vinegar pastry crust.

Quick Tip - Grilling

2011-06-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

When your dinner is cooking on the grill as it oftentimes is in the summer, stick an extra chicken breast or two on for salads later. If you have kids grill an extra couple of hotdogs, if they are like mine a bbq'd dog is preferred to one boiled or microwaved and they cook up in a snap.

What are some of your favorite time saving grill tips? I'd love to hear them.

Wild Veggie - Product Review

2011-06-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

I admit I've been lax in posting lately. I'm eating wonderful tasty gluten free foods and I haven't been sharing them with you. I apologize. Sometimes life just grabs you by the hand and as much as sitting down to blog is always on my mind I somehow haven't gotten around to actually doing it. This is a post I should have had up a long time ago, its a product I really enjoyed and found very versatile so I'm going to share it with you now.

Wild Veggie, the Souper Drink asked if I would like to sample their product and of course I said yes. I love trying new things and this particular item hit home with me. You see, my husband and son do not eat their vegetables... ok, its a real struggle. I've purchased The Sneaky Chef books and while a couple of the recipes worked ok for us the boys were somehow able to tell something was a little off and didn't quite like them. So this product, a vegetable puree that I could do almost anything with sounded right up my alley. I received a sample of their carrot, red bell pepper and broccoli products.

The first one I tried was the carrot, I opened the container and was hit with a wonderful smell; fresh, sweet and crisp. Unlike my home attempts to make a carrot puree this was smooth and frankly wonderful to work with. I made a couple of smoothies with it, added it to some tomato sauce, and I even ate a few spoonfuls straight out of the container feeling great the entire time knowing that I was getting nutritious healthy veggies into my family without the fuss I usually get.

I loved the Wild Veggie red pepper, it truly tasted like a bite out of a fresh bell pepper. It has a vibrant red color and the smell was fantastic. I added it to hummus and surprise surprise boys, I snuck it into my gluten free enchilada bake! It added a lot of color, subtle flavor and my husband who doesn't like the pepper family at all said it was delicious this way. This one I would definitely pick up again.

Unfortunately the broccoli flavor is still in my freezer (which is how the product comes when you order it, frozen). I like broccoli in my stir-fry's and raw dipped in various sauces but I'm not a big fan of broccoli flavored things. I do have plans to mix it into a veggie dip and maybe a soup somewhere down the line I simply haven't had opportunity to.

If you have opportunity I would say to try this product out. It has so many uses and truly is very fresh and easy way to add a kick of flavor and nutrition to your meals.

Fun things to share, coming soon.

2011-06-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

I just returned from my very first cruise ever! So much fun. It was a Disney cruise to Alaska and I just can't say how much fun we had. This is of course a pre-courser post as I'll share more in the next day or two about my gluten free experience on the Disney Wonder.

If your weren't you shoulda been....

2011-03-20T20:49:00.000-07:00

So, I pretty much made the best roast ever tonight. A gorgeous medium rare rump roast done in a clay pot. Perfectly seasoned, wonderfully tender meat and vegetables and the juices made for the best gravy I've EVER managed to put on a plate (even before going gluten free.) So I suppose what I'm saying is, if you weren't at my house for dinner tonight, you should have been.

Winco is coming along!

2011-02-11T18:53:00.000-08:00

I'm very happy to say that Winco (an employee owned company serving the Northwest) is coming right along when it comes to carrying gluten free goods. They've got the Betty Crocker mixes, Bob's Red Mill is also on the shelf, Chex cereals in droves, and now they've added Udi's to the list. I was so happy to learn that I can go to the bakery freezer (where the pies are kept) and get many Udi's products; muffins, breads and pizza crust. Thank you Winco for making my grocery shopping that much easier.

Dessert...? Oh, yeah.

2011-02-01T13:52:00.000-08:00

The last few years I've slowly had my craving for all things salty turn into something more of a sweet tooth. I don't mind of course, I enjoy cookies and chocolate, ice cream and fruit. There are many many options for a quick goodie when I need something to tickle my taste buds. Over this winter I've found some very worthy of praise recipes shared in the gluten free community so I thought I would in turn share them with you.

I'll start with What's Gaby Cooking, this is one special lady and I love the feel of her blog, its full of spunk and life. She doesn't blog gluten free exclusively however she does post a winning gluten free recipe on occasion. I've made two of her cookie recipes so far and will make them again and again.

The first reminds me of a cookie that I used to get whenever I could get my hands on it. A molasses cookie, that's right. The big one from Starbucks, I loved that cookie. Gaby's recipe filled the bill for me, however I did find that melting the butter as she calls for landed me a very spread out cookie, no mater how long I chilled the dough. So, I don't melt it, I just let it get a little less than room temp and had no problems. I will say that this cookie tasted great flat or fluffy.

Molasses Cookies (What's Gaby Cooking)

I also made her salted caramel bars, wow. Those were good... messy but good (I may not have heated the caramel enough, I was at a very soft ball stage). Very rich so I would suggest if you make them, share them as you will be hard pressed to finish them off yourself. The shortbread cuts the richness of the caramel just enough to make these really shine. I unfortunately didn't get a picture of these as they went quick, however her's do them much more justice anyway just take a look here. I served them at our New Year's Eve party. Now while the recipe Gaby has posted is not stated to be gluten free all you need to do is replace her shortbread recipe with your own gluten free one and you are on your way.

Another blogger I follow regularly, Shauna aka Gluten-Free Girl has many many wonderful things posted all the time, two cookbooks (that I still haven't managed to snag yet) and a way with words that will have you enjoying the little things in life just as much as she does. I had a huge bag of lemons I bought for a New Year's Eve party we threw and afterwards many lemons left over. What should I do with them, lemon bars! I hadn't had a lemon bar since way before I stopped eating gluten, I love lemon bars, why the heck hadn't I made any since. Shauna not only has a great recipe on her blog, it incorporates ginger and wow, what can I say. Watch out ladies and gentleman, if you make these delectable treats you won't be able to stop at just one.

Ginger-Lemon Bars (Gluten Free Girl)

Gluten Free Bisquick Baking Mix giveaway winner.

2010-11-21T10:22:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Cheryl!!

Using a random number generator you were selected as the winner. Thanks to Bisquick and MyBlogSpark for providing this wonderful opportunity.

Apple Crisp

2010-11-18T21:15:00.001-08:00

I've made many many crisps over the years. They aren't difficult, the recipes are all fairly similar to each other. This makes crisps a really quick and easy dessert to put together. 5 cups of fruit, some sugar and spice and a buttery, brown sugary topping. Yum.

Well, since going gluten free I've been trying to incorporate oats in my topping, something I always used to do with Quaker quick oats and can no longer do with my gluten free oats. Every time I tried to use my steel cut oats straight out of the package the topping would come out... gummy almost slimy, kind of like, well... oatmeal. So I decided to try something out this time around, I toasted my oats in the oven before adding them to my crumble topping mix. I put the recipe together, hopeful that I would get the results I was looking for. Not only did it work perfectly this time around but my family managed to put away this 9x9 pan of apple crisp in record time (and my husband asked me to make another the next day.)

Gluten Free Apple Crisp
Ingredients:5 cups apples (use what you like, I leave the peels on.)1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice1 tablespoon sugardash of cinnamondash of nutmeg
Topping:1/3 cup gluten free flour (your choice all purpose)1/3 cup toasted gluten free oats2/3 cup brown sugar (packed if you like it sweet)4 tablespoons butterpinch of salt1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1/2 teaspoon nutmegdash of ground ginger
Directions:Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Mix together apples, lemon juice, granulated sugar and spices and pour into a 9x9 baking dish.
Mix up the crumble topping and spread evenly over the top of your apples.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes (apples should be bubbling away and some of that goodness should be leaking through your topping)
Remove from oven, let cool a bit. Serve it up with a bowl, a big scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a shovel. Enjoy.

Bisquick Gluten Free Baking Mix - A review and giveaway.

2010-11-16T15:54:00.000-08:00

Bisquick, a staple in my pre-gluten free pantry, I haven’t missed it for the last 8 years or so. When I feel like having something sweet and fluffy for breakfast I’ll whip it up from scratch with my well stocked gluten free pantry, something I’ve gotten fond of over the years. One thing going gluten free has done for me is help me appreciate taking things slow in the kitchen. Feeding myself shouldn’t be about convenience. It should be about love, quality and appreciation for the chance to cook for and eat with my family and friends.

This of course doesn’t mean I’m not up for trying a new product when it comes out. So when Bisquick offered their gluten free baking mix through MyBlogSpark I thought, what the heck, once in a while it is nice to have a quick and easy to turn to, or to recommend to family or friends less industrious in the kitchen than I. Here are my thoughts after trying the product.

I decided to try the mix out in the most classic form first, pancakes. Mostly because I wanted to try out the pancake pen, I’ve never used one. Bisquick Gluten free baking mix proved easy to use in this application which is exactly what you would expect from a Bisquick product. The batter acted like normal pancake batter and had a nice consistency. The pancakes themselves came out nice and fluffy and one recipe provided more than enough for my family of three. I was a little disappointed in flavor, however that is probably due to the fact that these pancakes taste like what they are mostly made of… rice flour, sugar, and leavening. I have recipes I’m more fond of than this so will continue to use those but I would recommend this to a newly gluten free or short on time person for the ease of use.

I also tried the oven baked chicken recipe provided on the box. It was a fairly quick and easy recipe to follow and put together, the majority of time from prep to table being in the oven. The chicken came out crispy, which is the main thing I was looking for. It could have used a little more flavor in the crust, but that I can adjust easily as it is just a recipe and I like to take liberty with seasonings. I didn’t care for the tongue feel, again coming back to the rice flour which I try not to use in excess in my kitchen for that reason. Would I make it again, probably, if I had the mix on hand.

Overall Bisquick’s Gluten Free Baking Mix was easy to use and very convenient. I’d recommend at least trying it out if you get the chance. If there is one thing I’ve learned, its to try a thing before you form an opinion of it, this is one of those things you should try for yourself. If you need a quick and easy alternative on occasion or aren’t much of a baker this product is probably right up your alley.

In that vein I have the opportunity to offer one of my readers this fun little pack of goodies, thanks to Bisquick and MyBlogSpark. If you’d like a chance to win simply leave a comment below and include your e-mail address (if I can’t contact you, I can’t get the prize to you). This giveaway will run through Friday, November 19th at midnight PST and I’ll announce the winner Saturday. I also have this handy little link that will provide you with a printable $1.00 coupon for Bisquick Gluten Free Baking Mix.

Mushroom Soup, a craving satisfied.

2010-10-07T09:40:00.000-07:00

Cravings, I get them. I'm sure you get them too, you wake up one morning and all you can think about is that you really have to eat this thing, taste it. It haunts you, you can smell it everywhere you go and you start reliving memories of times you sat and ate it, how it made you feel, who you were with and where. I had one of these all consuming cravings last month and took matters into my own hands.

I was doubtful I would be able, with the scant few items in my pantry and fridge be able to pull this dish off without going to the store and since leaving the house was not an option I didn't get my hopes up to high. I searched and hunted poking my nose into every resource I had; cookbooks, family, the internet. Then I found it, THE recipe that would save me from my stomach.

Soup; creamy, earthy, palate pleasing, belly warming mushroom soup. Thank you Epicurious for this recipe from Anthony Bourdain. I glanced over it and was excited, not only is it casein free (for I had no dairy to speak of in the fridge) but it was also naturally gluten free. I made this recipe almost exactly as written, the only changes I made were to add a few shitake mushrooms as well as using crimini instead of button. I have to tell you, I didn't share any of this... not that my husband would have wanted any but I horded it. This soup is absolutely delicious and it was so easy to make its silly. Try it, you won't be sad you did.

Mushroom Soup
Anthony Bourdain @ epicurious.com

Ingredients

6 tbsp/75 g butter
1 small onion, thinly sliced
12 ounces/340 g button mushrooms
4 cups/900 ml light chicken stock or broth
1 sprig of flat parsley
Salt and pepper
2 ounces/56 ml high-quality sherry (don't use the cheap grocery-store variety; it's salty and unappetizing and will ruin your soup)

Equipment

Medium saucepan
Wooden spoon
Blender

Method

In the medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons/28 g of the butter over medium heat and add the onion. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent, then add the mushrooms and the remaining butter. Let the mixture sweat for about 8 minutes, taking care that the onion doesn't take on any brown color. Stir in the chicken stock and the parsley and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour.

After an hour, remove the parsley and discard. Let the soup cool for a few minutes, then transfer to the blender and carefully blend at high speed until smooth. Do I have to remind you to do this in stages, with the blender's lid firmly held down, and with the weight of your body keeping that thing from flying off and allowing boiling hot mushroom purée to erupt all over your kitchen?

When blended, return the mix to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and bring up to a simmer again. Add the sherry, mix well, and serve immediately.

Improvisation
To astound your guests with a Wild Mushroom Soup, simply replace some of those button mushrooms with a few dried cèpes or morels, which have been soaked until soft, drained, and squeezed. Not too many; the dried mushrooms will have a much stronger taste, and you don't want to overwhelm the soup. Pan sear, on high heat, a single small, pretty, fresh chanterelle or morel for each portion, and then slice into a cute fan and float on top in each bowl.

And if you really want to ratchet your soup into pretentious (but delicious), drizzle a few tiny drops of truffle oil over the surface just before serving. Why the hell not? Everybody else is doing it.

Recipe taken from epicurious.com

Quick and easy, pasta carbonara.

2010-07-30T16:37:00.000-07:00

It's summer, the days are hot and oftentimes the nights are too. Beautiful sunsets and plenty of time in the water, giggling children and panting puppies. So much fun to fit into the day that come dinner time... there are nights when I want nothing more than to have something simple and easy to throw together, prepped and on the table in 20 minutes or so.

I have a few recipes in my repertoire that fit that bill but the one I find I turn to the most also feels very indulgent and rich for the very little time I have to put into it. My husband and toddler gobble it up and each time I make it I get the flavor balance just a little more perfect. Sometimes cooking garlic gets a little tricky, especially if I have to run after my little guy in the middle of it.

What is this dish you ask, well its pasta carbonara and you'd be surprised just how easy it is to make and just how many of the ingredients you probably readily have on hand.

Pasta Carbonara

Ingredients:
1 lb gluten free pasta (I've used almost every variety; spiral, rigatoni, spaghetti, fettuccine... and I like them all with this recipe)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb pancetta or bacon, chopped
1 pinch red pepper flakes
3 or 4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare pasta as directed on package, you'll want it al dente. (You will need a ladle full or two of the pasta water so do not drain it all off right away).

In a large skillet, medium heat. Add your olive oil and pancetta or bacon and brown, then add garlic and cook until soft and aromatic, now add the pepper flakes and cook for about two minutes. Now add your wine and let it do its magic, get all that yummy stuff off the bottom of your pan.

Beat the egg yolks and a couple of ladle fulls of the pasta water to it, mixing it together, this will temper the eggs and keep them from scrambling when added to the pan.

Drain pasta and add it directly to the skillet with your pancetta/bacon mixture, pour your egg yolks over the pasta and toss rapidly to coat without cooking the egg. Remove everything from the pan and add most of the cheese, black pepper to taste and a tiny bit of salt. Continue mixing the pasta until the cheese is melted and sauce thickens. Top with the rest of the cheese and garnish with fresh parsley if you like. You're ready to serve.

Gluten Free Everyday Cookbook Review, revisted.

2010-07-08T16:27:00.000-07:00

Last year around this time I did my first gluten free cookbook review, it was on Robert M. Landolphi's Gluten Free Everyday Cookbook which I was very excited to receive a copy of. The two recipes I made the last time around were savory, and very good. I used the flaky buttermilk biscuit and hearty new england clam chowder recipes as the basis for my post and I can honestly say I enjoyed them both very much. You can read it here Living Without Wheat: Gluten Free Everyday Cookbook Review.

I thought I would go back to this cookbook and try some of the recipes on the sweeter side. Once in a while I just need to "bake" something sweet and tasty, while I'm much more fond of cooking, which is more feel and less accuracy I still need to measure and weigh occasionally. There were two recipes which struck my fancy as I perused the pages of Gluten Free Everyday this time around.

The first was the Blueberry Coffee Cake. I'm a sucker for anything with a streusel topping, especially if I have the excuse to eat it for breakfast. I'll have to say that this recipe called for quite the blend of flours, luckily I have an extensive collection in my gluten free pantry so didn't have to run out for anything, I had it all on hand. Very quick and easy to throw the batter and topping together. The hardest part was waiting the 50 to 55 minutes for it to come out of the oven.

Blueberry Coffee Cake - pg 114.

It was a beautiful sight and made the house smell lovely, my three year old even ran into the kitchen to see the yummies as I set the pan on the counter. I had plenty to share as this recipe fills a 9x13 pan, and so I had my husband give a bit to his gluten free friend. All raves from him as well. The cake was light and had a great mouth feel, not too chewy, not grainy at all. In fact, to tell the truth while I usually slather butter on my coffee cake when I eat it, I ate this one without any. It didn't need it hot or cold, it was a great tasting coffee cake. This is going in my box.

The second treat I decided to make was the carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. This was one of my favorite desserts in my pre-gluten free life. I ate it often and had a recipe that I just loved. I haven't tried to convert it yet, you see I'm not a baker and finding the right mix of flours just isn't up my alley. I try to leave that to those of you who excel in that area. So I saw this recipe and was very hopeful.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - pg. 116

Sadly, I'm a little dissapointed. Not completely surprised though, you see the majority of the flour base is rice, I've noticed as most of you have I'm sure that rice flour is a bit grainy in texture and can make a recipe a little... dry. Which is exactly what happened here. The flavor profile overall is pretty good, although I think a bit of pineapple would have made it better, especially in this particular recipe. While I'm very excited that my son who won't eat a carrot to save his life actually loved it and asked for more, I think the only portion of this recipe I would make again is the frosting which was actually a good rendition.

All in all, I like this cookbook. I don't think its stellar but its also not a bad thing to have on the shelf. I have most the ingredients (base gluten free flours and such) in my pantry already and the recipes are generally quick and pretty easy to prepare making it a go to. Its an easy to handle book at 184 pages, packed with recipes and information so you really can't go wrong. Whether you're looking for a gift for a newly diagnosed friend or something handy for yourself this is a pretty good addition to mix.

Tasty treats, I've had some good ones lately.

2010-06-02T21:33:00.000-07:00

Hello blogland. Oh how I've neglected thee. I have been busy in my absence however, tasting and treating myself to many a fine gluten free meal and treat. I think in this post I'll get my feet wet again by sharing what I thought of some of them.

In early April I headed to Northwest Washington to visit my sister. While there I decided I would order myself a gluten free pizza from Garlic Jim's. I'd missed the chance to try one while they were located in my hometown, the store here wasn't open long. I ordered a Gourmet Hawaiian; canadian bacon, pineapple, coconut and almond slivers. Let me tell you, this was a very good pizza, the crust was buttery and crisp, the sauce and toppings completely delicious the price wasn't ridiculous either. I was so very happy with the customer service as well, they were VERY excited to provide me with a gluten free pizza and it was quite endearing. If I lived anywhere near a Garlic Jim's I would most certainly be ordering from them again.

I've also tried Kinnikinnick's personal size pizza crust. These are easy to handle and dress. The dough has a pleasant slightly sweet taste that I actually like quite a bit. Its a quick and easy way to put a meal together when I'm running short on time. I love that the box comes with 4 crusts in it which makes it a worthwhile purchase for the cost in my book.

Next up, I got my hand's on some Udi's white sandwich bread.... omg! I was eating it plain straight from the bag. It was soft, had great texture and taste; like a really great piece of french bread. I made sandwiches for dinner three nights in a row just so I could have an excuse to keep eating it. The bread was so good I decided to have a go at the lemon streusel muffins, what can I say other than these were very tasty. I cut them in half and ate them with just a bit of butter. The lemon flavor was light, the muffins texture was chewy and not to dense and the topping wasn't overwhelming. You'll find me buying more of them in the future. I can't wait to taste the rest of Udi's line of so far very satisfactory goods.

I'll leave you with these products to chew on for now and share more with you later. I hope that your late spring/early summer is shaping up to be a great one. I know I'd love for mine to have just a bit less rain than it has so far.

Leftover Makeover - Chili

2010-04-06T17:16:00.000-07:00

In my house we eat chili fairly often... I probably make a batch every five weeks or so. The thing about chili is that one batch makes quite a bit, we'll eat it for two nights and I'll still have enough leftover to freeze for another two meals (of course its just my hubby and I eating). After the first two bowls I kind want to change it up a little.

There are plenty of things I could do I suppose but I like to stay true to the chili and enjoy it just on its own. So what do I do? Add a tablespoon or two dark brown sugar to my bowl of hot chili and voila I now have sweet chili. It's a quick and easy way to change it up without losing integrity.

I'd like to know how you change up your leftover chili, there are so many options lets share a little.

Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger - March

2010-03-31T18:30:00.000-07:00

It's the last day of the month. We're enjoying the beautiful weather and grilling some steaks. This month has been full of tasty treats and good company. One of the meals to grace our table (twice even) was a dish I stumbled upon Margo's blog, Off the Wheaten Path, so I decided I would adopt her for this months Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger carnival event. I really enjoy reading her blog and am probably going to be trying more of the yummy ideas she posts, but for now I just have this one, gluten free chicken enchiladas.

I have to say this dish was very easy to put together. I made it a little more difficult by making my own corn tortilla's and not using canned chicken, however the dish is set up to be super easy to prepare and quick to get in the oven. Minimal ingredients make it so you don't have a huge mess to clean up when you're done. I love how Margo is taking items that you'd likely find in your pantry and combining them to make a complicated dish easy.

We love chicken enchiladas in my house and I do make traditional ones 3 or 4 times a year, but its time consuming and a little overwhelming when I need dinner on the table fast. Margo's version is yummy and quick and will serve in a pinch or if planned ahead. It makes a full 9x9 dish so would serve 4 adults with leftovers no problem.

My husband asked me to add the recipe to my box so you know it went over well. The first time I made the dish I did it as instructed. There is something missing in the flavor profile so when I made it the second time I added a can of diced green chili's and a dash or two of hot sauce. It was better but I think that next time I'll add a couple of pureed tomatilloes as well. I guess I want it to taste more like enchilada's suisas, which I love and this recipe is lacking the "tang" I'm craving in it.

This is also a great recipe to try out for Gluten Free Wednesday!! An awesome carnival hosted by Linda over at The Gluten Free Homemaker. Check it out and throw up a recipe of your own!

Menu Plan Monday

2010-03-29T08:47:00.000-07:00

Hmmm, what's for dinner this week? Good question, here's what I have planned. I've notice that I tend not to write what we're having for sides, generally because I decide last minute what I'll make with the main dish and gauge what I think the boys might choke down, haha. I wish there was an easy way to get them to eat their veggies.

Monday: Chicken Enchilada's (Off the Wheaten Path) I'll be adding a little something extra to this this time around, made them to spec a couple of weeks ago.

Tuesday: Tacos

Wednesday: Beef stir fry

Thursday: Pork medallions in pan gravy

Friday: Leftovers of some sort

Saturday: Pizza

Sunday: Hubby's choice. Should be interesting.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-03-08T16:06:00.000-08:00

Going for some yummy meals this week. It seems that most of the time when I write a menu plan out for the week I'm able to follow it quite well, making the planned meals on the planned days. Every once in a while however, a kink gets thrown in the work and I have to ad lib some grub. I don't mind, it keeps the kitchen interesting. What do you do when things don't go as planned in the kitchen?

Monday: Super short ribs and potatoes with onions

Tuesday: Chicken Enchiladas (from Off the Wheaten Path)

Wednesday: Pasta carbonara

Thursday: Leftovers of some sort

Friday: My son's third birthday so we'll be going out to eat.

Saturday: Shrimp pad thai

Sunday: Lime broiled chicken and brown rice with veggies

For more great weekly menus head over to OrgJunkie

What Can I Eat That's Gluten Free? Soup, a collection.

2010-03-02T22:49:00.000-08:00

It's Wednesday again here in blog land and The Gluten Free Homemaker is hosting her "What can I eat that's Gluten Free" carnival. This weeks challenge is soup! I have to say that its been warm and beautiful around here lately and so, not so much soup weather. That doesn't stop me from eating or making soup, I'm just not doing it quite as often as I had been the last couple of months.

I've got a few recipes up for some tasty soup already so I thought I would make a collection of the soups that I've previously posted and link them for you here. I have many more soup recipes that I love, hot and sour soup and a hearty vegetable beef are just a couple of them but have yet to blog about and so I may add them later on.

I'll start off with a soup that just screams fall to me. A friend of mine made a beautiful squash soup for Thanksgiving a couple of years ago and since then I've been dying to have it again. This year I took matters into my own hands and did my best to recreate the wonderfully smooth, slightly sweet bowl of perfection I ate so long ago. This soup is great and the bacon adds just the right touch.

Living Without Wheat: Roasted squash soup.

This next recipe utilizes black beans. I've come to really enjoy black beans over the years. They are a softer, slightly sweet bean that lends itself very well to any number of dishes; chili, salads and soups to name a few. If you haven't tried them yet you really should, you may be surprised. I chose to use black beans and a mild sausage (that I had an abundance of and needed to use) in this soup. It was very tasty, my husband would have liked a stronger tasting sausage but that's the beauty of cooking, you can change ingredients to fit your liking. So feel free to try this recipe out and change it up a bit!

Living Without Wheat: Sausage and Black Bean Soup

I'm a great BIG fan of asian food/flavors and of a light meal every once in a while. It was in this frame of mind that I put together a quick, easy and light version of egg drop soup a classic meal opener at many an asian restaurant. I find when I have no time and don't feel like being weighed down by my lunch that this is what I turn to. I eat it frequently and appreciate the simple pleasure of it.

Living Without Wheat: Light and easy = Egg drop soup

I hope you enjoy some of the many soups that have been posted here, and on the Gluten Free Homemakers page. I always look forward to seeing what other people are making and giving their recipes a try.

Menu Plan Monday... a little late, again.

2010-03-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

I'm excited about eating this week. We have a lot of yummy stuff going on!!

Monday: Smoked chicken (we have a nice smoker that does a great job) and mashed potatoes

Tuesday: Leftovers from Monday, there's no way we can eat a whole chicken in one evening.

Wednesday: Sushi, it's my moms B-day and that's what she wants

Thursday: Pizza, I'm so excited. It's been a while since I've made myself a pizza.

Friday: Steak with caramelized onions and sweet potato fries

Saturday: Going to a birthday party so don't know what we're eating, the host is gluten free though so I'll have plenty to eat.

Sunday: Baked tilapia with jasmine rice and sweet peas

Menu Plan Monday... a little late

2010-02-23T08:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was just full of little moments. The sun was shining brightly and there was this lovely feeling of peace floating on the air. I enjoyed each of those moments, spending my day avoiding the hustle and bustle and electronic hum that most of my days are filled with. Spending some time in my yard to take in some of the first color in my flower bed.

I also spent some time with my weeping cherry tree, anticipating what these tiny little buds will bring when spring is in full swing.

And so I am only thinking of this weeks menu today. You'll have to pardon me. Spend some time outside if the weather permits it. Slow down for a bit, you never know what you may discover.

Monday: Shrimp Caesar salads

Tuesday: Beef tacos with homemade corn tortillas

Wednesday: Hearty Soup (will share recipe on What can I eat that's Gluten Free?)

Thursday: Garlic lemon chicken with a side of lemon scented white rice.

Friday: Venison steaks in a bordelaise-esc sauce and baked potato side.

Saturday: BBQ chicken drummets and pasta salad

Sunday: Leftovers of some variety.

What Can I Eat That's Gluten Free? Meatloaf.

2010-02-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

Linda at The Gluten Free Homemaker has been putting on the What Can I Eat That's Gluten Free? carnival every week for quite some time. Its a great place to go for gluten free meal ideas. Head over to Linda's blog and check it out. Feel free to participate as everybody is welcome.

My contribution this week is meatloaf, its been around forever. A comforting feels like home meal that just hits the spot sometimes. Everybody raves about "Mom's meatloaf" and hopes that their version is close to it, if only to bring up fond memories. I love my mother's meatloaf, however if you, like me are gluten intolerant than you probably can't use your mother's recipe.

Over the years I've made many a meatloaf, using a plethora of ingredient combinations. I can honestly say that I now have "my" meatloaf recipe, the one I use every time I go to make one. Everybody who eats it loves it (so far) which of course makes me feel good. I'm hoping that some day my son will ask for my recipe so he can conjure up fond memories in his own home.

Here's the skinny on my take on meatloaf, not so much a recipe as a guideline since I don't use any measurements and adjust the ingredient amounts based on how much meat I use. I don't use any kind of breadcrumbs or fillers, it really doesn't need it (your loaf will not fall apart) and I like the texture much better without it. I also occasionally will shred a carrot into the mixture as its the only way my three year old will eat any veggies.

Not my mother's meatloaf, gluten free:

Ingredients:

1 to 1.5 pounds ground meat (I generally use ground beef, or a combination of beef and venison or beef and turkey, always as lean as possible.)
1 small onion finally diced
2 or 3 mushrooms, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon or so oregano
1 tablespoon or so Worcestershire sauce (I use Lea and Perrins as it's gluten free)
3-4 dashes gluten free soy sauce
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste

Topping ingredients:

Mix the following ingredients in a small bowl. Apply to meatloaf halfway through cooking time.
3/4 cups ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
A dash of soy sauce

Directions:

Saute onions, mushrooms and oregano on medium-high heat until onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook briefly. Add these to a large mixing bowl.

Add the egg, salt and pepper, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce to the bowl and mix thoroughly with the other ingredients.

Add meat and use your hands to mix it with the other ingredients, making sure they are evenly distributed throughout the meat, without overworking it.

Use a square baking dish and form your meat mixture into a loaf. Bake at 375 for 45 to 60 minutes or until up to temperature. About halfway through cooking time I usually put the topping on the loaf so it has a change to do its thing, I put any extra sauce on the table as my husband likes to slather it on his portion.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-02-15T20:28:00.001-08:00

I haven't put together a weekly menu in some time. I'm not sure why because when I do dinners are so easy to put together, I already know what I'm making and there's not a struggle. When I don't, cooking dinner becomes a last minute chaotic pile of whatever was easiest to thaw out in 30 minutes. So I'm going to try and make it a habit to write out a weekly menu once more.

This week will be easy meals, I'm a bit of an invalid and can barely use my left arm... who knows. There is a lot of pain and little range of motion. So I'll plan meals accordingly.

Monday: Baked Potatoes

Tuesday: Meatloaf and Brown Rice Pilaf

Wednesday: Pork Medallions with leftover pilaf

Thursday: Leftover make-over, Really Good Chili

Friday: Chicken Breasts with Balsamic Vinegar and Garlic... and a vegetable of some sort :-)

Saturday: Leftovers, if there is any or Spaghetti

Sunday: Dinner out.

Lesson learned.

2010-02-14T18:46:00.000-08:00

It's Valentine's and I actually found the time and inclination to get a babysitter so I could go out with my husband (something I haven't been able to do in some time) so last night we had our Valentine's dinner date. We started out with a little wine tasting at Terra Blanca, accompanied by some extraordinary chocolate and then set out to eat. Our regular dinner stomping grounds Bonefish Grill and P.F. Chang's were both a more than two hour wait to be seated and had no reservations availiable until after 9 pm. Outback had a more than three hour wait and so my three gluten free dinner options were out. We were hungry and completely amazed at how many people chose to have an early Valentine dinner with their loved one. Our options were limited and we racked our brains for a solution.

We decided to try seafood, I can usually find something safe to eat and most kitchens are very helpful, making sure I'm not glutened. Anthony's in Richland had a 45 minute wait, which was much more doable than our other options, so we headed over there. I went to order and was intently searching my menu for the easiest item to make gluten free, my waiter seeing my level of concentration asked if he could steer me in a direction. I offered that I was looking for something non glutenous. He beamed, "We happen to have a gluten free menu, let me get that for you!" He was knowledgeable in the gluten free requirements and everything came out perfect.

Wow, I was so excited. Here I assumed that the restaurant didn't have a gluten free menu and so I didn't ask. Lesson learned, in the future I'll give the establishment the benefit of the doubt and ask before I make assumptions. My dinner was fabulous and the staff very friendly. Here I am, not sick and still smiling about the pleasant surprise of gluten free options and the delicious meal I had last night. I will be keeping them in mind next time I need a gluten free meal out.

Leftover Makeover - Brown Rice and Chicken and Product Review

2010-02-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

It's winter. The sky is a constant dreary gray and there is a chill in the air that just won't go away. The kitchen so warm and welcoming in the spring, summer and fall has cooled a little and doesn't seem to call quite so loudly. I've been cooking yes, some of my favorites, favorites that I've shared with you before and so haven't found the need to re-post them. I've tried a couple of new things, and taken pictures so that I can share when it comes time. However I've noticed that it has been some time since I posted last and so today I will renew my cooking/blogging vigor and get back on the bandwagon.

I'll kick off by sharing what I thought of the Rachael Ray Casserole dish I recently received for review from csnstores.com. When I received the package and opened it the first thing that came to mind was that I really liked the color very rich and right in line with my kitchen decor. I decided I would cook with it that very same night.

The first dish I made was swiss steaks. They turned out lovely, just the way they were supposed to. When it came to removing the casserole from the oven I realized that it has a flat bottom, much different than most of my casserole dishes which all have a slightly concave bottom. Wow, I really like that feature. The flat bottom allowed it to sit very nicely on top of the stove coils as well as the trivet on the table. With my other casseroles I'm always fighting their urge to tip a little if not exactly centered on a surface. I didn't have to do that at all with this dish. The handles are also nice and big and rather than on the sides of the dish, they are on top... which in my clumsy hands means I'm less likely to get burnt. Another thing I like is that the lid is recessed a little rather than sitting on top so if I happen to tilt the dish the lid won't just fall off, a problem I have with my other dishes.

I cooked with the casserole dish again a couple of nights later. This time I was doing a leftover makeover. Something I've been doing a lot of lately and am enjoying the challenge of. For this meal I had some leftover brown rice and chicken from the night before.

I decided to whip up some cheese sauce using Bette Hagman's "Cream Soup Base" that I have premixed and some cheddar. I tossed in some broccoli, chopped up the chicken added a little salt and pepper and mixed it and the sauce all in with the rice and baked it for 30 minutes at 375 topping it with some shredded cheddar and crushed potato chips (ruffle variety) halfway through successfully turning leftovers into a really tasty casserole.

Leftover Makeover - Brown rice and chicken casserole.

Happy Valentine's to all of you. I think the Bonefish Grill or PF Chang's (both offering gluten free menus) might get a visit from my husband and I this weekend to enjoy day.

Giveaway Winner - Bubble and Brown Casserole

2010-01-01T23:45:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Christi!!!!

You are the winner of the Bubble and Brown 2.75 Quart Casserole !!

Thank you cookware.com for sponsoring this great giveaway.

I'll be sending you an e-mail shortly and you'll have 48 hours to respond or I'll have to pick a new winner. Thanks to all who participated, the more the merrier!

Happy Holidays and a Giveaway!!!

2009-12-24T20:55:00.000-08:00

Up until about a year ago, my pots and pans were a jumbled variety of hand-me downs and fixer uppers. I was so excited last fall when I purchased my first full set of matching pots and pans. I'm so happy with them and at least one piece gets used every day to feed my family delicious gluten free meals. In fact most of the recipes and dishes you see here on my blog have been prepared with this set. It's Rachael Ray's 10 piece stainless steel cookware set and I love it.

Which is why I'm so excited to tell you, I have a wonderful opportunity provided by cookware.com and Rachael Ray Cookware to spread the holiday spirit to my readers!! One lucky reader will receive a Bubble and Brown 2.75 quart covered casserole dish from Rachael Ray's bakeware collection. I'll be reviewing this product for you in a later post, but in the meantime I can't wait to give one away! You'll be able to pick from Orange, Yellow, Chocolate or Blue!

To enter this drawing please leave me a comment with your e-mail (if you don't leave contact information I'll be unable to let you know you've won, automatic forfeit. Sorry) and tell me what product on cookware.com makes you go gaga!! This giveaway will close at 12 am Pacific on New Year's Eve, I'll announce the winner January 1st.

It's Christmas, and New Years is just around the corner. I hope you're all having a happy and safe holiday season, enjoying family, friends and really good food. I know I've been cooking often and am sure you are too, wouldn't this little beauty just make it more fun!!

Creative Consumables!

2009-12-18T22:04:00.000-08:00

This last week I've been busy busy in the kitchen, making yummy treats. I've made some caramel corn, some candied nuts and miscellaneous other goodies I will share in another post. I don't care to bake so much and while I do enjoy cookies and make them occasionally, the holiday season isn't when I spend my time doing it. I tend to turn to candy for my consumable well wishes to family and friends.

This year, I combined candies!! That's right I took some of the things I like to make separately and put them all together for something supremely scrumptious. Caramel corn, candied nuts and some drizzled white and dark chocolate make for the delicious item you'll see below. It was so easy too.

Just make each of these recipes first:

Caramel Corn
Candied Nuts

Then lay out the caramel corn on a parchment lined baking sheet, sprinkle some nuts into it and drizzle chocolate over the top! Allow to set, break up the chunks a bit and package in a bag or tin for delivery to your loved ones! I promise they'll beg you for more.

Simple Candied Nuts

2009-12-18T07:38:00.000-08:00

I recently cleaned out my pantry, literally taking every item off every shelf and moving it into the kitchen to rest on various surfaces so I could really deep clean it. Shelves wiped off, many many items thrown away, reorganized and the whole nine. Well wouldn't you know, after all that work it seems I have even less room than before, haha. Love it when that happens.

Well one of the many items I found hiding in my black hole of a pantry were some raw cashews... (I'd been wondering where they'd disappeared to). What was I going to do with raw nuts... A HA, I'll candy them. I like candied nuts on salads and as an occasional snack so I grabbed them up and went right to work.

I pulled out my handy dandy Better Homes and Garden cookbook, my favorite cookbook! Some of the pages are stuck together they get used so much. This cookbook is full of pictures and handy information about many many things, not just recipes and I was able to find the simplest recipe ever for good ol' candied nuts.

Candied Nuts courtesy of my Better Homes and Garden cookbook.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups raw or roasted nuts (I used raw because it's what I had on hand)
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Step 1:
Line a baking sheet with foil, butter or spray the foil and set aside. (I did not grease my foil and had no problems.)

Step 2: In a 10 inch heavy skillet combine nuts, sugar, butter and vanilla. Cook over medium high heat shaking skillet occasionally until sugar begins to melt. Do not stir at this stage.

Step 3: Reduce heat to low. continue cooking until sugar is golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove skillet from heat.

Step 4: Pour nut mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Cool completely. Break into clusters. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

I love how the Better Homes and Garden recipe was so simple that even though this was my very first time making candied nuts I was able to pull out a great tasting result with no hassle. I'll show you later where these little beauties ended up. I think you'll be very pleased.

Nice hot chili for a cold cold day.

2009-12-09T11:54:00.000-08:00

Come join us over at the Gluten Free Homemaker for the What can I eat that's Gluten Free, hosted every Wednesday by Linda. You'll always find some really fun ideas and meet new people. Thank you Linda for keeping this wonderful even going every week.

One of my favorite hot meals to eat when it gets to freezing temperatures, which it has been doing a lot around here is chili. I don't mean chili out of a can, nor do I mean chili that I had to slave over all day long. I like a good tasting chili that is fairly quick and easy to put together. Simple ingredients and just a little bit of my time make for the best meals most nights.

My family has decided of all the chili's I make, aside from Chicken Smoosh (which I don't really consider a chili, although it is close) is the recipe I'll share below. I've been making it for years, sometimes in the crockpot and sometimes on the stovetop it all depends on what time of day I decide to take the meat out of the freezer. Feel free to change up the beans, sometimes I use black beans instead of pinto or kidney, all depends on what I have in the pantry.

Really Good Chili

Ingredients:
1 lb ground meat (your choice)
1 cup diced onion
1/3 cup diced celery
1 small can diced green chilis
3 fresh roma tomatoes diced (if they are good and in season) OR 1 - 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 - 15 oz can pinto beans (with liquid)
1 - 15 oz can kidney beans (with liquid)
1 - 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 Tablespoons chili powder
2/3 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water

Directions:
Crockpot - Brown meat in a skillet and drain, add to crockpot with all the other ingredients, give it a good stir and cook 6 hours on low.

Stovetop - Brown meat and drain, add onions and celery and cook until translucent, add chilis, tomatoes, beans with liquid, tomato sauce and spices. Let simmer 45 min to an hour.

Serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese and tortilla chips if you like and enjoy!!

Betty Crocker Giveaway Winner!!!

2009-12-07T19:17:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Doreen!!

You are the winner of the Betty Crocker fun pack thanks to MyBlogSpark and Betty Crocker! I've already contacted you and everything is underway.

Sorry to all my readers, life has been a little bit hectic lately and food is getting inhaled rather than painstakingly photographed and eaten with enjoyment around here it seems. A lot of chicken noodle soup is going around and both of my boys (husband being one of them) have been fighting a bug with everything they've got.

I hope to be posting more regularly again soon. Please keep an eye out.

Caramel Corn - A holiday treat!

2009-12-01T08:55:00.000-08:00

The last few years (since going gluten free) I would get a little sad at the holidays. I greatly miss the whole baking and decorating, not to mention eating of holiday cookies! I'd make a bunch and give them out to family and friends, it was one of my favorite things to do. I'm not saying that I couldn't do it, gluten free style, but it's not quite the same and not all of my non gluten free friends are quite as accepting of the cuisine as others.

So I'd search and search every year for something to replace the treats I used to make, finally last holiday season I found a recipe for caramel corn that had rave reviews, I decided to try it. This is very good caramel corn, and so much easier to make than I ever though caramel corn could be. I'd never made caramel corn before this recipe (while I had eaten plenty in my lifetime) and I think I made 15 batches or so last year, I gave it out to everybody and it was a huge hit. It's not my recipe and I didn't make any changes but I want to share it with you because I enjoyed it that much.

Please try it, and enjoy it as much as I have. I'm already excited about all the batches I'll be making this year!!

My Amish Friends Caramel Corn (from allrecipes.com)

My Amish Friends Caramel Corn (from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

7 quarts plain popped popcorn
2 cups dry roasted peanuts (optional)
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup margarine (I use butter)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Place the popped popcorn into two shallow greased baking pans. You may use roasting pans, jelly roll pans, or disposable roasting pans. Add the peanuts to the popped corn if using. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, margarine and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring enough to blend. Once the mixture begins to boil, boil for 5 minutes while stirring constantly.
Remove from the heat, and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. The mixture will be light and foamy. Immediately pour over the popcorn in the pans, and stir to coat. Don't worry too much at this point about getting all of the corn coated.
Bake for 1 hour, removing the pans, and giving them each a good stir every 15 minutes. Line the counter top with waxed paper. Dump the corn out onto the waxed paper and separate the pieces. Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight containers or resealable bags.

My Black Friday Giveaway !!!

2009-11-27T18:19:00.000-08:00

Thanks to MyBlogSpark and Betty Crocker I'm able to giveaway a really fun, and tasty might I add little pack of goodies this Black Friday. This pack includes a frisbee, yo-yo, pick-up sticks and Fruit Snacks. My two year old has been enjoying the fruit snack immensely as have I.

I must say that I could have gone without the fruit gushers, something about the aftertaste bugged me a big, but every other variety as far as a fruit snack goes has been great. Our favorite are the Create-A-Bug, they have a soft texture and good flavor (not to mention real fruit juice,) and making up our own crazy bugs out of the shapes is a lot of fun. While most fruit snacks are gluten free it was also nice to see the boxes clearly labeled gluten free on the fronts.

If you'd like to take one of these home, especially if you have kids!! Enter to win, you and your children.. or just you, will enjoy!! To enter leave a comment with your contact information AND what you like to do for fun during the holidays!! Contest will end on December 4th!!

Thank you to MyBlogSpark for providing the product to try and giveaway!

Adopt a Blogger - November

2009-11-23T08:30:00.000-08:00

Jill over at Hey that tastes good! is always posting the most scrumptious, adventurous gluten free dishes. One day she hit the nail straight on the head for me, gluten free chinese dumplings (I call them pot-stickers) !!!! Something I'd been missing for a long time, something my husband and son eat in front of me on a regular basis which just feeds my craving for them. I was so excited to see that she had posted these on her blog that I almost sang. I decided I would make them and use them for my November - Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger post hosted by Sea at The Book of Yum.

It was interesting making these, you see Jill was inspired by another blogger, so I flipped back and forth between the two sites. I ended up using Jill's wrapper and sauce recipe and finding a pork and cabbage filling recipe elsewhere on the web. I'll be honest, this was a time consuming and slightly complicated endeavor, however the result was very worth it. These tasted just like I remembered them tasting, and they had good texture and browned right up. I was a very happy camper.

I ended up having a few issues with my paper towels that were used between wrappers (so they didn't stick together while making them) being too damp and later causing issues with the handling and forming of the dumpling. These pot-sticker/dumplings freeze well, there was no way I could eat a whole batch at once so I froze the stuffed and formed (raw) extras in a single layer, when I took them out later to cook them, from frozen they came out almost as good as freshly done, very edible.

I'll probably be making these again soon, I might try Ellen's wrapper recipe next time just to see which I prefer. However if you're craving a pot-sticker, this is a very very good recipe for you.

Gluten Free Chinese Dumplings/Pot-Stickers

Eating on the road.

2009-11-18T08:16:00.000-08:00

This month I traveled to Minnesota with my family to visit my husbands parents. I ate very well on the way thanks to glutenfreeregistery.com as I was able to pick a safe place to eat in most of the places we stopped.

Bozeman Montana, what a surprise you were. I can't believe the hidden treasures I found there. Two restaurants that hold a very special place in my stomach now and I hope to visit again.

Montana Ale Works, there aren't enough good things to say about this place. We walked in and the atmosphere was great, reminded me so much of my favorite places in Eugene, OR. Live music was playing, the waitstaff was very friendly and knowledgable and the menu, there isn't a gluten free specific menu, you know why...? As a gluten free person you can order most of the things on the regular menu (except the fries,) tell your waiter that you're gluten free and they'll let you know all about it. You can order a burger, they come with a fabulous gluten free bun. I got the Black and Blue burger (that's right, they use gluten free blue cheese) and a side of coleslaw. I savored every bit of that burger. The bun never got soggy or fell apart, it had good flavor and a nice soft chew. I was very tempted to get a pasta dish they all sounded so tasty as they have gluten free pasta too I could have!! But that burger really called to me.

I also found The Nova Cafe in Bozeman. We ate here for breakfast on our way out of town, the first thing I saw when I walked in was the front display case, full of gluten free baked goods; lemon bars, muffins, cookies... all looked and later tasted very good. We sat down and I ordered an omelet, named the Forager, lost of mushrooms and artichoke hearts... best omelet ever and the kicker was the three grain gluten free bread that came with my meal. I was impressed at this restaurant too and again would visit it the next time I stop in Bozeman.

All I can say is that Bozeman was a wonderful gluten free experience for me. Thank you so much for making my stay so pleasant.

A new winner!

2009-11-18T08:09:00.000-08:00

Congratulations GFreeLizzie!!!

You are the new winner of the $25 gift cert to Storehouse Foods. Thanks for participating I'll be contacting you shortly with details.

Thanks again to Storehouse Foods for sponsoring this great giveaway.

Giveaway Winner - Storehouse Foods Gift Certificate

2009-11-16T06:53:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Craftbition!!!

Please e-mail me (babyfro97 at gmail.com) with your information (Name and shipping address) within the next 48 hours or I'll have to choose a new winner.

A big thank you to Storehouse Foods for sponsoring this giveaway. Another thank you to all of those who participated in this giveaway. Keep an eye out for more in the future.

Product Review and giveaway: Storehouse Foods

2009-11-03T10:49:00.000-08:00

We all have occasion to need a quick meal, be it a day where you're running late for a meeting, you get called out of the house and by the time you get home there's no time to put something elaborate together, or your fridge dies and your planned meal is now sitting in the garbage. Times like these it would be nice to have something so easy and quick to put together that you'd have no reason not to keep it around for those just in case instances.

Storehouse Foods is the perfect answer. A meal in a bag that takes 10 minutes and some boiling water to get to the table, something so easy even your husband could provide a gluten free meal for the family without any trouble. (Although my husband has managed to fail at boiling water...) My family recently tried their Black Bart Chili with Beans and All American Roast Beef Hash options. I'll tell you up front, I was a little leery and wondered just how good a "re-hydrated" meal would taste.

Black Bart Chili with Beans

The chili was good, nicely spiced with recognizable chunks of meat and beans throughout. It re-hydrated to just the right consistency and the 2 serving pouch was two very hearty servings. My husband and I both thought it was a little salty, however since this product is meant to store for a long period of time so I'm sure it has a purpose for that. We cut the saltiness with a dollop of sour cream and some cheddar cheese.

The roast beef hash I found to have a bit too much liquid (double checked, I followed the directions) and so I let it sit longer than the 10 minutes asked for. Even so it had more liquid than I would have liked. The flavor was good, again just a bit salty. The potatoes, beef and onions had great texture after re-hydration. I'll admit this... I would have eaten the whole thing myself if I hadn't had a guilty conscience. The longer I let this meal sit the better the flavor got.

From roughly $4-8 a pouch, with quite a bit of variety these are a worthwhile purchase. I'd certainly get the the All American Roast Beef Hash again and may try a few of the other options Storehouse Foods provides. I know that owning our own business, having a toddler and family close by, along with all the other things life throws my way that I need quick meal options on occasion and from what I tried these fit the bill. Not to mention these pouches are all natural, NO artificial preservatives, flavorings, colorings, MSG, or white sugar are added which makes me feel good about serving them.

If I've peaked your interest and you think you too might like to try some of Storehouse Foods gluten free meals then you'll be pleased to know that I'm going to give away one $25 gift certificate for their product so you can try it for yourself. In order to enter all you have to do is leave a comment letting me know how you might put one of these pouches to work. Winner will be drawn on the 15th of November.

If you Tweet my StoreHouse Foods Giveaway AND follow Storehouse Foods(@storehousefoods) on Twitter then you will receive 20% off of you entire order from their website. Leave a second comment and I'll contact you with the code!

You can also join Storehouse Foods race to reach 1000 Facebook fans: If you become a fan of StoreHouse Foods Facebook page you will automatically be entered for a chance to win (1) of (3) $50.00 StoreHouse Foods gift certificates. They will randomly choose (3) of thier FaceBook fans as winners when they reach 1000 fans.

Roasted squash soup.

2009-10-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

It's fall, I love this season even if this year it's much colder than fall usually is at this time. Last year we had my parents and a friend of theirs over for dinner. He was kind enough to bring a dish and that dish happened to be squash soup. He's very aware of my families many allergies and made this dish very safe for all of us. No dairy, gluten, autolyzed yeast, citrus... there's more but you get the idea.

I'd never had squash soup so was leery to try, but I've trying to be more open to new food ideas. The soup was amazing and right away I knew I wanted to try doing it myself. So when I got an acorn squash from CSA a couple of weeks ago I had the perfect excuse. I already had onions and apples coming out of my ears, so I really just need to pick up some gluten free chicken broth which I did in short order and got to work.

This was a unique experience for me. Its not very often that I don't have any kind of recipe in front of me to work from as a base for inspiration. All I used to make this soup was the memory of what Carl's soup had tasted like from so long ago and the ingredients I had on hand. Every time I added to the pot I wrote it down at the same time, changing and scribbling until I got the amounts right. It was very fun. So I consider my little kitchen experiment (that's what it was before I found it was just what I'd wanted) was a success.

When was the first/most recent experiment you tried in the kitchen. Did it turn out? Share with me, I love hearing your stories. I hope you enjoy this soup and if you don't, that's ok too. :-)

Roasted Squash and Carrot Soup.

3 1/2 to 4 cups acorn or butternut squash peeled and cubed (about one inch)
1 cup carrots (sliced 1/4 inch or so)
2 pieces of bacon chopped
1 cup onion diced
1 cup apple diced and peeled/cored (I used a gala)
1 garlic clove rough chop
1 teaspoon thyme
dash of cinnamon
1 bay leaf
6 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt

For roasting veggies:
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions:
Toss prepared squash and carrots in olive oil and place on a roasting pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper and a tablespoon of brown sugar. Roast at 350 for 45 minutes or until tender. Turn/stir once during roasting.

While the carrots and squash roast you can prepare your other ingredients, slicing and dicing.

On medium-high heat in a large soup pot render the bacon 15 minutes or so from the roasting timer being done. Once rendered pull out the bacon pieces and put aside, leaving the goodness behind (I did mop up a little of the grease with a paper towel and replaced it with olive oil). Add onion and saute until it starts turning translucent then add the diced apple, garlic, thyme and a dash of cinnamon.

The roasted vegetables should be ready to come out of the oven at this time. Add them to the pot with the other ingredients as well as adding the bay leaf and teaspoon of salt. I sauteed this for another 3-5 minutes.

Add three cups of chicken broth and stir, the squash will start breaking up, let simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaf.

Pull out your immersion blender and go to town, adding the remaining broth a cup at a time until desired soup consistency is reached, it should be very creamy when you are done blending. Season with salt and pepper to taste (if needed).

Dish into bowls, top with bacon and/or sour cream and enjoy. Freezes very well, so don't waste those leftovers.

A trip in the making.

2009-10-15T07:31:00.000-07:00

Hello friends, I have a mission for you. Next month I'm going to be driving from southeast Washington State to northern Minnesota in order to visit my husbands family. We'll be going mostly by way of I-90 and then I-94 and will be hitting I-29 at the last. I'd love to know of any great gluten free places to eat, or things to see (gluten free or otherwise) along the way. I would like to get as much out of this trip as I can. I can't wait to hear some suggestions!!

Blondies (from The Sensitive Pantry)

2009-10-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

From Food - Wheat Free

So, last week I acted upon a craving. I'd seen some absolutely scrumptious looking blondies on Nancy's site, The Sensitive Pantry. Nancy always puts up the most delicious looking recipes. In this case I had all the ingredients on hand except the gluten free rolled oats which I picked up on a run to the local health foods store. Highland Health Food is where I do most of my specialty gluten free shopping here locally in town. I love it there and have been going since I was 7 or so. Very fond memories eating sorbet there. I digress however.

Much to my disappointment the first batch I cooked up did not turn out the way I hoped. They were cakey and easily fell apart, not the craving killer I was after, I could tell they had good flavor though so wanted to try again. After a few back and forths with Nancy, she was very helpful, I got the kinks ironed out and ended up with a yummy blondie that had the texture I was after, I would have liked them sweeter and probably could have increased the brown sugar a bit to get that. I ended up using an egg and no baking powder (rather than the egg replacer) and they turned out just fine (my first batch I did not omit the baking powder and we think this was the problem... you see, I'm not a baker.)

I think though that my search for the perfect blondie for me may not yet be over, as I really wanted a very rich, sweet, not good for me version. I completely recommend Nancy's version as they ARE good, and probably good for you (in comparison to my craving, haha.) Please try them, I know you'll like them.

Sausage and Black Bean Soup

2009-10-08T08:06:00.000-07:00

Walking into the pantry the other day I spotted my trusty crock pot, I love this thing. It was my mothers (don't worry, she's still around) and you can tell by the color scheme that its seen many many years. Making meals in this crock pot is always special for me, I know that my mom made many a meal for me with it and that this particular cooking vessel has sustained me much of my life. We have a bond.

So I pulled it out, its fall and this is the time of year it gets to work overtime. What would I make with it this though? With a quick peruse of the pantry I noticed I had many cans of black beans, one of my adult faves and something as a child you couldn't get me to eat. In the freezer I found we had an abundance of gluten free bratwurst and in the refrigerator I had the sad and lonely remnants of a nice bunch of celery. The boys in the house have been a little under the weather, so I decided I could make soup with what I found.

I actually really liked the flavor of the soup when all is said and done, it was hearty and with a nice piece of gluten free toast on the side I was full. My husband would have liked a smoked or spicy sausage just to add a little kick. So if you decide to try this recipe use a sausage you like the flavor of, not only will you be happier with the results, you kind of make the dish your own that way.

Sausage and Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:
1 can black beans rinsed and drained
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup diced onion
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup diced tomato
2 cloves minced garlic
2 bratwurst broken up (or 10 oz of your favorite sausage)
1 teaspoon coriander
a pinch of cayenne
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to a crock pot and let it cook on low for 5 to 6 hours. Enjoy, I know I did.

Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger - September

2009-09-26T15:05:00.001-07:00

This month I decided to adopt a gluten free blogger who tempts my tastebuds often with wonderful stories, great ingredients and beautiful pictures. Nancy at The Sensitive Pantry has just the right touch when it comes to sharing her gluten free recipes and ideas. I love going to her blog just to see what the latest creation is and tempting myself beyond reason at times... those blondies look delicious. Nancy, keep on doing what you're doing.

Recently Nancy shared a recipe that I decided to just dig my heels in and try. For one, I've never ever eaten it or one of the ingredients before and two, that means I've never tried to make it before either. Caramelized onion and fennel risotto. We love caramelized onions in my house, almost every time we grill up a steak I'll be caramelizing some onions to serve right on top of it which made this recipe very tempting to try and before making this recipe I'd never tasted fennel, its a very interesting vegetable.

Nancy gave great instructions for both the stove top method of cooking this and the oven baking method. I went with the stove top. Due to the well written directions I was able to produce a, what I hope was, very authentic risotto. It was creamy, had just the right tooth feel and ended up extremely tasty. Nancy has a great flavor combo here and she was right, caramelizing the fennel took the anise flavor right out of it. I must say that the addition of parmesan cheese is what made the dish for me, the risotto took really well to the sharp, saltiness of the cheese.

I can't wait to make risotto again, and try all the many wonderful flavor combinations there are out there for this deliciously creamy and hearty dish.

Caramelized Onion and Fennel Risotto

Honey Mustard Chicken - Grilled

2009-09-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

Here's to another great installment of, What can I eat that's gluten free? over at the Gluten Free Homemaker. Thanks again Linda for keeping such a wonderful resource going. I love seeing what everybody has to share each week.

I've been eating tomato and pepper free the last half of summer in an attempt to solve some health issues. I don't know how well its been working as while the symptoms didn't go away completely they did seem somewhat alleviated. Back to why this is relevant, summer is grilling season and we grill a lot. My husband while very tolerant was getting quite sick of having teriyaki everything from the grill (the only sauce I'd come up with that didn't have tomatoes or peppers and I could make gluten free). BBQ sauce is of course not an option due to the fact that it's full of tomatoes and pepper based spices. Can't say I blame him, I was getting a little tired of it too, while I love teriyaki, one can only eat so much of a good thing.

Desperate to change things up a little I started roaming the web for sauce recipes. One shouted at me, honey mustard. I'd shopped around a lot and have found a spicy mustard that didn't have anything in it I couldn't use so knew I was going to give it a try. Low and behold it was super yummy. If you want to add a little heat to this I'm sure the recipe would take it well.

Honey Mustard Chicken on the Grill.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup mustard (use your favorite as its the base flavor in the dish)
1/2 cup honey
4 Tablespoons mayonnaise
20-25 chicken drummets (rinsed and pat dry)

Directions:

In a large bowl mix the mustard, honey, and mayonnaise. Set aside a small amount of the sauce for basting with later.

Add chicken to the bowl and coat well with sauce. Let it marinade thirty minutes to an hour.

Lightly oil your grill and cook your chicken until done (will differ depending on what cut of chicken you use), basting occasionally with the reserved sauce during the last 10 minutes or so careful as they can char quickly if left unmonitored. Serve and enjoy.

Lettuce Wraps - Asian Style

2009-09-09T17:55:00.000-07:00

Join the What Can I Eat That's Gluten Free blog carnival hosted by Linda at the Gluten Free Homemaker. You'll find plenty of tasty things to eat and maybe be inspired to share something out of your kitchen.

So, it's been a while oh, food bloggy blog. I must say life has had me busy and at the end of the day its hard to sum up the energy to post. I'm hoping to get back in the swing of things and be sharing regularly with you again soon. We've been eating well while I've been away from the food blogging world and I've been logging it so have plenty to share with you. In the meantime enjoy this yummy dish.

My mom had us over for dinner one night and whipped up a deliciously light and satisfying meal. I knew I'd be adding it to my rotation and often. The dish she made was asian lettuce wraps, one version of them. I've had quite a few different wraps lately and while they all have their similarities each is wonderfully different in its own way.

Here is my recipe for gluten free asian style lettuce wraps. I think its a perfect summer dish, I of course eat them all year round. Just can't get enough.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:
A whole bunch of boston bibb or iceberg lettuce leaves (as intact as you can peel them off)
1 lb ground pork
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 large onion chopped
1 (8 oz) can water chestnuts drained and chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 tablespoon pickled ginger, minced
1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
1/4 cup gluten free hoison sauce
Asian chile pepper sauce (optional)
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 teaspoons sesame oil

A handful of chopped cilantro

1 bunch bean threads (I'm sure a small rice noodle would work)
A few inches of oil in a wok for frying

Directions:
Heat oil in wok until frying temperature. I just test it by dropping a bean thread in, if it puffs up immediately I know that my oil is ready. I usually cut the dried bean threads to a couple of inches in length with kitchen shears (this is messy but I feel very worth it) drop them in the oil until they are puffed up, fish them out and lay them on a paper towel until ready to serve. The fried bean threads add great crunch to the lettuce wraps.

Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, be careful not to tear them. Set aside.

In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the pork in the tablespoon of oil, drain and remove from skillet, set aside to cool. Reduce pan to medium heat, add onion and saute until translucent, add garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chile pepper sauce to the onions, stir well. Add chopped water chestnuts, green onions, and sesame oil, cook until the green onions begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Mix in with the meat and you're ready to eat.

I serve this meal family style and we assemble at the table. Take a lettuce leaf and place some of the fried bean threads in the bottom, place a decent portion of the meat mixture on top and garnish with cilantro. Super yum.

Friday Foodie Fix - A collection of sorts - Onions

2009-08-07T08:55:00.000-07:00

Today's Friday Foodie Fix secret ingredient is onions, the event hosted as always by the lovely Diane over at The W.H.O.L.E Gang.

To think, I grew up and actually wouldn't eat an onion to save my life. They were one of my least favorite things in the world. My mother actually used them as punishment. When I got in trouble I didn't get spanked, I didn't get grounded, I had to eat liver and onions... sometimes with brussel sprouts. Talk about the worst punishment in the world. I was pretty well behaved just to avoid a meal like that.

When I was around middle school age my father slowly started integrating onions into the weekend hash-browns and I liked them... ok, I knew my tastes were changing when I didn't like the potatoes as much without their onion accompaniment. When I met my husband who loved onions though, I started cooking with them and now I can't imagine that I ever had an aversion. I love onions. Still not a big raw onion fan but I do eat them on occasion and in certain recipes.

I don't have a specific recipe I wanted to use for today, as I use onions almost every evening when I cook. I feel they are a vital part of my kitchen and due to the recent loss of some other tasty ingredients, onion are even more on the front lines for me than ever, adding flavor, texture and joy to many of my dishes. So today, rather than share one great dish with you I thought I would share a collection of dishes that all feature onion in them. I'll link back to the original post for each dish so you may take a gander if you so choose.

Living Without Wheat: Quick and tasty pork chops. - I'm not a big pork chop fan, but I love this dish so much... the apple and onion glaze is soooo very tasty. I tend to try and stretch (not quite double) the amount of glaze I have at the end because it's so very tasty.

Living Without Wheat: Corn and Black Bean Salad.- I love this quick and easy dish and I always use a walla walla sweet in it. This is as close a replacement for salsa I have and it does a pretty good job. You could even use lime juice instead of vinegar and add a little cumin (thanks to all the other bloggers out there with a similar salad for the variety ideas.)

Living Without Wheat: Ghoul.... ash- I love this dish, love love love it. While I can no longer eat it (tomatoes and peppers are not my friends anymore) it was one of my childhood favorites. I'd finally been able to tweak enough recipes to get one that is as close to what "mom used to make" as it can be. Without the onion this dish would not be the same, I really use one whole onion in it. No skimping.

Living Without Wheat: Onion rings.- Need I say more. I'm going to be trying out a beer battered version of these soon. I'll let you know how it goes, in the meantime these are very very tasty.

Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger - July

2009-07-31T06:30:00.000-07:00

A while ago I was hit with one of those cravings that I just couldn't deny. I needed something rich, smooth, and fabulous which is exactly when I ran into Karina's website that day, she had the dish I craved featured and I just had to make it.

For Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger July, hosted on The Celiac Family I decided to adopt The Gluten Free Goddess herself, from Karina's Kitchen. Thank you for all the wonderful recipes and inspiration you provide. The community is blessed to have you.

Karina's Flourless Chocolate Cake called to me that day I saw it on her website, you see I personally don't think anything could have fit the bill for my craving quite like it did. Chocolate, coffee, good vanilla... perfect. Gathering the ingredients was interesting, you see... bourbon vanilla is nearly impossible to find here but after much driving around I managed to nab a couple of beans. I then had to learn what was required to make a bean equal tablespoon a liquid, once done however I was on a roll.

I borrowed a spring pan from my mother, which was definitely necessary to make this not turn into a disaster come eating time. I couldn't process the chocolate so ran into some melting issues which I cleverly solved (with a hair dryer), when I make this again I would certainly love to try it with a food processor, I believe it would all come together like magic! I topped it with my favorite caramel sauce as I ate it, so nothing would get soggy

Looks yummy doesn't it? It was, and I shared! I took some to my neighbors and gave some to my parents, you see this cake is very rich and while just what I was needing, much too much for me to take on alone. I will be making this again and I will enjoy it just as much the second time around as the first... I might not brew my coffee quite so strong though.

Gluten Free Everyday Cookbook Review

2009-07-18T07:40:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of Robert M. Landolphi's Gluten Free Everyday Cookbook. I was very excited as its my first gluten free cookbook, other than the three Bette Hagman books I have.

I opened it immediately and started reading, there was much to choose from. The introduction where you learn what drove him to create the cookbook (his wife), the gluten free basics section where gluten free ingredients and their qualities are listed and then of course the many wonderful recipes. I can truly say its a cookbook I like. It's a nice easy to handle size, with easy to read fonts and wording, there are no pictures which would have been the icing on the cake but that's ok as there is as least color on each page.

One of my favorite features of this cookbook is that at the beginning of each chapter the first couple of pages are tips and tricks for ingredients and methods involved in making the recipes in that chapter. I love that I don't have to look far for a little help if I'm not quite sure how to do something involved in a recipe such as which thickening agent to use or a pie crust tutorial.

Reading through the recipes and deciding which I wanted to make for this post I chose two of my pre-gluten free favorites. Things I hadn't had in a long time, buttermilk biscuits and clam chowder. I wrote down the needed ingredients and headed to the store.

Flaky Buttermilk Biscuit (pg. 120)

I have to tell you, these were flaky, and buttery and oh so good straight out of the oven. I'll be making these again. In reality they were pretty darn quick to put together, they don't really do much for me the next day (which is typical for this kind of biscuit) but a little jam went a long way to make up for the shortcomings of these biscuits as leftovers.

Hearty New England Clam Chowder (pg. 42)

I love clam chowder, and boy or boy it's near impossible to find a gluten free version. This was very very tasty and I'll be making it again I promise you. I made this up and didn't have to add any salt what-so-ever as the flavor profile was just right for me. I did forget the step where I needed to puree some of the soup in order to make it more chowder-y (thicken it up) this did not change the flavor, just the texture. Didn't bug me at all, I kept on eating.

I'd recommend this book as a gift for a the newly gluten free and even for those of us that have been gluten free for a while. It doesn't take up much room and there are some very tasty recipes to be had within it. The last boon this book has to offer is toward the end there is a couple of pages dedicated to gluten free resources; organizations, distributors, support groups, magazines and newsletters. This book really does have a little bit of everything. Kudos.

(As an aside, I'm going to be missing in action the 18th through the 25th of July. I will have minimum internet access via my iPhone but will not be able to check in regularly. Be well and I'll see you all when I get back.)

Corn and Black Bean Salad.

2009-07-14T14:36:00.000-07:00

Join us over at The Gluten Free Homemaker for her blog carnival held on Wednesdays, What can I eat that's Gluten Free. Linda does a great job organizing this weekly event and you'll always find plenty of yummy gluten free morsels to try out.

4:00 pm: I just came inside, its a warm 83 degrees out there and I felt the need to mow the lawn. This entails weed-wacking and sweeping up the mess, which makes it a HOT 83 degrees outside. So I'm feeling that heat and I need something refreshing, a glass of ice water and a quick hunt through the fridge, what do I find?

This little beauty I made up the other day. Crisp and refreshing, sweet and slightly sour, a palate cleanser that cools.

Corn and Black Bean Salad

2 Cups fresh sweet corn
1 can drained and rinsed black beans
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 Healthy handful of cilantro chopped
3 tablespoons white vinegar
Pinch of salt (if you want, I didn't use any)

Gently toss and enjoy. If you can let it sit a bit it'll taste better, I however dig right in.

Quick and tasty pork chops.

2009-07-03T17:44:00.000-07:00

Today's Friday Foodie Fix is pork. Thank you Diane over at The W.H.O.L.E. Gang for keeping this fun little challenge going every week. If you'd like to see more pork recipes head on over and check them out.

We're not big pork fans in my house. I remember too clearly the pork chop bricks of my youth, the dinners I would have to saw at with my knife and chew for what seemed like days to swallow to "crave" pork very often in my adult life (to clarify, we didn't eat pork at my house, we raised rabbits and sheep so ate a lot of lamb and rabbit, my pork experiences did not come out of my mothers kitchen). I love bbq pork, bacon and sausage but tend to avoid most other cuts. I've slowly been reintroducing it, you see pork has changed over the years and so have many of the misnomers behind cooking it. Armed with that knowledge I purchased a large pack of really fresh chops a couple of weeks back and pre-portioned out bags for easy freezer removal. I will learn to love the chop.

I just happened to look through my refrigerator the other day and found the leftovers of an onion, a granny smith apple and a tree top 100% apple juice box. I knew what to do for Friday Foodie Fix. Having pulled a couple of pork chops out of the freezer to thaw earlier in the morning I was ready to cook them up come dinner time. This recipe isn't overly sweet, just a tad so and it really is quite tasty and so quick.

Apple and Onion "glazed" Pork Chops

Ingredients:
4 "3/4 inch" bone-in pork chops
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup apple juice (or cider)
1 to 2 tablespoons brown sugar (depending on how sweet you want it
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 cup sliced tart apple (I used granny smiths)
1/2 cup sliced sweet onion
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:
Season your chops with a bit of salt. Preheat a large skillet to medium high heat and drizzle oil to coat. Brown chops on both sides. Add onions, apples, brown sugar, thyme, apple juice and salt to pan. Mix up well and cover.

Once chops are done, about 7-8 minutes or until juice runs clear remove them from pan and cover to keep warm.

Add butter to pan with onions and apples and cook juices down until the sauce reaches the consistency you like. If you take it to far and you can reconstitute it by adding a little water.

Plate your chops and top with the onions and apple "glaze."

Breakfast Tacos!

2009-07-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

Head on over to The Gluten Free Homemaker for her What's for Dinner Wednesday? blog carnival. It's a ton of fun and you'll find many meal ideas. This week it's breakfast food and next week it'll be dessert. So share your gluten free meal ideas with us and link up or just visit and get inspired.

Before I cut gluten out of my diet breakfast burritos/tacos were one of my favorite ways to eat the first meal of the day. What's not to like about eggs, meat, onions, mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes (which I can no longer have, a long story but peppers and tomatoes seem to be the cause of my hives) in an easy to eat package. I've been hard pressed however in my post-gluten gobbling life to find a wrap that would actually hold up to being filled and rolled, however I've found a solution.

Recently I started making my own homemade corn tortillas. These little beauties are so wonderful, they taste out of this world and being so darn fresh (hot off the skillet) they are perfectly pliable, a more than suitable vehicle for a breakfast taco.

These are so easy to make, you can either use a store bought gluten free wrap or make your own homemade and fill 'em up!! Get creative and have them your way.

Some fillings I like in my breakfast taco:
Eggs
Onions
Mushrooms
Bacon
Sausage
Last nights steak
If you can eat it, tomatoes and peppers... Salsa!!!

This weeks menu.

2009-06-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

I'm having a hard time finding my creative self in my kitchen recently as I can no longer include tomatoes or pepper of any kind (other than peppercorns) in my diet. I believe they are the cause of my hives and with them excluded I've found great relief (not 100% but 90% better than I was). Keeping a menu plan helps me *see* that I can still eat very tasty foods even without some of my favorite condiments and sauces, not to mention fresh vegetables.

So if you're wondering what we're eating this week? Wonder no more, I'll let you know right now and if you'd like to see more gluten free menu plans for this week check out Celiac Family - she's hosting.

Monday: Garlic chicken thighs (oven broiled) with roasted veggies

Tuesday: Balsamic glazed salmon with brown rice pilaf and fresh green beans

Wednesday: Meatloaf and leftover pilaf

Thursday: Pork chops with apples and onions, sweet corn and glazed carrots.

Friday: Steaks on the bbq and fresh CSA salad with balsamic vinaigrette

A GLOW-ing Review.

2009-06-29T19:52:00.000-07:00

So a little while back, while surfing the web for gluten free goodies I could order and try out I tripped across this website for Glow Gluten Free. I immediately got excited about these cookies, not only were the four varieties some of my favorites but they are of course gluten AND casein free (as well as being a preservative and trans fat free all natural cookie).

I continued to peruse the site, wondering where I may be able to pick some of these puppies up locally to try, which is when I got a little sad. You see Glow is currently only available on the east coast (or at least nowhere near my PNW location). I could almost taste these cookies as I surfed the website and so it drove me to do something I've never done before, e-mail the address on the contact us page. Not only did I get a fast response to my question of when they would be available to order/purchase locally, I also got a pleasant surprise. Jill e-mailed me herself and told me they were just starting to branch out and hopefully would have online purchases availiable soon. YAY. Then she also offered to send me some Glow Gluten Free cookies to try, my jaw dropped! I was so excited, yes of course I would.

I got this awesome little package in the mail and couldn't wait to dig in. Where to start was the question and so I opened the gingersnaps. Wow, all I can say is wow, great flavor and texture just what I would expect from a gingersnap. Boy did these guys give me the bite I would like in this kind of cookie. I was very pleased. Best gluten free gingersnap I've tried to date.

I tried the snickerdoodle cookie next, the first thing I noted was the smell which was just as I remembered my gluteny snickerdoodles of old. Unfortunately, I didn't find the snickerdoodle cookie to be my favorite, while good it was much to crunchy (in my opinion) for a snickerdoodle and it left an aftertaste that I wasn't fond of. Good points, while I was eating it I enjoyed the flavor and they were far from terrible, just not my favorite.

The chocolate chip cookie was a crisp cookie as well. It had great flavor and while these tended to crumble in my hand a bit I didn't mind because they tasted quite good and had just the right ratio of chocolate chips to cookie. In fact its a good thing there are only seven cookies in a box or I would have been in trouble with this one.

Double chocolate chip, what can I say other than it was my favorite out of the four. Probably because I really love chocolate. Again, a crunchy cookie (which I think suits this flavor well) with great chocolate flavor and plenty of chocolate chips. These held together well and had great texture, if only I'd had a couple more boxes of these!! hah.

All in all these were really good cookies and if you happen to have a chance to get your hands on some I would recommend you do. Thank you Glow for giving me the opportunity to taste your fabulous creations, I'm extremely grateful.

Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger - June

2009-06-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

So for the month of June, Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger is being hosted on Terri's blog, Faking It Gluten Free Style. I decided to participate again this month because I really do enjoy trying the recipes my fellow gluten free bloggers post. My adoption choice was easy this time around as I've made a few of her recipes recently.

Diane of The W.H.O.L.E. Gang, here's to you!! A lovely person with great food ideas and know how. She's active in the gluten free community, blogging (she hosts Friday Foodie Fix which is so much fun to participate in,) tweeting and generally sharing; recipes, shopping tips, product reviews and great insight. Diane and her family are intolerant to more than just gluten so you may find just what you're looking for on her website.

The recipe I decided to post about for this edition of Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger was something a little out of my comfort zone. You see, I participate in my local CSA, getting a box of veggies/fruits every week and for a few weeks I was getting a lot of spinach. The only way I eat spinach is in a salad, nothing wrong with that... just not very creative. Diane recently posted a delicious looking alternative that I just had to try. Spinach, Mushrooms and Bacon with White Wine. Wow. The picture she posted looked so good I knew it would taste that way too.

This is a side dish, although I ate it as a main dish for lunch the next day, tee hee. What can I say, it was very yummy. I love bacon and mushrooms, add spinach and wine and you're still talking good eats. If you're looking for a quick and tasty spinach preparation alternative please try out Diane's recipe.

Product Review - Gluten Free Cafe Asian Noodles.

2009-06-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

Some nights I just don't have the energy nor the desire to get in the kitchen and really cook. These nights I am very thankful for convenience. When I happened upon Gluten Free Cafe in the freezer section at my local grocer I was excited. A new convenience product to try out. I'm always looking for new gluten free items to try. While it's a rare day/night that I don't put together a home cooked meal its nice to know I have a quick fix choice. Maybe these products have been around a while, I don't know. They are new to my area so I thought I'd review one of them for now. Maybe the other flavors later.

I purchased the Asian Noodles from Gluten Free Cafe on this particular outing and I think it took me a week to get around to trying them. They microwaved easily and just like most frozen meals we're ready in just a few minutes.

As I peeled the plastic back I was greeted by the warm smell of ginger... I stirred up the noodles and the sauce just as the directions said. Of course it ended up looking nothing like the box, but do these type of meals ever? No.

I let it cool a minute and took a bite, the first thought that came to mind was that this dish was misnamed, rather than having a definite asian flavor I was tasting curry, strongly. The rice noodles weren't mush however they were a little softer than I would have liked, the chicken pieces had no texture or flavor at all and honestly I think the dish would have been fine if they weren't included. The water chestnuts and peanut bits saved the dish for texture, adding a nice bit of crunch and the carrots still had a bit of firmness to them as well. The portion size was just right for a light meal.

While I wasn't WOWd with this particular microwaveable meal it rated a fair percentage higher than some of the other similar gluten free convenience foods I've tried. Would I buy it again... lower the price a little and I would. Paying almost $5 for this really isn't realistic, I could make a comparable meal at home that would taste much better and be cooked exactly to my liking for less than I can buy this pre-packaged meal at the moment.

Mmm Mmmm Berry Pie!!

2009-06-12T15:00:00.000-07:00

This weeks Friday Foodie Fix is Blueberries. I love that Diane over at The W.H.O.L.E Gang puts this together every week. It's so fun to pick an ingredient and go with it. I try to make something I haven't before every week which is sometimes easier said than done.

This week I got strawberries in my CSA box, not a lot of strawberries, but a few. I just happened to have a lot of blueberries in the freezer as well as some pie dough... I didn't have to think very hard to decide what I wanted to make. Pie. I had just over 5 cups of fruit which is just perfect for a pie. Now, this is a first try... so not as pretty as I would like, however its more than tasty enough for me to share with you. The recipe is an easy one as well... most berry/fruit pies are pretty standard.

Blueberry/Strawberry Pie.

Ingredients:
1 gluten free pie crust recipe (I use a vinegar pastry crust by Bette Hagman)
3 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2 cups strawberries quartered
1/2 cup granulated sugar (more or less depending on how sweet your berries are.)
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Zest of 1 lemon.

Directions:
Pre-heat your oven to 375.

Prepare your pie crust in a 9" pan. (I always have a little extra which is what I used to make that lattice, if you don't than you can have two crusts ready)

Gently mix berries with sugar, cornstarch and lemon zest. If you've used frozen fruit let it thaw for 30 minutes or so.

Pour the fruit mix into the pie crust and top. You can make a lattice top like I did, or use a second pie crust and cover the pie. If you do this make sure to cut slits in the crust. You can also make a crumble topping which you can find the recipe for here.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is browned slightly and filling is bubbly. Let cool and gobble.

Light and easy = Egg drop soup

2009-06-10T11:30:00.000-07:00

Head over to the Gluten Free Homemaker for What's for Dinner Wednesday, a gluten free food blog carnival where you can find many great gluten free meal/dessert/food ideas.

I was sad last week that I was unable to participate in the weekly What's for Dinner Wednesday blog carnival. I unfortunately was having a really great time in Disneyland. So there was no way I planned on missing this week. However, being away and having a great time celebrating my first 30 years left me with a lot of catching up to do on the home front.

This week I decided to do something quick and easy and that for some reason I've been craving a few times a week. Egg Drop Soup. There are many variations of this dish, but they are all pretty simple. The one I'm sharing with you is for a single serving (usually I'm making myself lunch after I put the little man down for his nap). It's perfect for those days when I'm not terribly hungry and I need something light. Not to mention having very few ingredients I can make this when I have virtually nothing in the fridge.

Egg Drop Soup

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups really good chicken broth (Its important to use a high quality good flavored broth as the majority of this soups flavor comes from it.)
2 Tablespoons finely chopped water chestnuts (optional)
Small handful of frozen peas
1 Tablespoon +/- sliced green onions
1 Egg, well beaten
A dash or two gluten free soy sauce or tamari
Pinch of parsley flakes (mostly for color, hehe.)

Directions:
Bring chicken broth to a medium boil. Add onions, soy sauce, water chestnuts, and parsley. Slowly pour in beaten egg while stirring broth in one direction... say clockwise, slowly. Egg should cook pretty much on contact with the broth. Add frozen peas and remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste if needed. Serve

While I was away.

2009-06-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

This last Monday, June 1st I headed up to my big sister's in Skagit County. You see she'd been working on a surprise birthday getaway for me as I'm turning 30 this year. All I knew was that we'd be going to Seattle and I'd need some good walking shoes, a swimsuit and a good book to read.

In my head I'd been flipping through all the possible things she could have planned: a day at the zoo, the food tour walk of Pike's Place, or just a nice relaxing couple of days hanging out by the pool enjoying the company of a good book and each other. How wrong I was.

Monday night when we got to her house after watching my very talented nephew play some basketball I got to open the big box waiting for me. I untied the string and pulled the bag away, out popped a big mickey mouse balloon... I didn't think much of it, I love Disney stuff so thought it was cute. Then I read the scroll she'd attached to it. Many heartfelt sentiments, the kind that bring tears to your eyes were written (I love my sister very much, she's my best friend) and the last line, "I decided we should celebrate your first magical 30 years at the Magic Kingdom!!!"

I was in shock and disbelief. No way would my sister surprise me with a trip to Disneyland, but sure enough she did. I haven't been since 2005 (which I know doesn't sound like long, but trust me it is) and didn't think I would be going for a while, you see my little man is a little bit short, he'll be six before he can get on most of the rides. I was so excited I couldn't even show it properly.

We got to the park early Tuesday morning, took the red eye you see. It was early afternoon before we were hungry and I realized, I didn't know if I could eat anything. So we went to a restaurant and I got a salad, my only safe bet, while my sister had roast, and potatoes and other yummies. As we ate I pulled out my iPhone to see what my gluten free options were in the Magic Kingdom. All signs pointed to City Hall, we ate and headed over there.

"I need to eat gluten free," I said to the lady at the counter, "I hear this is the place to get the scoop."

"You're right," she replied, "Let me get you our printout." She rifled through some drawers and cupboards, "I guess I'll have to print out a copy for you, just a minute please," and she headed through the back door.

A few minutes later I was holding a nice long list (6 pages or so I think front and back) that had the park broken up by Lands, then restaurants/hotels and then gluten free offerings at each one. I was amazed and overjoyed. My entire stay at the park was so easily gluten free, I talked to many of the chefs and they were all willing and able to work with me. The most amazing part was I didn't get one single blank stare when I uttered the words, "Gluten Free." All of my meals were flavorful gluten free versions of the originals, I didn't get any poor substitutes. It truly was the happiest place on earth as far as being the best surprise birthday present ever and my ability to eat gluten free with comfort and confidence.

If you're looking to travel as a family or just for fun, and need a positive gluten free experience, go Disney. If you happen to go to Disneyland make your first stop City Hall (front of the park) and have that list in hand from the start (also has a phone number in case you have additional questions.) Talk to your servers and the chefs, I promise you'll have a fun and flavorful gluten free vacation.

Adopt a Blogger!

2009-05-31T21:36:00.000-07:00

I decided to participate in Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger over at the Book of Yum this time around. I enjoyed it. I think I'll do it again. Below you can see what fun I had.

I love heading over to Linda's blog, The Gluten Free Homemaker regularly. Wednesday's she puts together a great time with What's for Dinner Wednesdays, organizing a blog carnival around gluten free dinner ideas. If you haven't yet, you should participate.

It was one of these Wednesday's that I saw a recipe of hers I just had to try. Beef Barbecue Sandwich. What made this particular sandwich so appealing was the foccacia bread that served as a transport for the shredded meat and saucy goodness in the middle. I'd never managed to have foccacia before going gluten free so I can't tell you if it was as good as its gluten-y cousin but it tasted great and was crazily easy to make. my husband told me I should hang on to the recipe a great indicator that even he enjoyed the bread.

I didn't use a pan like Linda did, I just spread the batter out on my pizza stone (gluten free dedicated) and it worked like magic. I had picked up some of the sauce she mentioned, Bull's Eye BBQ Sauce which doesn't use any corn syrup and I boiled up some chicken to shred. I did learn a little trick for shredding meat over at Fire and Salt. Brian uses his kitchen aid mixer and a paddle on low speed, worked like a charm. I'll never use forks again.

Thank you Linda for sharing this wonderful idea with the rest of the blogging community. Please do continue to do so.

Cold Quinoa Salad

2009-05-29T08:02:00.000-07:00

This weeks Friday Foodie Fix food is quinoa. Head on over to The W.H.O.L.E Gang to participate and get links to other great meals ideas using quinoa.

I honestly haven't used it much, in fact maybe 3 or 4 times and always to make this dish, a dish my mother used to make with cous cous. I do plan on venturing out into the brave bold world of quinoa cooking and experimentation, just haven't done it yet.

This salad isn't magical, it isn't legendary. It does taste good and it's very easy to make, I crave it just as I still crave the now very bad for me version my mother used to make. There are different versions of the quinoa salad up on Friday Foodie Fix, see which one fits your tastes best or experiment with your own flavor combination's.

Cold Quinoa Salad

1 cup prepared quinoa, chilled (follow directions on your quinoa package)
1 medium tomato diced
1 diced spring onion (or 1/3 cup sweet onion)
1/2 cup fresh sweet corn (frozen works too)
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1/4 cup diced red pepper
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro chopped
1/2 cup of your favorite vinaigrette style dressing (you might need more depending on how strong you want it to taste)

Mix all the ingredients together, gently. Serve chilled.

Mediterranean Lemon Chicken

2009-05-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

Head over to Linda's blog, the Gluten Free Homemaker and check out the other gluten free dinner ideas for What's for Dinner Wednesday, while you're there add one of your favorite recipes to the mix.

Some of my favorite flavors are garlic and lemon. I've only had the wonderful privilege of eating lemons in anything for the last few years. You see, my mother is deathly allergic to lemons, even the smell of one will send her to the hospital. So the past few years as I've lived on my own (with my husband) I often choose to use lemon in my dishes.

I've tried many different recipes over and more often than not they are not "lemony" enough. If I choose to use it in a dish I like to be able to tell that its there. When I found this recipe I was so excited, from the looks of it I could just taste the luscious combination of garlic and lemon. Please enjoy this recipe as much as I have, it is not my own but I wish it was.

Mediterranean Lemon Chicken (from allrecipes.com)
INGREDIENTS

1 lemon
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 chicken legs

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
In a 9x13 inch baking dish, grate the peel from 1/2 the lemon, squeeze out the juice (about 1/4 cup) and add to peel with the oregano, garlic, oil, salt and pepper. Stir until mixed.
Remove skin from chicken pieces and discard. Coat chicken pieces with the lemon mixture and arrange, bone side up, in the baking dish. Cover dish and bake for 20 minutes. Turn and baste chicken.
Reduce heat to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and bake uncovered, basting every 10 minutes, for about 30 more minutes. Serve chicken with pan juices.

Baked Coconut Curry Shrimp

2009-05-22T21:04:00.000-07:00

This weeks Friday Foodie Fix is shrimp. Head on over to The W.H.O.L.E Gang to see some very tasty recipes and add your own.

I have to admit that when I read that the secret ingredient this week was shrimp I knew immediately what I wanted to make. Shrimp here are not cheap however so I knew I'd only have one go at it this week, saving it until today. I headed over to Yokes Fresh Market and picked up 6 big shrimp.

When I got home I prepped the shrimp, peeling them (leaving the tails on), de-veining them, cleaning them off and patting them dry. I put the peelings in a ziplock bag and stuck them in the freezer as they'll work well in a broth later on. I was ready to go, oven preheated. This recipe isn't finalized, it needs a bit of tweaking yet, but even so I have to say these were mighty tasty and share worthy. The sauce I whipped up on a whim to accompany them is rather tasty as well and I'll be using it again too!! Please enjoy.

Baked Coconut Curry Shrimp

Ingredients:
6 Big Shrimp
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon fine raw sugar (I used my mortar and pestle)
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
A pinch of salt
1 egg white
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 to 2 Tablespoons oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a small bowl beat the egg white slightly, and mix in the curry powder.
On a plate or in a pie plate, mix the coconut, sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
Dunk the shrimp around in the egg white mixture until coated, then cover in the coconut mixture (you may need to press the coconut on to really make it stick.)
Place in an oiled skillet and bake for 10 minutes (I turned them once to assure browning on both sides). Serve.

Curry and Marmalade Mayo

Ingredients:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon orange marmalade
1/4 teaspoon curry powder

Mix ingredients thoroughly and serve with shrimp.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

2009-05-22T14:02:00.000-07:00

So it's a little late in coming but for the Friday Foodie Fix - Garlic head over here.

I put garlic in just about everything, I love the flavor it adds to a dish whether it be a complicated recipe or something as easy as noodles with olive oil and garlic. You can't really go wrong adding a little garlic (unless you eat so much of you that you start to smell of garlic on a regular basis).

I decided to make garlic mashed potatoes, but I wanted something a little different so I made them roasted garlic mashed potatoes. I didn't use exact measurements as each batch comes out a little different. However here's the "recipe."

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

Roast one bulb of garlic (that's right, I used a WHOLE bulb in this batch).
Boil some red potatoes until fork tender.
Pour out most of the water, leave some to aid in the initial mashing.
Add roasted garlic to potatoes.
Mash it up nice.
I added some gluten free chicken broth and mocha mix (casein free) to make the potatoes as creamy as I liked them.
Salt and pepper to taste.

My husband liked these quite a bit, however he did ask me to use just a bit less garlic next time, hehe. It's an easily tweakable recipe, each batch will be a little bit different (which tends to happen in my kitchen).

Ghoul.... ash

2009-05-19T21:52:00.000-07:00

Join us over at the Gluten Free Homemaker for What's for Dinner Wednesday. Share your gluten free dinner ideas and pick up some new ones. It's fun, promise.

My mother, bless her fabulous heart and stove has made some of the best food I've ever tasted. Oddly enough as I grew up I never missed dairy, citrus (the smell of lemons put my mother in the hospital), nutritional yeast, whey or most pre-packaged foods. My mom cooked from scratch as she had many many more "allergies" than I could ever list here.

One of the dishes I could never recreate exactly was her goulash. I've been searching for most my adult life for a recipe similar to hers... she never writes anything down and couldn't remember how she made it, now tomatoes are a no-no for her so she has no desire to experiment for me. I however, can still taste it from so long ago and know I'm looking for, I found a very close version in this Bobby's Goulash Recipe - by Paula Dean. Very close but not quite what I was looking for.

Almost my mother's Ghoul...ash. (As I always used to call it as a child.)

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground meat
1 medium yellow onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
5 or 6 crimini mushrooms sliced
1/2 cup green bell pepper diced
1 1/2 cups water
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce or tamari
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup dry macaroni noodles

Directions:

Brown the meat and drain the fat, add onions, mushroom, bell pepper and garlic, saute until just soft. Add water, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, italian seasoning, bay leaf, soy sauce, garlic salt, and salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add noodles and simmer until they are al dente. Remove from heat and let sit 10 minutes. Eat and be merry. Oh, and don't forget to remove the bay leaf.

This recipe feeds 4.

Let appreciation reign.

2009-05-15T00:59:00.000-07:00

A little while back Linda at the Gluten Free Homemaker (a blog I have the pleasure of reading and even participating in on Wednesday’s for What’s for Dinner Wednesday) nominated me for an Attitude of Gratitude Award. After a recent turn of events I now feel like I can pay it forward.

Most of my life I’ve lived somewhat uncomfortably and thought it was normal. As a child, I was told I was lactose intolerant and because I was young and didn’t really care to take the things I adored, such as cheese, ice cream and chocolate out of my diet, I chose to live with the discomfort and appreciate the flavors that did me harm.

As I hit my teenage years however, and spent more time away from home the discomfort also became emotional rather than just physical. It was no fun having to make sure I was never far from a bathroom and then having to make sure that I was the only person in it for fear of being teased about my protesting digestive system. So I cut dairy products out. To my dismay my problems didn’t cease. I still had the bend you in half stomach because there’s an alien trying to escape stomach pains and run to the bathroom because I’m going to explode right after I ate symptoms. So I started eating dairy again, if I was going to be miserable anyway, I was going to enjoy some ice cream while I did it.

Fast forward to my early 20’s… my symptoms only seemed to progress, evolve as I aged. An upset stomach morphed into unbearable digestive cramps, cramps that had me writhing on the floor in pain. I couldn’t remember what it was to have a regular bowel movement it had been so long let alone what it was like to not worry about how much time I had to get to a bathroom after I ate. I had gained an uncomfortable amount of weight, weight that no matter how much I worked out or watched what I ate would not come off. Fatigue, I had no energy to speak of, no motivation and I always felt in a fog. My skin started to show welts, not quite rash like and infrequent but I knew it was just another symptom, and then the headaches started, awful thought crushing headaches that sent me to bed and weren’t relieved with medication.

This is where I stumbled upon a book, a book called the False Fat Diet. In this book I learned about the major allergens, one I’d never heard of, wheat. I also learned of the elimination diet, a painless way to find out which food was at the root of the issue. I started with wheat since it seemed so absurd. I learned that it wasn’t. Within a couple of weeks I was feeling like a completely different person. I had lost 15 lbs of water weight, my headaches were gone, I was thinking more clearly and not running to the bathroom or clutching my stomach in pain after every meal.

I thank the day I read that book often. Why am I appreciative, because once again I face leaving dairy behind. I’m on an elimination diet, this time for casein. The last 26 months I’ve had terrible hives, the last 10 months I’ve been dealing with a spasmatic esophagus, I’ve been foggy, tired, a little bit of an emotional roller coaster. The Dr.’s can’t seem to come to a conclusion as to the cause of my symptoms so I’m taking it into my own hands once more.

I appreciate that I have a wonderful husband who eats whatever I put on the table and just wants me to be healthy and happy again. I appreciate my son, my beautiful two year old bundle of giggling joy that brings light to every day. And while I can’t enjoy my favorite gorgonzola alfredo at Olive Garden anymore and Dunkin Doughnuts is completely off limits for me… oh how I love a hot glazed doughnut, I appreciate that I’ve come to love my kitchen and to enjoy what I can eat, delicious food that doesn’t poison my body.

My Nominations... in no particular order the blogs that I think show an attitude of gratitude.

Diane at The W.H.O.L.E. Gang - This woman is spectacular. I can picture her blogging with a smile on her face, sharing her love for food with the rest of us. She's a gluten free food coach making healthy organic food. Check out her Friday Foodie Fix for some fun.
Brian at Fire and Salt - A funny guy cooking up gluten free goodness for his wife with a sense of humor.
Amy at The Savvy Celiac - If you want gluten free news and insight head over here.
Shauna at Gluten Free Girl - The very first gluten free blog I started reading, she takes heart in every breath she takes and you can feel it in every word she writes.
Sally at Aprovechar - I stumbled upon this blog the other day. Inspiring and well written. This lady can't eat much it seems but has so much to share all the same. Enjoy what she writes, I do.
Nancy at The Sensitive Pantry - Dealing with multiple sensitivities she makes the most of it. Sharing recipes, and making them her own.

There are no rules, but if you've been mentioned and have the time please pay the tribute forward. If you choose to then here are some guidelines.

put the logo on your blog or post
nominate at bloggers that show an attitude of gratitude
link to your nominees within your post
comment on their blogs to let them know they've received this award
share the love and link to this post and the person who nominated you for the award
tell us how you've come to have an attitude of gratitude

Steak and Spinach salad with balsamic vinaigrette

2009-05-11T22:16:00.000-07:00

Come join us for What's for Dinner Wednesday hosted over on the Gluten Free Homemaker. Every week we share fabulous gluten free dinner and sometime dessert ideas. We'd love for you to you to join in and share yours too.

So, I just thought I would share with you what I ate for dinner tonight. I had some leftover grilled steak from last night, sliced thinly over some of my CSA spinach, accented with crimini mushrooms, black olives and some CSA cilantro. Balsamic vinaigrette (I just sprinkled some balsamic vinegar and some olive oil on top) was my dressing of choice. I have to tell you, this was delicious. I had the same thing with the addition of blackberries the next day, tasted sooooo good. What's your favorite salad preparation?

This weeks menu.

2009-05-11T15:22:00.000-07:00

Nothing too adventurous this week. Just food that tastes good.

Monday: Steak and spinach salad with balsamic vinaigrette

Tuesday: Lemon garlic chicken and brown rice pilaf

Wednesday: Stir Fry or Pad Thai

Thursday: This was going to be Garlic Chicken pizza... but since I'm eliminating casein for a few weeks to see if its the cause of my issues I'll do something else.

Friday: Baked Tilapia with roasted vegetables

Saturday: Goulash (same deal here... no tuna noodle casserole until after elimination diet).

Sunday: Leftovers

Going as local as possible.

2009-05-11T08:36:00.000-07:00

This month I was thinking hard about how I wanted to feed my family this summer. We're self employed, and while my husbands business is doing well we're on a pretty strict budget. We eat at home 99% of the time, going out maybe once a month.

I know I want to support my local agriculture and farming community and I've got a good start. I signed up for my local CSA. This is the first time I'm participating in a CSA. While I lived in Eugene for four years I got exposed to the idea as a few of my friends were doing it. We moved back to the Tri-Cities however and I was sure we didn't have anything like that. I was wrong Schreiber & Sons provides a wonderful CSA service for my area.

I received my first box last Thursday and was extremely happy and very excited to put it to use. They are even able to work with those of us with allergies/intolerances and will make sure (to the best of their ability) your box doesn't include those. I can't wait to blog throughout the summer sharing the foods I make with my farm fresh fruits and veggies.

I've also purchased a side of grass fed beef from a local rancher (also had to buy a freezer, :-) Thanks to a gluten free friend for the contact. I'm very excited to have done this, my family used to raise our own pasture fed beef for food, however my parents have gotten a little older, the fence is in need of repair and I don't think they have the energy nor funds to do it themselves anymore. The next best thing was for me to find somebody else local to purchase from. My meat is being cut sometime this week and the freezer was delivered on Thursday.

The last thing I'm excited to do is visit our local farmer's market. I go to the Pasco Farmer's Market. My mother used to take us there and I always loved the feel of it, and going now brings back fond memories for me. That is where I will continue to go with my family. I hope to get at the Farmer's Market those things that I don't get in my CSA box weekly.

While this is my plan, there are still some things I will have to go to the supermarket for. There is nothing wrong with that, it's simply a fact of life. I do shop at WinCo Foods, and our local healthfood store Highland Health Foods where I can buy my gluten free flours in bulk and other assorted gluten free items. Occasionally I will shop at Yoke's or Fred Meyer...

It'll be a fun summer and I plan on enjoying my weekly box of CSA goodies, and local produce from the farmers market to go with my grass fed beef. What are you doing to support your local market? I'm curious to know what avenues I may not have looked at.

Cheesy Egg Bake

2009-05-06T09:37:00.000-07:00

Join us over at the Gluten Free Homemaker for some great gluten free meal ideas and share your own with us as well!!

Some days when I look in the fridge I don't find much. I need to go grocery shopping and I just don't have the time or energy to do it that day. So I look at what I have, bits and scraps left from earlier creations in the week, enough to maybe squeak out a meal. A few eggs, some green onions, mushrooms (always have them, I'm addicted,) 2 slices of swiss cheese, the last of a bag of grated parm, and a little bit of milk in the carton.

I pull out my trusty Better Homes and Garden cookbook. I love this thing, lots of pictures, tasty and quick recipes that are fairly straightforward and easy to convert to gluten free in most cases. There are food stains on my favorite pages, some of which stick together. Not this time though, I open it up to the egg section, a culinary area I usually stay pretty far away from. I'm just not that fond of eggs unless they are scrambled, childhood incident with an over easy egg... Moving on, I start to peruse the egg section.

What do I find, a recipe that seems to be screaming at me, as I read each required ingredient my mind goes back to the bare remnants in my fridge... I have all of them, granted not in full recipe portion but enough of each to make a batch to feed my small family. Why not, I think to myself. Lets give Cheese and Mushroom Brunch Eggs a chance. I just cut the portion sizes (I think I had 4 or 5 eggs, so I cut it by quite a bit) and made the sauce gluten free. Speaking of which, which flour mix do you use for your roux, mine tends to be grainy and I'd like to try something a little different and see what results I get. Please let me know.

Cheese and Mushroom Brunch Eggs, from Better Homes and Gardens and made gluten free.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons gluten free flour
1-1/3 cups milk or fat-free milk
1/2 cup shredded Swiss or Gruyere cheese (2 ounces)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms, such as button, shiitake or crimini
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (2)
1 tablespoon butter
12 beaten eggs or 3 cups refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed
Tomato slices, cut in half

Directions

1. For sauce, in a medium saucepan melt the 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in flour. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Stir in Swiss cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt, and nutmeg. Cook and stir over medium heat until cheeses melt. Remove from heat; set aside.

2. In a large nonstick skillet cook mushrooms and green onions in the 1 tablespoon hot butter until tender. Add eggs. Cook over medium heat without stirring until eggs begin to set on the bottom and around the edge. Using a large spatula, lift and fold the partially cooked eggs so that the uncooked portion flows underneath. Continue cooking until eggs are cooked through, but still glossy and moist .

3. Transfer half of the scrambled egg mixture to a 2-quart square baking dish. Drizzle about half of the sauce over egg mixture. Top with the remaining scrambled eggs and remaining sauce.

4. Bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through. Top with tomato slices, if desired. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

5. Makes 6 servings

6. Cheese and Mushroom Brunch Eggs for 12: Prepare as at left, except double all ingredients and use a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Cook half the mushrooms and green onions in 1 tablespoons hot butter until tender. Beat 12 eggs together at one time and add the 12 eggs to mushroom mixture in skillet. Cook as in step 3. Transfer scrambled egg mixture to a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Repeat with remaining butter, mushrooms, green onions and eggs. Top egg mixture in dish with half of the sauce. Top with remaining egg mixture and remaining sauce. Bake, uncovered, about 25 minutes or until heated through. Top with tomato slices, if desired. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.

7. Easy Cheese and Mushroom Brunch Eggs: Prepare as above, except omit the first 7 ingredients and step 1. Substitute 1, 16-ounce jar purchased light Alfredo sauce for the prepared sauce. Continue as directed.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

2009-05-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

Once again it's Friday Foodie Fix. This time around it's strawberries. Unfortunately my toddler is unable to eat these delicious little morsels and so I find I don't use them in my house very often. He's had them before and knows how much he likes them, so it's a bit of a tease if I have them out and can't give him any.

I knew exactly what I wanted to do with these little red rubies, you see I visited my sister last weekend up in Skagit County. What did I find, she had a very large rhubarb plant ripe for the picking in her backyard. Mmmm. An interesting fact about rhubarb, color does not indicate readiness or sweetness, so this lonely plant she was leaving be because it was still pretty green was actually very ready for harvesting.

I bet you can guess now what I chose to make today, Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp. I made my toddler a simple rhubarb crisp so he wouldn't feel left out when we sit down for dessert later, I'm sure he would have been plenty happy with the vanilla bean ice cream we'll have with it as well. This is a fairly simple rendition of a classic dish, gluten free of course. I tasted it, it's yummy. Enjoy.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Ingredients:
3 cups sliced strawberries
2 cups sliced rhubarb
3-4 tablespoons granulated sugar (depending on how sweet your tooth is.)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose gluten free flour
A dash each, ground cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger
1/4 cup butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place strawberries and rhubarb in a square 9x9 baking dish and mix with granulated sugar.

In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour, spices and cut butter in until it forms a crumble. Sprinkle topping over fruit and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until bubbly and slightly golden.

Serve with ice cream or alone, trust me... it's tasty.

A slightly sweet twist.

2009-04-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

Come join us over at the Gluten Free Homemaker's blog for What's for Dinner Wednesday. A gluten free blog carnival to help fuel your what's for dinner brainstorm.

This last year I discovered a recipe for pork roast, a recipe that I was actually very unsure of trying. You see, I think my roasts should be savory, who ever heard of a sweet roast. Brown sugar, applesauce, cinnamon... PORK! It just couldn't taste right. However, I also like to try new preparations for old favorites. My husband loves a slightly sweet twist to things, so I decided to give it a go. I'm happy I did.

This has been adjusted from the original recipe, which was already gluten free. However I cut back on a few ingredients and changed the cooking method.

Pork Roast with Brown Sugar and Applesauce (adapted)

Ingredients:
2 lb boneless pork roast
1 single serving all natural applesauce
Dash of cinnamon (more or less to taste)
1/2 cup light brown sugar (lightly packed)
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger (I use freshly grated)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a small bowl, mix applesauce, brown sugar, cinnamon, and ginger.

Place roast in a casserole dish, pour applesauce mixture over top of the roast and put the lid on the dish. Place in the oven for an hour (or until done when temped.)

Serve.

Baked Cavatelli

2009-04-22T09:33:00.001-07:00

Join us for What's for Dinner Wednesday over at the Gluten Free Homemaker. We love sharing dinner ideas, whether it be side dishes, main courses or dessert. Share your ideas too, the more the merrier.

Last week I thought I would try to make a dish called baked cavatelli, I don't know why it's called that, but I made it. It was very very easy and oddly enough tasted a lot like lasagna, a very easy to put together version of it. Tasted great and made quite a bit of food.

I've learned that sometimes easier is better. I had all these ingredients on hand which also made it handy.

Baked Cavatelli:

Boil up 2 cups gluten free noodles, I like spiral noodles or macaroni noodles for my baked dishes. Drain.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate bowl grate 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and a jars worth of red pasta sauce (your choice.) Add the drained noodles and mix gently.

Saute some onions, italian sausage and mushrooms until tender (Make up as much as you like, you're eating this dish so adjust it to your taste,) and then add to the noodles and sauce, again mix gently.

Pour mixture into a casserole dish and bake at 350 until heated through and a bit bubbly. Add a bit of mozzarella to the top and return to the oven until melted. Serve.

Tostada Pizza

2009-04-17T09:35:00.000-07:00

So I wanted to participate in Friday Foodie Fix - Avocado.... but, my family doesn't really eat it unless its in guacamole form. I did however come up with an idea for a meal that would be perfect with or without the addition of avocado.

Tostada Pizza... this is so easy. Make your favorite gluten free pizza crust, prebake it for 5 to 10 minutes. Then smear a can of refried beans or smooshed pinto beans with jalapeno (like I did) on the crust. Top with some ground meat (turkey, beef, chicken... whatever you use,) that you've browned with a 4 oz can of chiles, a bit of chile powder and some taco seasoning (to your taste of course,) and put back in the oven until your crust reaches doneness. Top with some cheddar or monterey jack and put back in the oven until just melted, 1 or 2 minutes. Remove your pizza from the oven and top with your favorite tostata toppings.

Honestly, this was really tasty. The flavors weren't anything new or suprising the having this on a pizza crust added just the right amount of specialness that it made for a really good and filling dinner.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

2009-04-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

Come join us over at the Gluten Free Homemaker for What's for Dinner Wednesdays. You'll find many great ideas for meals, sides and even dessert. It's fun, share your food with us.

I decided to try something this week that I hadn't as gluten free yet. I knew I didn't want to do anything fancy so I planned to just keep it simple. Simple and quick.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

All you'll need is 4 chicken breast halves, 4 thin slices of some ham or proccuitto, 4 slices of swiss cheese and some toothpicks.

Pound the chicken out between 2 pieces of plastic wrap using the flat side of a tenderizer, or a rolling pin... or however you want to do it. Just don't mutilate the breasts.

Salt and pepper each piece of chicken, lay a piece of meat and cheese down and roll. Hold in place with a toothpick.

Put in a saute pan (I use cast iron so I could put it in the oven,) just under medium heat. Cook through (took 20 minutes or so for me.) Remove toothpicks before serving. I made a mustard sauce to go on them, but I'm sure there are many other things you could do. Have fun, make it your own.

Enjoy.

This weeks menu.

2009-04-13T19:51:00.001-07:00

So this week I'm trying a couple of new things. Nothing extraordinary, just items I don't regularly make. Should be fun, and tasty. I'll probably try to make a gluten free flourless chocolate cake from the Goddess this week too... I bought all the stuff for it.

Monday: Baked Cavatelli (I'm using spiral noodles.)

Tuesday: Chicken Cordon Bleu (yes a gluten free version, this is my super excited about it this week recipe.)

Wednesday: Tostada Pizza, yum yum.

Thursday: Some sort of fish (haven't decided yet and I'll buy it fresh that day.)

Friday: BBQ Chicken Drummets with Caramelized carrots

Saturday: Meatloaf and potatoes (using ground venison and turkey.)

Sunday: Leftovers

The Sweeter Side.

2009-04-07T20:37:00.000-07:00

I have a toddler that's recently turned two. This little boy has amazed me in his short lifespan, eating everything I put on his plate, especially the spicy or very unusual tasting things. From the beginning of his non-milk meals I have fed him homemade foods, pureeing my own vegetables, mashing my own fruit. I wanted him to have the best he could get, without the extra sugar and whatever else processed foods have in them, (although you can find "baby" foods that are pretty natural with not a lot of added junk.) It simply felt good to be taking good care of him.

The last couple of weeks however, his little appetite has hit a roadblock. The Dr. says it's normal for little ones his age to go through a phase like this, a lot of it has to do with texture. My little guy is also teething heavily. He's been quite slow getting his teeth in, the first one didn't break skin until 10 months and then it was another 3 before the second one came through. We still have 1/3 of the way to go before he's done.

So, vegetables are not his favorite at the moment. However, he loves fruit. So I thought to myself, what if I tried to sweeten up the vegetables. Maybe I could get some in him that way. Low and behold he actually ate some, and so did my husband, which is saying something. So here are two vegetables that I sweetened up a bit. Maybe you'll like them too. Feel free to share some of your toddler tips with me, let me know how you get your little ones to eat their foods.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar.
No real recipe here. I bought the squash at the market and followed the baking directions. When the squash was done I slabbed some butter on it, and some brown sugar and then stuck it under the broiler to caramelize. I served it hot with a little salt and pepper. Now, I don't normally care for squash, but this won even me over.

Caramelized Carrots
Again, no real recipe here. I sauteed the carrots in some butter until they just started to get some color on them and then added just a touch of brown sugar. These I must say were very tasty and inspired by a caramelized sweet potato and carrots baby food that my son used to love. I know, a strange inspiration... but they taste great.

Curry

2009-03-31T13:04:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weeks I've had a desire to eat curry, a lot of it. While I haven't exactly eaten a lot, I have eaten some. It's so nice to be able to put together a quick meal served on rice that warms you through. I think that (other than rice) the total prep and cook time for the meal pictured below was 20 minutes. I love my wok.

There really isn't a recipe. I marinated a beef steak in a couple of tablespoons gluten free curry powder, some soy sauce and about a tablespoon of vinegar. I browned the meat, julienned some leeks, sliced some onions and stir fried them with some ginger and garlic. I added some water to make it a little more saucy and served over brown rice cooked in beef broth. Quick, easy and tasty.

This last weekend we had a spring craft show. I love going to these, it's $5 for entry for the weekend and I get to admire a plethora of crafty peoples handywork. I'm usually sad that I can't taste anything however (due to nothing being gluten free or it all being garnished with a pretzel or cracker.)

This show though I was presently surprised. Not only could I taste something, but it was curry in nature. When the girl at the booth said, "There's no wheat in any of it, I can't eat wheat either," I almost squealed in delight. It was so tasty in fact that I bought one of each variety. I recommend them, they are very easy to use and taste so very good. Head on over to Kali's Table and check them out. Give them a try, if you like indian flavors you'll like these.

Join us over at The Gluten Free Homemaker for What's for Dinner Wednesday. It's fun and there are plenty of gluten free dinner ideas to be had.

Leftover chicken remade.

2009-03-25T12:56:00.000-07:00

Please check out the Gluten Free Homemaker and participate in What's for dinner Wednesay?

Every once in a while I'll get a rotisserie chicken or roast a chicken myself. There's nothing like a juicy tender piece of roast chicken with crispy skin seasoned just right for dinner. Maybe even two dinners in a row... three nights is just to much however.

So when I'm looking to remake roasted chicken on a second or third night I have a few go-to's. Chicken noodle soup is one. I'm a soup person and can eat it all year round. Having leftover meat on a bird and Tinkyada noodles makes this easy. I almost always have the carrots, celery, onion, garlic and frozen peas (they are a staple in my fridge/freezer,) and bouillon or broth. This is a meal that makes my family happy and I love to serve it.

Another meal I like to make with leftover chicken is pot pie. I use a vinegar pastry (You can find it in Bette Hagman's The Gluten Free Gourmet, pg. 146.)and it is so yummy. I also use her cream of soup base for making the sauce once I've sauteed all my vegetables up.

A third option for me, and certainly not the last is another recipe I found on allrecipes.com. I've only made a couple of changes to the original as it's a gluten free recipe from the start.

Terri's Chicken Carcass Stew

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups shredded, cooked chicken meat
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 (15 ounce) can ranch-style beans
1 (7 ounce) can diced green chiles
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pinch dried oregano
4 cups chicken broth
2 1/2 tablespoons dry potato flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Place chicken, onion, tomatoes, undrained pinto beans, green chili peppers, oregano, chili powder and pepper into a slow cooker. Add enough chicken broth to cover ingredients and cook on low for 6 hours. An hour prior to serving add potato flakes and let thicken.
I like to cook this on the stove top rather than the crockpot I find it helps thicken it up a bit as I can simmer it down if needed. It tastes fine from the crockpot but is much more like a soup than a stew. I also removed the hominy from the recipe as my family doesn't care for it.

Banana Bread.

2009-03-23T15:08:00.000-07:00

I have a two year old, perfect little person running around the house right now that I'm very happy to claim as my son. He loves fruit of every shape, size, color, texture and taste, and so I almost always have some in the house. Especially bananas.

Seven times out of ten there will be at least one banana leftover from the bunch for the week and so I'll toss it in the freezer. At some point a little while back I realized I had quite a few chilly little morsels in there and thought I should do something with them. Naturally banana bread came to mind. A perfect little treat and a great way to use those under loved bananas in the freezer.

I used my Better Homes and Garden recipe book for this and simply substituted the all purpose flour with my gluten free flour blend (Bette Hagman's four flour bean mix,) which complemented the banana bread splendidly.

Four Flour Bean Mix Formula (Makes 3 cups):
2/3 cup garfava bean flour
1/3 cup sorghum flour
1 cup cornstarch
1 cup tapioca starch/flour

Banana Bread

* 2 cups four flour bean mix
* 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 1-1/2 cups mashed banana (5 medium)
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup melted butter
* 1 recipe Streusel-Nut Topping (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of one 9x5x3-inch or two 7-1/2x3-1/2x2-inch loaf pans; set aside. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl combine eggs, banana, sugar, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Spoon batter into prepared pan(s). If desired, sprinkle Streusel Topping over batter.

3. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes for 9x5x3-inch pan or 40 to 45 minutes for 7-1/2x3-1/2x2-inch pans or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean (if necessary, cover loosely with foil the last 15 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning). Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

4. Makes 1 loaf (16 slices)

5. Streusel-Nut Topping: In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup packed brown sugar and 3 tablespoons gluten free flour. Using a pastry blender, cut in 2 tablespoons butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Some darn yummy chicken.

2009-03-19T19:06:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite recipe sites is allrecipes.com and I find myself there a couple of times a week looking through recipes and trying to find some that are easily converted to be gluten free. There is always so much to look at, beautiful pictures, fabulous feedback from people who have tried the recipes and a great interface. I pass the site on to anybody I talk to as a great resource for online inspiration.

One creative battle I always seem to be fighting is that of finding a new way to serve chicken. So one day while I was traipsing around on allrecipes.com I found this little beauty. It has mushrooms, it has garlic, it has balsamic vinegar. Thinking about it makes my mouth water... slightly tangy with an earthy quality that just hits the spot each time I serve it.

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do and if you need a little chicken inspiration maybe you've just found it.

Chicken Breasts with Balsamic Vinegar and Garlic (slightly modified)

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Clean mushrooms. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat and saute the chicken until it is nicely browned on one side (about 3 minutes).
Add the garlic. Turn the chicken breasts and scatter the mushrooms over them. Continue frying, shaking the skillet and stirring the mushrooms. Cook for about 3 minutes, then add the vinegar, broth, bay leaf and thyme. Cover tightly and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
Transfer the chicken to a warm serving platter and cover with foil. Set aside. Continue simmering the sauce, uncovered, over medium high heat for about 7 minutes. Swirl in the butter or margarine and discard the bay leaf. Pour this mushroom sauce mixture over the chicken and serve.

It's pizza night.

2009-03-17T22:53:00.000-07:00

In my house pizza is served often, my husband and 2 year old love it. They have their own gluten infected pizza stone on which to bake up a nice thin crust as often as they like. I too love pizza, however I don't have it nearly as often as I used to now that I don't eat any gluten.

I've tried many varieties of gluten free pizza and dough. A few frozen, which while edible weren't anything to write home about. Many homemade crusts I didn't find edible at all, and quite a bit of trial and error were involved in finding one that I liked.

Forget a pan crust, there really isn't anything you want in a really thick crust when it comes to gluten free in regards to pizza (in my opinion.) These are the recipes that I more often than not ended up throwing in the trash the taste and bite just not right. Gluten free bread tends to be dense, and I don't feel like chewing my pizza all night long. I'll tell you now, I used to love a pan crust, Pizza Hut was my favorite... nice and greasy. I've since switched to thin crust and I've found one I'll share.

If you have Bette Hagman's Gluten Free Gourmet (revised addition) you'll find the recipe for Pat's Thin Yeast Crust there, pg 244, mine has pizza sauce stains on it. That's what I use, it makes a wonderful tasting crispy thin crust that can be held in your hand or eaten with a knife and fork. Even my husband will eat it and tell you straight to your face that you wouldn't know the difference. I've made a couple of changes to the recipe, and you can too. Cooking/Baking is about finding your own way in the kitchen. Have fun. Enjoy this pizza with a beverage, maybe one of the gluten free beers I've tried lately would go well with it.

Pat's Thin Yeast Crust

1 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast granules
1 cup warm water 105 to 115 degrees (you may or may not need a bit more or less than the cup.)
1 teaspoon sugar
2/3 cup rice flour (I use brown.)
1/3 cup potato starch flour
1 tablespoon potato flour (I use sorghum here)
1 1/2 teaspoons melted shortening (I use butter)
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees

In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of the warm water with the sugar added. Let set until yeast bubbles and the quantity doubles.

Add all the rest of the ingredients, using enough of the remaining water to get a dough the consistency of cake frosting that will spread, not run, when all ingredients are thoroughly beaten. On your pizza stone or greased cookie sheet pour your batter out. Spead with a spatula until you have a nice circle 12" to 12 1/2 " around. If you want leave more at the edge for raised sides.

Bake for 10 minutes and remove from oven, add sauce and toppings and return to the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

This weeks menu.

2009-03-16T17:59:00.000-07:00

This week should be fun. Filled with some comfort food and hitting a couple of my favorite dishes too. If you have any questions about what I'm using just ask. I'll try to post a recipe or two during the week that link back to the menu.

Monday: Grilled cheese sandwiches (using millet bread) and tomato soup.

Tuesday: Baked mac n' cheese

Wednesday: Chicken Pad Thai

Thursday: Garlic Chicken and brown rice pilaf

Friday: Venison steaks in a red wine mushroom sauce and leftover pilaf

Saturday: Chicken pot pie

Sunday: Leftovers

Gluten Free Beers, and the winner is!!

2009-03-15T13:01:00.001-07:00

Before I quit gluten I loved having an ice cold beer after a long hard day of yard work, BS at the office, or while relaxing with a movie and popcorn. However since then I've had a very limited choice of beverages, and while I like wine... it's just not the same.

A year or so ago, I found Redbridge. I was very excited as I finally had a gluten free alternative to the beer I used to drink. It was passable, while certainly not on par with my former beer of choice I made due. If I drank it ice cold it wasn't to bad, however even a little bit warm and it left a lot to be desired. I'd put it on par with the Bud/Coor's light beers I used to drink on occasion.

I've tried Bard's gluten free beer, it's a step up from Redbridge with a slightly bolder flavor and more body. If they were on the shelf side by side, I'd reach for this first. I just found that my local grocer Yokes in West Richland carries this beer now. It's much more affordable than the next beer I'm going to mention. Which makes it a decent tasting pocket friendly beer.

I've recently tried a gluten free beer called Toleration. Don't bother. This beverage can't even be classified as a beer. From the moment you open the bottle you're taken over by a whif of sickly sweet fruitiness. If you can stomach the smell enough to actually taste it you'll be dissapointed to find that while slightly bubbly, its syrupy flavor and slight bitterness will make it difficult to swallow. I tried to give it a decent go, but after 6 oz or so I poured it down the drain. For an expensive bottle of "beer" I was quite upset that it was undrinkable. Not only did it taste and smell bad, a couple of hours later I was quite sick from it and subsequently spent much of the late evening hours in the bathroom. This is one you should just leave on the shelf.

There has been only one gluten free beer that has completely impressed me, they have a variety of brews so I can get a "darker" beer just like I want. Drinking an ice cold Green's gluten free beer leaves me wanting for nothing. Just enjoying the flavor and remembering what a great beer tastes like. The ability to get it locally also moves it up on my list.

So if you were to ask me which gluten free beer I recommend, they would be in this order. Green's first and foremost, Bard's and then Redbridge. Try one, or two of these and see what you think.

What's this! Another magazine just for us!!

2009-03-11T21:10:00.000-07:00

Gluten Free Living is another great looking magazine on the market available to those of us living gluten free. If you visit their website you have access to a plethora of information. They have a twitter presence, a blog, and much more!! Thank you for the comment to my previous post that led me to the discovery of this magazine as well!!

A magazine just for us!!

2009-03-11T14:27:00.000-07:00

"Check out this amazing new magazine! Delight gluten free is a fun food & lifestyle magazine for people with Celiac Disease, gluten intolerance and food allergies. It hosts delicious gourmet recipes and easy semi-homemade as well. Don't miss the Gluten-Free Meals on a Budget either. Whatever your food allergy you should be able to find something that fits your household, in their February issue they offer gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, soy-free and even some rice-free recipes. Not only that, this magazine has a travel section coming in May that will host lots of fun ideas and good advice for when you venture out on the road. Personal stories, inspiring articles on Autism, Q & A with the Doc are among the other features of this magazine."

I'm very excited to see this finally happen. A magazine just for those of us eating/living gluten free. Everyday finding information, recipes, and inspiration for living gluten free gets easier to come by. Please check out this magazine, and if it seems like it's right up your alley try a subscription. http://www.delightgfmagazine.com. A subscription is just $14 a year/4 issues. Not bad if you ask me.

If you know of other gluten free magazines and/or resources leave me a comment and let me know. I'd love to take a look at them too!

Tuna noodle casserole.

2009-03-11T11:26:00.000-07:00

One of the dishes I miss on occasion since going gluten free is tuna noodle casserole. My inability to fulfill this craving was not because I couldn't find a pasta that would work. Tinkyada is great and I knew it would stand up to this kind of preparation. I'll admit that what held me back was my fear of the roux and my inability to find a recipe that didn't use cream of mushroom soup. Darn condensed soups all have gluten in them.

So I decided to try making a roux one day for a baked mac n' cheese. I used my favorite four flour bean mix (Bette Hagman) and butter. What do you know, it acted just like the glutenous variety of old. There was nothing to be afraid of. If only I'd tried it years ago. I gained confidence and decided I would try to find a recipe for tuna noodle casserole that didn't call for cream of mushroom soup. I turned to allrecipes.com and found one I thought might work. No canned ingredients here.

I made it, and it tasted fabulous. I hope you enjoy and want to try.

Tuna Noodle Casserole (adapted)

5 tablespoons butter, divided
1 (8 ounce) package uncooked gluten free macaroni
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup four flour bean mix (gluten free)
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained and flaked
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 cup crushed potato chips
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Butter or grease a medium baking dish.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add gluten free noodles, cook cook until al dente. (follow directions on package.)
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion, celery, and garlic, and cook 5 minutes, until tender. Increase heat to medium-high, and mix in mushrooms. Continue to cook and stir 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan, and whisk in gf flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk, and continue cooking 5 minutes, until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in tuna, peas, mushroom mixture, and cooked noodles. Transfer to the baking dish. Sprinkle potato chips over casserole. Top with cheese.
Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Apple Pie.

2009-03-07T20:49:00.001-08:00

I love pie. I used to eat pie as often as the chance arose, every variety (except pecan... don't much care for that one.) However, since going gluten free a few years back, my pie consumption has dwindled to zero. I've tried making cereal crusts, cookie crusts and various pastry crusts... and I'm just not that impressed.

After a few recipe trials I've found that my favorite pie crust is a vinegar pastry crust. I use it for both sweet and savory dishes. It's slightly flaky, has a nice texture and holds up very well. A sweet apple or cream pie tastes just as good in it as a chicken pot pie does. This is one crust I can't do without now. You can find it in Bette Hagman's The Gluten Free Gourmet, pg. 146.

I decided to make an apple pie not long ago... well, this last fall. It came out so good that I ended up making four or five of them. I just took my favorite apple pie recipe and replaced the All Purpose Flour with my favorite gluten free blend. I put a wonderful crumble on top, again following the recipe and just switching out the flour for gluten free (I prefer Bette Hagman's Four Flour Bean mix) and used the vinegar pastry crust for the bottom. I can't wait to make another. This was a very yummy pie.

Apple Pie:

1 prepared pastry crust
6-7 cups sliced peeled cooking granny smith apples
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons four flour bean mix (gf)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

In a large bowl stir together the 3/4 cup sugar, flour cinnamon and nutmeg. Add sliced apples and gently toss until coated.

Transfer apple mixture to the pastry lined pie plate and top with crumble mixture (see below)

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 50-60 minutes or until fruit is tender and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack.

Crumble Topping:

1/2 cup four flour bean mix (gf)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter

Cut butter into the flour and brown sugar with a pastry blender or fork until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle on top of pie.

Note: One great thing about a gluten free crust. I've yet to get a burnt one due to how much longer it takes to brown gluten free flours.

Onion rings.

2009-02-25T15:00:00.000-08:00

One of the sides I miss most since going gluten free is onion rings. My taste for onions bloomed fairly recently, I'd say in the last 10 years and even more so since I married my husband who LOVES them. So it seems that I had just really started enjoying a food when it was swiped out from under me. Forbidden to be eaten.

I did some reading and couldn't find any recipes that didn't call for wheat flour or beer. However I'm an avid food network fan and one day as I was watching Tyler Florence, I discovered something precious. He made onion rings that day; delicious, golden, crunchy on the outside gooey on the inside onion rings! The best part was he made them with rice flour.

I decided to try for myself, so I pulled out my favorite onion ring recipe and substituted the glutenous flour with rice flour. They came out wonderful. I may even try a beer battered onion ring some day soon as I've found some decent gluten free beer as well. So try it, it couldn't be easier. Make some onion rings to go with those lettuce wrapped burgers or tasty steaks.

Pasta!

2009-02-15T13:37:00.001-08:00

Before I went gluten free I was a huge pasta fan. I loved it in every form... Olive Garden was my favorite, the Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo what I usually ordered. Learning that I had to go gluten free filled me with despair. I'd never eat pasta again.

I've tried many different gluten free pastas. When I first changed my diet one of the only varieties I could find was corn pasta. It was ok, certainly nothing like the good ol' glutenous pasta of my pre-gluten free days. It tended to be grainy and break up easily. The texture was nothing to write home about and it just didn't stand up to cooking well.

I tried making fresh gluten free pasta... but I've never really liked the texture of fresh pasta, I can never tell when it's cooked all the way. Needless to say, I didn't like the fresh gluten free version either.

I love rice noodles, and would use them often for stir-fry or asian dishes once I worked out the proper preparation of them, and trust me... there were many inedible batches. Rice noodles just don't taste right with spaghetti sauce though and so my search continued.

Then one day I found Tinkyada and my life has been better ever since. Finally a noodle (and so far I have yet to be dissapointed by any of the Tinkyada varieties,) that can stand up to cooking, isn't grainy, and tastes good. A noodle that I can say comes so very close to my pre-gluten free noodles I used to love. When somebody asks for a recommendation I tell them Tinkyada and that's what I'm telling you too. Try them, enjoy them... eat spaghetti again, or lasagna or ever just noodles and garlic with a little butter all so very tasty.

What's for Dinner?

2008-12-08T10:15:00.000-08:00

This week I've decided to try making 2 dishes I've never made before. I usually like to try at least one new dish, however I was feeling ambitious. Last weeks menu went without a hitch, very tasty and very pleasing. I can't wait to try this weeks menu. Remember while I may not state that something is gluten free, everything I make will be gluten free using gluten free ingredients.

Monday: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup (I'll be using millet bread, happens to be one of my favorite gluten free breads, slightly sweet, very tasty.)

Tuesday: Spinach and mushroom stuffed chicken breast (a Rachael Ray recipe I'll be trying for the first time,) with rice pilaf.

Wednesday: Meatloaf and leftover rice pilaf.

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Dinner out with a friend

Saturday: Curry Beef on a bed of Jasmine Rice

Sunday: Goulash

This week I'll be making candy to give as gifts to friends and neighbors. We're on a strict gift giving budget this year so this is the perfect route for us. Tasty and affordable gifts for all. So I'll be making caramel corn, peppermint bark and fudge.

What's for Dinner?

2008-12-01T15:19:00.000-08:00

Last week was wonderful, plump full of family, friends and good food. I hosted a delicious gluten free meal at my house where turkey, cornbread stuffing, butternut squash soup, green beans , sweet potatoes and gluten/dairy free pumpkin pie were all invited as well as many other great tasting foods. I had plenty of help and thankfully mindful family and friends who each contributed a dish.

Leftovers have consisted of open face sandwiches for the husband, turkey rolled in lettuce with a little pepper and mayo (I don't even miss the bread,) and almost as good as mom's turkey soup. However it's a new week, and amazingly enough... there is no turkey left. Here is what we'll be eating.

Monday: Chili (homemade, nothing from a can here.)

Tuesday: Stuffed Potatoes and Tilapia Fillets

Wednesday: Carbonara

Thursday: Tacos

Friday: Tuna Noodle Casserole

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Burgers (mine will be bunless... :-( and homemade fries.

It looks like a yummy week to me. Glad to have that chore done, now to do the shopping.

Doubly Chocolate Cookies

2008-11-26T09:33:00.000-08:00

I LOVE Chocolate, I could eat it everyday. I especially love dark chocolate. Luckily it's one of the few things that I can be fairly sure is gluten free, so safe to eat. I've found a cookie recipe that when adapted to be gluten free is just what I need. It's a nice soft cookie, somewhat dense like a brownie, and has terrific flavor. I prefer them well cooled instead of slightly warm out of the oven, but that's how I like most of my cookies. My father who loves brownies asks for this cookie regularly, and it's one of the only chocolate cookies my lactose intolerant mother can eat (butter doesn't bug her and I use dark chocolate so no milk.)

I've tried making this recipe with a few different flours and a sweet rice flour/all purpose combo seems to work best. It helps the cookies hold their shape without having to add extra flour for omitting nuts from the original recipe.

So if you love chocolate as much as I do, and crave a cookie, try this recipe. It's the holiday season, I have a feeling Santa will be getting some of these under the tree this year. I'm sure he loves chocolate as much as I do.

Doubly Chocolate Cookies

8 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate
10-12oz dark chocolate chips (just because you can)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup softened butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour (I use 1/4 cup sweet rice flour and 1/4 cup GF all purpose.)
1/4 tsp baking powder
(You can add nuts if you like, I prefer no nuts... 1 cups if you choose to and reduce the chips to 8 oz. instead of a full package.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put the semi-sweet chocolate in a microwaveable bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute. Stir until completely melted.

Add sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla; stir until well blended. Add flour and baking powder mix, well and then stir in your chocolate chips and/or nuts.

Let the batter hang out for 10 minutes or so. It'll thicken up a bit and be much easier to place on your cookie sheet. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes (I find 11 is perfect for my oven) or until puffed and shiny looking.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

A new habit.

2008-11-24T09:43:00.000-08:00

Recently my husband has started working for himself. This is a great step for us and he's very happy and enjoying the journey immensely. While it's a little scary, it's also given me the opportunity to pick up some new habits. I've been having to cut expenses in various places. The first and easiest area to tackle was the grocery budget. Up until the last couple of months I would just go to the store whenever I needed some ingredients, would fill up the basket (mostly with impulse purchases,) and head out. I didn't have a plan and ended up spending quite a bit per month on groceries.

So I've started making a weekly menu. I usually do my shopping on Sunday and the menu I write up for the week runs Monday through Sunday. Just by making up a menu and sticking to those items I need to make those meals (and breakfast and lunch supplies as well,) while shopping, I cut my grocery bill by more than half. I was completely amazed. I also love not having to ask myself what's for dinner each night, I already know. So I thought I might share my weekly menu's with you, nothing fancy and you'll see that I plan for a leftover night, we're not big on leftovers for some reason and if I don't plan them, they don't get eaten. I do try to make something I haven't tried before at least once a week. This isn't a typical week of course, we'll be eating leftovers most of it.

Monday: Hearty vegetable soup.

Tuesday: Brats and Tots.

Wednesday: Venison Stew.

Thursday: THANKSGIVING!!!! Turkey, gluten free cornbread stuffing, green beans in mushroom wine sauce (my moms recipe and I'll be sharing it later,) roasted potatoes, gluten/dairy free pumpkin pie!

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Turkey Soup

Give making a menu a try. You may find that it works great for you, relieving the stress of having to figure out what's for dinner every night and maybe cutting your grocery bill a bit. I know I'm enjoying it and it's a habit I intend to keep.

Chicken Smoosh

2008-11-07T08:33:00.000-08:00

A few months back my neighbor invited me over for dinner, it was very last minute. Last minute meals out almost never go well for me, eating gluten free and not at home requires planning and and generally some mild coaching, "Yes that's ok, no... that has wheat in it." I accepted and decided to make the most of it, after all Adam was traveling and I would be cooking for one if I declined, something I tend not to enjoy.

I walked out my front door and the 100 feet or so to her front door. The family greeted me, 2 wild little boys running around screaming. I've since come to learn that they love company of any sort. It felt good to have company and the prospect of sitting at a table with people instead of at mine alone was pleasant. We all sat down, bowls were passed out, spoons, and glasses.

"I hope you can eat this," she said. "I talked to Jennifer (another neighbor,) and she told me you can't have wheat so this is what I came up with."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," I replied with a smile. I was amazed that she knew of my dietary needs and had actually tried to meet them.

The dish she prepared was simple, crock pot magic. It was like a chili but it wasn't. It was very hearty and could stand on it's own, something I knew I would like to make at home. I asked her what was in it and she gave me a rough accounting, no wheat. I could eat. We talked, the boys misbehaved and the evening was enjoyed.

A few weeks later I decided I would try and recreate the dish for Adam. Once a week I try and do something in the crock pot. It's easy and there's usually enough for leftovers, a lifesaving trait for those nights I just don't feel like cooking or we're in a time crunch. I couldn't find an exact recipe on the internet so I took a couple of different ones and used them for a starting block. Here's the end result, named by my husband who is fond of the dish and feeling playful the night he ate it.

Chicken Smoosh:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cubed

1 - meduim onion diced

1 - 4 oz can diced green chiles

1 - 15 oz can black beans

1 - 15 oz can diced tomatoes

1 - 6 oz can tomato paste

15 oz sweet corn (canned or frozen)

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons chile powder

Salt to taste

Directions

Add all ingredients to a crock pot/slow cooker. Cook on low 5-6 hours. Top with cheddar cheese or sour cream and a side of tortilla chips if you like and serve. Makes 4-6 servings.

Pumpkin Seeds.

2008-11-03T22:02:00.000-08:00

So it's the time of year that pumpkins are all around. Whether they are being carved, put in a pie or used for decoration you are probably seeing them everywhere. I love fall and the plethora of color that comes with it. I've even painted my kitchen pumpkin toast. As I take an occasional walk in the crisp fall air I see signs of the season everywhere and I love it. The sound of little children laughing all bundled up, leaves being raked, and birds chirping in bare trees as they get ready to fly south. All these things make the season right for me, I would go so far as to say I probably enjoy fall the most.

Every year I roast the measly couple of cups of pumpkin seeds I get from carving my halloween pumpkin. Sometimes it's these easy and quick little things that allow the feel of the season to creep in. This year I decided to try something a little different than my normal simply salted and roasted variety. These were adapted from another recipe I found and call for Worcestershire sauce, I use Lea & Perrin's as it is gluten free.

Gluten Free Roasted Pumpkin Seeds:

2 cups pumpkin seeds (raw)
3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Melt the butter and add all other ingredients. Mix well. Roast in a 275 degree oven in a shallow pan for 1 hour and moisture has evaporated.

If you like it saltier... by all mean change it up. I know next year I'll probably change it up a little as well, maybe trying to add a little heat with some chile sauce or cayenne. Cooking is an adventure, so enjoy yourself. Find a recipe you like and change it up just a little. That's how you start making the kitchen yours.

A life without wheat.

2008-10-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

Most my life I believed I was lactose intolerant. I was always sick, for longer than I can remember. Whether I cut the dairy out or ate it I was sick, which in my adult life I found a little suspicious. I picked up a book called The False Fat Diet on a whim, wondering if my difficulty losing weight was attributed to more than my feeble attempts at it. In this book I read that there were many major allergens; eggs, dairy, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, shellfish, wheat... and you could figure out what you were truly reacting to by eliminating it from your diet for a number of days. I started with wheat. Ten days later I felt great; I was regular, less bloated, and had more energy.

I was ready to start my new life, happy that I knew what it was that was making me sick. However, being gluten/wheat free is harder than it sounds and can be very overwhelming. The number of ingredients you have to watch for, learning how to prepare foods and cook with ingredients that don't always work well on their own, not being able to safely eat out or at other people's houses. All these things had me very discouraged and I fell off the wagon. I started eating wheat and gluten again... and a lot of it. So much so that I not only had constant runs, but I started getting hives, bloating, migraines, and I became listless. The more miserable I became the more resolve I had to break myself of my addiction and get healthy.

It's been four or five years now, I haven't really kept that close a track on the time that has passed and I've managed to stay gluten/wheat free. While I don't have the confidence or creativity of some of the more well known celiacs and gluten intolerants, I do feel that I've got a knack for making tasty food and keeping the craving for what makes me sick at bay. I'm creating this blog as a way to share some of the recipes I've made, and an outlet for my need to create in the kitchen. I don't do it often, as I'm not fond of failure and cooking/baking gluten free is living in an experimental limbo. Many recipes are busts before the right combination of ingredients comes together. The more I experiment though, the more confident I get. While I don't just make recipes up, I tend to adapt recipes to my needs I do feel I'm creating something great each time I manage to pull one off.

Being celiac or gluten intolerant isn't the end of the world. It's the beginning of an adventure, a roller coaster if you will. There are a lot of learning curves. With help your friends and family will catch on and will love being able to feed you safely as mine have. There are more and more restaurants out there that have gluten free options, and they really are, down to the pans they cook in not being cross contaminated. Everyday new better tasting options are out there for us, helping us not miss the wheat. I hope you enjoy reading and can maybe garner a bit of wisdom here and there, learning from my mistakes. I'll share, pictures and recipes that have passed the test here at home with my loved ones and my friends.