Delightfully Gluten Free

October 29, 2008

GF Halloween Candy

Filed under: Uncategorized — Cassandra @ 7:58 pm

It’s that time of year again. Halloween, the craziest candy day of the year.

And the day after Halloween? That’s the day that a whole bucketful of candy makes its way to the fire station. Not only is it a great way to dispose of gluteny or questionable candy, but it also saves me from eating too much, lol. (Unfortunately, it is usually my husband that consumes all the candy at the station.)

Melonie at the Silly Yaks Yahoo group has put out a gf candy list for 2008. It has been cross-posted here on the Delphi Celiac forum.

But it seems that gluten-free is the word on the street. Well, at any rate, it’s the phrase on the bag. While waiting for a prescription this afternoon, Braden and I perused the Halloween candy aisle at Target. We found “gluten free” written under the ingredients lists of Chocolate Skittles, Sour Skittles (but not the regular skittles, go figure), Starburst, the various Mike & Ike flavors, and Hot Tamales. We also found Florida’s Natural Healthy Treats Nuggets & Stiks, with gluten free on the front of the bag in bold letters.

So keep your eyes open.

And keep safe this Halloween. If a candy does not have a label, then it’s not allergen-friendly. Remember:
WHEN IN DOUBT, LEAVE IT OUT.

Happy Trick or Treating!

October 21, 2008

Mi-Del and Pamela’s at Wal-Mart

Filed under: Reviews — Cassandra @ 1:38 pm

A very noteworthy topic of discussion recently on the Delphi Celiac Forum was the appearance of Mi-Del gf cookies and Pamela’s cookies at a few Wal-Marts across the country.  Ever ready to forward our cause of accessible gluten-free foods, I went on the hunt.  Lo and behold, hidden among the cookies were the Mi-Del gf gingersnaps (next to the gluten Mi-Del gingersnaps) and the Pamela’s chocolate chip cookies.  I would not have seen them had I not been looking specifically at every kind of cookie.

For a fun treat, try making sandwiches out of the gf gingersnaps and some icing (my favorite for this is the Pillsbury cream cheese).  If you let them sit for a few hours or overnight (in a closed container or baggie), then the cookies will get nice and soft.  They are great frozen, too.

WonderBar

Filed under: Reviews — Cassandra @ 1:03 pm

Pre-gluten-free, what was the best thing about shopping at a warehouse store like Costco or Sam’s?  The free tastes of yummy food, of course.  Rare is the occasion that I get anything other than juice these days (which they don’t always have).

But I totally scored the other day at Costco.  The first table was a heavenly display of WonderBar fruit & nut bars, with the words “gluten-free” in big, bold letters at the top of the list!

Almond Apple Cranberry
Macadamia Pineapple
Pumpkin Seed Sesame Raisin
Pistachio Apple
Almond Protein
Cashew Almond Pineapple
Almond Apple Ginger
Hazel Date

I tried all 8 flavors, and really liked them.  I didn’t really have a favorite, but my least favorite was the almond protein (it is good, but it’s closer to a “protein” bar, while the others are fruits, nuts, and grains).  Their special “roadshow” allowed for creating your own box of 16 bars, which I did for my mom to keep at her house for me.

In the spirit of gluten-free snacking, Costco also had tastes of Mrs. Mays cashew crunch snacks.  Mom was being quite splendid, and bought a bag of these for her house, too.  Of course, I don’t expect either package to be full when I show up.

October 9, 2008

Mystery Mix Cookies

Filed under: Desserts, Healthy-ish, Ideas for Leftovers — Cassandra @ 8:31 am

One of the goodies I brought home from the GIG Conference in June was 2 large bags of coffee cake mix, given to me by the head chef.  It was extra mix that didn’t get used for breakfast one day.  Seeing as June was awhile back, and I was wallowing in pregnancy misery for months afterward, I cannot accurately recall where the mix came from.  I’m pretty sure it was a Cravings Place mix, but unfortunately, the company did not respond to my email.

The only thing written on the bag is “coffee base – makes one full hotel pan.”  I don’t know how big a hotel pan is, or what I’m supposed to add to the mix to get coffee cake.

Never fear, experimentation is here.

But if I’m going to experiment, I’m not going for coffee cake.  I want cookies.

Batch #1:

1 cup mystery coffee cake mix
1/2 stick margarine (1/4 cup)
2 eggs
3/4 cup raisins

Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.
These cookies were a little muffiny/cakey.  Some people like that.  I like it for breakfast cookies, but not for snacking cookies.

Batch #2

1 cup mystery coffee cake mix
1 stick margarine (1/2 cup)
1 egg
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.
These cookies were too crumbly.  However, after they sat for a couple of hours, they were just fine.

Batch #3

1 & 1/2 cup mystery coffee cake mix
1 stick margarine (1/2 cup)
2 eggs
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup butterscotch chips (Kroger brand are gf, Nestle are not)

Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.
These were my favorite.  I really like the butterscotch, and the texture was just right.

I did not add any sugar to these cookies.  The mix was not real sweet, but I preferred it that way.  Oats were next on my list to add, but by that time I had a cranky baby.  I’m surprised I was able to make 3 batches of cookies.  I will probably try some more in a few days, since I only used 1/2 of one bag (and I really like cookies).

Have you ever made something out of a mystery mix?

October 2nd – I love her bow!

October 9th – She’s now too big for the preemie clothes (the 2 outfits I had, lol).  She’s getting too big for the “newborn” size as well.  That green outfit in the previous picture is the only one of those I had, along with 2 pairs of pajamas. The pajamas in this picture are a 0-3, which are all still too big.  Corice looks like she’s wearing football shoulder pads, because she’s sliding down in her clothes, lol.

We had our first bad evening last night.  She cried for hours, which is more than she usually cries in a week.  I had no idea what was wrong, either.  Thankfully, she seems to be fine this morning.  She’s just laying here on my lap, sucking on her pacifier (not something she generally does, though).

October 7, 2008

GF on Emeril

Filed under: Uncategorized — Cassandra @ 3:35 pm

Mark your calendar and set your DVR boxes!! On Tuesday October 7th at 8:30pm EST, NFCA’s Vanessa Maltin will appear on the Emeril Green cooking show!

Date: Tuesday October 7th
Time: 8:30pm EST
Channel: Discovery Green

During this episode Emeril will help a newlywed couple learn to cook delicious gluten-free food. The wife was recently diagnosed with celiac disease and wants to make sure she can cook awesome food for her new husband! Emeril takes the couple on a shopping trip through the new Whole Foods store in Virginia and just happens to bump into Vanessa in the bakery! Vanessa will share tips for gluten-free cooking and baking and offer advice on various gluten-free grains and flours.

In the episode you’ll learn to make Pizza, Gazpacho, Italian Salad, and a delicious Pasta dish.

So be sure to tune in to Emeril Green… Tuesday October 7th at 8:30pm!! If you have questions, please contact Vanessa directly at vanessa@celiaccentral.org.

National Foundation for Celiac Awareness
4300 Montgomery Ave, Suite 102
Bethesda, Maryland 20814

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