I have been horrible about blogging lately. Sorry!
I am in the throes of finishing my thesis (finally!), and found out a couple of days ago that my deadline was much sooner (okay just by about a week, but a week makes a huge difference!) than I was thinking. I'm now scrambling to get things done in the free time that I have, and dealing with the occasional (and increasingly frequent) panic attack (or three).
Needless to say, I'm not doing a whole lot of cooking, quality or otherwise (poor Hubby), so there's not a lot to blog about in that department, and my entire life is thesis, so I'll spare you. I'll be back soon! Give me a couple of weeks.
See you soon!
Kelly
3.26.2010
3.21.2010
Carrot Cake
Nothing says springtime to me quite like carrot cake. About this time every year I crave it...and I finally made one this year. The last one I made was pre-GF days!
Obviously, I'm all about easy. I was cruising around Albertson's a couple of days ago looking for cupcake liners (which, by the way, they didn't have and it totally burst my cupcake-craving bubble), and noticed a brand-spanking-new display of all gluten-free baking mixes, flours, and snacks. Yes! At the bottom of the display were a couple of Simply Organic mixes that I hadn't seen anywhere before. Seeing as how I was planning to bake up a carrot cake from scratch, I opted for the unbelievably easy Carrot Cake Mix instead. Lazy? Yep. That's how I roll.
I was almost doubly lazy and started to buy a can of the ever-delicious Betty Crocker icing (I might have kept it in the mini-fridge and eaten it straight out of the can in college...but I'm not confessing), especially since they just announced recently that their icings were gluten-free, but after reading the ingredient list and seeing all the chemicals and corn syrup, I opted to make cream cheese icing from scratch. SO glad I did.
Here's the finished product:
Obviously, I'm all about easy. I was cruising around Albertson's a couple of days ago looking for cupcake liners (which, by the way, they didn't have and it totally burst my cupcake-craving bubble), and noticed a brand-spanking-new display of all gluten-free baking mixes, flours, and snacks. Yes! At the bottom of the display were a couple of Simply Organic mixes that I hadn't seen anywhere before. Seeing as how I was planning to bake up a carrot cake from scratch, I opted for the unbelievably easy Carrot Cake Mix instead. Lazy? Yep. That's how I roll.
I was almost doubly lazy and started to buy a can of the ever-delicious Betty Crocker icing (I might have kept it in the mini-fridge and eaten it straight out of the can in college...but I'm not confessing), especially since they just announced recently that their icings were gluten-free, but after reading the ingredient list and seeing all the chemicals and corn syrup, I opted to make cream cheese icing from scratch. SO glad I did.
Here's the finished product:
This cake was DELICIOUS. In fact, my brother and his best friend came to visit over the weekend and I served it to them without telling them it was gluten-free and they loved it. They didn't believe it when I told them. The cake is super moist, and the icing is divinely rich.
I followed the instructions on the cake mix box exactly (even down to the cooking time), except for one thing: instead of using a cup of shredded carrots, I used a cup of carrot baby food. It's much easier than grating the carrots (no chance of grating a finger), and the cleanup is a cinch. Plus, it adds a little more moisture to the cake, and there are no carrot lumps.
I made the icing from the Cream Cheese Icing recipe in my absolute favorite cookbook, The Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. I've had a copy of this cookbook in my possession as long as I can remember. It's such a good staple cookbook. Anyway, here's the recipe (for one cake or 12 cupcakes):
- 4 oz cream cheese (half a package), softened (I used low-fat and it turned out great)
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Beat together (on medium speed) the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until combined and creamy. Slowly add in the powdered sugar a little bit at a time while beating, and continue until it gets to spreading consistency. Make sure fully combined.
After that, I just scooped out the icing and placed spoonfuls onto the top of the (cooled) cake, then spread it around. So easy...but it tastes like you worked all day!
I made this cake on Friday night...and it's now Sunday night and there's one piece left. I think it was a hit.
Kelly
Spring!
Spring is finally officially here. I don't know why, but this winter has seemed forever long. The amazing snow day that we had a month or so ago was a day I'll never forget, but it's time for some warm Texas weather. There are so many exciting things happening this spring and summer...I just can't wait.
We had our last cold spell over the weekend, so I decided to fit in one last cozy pot roast for good measure. The last time I made pot roast, I was pretty dissatisfied with how it turned out, but this time it was perfect.
We had our last cold spell over the weekend, so I decided to fit in one last cozy pot roast for good measure. The last time I made pot roast, I was pretty dissatisfied with how it turned out, but this time it was perfect.
This is one of my favorite comfort foods. My grandmother made it, my mom made it, and now I'm trying to perfect it. They did theirs on the oven; I'm trying to get mine just right in the crock pot. Here's what I do:
- 1 chuck roast, big enough for your family (ours was about 4 pounds)
- 5 large red potatoes, quartered
- 1/2 to full small bag baby carrots (depending on what we ahve)
- 1/2 to full onion (again, depending on what we have - but we like a whole onion in ours), sliced
- 1 can gluten-free cream of mushroom/chicken/celery soup
- salt and pepper to taste
Layer the quartered potatoes in the bottom of the slow cooker, followed by the carrots, then the onions. Season the vegetables. Season the meat with salt and pepper, then place on top of the vegetables with the fattiest side up. Pour the cream soup over the roast, then top with a couple of slices of onion if desired. Cook on low for 7 hours.
That's it! Easiest thing ever, especially when you cut up the potatoes and onions the night before. We usually have a side salad with it for some extra veggies.
No matter what I do, I can't get it to taste like my mom's or grandmother's...but then again, I can't do it with any recipe. What's up with that?
Kelly
3.18.2010
Gratin Potatoes
I don't know about you, but I try to be as frugal as possible at the grocery store while still getting fresh, flavorful ingredients. I shop the sales and use coupons. I've been this way as long as I can remember, probably from helping my mom shop for the groceries for our family of five on a budget. Turns out, it's a good skill to have in order to offset the gluten-free splurging.
This week I did our grocery shopping at Target, one of my all-time favorite places. I even managed to stay focused and kept myself in the food aisles instead of the shoes, clothes, or home goods. Impressive. While wondering through the produce section gathering my weekly installment of fruit (bananas, grapes, tomatoes, and avocado this week), I noticed that they had a five pound bag of red potatoes on sale. Score! I decided to try a new recipe with them - Gratin Potatoes. I found a great recipe in the Williams-Sonoma Bride and Groom Cookbook that we received as a wedding gift - and it was a hit! I split the recipe in half since it's just The Hubby and me, and I made a couple of small modifications. Here's what I did:
4-5 large red potatoes, sliced thin (about 1/8 inch thick)
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup half-and-half (I used fat-free)
1 teaspoon chopped garlic (in the jar - good stuff)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup to 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (goes on top, so use as much as you like!)
Preheat the oven to 400°. After slicing the potatoes (I left the skin on, but that part is up to you), add the slices and all of the ingredients except the shredded cheese to a large saucepan.
Bring the mixture up to a boil, then take it down to a simmer for 10-12 minutes. The sauce will start to thicken and the potatoes will soften slightly. Transfer the mixture to a greased 8x8 square casserole dish, making sure the slices are semi-layered and evenly distributed. Top with the shredded cheese and bake for 15 minutes. When ready, sauce and cheese will be bubbly and potatoes will be tender.
I plan on attempting to make it a little prettier next time...but otherwise, that's it! The whole process took about 30 minutes. While the potatoes were baking I was able to make a yummy salad...
...and cook a couple of chicken breasts, which were also on sale at Target this week. I ended up with a great meal that only took half an hour!
I have to tell you, this recipe was fantastic, and The Hubby thought so too. It was a nice change-up to our weeknight meals. I'm trying to do better about incorporating new recipes and dishes into our routine.
Now I'm working on dessert. More on that later.
Kelly
This week I did our grocery shopping at Target, one of my all-time favorite places. I even managed to stay focused and kept myself in the food aisles instead of the shoes, clothes, or home goods. Impressive. While wondering through the produce section gathering my weekly installment of fruit (bananas, grapes, tomatoes, and avocado this week), I noticed that they had a five pound bag of red potatoes on sale. Score! I decided to try a new recipe with them - Gratin Potatoes. I found a great recipe in the Williams-Sonoma Bride and Groom Cookbook that we received as a wedding gift - and it was a hit! I split the recipe in half since it's just The Hubby and me, and I made a couple of small modifications. Here's what I did:
4-5 large red potatoes, sliced thin (about 1/8 inch thick)
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup half-and-half (I used fat-free)
1 teaspoon chopped garlic (in the jar - good stuff)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup to 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (goes on top, so use as much as you like!)
Preheat the oven to 400°. After slicing the potatoes (I left the skin on, but that part is up to you), add the slices and all of the ingredients except the shredded cheese to a large saucepan.
Bring the mixture up to a boil, then take it down to a simmer for 10-12 minutes. The sauce will start to thicken and the potatoes will soften slightly. Transfer the mixture to a greased 8x8 square casserole dish, making sure the slices are semi-layered and evenly distributed. Top with the shredded cheese and bake for 15 minutes. When ready, sauce and cheese will be bubbly and potatoes will be tender.
I plan on attempting to make it a little prettier next time...but otherwise, that's it! The whole process took about 30 minutes. While the potatoes were baking I was able to make a yummy salad...
...and cook a couple of chicken breasts, which were also on sale at Target this week. I ended up with a great meal that only took half an hour!
I have to tell you, this recipe was fantastic, and The Hubby thought so too. It was a nice change-up to our weeknight meals. I'm trying to do better about incorporating new recipes and dishes into our routine.
Now I'm working on dessert. More on that later.
Kelly
3.17.2010
Frozen Waffles - new find!
If you haven't picked up on it from previous posts, I LOVE Central Market. For those of you who don't live in Texas, Central Market is a chain of gourmet grocery stores that is similar to Whole Foods or Trader Joes. I grew up in a small town and was therefore oblivious to the fact that Central Market even existed until I was in college. They offer a fantastic variety of high-quality food, and while I usually go there for my gluten-free loot, I try not to do everyday shopping there. It's a little on the pricy side. Or at least it gets that way when you walk past a display of the most beautiful food you've ever seen and decide to buy 12 of whatever was displayed...at $8 a piece. Not that I would do that, mind you.
Anyway, I went to Central Market last week to pick up some gluten-free goodies since I had almost completely run out of everything (well, everything not frozen) I had purchased during my last GF extravaganza. Gluten-free stuff in the basket, check. Yummy coffee, check. I'm walking through the frozen foods aisle, and I find these:
Sweet!
In the past I've always purchased Van's Gluten-Free Waffles because they are really versatile - they're more savory than sweet, so they do well as a substitute for toast in the mornings (especially good smothered with peanut butter and banana slices...mmm). I've also used them for sandwiches in a pinch. I always have them available - I have some in my freezer right now. (Van's also has a blueberry waffle...I've just never tried it.)
The odd thing about these is that you have to thaw them out for a few minutes before you toast them. Never done that before, but hey, why not? So, I waited impatiently as my breakfast thawed and my coffee brewed... a whole new level of impatience. Hungry and caffeine-deprived? Not fun. Then popped out breakfasty goodness.
YUM. Like a lot of gluten-free things, these didn't get super brown (except on the edges), but they DID develop a great crunch. The center was really creamy (but not underdone-tasting by any stretch of the imagination), and the waffles had the perfect bit of sweetness. As suggested right on the box, I drizzled honey over them - something I've never done before with a waffle - and it was a fabulous breakfast. Writing this is making me want some right now.
I'll have to give the Van's blueberry waffles a try to see how those compare - but the Central Market waffles have definitely won me over!
Kelly
Anyway, I went to Central Market last week to pick up some gluten-free goodies since I had almost completely run out of everything (well, everything not frozen) I had purchased during my last GF extravaganza. Gluten-free stuff in the basket, check. Yummy coffee, check. I'm walking through the frozen foods aisle, and I find these:
Sweet!
In the past I've always purchased Van's Gluten-Free Waffles because they are really versatile - they're more savory than sweet, so they do well as a substitute for toast in the mornings (especially good smothered with peanut butter and banana slices...mmm). I've also used them for sandwiches in a pinch. I always have them available - I have some in my freezer right now. (Van's also has a blueberry waffle...I've just never tried it.)
The odd thing about these is that you have to thaw them out for a few minutes before you toast them. Never done that before, but hey, why not? So, I waited impatiently as my breakfast thawed and my coffee brewed... a whole new level of impatience. Hungry and caffeine-deprived? Not fun. Then popped out breakfasty goodness.
YUM. Like a lot of gluten-free things, these didn't get super brown (except on the edges), but they DID develop a great crunch. The center was really creamy (but not underdone-tasting by any stretch of the imagination), and the waffles had the perfect bit of sweetness. As suggested right on the box, I drizzled honey over them - something I've never done before with a waffle - and it was a fabulous breakfast. Writing this is making me want some right now.
I'll have to give the Van's blueberry waffles a try to see how those compare - but the Central Market waffles have definitely won me over!
Kelly
3.12.2010
Where did this week go?
Seriously. This week has flown by. Not that that's a bad thing - I've been looking forward to the weekend the whole week, and now it's here!
It's been a good day. I finally dragged my lazy ass out of bed and made it to the gym for the first time in about three months. It wasn't nearly as painful as I was expecting it to be; in fact, it was downright pleasant. I'm looking forward to getting back into the groove of regular cardio and light weights. And not a moment too soon - the pool at my gym opens in two weeks, people!
Since it's Friday, my post-workout day at the office started out with this:
A tall non-fat chai latte from Starbucks. Mmm. I treat myself every Friday (as long as I'm not running super late for work), and it really makes my day. The little things, right?
The day got even better when The Hubby called to say he was taking me to lunch at my favorite sushi spot.
Don't worry - I didn't have any of that gluten-y soy sauce in the back of the picture, I just liked it in the photo. Something to note, though, this particular Japanese restaurant keeps gluten-free Tamari on hand. Perfect.
That beautiful piece of heaven is called a "Dan Dan Roll" - crab, smoked salmon, cream cheese and mango, wrapped with seaweed and rice (duh) and topped with five different types of sashimi (alternating across, some with avocado instead of fish), then topped with chili mayo. Mmmm. One of my favorite things on the menu. I think I could eat this at every meal, every day, forever.
Of course, after my nice lunch I got back to work to a massive pile of emails. Sigh. Onward!
After finishing up the rest of the work day, I headed to the mall for a little retail therapy. Relevant? No. But enjoyable nonetheless.
The Hubby and I went for Mexican food when I got home, and I have to say, my sangria-swirl-margarita, chips and queso, and tortilla soup went down rather nicely. In fact, it's beginning to induce a bit of drowsiness. Before you judge me for going to bed early on a Friday night, I will tell you that I'm getting up earlier tomorrow than I do on a normal work day, so an early bedtime is an added bonus, if not a necessity. So there. I'm just being responsible.
As thrilled as you must be by my culinary adventures this week, I have to tell you that in the near future I'm going to have MUCH more time to cook, experiment, learn, and report...and I can't wait.
Until then - happy weekend!
Kelly
It's been a good day. I finally dragged my lazy ass out of bed and made it to the gym for the first time in about three months. It wasn't nearly as painful as I was expecting it to be; in fact, it was downright pleasant. I'm looking forward to getting back into the groove of regular cardio and light weights. And not a moment too soon - the pool at my gym opens in two weeks, people!
Since it's Friday, my post-workout day at the office started out with this:
A tall non-fat chai latte from Starbucks. Mmm. I treat myself every Friday (as long as I'm not running super late for work), and it really makes my day. The little things, right?
The day got even better when The Hubby called to say he was taking me to lunch at my favorite sushi spot.
Don't worry - I didn't have any of that gluten-y soy sauce in the back of the picture, I just liked it in the photo. Something to note, though, this particular Japanese restaurant keeps gluten-free Tamari on hand. Perfect.
That beautiful piece of heaven is called a "Dan Dan Roll" - crab, smoked salmon, cream cheese and mango, wrapped with seaweed and rice (duh) and topped with five different types of sashimi (alternating across, some with avocado instead of fish), then topped with chili mayo. Mmmm. One of my favorite things on the menu. I think I could eat this at every meal, every day, forever.
Of course, after my nice lunch I got back to work to a massive pile of emails. Sigh. Onward!
After finishing up the rest of the work day, I headed to the mall for a little retail therapy. Relevant? No. But enjoyable nonetheless.
The Hubby and I went for Mexican food when I got home, and I have to say, my sangria-swirl-margarita, chips and queso, and tortilla soup went down rather nicely. In fact, it's beginning to induce a bit of drowsiness. Before you judge me for going to bed early on a Friday night, I will tell you that I'm getting up earlier tomorrow than I do on a normal work day, so an early bedtime is an added bonus, if not a necessity. So there. I'm just being responsible.
As thrilled as you must be by my culinary adventures this week, I have to tell you that in the near future I'm going to have MUCH more time to cook, experiment, learn, and report...and I can't wait.
Until then - happy weekend!
Kelly
3.08.2010
Catching up
Last week just got away from me! Work is starting to get hectic as we move into our busy time of the year, and my thesis deadline was today, so I've been working on that as well, and I helped throw a baby shower on Saturday, so that took up a big chunk of the day. Also trying like hell to spend any time I can with The Hubby - our schedules are so different with various commitments that we're like ships passing in the night these days. I miss our newlywed days when we came home from work, cooked dinner together, enjoyed a glass (or three) of wine, and retreated to the living room to watch TV and chat the rest of the evening. I'm definitely looking forward to returning to some version of that in the near future, if only a couple of nights a week.
Last weekend I went to Central Market for a few things, and ended up getting some great goodies. I'm pretty bad about not eating breakfast - at least not regularly - but while I was there I was craving cereal, so I ended up buying a box of Nature's Path Organic Mesa Sunrise cereal. I tried this cereal once before after reading about it somewhere, but when I tried it the first time it tasted too "health food-y" to me. This time I liked it MUCH better.
Last weekend I went to Central Market for a few things, and ended up getting some great goodies. I'm pretty bad about not eating breakfast - at least not regularly - but while I was there I was craving cereal, so I ended up buying a box of Nature's Path Organic Mesa Sunrise cereal. I tried this cereal once before after reading about it somewhere, but when I tried it the first time it tasted too "health food-y" to me. This time I liked it MUCH better.
Mmm. Once it warms up outside I'll eat cereal a lot more often - it's one of my favorite things, especially with some sort of fruit in it.
I also picked up some freshly-made garlic chicken sausage while I was there. I've been wanting to try chicken sausage for some time, but never bought it because I wasn't sure how The Hubby would respond to it. He was all for it! You guys know I love my easy pasta, so I cooked it up, sliced it, and put it over spaghetti with Classico's Four Cheese Marinara, shredded parm, and goat cheese crumbles - it was tasty and so easy!
With spring (finally) on its way, the weather here has been inconsistent at best. Early last week it was cold and rainy, while later on in the week it was an absolutely beautiful and sunny 65 degrees. The Hubby has been craving chili, so early in the week while it was cold and rainy I got the treat of him cooking dinner! I'm not a huge chili fan and I definitely never crave it, but I do enjoy it when it's around.
I do like a lot of sour cream and cheese to offset the spiciness of the chili - plus I like the added creaminess...and hello - cheese is my favorite.
One night (I don't remember which one; I can barely remember my name these days) we had leftovers because I was feeling lazy. We had a leftover chicken breast from a meal the week before, so I built myself a chicken burger.
That monster of a sandwich is on an Ener-G Foods gluten-free english muffin, one of my favorite store-bought gluten-free baked goods. Cut this thing in half and pop it in the toaster, and it comes out amazingly soft and delicious. The flavor actually reminds me a lot of a sourdough roll, without the over-the-top chewiness. Anyway, on the sandwich is the chicken breast, a slice of havarti, dill pickle sandwich slices, a huge hunk of tomato, salt, pepper, and yellow mustard. Yes, plain yellow mustard. I love the combination of tomato, pickle, and yellow mustard. Call me crazy - The Hubby does. Top off the meal with some baked Alexia waffle fries, and...yum!
Finally, on Saturday I was one of six co-hostesses for a friend's baby shower. I was in charge of bringing cookies, and since I'm the only one that eats gluten-free, I opted to have a local bakery make them. They turned out precious!
And, after taking a big whiff of The Hubby's cookie that I saved for him and listening to him describe said cookie, I've decided that I'm going to attempt to make gluten-free sugar cookies. Should be interesing....
Hope your Mondays are going well and that your week is off to a good start!
Kelly
3.03.2010
Banana Bread II
Round 2 of banana bread experimenting. Done, of course, instead of working on the last chapter of my thesis. Productive? No. Fun and relaxing? Absolutely.
I should probably be more specific in my interpretation of banana bread this go-round. How about low-fat, high-fiber apple banana oat muffins? Yum.
I was looking around on one of my favorite recipe sites, allrecipes.com, for a cupcake recipe to convert to gluten-free. I came across a couple of banana cupcake, apple banana cupcake, and banana oat cupcake recipes and it dawned on me that I had never thought to use these ingredients together. It also dawned on me that I could make my own low-fat recipe (adapted from compiling a few of the ones I saw) and it would be a super healthy breakfast. The best part is that everything in these muffins is stuff you probably already have.
Ta da!
I definitely ate one of these for dessert. And will be eating another one in about 12 hours when I have breakfast. De-lish.
You can really taste the apple in these. Part of me really likes the chunks of apple, and the other part of me thinks I should have cut them up a little smaller. Oh well - at least I know I'm eating fruit in my baked goods! The banana doesn't come through as much, but there's definitely a hint of it in the background. The muffins came out very moist, and they are pretty dense - definitely a hearty breakfast...at least compared to my usual on-the-go type breakfast, if I get to eat it. This is like a portable bowl of oatmeal with apples and bananas and a touch of cinnamon. It's going to go fabulously with my coffee.
Off to work on school stuff. Good night!
Kelly
I should probably be more specific in my interpretation of banana bread this go-round. How about low-fat, high-fiber apple banana oat muffins? Yum.
I was looking around on one of my favorite recipe sites, allrecipes.com, for a cupcake recipe to convert to gluten-free. I came across a couple of banana cupcake, apple banana cupcake, and banana oat cupcake recipes and it dawned on me that I had never thought to use these ingredients together. It also dawned on me that I could make my own low-fat recipe (adapted from compiling a few of the ones I saw) and it would be a super healthy breakfast. The best part is that everything in these muffins is stuff you probably already have.
- 1 cup mashed banana (I used two bananas)
- 1/2 to 1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 1 & 1/2 cups gluten-free flour blend (I used Pamela's GF baking mix)
- 1 cup gluten-free oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Ta da!
I definitely ate one of these for dessert. And will be eating another one in about 12 hours when I have breakfast. De-lish.
You can really taste the apple in these. Part of me really likes the chunks of apple, and the other part of me thinks I should have cut them up a little smaller. Oh well - at least I know I'm eating fruit in my baked goods! The banana doesn't come through as much, but there's definitely a hint of it in the background. The muffins came out very moist, and they are pretty dense - definitely a hearty breakfast...at least compared to my usual on-the-go type breakfast, if I get to eat it. This is like a portable bowl of oatmeal with apples and bananas and a touch of cinnamon. It's going to go fabulously with my coffee.
Off to work on school stuff. Good night!
Kelly
3.02.2010
Product Review: Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookies
Last weekend I went on a baking spree. It felt so good to be back in the kitchen, doing what I love most. I've been baking chocolate chip cookies as long as I can remember, starting with sitting on the counter helping my mom, then standing on a step-stool hand-beating the eggs and butter and sugar together because I wasn't old enough to use the hand mixer (Mom helped put them in the oven), then making them for all my friends and even earning a (good) reputation amongst my roommates and best friends for my chocolate chip cookie bars.
After getting over the initial shock of my diagnosis and the idea that my beloved baking days were over, I attempted to make chocolate chip cookies by simply substituting regular flour with the first gluten-free all purpose baking mix I ever bought, Arrowhead Mills. It was a disaster. I even cried. (Sound familiar?)
So, I took a hiatus from baking...at all. I'm starting to get back into it and am really enjoying it! I decided to take another shot at making cookies, this time with a mix. I've been very pleased with Betty Crocker's gluten-free cake and brownie mixes, so I decided to give the cookie mix a go. This resulted in mixed feelings.
First of all, the mix is really easy. Dump the contents of the box in a bowl and add butter, an egg, and vanilla. Done. Except, it was incredibly crumbly. There is even a very clear warning right in the directions: this batter will be crumbly. Don't take it lightly - Betty's not kidding.
After getting over the initial shock of my diagnosis and the idea that my beloved baking days were over, I attempted to make chocolate chip cookies by simply substituting regular flour with the first gluten-free all purpose baking mix I ever bought, Arrowhead Mills. It was a disaster. I even cried. (Sound familiar?)
So, I took a hiatus from baking...at all. I'm starting to get back into it and am really enjoying it! I decided to take another shot at making cookies, this time with a mix. I've been very pleased with Betty Crocker's gluten-free cake and brownie mixes, so I decided to give the cookie mix a go. This resulted in mixed feelings.
First of all, the mix is really easy. Dump the contents of the box in a bowl and add butter, an egg, and vanilla. Done. Except, it was incredibly crumbly. There is even a very clear warning right in the directions: this batter will be crumbly. Don't take it lightly - Betty's not kidding.
Not to be deterred, I remembered that all batters and doughs are weird with gluten-free ingredients, so I got out my trusty (and not used for years) cookie dough scoop and went to town. I smooshed (only technical terms on this blog - ha) the dough into the scoop by pushing it (with much more force than I personally think should have been necessary) up against the side of the bowl while scooping, and that worked okay, although the dough separated again once I released it onto the baking sheet. I left them pretty much alone for the first batch, which resulted in very sad looking cookies that I refused to take a picture of.
For the next batch I repeated the above, but after putting the dough on the cookie sheet, I smooshed all together into tighter scoops with my fingers. MUCH better!
Still a little flat for my taste, but that one in the middle is pretty! I let them cool and did the best to restrain myself, but of course I had to go for a hot cookie. Pretty tasty! Only problem - it completely dissolved in my hand. This mix resulted in very fragile cookies for the most part - not my favorite. If you like thin, crispy, fragile cookies, this is the mix for you! (Don't think that stopped me from finishing these off last night, though. While the texture isn't my favorite for a cookie, the flavor was fantastic.)
That being said, I ended up with some pretty good looking ones. Makes me want a cookie. And if you give a Kelly a cookie...
Sorry. I tend to be a little random.
On a related note, several weeks ago (long forgotten until now) I made chocolate chip cookie bars from a bag of Pamela's cookie mix. These turned out great! Not that I should be surprised...everything I make with Pamela's anything turns out the way it's supposed to. Here's a pic to get your mouth watering:
You're welcome.
Kelly
3.01.2010
Facelift
Gluten Freendly has a new look! HUGE thanks to The Hubby for lending his mad skills. Hope you like it!
Banana Bread I
I've been on a banana kick lately. Which means that inevitably I'm going to have at least two over-ripe bananas sitting in my refrigerator...and probably on multiple occasions. Which means that I'm going to have to use those over-ripe bananas to keep from feeling guilty about getting rid of perfectly good produce. This is where banana bread comes in. I love the stuff, and I always have all of the ingredients on hand (except for the bananas, of course). About a week ago I made my first batch in months. I used Pamela's gluten-free baking mix and the recipe found on her site. I'm pretty sure I've made this recipe before, but it turned out differently this time.
The dough ended up pretty thick, which wasn't surprising, and made enough for one small loaf.
You can kinda see in the pic - I left the bananas kinda chunky for this batch. No particular reason, just felt like it at the time.
Baked it for about an hour and ten minutes (I've found that cooking gluten-free usually takes longer than it says it's going to), and it turned out like this:
Pamela's Banana Bread (www.pamelasproducts.com)
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/2 cup sugar or honey
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup banana, mashed
- 1-3/4 cups Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup nuts (optional)
The dough ended up pretty thick, which wasn't surprising, and made enough for one small loaf.
You can kinda see in the pic - I left the bananas kinda chunky for this batch. No particular reason, just felt like it at the time.
Baked it for about an hour and ten minutes (I've found that cooking gluten-free usually takes longer than it says it's going to), and it turned out like this:
I baked this at about 9:00 PM and had eaten a big dinner, so I had to let it sit there and cool completely without snagging a piece. Brutal. The next morning I sliced up a couple of pieces to have with my coffee (one of my favorite parts of my weekend - my morning coffee at home) and it was yummy.
Sometimes I like just heating up my breakfast breads in the microwave, but this time I stuck it in the toaster oven and it got that beautiful brown crust on it. Mmmm. Slathered it with butter and I was in heaven.
What was interesting about this batch of bread was that it was very dense. I don't remember it being that way before. Not necessarily a bad thing, just different. Once I toasted it up, though, it was almost like a banana bagel - crispy on the outer edges and chewy in the middle. The Hubby wasn't a big fan (he said it tasted gluten-free, which I don't think it did at all), but I thought it was great. I am going to try to make a lighter version, though, just not sure how quite yet.
I see banana bread in my future (again)...there ARE bananas in my fridge...
Kelly
Long time no see!
Well hello there. It's been a while. Nice to see you. What have you been up to?
I have been MIA for over a week now. Sorry! I caught a nasty 24-hour(ish) stomach bug and couldn't eat for almost two days, and then food wasn't appealing at all for a while, so as you can imagine, that made thinking and writing about food incredibly difficult. I'm baaaaaaaaack.
I was diagnosed with Celiac two years ago..and last week was the first time that I've been sick enough to need bland food since then. As you might be thinking...chicken noodle soup, dry toast, and saltines pose quite the problem to a gluten-free eater such as myself, and since you're reading this, probably you, too. The nurse at my doctor's office told me to basically eat a "bread diet" for a few days....uh, what? Luckily I had a loaf of Udi's gluten-free whole grain bread in the freezer (I usually don't keep bread around but had picked some up randomly during my GF shopping spree), but when The Hubby offered to go to the store to pick up the necessities - ginger ale, sprite, soup, etc - I had no idea what to tell him. Being the amazingly talented Googler that he is, he found that Progressive Chicken and Wild Rice soup was gluten-free. Score!
I'm not a huge fan of canned soups, but this one was pretty good and definitely served its purpose. It's also really nice to know that in case of emergencies, this soup is gluten-free. I've also heard that their mushroom soup is gluten-free and can be used easily in place of cream of mushroom soup in casseroles and whatever else you need it for. I'll have to try that soon - I love casseroles and miss them dearly. Side note/rant: stupid Campbell's and their gluteny soups. ALL of them have wheat flour in them. WHY?! Ugh.
So, for the majority of the week I lived on canned soup because it's all I could stomach. Toward the end of the week I was tired of eating starches, so I made two ginormous salads at two different salad bars. Mmm.
Are you still awake? Yes, I realize my week was boring. But I'm back to my old self! And, I actually get to go home before 9:00 PM every night this week, so dinner at home is something I'm really looking forward to.
Kelly
I have been MIA for over a week now. Sorry! I caught a nasty 24-hour(ish) stomach bug and couldn't eat for almost two days, and then food wasn't appealing at all for a while, so as you can imagine, that made thinking and writing about food incredibly difficult. I'm baaaaaaaaack.
I was diagnosed with Celiac two years ago..and last week was the first time that I've been sick enough to need bland food since then. As you might be thinking...chicken noodle soup, dry toast, and saltines pose quite the problem to a gluten-free eater such as myself, and since you're reading this, probably you, too. The nurse at my doctor's office told me to basically eat a "bread diet" for a few days....uh, what? Luckily I had a loaf of Udi's gluten-free whole grain bread in the freezer (I usually don't keep bread around but had picked some up randomly during my GF shopping spree), but when The Hubby offered to go to the store to pick up the necessities - ginger ale, sprite, soup, etc - I had no idea what to tell him. Being the amazingly talented Googler that he is, he found that Progressive Chicken and Wild Rice soup was gluten-free. Score!
So, for the majority of the week I lived on canned soup because it's all I could stomach. Toward the end of the week I was tired of eating starches, so I made two ginormous salads at two different salad bars. Mmm.
Are you still awake? Yes, I realize my week was boring. But I'm back to my old self! And, I actually get to go home before 9:00 PM every night this week, so dinner at home is something I'm really looking forward to.
Kelly
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