Peanut Butter Cookies

I made these for Grace right after she was diagnosed - she hated them because they tasted like peanut butter cookies (Duh!) I had to make some cookies for a meeting tomorrow night and looked for something I had the ingredients for on hand - that is when I remembered the cookies!

It is an old recipe - flour less and basic - and really good!

Gluten Fee Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

Cream peanut butter and sugar together, add the eggs and hand mix well. Make small balls (I use the small Pampered Chef Scoop) and put the traditional fork marks on the top. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes until golden and set. Let cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet then transfer to a rack to cool.

I have seen other recipes that have baking soda or chocolate chips etc. but the basic recipe is the same - simple and easy.

Souper Salads!

When my sister Eileen was visiting this summer she went to Souper Salads and said it was great. She also said they had a gluten free menu!!

I myself have never been a fan of "All you can stand" buffets because I consider it to be a personal challenge (I have zero self control :) However I thought everyone could probably find something they liked. THEY DID!

Troy liked the soups, I liked the chicken salads and baked sweet potatoes, Sam (who is dairy free) found plenty to eat and Grace loved the fruit, puddings and sunflower seeds. The kids had an odd but balanced meal and everyone got to eat exactly what they wanted. For kids 10 and under it was less than $4.

Here is a link to the Gluten Free menu:

http://www.soupersalad.com/documents/GlutenFree_Menu.pdf

My favorite recipe site

I LOVE allrecipes.com! It is my favorite go to site for any or all recipes. Got a bucket full of squash - put squash in the search bar and you will have a ton of recipes pop up. Got squash and cheese and crackers - put the ingredients in "ingredient search" and it will pull up several choices.

Allrecipes.com also has MANY gluten free recipes - pancakes, cookies, pie crust, cakes etc. Another nice thing is the reviews - you can read the reviews and often they have helpful tips - you can also leave a review.

Here is one I tried recently that was really good:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Crustless-Spinach-Quiche-2/Detail.aspx

Check it out! You may find something you love.

Cheese Bread Mix!

I had previously posted how I made the "Brazilian pao de queijo" recipe and it was so very good. While out I found a package mix of Chebe Bread Products Cheese Bread Mix and decided to try it. It was SO EASY!!! and so very good. I mixed it up in a matter of minutes in my Kitchenaid mixer with the dough hook then scooped it out with my Pampered Chef Small Scoop and put it on parchment paper over a cookie sheet to bake. (Did I mention I sold Pampered Chef?? (shameless plug - lol))

Grace tried it and LOVED it and we all thought it was as good - if not better - than the home made version. I used a good shredded parmasan cheese which I think made a big difference.

This is one of those "for anyone" recipes that would be great for parties, company or just a Tuesday nights dinner.

French Meadow Bakery White Sandwich Bread

On our visit to Central Market today we found French Meadow Gluten Free White Sandwich Bread. I was able to feel the bread and it had a soft texture so we decide to spend $6 on a loaf of bread!!

As soon as we got home Grace wanted to try some drizzled with honey - her response? "It taste like it is full of wheat!!" and she had two pieces. This bread is made with a mix of corn and tapioca starches. "I" could taste the obvious difference between this bread and "regular" bread but I think Grace is far enough removed to start enjoying GF bread. We didn't even have to toast it - it was good straight from the bag - however I would think toasting would be helpful.

This gets a thumbs up at our house.

Gluten Free Cupcakes!

Central Market now has cupcakes in their bakery! They had yellow cake with white icing and chocolate cake with chocolate icing. They also had 4 inch mini iced cakes in the same flavors and are made by "French Meadow Bakery."

On Friday someone brought cupcakes to school - thankfully I thought to send snacks right away because it was just the first week of school! Since these cupcakes freeze well (per the bakery) my plan is to put a couple of these in the "Cup a Cake" cupcake holders, place in a freezer bag then put in the teacher's lounge freezer (it helps that I work there :) I will probably bake cupcakes for her when I am able but it is terribly handy to be able to pick these up now and then - or on our way to a family birthday etc.

We took one of the cupcakes to try tonight - everyone got a taste and we ALL agreed it was a darn good cupcake! The icing was buttery tasting and the cake had a nice texture. I also added sprinkles before freezing to make them fancier - because everyone loves fancy! LOL

Mourning the loss

The last couple of times we had pizza Grace cried. It was pitiful. Even with a good GF pizza just for her or even with the pizza from the place she always hated she still mourns the loss of "regular" pizza.

It makes me sad for her. I know it is "just a dietary change" but it is also a knowledge of something so close but unattainable.

Glistening, ruby goodness

Last week I had hand surgery and my friend made us a great dinner! She really put a lot of thought into what everyone in the house could eat - Grace and GF, Sam and no dairy. She made grilled chicken, fresh corn, salad and "Jello Salad." It all was fantastic - the Jello Salad was outstanding!

It is what your elderly Aunt might bring to the church potluck - something we all have had at some point but it got lost along the way to more glamorous fare such as stuff with capers or kiwi. Yes - it is void of any "nutritional value" other than the fruit - but honestly - who cares. It warms your soul and makes you smile.

Grace was THRILLED that something so "fancy" would be gluten free! I was thrilled to find something so easy and nostalgic to make for her - AND me.

Teela's Jello Salad

1 large box Strawberry Jello - with water as directed.

1-2 bananas - sliced

1 small carton of sweetened, sliced strawberries

mini marshmallows

Add the hot water to the jello as directed.

Add the strawberries to the hot jello - mash them up to melt the frozen strawberries - the coolness will help set the jello quicker so no need to thaw before hand.

Add the cold water to the Jello as directed then add the bananas.

Let set it in the fridge for about 90 minutes or until slightly thick - stir to mix the bananas and strawberries throughout the Jello - otherwise they will sink to the bottom. Once it is a thicker consistency top with the marshmallows and chill to set.

It is a perfect potluck dish, summer dessert or party treat that everyone should enjoy. I hope you like it!

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies

I made this the other day - they were GREAT! Crisp, buttery, chocolate chippy :) They were very good, very easy and tasted "almost" just like "regular" chocolate chip cookies. If you put them out for a party my guess is no one would know the difference - however since I knew it was GF I did notice some texture differences. Of course - it didn't stop me from grabbing a mug of milk!

Once mixed it was crumbly. I used my Pampered Chef small scoop to scoop out cookies - thankfully I placed them apart because they flattened and spread out by a lot.

I would really recommend these - they were great, easy and best of all GLUTEN FREE!!!

1019!!!

I go out of town and missed 1000! :)

Thanks to those of you who visit and those of you who have commented. I hope you have come away with something you can use.

When Grace was diagnosed in November of 2008 we were blindsided! How in the world would we do this??!!! A few months later we have surprisingly figured it out and honestly - it just isn't "that" hard.

We went to the Sprouts sale and stocked up on Grace's favorite snacks. The lady checking us out asked "Are both of them gluten free?" "Nope - She is gluten free and he is dairy free. It is a big pain when we eat out." We both chuckled. It is a pain when we eat out - not only is she limited by what she CAN eat but she is limited by what she WILL eat. If it were not for cheese and cereal she would waste away. That said she is a good sport about trying new things (usually) and is a good sport when she is in a position where her choices REALLY are limited - like a pizza party, a restaurant w/limited choices, surprise cupcakes at school etc. Thankfully w/a "little" pre-planning (snacks at school, brown bags when we go out etc.) it is very doable.

Thanks again! Please keep your comments coming - I would love to learn from you guys.

Brownies, ummmm brownies

We tried the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownies today. VERY easy to make (eggs and butter)and really good. The batter was REALLY thick - I mushed it flat with my hands. They are very rich and super sweet - that said... they tasted like BROWNIES! Real honest to goodness brownies. Brownies you can take to a pot luck or birthday party. There was none of the grit or raw flour taste with some mixed baked goods.

I will keep a package of these on hand for parties or a rainy day for Grace. The nice thing is these should freeze well - I wrap them in waxed paper and keep in the freezer - she can take them out and have one whenever she wants one.

Score!

I was in Keller (Tx) tonight and stopped by the Kroger's there. They had the Betty Crocker Cake, Cookie and the Brownie mix!!! Grace was so excited.

I looked for the mix by the other brownie mixes but it wasn't there. It was in the cake mix area but the mixes were together (instead of the GF cake mix by the cake mixes, GF brownie mixes w/the other brownie mixes etc.) The boxes were yellow - different than the other Betty Crocker mix boxes. They were about $4.50 per box.

Grace is looking forward to trying them - I will let you know how we (she) likes them.