Bake with Price Chopper

Last night I had the privelege to attend a holiday baking course hosted by Price Chopper at the Century House. Two chefs, Gail Sokol (professor at SCCC's culinary department) and Elizabeth Barbone (of East Gluten Free Baking fame) presented recipes. It was a wonderful time and I was so glad that Lisa from Price Chopper contacted me to tell me about it! 

Gail presented two (non-gluten free recipes) for a chocolate cranberry walnut babka and an espresso almond biscotti.

Elizabeth (whom I was delighted to meet in person for the first time!) presented a rustic apple pie (otherwise known as a galette) with my favorite granny smith apples, pumpkin whoopee pies with a wonderfully gooey marshmallow filling, and an easy-but-delicious chocolate bark that I am planning to use for my annual cookie swap with the girls! Of course, we got to try samples, which were delicious! (Confession, I brought my samples of Elizabeth's recipe home so that I could share them with my celiac husband - while everything was delish, we were both especially impressed by the pumpkin whoopee pie - I must try this recipe at home).

We did find out some good tips - at least, tips that I hadn't really known about beforehand. I was Tweeting a few of them during the event with the hashtag #BakeWithPC but here are some of the tips for you in blog form:

• Dough scrapers are a useful little gadget - used both for molding dough if you don't want to use your hands or cleaning off surfaces. I must pick one up.
• Whisks are recommended to thoroughly mix blended flours before processing (SN: I already do this, but I use the whisk attachment of my stand mixer rather than a hand whisk).
• Never, ever use liquid measuring cups (with a spout) for measuring solids!
• Sugar gets clumpy because it's hydroscopic - that means that is absorbs water from the air. Is that a Words with Friends word or what?
• The Niskayuna Price Chopper recently had a grand re-opening and have expanded their line of gluten free products.
• The crumbs at the bottom of the stand mixer are NOT to be ignored (what I usually do). Make sure to mix them in by hand, halfway through the stand mixing process, for better baked goods.
• Gluten free all-purpose flour is NOT recommended for high quality gluten free baked goods (That said, some mixes are better than others. Betty Crocker/Bisquick mixes and King Arthur Flour are higher quality than many others).
• Food processors can be used to mix all flours, etc. before baking. Interesting!
• Never replace butter or other solid fats with oils when making pie crust or other doughs.
• Tapioca starch, potato starch, and corn starch are pretty interchangeable in recipes.
• While tapioca flour and tapioca starch are the exact same thing, potato flour and potato starch are notably different!
• Many gluten free recipes are over-aggressive in their use of xanthan gum. Too much gum can make food gummy - and cause gluten free bread not to toast!
• "Imitation" flavorings are legally required to be gluten free since they're derived from a synthetic rather than organic source. (Organic in the chemistry sense here...)
• Don't ever use a wet sponge or paper towel to clean up spilled xanthan gum, as the moisture will result in a slimy mess.
• Corn starch will not thicken sauces or other goods unless it comes to a full boil. 

Some of the bloggers I met throughout the evening (I'm sorry if I left your link off, if I did please let me know and I will add it!):

• Linda from Tech Valley Food
• Courtney from Sweet Tooth Sweet Life
• Lauren from Healthy Delicious

Gluten Eater's Guide to Gluten Free (GEGGF) - Introduction

So, my last post where I snarked (yes, I just made that a verb, deal with it) about crap gluten free food raised some really good comments. It seems like there's almost no high-quality, processed/packaged gluten free products there are out there. (OK, there's not that much high-quality, processed/packaged non-gluten free stuff out there either, depending on your opinion, but... bear with me here).

This blog is dedicated to the group of friends and family who may have never heard of, or thought of, gluten until someone important in their lives has been diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten intolerance -- making them Someone Gluten Free (SGF). Now, unless they're like my circle of friends that includes med students and foodies, they're probably not interested in medical trials involving hookworms or the baking properties of amaranth. And while some of my dear friends keep dedicated jars of peanut butter marked GF in their pantry (love them!), that's certainly not expected of most people. Let's be honest, the question on most peoples' minds is:

"How can I go out with/have a party/go on a date without poisoning SGF?"

Well, you've come to the right place.

Going Out

How easy is it to decide to meet up for drinks, dinner or dessert? Usually, not much thought is involved other than "Let's make sure to avoid the place where the ex is bartending" or "Hey, this place has a-mazing drink specials." If you're organizing an outing and one or more of your friends is GF, this can sometimes mean spending top dollar for a dried out piece of plain grilled chicken because the cook didn't know if the marinade contained gluten. Yuck and no thanks. Fortunately, with a bit of flexibility, everyone can enjoy a night -- or day -- out.

Staying In

So you know there are some off-the-shelf things you can buy that everyone can eat. It's so sweet that you want to make sure SGF has something to eat at your event, but non-GF people sometimes don't think of all the gotcha's when it comes to gluten free. Here are a few pointers to keep in mind -- mostly because, I've gotten these questions from a lot of my friends, so I know they're common.

Over the next few days I'll be detailing suggestions for non-gluten free people on:

• Inviting SGF to your Superbowl Party (Or: What to bring to SGF's Superbowl Party)
• Valentine's Gifts for your SGF that won't poison them.
• How to pick a place for drinks with SGF
• How to pick a place for breakfast/lunch/dinner with SGF
• How to have SGF over for lunch/cocktails/dinner/dessert

Have a suggestion that absolutely must be on these posts, or another suggestion for a post category? Comment or e-mail me: katsgfkitchen at gmail dot com.

Snarky Post: Gluten Free and Quality

The gluten free market is absolutely huge right now, and seems to be growing at a non-stop rate. Businesses both large and small are jumping on the gluten free bandwagon -- how hard can it be to make gluten free food? It seems like, without very much research at all, they substitute white rice flour for wheat flour, add a bit of xanthan or guar gum, slap a price sticker about 5x the original cost on it, stand back and say, Voila! A gluten free product for you to buy.

That's all well and good - as long as the gluten free food is palatable. All too often, I've spent $7 on some bread product to find it absolutely completely unpalatable. I can blame myself for that a lot of the time, but what really bugs me is when these sub-par products have glowing reviews online. "This is the first time I've had a bagel in 20 years!" ... But it's the size of one of my elastic hair ties with the consistency and taste of cardboard.

Really??? People - please, stop buying disgusting food just because it is there!

Of course, there are a (small) number of wonderful gluten free companies that produce products we absolutely love. When that happens, we're more than happy to shell out $5, $7, or more for a package of pasta that tastes like "regular" pasta, bread with the light, chewy consistency of the packaged breads we bought before going gluten free, convenience foods, etc. In part, this post is for these companies -- how they could add even more products to the foods we already buy and love.

With that said -- I've noticed a few big deficiencies in the gluten free market. If a company would nail one or more of these, and produce good tasting, high quality products -- they would be worth their weight in gold.

• Saltine Crackers. Sure, we have gluten free crackers out there. Some of them aren't so bad (my husband is partial to Schar's snack crackers for cheese, and I'm a fan of the wonderful texture of Asian rice crackers). However, when you're sick with a stomach bug, nothing beats these wonderful, light, salty cracker in your soup. We already have chicken soup (mainstream chicken and rice soups, or chicken noodle available from wonderful companies like Kettle Cuisine). Jell-O and Ginger Ale are already gluten free. Someone needs to make a salty, bland, saltine-like cracker and we'll be all set.
  
• Good Chinese and Japanese Food. We've had good experiences eating gluten free at Thai, Indian and Vietnamese restaurants, but Japanese and Chinese restaurants can leave a lot to be desired. Sure, some local Japanese restaurants carry gluten free soy sauce for their sushi, but why is P.F. Chang's the only restaurant in our area to realize "Hey! If I substitute gluten free soy sauce for these dishes, gluten free diners have a whole heck of a lot more choices?" Teriyaki sauce, eel sauce for sushi, ginger dressing - all of them contain gluten only because of soy sauce. I'm not asking Japanese and Chinese restaurants to use rice flour for tempura or sweet and sour meat breading here (though that would be awesome), but if you offered a gluten free menu of more than just plain sushi rolls or bland steamed food with no seasonings, you'd certainly have my business. And all the friends and family I brought in. And I'd sure shout for joy about it online. Just saying.
  
• Wraps. Now -- certainly, companies make tortilla shells. We've bought corn tortillas for Mexican food (wonderfully authentic), and for sandwiches we've tried various brands of shells made from brown rice flour, teff, etc. All are extremely disappointing - they're so brittle, they break immediately. Not only that, but the consistency (especially of brown rice tortillas) tends to be a bit rubbery and leaves a lot to be desired. It would be wonderful to be able to buy a soft, fluffy, tasty wrap for sandwiches once in a while.
• Breakfast Convenience Foods. OK, OK. I admit: I don't cook all the time. In the morning, sometimes I'll pop a breakfast sandwich in the microwave to take with me to work. It's much more quick than pouring a bowl of cereal, putting waffles in the toaster, making eggs, etc. It's also more portable than my standard breakfast of yogurt and an orange (I'd be a hazard on the road if I ate that on the Thruway!) My husband loves to do that as well, but so far the only food that he's found are Ian's Wafflewich egg sandwiches - he loves them, and can just pop one in the microwave when he's in a hurry. They're hard to find, though (The only store I can find them in around here is Uncle Sam's in Latham), and let's be honest - only one choice can get tiring. If more companies made readily accessible bagel or english muffin sandwiches that held up, tasted good, and could be easily microwaved, it would be a big plus. Even more of a bonus if they were high-fiber and protein to fill someone up in the morning!

I think this list provides some very real needs in the gluten free market.

What about you? What gluten free products do you see a niche market for? Do you think any of my requests/complaints are already satisfactorily addressed?

Gluten Free in SoCal - Part 2

This post is a continuation of our first few days in SoCal.

Thuesday through Thursday, we spent in the Disneyland area. As far as allergens go, everyone we spoke to was incredibly accommodating, which was nice. It was the norm to have managers come over to talk to us as soon as they found we were gluten free, and even chefs come out to assure us they had personally overseen that no cross-contamination occurred!

On Tuesday night, we walked around Downtown Disney and decided to eat at the Rainforest Cafe. While they do not have a dedicated gluten free menu we were very comfortable with the menu and selections we made. We were a little disappointed to find out that the lava nachos appetizer contained gluten :( but we had wonderful dinners, both gluten free: my husband ordered the Tuscan Chicken (no Dijon mustard), and I ordered a special that was shrimp and veggies wrapped in parchment paper. Both were extremely yummy and we left very full. (By this point, my husband was starting to get annoyed at all the souvenir alcohol glasses I was collecting, though, lol).

Wednesday, we ate breakfast at our hotel (The Anaheim Sheraton) and then went to Disneyland. We had a blast! It was off-season so at least in the morning, there wasn't much of a wait at all for rides, though it got more packed as the day went on. Now, the thing with Disneyland and California Adventure - if you go to Guest Services and request a list, they'll give you a packet that lists all the safe options at all of their eateries. It's a pretty comprehensive list, and includes pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers (both with buns), fries fried in a dedicated fryer, and a lot of other things. We ate lunch in the park - my husband ordered a gluten free pizza (there were three other people there waiting for gluten free pizzas as well, as they're made to order!) and I had a salad.

For dinner, we went back to Downtown Disney and ate at Tortilla Jos. Their menu clearly marks all the gluten free items, and they had a wonderful outdoor, heated patio which we loved. How often can we eat outside in January?? We were extremely hungry after our day at Disneyland, and we ordered a bunch of stuff - first, they come with chips and salsa. We ordered a nachos appetizer, and my husband ordered their crispy tacos while I ordered the shrimp tortillas, all gluten free.

... The problem? Portion sizes. It was WAY too much food, and our eyes were significantly bigger than our stomachs. We left stuffed and didn't eat a lot of our food.

On Thursday, we went back to California Adventure and, since we had a park hopper pass, rode on a couple of our favorite rides at Disneyland too. For lunch we ate in California Adventure, at a place that did gluten free burgers/buns and fries. We weren't that thrilled with the overall quality of the food there, but they can get away with it in the park!

For dinner on Thursday we went back to Tortilla Jos. This time, we ordered only the nachos, to share, and dessert. They had a coconut-rum flan with pineapple that was gluten free and absolutely sinful. It's worth the trip to California just for this flan. (My husband also wanted photographic evidence that my always-cold self wore a T-shirt, outside, in January. Note the awesome "Nerds Rock" shirt). ;-)

On Friday, we left Anaheim and went to Ontario. We were flying out of Ontario very early in the morning, and we wanted to stay close to the airport. Plus, I'd read all about this huge outlet mall, Ontario Mills, and just had to check it out. The mall did not disappoint - 10 wings of stores, including Coach Factory outlet (and Coach Men's), BCBG, Calvin Klein, LOFT, Betsey Johnson, Saks off Fifth, bebe, Guess, etc. Unfortunately, we didn't want to eat at the Rainforest Cafe again, and no restaurants in the mall knew what gluten was! We left the mall for lunch and found a Claim Jumper in Ontario, and then went back and spent some time at Dave & Buster's playing games (my husband deserved it, he was a wonderful sport about spending the entire day shopping).

For dinner, we tried Mimi's Cafe. We actually hadn't done any research on them, but we popped in and decided to ask if they had a gluten free menu - they did! My husband had the best steak he's had on his trip so far. I stuck with soup and salad. Excellent food and the most reasonable prices we'd seen in California.

That night we knew we'd be leaving before anything opened for breakfast, so we bought cereal, fruit and snacks from Trader Joes and a local convenience store for breakfast and on the plane. The plane ride was tiring, though, with layovers in Houston and Cleveland. Again, we hunted down food in Houston - we finally found a Wendy's where my husband ordered a Baja salad, but by the time we landed in Albany we were starving and headed straight for Outback steakhouse.

Overall -- we had a wonderful time and saw a lot of great people and sights, and I'm so glad we went. We both needed a vacation. However - I'm grateful to be home and cooking in my own kitchen too!

Gluten Free in SoCal - Part 1

Happy New Year everyone!

One of the reasons I've been absent for a while, is that my husband and I went to Southern California for 10 days over the New Year. We had a wonderful time visiting family and exploring Disneyland and other tourist attractions, and of course eating our way through Orange County (who needs pesky New Years resolutions, anyway??) ;-)

Given the topic of this blog -- you know I'll talk about the food.

The first leg of our trip, Thursday 12/30 through Monday 1/3, involved a lot of family events. We stayed with my husband's relatives in Yorba Linda, where I must say eating gluten free has never been so easy.

Thursday we flew out to California. We had two layovers, at Dulles and in Denver. When we bought the tickets six months ago, we logically thought that the extra layovers were worth saving $500 on two plane tickets. Let me tell you - they weren't. Lesson learned. With relatively short layovers and little chance of finding gluten free airport food, I made sure to pack a ton of snacks, even if they weren't the most healthy: popcorn, beef jerky, candy (Skittles, Jelly Belly, etc.), dried fruit, KIND bars and Ian's breakfast bars were on the list. And they got us through the first eight hours of our twelve hour day, but by the second layover my husband just wanted some real food (I couldn't blame him - KIND bars get old after a while, plus we were paranoid about eating them on the plane since they contain nuts, and scarfed them down in between flights). We hunted down a shop that sold plain garden salads with nothing remotely offensive on it, and Ken's salad dressings for my hubby, and I got a fruit cup. Then -- on to the next flight.

We landed at Ontario airport and drove to our hotel, then met a large group of his family at a Chinese restaurant. My husband's godmother had made arrangements, and they cooked my husband's dinner as a clean stir-fry in a white sauce with no additives. It wasn't necessarily the most interesting meal on the planet, but at that point shrimp, veggies and rice tasted heavenly.

On Friday, we had some time on our own before meeting his relatives for a New Years party. We found a pretty awesome mini golf and gaming place called Camelot in Anaheim (this picture is the building, isn't it cool?) and at lunch at a Mexican chain called Rubios (their allergen information is conveniently posted online). It was fast food, OK for a quick meal and tasty, but not much to write home about. My husband had the Nachos Grande and I had tacos. That night his thoughtful godmother made sure that there were plenty of gluten free options at the New Years party!

Saturday, we had breakfast at the Corner Bakery Cafe. You wouldn't think that would be a great place for someone who is celiac to dine at, but their website clearly marks gluten free, non dairy and vegetarian items on their menu (Note: they aren't clearly marked in the bakery, but you can ask to see a menu). We both had egg scrambles, which were very good, and they let us substitute fresh fruit for toast.

After breakfast, we headed down to Long Beach to check out the sights, including the Aquarium of the Pacific. It's a really cool place and I'd highly recommend checking it out - kids especially would love it, because there are a lot of exhibits where you can pet sharks and stingrays and other such creatures! Right next to the Aquarium is Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co, which was on our list of places to check out (and they fortunately have a gluten free menu!) My husband ordered the Accidental Fish and Shrimp, and I ordered the Fresh Red Snapper with Lobster Butter Sauce. Both were divine. And, of course, you can't go to Bubba Gump's without their spiked lemonade. :-)

For dinner, we checked out ZPizza. They have personal-pan pizza size gluten free crusts, thin and crispy and tasty, with a ton of toppings. We both got gluten free crusts to share, my husband got a sausage and mushroom pizza and I got the California pizza. Yum!

On Sunday, we tried The Original Pancake House for breakfast - I had read about them online and found out they had gluten free pancakes, which we absolutely had to try! They were delicious, but the portions were humongous - the two of us could have easily shared one dish. We ate lunch at my husband's godmother's house, and went for a group dinner to see some of my husband's family members off - we went to a BBQ place that, quite frankly, sucked. At least in regards to their gluten free selection - their BBQ sauce had gluten in it! My husband ordered a steak.

On Monday, his family wanted to go to the Original Pancake House, so we went again! This time, neither of us wanted a huge breakfast. I wanted just eggs over easy and bacon, and my husband only wanted an omelette. Lo and behold, pancakes even come with those! We were so stuffed we didn't even want to think about lunch that day. That afternoon we drove down to Carlsbad, and checked out the outlet stores. I made some pretty decent scores, including a $200 BCBG sweater for, oh, $25. :)

However, Monday night for dinner we checked out the Claim Jumper, another restaurant with a gluten free menu. My husband was extremely excited to order the California Quesadilla, because he hadn't had a restaurant quesadilla since being diagnosed celiac. He loved it. (I ordered off the non-gluten free menu this time, so no sharing for this meal).

After this point, we said goodbye to the rest of my husband's family, and went to downtown Anaheim for the rest of our trip.

Gluten Free at a Mets Game in Citi Field!?!?

We go to Yankee Stadium (now Steinbrenner Stadium) every year, and we usually tailgate in the parking lot before the game. It’s a fun time, we bring a small grill and do burgers, hot dogs, and have a couple of beers before going into the Stadium and watching the game (where we’ll usually get snacks like Cracker Jacks, peanuts, etc.) However, since we’ve never been to a Mets game before and aren’t sure if/where tailgating is allowed, we were wondering what to do for food that day. It’s a long trip and we’ll definitely need something!

Well, good news for us – the Mets announced a gluten free stand at Citi Field this year. Yes, you can now go to the ball park and get gluten free beer, hot dogs, burgers, and the like. Um, YAY!

I did some digging around and apparently the gluten free stand is a stand-alone cart in the World’s Fare market, on the field level of the stadium in the right field corner, with a HUGE sign saying “gluten free.”

In the meantime, here are some links from people who have already written up about the gluten free stand. We’ll be sure to share our thoughts (but stash a couple of snacks just to be on the safe side).

· http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20100324&content_id=8894246&vkey=pr_nym&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym

· http://metspolice.com/2010/03/24/gluten-free-and-vegetarian-food-come-to-citi-field/

· http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/pub/s?f=PRN/prnpub&page=1&xtag=PRN-prnphotos-91009&redir=detail&TAG_ID=prnphotos091009

· http://www.scoreboardgourmet.com/2010/03/gluten-free-concessions-at-citi-field.html

· http://glutenfreefun.blogspot.com/2010/03/lets-go-mets-gluten-free-at-citifield.html

So, tell me readers – have you been to see a Mets game at Citi Field yet this year? Have you visited the gluten free stand, and if so, what did you think? Any advice on what to get, or other options in the park??? Or do you tailgate?

Gluten Free Bisquick!

Along with most of the other gluten free community, my husband and I were anxiously waiting for the arrival of Gluten Free Bisquick! When I read a comment on the Times Union Gluten Free blog that they were found in the East Greenbush Walmart, I went there on my lunch break to check it out, emerging victorious with not only a box of Gluten Free Bisquick, but also a box of Gluten Free "Asian Helper" Chicken fried rice mix. (We don't usually eat that stuff, but when my husband is on his own for dinner he always makes gluten free boxed mac and cheese - this might give a little more variety.)

This morning we decided to try the pancakes. (I'll admit, we were looking forward to Sunday breakfast for a few days, lol). I had read online something along the lines that you had to add shortening, but the box didn't call for it. So, off to Google I went.

First, I found a great blog review from Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom. This review called for 1 cup of shortening for every 8 cups of Bisquick. Since I only had 1 box (definitely not enough for 8 cups of mix), I didn't want to prepackage it but instead wanted to find out the "regular" box recipe to make pancakes. So my next stop was AllRecipes, where I found the Bisquick pancake recipe. However, all of the comments said to use the "Melt in your mouth" recipe instead. I trust their comments - and "melt in your mouth" sounds amazing, so that was the next recipe I looked for: Melt in your mouth Bisquick pancake recipe.

The final output was:

• 2 cups Gluten Free Bisquick mix
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 cup milk*
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  
• 2 eggs

First, whisk together the Bisquick mix and shortening until it's completely combined. Then add the other ingredients and mix until combined. We used 2% milk and had to add some more milk - a little at a time until the consistency was pourable. Griddle-cook them the usual way.

The melt-in-your mouth pancakes called for an additional Tbsp of sugar but we didn't use it and thought the pancakes turned out wonderful. I heated up some pure maple syrup to pour over them, and they tasted JUST like regular pancakes!

We'll definitely buy more of their pancake mix. I'm looking forward to trying it on chicken and also trying the gluten free coffee cake recipes I've seen floating around. Yum!

A Gluten Free Birthday Party

Something pretty big happens in March 2010. Towards the end of the month, my husband turns 30. Since it's an age ending in a -0 (and because, though he vehemently denies it, I know he wanted a fuss made) I decided to throw him a surprise party with some of his friends.

Since, obviously, you can't have a party without some sort of food, I had to find a place that was willing to accommodate a gluten free menu. Since most of our guests were coming from the Schenectady area, it had to be someplace with available parking -- effectively ruling out downtown Albany. My husband also abhors regular bars - he'd much rather play games and have something to actually do. Finally, I wanted to keep it within a reasonable budget for approximately 30 people.

After making a few phone calls, I came up with the perfect venue: Diamond Eight Billiards. It's located in Latham and it's the best pool hall we've found in the area. It had everything we wanted -- pool, darts, foozeball, and a wonderful party manager, Irene, who went above and beyond to accommodate all of my menu requests. My goal for the party - I wanted my husband to be free to eat anything he wanted, and I wanted it to be good enough for all the other guests to enjoy.

The menu that Irene and I worked out:

Starters:

• Cheese and fruit platter
• Veggie and dip platter (Marzetti ranch dip)
  

Dinner:

• Tossed salad (Croutons on the side and gluten free Marzetti salad dressing)
  
• Sausage and peppers (with gluten free sausage, of course)
  
• Chicken and peppers
• Chicken and mushrooms
• Mild and Medium wings (broiled and tossed with sauce, instead of fried)
• Potato salad

For dessert, Diamond Eight provided a brownie tray (not gluten free, but my husband doesn't like chocolate anyway) and we brought in an ice cream cake from Emack and Bolio's. This is another great place with amazing ice cream! The cake was a huge hit. While their website has a huge allergen statements that they cannot guarantee against cross contamination, the employees were willing to use brand new containers for this cake to mitigate that risk, which we greatly appreciated!

My mother, mother in law, and sister in law stopped by Diamond Eight that afternoon to decorate -- everything looked festive, the food was great (though, I'll confess, I ordered a bit too much - we're eating a ton of leftover wings right now), and my husband was thoroughly surprised. What made it even better, though, was that everyone was entertained for the entire evening. I reserved four pool tables that were constantly busy, they had karaoke, and overall a great time!

* Note: The puggle wasn't invited to the party, and, I'm pretty sure hates me after making her take that picture. But I couldn't resist including it. :-)

Gluten free eggnog breakfast cake

I found an interesting looking recipe on Betty Crocker's website - for gluten free eggnog breakfast cake. Well my husband LOVES egg nog with a passion so we decided to try it.

The original recipe is here, but I decided to make a few changes. First since my husband hates pecans, we omitted those. Second, I made meringue cookies last night and had a lot of egg yolks to get rid of so I used six egg yolks instead of the three eggs. (I think in the future I'll use the three eggs). Finally, I used ingredients I had on hand.

Here's the recipe I made:

Ingredients:

• 1 box Betty Crocker GF yellow cake mix
• 1 package Jello instant vanilla pudding
  
• 1/3 cup milk
  
• 2/3 cup egg nog
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
• 1 Tbsp dark rum
• 1 tsp gluten free vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 6 egg yolks (not recommended - use 3 eggs)
• 1/4 cup frosting (I think I used a lot more, I didn't measure).

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom of 9" square pan. Beat all ingredients except frosting in a large bowl on low speed, them on medium speed until completely combined. Pour into the greased pan.
  
• Bake 35 minutes or until it passes the "toothpick test" and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, scrape the edges of the pan with a knife.
  
• Let cool for 30 minutes, then drizzle with frosting. It's easier to drizzle if you nuke it for 15 seconds or so.
  
• Optional: sprinkle top with pecans or gluten free candied pecans.
  

Overall - pretty yummy, though I felt myself gaining 5 lbs. with the first bite. I'll leave it for my hubby (who doesn't have that problem) and keep it in my notes for an occasional holiday treat. :-)

Monster cookies!

Some girlfriends and I started a monthly book club a little over a year ago. For December we selected The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman, and we decided that, to go with the theme of the book, it would be nice to bring cookies and wine and do a holiday cookie swap. (Okay, so full disclosure, we decided to do that before selecting the book, but it fits in very nicely).

As you can imagine, most holiday treats aren't gluten free. However, one of my girlfriends brought monster cookies which can very easily be made gluten free -- no recipe substitutions, just using gluten free oats! The recipe for monster cookies can be found on the Food Network website, and here it is:

Ingredients

* 3 eggs
* 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
* 1 stick butter, softened
* 1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies
* 1/2 cup chocolate chips
* 1/4 cup raisins, optional
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, raisins, if using, baking soda, and oatmeal. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. When cool, store in large resealable plastic bags.

To make this recipe gluten free, make sure to use gluten free oats (and gluten free vanilla extract, non-contaminated peanut butter, etc. etc. etc.) and that's pretty much all that you need to do! It's nice to have another recipe that doesn't need a lot of modification. The cookies are absolutely delicious and I'm adding them to the list of cookies we're planning to make.

The one modification that I'm planning to make is omitting the chocolate candies and chocolate chips from the cookies -- since my husband doesn't eat chocolate and I want to be able to share these gluten free goodies! We may just make plain cookies, but I'm going to try them this weekend with some shredded coconut. Yum!!!

EASY Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake

My mother's birthday is this weekend, and though she's not gluten free she requested a pineapple upside down cake that everyone could eat. (As opposed to bringing, say, a gluten dessert and a gluten free dessert). I'd never made a pineapple upside down cake, but fortunately Betty Crocker's website has a base recipe using theIir gluten free yellow cake mix. Considering that their mix is slightly disappointing without some form of doctoring, here's my first version of a pineapple upside down cake:

Gluten free Pineapple Upside Down Cake:

• 1/4 c. butter
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 2/3 c. packed brown sugar
• Pineapple rings, without juice
  
• Maraschino cherries, without juice
  
• 1 package Betty Crocker gluten free yellow cake mix
• 1 package Jell-O french vanilla instant pudding mix
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. canola oil
  
• 3/4 c. orange juice (note: next time I might try pineapple juice here)
  
• 4 eggs + 1 egg white
• 2 tsp. gluten free vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a 9" square baking pan melt the butter, stir in the brown sugar and honey. Spread evenly and arrange pineapples and cherries (with the cherries in the center of the pineapple rings).
   
2. In a mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and beat for at least 5 minutes until smooth and completely combined. Pour batter over the fruit in the pan.
   
3. Bake for 38 - 43 minutes or until the top is golden brown and passes the toothpick test. (an inserted toothpick comes out clean).
4. When done, immediately run a knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake. Place a heat-resistant serving plate on top of the baking dish. Turn it over and let it sit for 5 minutes to let the juices run down. After that, remove the pan and let the cake cool for at least 30 minutes.
   

YUM!!!

Our first Thanksgiving!

Welcome back from the Thanksgiving holiday! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday full of gluten free treats, family and friends. We certainly enjoyed ourselves!

We started the week off with dinner with my friend Samantha and her family. They made an amazing amount of Italian food, and we were touched not only to be included but also with the fact that they were so aware of cross-contamination, etc. They made a gluten free baked ziti dish for my husband, and made sure he had his own dish of gluten free sauce, and pointed out the other dishes on the table that were safe for him to eat. I know how much of a pain we can be to cook for, especially when there is a group of people, and we were very appreciative!

Then, on Thursday -- My husband and I hosted our first Thanksgiving. We're fortunate that both my parents and his are local, so we invited both of our immediate families for the holiday. We ended up with a total of eight people, three dogs, and two ferrets.

While I've roasted chickens before, this was my first turkey. I was also excited to finally have a chance to finally use the pretty china we selected before our wedding!

Our menu:

Appetizers:

• Cheese and crackers (we had "regular" crackers, as well as rice crackers and gluten free crackers).
• Veggies and dip (with extra green peppers for the puggle, she absolutely adores them)
  
• Homemade crab dip with freshly baked brown-rice-and-sorghum toast for spreading

Main course:

• 20-lb roast turkey and gravy
• Mashed potatoes
• Dressing, both traditional and gluten free cornbread (courtesy of both our mothers)
• Sweet potatoes and creamed white onions (two dishes, courtesy of my mother)
• Homemade applesauce (courtesy of my mother-in-law)
• Freshly baked dinner rolls
  
• Corn
• Peas
• Green beans
• Cranberry sauce

Dessert:

• Traditional pecan and pumpkin pies (non-gluten free, purchased from Grandma's)
  
• Gluten free apple pie from Laurie's Gluten Free Goodness, in Scotia
• Homemade gluten free coconut cream pie

Everything came out very well! There were two minor snags with the turkey, but neither of them affected the taste of the bird, which ended up juicy and delicious. However:

• We purchased an electronic thermometer that was supposed to alert us when the bird was "almost done," "done," and "overdone." I don't know if we stuck it in the wrong, er, location of the turkey or the contraption was just a piece of junk, but it beeped that my 20-lb. turkey was done two hours into the roasting cycle. We took the electronic thermometer out at that point and relied on the manual meat thermometer and pop-up timer in the bird itself.
  
• Most of our serving utensils, including our carving fork, are made of plastic. They presented an interested engineering problem when actually faced with removing the bird from the pan, but fortunately we were up to the challenge. :-)
  

Other than that, the meat fell off the bone and somehow, everything was done at the perfect time. So overall I'd consider the meal a success. We have finally reached the point where the leftovers are almost all gone!

The one note about the pie: I was very excited to try the pie from Laurie's gluten free goodness. It wasn't bad, but there was something missing. The apple filling was very tart and there wasn't a lot of sugar in the pie crust either. I would have preferred the filling and/or the crust to be slightly sweeter, though it was interesting to taste her crust!

Overall we had a wonderful time, and it kicked off holiday celebrations just right!

New Gluten Free Bakery!

I wanted to send out a quick update for my readers in the Capital District:

A new gluten free bakery is opening up in Scotia!

It's called Laurie's Gluten Free Goodness, and it's located at 5 South Ten Broeck Street, Scotia NY. (That area is my old stomping ground -- if you're not familiar with the area, it's right off Mohawk Ave, between Route 50 and Sacandaga Road).

There's not a ton of information online yet, but it's opening this weekend.

Hours are:
Monday - Saturday 9 - 5
Sunday 9 - 1

We're going to try to stop by this weekend! :) If you stop by, please share your thoughts!

A Crash Course in Gluten Free

We've been gluten free for over a year now, and have been blessed with supportive family and friends who have taken it upon themselves to familiarize themselves with gluten free foods. In the past year we've met more and more people who are already familiar with the phrase "gluten free" as the celiac disease becomes more widely recognized and the gluten free diet has gone mainstream. Still, the majority of people we meet for the first time still have questions about what, exactly, it means to be gluten free. They're the same questions that we had when we started out, and I hope to at least start to answer some of those questions with this blog post.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and derivatives of these grains. (Oats are often included on the list of foods to avoid because of a high risk of cross-contamination with wheat). People with celiac disease or other gluten intolerances cannot properly digest gluten, causing potentially severe health problems. (In face, in the case of celiac sufferers, ingesting gluten causes an autoimmune response, where their bodies are actually attacking their intestines). The symptoms are similar to Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

So, what does it mean to be gluten free? Well, first off -- avoiding all foods that contain gluten. No wheat, rye, barley, or regular oats. What exactly does this mean?

• Well, first, let's cut out all the obvious "traditional" foods: bread, pizza, pasta, cakes, cookies, pies, beer, anything with malt vinegar.
  
• Next, let's start reading ingredient labels. Canned soups, broths, and stocks, soy sauces, marinades, salad dressings, cereals, and any other processed food product has to be looked at very carefully for gluten-containing ingredients. Imitation crab, for example, almost always contains wheat.
  
• Not only do you have to read main ingredient labels, but sometimes innocuous-sounding ingredients like "natural flavors," "artificial flavors," and "caramel color" can contain gluten, so when in doubt it's best to contact the company regarding their labelling policy.
  
• Finally, cross-contamination. Potatoes are gluten free -- french fries cooked in a fryer with chicken tenders and mozzarella sticks are contaminated with gluten. A salad where the croutons have been "picked out" is contaminated by gluten. A slice of gluten free bread toasted in a communal toaster may be contaminated by gluten. Since as little as a crumb can potentially set off a bad reaction in a celiac person, it's best to be on the paranoid side.
  

Now that I've scared you, you're wondering -- what exactly can you eat if you're gluten free? The answer is simple: A lot of things. But, it does require some research and creativity. (If you do decide to start dabbling in the kitchen? Invest in a stand mixer. It's been my best friend in the kitchen and just may be the best $300 I've ever spent -- and our deep fryer comes in second).

First of all -- many foods are naturally gluten free. Fresh fruit and veggies (frozen veggies with no sauce), meats and seafood, potatoes, rice, and nuts are all naturally gluten free, as are most cheeses. But, when you're new to the gluten free community the first question on your mind is "Rice and potatoes are great, but can I ever eat traditional carbs again?" The answer is a resounding yes! Not only are rice and potatoes gluten free but many other non-traditional grains that are delicious and healthy: sorghum, millet, flax, quinoa, amaranth, and the list goes on.

There are several solutions for gluten free breads, pastas, pizzas, and desserts. Since this is an introductory post, the only thing I'll say about gluten free cooking is that it's possible, healthier and sometimes even downright easy to make some of these options for yourself. But, when we were brand new to gluten free, we preferred to find options that were pre-made to ease us into the transition. Pre-made foods tend to be expensive, not as healthy, and often not that good -- but there are quite a few good options out there. For example, Bionaturae gluten free pasta. Bar none, the best gluten free pasta we've tried.

As you do research you'll find a lot of mainstream gluten free goods as well - General Mills and Kraft are very good about product labelling and will not "hide" gluten in their ingredients (no worrying about natural flavors). Furthermore General Mills has become aware of the gluten free community and is making several of their items gluten free -- such as Chex cereals and introducing Betty Crocker gluten free mixes.

Overall? Gluten free doesn't mean you'll never eat pizza again. Or cakes or cookies. It means, however, that you can start experimenting with new things that you may not have tried before -- but you'll certainly be able to eat modified versions of favorite foods. In fact, it's very easy to make your own gluten free pizza (or get it at at Uno's if you'd prefer), enjoy your pizza with a beer, eat a sandwich on freshly baked gluten free bread, or even enjoy gluten free apple cider doughnuts.

Have any questions? Leave a comment on this post. I'd love to write a follow-up to this entry.

Back from Summer Break

Well, we're gearing up for fall again. I've got to confess that the past few days, as cool as they've been, have me starting to say goodbye to summer, pack the capris and sandals away for the time being and start thinking of apples, pumpkins, and all sorts of other autumn things.

My hiatus this summer was due to several reasons. First and foremost, my husband and I have been enjoying the summer. And part of that involves me NOT cooking. We spent the majority of the summer grilling outside. A lot of the time it was nothing really special - grilled burgers or chicken for the most part, with variations of grilled veggies. Especially veggie kebabs and corn.

Some notes on quick after-work meals, though:

• Perdue Perfect Portions chicken breasts have been a lifesaver this summer. They're vacuum-sealed chicken breasts that freeze very well. We usually get the plain ones or the Italian seasoned ones (which are great for the grill, because they're already pre-marinated and very yummy!) Best of all, the package says "gluten free!" I also found a significant price savings between Walmart and Price Chopper.
  
• Kraft Free Italian dressing makes a great baste for veggie kebabs. We're partial to: mushrooms (either white or baby bella, but grilled mushrooms are a must), red pepper, vidalia onion, yellow squash, and cherry tomatoes.
  
• There's no such thing as too many grilled veggies! Leftovers taste great stir-fried with rice. :-)
  

Anyway. Now that the weather is cooling, class has started (requiring leftovers on school nights), and winter is coming I'll be cooking quite a bit more!

Since this is my "Back from Summer Break" blog entry, I'll also add a few other updates. a.k.a. "What I did this summer since I didn't do much gluten free blogging:"

• I had busted my knee training for a 5K race in the spring. I'm well aware of the fact that I'm the only person in existence who can require physical therapy after running. However, it's all better now and I've been happily biking and doing other sports all summer.
  
• My husband and I went to Cape Cod on vacation, where I highly recommend visiting the Chatham Fish and Lobster Co. aka Marina Cuisine. Naturally gluten free fish fries, with gluten free breads and desserts. Amazing food, wonderful people, and definitely on our list of places to go the next time we visit!
  
• We also attended a very nice wedding at the Links golf club in East Syracuse. They were very accommodating for my husband - while they served stations for the guests, they made up a special plate for him with chicken, veggies and a baked potato. They also pointed out all the stations that were safe for him - for example the turkey carving station. We had a great time!
• Unfortunately, on the ride home from that wedding, we were in a car accident on the Thruway. Thankfully no one was hurt - only our car and dignity. My car chose the same week to die so we're now driving two new cars.
• We also went to a bridal shower (well, Jack and Jill shower) at the Albany Pump Station. Again, my husband had a very nice steak cooked and delivered to him. Everyone else at our table was jealous! :-)
  
• We finally checked out Yankees stadium. We had planned to tailgate in the parking lot before the game (cheaper, and easier to eat gluten free), but unfortunately, this was not meant to be! I went out of my way to pick up Bard's Beer at the Brew Crew (everyone else had Sam Adams) and forgot a bottle opener. (It was OK, someone else had one). Then the grill broke leaving us with approximately 7 lbs. of raw meat! No worries - I packed the gluten free hot dog buns in my purse and ordered two hot dogs without the buns. I got a weird look from the guy behind the counter, but we had gluten free lunch at the stadium! :-)

Anyway, that's been our summer. I look forward to getting back into gluten free blogging this fall!

Campbell's Gluten Free Update

Last year, I blogged about Campbell's gluten free list. This week, I received a letter from them in the mail explaining that due to the FDA's proposed regulations some items were removed from their approved gluten free list for further evaluation. They have since updated their list, and created the Campbells Without Gluten website to provide gluten free information to consumers.

The page redirects to a general FAQ page, but they have indeed added a "Gluten Free" tab to their FAQ. It gives a brief overview of gluten and celiac disease, assures customers of Campbell's gluten free commitment and practices, and a link to their list of gluten free products.

Rather than type the information -- which can change -- in this blog entry, I'll provide the link that Campbell's provides to their gluten free list. As you can see the major change from last November is the addition of several varieties of Prego sauce. It's nice to see Prego back on the list of safe foods! It's also nice to see the company becoming more pro-active about informing consumers about gluten free products!

The page is new, so please cut it some slack, but a couple of minor nitpicks and an atta-boy:

• Nitpick #1: I realize that the site is new, but I'd have thought it would come up in Google search results for "Campbell's gluten free" or at the very least the awkward "Campbells without gluten" query. If you're an SEO guy from Campbell's and reading this blog, I think you have some work to do.
• Nitpick #2: While it's great that Campbell's provides a blurb assuring customers that they're taking all precautions to ensure their gluten free products are indeed gluten free, please either tell us exactly what your practices are (testing batches for gluten, dedicated facilities, washing lines, etc.), what your definition (ppm) of gluten free is, or just leave the screen real-estate for something else.
  
• Nitpick #3: Seriously, none of your soups are on the "safe" list? Why is that?
  
• Atta-boy: I love the fact that I received a letter with this list at home without contacting the company for follow-up information. Campbell's customer service really impressed me. :-) Thanks (and now I can buy Prego again!)
  

Kix Cereal

Yesterday, hubby and I were doing the weekly grocery store run when we hit up the cereal aisle (we needed to pick up some stuff at the Green Grocer, so this happened to be at the Clifton Park Walmart). He was out of cereal for the week and I had a coupon off three boxes of General Mills cereals. I figured we could load up on various versions of gluten free Chex cereals - however, we checked out the Kix cereal.

It turns out that the cereal (which previously contained oats and was off-limits) has been reformulated to contain mostly corn ingredients. Since General Mills will clearly list any ingredients that contain gluten, this looks like a safe bet. We picked up a box but haven't tried the new formulation yet -- however, it's nice to have yet another mainstream option and we're looking forward to trying them this week!

Note: Unlike the various Chex cereals, Kix does not say that it's gluten free. It's probably not made in a dedicated gluten free facility -- however, we've had pretty good luck with other General Mills cereals, namely Trix, that are gluten free but not labelled so.

The box for Honey Nut Kix also looked safe - no oats. I didn't check the box for Berry Berry Kix, but browsing around some blogs that one also appears to be reformulated.

NOW - We need corn-based Honey Nut and Apple Cinnamon Cheerios. ;-)

Enjoying a baseball game, gluten free!

Last summer, my husband and I went to Oldtimer's Day at the old Yankee Stadium with both of our fathers. Now, the four of us have gone in the past (pre celiac diagnosis) and while our wallets may not have been happy, we could always find good food. I never actually bought sushi there, but I was impressed to see that it was offered. The men always stuck with hot dogs and Bud Lite, while I was all about the frozen Minute Maid lemonades. Well, OK, and Bud Lite. :-) There's nothing better at a hot baseball game! 

Last year was the first baseball game we'd attended after going gluten free. Obviously hot dogs and beer were off the proverbial plate -- that's gluten central! I researched online and found that we could bring in sandwiches, etc. provided they were in clear plastic bags and we had no glass bottles or other contraband - still, it would be a pain in the butt for a lousy, soggy-by-the-time-we-ate-it sandwich. No, thanks. So - we decided to bring football fan culture to baseball and tailgate before the game. 

We loaded up my father-in-law's SUV with a small grill and a cooler filled with hot dogs, hamburgers, cheese and crackers, chips, and beer (yes, with gluten free buns and alcohol) and had a parking lot BBQ. It was great and I would definitely do it again, provided Yankee tickets at the new stadium were priced reasonably and we could have afforded tickets this year (Sorry, I'm not going to pay in the 4 digits for 2 tickets!)

Anyway, now gluten free people have an option - the Phillies are not only hosting a Celiac awareness night on July 20th but are also offering gluten free hot dog buns in certain sections of the Citizens Bank Park stadium. 

Here's the link to a news article with more information: http://www.examiner.com/x-10302-Philadelphia-Triathlon-Examiner~y2009m6d29-Citizens-Bank-Park-offers-glutenfree-food-Phillies-will-host-Celiac-Awareness-Night

Now, Yankee Stadium needs to offer gluten free stuff as well! (Attn Steinbrenner: Bard's beer). ;-) 

Massachusetts Question

My husband and I are planning to take a couple of trips to Massachusetts this summer. Specifically, to Cape Cod, Boston and Six Flags New England.

While between a list of safe options on the road and a car packed with goodies, we're good for trips. However, I'm looking for some really good restaurant options in those areas - it seems to be a shame to visit the shore and eat at chain restaurants. As I Google I figured I'd pose the question - does anyone recommend specific Massachusetts restaurants that not only make accommodations for the gluten free diet but are worth visiting? I'd appreciate it, thanks in advance. :-)

Six Flags New England is a little harder - I would love to find an option but so far have been unsuccessful contacting their food management staff regarding my questions. It looks like we might be forced to eat a huge breakfast and/or brown-bag a lunch at this point. :-(

Hannaford Healthy Living Classes

The Clifton Park Hannaford is hosting a Healthy Living Class called "Gluten Free Diet: Importance of Whole Grains!"

The first class is tomorrow, Wednesday May 13th from 10:00 - 11:30 AM, and the second class (it's the same class, not a part II) is Monday May 18th from 6:00 - 7:00 PM. Both classes are at the Clifton Park Hannaford at 9 Clifton Country Road.

If you're interested in attending, you can register at (518) 383-4136.