Peruvian Roast Chicken with Red Potatoes

One of my favorite bloggers, Carrie Forbes of Ginger Lemon Girl is releasing her first cookbook: The Everything Gluten-Free Slowcooker Cookbook. I already have mine on pre-order.  I'm all for recipes that I can throw in a crockpot first thing in the morning, so I can have dinner ready when I get home.  And I really love Carrie's recipes, she was one of the very first bloggers that I followed when I changed my diet.

I got the chance to try one of her recipes from her upcoming cookbook and it was pretty darn good.  I made her Peruvian Roast Chicken and Red Potatoes yesterday for dinner.  It had just the right balance of spices and definitely changed up my regular roast chicken enough for me to really enjoy it again.  The chicken is served with a simple mustard-lime sauce and can I just say that the leftover chicken with that sauce makes for a fantastic sandwich the next day! Really, it was quite fantastic.

 

Go check out her blog and her new cookbook! Congrats, Carrie on your first cookbook!

Salt Lake Restaurants

We just got back from our 10th anniversary weekend away.  We spent the weekend in Salt Lake City and I thought I'd share where we ate, just in case you ever go there and need a restaurant idea.

Our first stop was the Red Iguana, the original one (there's a few locations now).  They have a gluten-free menu that makes it so much easier to order.  I got the carne asada soft tacos...and can I just say that their corn tortillas are the best I've ever had, they were sooo good! If you're like me (dairy intolerant) just remember to ask for no cheese on the refried beans.

Our next stop was Mekong Cafe (7725 S State St, SLC, UT).  It's a tiny family owned Thai restaurant.  We shared the chicken satay, and then I had the red curry salmon.  It was one of the best Thai curry sauces I've ever had...so worth the drive across town.

We slept in really late the next morning, so by the time we left the hotel it was about lunchtime.  So, we went to my hubby's favorite burger place: Five Guys.  Why I love this place is that the menu is incredibly simple.  They serve burgers and fries.  The fries are safe, because that's the only thing that goes in the fryer.  The burgers are safe, when you order them protein style, in a lettuce wrap.  And they are really good about changing their gloves and making sure the work area is clean before making the burger. I ordered a little bacon burger in a lettuce wrap. I was going to bring my own bun...but the buns were forgotten in our freezer at home, and you know what, the burger was fantastic without them.

We were checking out City Creek, the new shopping center downtown, around dinnertime, so we decided to really spurge on dinner and had it at the Texas de Brazil Churrascaria.  It's a Brazilian steakhouse.  They have a salad/side dish buffet...which can be scary, but they keep it clean and well maintained.  And then they come around to the tables with the meat, and they keep coming until you tell them to stop.  So, we definitely did not leave hungry that night.  The great thing about that place was I mentioned my food issues to the server when we sat down and he pulled out a list from his pocket that let me know everything that was and wasn't safe...it was my cheat sheet and I used it.  All of there meats are gluten free and most of their buffet was, too (just the obvious things like croutons and such had gluten).  The only meats that had dairy were the chicken wings and the Parmesan pork...so I had plenty of options.  And on top of that their limeade is dairy-free...I know that should be a given, but the other Brazilian restaurants we've been to have added sweetened condensed milk to their limeades, so it was nice to actually be able to enjoy a limeade this time.

The next morning we enjoyed a late breakfast at the Little America.  Their steakhouse does a breakfast buffet, and yes, buffets are scary, but they had theirs laid out in a way that I didn't have to worry about cross contamination.  All of the gluteny things were in an entirely different section then the bacon, potatoes and eggs.  And then they had a whole section of fresh fruit, so I was definitely set and my husband was happy that he could eat whatever he wanted for breakfast.

Since breakfast was late, we didn't eat again until dinner and we went to one of my favorites: Red Robin.  I love them, because they carry Udi's buns and I can enjoy a really fantastic burger on a fantastic bun. I had my favorite the guacamole bacon burger without the cheese.

So, there's a few restaurants that were quite successful for me in my Salt Lake adventure.

Special-Needs Kids Eat Right -- Book Review

My mom gave me a copy of Special-Needs Kids Eat Right by Judy Converse a couple of weeks ago and it has changed my perspective on how to care for my children.  Neither of my boys have Autism, but my younger one has Sensory Processing Disorder and my older one has anxiety, which at times is quite severe.  In the past, I have always gone through our family doctor or more recently through their new pediatrician for advice on their issues.  And the doctors have always done the best that they could, but they have never been able to fully help.

My little one has been in occupational therapy which was a tremendous help, but he's plateaued again.  And my older one has had sessions with a child psychologist, which has helped him with coping skills for his anxiety...yet, it's still an every day battle.  Each of these professionals-the MD's, the OT and the psychologist have all helped, but we still have such a long way to go.  This book helped me understand where to start.  It's understanding the root cause of these health problems and addressing those first...I understood the gluten-free/casein-free diet, and separately I knew I felt better if I took probiotics, but I didn't fully understand how to make it all work together to improve my boys' overall health and their physical, neurological, and emotional well being.

Judy Converse lays out a guideline for parents on how to evaluate their children's nutritional health and how that health correlates to displayed symptoms.  Each step of the way, she tells you when and what type of professional to see, what to ask them, what things (whether diet changes, supplements, etc) will help in each case and how to make those changes.

Even if you don't have a child with special needs, this book has such good advice on nutrition that I would recommend it to everyone.  This book really drives home the point that you are what you eat...and sadly, many still don't understand quite what that means, only those of us that have seen the change in our children when we've rebalanced their gut flora and changed their diets so they are actually receiving all the nutrients they need.

Last year, after first taking my boys off of gluten (and my little one off of casein and soy, as well), I asked their pediatrician for a referral to see a dietician to make sure they were getting enough nutrients.  When I scheduled an appointment with the dietician at our local hospital, the receptionist said that my insurance probably wouldn't cover the cost and that I should call and see.  After calling, it was definitely determined that my insurance wouldn't cover the cost, they only covered nutrition services if it was for diabetes or obesity.  There is still a huge gap in our medical system that overlooks the nutritional needs of children, especially those that require special care--ones with sensory processing disorder, autism, Asperger's, ADHD, mood disorders, etc. Judy Converse says that the science and practice of helping children with bowel and nutrition problems is not new; the new part is recognizing that children in the above groups (autism, SPD, etc) usually have inadequate diets or undiagnosed GI problems that can benefit from nutrition therapy. This is why it is important to see a nutritionist that specializes in GI issues, and has experience in helping children with autism and these other disorders.

I think what I learned most from this book was to be open to trying new things, I came from a family that would go to an MD if you were sick and you would trust everything they say.  We will still see the doctor when we need him, but I've learned there are so many other sources of help--nutritionists, naturopathic doctors, homeopathic providers, and more.  And they are all experts in their areas and they each can offer healing in their own way.



I am reading this book again, and taking extensive notes, because in a couple of weeks my little one has his first visit with a nutritionist (that yes, we will be happily be paying for out of pocket) and I want to make the most out of the visit as possible...and she has given me all the tools to make that possible.  This book will never be shelved in my home, it will be laying out for quick reference at all times, because it is my guidebook for helping my boys.  Please read it!

Boston Restaurants

This past week I have been in Boston.  I had a training out there for work and brought my hubby along to sight see with me. We flew out Sunday morning and arrived back late yesterday (Saturday). It was a lot of fun, we saw a lot of sights, I got trained for work, and I DIDN'T GET SICK ONCE!!! At least not from the food, I got dizzy from looking out the Prudential Building (yes, I have issues with heights), and a little sick by the end of the airplane ride back to Salt Lake (it was bumpy), but nothing from the food I ate. :) So below is my review from all of the places that we ate.  Monday through Thurdsay I spent in the training at the manufacturer's facility. They provided breakfast and lunch from their cafeteria--I ate mixed fruit and hard boiled eggs for every breakfast and salad for every lunch. That was my allergy friendly option. :)

We stayed at the Colonnade, which was actually really, pretty nice, especially for its location.  It's right across from the Prudential Center and next to Copley Place there in Back Bay.  We were surrounded by restaurant choices and sites to see.  And there was a Shaw's grocery store, literally right across the street from us.  It was perfect.

Sunday night, once we got into town, we were starving.  We had just eaten snacks on the plane that I brought along in my purse, so we were ready for a substantial meal. The Prudential Center has a Legal Sea Foods and I knew that they had a gluten-free menu, so we went there.  As soon as I told them I was gluten and dairy intolerant, they got me the gf menu and some gluten-free rolls. I was quite excited about the rolls, they were pretty good, too.  I ordered the Chef's Platter which had shrimp, scallops, and the chef's choice of three fish, I got the salmon, swordfish, and tuna. I had broccoli and brown rice with it. I literally cleaned my plate, it was quite good and they knew exactly how to handle someone with food intolerances/allergies.

After my training on Monday, we headed out for an early dinner (my salad didn't feel me up, and my hubby didn't have anything to eat since 10:30, it was now like 4:30, yes, our bodies were not adjusted to the 2 hour time change). We went down a couple of blocks to b.good, it's like a fast food restaurant, that has high quality, handmade food...it's good. :) And they have Udi's gluten-free buns!  I got a Cousin Oliver gluten-free turkey burger with sweet potato fries. Here's their menu, their menu online doesn't talk about the gluten-free buns, but under ingredients on their site, it lists the ingredients for the gf buns...and when we walked in they had a sign right on their menu that said "We had GF Buns".  Just to note, they also have a sign that says not to modify how the burgers are made (you have like six choices, mine was cousin oliver), and most of those choices have cheese...I'm sure they would make an exception to someone that has food intolerances, but it's just easier to choose from the choices that don't have cheese. My choice was a basic burger with lettuce, onion, tomato and pickles, exactly what I was craving. :) The sweet potato fries were addicting, like they always are, and my husband even started eating them off my plate. So, it was definitely a good meal, and not bad price either, I think it was under $10 a plate.

Later that night, my hubby was hungry again, yes, our schedules were totally off.  I said we could go get him a cheesecake across the street at the Cheesecake Factory, he decided he wanted to sit down and have a whole meal there...I was nervous. I hadn't checked much into the Cheesecake Factory, but I had read mixed reviews, and their menu is a little overwhelming. Our server wasn't much help.  He said there was a manager (who is supposed to come out and take care of me, since I have food intolerances) that has a gluten intolerance and he'd ask him what would be good to get.  Now, ideally, that manager would come out and show me himself, but I never saw a manager that whole evening, he simply told the server what would be good and the server told me, but anyone in the situation knows, that having a messanger doesn't always work.  This server was not the best in relaying things and it made me nervous, so I stuck with something as simple as possible: I got the arugula salad with lemon juice and olive oil, golden raisins, and almonds, and the edamame, both from the small plates and snacks section of the menu.  Both were excellent, but I really doubt that I'd go back to the Cheesecake Factory, if the choice was up to me.

Tuesday evening we went out with the entire training group to Atlantic Fish, the nice thing about this meal, is it was paid for (including my hubby's tab) by the trainer. We started out with a gigantic shellfish platter that had lobster, crab, oysters, littleneck clams, and shrimp.  I tried raw oysters for the first time ever, so I can say that I have, decided against trying the littlenecks, but I did indulge in the lobster, crab and shrimp.  The shrimp were the biggest I think I've ever seen, but they were so good.  The lobster was definitely the best that I've ever had, and the crab as well.  I definitely filled up with just the appetizers.  They were very accommodating there, the top section on there menu if perfect for people with food intolerances, because you choose how it's cooked. Both the server and the managers made sure that I felt confident in my choices and I really love restaurants that do that. I ordered the grilled tuna with basmati rice and grilled asparagus. The tuna was amazing, I never have had fresh tuna steaks before this trip, but I'm a tuna convert, I love it. The basmati rice, wasn't fantastic, I make better at home, but combining it with the asparagus and tuna worked out well.  Really, this restaurant is a great choice, and I would definitely go there again, if I get back out to Boston.

Wednesday, we'd thought we'd walk over to the Museum of Fine Arts...it was a longer walk than we had thought, and after walking through the museum for 2 hours, we were totally exhausted and starving.  Halfway back to the hotel we stopped at Uno Chicago Grill.  I know we ate at yet another chain restaurant, but we were exhausted, hungry, and I knew that they had a gluten-free menu.  And, it is so exciting to see pizza on a gf menu, so that is exactly what I got--the gluten free veggie pizza without cheese.  I also got a frozen raspberry lime rickey, which was so amazingly delicious and refreshing. :) They were so good here, the manager (like they are supposed to) came out and made sure everything was fine, brought out the food, and check in again later.  And the pizza was delicious, it is a thin crispy crust and I devoured the entire thing. :)

Thursday, we went to the New England Aquarium, to Mike's Pastry over in the north end so my hubby could try a cannoli, then through Faneuil Hall/Quincy Marketplace. Once, again we were pooped and hungry, so we went a couple of blocks over to Newbury Street and found Joe's American Grill and Bar.  They have gluten-free pasta, pizza, and buns for their burgers. I kept it simple, I really wanted prime rib, so that's what I got, prime rib and a baked potato. They made sure to not put au jus on my plate or butter, so I was happy. The chef was the one who actually delivered my food, and the manager checked on us...I really appreciate the restaurants that take this seriously.

Friday, the training was over and we had the entire day to explore Boston.  We had breakfast in the hotel's restaurant, Brasserie Jo, and I had the fresh fruit salad.  It was great, but it was just a fruit salad.  The only reason for coming here, was so my hubby could have a hot breakfast.  I think in the future, I would just get something at the grocery store across the street.

The morning was spent touring Fenway Park, after the tour, we headed a couple blocks down from the park to Burton's Grill.  They have a fantastic gluten-free menu and I ended up getting the Haddock Sandwich with fries (no tartar sauce or coleslaw).  They were the ones that actually pointed out that their tartar sauce and coleslaw were not dairy free, so that was really nice that they caught that.  And that haddock was amazing, it's dredged in corn flour and fried--oh how I wanted that! :)  They have a nice light and chewy bun, too, so it was an amazing sandwich...and the fries were so good, and it was so nice to have fries at a restaurant! I absolutely loved that meal.

For dinner Friday night, we went over to Newbury Street again and went to Papa Razzi.  They have gluten-free pasta and pizza dough, making it actually possible to have Italian for dinner. I originally ordered their risotto of the day, but had stressed the gluten and dairy thing enough, that the server checked to make sure it was okay, and it wasn't, they cook their risotto with butter.  So I ended up having a chicken and broccoli pasta dish.  It was simple and a little bland, but I was eating pasta in a restaurant and that was nice. The dessert made it all worth it...I actually got to have dessert.  Being both gluten and dairy intolerant, all desserts are crossed off the list, usually.  Papa Razzi has Sorbetto and I tried all three flavors (one scoop of each): raspberry, lemon, and mango...and it was so nice to have something sweet. :)

Saturday was our last day in Boston, and it was raining.  We went to Brasserie Jo for breakfast again.  I got the mixed seasonal berries.  And once again, it was nothing special, just convenient.  If not for the rain, I may have convinced my hubby to go to the grocery store instead, oh well.

We finally ventured out in the rain towards lunchtime and thought to try out Cheer's, the original one that they based the TV series on.  I got the bunless burger, which comes with a caesar salad, and the waitress was good about checking the ingredients on the dressing for me.  There is parmesan cheese in the caesar dressing, just so you know.  I got my bunless burger with a garden salad instead, with oil and vinegar to top it. It wasn't anything fantastic, the burger was decent, but not phenomenal. But we went there, to say we've been there.  Honestly, I probably wouldn't go again.

On the flight home, we ate snacks that I packed (jerky, pistachios, gf nut bars, etc), and ate a quick bite at home before totally collapsing in our bed.  I definitely feel more confident about traveling now, but you do have to do your homework before going.  All of these restaurants, I looked at prior to eating at.  It's easy to find ones that have gluten-free options, I started my googling 'gluten-free restaurants in Boston', then narrowed the field to ones that were either by my hotel or the sites that we were planning on seeing.

I do have to say, no matter how successful a trip is, it is really nice to be home again. :)

Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter -- Review

I was grabbing a few quick things at Walmart the other day, and went down the peanut butter aisle for some reason (I don't even remember now), when I came across this:

I picked it up, expecting to see dairy listed in the back, and what to my wondering eyes did I behold? Well, this:

Okay, I know it's impossible to make out...but on the second to bottom line of writing it says "Gluten-free & dairy-free"...yeah, I was so will to pay for this...I get to eat chocolate hazelnut butter, i.e. Nutella, again!

I made it to the parking lot before I opened it (yes, I love chocolate and hazelnut together), and I was in love. This is my new indulgence, I have been eating it straight out of the jar, since.  I did manage to spread it on my Udi's bagel this morning...once again, divine!  And I made some double chocolate hazelnut cookies using it, my new favorite cookies now (I'll post those later).

This butter is better than Nutella, or at least how I remember Nutella.  This one is natural, and you can tell that by tasting it, that's what makes it so good, I think.  There is texture to it, as well, from the hazelnuts, so it's not totally smooth...it actually reminds me of a melted Ferrero Rocher...I know its from the hazelnut bits in it combined with the chocolate...Nutella just doesn't have that.

Really, this is my new favorite butter and really, my favorite indulgence and chocolate fix.  I checked out Justin's Nut Butter website, and yeah, I think I'm going to have to order some nut butters and peanut butter cups to try (it looks like their dark choclate ones are dairy-free!).  Their whole line of products is:

Classic Almond Butter

Honey Almond Butter

Chocolate Almond Butter

Maple Almond Butter

Classic Peanut Butter

Honey Peanut Butter

Chocolate Peanut Butter

Chocolate Hazelnut Butter

Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups 

Overall Rating for the Choclate Hazelnut Butter: 10 out of 10!  It was absolutely amazing and indulgent!

Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos -- Review

So, I am inherently lazy.  If I don't have to make something totally from scratch, well, I won't.  I have a soy sauce substitute, but I do miss the days of just pulling out the soy sauce from the fridge to make my teriyaki sauce.  We know that my little one is okay with the soybean oils, but I haven't had the guts to reintroduce soy protein into his diet, and like I said, I've been lazy, so we haven't had any dishes lately that have required soy sauce, until last night. :)  I discovered Raw Organic Vegan Coconut Aminos and splurged and bought it, and I'm so happy I did.  It was expensive enough, we still won't have teriyaki that often, but it was so worth it, it is a better substitute than my homemade sauce.  The sauce itself definitely is not salty like soy saucy, but still have that deep, pungent taste (slightly different, but similar enough that in a teriyaki sauce you don't notice it).

Overall Rating: 10 out of 10. Even with the expensive price, it was worth it to be able to make my teriyaki for everyone in the family. :)

Imagine Organic Tomato Soup -- Review

My little ones used to love eating their grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup (Campbell's), so obviously we haven't had that since the diet change.  I know, I could just make soup, but, the whole point of even having the soup was having an easy throw together lunch that requires little effort.
Well, Saturday when I was grocery shopping and buying more of my favorite chicken broth (Imagine Organic Free-Range Chicken Low-Sodium Broth), I found this soup (Imagine Light in Sodium Creamy Garden Tomato Soup).  My older son was so excited to try it, I didn't realize he was missing tomato soup so much. 

So, this soup was really incredible.  It's just a heat and serve, so no adding water, etc.  It's gluten, soy and dairy-free, and really, really yummy.  My older son loved this soup so much, he not only dipped his sandwich in it, he actually ate the soup by itself as well (which never happened with the Campbell's soup, back in the gluten days). 

I got the soup on sale for $2.87/quart and it was worth it.  It's getting 10 out of 10 from me.  Also, if you go to their website, you can get a $1.00 off coupon. :)

Udi's Review

I am so incredibly behind on reviews, but this one, no matter how behind I get, really needs to be done.  I LOVE UDI'S!  They saved us when I changed my older son's diet, he has been the pickiest with the gf breads, and Udi's has allowed him to enjoy PB&J's again.

I recently got the opportunity to become a community ambassador for Udi's.  This means I get to share the love at Gluten-free meetings and at in-store demos, etc.  I'm not bound to only love Udi's, so I can still try and review other products, but I chose to affiliate myself with this company because of how they have helped us on our gluten-free journey.

Being an ambassador, I got to try everything in the product lineup: (1) Udi's Gluten Free White Sandwich Bread, (2) Udi's Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread, (3) Cinnamon Raisin Bread, (4) Udi's Gluten Free Plain Bagels, (5) Whole Grain Bagels, (6) Cinnamon Raisin Bagels, (7) Udi's Gluten Free Pizza Crust, (8) Udi's Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls, (9) Udi's Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins, (10) Udi's Gluten Free Double Chocolate Muffins, (11) Udi's Gluten Free Lemon Streusel Muffins, (12) Udi's Gluten Free Granola, Au Naturel, (13) Udi's Gluten Free Granola, Cranberry, (14) Udi's Gluten Free Granola, Vanilla, and (15)Udi's Gluten Free Granola, Original.


Fifteen products, and they all have been amazing.  When I conveniently switched my boys bread from their white sandwich bread (which they love!) to the whole grain, they didn't even notice.  What mom can say that about switching from white to whole wheat?!?!  So, yes, we are now big fans of the whole grain bread.  I already am a huge fan of their plain bagels, and their whole grain and cinnamon raisin do not disappoint.  My older son is loving bagels now, too.  I don't think he ever really ate bagels before our diet change, but he definitely does now.  I have to say with both the cinnamon raisin bagels, and the cinnamon raisin bread.  That option was always taken for granted.  I chose so many other types of bagels over cinnamon raisin back in my gluten days, but really I almost cried when I ate the cinnamon raisin bagel for the first time.  Being able to have an option at all, meant more than I could imagine.

The muffins are amazingly good, they are like those jumbo bakery muffins that I used to indulge in, I love them.  I've already raved about the double chocolate muffins, which by the way, I never get to eat, because my boys down them too fast.  But the blueberry ones are like eating fresh blueberries, they are so good.  But, I think my favorite is the lemon streusel, I love lemon and they have just the right amount in the muffin, with just the right amount of chewiness.  It's simply heavenly.

I think my boys two favorite things, beyond what they already have as regular favorites, were the cinnamon rolls and the pizza crust.  My older one begged me for cinnamon rolls for days when we tried them for the first time.  And the pizza crust is our new regular.  The first time we had it, my older son ate the crusts off of everyone's plate....he never eats the crusts!!!  It is a thin crust, and we usually go for thicker crusts, but they were so incredibly easy and so tasty, it definitely is a new regular in the house.

Now for the granola, can a just say how happy I am that I can snack on granola again...and how amazing it is that their original granola has pistachios, I love it!  All of their granola is really tasty, and I find myself looking for ways to add granola to everything, just so I have an excuse to eat it. :)

Quite simply put, all of Udi's gluten-free products get 10 out of 10 from me and my family, they have given us back some of that normalcy and convenience we have been missing.  Once again:  I LOVE UDI'S!!!

Another Book Review...Amazing Indian Food

As I said in a previous post, I've gotten a few new cookbooks and have been enjoying them.  I tested out The Indian Slow Cooker: 50 Healthy, Easy, Authentic Recipes. Anupy Singla was done the impossible, and has taken recipes that I love and converted them to the crockpot.  I've made her cauliflower and potatoes and rice pudding, and both were amazing.  What I love about Indian food, besides the amazing aromas and tastes, is the fact that it's naturally gluten-free and very easily converted to dairy-free when necessary (it's also basically soy-free, too).  It makes dinner so much easier when I don't have to convert things, so I am very grateful to the cultures around the world that do not use gluten containing foods...thank you for your diversity and sharing that with us!

Book Review + Easy Strawberry Frosting

So, I splurged and bought 4 new cookbooks that I have been wanting: Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook, Gluten-Free Baking Classics, The Gluten-free Almond Flour Cookbook, and The Indian Slow Cooker: 50 Healthy, Easy, Authentic Recipes.  This would be the reason I haven't been posting, I have been trying their recipes, instead of creating my own.  But I just made some really fantastic cupcakes using Cybele Pascal's recipe in her Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook.  I really love this book, because I don't have to convert anything for my family, she has our bases covered.  THANK YOU, Cybele!  I can't leave well enough alone, so I did use my flour blend, instead of her's, but they were amazing chocolate cupcakes--amazing, they were really that good!  I love this book so far, and this recipe is proof enough for me to keep trying her recipes, because they work and they are delicious.

All of her recipes are free from the top 8 allergens and gluten, she also goes through and helps you with how to use the substitutes for them, I actually really appreciated the eggs and dairy section.  No, we don't have an egg issue, but I know someone who does, and I want a better understanding of how to cook without eggs, so I can. :)  She has great explanations and great pictures that make you want to try the food right then, and this recipe (chocolate cupcakes) worked, which makes me excited to try more.  This book gets 5 stars from me.  Thank you, Cybele, for making my life more enjoyable!

To go along with these delicious cupcakes, I made a simple strawberry buttercream frosting:

Strawberry Frosting

1 cup palm oil shortening
1/4-1/2 cup strawberry puree
1 16 oz package powdered sugar

Mix ingredients together until smooth, pipe or spread on cupcakes or eat straight out of the bowl . ;)

Catching up

I feel like I've been MIA lately.  I have had a cold and have just been exhausted...so, I'm behind on my posting. First up, I got a humburger bun pan (I think they are actually called muffin top pans) for Christmas and I put it to the test and I love it! The buns turned out the perfect size and height!  We definitely enjoyed our hamburgers that night.

 

 I have tried a few new recipes from Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise Roberts.  She also has has a website with recipes, too.  The hamburger buns above were from her dinner rolls recipe, the bun recipe from her website is quite similar, just different ratios of the sorghum and millet.  I, of course, used So Delicious Coconut Milk instead of regular milk. They were pretty tasty, my one complaint was that the crumbled horribly the next day.  Fansastic and light fresh from the oven, so make just enough for what you need.

Yesterday, we made her pizza crust, and that was decent, too.  It was not as heavy as the pizza crust I make using Silvana Nardone's recipe from Cooking for Isaiah, but I like both of them for different reasons...so I guess I'll just have to experiment and combine the two. :)

So, for far this has been another decent cookbook.  There still is conversion to make the recipes dairy-free and soy-free, but that's not hard to do.

Next up, Katz Gluten Free Bakery sent me some of there products as samples to try.  Everything they make is gluten-free and dairy-free! We received their Chocolate Chip Cookies, Sliced Challah Bread, Dinner Rolls (Small Challah), and Cinnamon Rugelech.  By far, the boys favorite was the chocolate chip cookies, they couldn't stop eating them. And I do have to say they were quite delicious.  The Cinnamon Rugelech was also quite delicious.  It was like a delicate cinnamon roll...more like pastry, because rolls are heavier. :)  The challah bread definitely had that egg taste to it, my little one couldn't eat it because it has soy flour, but I've been eating it, and it makes great sandwiches.  The rolls we have not had yet (they also have soy flour), but I'm sure they are pretty similar to the bread.  Overall, the food was pretty good, the prices are decent, especially when they have free shipping sales (so, watch for that).

King Arthur Gluten Free Brownie Mix

I love brownies, rich, fudgy, chewy brownies. And guess what, I ate nearly an entire pan (I did share, so I guess about half a pan) of rich, fudgy, chewy brownies.  They were so good, and my mother-in-law was in shock that they were gluten-free.  The best part (at least for me, because it's less work) is that it came from a mix.  I love King Arthur Chocolate Cake, so it makes sense that they have excellent brownies, too!  I actually got this mix as part of a Christmas gift (thanks, little bro!) and tried it out that same day. :)  My one complaint, is that the recipe said to cook it 30-35 minutes...it took 45 minutes before mine was set in the middle, so just a warning, watch your brownies. :)   I was so worried that the corners would be inedible since it had cooked so long, but they were the best corners I have ever had, they were the perfect chewiness...hence my eating half the pan. :)

King Arthur Flour Brownie Mix, Gluten Free

Overall rating 10 out of 10 These were really some of the best brownies I've had.  They definitely had the best corners...mmm, I think I need to make another batch....and I need to really start working out if I keep doing this. ;)

Udi's, Kinnikinnick, and Enjoy Life...Oh my!

Okay, I just realized how far behind I'm getting on product reviews...so here is my attempt to catch up, just a little.

First up is Udi's Double Chocolate Muffins.  My mother-in-law was nice enough to buy these for us, and they were awesome.  We kept them in the freezer, then popped them in the microwave when we wanted them, it was like eating warm chocolate cake.  Yes, they were a bit heavier than cake would be, but muffins are supposed to be.  They were the indulgence in chocolate that I needed...so, yes, they were dairy-free and soy-free, too!

Overall Rating 10 out of 10 I love Udi's, they make great products, that taste like they were meant to taste.



Next up is, of course, more donuts...I love Kinnikinnick donuts, we've tried the chocolate glazed and the vanilla glazed, so we just had to try the Kinnikinnick Cinnamon Sugar Donuts!  It actually all started on Monday, I went to take my boys out to dinner to the only place in town where we can all eat a decent meal, and I forgot that they are closed on Mondays. Well, our wonderful health food store, Shangri La, is right next door, so I treated them to donuts instead. :)  It took us all of maybe a day to devour the entire box...and that was with me trying to restrict how quickly we ate them.  I think these ones are the best we've tried so far, and we loved the other ones, so you know how good these ones are!

Overall Rating 10 out of 10 Thank you kinnikinnick for making amazing donuts and wonderful cookies, too!

And finally, we are to Enjoy Life Foods boom CHOCO boom Rice Milk Chocolate Bar.  I saw this at Walmart of all places (our Walmarts here in town really don't have the best gluten/dairy/soy-free selection), but it was back when I was still missing chocolate, especially milk chocolate, obviously.  So, I thought I'd splurge (and it's a splurge when you're paying over a $1.50 for a regular sized candy bar) and try it.  It definitely wasn't a Hershey bar.  It reminded me of those Palmer chocolates that you get around the holidays...you know those cheap ones that are waxy and don't have the right texture?  Well, that's what this was, but in spite of that, I still devoured the whole candy bar, so it wasn't that bad.  I won't buy them very often, maybe I'll get some for my little one to put in his stocking for Christmas, but that'll be about it.  I can take care of my chocolate cravings in other ways, like Silk Dark Chocolate Almond Milk or Kinnikinnick chocolate glazed donuts, or Udi's Double Chocolate Muffins, or...well you get the picture, I can still eat good chocolate while being dairy-free.

Overall Rating 6 out of 10  for the price I don't want to feel like I'm eating cheap chocolate, but it still works as a candy bar, and for little ones that don't get candy bars, it's a nice treat.

Udi's Gluten Free Plain Bagels -- Review

I love bagels, but I never really ate them that much.  So, going gluten-free I figured that was one of those bread items I could easily just live without.  And honestly, I probably could, but my mother-in-law but us a couple bags of the Udi's gluten free bagels, so I had to try them....and I haven't been able to stop eating them since.  They have the perfect bagel texture, chewy, but not to chewy, and not too heavy, yet they are nice and filling, so they make a perfect breakfast.  I actually like these better than their white sandwich bread, and we are never without that bread in our house (mainly because my little ones refuse to eat my bread :P).  I have been making ham and egg bagels for breakfast, and have been snarfing them down so fast I forget to take pictures.

It's funny how something you take for granted in a past life, becomes a treasure in this one...how I love bagels now!

Overall rating 10 out of 10  I honestly can't think of anything bad to say about it, other than maybe the price, but we're used to that, right?  They are so, so, so good!

Cooking with Isaiah Part 2 and the best pizza ever, and I mean it this time!

Okay, so I have already reviewed the cookbook, Cooking for Isaiah, but I am still testing her recipes, and they are so good I have to bring this cookbook up again.  I made the banana pancakes with cinnamon goo (basically cinnamon syrup), and it was literally eating banana bread in pancake form with this warm, gooey, cinnamon syrup that just made it perfect comfort food.  Sadly, all of my boys (husband included) were being picky that night and they ate regular gf pancakes--they definitely missed out.  But when I made pizza, it was a different story.

She has mastered the gluten-free pizza crust.  Really, I think the key is using the pizza stone.  I finally pulled mine out that I got when I was married, and realized why these stones exist...if you don't have a stone, go buy one, now, I mean it!  Her crust is very simple and straight forward and it came out fantastic, crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside---and, and this is a big and, it was fantastic the next day for leftovers.  Not just okay, it was actually fantastic! It wasn't in the least bit soggy, like every other gluten free crust I've tried, it was still crispy, and chewy on the inside.

Really, go out and buy the book, this recipe you will use over and over and over again!  And while you're out, buy a pizza stone if you don't have one. :)