The Gluten-Free Homemaker

It’s funny.  We’re not big chocolate fans around here.  Maybe it’s because I have a house full of guys, but even I can take it or leave it.  When I ask the boys what kind of cake they want for their birthday, they never say chocolate.  I know.  It’s hard to believe when most of the world loves chocolate.  Most often they request carrot cake or banana cake.  My husband has always been a fan of lemon desserts, and the rest of us enjoy them too.  That’s why I decided to try making a bundt cake that was nice and lemony.

I’m partial to bundt cakes.  They look nice, and don’t require frosting.  You can dust them with powdered sugar or add a simple glaze.  I usually go with a glaze, and if I’m not making it for a special occasion, I go light on the glaze.  The glaze I put on this cake has a strong lemon flavor which was exactly what I wanted.  If you like lemon, I bet you’ll enjoy this cake. 

I made the cake dairy free which resulted in a slightly odd texture.  We didn’t notice it when eating,  but it had a stringy look to it which you can see in the photo below.  My family didn’t know when I served it to them that I had made it dairy free.  They thought it was great.  In fact, it was gone in 24 hours and my youngest was almost begging me to make another one.  If you are not dairy free, I’m sure this recipe would work great with dairy ingredients. 

Lemon Bundt Cake (Gluten & Dairy Free)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

• 3/4 c. millet flour
• 3/4 c. potato starch
• 1/2 c. tapioca starch
• 1 tsp. xanthan gum
• 1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
  
• 1 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. lemon extract
• zest from one lemon (~2tsp.)
• juice of one lemon (~1/4 c.)
• almond milk, milk substitute, or regular milk  (~3/4 c.)

Glaze:

• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 Tb. lemon juice

Wash a nice size lemon, then roll it on the counter a bit to soften it.  Use a zester or microplane to zest the entire lemon,  Set the zest aside.  Cut the lemon, and juice it.   In a liquid measuring cup, put the juice of the lemon plus enough milk substitute to equal one cup.

Combine the first seven ingredients in a small bowl.  In the bowl of your mixer, beat the sugar, oil and eggs on medium-high for about one minute.  Add the lemon extract and mix. Add the flour mix and liquid alternately beginning and ending with the flour mix.  Add about 1/4 at a time and mix on medium speed in between each addition.  Stir in the lemon zest.

Pour the batter into a well greased or sprayed bundt pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for about 50 minutes or until it tests done.  Cool in the pan for 5 - 10 minutes.  Make sure the edges of the cake are loose, then turn it onto a rack to finish cooling. 

In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice, adding 1 Tb. of the juice to start with, then more until it reaches the right consistency.  Spoon over the cooled cake.  Serve and enjoy.

For more fabulous food made a little bit healthier, check out Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

View Printable Recipe

For more lemon recipes, visit The Happy Housewife.

Labels: cake, dessert recipes

With all the great gluten-free blogs out there, I have not been able to keep up with updating my blog roll.  I have decided instead to keep this post as a resource.  If you want to be listed here, please let me know.  Instead of leaving a comment, I would like you to use Mr. Linky.   I will periodically check Mr. Linky, add the blogs to my list, and then delete them from Mr. Linky.  I'm looking for blogs that are primarily about gluten-free living.  If you added a link, but I didn't put it in the list, it is probably because I felt your blog contained too little gluten-free information.  If you have a question about that or you change the focus of your blog, please let me know.

When entering your blog, in the box next to “name” put your blog title and in parentheses list other foods that you also omit from your diet.  It is assumed that everyone is gluten free, but if you also blog about a sugar free and soy free diet, you would enter this:  Your Blog Title (sugar, soy).  That doesn’t mean that every recipe or product review on your blog is sugar and soy free, but is should be what you primarily and currently blog about.   In the box next to “url” please put your home page blog address. 

Blogs will be permanently added to the list at my discretion.  Blogs with offensive material will not be added.  I don’t expect this to be a problem, but you never know. 

A Life of Sugar and Spice (dairy free)
About Allergy
Adventures of a Gluten-Free Mom
Amongst Lovely Things
Auntjayne's Blog
Beyond Rice and Tofu (vegetarian)
Bubble Tummy
Bye Bye Bread (corn)
Celiac At School
Celiac Family
Celiac Teen
Celiacs in the House
Celtic Celiac
Chaya's Comfy Cook Blog
CJ's Woodland Shed and the Autism Journey
Cooking Gluten Free
Dharma Cakes (dairy, egg, & soy free)
Easy To Be Gluten Free
Elegantly, Gluten-Free
Enjoy Life Free
Free to Feast (sugar, most dairy, grain & starch free)
Freedom to Dine
Finding Food
Fit Food Lover
Flip Cookbook

G is for Gluten
Ginger Lemon Girl
Glugle Gluten-Free
Gluten Hates Me
Gluten Free A-Z (vegetarian)
Gluten Free April
Gluten Free Asian Food
Gluten Free Birmingham
Gluten Free Cheaply!
Gluten-Free Denver
Gluten Free Diva
Gluten Freedom (dairy free)
Gluten Free Easily
Gluten-Free Flavor Full
Gluten-Free Food That Even My Husband Likes
Gluten Free Gluttony
Gluten Free 4 Goofs
Gluten-Free Greenie
Gluten Free & Healthy for Me
Gluten Free in SLC
Gluten Free Kitchen (dairy & soy free)
Gluten Free Motherhood
Gluten Free Naturally
Gluten-Free Optimist
Gluten Free Real Food (sugar, dairy, & grain free)
Gluten Free Recipe Box
Gluten Free Recipes
Gluten-Free Social Media Tips
Gluten Free Spinner
Gluten Free Taste of Home
Gluten Free and You
Goodbye Goldfish
Gracefully Gluten-Free
Gwinnett GF Food Examiner

Healthy Mama
I'm A Celiac
I Made Toast
Jenn Cuisine
Karina's Kitchen
Kosher Heathy Foodie
La Maoomba
Lisa's Gluten-Free Advice and Healthy Living
Living and Loving Gluten and Casein Free (casein free)
Living Free (dairy & sugar free)
Losing Creek Farm (soy, nuts, legumes)
Lynn's Recipe Adventures (nut & peanut free)
Madison Papers
Make it Gluten Free
Marine Corps Nomads
My Marriage Has Autism (dairy & egg free)
Mysteries Internal
Saving U Cents
Silly Celiac, You Can't Have Wheat!
Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free
Sing Cook Write (egg & dairy free)
Sophies Foodie Files
Super Charged Foods Blog
Sweet Sensitivity

Tasty Eats At Home
The Baking Beauties
The Crazy Kitchen
The Daily Dietribe
The Discerning Kitchen (corn, soy, dairy)
The Frugally Rich Life (dairy, sugar, most soy, and red meat free)
The Gluten Free Digest
The Gluten Free Food Blog
The Mommy Bowl (dairy, red meat, & refined sugar free)
The Not So Perfect Housewife
The Pink Cowgirl
Vividly & Gluten Free
What Can You Eat? (mostly vegetarian)
What Life Dishes Out
Wheatless Foodie



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Please only submit your blog if it is primarily about cooking/eating/living gluten-free or if you have a easy to find gluten-free section on your blog.

Labels: blogging

Alta’s food always looks temptingly delicious.  If you have been to her site,  you know what I mean.  Her cooking and photography skills amaze me.  I love the variety of foods that Alta writes about, and if you have kids, you should definitely look for her Kids in the Kitchen posts.



When Alta posted her Brazilian Style Fish Stew recipe recently, I knew I wanted to make it.  The weather remained cool, and finally I had a good day to give it a try.  The problem was, that I was starting to eat dairy free, and I was afraid her recipe contained dairy.  I took a look at it again, and was pleasantly surprised to find she had made it dairy free.  I went off to the store to pick up items I didn’t have like clam juice (it was in the tuna section), ginger, and coconut milk. 

I made a fish soup once before.  I don’t remember it, but my husband does.  Apparently it wasn’t very good.  He didn’t like it.  That made him a little concerned when I told him what I was making for dinner.  I assured him this recipe came from a great cook, and it had to be good.  I cooked the soup and served it with rolls, and now it was my husband’s turn to be pleasantly surprised.  He liked it!  Only my pickiest eater didn’t care for it, but the rest of it thought it was great. 

I made a few very slight adjustments to the recipe, basically cutting back a little on a couple of ingredients.  I used one tomato instead of two, part of a yellow bell pepper instead of the whole thing, and I only used a little dried cilantro in the marinade instead of fresh because one of my kids really dislikes it. 

Unfortunately, this was another example of hurriedly taking a picture before eating.  Alta has a great picture on her site that will make you want to try this recipe. 

Iris at The Daily Dietribe is hosting May’s Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger event.  She’ll post the roundup in June.

Labels: adopt a gf blogger

Welcome to Gluten-Free Wednesdays, a carnival of gluten-free eating ideas.


Next week will be the round up of cake recipes from May’s monthly challenge. If you don't have a cake recipe, you can still participate, though.   We had several cake recipes last week including Flourless Maple Walnut Cake from Easy to Be Gluten Free and Rhubarb Lemon Bundt Cake from Celiac Teen.


Please join in and add your link.  If this is your first time participating, you can read the guidelines here.

1. Jenn Cuisine (Breakfast Quesadillas) 2. Shirley @ gfe (Elegant and Easy Party Puffs) 3. Easy To Be Gluten Free - Roasted Parmesan Potatoes 4. Lauren @ Celiac Teen (Strawberry Rhubarb Tapioca Pudding Cake)

5. Heather @Celiac Family (Brownie Pops Flower Bouquet) 6. Denise Therese @ Free to Feast (Spicy Ginger Chicken) 7. Chaya - Lentil Latkes 8. You Have it All Baby

9. Jason@JLHealthTulsa (GF Breakfast Casserole) 10. Lisa's Gluten Free - Custom Choice Cereal (6/4) 11. TheNotSoPerfectHousewife (Gluten Free Graduation Cake) 12. Jillian @ Funny (allergen-free) Girl - GLuten free Greek Strawberry Tart

Labels: Gluten-Free Wednesdays

First, I want to say thanks to everyone for your comments and emails about going dairy-free.  You have been very encouraging and I appreciate all the product and substitute recommendations.



This cake was made before I embarked on my dairy-free journey.  The cake itself is actually dairy free, though.  It’s the topping that poses a problem.  It uses Cool Whip and instant pudding, both of which contain some milk.  If any of you have suggestions for a substitute topping, I’d love to hear it.  I haven’t given it a lot of thought yet since I’m more concerned about basic eating right now. 

This cake was a huge hit at my house.  I made it for my son’s 19th birthday (I can’t believe I have a child that old).  My second son raved about this cake and said it made the top 5 best cakes.  I liked it.  I didn’t think it was wonderful, but it was very good.  I liked the fruit in it, and the fact that the topping (icing) is light and not a heavy, overly sweet frosting. Because of the fruit and liquid in the cake, it is a heavy cake.  It requires baking three layers.  I tried this recipe a second time using only two layers and it did not turn out nearly as well.  It was too wet to cook though without over cooking some of it.  However, if you don’t have three cake pans and really want to try it, I suggest pouring off some of the liquid from the oranges so the batter is not as wet.  This is another great recipe adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks.

Gluten-Free Orange-Pineapple Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cake Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 c. white rice flour
• 3/4 c. potato starch
• 1/2 c. tapioca starch
• 1 tsp. xanthan gum
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 12 oz. mandarin oranges with juice

Topping Ingredients

• 9 oz. Cool Whip, thawed
• 1 pkg (3.5 oz) instant vanilla pudding (check ingredients to be sure it’s gluten free)
• 1 c. crushed pineapple, drained

Place all the cake ingredients in the bowl of your mixer and mix on low for 1 minute.  Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat and additional 2 minutes.  Pour batter into three greased and floured 9 inch cake pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes.  Turn cakes onto a wire rack and cool.

Combine all the topping ingredients (use the pudding mix dry).  If it is too thick, you can add a small amount of pineapple juice.  Spread it between the layers and on top of the cake.  Keep leftover cake in the refrigerator.

View Printable Recipe

This recipe is submitted to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

Labels: cake, dessert recipes

This weekend most of my family is participating in the Gluten-Free Challenge.  It’s going well.  I bought some Chex cereal for them to have for breakfast.  For lunches, they are enjoying calzones that I baked and froze the other week.  Dinners, of course, are gluten free anyway.



I have been on a gluten-free diet for over nine years, but I have a new challenge to face these days.  I am trying to eat dairy free.  I bought this thyroid bookrecently, and in addition to a gluten-free diet, the author also recommends a dairy free diet for most people with Hashimoto’s disease.  I have suspected dairy for some time, and I’m finally ready to give it a good try.  This is a hard one for me.  I’m not a milk drinker, but I use plenty of it in baking recipes. I am a cheese and butter eater.  I love cheese and butter.  I try to go easy on them because of their fat content, but the thought of giving them up for good is sad.

However, I know I can do this.  It’s been a week, and already I have found that it’s not as hard as I thought.  Last week I had pizza without cheese and really didn’t miss it that much.  I’m still very new at this, though, and I would love to get your help.  I know many of my readers are also dairy free, and I would love to hear from you.  What are your favorite substitutes?  What are your favorite web sites?  What are your favorite cookbooks?  Please leave a comment or send me an email. 

As for this blog, I’m not sure what this change means.  You will certainly be seeing some dairy free recipes, though some recipes with dairy will probably still show up.  I look forward to hearing from you!

Be sure to enter this week's giveaway!

Labels: blogging, gluten-free diet

Being on a gluten-free diet, there are many convenience foods I can’t eat.  That’s a good thing because many of them are unhealthy anyway.  There are healthy convenience foods, though.  Consider the produce isle.  You can buy bag salad, pre-cut broccoli, containers of pre-cut fruit and vegetables, and more.


Convenience costs.  You know that right?  In any area of life, convenience costs.

Convenience can be worth the cost.  If you don’t have time or energy to fix yourself a salad, buying premade salad can be the right choice.  It’s better than a fast food meal.  It’s better than many other options.  It’s  a price you are willing to pay to eat healthy.

Convenience can be too convenient.  This is where I get into trouble.  I choose that convenient option one busy week, and it was so easy that I buy it the next week when I don’t really need it.  It's just so......convenient.


Doing a little extra work saves money.  Washing, cutting, and peeling fruits or vegetables isn’t that hard.  It isn’t that time consuming. It’s healthier, too, because foods can begin to lose nutrients once that work is done.  A little work can mean significant savings.

Make a conscious decision.  This is what I’m working on.  When I reach for that bag of salad or pre-cut broccoli (my two biggest temptations), I want to stop and make a conscious decision.  I want to ask myself if I have a few minutes to do the work myself.  Am I only reaching for it because it is convenient?  On the other hand, if it is a particularly busy time or I’m sick, and buying that item will mean that we eat healthier, then fine.  I am willing to pay for that convenience.  Most of the time, though, I can do the work, and I want to consciously choose to eat healthy and save money.

What produce isle convenience foods do you reach for most often?


For other money saving ideas, visit Life as Mom which hosts Frugal Fridays.

Labels: frugal tips

I am becoming more and more aware of how important a healthy gut is to my wellbeing.  According to a book I’m reading by Dr. Datis Kharrazian, 60% of the immune system is located in the digestive tract.  I believe probiotics can be an important part of digestive health.  Here is a definition of “probiotices” from the Attune web site probiotic page:

“The World Health Organization (WHO) officially defines probiotics as live microorganisms, which when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host.”

Our digestive tract can be filled with good bacteria and/or bad bacteria.  Obviously, we want the good kind, and that’s what probiotics are for.  While yogurt does contain good bacteria, it is usually a very small amount compared to what we need.  Attune probiotic bars have 5 times the amount of probiotics found in one cup of yogurt.

I was asked to do a 14-day challenge, which included eating one Attune probiotic bar per day for 14 days.  The idea is that you will feel better after the 14 days.  Unfortunately, with my thyroid issues going on right now, it probably was not a good time to do this test. There are other big factors effecting how I feel.  And in general, I am not feeling good.  I can say that I felt well digestively during those 14 days, and I did enjoy the bars!

If you like chocolate, this is a great way to take probiotics.  I tried the milk chocolate and milk chocolate with almonds varieties.  It was just like eating a tasty chocolate bar, and if they hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known it was good for me.

Of course, my first question for Attune was about the gluten-free status of their products.  The ingredients in the probiotic bars are gluten free and they also have dairy free dark chocolate varieties.  However, they do produce other gluten-containing products.  You can read their gluten free manufacturing practices here.  The bottom line is that after taking measures to prevent cross contamination, they use an independent lab to have their gluten-free products tested to 5 parts per million. 

Giveaway

If you would like to try the 14-day challenge, please visit this page and then leave a comment on this post telling me which two flavors you would like to receive.  You must be a U.S. resident to enter.  Please remember to leave an email address if you don’t have a blog where I can contact you.  This giveaway will be open until Monday, May 24th at 11:00 p.m. eastern time.  One winner will be randomly chosen and contacted by email.  Once I have heard back, the winner will be announced on my Facebook fan page.

Disclaimer:  This product review was based on using complimentary probiotic bars provided by Attune.

Labels: giveaway, reviews

 Welcome back to Gluten-Free Wednesdays!  Please join the fun by adding a link to your gluten-free eating idea, and by visiting and commenting on the other links.  If this is your first time participating, please read the guidelines.

On June 2nd the carnival will have a theme based on May’s monthly challenge which is to create a gluten-free cake.  The theme week is always the first Wednesday of the month, other week’s do not have a theme.

With the cake challenge in mind, I thought I would highlight a couple of cake recipes that were linked up last week.


My submission this week is:



A few reminders:

• link to an individual blog post, not your home page
• leave a link back here somewhere in your post
• take a minute to comment on other links
• add a 3-4 word description of your post in parentheses

1. Jason@JLHealth (5* restaurant GF recipes) 2. Nancy (Pretty, Decorated Sugar Cookies) 3. Alea @ Gluten-Free Flavor Full (Easy GF Triple Chocolate Cake)

4. Jenn Cuisine (Thai Enchiladas) 5. Aubree Cherie @ Living Free (GF French Toast To-Go!) 6. Easy To Be Gluten Free - Flourless Maple Walnut Cake

7. Lauren @ Celiac Teen (Rhubarb Lemon Bundt Cake)

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Labels: Gluten-Free Wednesdays

Frozen fish sticks were a treat we enjoyed occasionally before I went gluten free.  Now, my family gets them on occasions when I am out of town and they need easy meals they can pop in the oven.  I also make gluten-free fish sticks.  It’s rare, I admit, but I have done it. 

I don’t consider this to be an easy meal.  Making fish sticks requires multiple steps of coating, and with the big eaters in my family, it requires a lot of fish.  You’ll notice that I don’t have very good pictures.  That’s because I was too busy cooking them, and I also found it difficult to make other food at the same time.  Definitely plan ahead and have easy sides to go with this.  The fish sticks were enjoyable, though, and if you have a smaller family, it will go more quickly. 

I will list different coatings you can use below. I used bread crumbs and tortilla crumbs (store bought) for this batch.  My bread crumbs were some I had in the freezer and as I used them I found they were not as fine as I would like and burnt easily when I cooked them.  The tortilla crumbs, which would be similar to corn meal worked better.  It definitely gives it a corn flavor though.  Half my family preferred the bread crumbs and half preferred the tortilla crumbs.  Good thing I made both!

Let’s get on with the recipe, although it’s really more like guidelines since I don’t have exact amounts.

Gluten-Free Fish Sticks

Coating suggestions (thanks to comments on my Facebook fan page the night I posted that we were having this for dinner):

• gluten-free bread crumbs
• tortilla crumbs
• corn meal
• ground nuts
• corn starch & potato flakes
• crushed potato chips

Ingredients:

• boneless skinless fish (I used tilapia)
• gluten-free flour (I used rice and sorghum mixed)
• egg, beaten
• coating
• salt & pepper

Cut the fish into sections and get all your ingredients out.  Combine the salt and pepper with the coating.



A couple of pieces at a time, coat the fish with flour.  It should be naturally damp enough that the flour sticks to it. 


Place the floured fish into the egg and turn to coat.


Place on the dish with the coating and turn until covered completely.



I chose to fry the sticks in my electric skill with a light amount of oil.  I don’t fry very often at all, but on this occasion I did.  You could also bake these in the oven at 450 degrees for about 10-15 minutes.  We ate them with tartar sauce.

View Printable Recipe

This recipe is linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesday, and Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

Labels: main dish recipes, seafood

 
You are in the store trying to buy a seasoning mix, salad dressing, pasta sauce, or marinade, and you don’t know if it’s gluten free.  How do you figure it out?  This is a topic that needs to be addressed repeatedly for people who are new to the gluten-free diet.  Figuring out what is gluten-free isn’t that hard.  What makes it difficult is old information that people find on the Internet or hear from others.  When I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2000, it was hard.  But food labeling laws have changed, and made my life much easier.  Here’s what you need to know.

Gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley, and contaminated oats. 

Wheat

Out of those four ingredients, wheat is by far the biggest problem.  It is also the easiest ingredient to identify.  Because wheat is one of the top eight allergens, it must be listed on a product label if it is an ingredient or part of an ingredient in a product.  For example, if a product contains modified food starch which is made from wheat, the word “wheat” has to be on the label.  If it’s not, you can be sure the food starch is gluten-free.

Rye

This is another easy ingredient.  It’s easy because it is not often used in foods and when it is, it is labeled as “rye.”  It’s not the kind of ingredient that will be used in other ingredients.

Barley

Barley is the trickiest ingredient.  Because it is not one of the top eight allergens, it does not have to be clearly identified on a label.  It can be part of another ingredient, and in fact, it is usually part of any ingredient with the word “malt.”  That includes malt flavoring, barley malt, malt vinegar, or just malt.  The exception to this is maltodextrin which is a gluten-free ingredient.  According to Gluten-Free Living Magazine, barley malt can be listed as “flavoring,” but it is rare. 

Oats

Pure oats are considered gluten-free and safe for most people on a gluten-free diet (a small percentage of people with celiac disease do react to oats).  Most oats, however, are contaminated with wheat and are therefore unsafe.  Oats listed on the label of any regular grocery store product should be assumed to contain wheat. 

Additional Information

While ingredients like barley do not have to be clearly stated on labels, many companies are aware of the large group of gluten-free consumers and voluntarily offer information on their labels.  Besides doing things like stating “barley malt” instead of just “malt,” many companies offer additional information about processing.  You may see statements such as “This product is produced on equipment that also produces wheat.”  Personally, I avoid products with such warnings.  Generally though, it is not an issue with things like sauces and salad dressings.

Always Read Labels

Please remember that ingredients in products do change.  Just because a particular brand of an item is gluten-free today, does not mean it will be tomorrow.  Make it a habit to always scan labels.  I would much rather be safe than sorry.  How about you?

Labels: gluten-free diet

I shop at numerous grocery stores, but not every week.  Therefore, if I get home and find I bought something that is bad or damaged, I’m not likely to return it.  The hassle of going back to a store that is not “on the way” is just not worth it to me.  The result is wasted money.

Since I dislike returning items, and I dislike wasting money, I try to avoid the situation altogether by making sure I buy what I want.  Here’s what I mean:

• Check packages of cheese, grapes, berries, or bread for signs of mold.
• Take the lid off a coffee can, yogurt container, spice jar or other similar item to make sure the seal is intact.
• Look carefully at the bag of potatoes to make sure they are not green.
• Move the baby carrots around in the bag to make sure they are wet, but not slimy.
• Check cans for dents.
• Make sure you are buying the right item and not a different variety your family doesn’t like.
• Check  jars of pickles or fruit to make sure they are sealed.
• Look over all produce well.
• Check expiration dates, particularly on dairy products.

Doing these things does add time to your shopping trip, but not that much.   It only takes seconds to check most items and usually the total time you spend checking will be significantly less than the time it would take to return something.

I’m sure there is something I missed in the above list.  What would you add to it?

For more frugal ideas visit Life as Mom.

Labels: frugal tips

I wish I had another recipe for you this week.  With the way I’ve been feeling, and finishing up the school year, I’ve not been keeping up with blogging the way I would like.  I have definitely not  kept up with reading and commenting. My apologies for that.  I appreciate the comments and emails I’ve gotten about thyroid problems and possible other causes for my fatigue.  I’m in the process of reading a book a reader recommended, and I’m very hopeful it will have some answers for me.  There may be more dietary changes in store for me, but I want to finish reading before I make any changes.  On with today’s topic…



Pastry brushes are a tool I use quite often.  Originally they were made with natural bristles and then synthetic fibers.  Today many pastry brushes are made with silicone.  I use both old and new types. 

Old Style Pastry Brush

These brusheslook like a paint brush with a wooden handle and fairly stiff bristles.  My silicone brushes have very flimsy bristles, but even if they were stiff, they could not function the same as paint brush type bristles.  I love using the old style brushes like a miniature dust brush.  I use it to brush flour out of the bowl I use to combine dry ingredients when baking.  I also use it to brush all the flour out of the container my mill puts the flour into.  Occasionally, I use it to brush on beaten egg white or something else wet, but I usually reserve it for brushing dry ingredients.

Silicone Pastry Brush

One thing I love about silicone brushes is how easy they are to clean.  I can get them filled with olive oil, and it easily washes out.  I also like that the bristles don’t fall out, and they are heat resistant.  I like to brush olive oil on the crust of my pizza after it’s first bake and before I add the sauce and toppings.  I’ve had old style brushes melt a little after touching the hot stoneware I use for my pizza.  Silicone is a much better option in my opinion.  It’s also good for brushing sauces and marinades on meat.  I like silicone for wet, oily, or hot jobs.

How about you?

What style brush do you like to use, and what do you use it for?

Labels: tools of the trade

I enjoyed the round up of quiche recipes last week.  Take another look and see if there were any you missed.  We had some other delicious, non-quiche entries also.

This month the challenge is to bake a gluten-free cake.  Those of you with other intolerances have a greater challenge, but I know you can come up with something.  My apologies to those of you who don’t have help with eating a cake.  Maybe you’ll just have to have a party!  You could also consider making half a recipe and/or freezing portions of it.Thankfully, I have three teenage boys and a husband who keep me from eating too much dessert. 

You’ve probably noticed the new widget on my blog that scrolls through recent posts.  It also has a tab for Facebook and Twitter.  I haven’t been very good at keeping up with Twitter, but I do post what we’re having for dinner each weeknight on Facebook.  If you need an idea, take a look at that tab and click on over to Facebook where you can view the comments of others who share what they are having for dinner.

My submission this week is the blueberry cobbler I made for the Cascade challenge.  I was thrilled with how well it turned out.  Congratulations to Cindy of Wheatless Foodie for winning the Walmart gift card.

1. Chaya - Herbed Cashew Rice with Dried Apricots 2. Comfy Cook - Mushroom Fettucine with Cheese Sauce 3. Lynns Recipe Adventures (chocolate cake) 4. Jason@JLHealthTulsa (5* restaurant GF recipes) 5. Shirley @ gfe (Review GF Gobsmacked Recipes--Rolls and Pizza)

6. Alea @ Gluten Free Flavor Full (GF Cola Cake) 7. Cindy at clean food kitchen (quinanna cookies) 8. Oystergirl@A Moderate Life-Yogurt Cream Cheese and Sauerkraut Not together! 9. Jenn Cuisine (Creamy Taco Mac) 10. Aubree Cherie @ Living Free (GF Whole Grain Bread)

11. Easy To Be Gluten Free - Black Bean Beef and Rice Skillet 12. Heather @Celiac Family (Potato Salad for a Crowd) 13. Denise Therese @ Free to Feast (Blackberry Jam) 14. Lisa @ Extraordinary Life (Black Bean Salad) 15. Jillian @ Funny (allergen-free) Girl - Raspberry Quinoa Bars

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Labels: Gluten-Free Wednesdays

Last week I promised to give you a blueberry cobbler recipe, and I won’t keep you waiting any longer.  I have to admit that I wasn’t sure it would be very good.  I was unsure about the topping ingredients, and it seemed like a lot of bready topping for the amount of fruit.  However, once we had it on our plates and started eating it, we found there was plenty of wet blueberry to go with the topping, and it was simply delicious.  We loved the whole grain flavor of the sorghum and oats paired with the blueberries.  Just thinking about it now makes me want to make another one.

Gluten-Free Blueberry Cobbler

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

• 3 c. frozen blueberries (you could probably use fresh)
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 Tb. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 Tb. corn starch

Topping:

• 1/2 c. sorghum flour
• 1/2 c. potato starch
• 3/4 c. gluten-free oats (whirled in a food processor or blender if not instant)
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 6 Tb. butter
• 1 c. milk
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. sugar

Combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and corn starch in a sauce pan.  Cook and stir over medium high heat until thickened.  It will get runny as the blueberries warm up, then thicken as the cornstarch cooks.  Pour this into the bottom of a 8 - 9 inch square baking dish.



Combine the sorghum flour, potato starch, oats, baking powder, salt and sugar in a medium bowl.  Use a pastry blender, or your fingers, to cut the butter into the dry mixture until crumbly.  Pour in the milk as you stir with a fork, just until moistened.  Spoon the topping onto the blueberry mixture in the dish.  Sprinkle 1/4 tsp. cinnamon and 1 tsp. sugar over top. 



Bake at 375 degrees for 20 – 25  minutes until the topping tests done with a toothpick.  Let it cool until warm before serving.



View Printable Recipe

This recipe is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.  Stop by to find more fabulous food made a little bit healthier.

Labels: dessert recipes, fruit desserts

 
Happy Mother’s Day to all my mom readers!  I hope you are enjoying the day with your family and eating delicious gluten-free food.

Here is the roundup of carnival links from April.  If you need even more ideas, you can view past reviews at the bottom of the carnival guidelines post.

Thanks to everyone who participated!


Muffins
Lemon Blueberry Muffins - Aubree Cherie @ Living Free
Hint O' Chocolate Banana Muffins - Iris at The Daily Dietribe
Sweet Milk-Nut Muffins - Shirley @ gfe
Lemon Berry Muffins - Alea @ Gluten-Free Flavor Full!
Doughnut Muffins – Brian @ Fire & Salt
Gluten free, grain free, dairy free Pumpkin Muffins! - JoAnn
Cranberry Orange Muffins - Fire-Eyes @ Home Spun Magic
Cabbage, Carrot, Potato Muffins - Comfy Cook
Lemon Poppyseed Muffins - Jillian @ Funny (allergen-free) Girl
Oatmeal Cranberry Muffins - Cindy @ Clean Food Kitchen
Lemon Raspberry Mini Muffins - Chelsey @ The Crazy Kitchen  
Cranberry Ginger Muffins - Ellen @ I Am Gluten Free
Carrot Muffins/Cupcakes - Z's Cup of Tea @ Ambrosia Tea Party

Main Dishes
Pork Roast with Peach Luau Sauce - Easy To Be Gluten Free
Vegan Beet Burgers - Aubree Cherie @ Living Free
Meatballs – Wizzy @ Breakfast Lunch Dinner Punch
Tatter Tot Casserole - Fire-Eyes @ Home Spun Magic
Chicken and Broccoli Casserole - Easy To Be Gluten Free
Balsamic Chicken With Sweet Mushroom Gravy - Iris @ The Daily Dietribe
Hot Ham Sandwitches - Fire-Eyes @ Home Spun Magic
Flourless Pizza - Shirley @ gfe
Vegetable Quiche – Mikki @ TheNotSoPerfectHousewife
Easy Pork Stuffed Zucchini - Diane@ The W.H.O.L.E. Gang
Saucy Slow Cooker Beef Tips - Easy To Be Gluten Free
Trout Almondine - Denise Therese @ Free to Feast

Soup & Salad
Strawberry Balsamic Salad Dressing - Jenn Cuisine
Carrot Raisin Salad - Amy @ Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free
Gluten Free Croutons - Aubree Cherie @ Living Free
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad with Parmesan Herb Dressing - Easy To Be Gluten Free
Tomato Lime Taco Soup – Vicki 
Noodle Salad with Peanut Lime Vinaigrette - Comfy Cook 
Shrimp and Avocado Salad -  Jenn Cuisine
Tangy Split Pea Soup - Aubree Cherie @ Living Free
Potato Soup - Saving U Cents

 Desserts
Chocolate-dipped Gingersnaps - Celiacs in the House
Powerful Fruity Parfait - Domestic Productions
Chocolate Clementine Vita-Mix Cake - Diane@ The W.H.O.L.E. Gang
Magic Oat Bars - Shirley @ gfe
Flourless Chocolate Torte - Jenn Cuisine  
Black Magic Brownies - Katrina @ Gluten Free Gidget
Citrus Cornmeal Steamed Pudding - Lauren @ Celiac Teen
Hi-hat Cupcakes – Susan

Side Dishes
Creamy Tomato Basil Shrimp Pasta – Iris @ The Daily Dietribe
Tomato Cobbler - Chaya
Quinoa with Grilled Vegetables & Prosciutto – Brian @ Fire & Salt
Haitian Rice and Beans - Comfy Cook
Pasta & Broccoli Bowl – Chaya

Breakfast
Egg in the Basket - Z's Cup of Tea @ Ambrosia Tea Party
Maple Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes - Jenn Cuisine
Breakfast Burritos - Lisa's Gluten-Free
Belgian Waffles - Jason@JLHealth

Breads
GF, Egg Free, Dairy Free Bread -  Lynns Kitchen Adventures
Delicious Bread with Secret Ingredient - Chaya
Cornbread - Wheatless Foodie

Other
Beef Stock - Jillian @ Funny (allergen-free) Girl
Savory Ricotta Cheesecake – Chaya
Posana Cafe Review - Shirley @ gfe

Labels: Gluten-Free Wednesdays

Cake is traditionally used to celebrate birthdays, weddings, and baby showers, among other other special events.  With a birthday in our family this week, I thought it would be fun to have a cake challenge.  I’m hoping that the month of May will not be too hot for another baking challenge, but I promise that the challenges for June through August will not use the oven.

I know many of you omit other ingredients from your cooking and baking such as dairy and sugar, and you do a great job of coming up with tasty appetizing recipes.  I particularly enjoy seeing how people make dessert recipes like cake healthier than they usually are.  It’s true, cake is not generally considered healthy.  In my mind, it’s a treat.  That’s why we use it for special occasions. 

If you want a starting place, you can try this basic recipe.

Basic Gluten-Free Cake

• 1/2 c. butter or oil
• 1 – 2 c. sugar
• 2-4 eggs
• 1-2 tsp. vanilla extract or other flavoring
• 2 - 2 1/2 c. gluten-free flour
• 1 tsp. xanthan gum
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 c. milk, buttermilk, milk substitute, or water

With a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Combine the dry ingredients and add to the mixing bowl alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mix. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan or 2 round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees 30-40 minutes for the rectangular pan or 25-30 minutes for the round pans. Let the cake cool in the pans about 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack.

You could also try adapting a gluten filled recipe, or just make some changes to a gluten-free recipe.  You can view my cake recipes on this page.

Remember, you have a month to work on this.  The cake roundup will be on June 2nd as part of Gluten-Free Wednesdays.

Labels: monthly challenge

Last month I posted a create a gluten-free quiche challenge, which I hope some of you have been working on.  This is the week to link up those quiche recipes.  If you don’t have one, don’t worry, any gluten-free eating idea is welcome.

I’ll be posting the challenge for May on Thursday, so be sure to look for that, and April’s carnival review will be coming up soon.



Here are a couple of main dish recipes I want to highlight from last week:

Saucy Slow Cooker Beef Tips from Easy to be Gluten Free Trout Almondine from Free to Feast

My submission for the quiche challenge is:



Thanks to everyone for participating.  I enjoy seeing all your ideas every week.  If this is your first time participating, please read the guidelines here.

If you haven’t yet entered the Walmart gift card giveaway, you have through Wednesday to do so.

1. Aubree Cherie @ Living Free (Sweet Potato Quiche with a Cashew Crust) 2. Iris at The Daily Dietribe: Mushrooms and Leek Quiche with Goat Cheese 3. Ricki @ Diet, Dessert and Dogs - Vegan quiche 4. Nancy (Perfect GF Flour Tortillas) 5. Jason@jlhealthtulsa (5* restaurant GF recipes) 6. Jillian @ Funny (allergen-free) Girl - Crustless Canadian Quiche 7. GF Strawberry Kiwi Muffins

8. Jenn Cuisine (Springtime Vegetable Quiche) 9. Shirley @ gfe (Crustless Quiches) 10. Shirley @ gfe (Oatmeal Brulee) 11. Comfy Cook - Broccoli Mushroom Quiche in Potato Crust 12. Comfy Cook - Vegetable Quiche with Cornmeal Crust 13. Aubree Cherie @ Living Free (Crustless Breakfast Quiche) 14. Denise Therese @ Free to Feast (Pumpkin Pie)

15. Easy To Be Gluten Free - Meat and Potatoes Casserole 16. Libby@The Allergic Kid (fudgie chocolate cupcakes) 17. Heidi @adventuresgfmom (Green Eggs & Ham Quiche) 18. Anna @ Girl With Blog (Peanut Butter Cookies) 19. Zoe @ Z's Cup of Tea (Gluten-Free Puff Pastry & a Strawberry Tart) 20. Miss Jolie Ann's Kitchen Garden (Broccolini Quiche)

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Labels: Gluten-Free Wednesdays

Do you remember the bread crust quiche I shared two weeks ago?  Here is the other quiche I made that night.  My family preferred this one to the other, and I think I will make it again.  The tortillas made a nice thin crust, though I still think no crust at all is a delicious and easy way to make any quiche. 

Gluten-Free Mexican Quiche

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients

• 5 corn tortillas
• 4 eggs
• 1 c. salsa
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

Line the pie plate with corn tortillas like this:



Beat the eggs in a bowl then mix everything else in.  Pour the filling into the pie dish and baked it at 350 degrees about 35 minutes.  Mine looked like this:



The pieces of tortilla that were sticking up were too hard to eat, but the rest was very good.  We enjoyed the flavors, and I bet many of you would too.

Be sure to come back Wednesday for the quiche roundup.

This recipe is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesday, and Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays.

Labels: egg, main dish recipes