When the girls are away, the editor will bake.

This is not Lara.

This is her cameraman, editor, and husband ... Matt.

As an early Christmas present I thought I would shoot myself.  With a camera.  Geez, gotta watch the phrasing.

Anyway, as I post this now, she is still completely unaware that this video exists.  She will watch it for the first time along with many of you.

Full recipe to follow:

Gluten-free White Chocolate Egg Nog Cookies

Wet Ingredients:

* 1 cup white sugar

* 1/4 cup brown sugar

* 3/4 cup butter

* 1/2 cup egg nog

* 2 egg yolks (save whites)

Dry ingredients:

* 2 1/4 cup of GF Flour mix

* 1 tsp baking powder

* 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Flavorings:

* 1 tsp rum extract (using vanilla would be fine too)

* 3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Eggwash:

* 2 saved egg whites

* 1 tsp nutmeg

Instructions:

Cream the sugars and the butter.  Then mix in egg nog and egg yolks.  Sift the dry ingredients, then add slowly into the wet ingredients.  Once the dough is well mixed, put in extract and chocolate chips and mix briefly to integrate.

Chill dough for about an hour.  Once chilled, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and scoop onto your parchment paper covered cookie sheets.  Using a brush do a light coat of the egg wash/nutmeg blend.  Bake around 11 minutes, rotate for even baking, then bake for another 11 minutes.  Allow to cool, if you have the willpower.  Eventually you eat them.  Or at this point, do whatever.  I'm not going to tell you how to live.

-Matt

Gluten Free Sisters Cooking Show: SpicerDoodles

Lara and I decided that since we are close to Christmas we wanted to make some Christmasy cookies! In this episode we take a snickerdoodle recipe, add some holiday like spices and create what we dubbed as the SpicerDoodle!

Gluten Free Sisters Cooking Show: Corn Casserole

This recipe actually came from Lara's in-laws, her husbands great grandmother, Grandma Higgins, used to make this corn casserole and it's a tradition for them to have it at their Thanksgiving. Two years ago she decided she wanted to add it to our menu at Thanksgiving. She unfortunately didn't make it gluten free. Last year we decided to try it GF and it turned out great. Here is this years video of us making an Ashbaugh family tradition and one of my favorites: Corn Casserole!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tucd3JA2hLE

Gluten-Free Sisters Cooking Show:Cornbread Stuffing

 In this video, we take the cornbread I made and turn it into some delicious stuffing! Along with the GF cornbread, we have a focaccia GF bread and Udi's brand whole grain GF bread, which turned this recipe into a pretty easy to make gluten-free stuffing.

We have also added a few characters to our show, our Grandma makes an appearance and in the background you can hear our cousin, Mandy, make some comments. We hope you enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7diedFqagI

Gluten Free Sisters Cooking Show - Pumpkin Chocolate Torte

This was another recipe I knew I had to try for the holidays.  The recipe itself was already gluten-free, which are my favorites.  The less substitutions the better.  The end result is a very rich chocolate cake.

Check it out!

Gluten Free Sisters Cooking Show: Cranberry Meringue Pie

So this is the first video that Lara and I did together. Lara gets cooking magazines and found this recipe and decided that we HAD to make it! :)

Even though Lara did most of the cooking and I was her assistant, we still had a lot of fun cooking together and are looking forward to posting more of our cooking videos. See below for the full recipe.

The Full Recipe:

Ingredients:

Gluten Free Crust (See Previous Blog Posting)

Filling

1 12-oz bag cranberries, fresh or frozen, thawed

1 cup orange juice

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

3 large eggs, separated

Meringue Topping

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

pinch of salt

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla, the real stuff

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-in pie pan with cooking spray

To Prepare Filling

1. Combine cranberries and orange juice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the cranberries are beginning to break down, about 5 to 6 minutes. * While you are waiting on the cranberries feel free to make up your own "waiting on the cranberries" song at this point * 

2. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl, pressing on the solids to extract all the juice. Whisk 3/4 cup sugar into the juice until combined. Whisk in whole egg and 3 egg yolks. 

3. Return cranberry mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly and vigorously  until it thickens and just starts to bubble as you are stirring, about 4 to 5 minutes. 

4. Pour the warm filling into the warm crust. Set aside while you prepare the meringue *Please remember to use oven mitts!!* :) 

To Prepare Meringue

1. Beat the 3 egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until frothy. Add cream of tartar and pinch of salt, beat at high speed until soft "floppy" peaks form.

2. Very slowly add 1/3 cup sugar, beating constantly until stiff peaks form. Beat in (Real) vanilla.

3. Spoon the meringue over the filling, then gently spread to the edges of the crust. 

4. Make peaks in the meringue with the back of a spoon. Bake until the top is lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 3 hours before serving. 



*recipe taken from December 2012 Eating Well Magazine*

Gluten-Free Sisters Cooking Show - Pie Crust

Making a good pie crust is an important part of any dessert.  I had what I thought was a very simple recipe for a butter pie crust.  However, my kitchen appliances failed me!  It's a lot harder to make something when the appliance doesn't work the way it's supposed to - or you don't quite have the right tool for the job.

But, just like you do in life, you play the hand you are dealt.  I made do as best I could.  In the end the crust still tasted delicious - which is what really matters when cooking.

Enjoy watching me try not to destroy the dang appliance and still get a pie crust in the end!

GF Sisters Cooking Video: Cornbread

Growing up, Lara and I would watch Saturday morning cooking shows - it's basically how we learned to cook. So as we were discussing what we wanted to do for Thanksgiving, we decided to make our own cooking show! I had already posted the cornbread recipe a few weeks ago - but this is the video of me actually making the cornbread.

We had always pretended to have our own cooking show as kids whenever we cooked (and yes I still do as an adult when I cook alone sometimes) but it was a little weird to be actually doing it in front of a camera. Once I got going though, it was a lot of fun. There will be more videos of Lara and I cooking together coming soon!

If you happen to not catch the recipe from the video, please check out previous blogs to get the full recipe. Enjoy!

Animal Kingdom: Tusker House Breakfast

On the fourth day of our Disney Adventure we went to Animal Kingdom and started out our day at the Tusker House Breakfast Buffet. After my experience at the Crystal Palace I was interested to see how this buffet would compare. Overall, I was pleased with the experience but there were less choices than at the Crystal Palace.

Once again, I was greeted by the chef who took me around the buffet and showed me various items I could eat. There were some authentic African dishes (In the picture everything but the eggs and bacon are an authentic dish - I don't remember what they were though, sorry) that I could have along with the regular scrambled eggs, etc.

The chef did let me know that they could make me my own waffles and there were donuts and muffins that I could have as well. The donuts and muffins were fairly dry  (I'm pretty sure they weren't homemade) but the waffles were delicious and I loved that they were in the shape of Mickey's face! :)

Overall, I was pretty happy with my experience at the Tusker House. My favorite dish was the homemade waffles. The food was good but my favorite buffet was still the Crystal Palace. I would still recommend going  to the Tusker House though - it was pretty cool to have some authentic food choices and the atmosphere was pretty exciting as well. They offer lunch and dinner but the breakfast is the only character meal offered at the Tusker House. it was fun to have Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy & Goofy  dressed in safari attire, walking around and greeting you at your table (just like the Winnie The Pooh Characters).

Disney Eating Day Two: Ohana

On our second day at Disney we spent the day at Hollywood Studios but we had decided we wanted to try one of the restaurants at a resort. My sister had heard good things about O'hana at the Polynesian Resort - so we figured we'd give it a try!
O'hana is a place where they basically serve you meat. They have giant skewers of chicken, pork, beef and shrimp that they bring around and put onto your plate.  Make sure you come hungry to this one! :)

When we arrived at O'hana we were once again greeted with the ticket that was labeled "ALLERGY" and they also had a flower from a lei placed on the table to note which plate or person had an allergy. The waitress also noted that the CHEF would be out to let me know what I was able to have. There was less that I could eat at O'hana but it was still a very special experience and it was still plenty of food! The chef let me know I couldn't have the chicken or the pork or the wings because of the teriyaki sauce used but she made me MY OWN wings with a different sauce.

As we began to stuff ourselves with meat that was amazingly delicious I began to notice other tables with this bread pudding dessert. I knew of course that I was not going to be able to have the dessert but then came the best surprise of all!

Not only had the chef made me own special wings but she made me MY OWN special dessert, a flourless chocolate cake that was to die for! I don't think I have ever tasted anything so good in my life. No longer did the bread pudding look good - my dessert was better.

 After eating the whole thing and basically licking my plate clean I could have eaten another one. This was by far my favorite dessert of the the trip and I still crave that chocolate cake!

One cool thing about eating at a resort is that you get wander the grounds after dinner. I not only highly recommend eating at O'hana but the grounds are beautiful! It is built right on the lake and has its own beach that looks over into Magic Kingdom where you can see Cinderella's Castle.

  

After two very special meals at Disney I already felt like a princess - something that doesn't happen very often while eating out and being gluten free. I couldn't wait to see what the next dining experiences had in store for me! :)

Eating at Magic Kingdom: The Crystal Palace

I love to travel and I have a goal to be able to travel the world someday.  Being gluten free it can be intimidating to try to find places that I can eat at. I heard that Disney World was one of the best places to eat GF. I had been to Disney before but never did much research or tried different places to see if what I heard was correct. It wasn't until my sister turned 30 in December 2011 and wanted to do something special for her birthday that we actually looked into the options.  In February (2012) we went someplace she had never been before, Disney World! She did most of the research and found different places for us to try.

Since Disney is such a magical place and I had some amazing gluten free experiences, I decided that this next week I'm dedicating my blogs to my favorite restaurants and experiences in Disney World.

The first day we were in Orlando we went to Magic Kingdom and ate lunch at the Crystal Palace where it was a buffet style lunch and the Winnie the Pooh Characters came around and greeted you while you ate.
What could be more exciting!?! :) Based on my previous experiences with restaurants I wasn't really expecting anything special with the buffet. Maybe a few items here or there that I could eat but boy was I in for a surprise!



When you make reservations online there is a special place where you can indicate if there will be people with special dietary issues - gluten free being one of them. So when we arrived at the Crystal Palace, Disney had already indicated on our ticket with a stamp that said "ALLERGY" in bright red letters to let the waitress know that I was going to need assistance. Once seated the waitress told me that the chef, yes the CHEF, would be out to show me around the buffet to let me know what I could eat. Well, I thought this was the coolest thing ever!! I had never been anywhere where the head chef personally came out to show or tell you what was good for you to eat. I felt so special instead of feeling weird and like a nuisance.

As the chef took me around the buffet he kept pointing to more and more items that I could have! For once I  wasn't sitting at the table secretly coveting everyone else's food! :) I ended up having a plate FULL of delicious surprising foods that I could eat - Salmon, mashed potatoes, fruit salad and a delicious cornbread stuffing/casserole!

Then for dessert I had the option of choosing gluten free cookies (I did find that sometimes the cookies were brands I already knew and could buy myself but at least they had the option) and a brownie. Of course I chose the brownie since I could get the cookies at home. It was small but rich, gooey and overall pretty good! 

Having the Crystal Palace as my first gluten free experience at Disney World set the stage for the rest of the week. I was excited to see what other places / dining experiences had to offer me instead of feeling apprehensive about what I was going to be able to eat. Besides being able to hug Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet made for a pretty awesome lunch atmosphere! (Can you tell I work with children?)

  

  

Gluten-Free Cornbread Stuffing

To me Thanksgiving equals stuffing (or dressing).  I don't think about turkey - bah - I think about the stuffing.  My Grandma's stuffing is legendary in our family.  After trial and error we've been able to make our own gluten-free stuffing that isn't dry and gritty.  It tastes just like Grandma's from when I was a kid.

One of the challenges with gluten-free stuffing is trying to avoid a dry stuffing.  In order to compensate for the gluten-free bread add more moisture - this can come from vegetables, butter, and chicken stock. Don't be afraid to add more chicken stock - just avoid creating a soup :)

This recipe can be modified a variety of different ways to suit your tastes.  The amounts are approximate.

- 1 pan of cornbread - From GF-Cornbread (see blog posting:  Cornbread:  A stuffing staple)
- 2 cups of gf-bread of your choice (I tend to pick a flavored bread like pecan or whole wheat)
- 1 large onion
- 1 cup celery
- 3 hard boiled eggs
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons butter (it's Thanksgiving - use REAL butter!) :)
- 1/2 tsp pepper (or to taste)
- 1 tsp thyme (or to taste)
- 1 tablespoon rubbed sage (or to taste)
- 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 4 cups chicken stock

- Cut cornbread and gf-bread into approximately 1 inch squares
- Coarsely chop the hard-boiled eggs
- Lightly beat 2 eggs
- Lightly saute celery and onion in butter on the stove - until softened
- Combine cornbread, gf-bread, celery, onion, hard-boiled eggs, seasonings, 2 beaten eggs, and 2 cups of chicken stock until well incorporated.  If mixture seems a bit dry add more chicken stock 1/2 cup at a time
- Spoon into an greased 11x13 pan
- Pour at least 1 cup of chicken stock over the top - all sections should be moist
- Cook for 30min in a 350 degree oven
- Enjoy!

Tips and Modifications:
    - If you don't like hard-boiled eggs remove them and add a little more onion and celery
    - Feel free to add mushrooms if desired
    - Cranberries, pecans, or walnuts can also be good - but compensate with a bit more butter and stock
    - Spices can be added and subtracted to taste - Rubbed sage and thyme are my two favorites so I always use them.  You could also use - sage, parsley, or other personal favorites

Watch for the video of this recipe coming next week!

Cornbread Recipe: A Stuffing Staple

As we get closer to Thanksgiving, it can be scary to think about "What can I eat??" Stuffing has always been one of my favorites at Thanksgiving (be watching for that recipe later in the week) but to start out the stuffing our recipe calls for cornbread. The recipe that I use I once again don't remember where I found it - the internet again probably - but it is a great recipe for when you make stuffing or on the side with a warm bowl of chili.

Ingredients:

1/4lb (1stick) butter
2/3 C sugar
2 eggs
1 C buttermilk  *Helpful Tip*-- If you don't have buttermilk take 1 cup of milk + 1 Tablespoon vinegar OR lemon juice and let stand for 10 minutes before using in the recipe
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 C cornmeal
1 C Domata flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Time to get Cooking!

First, melt the butter over the stove. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in sugar.

Quickly add eggs and beat.

In a smaller bowl, combine buttermilk and baking soda. Mix well and then stir into mixture.

Stir in cornmeal, flour & salt. Blend together.

Pour into a greased baking dish and bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Should be golden brown and delicious!

Cheesy Potato Soup Recipe

It's getting to be that time of the year, it's getting darker sooner and supposed to be getting chillier. I know I look forward to this time of year because it's when I can start making my hearty, belly warming dinners. One of my favorite's to make is my cheesy potato soup. I unfortunately don't remember where I got the recipe from - probably the internet - but I have added a couple of things to spice it up a bit.

Ingredients:
4 cups sliced potatoes (I used red potatoes and I usually boil 9 of them) (6 for the soup base and 3 for added texture)
2 cup water
2 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper
parsley
1 cup grated cheese
2 tablespoon butter
Bacon (I added this because bacon makes everything tastier! Also, I used Farmland applewood smoked bacon)

Time To Make Some Soup!

Boil Potatoes and reserve the water.

While the potatoes are cooking, cook bacon and then crumble bacon into bite size pieces.

Once potatoes are done, place 3 cooked potatoes, 1 cup of potato water and parsley in a blender. Puree until smooth.

Repeat with 3 more potatoes and 1 cup of water, Puree.

The first time I made this soup, it seemed runny so we decided to add chunks of potatoes. So chop up the remaining 3 potatoes into chunks and set aside. 

Return pureed potato mixture to pot and add milk, stir continuously.

 Add cheese, butter, seasonings, bacon & chopped up potatoes. Heat until cheese is melted and soup is hot. DO NOT BOIL. Thin with extra water if necessary.

Finally, as always, it's time to enjoy! You can serve with some extra shredded cheese sprinkled over the top of the soup.

Where to buy?! - Mama Jeans

When looking for where to buy gluten-free food a good place to start is your local health food store.  You'll often find a good selection and knowledgeable workers.  Plus, you can be helping out your local economy!

I live in Springfield, MO and here we have "Mama Jean's Natural Market".  They have 2 locations - one of which is about a 10-15min drive from my house.

I have to say - I was VERY impressed by what I found!  The store had a neat atmosphere to it, like a local cafe.  I was amazed at the selection.  The store is geared towards natural products - so lots of organic, locally grown, vegan, and other alternative diets.

My first stop was the pasta section: 

They carried a wide range of brands and types of gluten-free pasta.  Corn, rice, brown-rice, quinoa, you name it, it was probably there!  All at reasonable prices.

Second stop was the soup section.  I was surprised to find most Campbell's and Progresso soups have gluten in them - even tomato soup!

This soup was one of my exciting finds.  A gluten-free cream of chicken soup!!  Cream of chicken soup is a very common ingredient in recipes.  It's used in most casseroles and quick oven foods.  I haven't tried this brand yet - but this is the first soup I've been able to find.

Their baked goods section was very impressive.  Lots of gluten-free mixes and flours.  Brands like: Namaste, Bob's Red Mill, Gluten-Free Pantry, Pamela's and many more.

The best gluten-free flour mix!  At an amazing price.  This same bag at Hy-vee was $12.39 on sale.

So.... how did Mama Jean's stack up in my three important categories?

     - Selection:  Great overall selection - pastas, soups, crackers, cookies, mixes, breads - pretty much anything you could need or want to eat gluten-free.  The only disappointment was they did not have Udi's brand loafs of bread.

     - Price:  This was my biggest concern going on and my biggest surprise.  Their prices were comparable to Walmart and Hyvee.  For some items they were actually cheaper!

     - Convenience - Their south side location is a few minute drive from my typically grocery store and not far from my house.  So, I could shop here easily without having to drive a long ways.

Overall, I was very surprised and pleased with Mama Jean's.  Friendly people, clean store, good selection, good prices, a great place for me to get my needed gluten-free foods.  Plus, they have a loyalty program that lets me earn a $5 coupon for every $100 I spend - every little bit makes a difference!

If you live in Springfield, Mo - I would strongly recommend Mama Jean's!

My Favorite Restaurant: Pei Wei

One of the hardest foods for me to give up when I went gluten free was Chinese. I can remember as a child always going to Hunan's and ordering sweet and sour chicken with some egg drop soup. Yum! But being gluten free it is so hard to eat Chinese because most things are breaded and if they aren't breaded you really have to watch what is in the sauces they use (specifically the soy sauce).

I went through times where I would just crave Chinese food! Then I heard that PF Changs had a gluten free menu. So of course I had to try it out - and it was delicious. I finally got to have some Kung Pow Chicken and their lettuce wraps were amazing too. The only problem was it was so expensive. It became our special occasion place - such as it's my birthday, lets to go Pf Changs!

Then I heard about another place called Pei Wei. It is actually a sister restaurant of PF Changs but it is a little more casual making it not as expensive. When you walk in the menu is actually hanging from signs next to you and then you order at a counter, find your seat and they will bring your food out to you.

Once I tried Pei Wei - I was hooked! They have a pretty decent amount of options for gluten free - check it out at Pei Wei Gluten-Free Menu - my personal favorite is the sweet and sour chicken. Chunks of tender chicken, green peppers, onions, sweet pineapple, brown OR white sauce covered in a delicious sauce. It has definitely satisfied my craving!

For those who are like me and crave Chinese food - I would highly recommened finding a Pei Wei in your area. In Kansas City there are only two and they are both south of the river (which makes me sad). One is off Metcalf & 95th St and the other is off 119th & Quivera. It's definitely worth the drive. I think if there was one North of the river, I'd be in big trouble. I'd want to eat there practically everyday! :)

Where to buy gluten-free food?!

Before I could figure out WHAT to buy - I had to first figure out WHERE to buy it!

Fortunately, gluten-free foods are easier to find than they used to be.  When my Grandma was diagnosed in the early 90's we had to drive 45min away to a little health food store to find food for her.

There are a variety of places that sell gluten-free foods today.  You might even be able to find what you need in your current grocery store.  Since it's the beginning of the month it's time for me to go grocery shopping.  I'm going to be comparing the various stores in my town to find the best place to get my gluten-free foods.

Your choices are going to depend on where you live.  I live in Springfield, MO - a medium sized town.  We have an average amount of choice - Walmart, Hy-vee, Mama Jeans (a local health food store), Dillons, and Price Cutter.  In Kansas City, MO (where Courtney lives) - there is a Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.  I'm going to be visiting all of them for comparison.

There are 3 major things I'm looking for:  selection, price, and convenience.

    - Price:  Gluten-free food tends to be more expensive then traditional foods.  I want to get the most bang for my buck and I want to try to not break my grocery budget.

   - Selection: There are more options for gluten-free food than one might think.  Some brands are better than others.  I want as much choice as I can get.

   - Convenience:  I (like most people) am very busy.  I don't want to have to visit 3 or 4 different stores just to save a $1 or get a few items.  I want to maximize my time.

I'm excited to do some exploration and see what gluten-free foods I might find!

Cheesecake Brownie Recipe - "Man Bait Brownies"

This is another one of favorite recipes. It's actually taken from the book called The Gluten Free Kitchen by Roben Ryberg. It's a great recipe book that contains dinners to desserts.

These brownies were always my "go-to" brownies whenever I had to make something. People generally couldn't tell they were GF and always enjoyed them. My dad actually dubbed them my "man bait" brownies, because everyone knows a way to man's heart is through his stomach. :) But, I do you hope enjoy these brownies. I've made them so many times the recipe page has brown stains from batter I have spilled on it and the book lays perfectly flat when opened to the recipe. :)

Ingredients:
1 1/3 C sugar
1/2 C shortening
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 C potato starch flour *See Further Down*
3/4 C cornstarch *See Further Down*
3 teaspoons guar gum (aka xantham gum) * See Further Down*
     (Flours and Xantham Gum can be replaced with 1 1/4 cups of gf flour mix (Domata or other brand)
                    
3/4 C cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 C milk
1/4 teaspoon salt

For Cheesecake:
1 8oz package cream cheese - I used Hy-Vee brand - double check cream cheese for modified food starch
1/3 C softened butter
2 C powdered sugar

Now let's put it all together!

In a large bowl cream sugar and shortening. Now I made the mistake of not looking at my recipe before making it - so I didn't have any shortening. Thankfully my brother-in-law is a wizard in the kitchen and told me I could use butter but to add 2 tbsp per cup of butter. So I added 1/2 C butter + 1 tbsp butter and creamed it with the sugar.

Next we will add the eggs and vanilla. Then mix everything together. 

Now we need to add the remaining ingredients. * I did something differently than what the recipes called for. This was the first time I used Domata flour instead of the potato starch, cornstarch & xantham gum. So added 1 1/4 C of the Domata flour and no extra xantham gum since it's already mixed into the Domata flour.*

 

Next, I decided to add some chocolate chips. The recipe doesn't call for them but I had remembered I had half a bag in the refrigerator and figured.....why not! :)

After mixing all these together, pour the brownie batter into a 9X13in greased pan

Next comes the cheesecake part. In a medium bowl, cream together cream cheese, butter & powdered sugar. Just make sure your cream cheese is softened otherwise you will spray powdered sugar all over like I did. :)

Once the cream cheese is mixed together, drop by tablespoonful onto the top of the brownie batter.

Next use a knife to swirl the cream cheese mixture into the brownie batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until a fork test comes out clean.

Then it's just time to enjoy!! :)

My 1st Gluten-Free Menu

I'm a planner.  Everyone knows that I plan everything that I can!  So, needless to say I plan a monthly menu.  It started a few years ago as an effort to save money.  It helps in so many ways!  First of all, we don't buy food we don't need so there is less waste, and it helps avoid the trap of "what do you want for dinner.... I don't know... ehhh.. lets just pick something up."

This is the first month I've made a menu gluten-free.  Some foods we already eat are naturally gluten free - like tacos.  Other foods are most definitely not gluten-free - like spaghetti.  Then there are the foods that are surprising NOT gluten-free.  Many recipes have "Cream of Chicken" soup as an ingredient - that is not gluten-free.  I've done some research and found there are gf versions, so the question is - can I find those in the store?  And if I can - how expensive is it and does it taste good?

For this month when I picked out foods for dinner I decreased the number of obviously glutenous foods, and tried to pick recipes that were naturally gluten-free or that could be converted easily.  As an experiment we're going to try to find gluten-free cream of chicken soup and try our favorite recipe - Chicken Chalupas with it.  More info on that experiment later!

Here are some examples from this month's menu:
     - BBQ hamburgers and hot dogs (no buns) (and yes... we BBQ in November)
     - Chicken Quesadillas  (corn tortillas)
     - Mexican Pumpkin Lasagna (corn tortillas)
     - Turkey Cornbread casserole (domata and cornmeal)
     - Broccoli, Ham & Cheese Quiche (hashbrowns for the crust)
     - Thai Shrimp Pasta (rice noodles)

When we go to the grocery store this week we'll be reading a ton of labels to check for hidden sources of gluten. I'm nervous about what I might find - I'm afraid some of my favorite foods are going to turn out to contain gluten.  I'll just have to wait and see what we find.

BBQ Chicken "Grandma Style"

This recipe is one of my favorite recipes. It is actually from my grandma and I LOVED it when she made it. I used to beg my mom to make "Grandma's Chicken" as I called it but it does take some prep the day before so she didn't make it very often. I love making it now. I love how it makes my house smell and always makes me think of my grandma. What could be better! :)

Ingredients:
1/2 C vinegar
1 C water
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons mustard
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayan pepper
2 thick slices of lemon
2 slices of onion
1/2 cup margarine ( I use country crock "butter")
1 cup ketchup
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce ( I use the great value brand from walmart)
2-4 chicken breasts

Now the Fun Begins!

1. Mix together the first 10 ingredients in a sauce pan, simmer for 20 minutes uncovered.

2. Add ketchup and Worcestershire sauce - bring to a boil.

3. Pour sauce over frozen chicken, cover and place in fridge to marinate overnight.

Bake at 350 degrees until done. I usually baste the chicken a couple times while still in the oven with the sauce from around the chicken. 

4. Now enjoy!!  I made corn bread and steamed potatoes/veges but rice, mashed potatoes, etc go great with it too.

My Top Six Important Tips

So I decided to compile a list of some quick tips my "Top Six" - some of these you might already know but for someone just starting out these are ones I thought would be most helpful.

1. Find Domata Flour (Domata is the brand). Before I started using Domata I had to mix different types of flour together such as potato starch, rice and then add xanthum gum. I could never remember how much xanthan gum to add to my flour mix so I was always calling my mom to find out. When Domata came out it made my life SO much easier. It is a cup for cup substitution, the flour is already mixed together. I can take basically ANY recipe I already have and use the Domata instead of the regular flour and the taste isn't that much different. There are now other brands of ready-to-use flours but Domata is the one I have tried and I like it so much I don't feel like trying any of the others.

2. Stay away from modified food starch. This is a tricky one. I have read things that say it may contain wheat and I have read things that have said if it does contain wheat the company has to declare it. Personally I have never seen it declared on a product that says it contains modified food starch. I personally recommend staying away from it because of experiences I have had with it. I had been drinking Sobe Life Water and I kept getting sick and couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Finally I decided to check my water and I noticed it had modified food starch in it. So I stopped drinking it and got better. Who would've thought water would have modified food starch?! There have been a couple of other instances where I found a product I had been eating had modified food starch in it and I was getting sick, so this is why I basically stay away from anything that has it in it.

3. Watch out for malt flavoring. There are many different types of cereals that contain malt and malt flavoring. It can be discouraging to go up and down the cereal aisle reading each and every box hoping to find one that you can have. Thankfully there is now a GF Rice Krispies (it is labeled as GF) and all the Chex are GF (except the wheat one obviously) but there are a few other "mainstream" cereals that are ok. Fruity Pebbles, Cocoa Pebbles and Trix are generally good.

4. Watch out for Soy Sauce. The brand of soy sauce that I have found to be good is La Choy. I use their soy sauce and their teriyaki sauce when I make fajitas or anything else that might require soy sauce.

5. Rice Noodles Vs. Corn Noodles. Rice noodles can be gritty and mushy after cooking. I prefer the corn noodles. I just cook them like regular noodles and they turn out fine. The brands I like are DeBoles and Quinona. They make everything from penne noodles, elbow macaroni, spaghetti noodles to even lasagna noodles.

6. www.glutenfreeregistry.com is a great resource. I just found this website before going on a trip over Labor Day. I wish I had found it sooner. I put in the city I was going to and it gave me a list of grocery stores, restaurants and even bakeries that have gluten free options! They even include links to where you can look at their menu before heading there. It's a great place to start to find places to go where you live or if you are getting ready to travel. They even have an app you can download for your iPhone.

I hope you have found these tips to be helpful. Most importantly though, don't be afraid to ask questions!

Gluten-Free White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

Team Moist: 
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 cup sugar 
- 1 cup pumpkin purée 

- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoon almond extract

Team not so Moist:
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp all spice
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Cream Team Moist and sift Team not so Moist. Now mix both teams together with 3/4 cup of white chocolate chips.

Chill dough for an hour.

Oven at 350, scoop normal amount on to parchment paper, and bake for 15 minutes.

HARDEST PART! You will do best to wait till the next day until eating. Gluten free flours are a bit gritty, but all the natural oils in the pumpkin will balance that out in about 12 hours and they will become quite smooth and soft.

I can't take credit for this recipe - my awesome husband Matthew created these for me.  Delicious!!!

My Gluten-Free Beginnings - Courtney

I can remember when I first heard about gluten free diets. I was in the 4th grade, about 1994, and my grandma had just been diagnosed as celiac. The next few months were a challenge for my mom trying to figure everything out. Celiac was not as known about back then. As I got older and we learned more about being celiac my mom suggested getting the genetic test done. I really did not want to know if I could possibly come down with it later in life, yet we went ahead. I can remember when the results came back showing I had the genetic markers. Let's just say I was less than thrilled. I can remember saying "As long as I am old when it happens, I'll be ok." Well, unfortunately for me my worst nightmare came true a few years later. I was 17, it was the end of my junior year in high school when suddenly I was sick - very sick. I couldn't keep anything down and when I did eat something I ate bread, because that's what used to settle my stomach. After being sick for two weeks straight and knowing my genetic markers, my mom got more testing done on me, which showed I needed to go gluten free. I was never actually diagnosed with being Celiac - more of a gluten intolerance. After I went on the diet I got better but of course being 17 I was less than thrilled to be giving up donuts, cookies, cake and all those other delicious glutenous foods. I struggled with "cheating", eating half a cookie or just a few chicken nuggets here or there. It took many years for me to finally stop cheating. Help from those close to me to realize what I was doing to my body and help from my body by negatively reacting to even a small amount of gluten finally got me to stop "cheating".
Through my college years there were other things I struggled with as well. I became overwhelmed with having to explain to every new person I met why I couldn't eat bread. Then there were those who didn't quite understand what I had to do or what it meant to eat gluten free and still offered me cookies and brownies and there was the boyfriend that broke up with me because he wasn't sure he could handle the thought of having future children that might have to eat gluten free one day. I did have the few close friends that were supportive and tried to understand. One of them was going through nursing school and was excited one day because she was able to answer a question on a quiz about Celiac because she knew me. I was happy that I was able to help her but even though my friends were supportive, I was still very sensitive about the gluten free topic. I hated talking about it and felt like I was somewhat of an inconvenience with people because we always had to be careful about where we went to eat or what was at someone's house to eat. I still struggle with some of those feelings today - that same insecure teenage / early 20's girl is still in there.

Now, 10 years later, even with my insecurities I have found it exciting and yet aggravating how gluten free is now the "fad" diet. I am excited because there are now so many GOOD choices of products and restaurants are working to create GF menus. I also don't get that crazy look from people when I say I have to eat GF and they are like "huh?" The "fad" aggravates me because I feel that some people don't understand why we HAVE to eat this way. We aren't giving up donuts, pizza, pasta & cookies because we want to be thin. We have to or we wouldn't be here.
Lately I have had a lot of people close to me find out they have to go GF. It can be such a confusing and overwhelming process that I've tried to help as much as I can but I don't really want to leave a novel on someones facebook page explaining things to them - so they get the abridged version. Then my sister had a brilliant idea - to blog about it! My ultimate goal with this is to help others who might be struggling with GF. Struggling with finding good recipes, products or even struggling personally with the idea. I want to be able to help - to provide recipes I've tried, tips I might know, products I love, different restaurants I've been to through out the country but I also want people to know that struggles are normal - we all have struggled with it at some point but going GF is not the end of the world. It doesn't have to be a scary thing and I want to help make the process a little less scary.

My Gluten-Free Journey - Lara

My gluten-free journey begins many years ago.  My grandmother was diagnosed with celiac disease in the early 90's before anyone knew what that was.  She spent weeks in the hospital before finally being diagnosed.  What I remember most about that time is how Thanksgiving was forever changed.  Grandma's stuffing was legen... wait for it...dary.  Every year she'd get a little better at making it gluten-free, but it wasn't the same.

In college my mom thought my sister Courtney was celiac and Courtney didn't want to take the test to find out.  So, being the good big sister I took to the test too.  Except, mine came back positive too!  I was not planning for that!  For about 6 months I ate gluten-free.  I never had the stomach or intestinal symptoms so slowly over time I started eating more and more breads, cookies, cakes, etc until the words 'gluten-free' never crossed my mind again.

Fast forward to today - I still don't the intestinal symptoms - but I have a lot of other symptoms that have popped up through the years.  Chronic kidney stones, hormone struggles, thyroid issues, and infertility.  All of which can be caused by an underlying auto-immune disorder - or gluten-intolerance.  I've had 3 different professionals recommend that I go gluten-free.

So, I'm working on making the shift.  I know it will be easier than it was for my Grandma over 15 years ago - but it will still be hard.  I'm a foodie - I love to eat and try new foods.  I don't like to give up control or be limited.

That's why I wanted to start this blog - to share my experiences with others who I know are going through the same struggles as me.  I've enlisted my sister Courtney - she has been gluten-free for 10 years now and is full of great knowledge and experience.  Together we want to learn more about how to live gluten-free and help others out there.

Gluten-free doesn't have to mean "gritty, dry, and tasteless" - it can be delicious and wonderful too.