Product Review: Bisquick

This week I decided to try using my Bisquick gluten free mix in several different ways.

 I originally I was going to make one of my favorite breakfast items, blueberry pancakes, but forgot to buy some blueberries at the grocery store. I realized my mistake as I was making the pancakes!  I had some frozen strawberries in the freezer and I hadn't had a homemade Belgian waffle in a very long time, so it was a good replacement.

I was very impressed with the Bisquick and the final product. The waffles turned out a golden yellow, soft and very delicious. The only thing I was disappointed in was the actual cooking process. I used my George Foreman grill and it took way to long to cook the waffles but they still turned out great. I'll probably look into buying a different waffle griddle for next time though.

They were nice big waffles and of course after adding the strawberries, I had to add plenty of whipped cream to make it a real Belgian waffle in my eyes. :) I would highly recommended making some waffles with the Bisquick mix. Easy, convenient and delicious!

Later on in the week I decided to try the Bisquick in a different way. While cooking the waffles, I looked at the box and it had several different recipes listed on the box. It had pancakes, biscuits, oven baked chicken and then one I tried, Chicken Strips. I don't think I have ever had homemade chicken strips so this was going to be an adventure for me, but I was excited to try them.

The coating for the chicken was really simple: Bisquick, Parmesan Cheese, Paprika and Garlic Salt. Add a bowl of egg for dipping the chicken in and some chicken strips and WALLAH! Yummy chicken strips. I used three chicken breasts cut into strips, which ended up making two cookie sheets of chicken strips. Plenty for dinner and even leftovers later in the week.

I was happy to see how easy it was to put everything together. The nice thing about this recipe is it's easy to modify to add variety and different flavors to the chicken. I'm thinking about making a coconut coated chicken next time. The hardest part for me was actually cutting the chicken into strips. I really hate raw meat but I was a big girl and cut it myself but did have some random "This is really gross" noises as I was cutting. I think next time I might look into buying frozen chicken tenders so I don't have to do any cutting. :)

After the chicken had been in the oven for only about 5 minutes I could already smell the Parmesan and paprika it was amazing! Once done, I added some honey mustard for a little extra flavor. It really didn't need the extra flavor but it was delicious still with the honey mustard. I ended up using Koops brand of honey mustard (bought at Hy-Vee) and it even says "Gluten Free" on the bottle!

Overall I'm very satisfied with my different "experiments" with my Bisquick mix. I'm looking forward to trying some of the other recipes listed on the box while tweaking the ones I have tried to create new and exciting breakfasts and dinners.

Restaurant Review: Jazz

Recently Lara and I went to the restaurant called Jazz in Kansas City. Since we went together we thought it might be fun to write a review about our gluten free experience together!

Us (Lara and Courtney) with our Gluten-free menu at Jazz.

Courtney:

Courtney with her delicious blackened chicken meal.

I was given the task of finding out if Jazz had gluten free options. When I went to their website and looked at their menu there was no indication that they had gluten free options. There were things that looks like they could be gluten free but you just never know. So finally after putting it off (because yes that insecure girl inside didn't want to call), I called the restaurant asking if they had gluten free options to find out they had a whole gluten free menu!! Now that was a great surprise!

Once at the restaurant I was pleased to see all the different options that I could eat. I finally decided on the blackened chicken that came with new potatoes and steamed vegetables. Make sure you mention when ordering that you are ordering gluten free. When my plate was brought out to me there was rice instead of potatoes and apparently the rice is not gluten free. The waitress immediately caught it, apologized and told me her manager was going to re-make my plate. It wasn't too long before my plate came out again. I was very pleased to see how the waitress had remembered and made sure to take care that my food was gluten free.

The chicken was delicious too! It had just enough spice on it for it to be blackened and taste Cajun but not so much that it was overpowering and just burned my mouth. Overall, I was very pleased with my experience at Jazz. I'm excited to be go back and try other menu options with the peace of mind knowing they care and understand about how their dishes need to be gluten free.

Courtney getting ready to taste the blackened chicken... here it goes.....

Lara:

I was very impressed with the gluten-free choices.  The menu wasn't as large as the regular menu - but I didn't feel deprived.  Especially considering that it is a "New Orleans" style restaurant, I was worried everything would be deep fried.

I decided to go out on a limb and try something completely different:  Oysters on the Half Shell for my my main course - Shrimp and Scallop Pontchartrain.  Pontchartrain means shrimp sauted in a tequila lime cream sauce.  It was so different - I just had to try it!

The Pontchartrain typically comes with rice - which isn't gluten-free at Jazz.  So, my meal came with garlic mashed potatoes instead.

Down it goes!

Oysters on the half shell take a little getting used to.  They were served on ice with lemons and a cocktail sauce.  I have a bit of an issue with texture when it comes to food so I'm surprised I enjoyed these.  It was the cocktail sauce that made this for me.  Added just enough flavor.

The Shrimp and Scallop Pontchartrain was OK.  Without the rice it had a more soupy consistency than I would have preferred   I felt like I had to leave a lot of the flavor and meal on the plate than I would have liked.  The garlic mashed potatoes were delicious!  But, they didn't really fit with the flavor of the Pontchartrain.  I enjoyed my meal - but were I to go back I would order something different - probably the Cajun Sirloin.

Me (Lara) with my meal!

Garlic Mashed Potatoes (left) - Shrimp and Scallop Pontchartrain (Right)

Grandma:

We've mentioned our Grandma - Mildred a few times in our blog - since she was the first in the family to be diagnosed with Celiac disease.  She had never gone to a restaurant with a dedicated gluten-free menu so it was a "special treat" for her to visit Jazz with us.  She ordered the Grilled Chicken meal - with vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes.  She stated "It's good!".  She seemed to really enjoy the meal!

Grandma Mildred with her tasty food!

Our experience at Jazz was very positive.  A large gluten-free menu, knowledgable and friendly staff, also reasonably priced.  Can't beat it!

So, if you ever visit KC - take a trip out to Jazz!

Check out their other locations in Omaha, Columbia, & Lubbock, TX (where they first began)