Glutino Breakfast bars

Glutino Breakfast bars. Jam surrounded by soft cookie like thing.
The first time I tried them was years ago. I Liked them.

Then they came out with “improved texture” however the flavor was a little too heavy on the garbanzo bean flour for me.

But the one I had today was good.

Not wonderful, but good for a processed, (possible extruded) bar.

The package was a little hard to get into. I would not hand it to a toddler and expect them to manage it. Maybe not even a first grader…

Caesar's gluten free

Caesar's gluten free Italian dinners
I had the stuffed Shells one day for lunch, and the Manicotti the next day.
They were very Yummy!

They go in the microwave for a long time, to get hot all the way thru. Then you have to let them sit for a while or they are too hot to eat.
The noodle held up well afterwords too.
Some GF pasta dishes you can't tell what is sauce, and what is noodle, because it has all gottne too soft and mushie, but not these! The noodles were still aldneti, without being hard or undercooked.
SO good!
And it was just the right blend of seasonings and cheeses.
I think they are just as good an any I had in my pre-Gf days.
Only drawback is they are about 400 calories a box. But at least they acknowledge that one whole box is a serving. (Comes to about a calorie a gram...)

Gluten free Cafe-Frozen dishes

I decided to try the new "gluten free cafe" line of frozen dishes.
They were on sale.
I picked up the "Asian noodle" flavor. "Rice noodles with tofu, carrots, edamame, water chestnuts, roasted peanuts and red bell peppers."
I could not find any bell peppers or any peanuts.

There were only TWO edamame.
It was mostly yellow curry.
Now I know that technically India is part of the Asian Continent, but generally when I hear "Asian noodles" I don't think Curry.

This was a bowl of curry. And even if It had been labeled "curry noodles" (which it should have been) I still would have thought there was way too much sauce.
I could have cooked two more bowls of rice noodles to spread the curry over.
I could only eat about a third of the bowl, picked out the tofu, carrots, and the TWO edamane, and tossed the rest.
I drank whole bottle of water, and then had to get a candy bar to clear my pallet.
Over All, not something I will get again.

Grandma's PB Chewies

My grandfather was a salesman for Nabisco. SO my family knows cookies.
And My grandmother would bake form scratch, and then freeze the cookies.
Those frozen cookies taught this young girl the value that patience yields the greater reward.

See, grandma would take a few cookies from the freezer. You could eat the cookie right then, mostly frozen, and it was good.
OR you could wait, until the cookie had become warm and soft, and it was even better.

My favorite was the chewy peanut butter ones. Here is the recipe.
Completely GF, and always had been...I wonder if that is why they were my favorite...

Grandma Jean's PB Chewers
1 CUP Creamy Peanut butter
1 CUP Sugar
1/2 Cup evaporated milk
4 tsp cornstarch
1/2 Cup Mini chocolate chips (I use the dark)


Mix the PB and Sugar until light and fluffy.
Stir in milk and cornstarch
Preheat oven to 350
Fold in chips
Drop a teaspoon of dough 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet
Bake for 12-15 min.
Let them cool a little or they won't come off the sheet in one piece.

Glutino crackers

I miss Gold Fish crackers.
There are few gluten containing products that make me want to cheat.
I know what it does to me.
But the sound and smell of a toddler with a hand-full of golden cheesy fishes makes me a little sad.
I remember my innocence and how I scarfed them with abandon.

SO I'm always willing to try the latest cheese related cracker.

I had tried Glutino  crackers when they first came out. I though they were as close to the classics Nabisco Ritz as GF was going to get.
I keep a box in the cupboard. I love to munch them with soup or with cream cheese.
But then one day I spotted the new Cheddar flavor on the shelf at the grocery.
I tried not to get my hopes up too high, but I was disappointed.
They were good, but just not quite as cheesy as I had hoped.
The Cheddar flavor was very subtle.

Anyone have a cheese cracker recipe that is simple?
I tried one once and it was WAY to hard.
It was complicated AND the crackers were very firm...

kinnikinnick pancake and Waffle Mix

I like waffles.
They have handy little compartments, to hold syrup, or jam.
Hubby says that off all the GF brake fast foods, he likes waffles the best.

It had to have been less then a few months after I was diagnosed that I bought my self an electric waffle mold.
I figured that since my mother had been putting wheat into hers for about 20 years I should get one that was strictly GF.
I took it to college.  Most waffle mixes only require water, and maybe an egg. (and I had fresh  GF waffles in my dorm room:)

One of the waffle mixes I like is Kinnikinnick.
The mix comes in a resealable pouch.
The recipe on the bag recommends using club soda instead of milk or water. My family always did that when we went camping (easier to pack a bottle of soda, then try to keep milk at a safe temperature...)
The waffles turn out soft and cake like. Belgian style waffles.
If you prefer you waffles more cookie like, or waffle cone style, I will recommend mixes for those too.

mayacamas Mixes

Mayacamas makes a great line of GF mixes. Gravy's and pasta sauces.
While I like the Gravy, the Pesto pasta sauce mix is my favorite.

I don't like crab, or lobster, too much work to get the meat out...
Normally I don't go for the troublesome foods. But I do like artichoke.
In my family we dip it in mayo.
And then I heard of people making Pesto-Mayo and having that with artichoke. So i had to try it and were hooked.

We keep our eyes out and when the artichoke is a good price, we pick one up.
I keep a little container of the Pesto-mayo mixed in my fridge.

The recipe is real simple.

An entire pouch of Pesto mix
Cup of mayo.And I mix it together with my blender. It makes it smooth and fluffy.
YUMMY!

Japanesse Style Rice Crackers

These crackers are good. While not specifically Gluten Free, the ingredients do not include gluten. (Rice, corn, potato, and sugar.)
The cracker is crisp.
There consistency is more Puff, then what you might usually associate with the word cracker.
The crackers themselves are plain in flavor, but they have been drizzled with a little glaze.
So they are slightly sweet.

The big bag has 12 little bags in it, with two crackers per bag.
Wonderful for tossing into lunch bags.
I usually get a bag at my local international market, at a family good price.



Another rice cracker I like to pick us is BinBin
They are slightly salty sweet.
Alos in convenient two packs.
But watch the flavors on those, 'cause some have soy sauce, with wheat.

Schar Classic White Bread Mix

My first GF sandwich was in over a decade ago. It was on energy foods bread. :P I think I went at least 5 years without eating another GF sandwich.
And I hardly have them now, but every once in a while I just crave ham and cheese with pickles and mustard.
I thought I would take sandwiches to work for my lunches. So I picked up a bread mix.
Schar Classic White Bread Mix.

This had to be the Stiffest, thickest GF dough I had ever used seen.
It did not mix well, so I just dug in with my hands.
I managed to get the dough mixed
But then I would not get my hands out.
With a little help from Hubby, I got most of the dough into the Bread pan.
The box recommends covering it with a Damp cloth while it raises.
And to put a pan of watter in the oven with it.

I'm not a scientist, but all that extra moisture must matter...

The dough doubled in size, as promised, and looked wonderful.

The bread did not turn out quite like the photo on the box, but as close as I ever get.
It was not too pores.

It was not too dense.

It was not too crumbly.

It was very good.

Straight form the oven it was moist and soft, and slightly chewer.

The next morning it was a little firmer, but refreshed nicely when microwaved with butter.

It cost about the same as the pre-made loaf of bread. But I somehow felt better about baking it myself, then eating what was shipped halfway around the world. (Ya, if you look at a globe, that is where England is to Seattle)
And the shelf life on the mix is VERY long.
I think it might be a good addition to my baking cupboard supply. Having a box on hand for multiple occasions would be a good idea.

GlutinO GF chocolate covered pretzls

OK, The bag cost more, and weights less then the non chocolate covered pretzels,.
But they were good.
And they must be a very new product since I could not find them on the GlutinO web sight or Amazon.
The chocolate was good milk chocolate. I
 might have preferred Dark, but that is me.
I thought the price was equivalent to the effort I would have gone to, covering them in chocolate my self.
All in all a good product, excellent for filling a bowl and setting out at any party.
Baby showers.
House warming.
Oh, I have just the bowl...

Namaste Food, GF brownie mix

My Younger brother's Girlfriend's family came to town for her graduation.
So my family decided to have a BBQ while they were in town.
In her family are people that are Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Soy Free, Nut /Peanut Free.
I was assigned desert. I have always said that chocolate is they way to go when doing leaving something out, so I decided that brownies were the way to go.
I found several brownie mixes that were Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free,  Nut /Peanut Free, but they had soy. There were more cocolate4 cak mixes that were soy free then brownies, not sure why.

SO I finally settled on Namaste Food, GF brownies.
Even though the bag of mix boasted to be "egg free" the recipe on the back told me to add three eggs.???
So I made a few phone calls to some Egg free friends on mine, and learned a little trick. I substituting the three egg that the recipe calls for with A special connexion:
...Flax & applesauce. (.25 cup ground flax seed, mixed with 2/3 cup water, and 1/4cup applesauce)

My Hubby, mother, and sister told me it was not my best GF brownie, but EVERYONE thought it was the best GF, CF/DF, EF, SF, NF/PF brownie.
And I have enough Flax left over to try something else...

GF Pantry "decadent chocolate cake mix"

The Candy season runs from Halloween until mother's day. There is just not a many occasions for boxed chocolate in the summer.

So I went hunting for a new job.

I start next week. Number crunching.

So To celebrate my new job I make chocolate cake. From Gluten Free Pantry "decadent chocolate cake mix"

Excellent as always.

The box only makes ONE 8" round pan. SO it is not as cost effective as other cake mixes.

The guests we had for dinner had no idea that the cake was GF until Hubby told them.

Moist, a little crumbly, as you can see, and very soft. I could not wait to dig in, so I took it out of the pan when it was still warm, slices it, frosted it, and served it warm.

Just what I wanted.


The frosting is an adapted recipe from a Cream cheese frosting (sorry to the CF out there)
Frosting:
2ounces Cream cheese, soft.
1 Tablespoon Butter, soft.
...Blend well. Add
1 Tablespoon Orange juice concentrate....Mix well. Then Beat in
1 cup powdered sugar, or more until you like the consistency.
I like mine a little runny, and the orange is subtle. I have done variations on the recipe with frozen Lemonade instead of the orange. I would suppose that you could make the substitution of any just about any flavor...

Pink a Bella Cup Cakes

I got a new job.
It's In Redmond and we will be moving because My Hubby works in Redmond too.
SO I was investigating our new neighborhood.
And as I wondered Redmond town center I peeked in the window of Pink a Bella Cup Cakes. Three elderly women were very excitedly selection there cakes, and I glanced at the pricing board, surprised to see at he bottom "gluten free...$3.25"
Now, that is a hefty price to pay for a single cupcake, but the other cupcakes were $3.00, so I figured a $.25 mark up for GF was not too bad.
So I waited and spoke to the sales girl.
She explained that they keep the GF cakes in the freezer, and that today they only had ONE left, it was vanilla; but that she could top it with fresh frosting.
She offered to top it with "Oreo" frosting, but I pointed out that if it has Oreo in it (and it looked like it did) that I can't have it. So I went with plain Chocolate frosting.
She offered me sprinkles, and I asked if they were also GF. She did not know, so I passed on the sprinkles.
I would think that if you advertise having GF then you staff should KNOW what is and is not GF. OK rant over.
I went home with my frozen cupcake, and had it for lunch the next day.
It was good.
But I don't think it was worth three dollars. For the price of two cupcakes I could get a cake mix and have a dozen!
I understand from other locals that the attraction is the unique flavors. The day I was there, I saw at least 10 flavor combinations on display. {Pina Colada* Bananas fosters*Root beer float* and several with alcoholic ingredients}
Perhaps If I had eaten something more exciting then a vanilla with chocolate I would be more impressed, but it does not sound like they do the Exciting ones GF.
Overall not impressed, and probably will not go back.
(Sweekcakes in Kirkland was better)

Roll Off

I happened to have in my possession simultaneously, a Schar Brand Roll and a Gillians Brand Roll.

The Schar cost about $1.50. per roll

Gillians cost about $1.15 per roll

I compared the product side by side.

I was in Heaven!

Both have a very good texture.
Chewy when microwaved.

Crisp when toasted.

Spongy, not crumble.

Both so very tasty.

The Schar roll has a slightly more distinct flavor, almost sweeter in nature. As though it would lend it self well to Jam and butter, but not as well to savory as the Gillians.

Either roll is a wonderful thing. These two products are miles head of the competition.

Every GF store should have at lease ONE or the other, on it's shelf, if not both.

Right now the Schar rolls are more prevalent where I live. But after this side by side I don't lament not being able to get Gillians as much.

Qdoba

I believe the slogan is "what are you going to love"
I love tacos.
If the seasoning is safe, then your good to go!
And I love the mango salsa that Qdoba has in the summer.
It's not out yet, But I have been stopping by every two weeks or so to check.

According to there Allergen information chart, all of the meats are gluten free.
All of the Rice and Beans or GF.
All of the Salsas, and guacamole are GF.

Pretty much the only thing not GF are the brownies, cookies, BBQ sauce, ranch, and flour tortillas.
But they do worn you on the chart that there is a change that the potatoes and Corn chips "may contain the allergen, due to unintentional migration of ingredients during preparation"
The Soft White Corn Tortillas do not come with that warning, and so I usually get my taco in those. I have to admit, I will on occasion take the risk because the chips are so good. The chips are warm with a hint of salt and lime, so yummy.