What a Find!

There I was, yesterday, in my early pregnancy misery, and I ran out of cereal. Not totally out, but out of all that I could stomach. I had to go to the store - cereal has become very important lately. I drove the half hour to a salvage health food store that I frequent. The boxes are often dented, but they have really great prices. They often have a good selection of gluten-free items now, so I went with much hope.

Well, they did not disappoint. I came home with 21 boxes of cereal (yes, I know that sounds excessive, but I’ve been eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner lately (not generally all on the same day), as well as snacks).  I’ve got crispy rice and Corn and Rice Crunch ‘Ems, Mesa Sunrise and cereals for the kids. And best of all, they were all $1.99 a box! I love that place.

If you have some kind of grocery store like this near you, I’d suggest you check it out. I’ve found Mi-Del cookies for only 59¢ before at this store and another similar to it. If you’re strapped for cash, and bemoaning the price of gluten-free foods, then check for a store like this near you.

Bid on Fasano

So, I know you are all coming to the GIG educational conference in June, right? Well, it just so happens that yours truly brought about an astonishing idea. I’ll let Cynthia Kupper take the credit for actually implementing it, though.

At our banquet, on the Saturday night of the conference, we will be auctioning off breakfast (for Sunday) with Dr. Alessio Fasano and Danna Korn.

Holy Cow! Is that not the coolest thing you’ve ever heard?

You have to be at the conference and come to the banquet to participate. And since you are all going to be there anyways (right?), you can bid on them.

Danna Korn is an expert on living with children with Celiac Disease. She’s written multiple books on how to live a great life with Celiac Disease, including learning to survive in this wheaty world. Most people have read at least one of her books. This is your chance to ask all those questions you’ve been dying to ask her. Be the winning bidder, and you can!

Now, I’m sure most of you have seen Dr. Fasano’s picture, and the majority of you women think he’s pretty cute, right? Well, he is also very charming, an engaging speaker, and just bursting with knowledge. He is the one who came up with the pill that is currently undergoing clinical trials. It should allow us to eat some gluten and not cause the autoimmune response.

So who are going to be the lucky bidders?

If you would like to learn more about this auction, you can read about it at live-auction.pdf

Check out the It’s All About Food page to learn more about the upcoming conference.

Restaurant-Style Cheese Biscuits

Super easy recipe to the rescue!

For a long time, we have kept some of this Bisquick-type mix in the fridge. It’s really great for when you want something and don’t want to spend a long time in the kitchen measuring out ingredients. Well, today, we wanted biscuits. Maybe it was looking at Carrie’s cheese biscuits that did it. Whatever it was, I was grateful that I had this in the fridge and it took so little to prepare it.

These recipes come to us from Mireille at the Delphi On-line Celiac Support Group.

First you need the bisquick mix, then you can make the biscuits (or tons of other stuff - just look up bisquick recipes and replace this for the gluten kind). I like to triple this recipe, so I have a lot available to me. No, it does not have xanthan in it. For the few things I have used it for, it is not needed.

GF BUTTERMILK BISQUICK MIX

2 & 1/2 c. rice flour (could be white, brown or half & half)
1 & 2/3 c. potato starch
3 tsp baking powder
2 & 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs sugar
1/2 c. dry buttermilk powder (in supermarkets over dairy section or baking section)
3 tbs egg replacer powder
1 c. less 1 Tbs shortening.

In a large bowl, wisk together all dry ingredients. Cut in the shortening until no lumps appear. Store in the fridge or freezer because of buttermilk powder.
The Bisquick mix is adapted from Bette Hagman’s.

RESTAURANT-STYLE CHEESE BISCUITS

2 cups GF bisquick mix
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I use 1 & 1/4 cup today and loved it!, or you could use different cheeses)
1/2 cup water

Combine bisquick mix and cheese (you can do this with a fork). Add water. Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 10 to 12 minutes.

For an extra kick, brush on a butter topping. Use 1/2 cup of melted butter mixed with 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon parsley flakes, and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning.

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We often make sandwiches out of these biscuits. A couple of slices of lunch meat ham or turkey between two of these biscuits is a great sandwich!!

Chicken and Bean Enchiladas

Last year, for his birthday, my brother Chad requested enchiladas for dinner.  They were able to come visit us and spend a little bit of time.  I didn’t want to make one of those white sauce enchiladas, or green one, either.  I looked around awhile and decided on this one (I think I found it on recipezaar).

One of the best things about making this was that we made it together.  Chad and Malia (our cousin) helped me make this.  We had such a wonderful time together, cutting and chopping and shredding and rolling and cooking.

Well, it was a total hit.  I had to email the recipe to everyone that had been at dinner, and a few others, too!  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Chicken and Bean Enchiladas

¾ lb boneless skinless chicken breast
3 slices bacon
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups picante sauce
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp cumin
¼ tsp salt
½ cup green onions, sliced
1 ½ cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese, plus another ½ cup or so
1 (16 oz) can black beans
15-20 corn tortillas
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2. Julienne chicken

3. Sauté bacon until crisp, reserving 2 tbsp drippings

4. Sauté chicken and garlic in drippings until chicken is opaque.

5. Add ½ cup picante sauce, beans, red bell pepper, cumin and salt.  Simmer 7 - 8 minutes until thick.

6. Stir in green onions and crumbled bacon.  Then add 1 ½ cups of cheese.

7. Top each tortilla with about ¼ cup of chicken mixture.  Roll up and place in baking dish sprayed with oil.

8. Top with remaining ½ cup of picante sauce (or a little more to cover tortillas).  Bake for 15 minutes.

9. Top with remaining cheese and bake for 3 minutes more.

My Favorite Chicken Salad

Yes, I’ve been absent.  Yes, I’ve been sick again.  I think something is wrong with the whole world right now.  Everyone is getting sick and staying sick.  Oh, well, to a more pleasant subject…

This is my favorite chicken salad recipe.  I just love all the different flavors in it.  It’s good to eat by itself, or would be great eaten on a crescent roll.

Tropical Chicken Salad

2 cups cooked and chopped chicken
1 cup celery
1 can pineapple tidbits
1 can mandarin oranges
1 - 2 tablespoons green onions
some red and green grapes
1 cup GF mayo or ½ cup GF mayo + ½ cup GF ranch dressing

Combine all ingredients.  Mix well.  Top with cashews and coconut.

Pudding Cookies

This is one of my favorite cookie recipes, and it is so versatile. It comes from Mireille, over at the On-Line Celiac Support Group.

We’ve made these using all sorts of variations. Pick a pudding and pick some chips, and you’re set. If you want a great chocolate chip cookie, use vanilla pudding and chocolate chips (or chocolate chips and peanut butter chips). Or try chocolate pudding and chocolate chips. Or how about butterscotch pudding and no chips, or chocolate pudding and white chips, or vanilla pudding and macadamia nuts and white chips. Use your imagination. We love to make them with cheesecake pudding and cherry chips (Loghouse Foods brand was gf as of last year). As you can see, you can make a ton of different cookies with this one recipe.

You can make your cookies soft and chewy, or you can bake them a little longer and make them crisp. If you use vanilla pudding and no chips and bake them crisp, I think they taste like vanilla wafers.

Pudding Cookies

1 cup soft butter (not melted)
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla (or you could use a different flavoring, even)
1 pkg instant pudding (small box)
2 eggs
2 & 1/4 cups GF flour mix*
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking soda
Chocolate (or other flavor) chips and/or nuts (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 325°. Combine butter and sugar. Add vanilla and pudding; beat until smooth. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour, xanthan gum, and baking soda (at the same time). Add chips and nuts. Roll into balls and press onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake approximately 8 minutes.

* The flour mix I use for this is made from:
6 cups white rice flour
2 cups potato starch
1 cup tapioca starch

Chicken Curry

One evening last year, Andy and I had a progressive dinner with two other couples. Dessert was at our house, and we made the Andes Cheesecake Supreme. Dinner was at Leanne’s, and she made a wonderful chicken curry for us. I have been wanting to make this and post it for you, but haven’t gotten around to it. Well, I’m just going to give it to you now, because I don’t think I’ll be making it in the foreseeable future (morning sickness means bland foods, lol). So, sorry, no picture. But when I do get around to making it again, I will update this and add a picture. Or if you make it, please send me a picture!

Chicken Curry

Hands on time: 15 minutes/ Total time: 30 minutes/ Serves 4

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp curry powder
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Cooked Rice
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, torn
¼ cup almonds, roughly chopped

Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels. Cut it into 1-in pieces and place in a bowl. Sprinkle it with the curry and cinnamon, toss, and set aside. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and zucchini and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Heat the remaining oil in the skillet. Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Add the broth, cream, salt, and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer. Return the onion and zucchini to the skillet and heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Divide the rice among individual bowls, top with the curry and sprinkle with the cilantro and almonds.

Tip: You can vary the ingredients depending on what you have on hand. Consider substituting coconut milk for the cream, eggplant for the zucchini, basil for the cilantro, and cashews for the almonds.

I’ve Been Tagged - Again

But don’t worry, Carrie, it wasn’t on this blog.

Since I don’t like chain letters, persistent forwards, or any of that other stuff, I will play along only to the point of telling you stuff about me (and this one has 7- the last one only had 6, lol).

1. I recently found out I’m pregnant. This will be number 3. Yes, it was planned, but we did not expect it to happen so quickly. I’ve never really been the “fertile crescent” before, lol.

2. I was valedictorian in high school. (Please, don’t tell me you’re shocked.) Braden takes after me - he’s five and in first grade, with at least a 3rd or 4th grade reading level (can you tell I’m a proud Mommy?).

3. I was in show choir in high school. Because of it, I got to travel to some great places like Toronto, Germany and Austria, and New York City! I love to travel, but rarely get to these days.

4. I was also often in the annual musicals in high school. One of my favorites was Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. We had so many talented girls, that the director created 2 female casts. We were supposed to be equal, but it definitely was not so. My group actually had the most vocal talent (the other group had the director’s daughter). We called ourselves the “white trash girls” because of the way we were treated. Guess who was the lead role of the “white trash girls.” Kelly Clarkson. Yes, THE Kelly Clarkson. Oh, by the way, our one show we got to do was packed - people leaning on the walls to watch. But I don’t have issues with it, lol.

5. Andy and I have been married for eight years.

6. My mom and I used to bake together a lot when I was little. We made our own bread, and baked stuff from scratch. My brothers and I used to make up a huge triple batch of chocolate chip cookie dough, and then just eat the dough over the next week or so.

7. My daddy used to take me shooting when I was little. When I was in high school, he would dress up in his old sheriff deputy’s uniform to meet my dates. It would be a complete outfit - gun, nightstick, and all. Needless to say, I really didn’t date a whole lot.

Variations on a Theme - Tom’s 2

I made another loaf of the Tom’s Light Bread, European Style. This version had no chickpea flour. The flour mix (made the other week) consisted of:

• 1/2 cup sorghum flour
• 1/2 cup millet flour
• 1/8 cup quinoa flour
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup + 1 TBS tapioca starch

Friday afternoon, I prepared my sponge. I took half of the flour mix above, added 3 TBS light brown sugar, and a packet of yeast (rapid rise this time). I stirred it up, covered it, and let it set. I had intended to make the bread Saturday afternoon, but did not have time. Sunday morning, I finished the recipe, let it rise, and put it in the oven.

We could hardly wait to cut into it. And we didn’t - within 15 minutes of it being out of the oven, we had eaten 5 pieces (between the two boys and me). It was really good. I had thought (yesterday) that I detected a very slight bitterness to it, but it went away with only a teeny tiny bit of butter. But, it may just be my preggo tastebuds (they’re a little off right now). Braden said “this is the best bread ever. You should make this every time you don’t have a new recipe to try.” (Braden is a true believer in Cassandra’s Gluten-Free Test Kitchen.) Andy tried it this morning and said it’s really good. It is still very soft today.

While writing this post, I heard a loud pop and some metal clinking downstairs. Upon inspecting the kitchen, I found the lid to my bowl that contains a sour sponge for tomorrow, had popped off and flown across the counter. Perhaps I shouldn’t put a tight lid on it, lol.

Check Out My New Page

There’s not much I don’t like about WordPress so far.  However, their archiving bugs me.  So I created a recipe page, like a table of contents for the recipes.  If you are looking for a certain recipe, you can now go to the recipe page to find it, instead of having to wade through the archives.  I hope this helps you.  I’m sure it will help me.

Also, if you have not checked out the page about the conference, please do.  I would love to be able to meet all of you Alive and In Person.

And keep voting for the food allergy/intolerance publication at the Martha Stewart Blog.  This would be a great leap for those of us with food allergies and intolerances.