pumpkin cake pops

Hello, readers!  I hope you each had a wonderful Thanksgiving with few (preferably no!) cross-contamination "oops" moments.

If you're not already pumpkined out - which tends to happen to most people at some point this time of year - here's a baked goodie that was a big hit at our Thanksgiving extravaganza on Thursday: gluten free pumpkin cake pops.  (Thanks to my boyfriend's mom, Jenny!)

First, Jenny combined a can of Libby's pumpkin, pumpkin pie spices, and a box of Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix, and bake the cake according to the box directions.

Cool then crumble the cake:

Add cream cheese frosting to make the crumblies hold together:

Form balls of cake:

 Shove sticks into the balls for dipping while melting white chocolate:

Dip into the melted chocolate & roll in chopped nuts.  Tada!!
P.S. These are also really tasty sans chocolate & nuts. 

BTW, you'll soon be enjoying higher-quality photos thanks to an early Christmas present from Scott: a Nikon Coolpix L310 with a special food setting :)

Happy eating!

thanksgiving recipe roundup: veggies, dip, & desserts

Hello!  My month got away from me, between my birthday and the election.  To make it up to you, here are a few recipes and tips worthy of Thanksgiving: a festive veggie plate, chip dip, tiramisu, and chocolate chip cheesecake. 

Here are tips from the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness from 2011 and from NFCA staff, bloggers, and Facebook fans for this year.  

Most importantly: don't let yourself feel like a bother.  It's common to feel guilty about your dietary needs and try to compensate by making "normal" versions of the same foods.  If you don't give a choice or make a big deal that yours is different, your guests probably won't think about it :)  This is so simple, but it's what I'm worst at doing.

Now, on to the recipes! 

Veggie Plate

 

Here I used baby carrots; red, green, yellow, and orange bell peppers; celery under the peppers; cucumbers.  Most important: the celery feet and pepper face.  Yep, I totally snagged this from Pinterest. I served it with Marzetti Simply Dressed Ranch. 

Addictive Chip Dip with Rotel, Cream Cheese, and Sausage

Scott's mom recently made this for a little shindig, and it was awesome.  I easily ate half of it myself -- and it's so simple to make!!

• 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese 
• 1 16-ounce package of sausage
• 2 cans of Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chiles)

1. I found that the store brand was the only one without MSG, but any will do, and I choose mild rather than medium.  That was plenty warm enough for me!
2. Brown the sausage, and remove excess grease.  
3. Add the cans of Rotel.  Some recipes suggest draining the Rotel, but I prefer to let the flavors merry in the skillet.  
4. Let the liquid cook down, then add the cream cheese.  

Little tip: If you're like me and I only picked up one package of cream cheese, sour cream will do in a pinch.  I was more than skeptical!  Believe it or not, it doesn't impact the taste. 

Tiramisu

Using Schar Ladyfingers, I made some terrific tiramisu for Halloween & my birthday. 

• 3 large eggs, separated 
• 4 tablespoons sugar 
• 8 oz of mascarpone cheese - I found a tiramisu flavored one that was incredible! 
• 2 tablespoons rum 
• 1 package gluten-free Schar Ladyfingers 
• 1-1/4 cups of brewed espresso 
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder - I couldn't find mine and used homemade hot chocolate mix instead.  Mmm!

1. Beat the four egg yolks with the sugar, rum, and mascarpone.
2. Beat the egg whites until stiff.  Use a mixer!  Your arm will get tired mixing by hand.   
3. Fold the egg yolks and cheese blend in with the egg whites.  
4. Soak the ladyfingers in the coffee.  Don't use too much coffee!  Sadly I learned the hard way that it will make the ladyfingers very mushy.  
5. Make a layer of ladyfingers in a glass dish, then spread the mixture on it.  Repeat :)
6. When finished, sprinkle cocoa powder on top. 

Little tip: With egg whites, stiff peaks hold their shape while soft peaks will flop over.  

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

A sweet friend made this for me for a Thanksgiving party over the weekend. Yum!  (Thank you, Katie!!)

• Chocolate chip cookie mix for the crust - Our friend used the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Mix, which called for butter, vanilla, and egg.
• 3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese
• 1-1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. For the crust, make as directed then press in the bottom of the pie plate.  Set aside.
3. Beat the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl on low for 30 seconds.  
4. Mix in vanilla and eggs.  
5. Stir in chocolate chips, then pour into the pie plate on top of the cookie crust.
6. Bake for 1 hour to 1-1/4 hours.  The cheesecake will be puffed and light brown.
7. Allow the cake to rest in the oven for 15 minutes.  (The oven should be off with the door ajar.)
8. Remove from oven, enjoy, and refrigerate any leftovers!

More to come tomorrow, including gluten-free pumpkin cake pops. Yeah, they're delish.  Happy eating!! 

pumpkin cider

Before my diagnosis, I really enjoyed seasonal brews, so I was thrilled when I saw Woodchuck Hard Cider Private Reserve Pumpkin Cider.  (None of their varieties have ever contained gluten.)

But, as someone with multiple dietary restrictions (who learned the hard way from the Apple Cinnamon Chex), my first thought was, "This looks awesome, and it's gluten free, but there's got to be ginger."  I emailed Woodchuck's customer service and was elated to learn it is both gluten and ginger free :)

Despite the 6.9% alcohol by volume, it's not heavy.  (If you're a hard cider drinker, you know how folks tease, thinking it has a lower ABV than traditional beer and is a girly drink.  Wrong!)  According to the label, it pairs "perfectly with roasted duck, turkey, squash, ravioli as well as crème brûlée and cheesecake."  I bet,  and I really look forward to sharing it at Thanksgiving.  

Give your new option a try, and let me know what you think!

goodbye gluten, hello soft bread!

Happy World Bread Day!

When this amazing package arrived last month, I became speechless and bug-eyed.  Goodbye Gluten, a new brand out of Pennsylvania, came to the market on July 17 with two varieties: white and multigrain. 

I was fortunate to share this delightful treat with several gluten free friendies across Southern and Southwest Ohio.  A few comments from the taste-testers:

• Thank you so much!  It was so good, we didn't believe it was gluten free.  I tried it, and my family ate the whole thing before I saw my gluten free friend!  We loved it!  Where can I get it?...Oh, Columbus and Cleveland?  I can do that!  Let me know when it's here! 
• That was delicious!  When can I get it here?! 
• Thanks sooooo much for the bread!! It's awesome!!!!!!!  It's excellent.  Hope it becomes available closer to here.  Tastes like real white bread.  Thanks again!
• Wow, that is good!
• I love the bread.  It was perfect!  It isn't like Udi's - that's hard and has big holes that your mayonnaise or whatever goes through.  This doesn't do that.
• Oh my gosh, that's good!  Ooh, try this!  That is really good.  It doesn't taste gluten free, and it's soft!  It tastes real!

Unlike other brands I'd tried, it smells like the gluten-filled breads that I've missed, is unbelievably soft & squishy, doesn't have large holes, and - whoa - is shelf-stable!  It even says on the package, "Bread retains its best quality if stored at room temperature."  I'm not sure how long it stays good; everyone's gobbled theirs up well before it went bad.  Other bonuses: it's dairy-free, certified gluten-free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization, and one slice has 2 grams of protein & 3% Daily Value of dietary fiber.

Goodbye Gluten made a fantastic turkey, bacon, and avocado sandwich, and easily the best peanut butter & jelly sandwich I've had in three years.  Until Goodbye Gluten, the only way I liked GF PB&J was toasted.

As the initial phase of the brand launch, Goodbye Gluten is available across the Midwest:

• Giant Eagle - Virginia/Pennsylvania/Maryland/Columbus, Ohio & north
• Jewel-Osco - Indiana/Iowa/Illinois
• Cub Foods - Illinois/Minnesota/Dayton & Trotwood, Ohio
• Roundy's Supermarkets
• Kowalski's Markets
• Lunds & Byerly's - Minnesota
• Super One 
• Hornbachers - North Dakota

Hopefully they'll be available in Kroger stores in the near future!  The Cincinnati Celiac Support Group met with Kroger staff last night during our October meeting and shared our new-found love for this brand.  When it is, be sure to visit the Goodbye Gluten site for a coupon offer!

jungle jim's eastgate

Hello, Gluten Free World!

This post is overdue, but here it is!  Jungle Jim's Eastgate is a reality.  Tomorrow it will have been open three weeks, and I've been there four times now. 

Tip specifically for my readers:
Follow the beer/wine/cigar signs around the Danbarry Dollar Saver to pull around the back of the store.  There is a smaller express checkout area, and I have yet to wait more than five minutes to check out.

There is a wine bar with 25 cent tastings.  This is what was available when my mom & I visited on October 7:

At the entrance of the beer cave, the beer section includes a variety of ciders...

 ...and gluten free beer.

I refuse to ruin the experiences, so this only shows the pertinent landmarks as you navigate your way to the gluten free section.  This (often mobile) honey display is by the bakery, which is adjacent to the gluten free and natural food section.

To the right, is the first glimpse of the gluten free section: shelf-stable breads and baked goods.  I'm really pleased with the prominence the store is giving these Ohio-grown, small, gluten free businesses.

The first glimpse shown here includes items from Tina's Sweet Treats out of Franklin (on the pink shelves) and Eban Bakery of Grove City (on the top shelf).

Chef Braddock of Eban Bakery was there on October 6th, giving samples of their seeded, flax seed oat, and cinnamon raisin breads.  (The cinnamon raisin is so good, it was sold out, & I returned later in the week to get some for breakfast.)  He plans to be there on Saturdays as often as he can.

From the bread section, turn to the left, and see the start of the aisles.  Now, you still have to read the labels, but WOW.  I was thrilled.

From here, the freezer case is behind you.  Sonny Marie's (a Cincinnati-area gluten free bakery with pizza crusts available at the new Mac's location) and Moondance (a Cincinnati gluten free bakery with goods available nationwide now in Whole Foods stores)

So, this is in the international section not natural foods, but it made me happy.  On vacation in May, while on a layover in Chicago, I discovered Vosges Haut Chocolat (which I just realized is way overdue for a review).

Shown here: the variety purchased at Chicago's O'Hare Airport

Jungle Jim's has a great selection of it!  I'm not usually a chocoholic, but I am for this tastiness.
Do note, though, that not all flavors are gluten free.  Those that are that I've tried...mmm...

Have fun, explore, and let me know what you think of the new, long-awaited Jungle Jim's Eastgate!  Are there additional products I'd like to see?  Sure!  But in my opinion, this a gluten free foodie's delight.  It's an amusement park of food, and I'm hungry. 

Happy eating! :)