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Sunday, December 26, 2010

We're having a party!

We're having a party on New Year's Eve at our *tiny* apartment. I'm taking inspiration from one of my favorite designers/ bloggers Princess Lasertron. She recently threw a popcorn party, a really simple thing that you can make grown up and gluten free. Popcorn a super duper whole grain (and naturally gluten free) we are also having pistachios and cookies and gluten free pretzels, I making some soft and buying some hard. plus all the toppings for popcorn. I use the recipe from 1000 Gluten Free Recipes for the soft pretzels.
What are you doing for New Years Eve?

Friday, December 24, 2010

A Little Homesick

I a little homesick right now so that's what brought on tonight's dinner. Eric and I weren't able to make it to St. Louis for Christmas and I was feeling a little down about it. My solution was to make a casserole that my mom made a lot when I was growing up and then really never when I was home after finding out about my celiac. I took me a while to figure out how to convert it to being gf and isn't as cheap as it is when it is all gluteny. It is still pretty budget friendly especially if you make your own cream of mushroom soup.

Wasetti
1 lb hamburger (2 lbs if omitting sausage)
1 lb of pork sausage (I used Italian)
1 bell pepper any color chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 clove of garlic chopped
1 can tomato sauce
1 small (teeny tiny) can of tomato paste
1 cup cream of mushroom soup or 1 can (I'm sneaky and will thaw a bit and pour it into a can to measure)
1/2 bag of Heartland's fusli noodles or more just till it looks like enough
cheddar cheese shredded
salt, pepper, and chili powder to taste
Preheat oven to 350 F. Brown the hamburger, sausage, peppers, onions, and garlic together, drain. Meanwhile cook the pasta. Combine in casserole dish or dutch oven. Pour soup, tomato sauce and paste  over and mix together. Cover with cheese and bake at 350 until cheese is gold and bubbly.

Eric liked it, and so did I. I put hot sauce on mine and he put taco sauce on his. Apparently even with a measurement that says to taste I still am off a bit. I made a salad to go with it, not what my mom normally makes but it was still good.
Oh before you ask I have tried nearly every gf cream of mushroom soup recipe out there and all are good. Now you could be super lazy or really rushed and used the canned stuff (make sure it's gf!) but it won't be as cheap.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Mint Cookies

I told Eric a couple of weeks ago that he needed to tell me what Christmas cookies he wanted. He wanted to be difficult he said he wanted peppermint sugar cookies shaped like snowflakes with blue and white snowflakes. Well I did my best and all I could find was a basic sugar cookie recipe that I added crushed up candy canes. Then not two days ago a friend emailed me a mint cookie recipe that is gluten free without even trying! I made them yesterday.
1/4 cup light corn syrup (I used Karo white syrup)
1 tsp gluten free peppermint extract
1/4 cup butter softened
4 3/4 cups powdered sugar (one pound box)
food coloring (optional)
Mix the syrup, butter, and peppermint together in a bowl. Slowly add the sugar till it's mixed well and then add food coloring if you want to till you get the color you want.
Roll into balls and place onto wax paper and flatten out. Refrigerate for a few hours and then let stand at room temperature for several days. Then keep in an airtight container in the fridge.

I made these yesterday. The taste is amazing however I can't get them to set up. They are really doughy. I think I may put them back in the fridge to see if that helps.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Awesomesauce Sesame Street!

Yes I did type awesomesauce. :)
Hey there! I have really exciting news for families with little kids that are eating on a budget! Sesame street has started a program to encourage healthy eating. They are introducing some new Muppets, and they are introducing a kit to go with this endeavor. Also it encourages families to try new healthy foods. So if you have that *SUPER* picky preschooler this sounds perfect.
 Find out More!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Chex Mix and Chicken Soup

I have the most horrible cold right now. I  think I getting over it though because I am starving and I haven't been this entire time I've been sick.
So today I made two things Cranberry nut Chex Mix (yummy)
And Chicken Soup (don't know yet it's still in the crock cooking)
the Chex Mix is here
and the soup is here
Thanksgiving is at my parents, we've been told not to bring anything except ourselves and the kitten.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Pie Crust

I love to make pie, and it just so happens that my husband loves pie and can't tell any difference between gluten free pie and regular pie. So this time of year I indulge this love of pie and make his favorites. I make pumpkin (on sale at ALDI'S) and pecan (little more than I like to spend but I only make it twice a year once for the holidays and then again for Eric's birthday).
A good gluten free pie crust  makes all the difference in the taste of your pie. I stumbled upon this while experimenting with gf dough, and it makes a perfect crust.
1 1/2 cups of Pamela's Baking Mix
1/4 cup shortening (maybe more till you get the consistency you want)
5 tablespoons water (once again maybe more I took the advice of America's test kitchen and added vodka something to do with getting moist without getting soggy)
Mix all of these together in a pie pan. Adding ingredients slowly until you get the consistency you want. There is no need to prebake unless you really want to. If you are making a fruit pie you may want to sprinkle the top with sugar or vanilla sugar (great on blackberry pie).
If  you have any tips leave them in the comments section!

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Do you live in the Columbia, MO area?!

If so the Hy Vee on Conley has some awesome gluten free events coming up. There is a Holiday Dinner Nov 16 that is completely gluten free. Also there is a gluten free cookie exchange on December 14 that costs $5/ person.  Both sound awesome and I really want to get off work to go to both of them. Conley Hy Vee has more info, also look into getting that particular Hy Vee newsletter they do a lot of gf events and have gf recpies in the newsletter.
Hope to see you there!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Loaded Mashed Potatoes

So I felt bad for not posting a recipe yesterday. I'll post one now. It had never occurred to me that there were people that didn't know how to make loaded mashed potatoes. Well here you go.
Loaded Mashed Potatoes
6 potatoes
cooked bacon (I think I used 6 slices)
green onion chopped (I used 3)
about 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
a sprinkle of garlic
pepper
milk
butter
Cook the potatoes and mash them along with a little milk and a tiny amount of butter. Then mix everything else in. Then make your husband think it took forever (okay not really but he was napping).

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

No recipe, this time

Today I made rice in the microwave. It was a bad idea, I think I cooked it too long. Then the kitten tried to eat it.
Eric requested the dinner tonight. It's meatloaf, loaded mashed potatoes, and corn. I feel like I should do a veggie instead of a grain but that's what he wanted.
We only had two trick-or treaters. Tons of candy left over. I have to figure out what I'm going to do with it all. I've been blog stalking again. There's a lot of stuff out there I want to make, most of it is Thai and has coconut in it so Eric won't eat it.
I got a message in my facebook inbox from a reader, Kiki. She said she takes gf vitamin powder. This is interesting to me because my vitamins are the prenatal ones that are gf, so I get the iron I need, but I hate paying for them. Why are they so expensive? I really wish Flintstone vitamins were gf.
What gf tips do you guys have?

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

What I'm making for Halloween

Halloween is my favorite holiday. So much so that I think I have convinced Eric that having a kid with a Halloween birthday would be fantastic. I also got engaged the day after Halloween. Yeah I'm a nerd.
Anyway I've been nosing around the Betty Crocker website and found two things that I am making for Halloween and mine and Eric's movie marathon.
Taco Fiesta Chicken Lasagna

2(14 1/2-oz.) cans diced tomatoes with zesty mild green chiles, undrained
1/4cup taco sauce
3cups cubed cooked chicken
1(16-oz.) can Old El Paso® Refried Beans
1/2cup sour cream
12uncooked lasagna noodles (I use Tinkyada)
12oz. (3 cups) shredded colby-Monterey Jack cheese
1/2cup chopped green onions
1/4cup sliced ripe olives, if desired (Not using since Eric doesn't like them I will probably use mushrooms)
2tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (I am using dried so I'm cutting down the measurement)


  1. Spray 15x12-inch sheet of foil and 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In large bowl, combine tomatoes and taco sauce; mix well. Stir in chicken. In medium bowl, combine refried beans and sour cream; mix well.
  2. Spread about 1 cup chicken mixture in bottom of sprayed baking dish. Top with 4 uncooked noodles, breaking to fit if necessary. Spread with half of bean mixture and 1 1/2 cups chicken mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese, half of the onions and half of the olives.
  3. Layer 4 more noodles, remaining bean mixture, 1 1/2 cups chicken mixture and 1 cup cheese. Top with remaining 4 noodles, chicken mixture, onions, olives and cheese. (Be sure top noodles are covered.) Cover with foil, sprayed side down. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
  4. Heat oven to 350°F. Bake covered lasagna for 50 minutes. Uncover baking dish; bake an additional 18 to 22 minutes or until bubbly and thoroughly heated. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with cilantro. If desired, garnish each serving with dollop of sour cream, chopped tomato and shredded lettuce.

Orange Cream Cheese Brownies


1box (1 lb 1 oz) Betty Crocker® Gluten Free Brownie Mix
1package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
2cups powdered sugar
1tablespoon frozen (thawed) orange juice concentrate
Yellow food color
Red food color
1/3cup semisweet chocolate chips
2teaspoons shortening

  1. Heat oven to 350ºF (325ºF for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 8-inch or 9-inch square pan with cooking spray or shortening. (For easier cutting, line pan with foil, then grease foil on bottom only of pan.) Make brownies as directed on box. Cool completely.
  2. Stir cream cheese, powdered sugar, orange juice, 2 drops yellow food color and 1 drop red food color until smooth and spreadable; spread over brownies.
  3. Place chocolate chips and shortening in small microwavable bowl. Microwave uncovered on Medium (50%) about 2 minutes or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Drizzle over brownies. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until cream cheese and chocolate are set.
  4. For 24 brownies, cut into 4 rows by 6 rows. Cover and refrigerate any remaining brownies.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Honey Lemon Pork Chops

Eric is sick right now. I think he has the flu, he says it's just a sinus infection. It doesn't really matter he is sick. So when I made dinner tonight I made something I had been wanting to try and didn't care if he ate it or not. He did and then ate the rest of the lasagna I made last week. I think he's getting better.
Honey Lemon Pork Chops
1 tsp Marjoram
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp Rosemary
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Paprika
A pinch of Cornstarch
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp honey
5 pork chops

Mix the first 8 ingredients together, then add the honey. Heat it a little bit and it will spread better on the pork chops. Set the oven to broil. Brush the pork chops with the honey mixture on both sides, then add the juice on top of the chops (I just squeezed the lemon over the chop in the pan). Place under the broiler, it should only take 8 to 10 min to be done. Serve with veggies, potatoes, or wild rice.

I like the sweet and tangy mixed with the herbs. I don't know Eric's opinion since he is sick and ate and went to bed and then ate some more. I have left overs for tomorrow night at work.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Nothing to do about food but a link to a giveaway!

Mom to 16 is doing a giveaway. It's CSN and their stuff is adorable, cute, amazing, and many other things. If you win you get $60 to spend at CSN. Here's  the link because there is nothing like free stuff to help the budget!
http://ourhaitianjourney.blogspot.com/2010/10/giveaway-time.html

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Preparing for Halloween and trying to figure out what to make tonight

Here is the link from the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness for gluten free candy: http://www.celiaccentral.org/SiteData/docs/2010%20Glute/7fe94d7929e448a0/2010%20Gluten-Free%20Candy%20List.pdf
Lots of stuff that I didn't know celiacs could have. I am now armed and ready for my first year of trick-or-treaters coming to my house.
Eric and I plan on staying home on Halloween. Maybe having a small party the night before. I just want to chill that night especially since it's a Sunday and there's work the next day.
I didn't plan anything for tonight. So I'm trying to figure that out, it may be something I throw together from the pantry and freezer.
I'll post it later on.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Chili

I made Chili, it was awesome. It also cost $6 to make and it made a ton.
Ingredients:
2 cans light kidney beans
1 can tomato sauce
1 can Mexican stewed tomatoes
1 can chili ready tomatoes
1 small sweet onion chopped
1 small bell pepper chopped
1 lb hamburger
garlic, salt, pepper, sugar, paprika, cayenne pepper, chili powder to taste
Brown the hamburger and cook the onion and bell pepper, drain. Then throw it all together in a big pot or the crockpot. Then let it cook for a really long time, the longer it cooks the better it is.

Eric really liked it. We like our chili to have bit of heat to it. I made this on Thursday, and he finished it off this weekend while I was out of town. I served it with some gf bisquick biscuit bowls. It ups the cost a bit but I was really missing biscuits so I indulged.

My first restaurant review

And it's a bad one
Where: The Rome Columbia, MO
When: Saturday October 2 around 7 pm
Amount spent: $25.00 plus tip
We had seen advertisements on television that The Rome had a gluten free menu. They need to be more specific they have 2 types of gf pasta. You can't get any meat unless you want chicken. It took over an hour to get our food, they brought bread to our table even though we requested that they not. I couldn't get red sauce on anything. So I settled for the Angel Hair Aglio Olio with the gf spaghetti noodles. Eric got the spaghetti with sausage. The pasta both gf and other wise were over cooked. I don't understand why it took so long to get food since it wasn't crowed at all. And honestly we could have made better at home. We won't go again, it's not worth it.
Lesson learned: Don't go some place just because they advertise being gf on TV you will just be disappointed.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

I should have known about my celiac sooner

Really they should have diagnosed me sooner. As a baby they said I was lactose intolerant so they put me on a soy formula. It contained gluten, I still got sick. My mom switched me to goat's milk which I stayed on until I was well into grade school. Seriously I was they only kid for a long time at my tiny Catholic school that couldn't have milk. I was still having stomach problems but wouldn't complain because I hated the doctor and only said something when I didn't want to go to school. Then my grandma (I think it was her) forgot and gave me milk and ice cream. It totally didn't bother me at all. They decided I grew out of it.
I continued with having stomach issues but at this point it was normal for me and I thought everyone did.
My junior year of high school I was diagnosed with PCOS, poly-cystic ovary syndrome, and told that was the reason for the pain.
The pain continued. Fast forward to fall 2008, I started to notice some other symptoms weren't as normal as I thought. Thanks to having premed/ med friends and webmd.  I went to my doctor and demanded all kinds of testing. I wanted my thyroid tested, screened for diabetes, a celiac test, and a few others. He took all those tests and then put my on an elimination diet and had me call every time I eliminated something else. The second week was gluten. I didn't know what gluten was. I searched it out. I eliminated it and felt tons better. Got the test results back I had the celiac gene.
Something should have been done way back in 1984, when I had the formula issues.
I'm still a bit angry about it, but  it can't be changed now. Now I know what it is and how to fix it.
Here is a company that really helped me first get on the gluten free track:
http://udisglutenfree.com/

Thursday, September 23, 2010

NOODLES!!!!

Okay I haven't written in a while but I have come back with exciting news. I found gluten free noodles that don't suck! Also at Walmart for $2!
Heartland Gluten Free Noodles. They are a corn and rice blend and taste exactly like I remember gluten noodles tasting. Added bonus they didn't clump up and turn to mush like gluten free noodles normally do for me.
I used them to make my mother in law's recipe for Beef Stroganoff. It made the DH very happy. So now I will share it with you.
1 Beef Sirloin steak, cut into 1/2 inch strips
2 Tbs oil
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic
1 medium onion, chopped (DH finds this to be a bit much so I use a small onion)
1 large or 2 small bay leaves
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp pepper
Dash of allspice or cloves
1 cup sour cream
Noodles (I used fusli) egg noodles or Kluski
Brown meat with oil turning often until juices evaporate and meat is browned. Add the next nine ingredients along with 1- 1/2 cups hot water. Cover; simmer on low for 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking. Do not allow all of the liquid to evaporate; add a little more water if needed. Remove bay leaves and garlic. Stir some of the hot juices into the sour cream, then add sour cream mixture to pot and blend. Serve over cooked noodles.

Friday, August 27, 2010

It's been a while

Sorry, I just haven't made anything really worth bragging about and I have been working nights a lot so it means Eric is on his own for dinner.
We've been doing really simple things:
Fajitas
Grilled Pork Chops
Stuff like that. Although Eric wanted stuffing one night that I was off so this is what I did:
1 Loaf of Annie's Herbed Bread Mix (it's gf and super heavy)
20 Pecan Nut Thins crushed
Italian Sausage browned (I think like a pound)
3 eggs
2 cups celery
2 cups onion diced
mushrooms (about a cup)
2 cups cooked rice

salt
pepper
rosemary
parsley
Bake at 400 degrees until done, it gets kinda stiff and more brown when it's done.
Results:
Tastes good, but really heavy. Would be awesome for Thanksgiving, and since I'm in charge in all bread and baked goods for Thanksgivayule, I'll be making this and a few other things.

Monday, August 16, 2010

I made this a while back and didn't post it, and since I work tonight I thought I'd post it now.
All American Meatloaf
adapted from the Southern Living Cookbook
2 lbs. ground beef, or other ground meat
3/4 cup uncooked gf oats, or corn chex
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs, sightly beaten, this can also be done while mixing
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper, I used 1 tsp but we like pepper
1/2 cup ketchup
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp mustard
Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl and shape into a loaf or 2. Bake at 350 for 40 mins. Combine last 3 ingredients and spoon over meatloaf. Bake 15 min. more.
Guess what?!
No leftovers! I made this for some friends and my husband one night before anime night. This along with some mashed potatoes and corn (Cyrus made those) and some chocolate chip cookies (gf made by Cyrus's dad).
There was nothing left at all.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Definition of Celiac Disease

I occurs to me that I should have made this an earlier post but as the Today Show just did a segment on being GF and I was very disappointed. It started out saying being gf is a fad, having Celiac is not a fad! Fad Dieters leave this site NOW! A GF diet is extremely hard to stick to and if you don't have to then don't do it. You will not lose weight being on the diet, most Celiac suffers gain weight when they go GF.
 I am posting this info from the CSA/ USA site.



What is Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease (CD) is a genetically linked disease with an enviornmental trigger. In people with CD, eating certain types of protein fractions, commonly called gluten, set off an autoimmune response that causes damage to the small intestine. This, in turn, causes the small intestine to lose the ability to absorb the nutrients found in food, leading to malnutrition and a variety of other complications. 

The offending protein, gluten, is found in wheat, barley, rye, and to a lesser extent, oats (WBRO). Related proteins are found in triticale, spelt, kamut. Refer to grains and flours Glossary for a more extensive list of both safe and offending grains.


Celiac Disease is:

an inherited disease. Celiac disease effects those with a genetic predisposition. 
linked to genetically transmitted histocompatibility cell antigens (HLA DR3-DQ2, DR5/7 DQ2, and DR4-DQ8). Other genetic links are being discovered. 
COMMON. Approximately 1 in 133 people have CD, however, only about 3% of these have been diagnosed. This number is based upon a milestone multi-center study of blood samples collected from 13,145 people from February 1996 to May of 2001. This means that there were over 2.1 million undiagnosed people with celiac disease in the United States in 2001. 
characterized by (IgA mediated) damage to the mucosal lining of the small intestine which is known as villous atrophy. 
responsible for the malabsorption of nutrients resulting in malnutrition. 
linked to skin blisters known as dermatitis herpetiformis (DH). 
not age-dependent. It may become active at any age. 

Celiac Disease is NOT:

simply a food allergy (IgA). 
an idiosyncratic reaction to food proteins (mediated by IgE). 
typified by a rapid histamine-type reaction (such as bronchospasm, urticaria, etc.). 

The Damaging Proteins 

The term "gluten" is, in a sense, a generic term for the storage proteins that are found in grains. In reality, each type of protein - gliadin in wheat, secalin in rye, hordein in barley, avenin in oats, zein in corn and oryzenin in rice - is slightly different from the others. The "gluten" in wheat, rye, barley, and in a much lower amount, oats, contains particular amino acid sequences that are harmful to persons with celiac disease. The damaging proteins are particularly rich in proline and glutamine (especially the amino acid sequences which are in the following orders: Pro-Ser-Gln-Gln and Gln-Gln-Gln-Pro). As peptides, some such as 33-MER, cannot be broken down any further. In people with celiac disease, 33-MER stimulates T-cells to produce antibodies. The antibodies, in turn, attack the villi in the small intestine, reducing their ability to absorb nutrients. It is important to note that these sequences are NOT found in the proteins of corn and rice.

The Nature of the Injury 

The damage to the small intestine (the jejunum) caused by this disease is very slow to develop and is insidious. It is:

almost certainly mediated by the immune system. 
associated with ANTIBODIES to gliadin, reticulin and/or endomysial (smooth muscle) proteins. 
probably not directly caused by the antibodies, though they may be signals for cell-mediated immunity. 
probably produced by the cellular immune system (T cells) - but only when gluten-type prolamins are present. 
reversible, in most cases, to completely normal bowel function, if the injurious protein is excluded from the diet. 

How Does One "Catch" Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease cannot be "caught," but rather the potential for CD may be in the body from birth. Its onset is not confined to a particular age range or gender, although more women are diagnosed than men. It is not known exactly what activates the disease, however three things are required for a person to develop CD:

A genetic disposition: being born with the necessary genes. The Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) genes specifically linked to celiac disease are DR3, DQ2 and DQ8. 
A trigger: some environmental, emotional or physical event in one’s life. While triggering factors are not fully understood, possibilities include, but are not limited to adding solids to a baby’s diet, going through puberty, enduring a surgery or pregnancy, experiencing a stressful situation, catching a virus, increasing WBRO products in the diet, or developing a bacterial infection to which the immune system responds inappropriately. 
A diet: containing WBRO, or any of their derivatives. 


Summary 

Celiac disease is life-long and currently incurable. The only known treatment at this time is strict adherence to a gluten-free lifestyle, free of WBRO. Oats are not a risk free choice for those with celiac disease and not reccommended during the first year. There is no way to determine in advance whether or not a person will be able to tolerate uncontaminated oats. 

Selected Bibliography

Trier, JS, Celiac Sprue, New England Journal of Medicine, 325:1709-1719, 1991.
Marsh, MN, Gluten, Major Histocompatibility Complex and the Small Intestine, Gastroenterology, 102:330-354, 1992.
Marsh, MN, ed Celiac Disease Methods and Protocols, 2000.
Maki, M and Collin, P, Coeliac Disease, Lancet 349:1755-1759, 1997.
Sturgess, RP et al, Cereal Chemistry, Molecular Biology and Toxicity in Coeliac Disease, Gut 32:1055-1060, 1991.
Sturgess, RP et al, Wheat Peptide Challenge in Coeliac Disease, Lancet, 343:759-761, 1994. 

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Celiac Disease 

In which I sing the praises of my favorite gf bread.

I love when I run into people at the grocery store that are new to being gluten free, because it means I get to brag about my favorite products, tell them which one are gross, talk about how sneaky gluten can be, and inform them about the awesome stuff that it naturally gluten free!
Today I ran into a little old lady that looked so confused standing in front of the gluten free bread. She had picked up a loaf of Udi's Gluten Free and was just turning it over in her hands trying to figure out if it was worth it. I told her it totally was! Udi's is the best, it is my favorite gf bread! Seriously if they ever start making huge loafs, I am so buying. I'm also hooked on their bagels. Their muffins are amazing! Pretty much anything I pick up at the store made by Udi I know will be amazing and well worth my money. Also it isn't terribly expensive for gf bread, in fact it my even be cheaper than making your own.
I follow them on Twitter and you should too! udisglutenfree 
Also if you want to follow me I am bpotthast on Twitter!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Tomato Basil Chicken

So right now in the crockpot I have some chicken, fresh tomatoes, and fresh basil. How am I doing this on a budget?
Home grown tomatoes, and homegrown basil, and the chicken was on sale a while back $5 for 10 pounds!
I threw it all in the crockpot with a little salt pepper and garlic. The chicken was frozen solid and it looks to be cooking nicely.
I hope it tastes as good as it looks.
---Verdict----
Bland, Eric put Tiger Sauce on it. I was at work when I got to have mine so I drowned it in pepper and ketchup.
I know what to do different;y next time or at least I think I do, there will be a take two some time soon.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

I've been reading this:
http://www.prudentadviceformybabydaughter.com/
Which has nothing to do with being gf but is a good read none the less.
So my experimental dinner was a beef roast, where I used a marinade as a dry rub. I used a citrus marinade I think it would have been better if I used a peppercorn rub instead. It still tasted good and was really moist since I used the crockpot and put a little bit of water in it.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Sometimes....

Life happens and a really good friend comes to town. You go out to dinner and end up not making what you planned but since it goes in the slow cooker it will be there for Eric tomorrow while I'm at work.
Dee and I went to Hu Hot. Totally can be done gf just let the people at the grill know, and watch what sauces you use and you can have a totally awesome gf night out.
Eric is sick, and it's like a bazillion degrees outside so I'm looking for easy stuff to make without making the house hot. Leave suggestions please!

Pad Thai

Last night I made Pad Thai, a ton of Pad Thai. I should have taken a picture.
Pad Thai is one of those incredibly easy gluten free dishes, especially when you make it the way I do. Thai Kitchen makes a Pad Thai kit, it isn't the best out there but everyone like their's different so just set out a ton of condiments like they do at Thai restaurants. I followed the instructions on the box but used canned bean sprouts and bamboo shoots also I used both chicken and shrimp. Served it with carrots and spice cake cupcakes. There's still some left but not much.
 I made Eric taste it before anyone ate it, he liked it I thought it was bland. Everyone ate it, no one said it was bland but once again ton of condiments.
Tonight's dinner is an experiment, we will see how it goes. If all else fails we will go to Jimmy Johns.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

New Blog!

I left Hub Pages. Too many problems over there, so if you followed me here, hurray! If you just found me Huzzah!
I'm a newlywed living on a tight budget in mid-Missouri. I was diagnosed with celiac disease about a year and a half ago so now I am gluten free. This blog will be about life, food, and fun stuff that I find. 
Being gluten free is not a fad and if your are here because you are following a fad leave now. Being gluten free is too difficult to do so because it's fashionable. Also expensive! But if you are here to support friends or family or are gluten free because of celiac or any other issue (wheat allergy, autism, or the number of other medical reasons) awesome, thanks for stopping by! Let me know if there is something you would like to share!
Tis late here in the Midwest and I should be heading to bed.