The Yearly Hunt

Being GF, as you all know, means school lunches are WAY off-limits. This means that I am bringing a lunch from home, every day, 180 days a year. Thank goodness for my mother who packs them for me so I can sleep a little later.

Packing lunch means bringing a lunch box, and this is where it gets tricky for me. As a high-schooler, I know that right from the get -go most I am not going to like most lunchboxes. (Dora and Thomas the Tank Engine and Tinkerbell and Unicorns just aren't quite my style). But beyond looks, the box has to meet certain criteria I have set. I prefer them to be soft-sided, so they fit in my already-stuffed book bag better, and they should be taller than they are wide. This helps keep the food intact, as it fits more easily with my books and binders. Obviously, they need to be able to keep food cold, and a washable, or, at least, wipe-able liner is key to cleaning those minor spills.

I have found that my fairly specific needs, as well as the fact that I am admittedly picky when it comes to looks, make it incredibly difficult to find a lunch box I love. I end up hunting online for days, and often settling for one that I just don't really like. This stinks.

Last year, I found what I thought was the ultimate lunchbox. The right size, shape, style, softness. It was actually a "small cooler bag", but I loved it. This one:

Unfortunately, at around halfway through the year I the lining (which is like aluminum foil, but a fabric), began to fall out. It ripped and tore and just wasn't keeping my food cold. Had the bag inexpensive, we may have just gotten another one. But it was over 40 dollars with shipping. That type of money should get me a lunchbox to last at least two years.

What do you guys think? Have you ever found a stylish and durable lunchbox you absolutely love? Please share!

CC

Are they Cupcakes? Or are they Brownies?

A few months ago, I ran across this recipe while in a waiting room somewhere, and loved it immediately.
I was planning on making them for Father's Day, as the article suggests, but I forgot (of course!), and so I created them on Independence Day.

Here are a few things I learned:

Its best to make the brownie/cupcakes the day before you plan on serving them, just don't decorate until the day of. This way, they have a chance to cool, and you won't spend a good portion of the day in the kitchen.

GREASE THE BAKING CUPS. This seems obvious, and I am sure all you experienced bakers would do this anyway, but I skipped this step because the baking cups told me I did not have to. I DID HAVE TO, as it turns out. :)

Skip the dying of the icing and sticking it in a bag and all that. I tried that, made a huge mess, and it still did not work. On the second batch, I used black piping gel (it had sparkles, an added bonus for the "grill") that we picked up at the grocery store for like 3 dollars. Way easier, because not only does it use less ingredients, it has easier clean up, and is VERY easy to put on the cupcakes.

Make a glaze of confectioners sugar and water to brush on the cupcakes before you sprinkle on the sugar crystals for "embers". Otherwise, the crystals just fall off. I believe the recipe calls for putting the "grates" on and then the "embers", but that is just silly because embers on a real grill are below the grates, and the glaze is easy to assemble, as well as being clear.

I could not find any orange sugar crystals, so I used a combination of red and yellow. It seemed to work just as well, so no problem there...

Okay I think that is it :)

I did have one problem which is that I could not find and caramel-cream candies that were GF!! So i just used the non-GF kind, had my sister stick them on, and did not eat those brownies.

The Whole Batch:

 The "Hot Dogs":

 The "Kabobs":

Summer is officially here, and has been for a few days now, which means we are back to calling up the various ice cream vendors, and chip companies, and salad dressing-makers to see what products are GF, which are not, and which products were once GF, but are not any more.
I have no problem with Customer Service people, and they are always really very nice and helpful, but I have to say, waiting on hold for up to 15 minutes just so they can go find an ingredient list is really very annoying, and I wish that the lists were just handy and right there. I mean, I cannot be the only one calling to ask what "natural flavorings" they use, right?

Are there any GF/Celiac related things you guys do at the start of every summer?

C.C.

Rice Krispies FTW!!!

I had my first bowl of GF Rice Krispies today, and they were...okay. I am pretty dissapointed, I hate to say. While MILES ahead of the other GF crispy puffed rice cereals out there, they still were not very good. The cereal got mushy pretty quickly, and it did not have much flavor. Overall, good-ish, which is a bummer. Oh well.

C.C.

The Best GF Foods on SHINE

There I was. Scrolling through Yahoo. (Did you know that Bradley Cooper speaks fluent french?) (And have you seen that video of the skiving marriage proposal?) To sum it up, I was procrastinating. I am very, very good at procrastinating. I saw this article on Yahoo's SHINE and, obviously, clicked on it.
There are a few opinions of mine I would like to share.
The best GF cereal? Corn Chex, or Honey Nut Chex. Not Rice Chex, I do not think they have enough flavor when plain, and they get mushy a lot faster in milk than other cereals.
The best GF dry pasta? Mrs. Leeper's Brown Rice Pasta or Jovial or Bionaturae, depending on what shape of noodle you want. The Quinoa pasta they feature just does not reheat very well.

I also wonder if the author, Karen Ansel, has Celiac...
Hmm....

What are your favorite GF foods? Do you agree with the article?

GF: True or False?

There is an ice cream place in my town, and out front they have a sign telling people about their GF items!

That is great, and wonderful that GF is becoming more mainstream, but THESE PRODUCTS ARE NOT GF!!! I bet some of the ice cream itself is probably GF, but the scooper's they use to scoop it? Nope. The gloves handling the icecream that just make a grilled cheese for someone? Nope. The sprinkles that all the cookie dough ice cream has been rolled in? Nope.

And that really bothers me. I feel like, unless you are certified GF, (and this place is not), you should not GF in the advertising. It just feels wrong, and what about the people you go in there to get Ice Cream thats GF, eat it, and get really really really sick?

What you do guys think?

C.C.

Rice Krispies, Take 2

Hello, all!

Rice Krispies will be launching a GF line in June,which I AM INCREDIBLY EXCITED ABOUT. I do not know if I have ever told you guys, but Rice Krispies were on of the products that bugged me most. Puffed rice cereal should be GF. So, when I saw that announcement, I was soooo happy!

I do wish that Kellogg's had just made the Original RK's GF, (like General Mill's did with corn chex), but I will take what I can get :).

Also, these GF ones will be made with brown rice. Why is that? Does anybody know? White rice is GF. It is not that I have a problem with brown rice, it just seems as if they might be able to get the most similar taste to the originals if they used white rice. Maybe it is because brown seems more "GF"? If so, that is super dumb.

At this point, it is unclear whether or not they will be certified GF, which would be my biggest issue, if they are not. I do not think I am comfortable eating a "GF" product that might not really be GF! It just seems unsafe to me.
What do you guys think?

C.C.

Potato Chips & Happy May!!

Happy May, everybody!!

Summer is right around the corner, and that means cookouts, cookouts, cookouts!! I love cookouts. The potato chips, (which I can eat almost exclusively due to limited parental supervision), the soda, (which I drink GALLONS of due to limited parental supervision), the flashlight-tag, (during which I can get more bug bites than I care to count due to limited parental supervision), the limited parental supervision. :)

But back to the potato chips. I love them. I love them. I love them (Potato chips, that is). Recently, I have gotten very good at eating them, too. The one problem is that not all of them are GF!!! So, here is what I have discovered regarding the GF-osity of some potato chips.

Utz rocks. They say GF if they are, and don't if there is any question, just as it should be.

I have had some trouble with Frito-Lay products. Sometimes they list wheat as an allergen and say things like "manufactured on equipment, blah blah blah, so obviously I don't eat those ones, but even ones without wheat listed, and none of those manufacturing disclaimers, I have still gotten contaminated, even though all ingredients are GF, and everything!! (This is why the FDA needs to get it's act together! May 4th GF labeling summit!! Anyone going?)

There are others as well, but..er...I forget what their deal is, so I will leave them out :)

Have any of you ever had and trouble with Frito-Lay? What are your potato-chip favorites?

C.C.

Stonehearth

I recently discovered a pizza place on the east coast. One the offers every single pizza and pasta on their menu in GF!!!!! I nearly peed myself, that's how excited I was when I heard this. The days of cheese pizza and plain pasta when eating out are OVER!!!! If I wanted, I could have pineapple-chicken-sausage-onion-tomato-chocolate pizza. I dont want to do that, because it sounds gross, but I COULD!!! I just think that is wonderful. So, whenever I am in Massachusetts, I will be eating at Stonehearth Pizza. And I encourage you to try it, too.


C.C.

National Pizza Day

Today, I was proud to celebrate National Pizza Day.

...Even though National Pizza Day is technically tomorrow...

I started my day with Pizza Pancakes.
Which is quite literally just one giant pancake that is a circle that you call Pizza Pancakes because if you actually made a pizza with pancakes it would be gross. :) I used Ty's pancake recipe, and though I mildy burned it, it was still good.

Lunch rolled around, and so did my Ceaser-Salad Pizza.
This one you make by brushing a pizza crust with olive oil and minced garlic and then sprinkling on some salt. This is baked in the oven until golden-brown or however you want it, and allowed to cool. Then, make up the ceaser-salad. Put the salad on top of the pizza crust. Pretty much salad with a giant crouton. YUM.

Dinner called for something special, something unique. Something like..MACARONI AND CHEESE PIZZA!!
And I know what you are thinking, probably something along the lines of EWW....but hear me out. First, make the macaroni and cheese. Then, set it aside, it is okay for it to cool down. Make the pizza the way you ordinarily would, (I might, however, forgo the pepperoni and onions, or anything other than sauce and cheese), put this in the oven until the cheese has fully melted. Take the pizza from the oven, and evenly top it with the mac&cheese. Put back in oven, and turn on the broiler. The exposed parts of the crust may turn black, but thats okay. It should be in there until the mac and cheese has browned on the top bits. Enjoy!!


For the crust, I used Udi's GF, and for the Macaroni and Cheese I used Annie's GF.

:)
C.C.

Pancakes, Pancakes, who wants pancakes?

I DO!
And I did!

Thanks to @Ty for the super amazing tip for the BC GF Bisquik!

YUMMMMM

Update!

TY's tip was to use 1 c milk and 2 eggs with a little oil per 1 c of GF Bisquick, and it works super well!

Happy November!

Wow. I cannot believe it is November already. Wowza.

We made "Kix Treats" the other day. Just the same as Rice Krispie Treats, but instead of Rice Krispies, we used Kix! They were pretty good, but maybe a bit on the sweet side. It was cool though, because (geek alert!), you could seperate them like atoms! :)

I do not understand why Rice Krispies cannot be made GF. The problem ingredient is the barley-malt flavoring, and Corn Chex used to have that too. Now, however, Corn Chex are GF. They taste the same as they used to though, so I just wish Rice Krispies would change it!!

C.C.

Halloween.

This will be my second halloween with celiac, and this one sure is looking a whole lot better than the last! Last year I was aboout 4 months into the diagnosse and not looking forward to not eating some of my favorite candies (KitKat, MilkyWay). Now, though, I am feeling better. I will be going trick or treating and you better believe I will be getting A LOT of candy. From Resees to Skittles, I will chow down on all (GF) varieties!

What is up with MilkyWay chocolate bars though? The company insists that the orignail kind contains gluten but MilkyWay Midnight does not. Any idea why that is? From what I can tell (and I have never had MilkyWay Midnight) they are virtually the same bar, but with different types of chocolate. And chocolate is supposed to be GF! Hmm...

Here are a couple different lists that I found of GF candy, but *of course* it is always good to double-check with the manufacturer directly. Happy Halloween!!

GF Candy List!

GF Candy List! (2)

BC and Me(2)

New Betty Crocker GF Bisquik!
 YAY!!

I cannot wait to try it! Have any of you guys and girls tried it? I have heard that the ratios you have to use are different from regual Bisquik. Is this true? Hm......

I cannot wait for pancakes. I am thinking of making them for snack. That feels odd, but I really love waffles, and I have not had them in over a year, so I think it would be worth it. :)

Sorry for not having a longer post! Expect one soon!

C.C.

Chips

Chips.Chips.Chips.I love Chips. And, thank goodness, most chips are GF! Cape Cod chips are GF, (at least the Five Cheese, Salt And Vinegar, Cracked Pepper, and regular varieties. I eat a lot of those. :) I have experienced some trouble (possible contamination) with Lay's though. Their customer service was also not particularly helpful. So anyone know about the gluten status of Lay's/Frito-Lay's? Thank you!

Chips. Chips. Chips. I love Chips.

C.C.

Meatballs

Meatballs. The perfect compliment to spaghetti. Good GF ones are out there, I am sure, but they have remained evasive.  We have not found pre-made GF meatballs, but have tried making some of our own using Gillian's GF Bread Crumbs. We will not try that again, if you know what I mean. The bread 'crumbs' turned out to be more like bread 'dust' and made the meatballs grainy and gross. One thing we have turned to is dinner sausage. Spaghetti and Sausage lacks the ring of Spaghetti and Meatballs, but we are not in a perfect world, and as such S&S will do. Our favorites are the Al Fresco pre-cooked ones, and I know those are GF, but am not sure about their other products.
We have a really yummy (albeit spicy) tomato sauce, but I cannot find it currently :)
So here is this one, which is also pretty good.
RECIPE

Pizza

I used to love pizza. Any and all pizza. I would eat it for lunch and dinner for multiple days in a row. But then, after I was diagnosed, I stopped liking it. It stopped being appealing to me. I am so thankful for that. Because if pizza still seemed good to me, it would really be awful when we ordered some from the local pizza joint. I would have to look at it, and smell it, and want it, and know I could never have it. Like, ever. Never. And Heaven knows I feel like that enough of the time, so to not like pizza is just about one of the most amaing things. Especially because I have had a few GF pizzas in my time, and they are...umm... let's go with not so great. Maybe it's because I don't want the pizza that it tastes bad to me, but I have had only two good GF pizza's, and both of them were from the same place. If you are ever on the West Coast, you should check out Amici's East Coast Pizzaria, crazy name I know, because they are on the West Coast, but they made delectable GF pizza and I didn't get a stomachache, which means THEY WERE ACTUALLY GF!! WOO!

C.C

Frrrrozen

I love frozen GF foods. They are so helpful! For instance, if I am going over to a friends house, or to a party, I can just grab food out of the freezer and take it with me. Then, I can let it thaw out or store it in my friends freezer until meal time! It is soooo much easier(for me and my mom) than having to make something extra for me. My siblings are not so fond of the frozen items however. Because I can just grab a cupcake for a party (now that we found frozen GF cupcakes), we do not make an entire cake for me to bring! That was how we used to do it, which invariably left my siblings with some cake!
Another great thing about frozen food is how you can find them anywhere! We were vacationing this summer in a different part of the U.S. and to cut costs would eat in our hotel room every night. This was great for the rest of my family (all non-celiac) because they could just cook some pasta in a cheap little pot we bought, but it would have been such a hassle to make two different pastas in two different pots using two different strainers and two different spoons in the TINY little kitchen in our suite that we would just go out to any old supermarket, head straight to the frozen isle and pick up some dinner for yours truly! There was such variety too! One night I had Fettuccine Alfredo, the next, a burrito, and, on subsequent nights, I had everything from chicken to chili! It was great, and super fun to "order"/pick what I would have the night. It was kind of like a restaurant that was entirely GF!!

C.C.

BC And Me

I have found a new love. Betty Crocker. And her GLUTEN FREE LINE OF MIXES! I make the cookies at least twice a month, and the chocolate cake is a go-to for birthdays. The brownies are fudgy or crisp, depending on your taste. They rock.
I do have to say one thing, which is that the yellow cake leaves a little to be desired. It is dry and lacks the flavor of the other mixes, but I figure with enough buttercream frosting anything is delish! The same went for the chocolate cake, until we figured out how to make it amazing. And the simple way to "make it amazing" is to combine one box brownie mix with one box chocolate cake mix. Add all the ingredients, in all the amounts noted on the back of the boxes, but mix them all together. Then bake! Sure, you end up with a little more cake, but is that such a bad thing? I mean, I personally believe that extra cake is not a bad thing!

What's your take on Betty Crocker's GF mixes? Love 'em? Hate 'em?

C.C.