Joe Corbi's Fundraiser Cookies

I teach high school, and my husband is a kids pastor. As a result, I frequently have teens coming to me with Joe Corbi's fundraiser fliers.  Until recently, I've always had to say no, but this year, Joe Corbi has started offering gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.

I don't eat a lot of sweets anymore, but I finally broke down and - thanks to a friend's gift - I tried them today. 

Photo from JoeCorbi.com

The dough had to thaw overnight before I could scoop it from the tub, but it scooped easily and smoothly.  I have always made my own cookies, so making these from a mix was a little odd for me.  They did taste a bit processed, but no more than a tube of Nestle mix does.  Overall, I would say these were yummy cookies, and I would be willing to get them again sometime.

Next time you see the fundraisers go buy, I hope you give them a try, too!

Yum, Yum Pumpernickel, Pumpernickel Bread

Tonight when I was browsing the gluten-free freezer section at Bloom (my new #1 carrier of gf food), I found something I thought I could never have again.  Pumpernickel Bread!!! 

I absolutely LOVE pumpernickel bread, so I have to admit that while I practically did (yet another) happy dance in the Bloom aisle celebrating a good find, I was equally a little hesitant to try said good find.  What if it was really bad and killed all my happy memories of pumpernickel bread?!?  (Although, it could kill this one, and I wouldn't miss it a bit.)

But, hey!  Good news, everybody! 

It was great!  It was a little bubblier inside than I would have preferred, but the taste and texture were so good that I nearly opened the bag again and ate a few more.

If you go to the Against the Grain Gourmet website, they have a store locator you can use to see if their products are available in your area.  AGG currently does not ship directly to customers, but it is available in about 2/3 of the states. Go and find some.  It's very tasty.

Chili's

Sometimes it's nice to be surprised.

When I walked into Chili's for lunch one day, it was just on a whim. I figured that - worst case scenario - I would order a salad and call it yummy. I asked for a gluten free menu, just in case. They actually had one - sorta. They had a big bundle of laminated sheets with all the different allergies listed on them, and the hostess flipped to the wheat/gluten page and handed it to me.

The most exciting section for me was the soup section. They have 3 soups listed, and I tried the chicken and green chile soup. It was fantastic! I also had the Monterey Chicken, which was very good.

I went back later with some other friends and had potato soup and a steak... they were both pretty bad. The soup was runny, and the steak tasted cheap, like a buffet steak.

I think that it's a great place to go if you're smart about what you order. I highly recommend that green chile soup, though. It was really really great.

Happy eating!

Pork Chops with Apple-Raisin Sauce

It's been a while since I last Joined Linda over at The Gluten Free Homemaker for one of her "What can I eat that's gluten-free?" recipe days.  I guess it's only appropriate that I post a recipe I've been working on for a while.  I think it's pretty established now that I've made it a few times.  This is one of those recipes that I just pieced together from knowing what flavors I like to combine.  It's not from a book.

And, because I tend to cook like a grandma, the measurements are not exact (heck - they barely exist).  But that's the fun of it for me!  Finding the tastes and combinations I enjoy.


Ingredients:
Olive oil
Boneless pork chops.  (I like the ones with the dark meat on them - they're more tender)
Crushed garlic - several cloves (to taste)
Chopped small onion
2 cups chicken broth
Diced sweet apples (about 1 small apple per chop)
1 generous handful of raisins
Salt/Pepper to taste
Cold water and corn starch (for thickening)

Preparation:
Step 1:  Heat the olive oil in large skillet.  Quickly brown/sear chops on both sides.  Remove chops. 
Step 2: Reduce heat to med-high. Add garlic and onion, stir to prevent burning and cook until onions are clear.  Return chops and any accumulated liquid to the pan, scooping the onion/garlic mixture on top of the chops. Add salt and pepper.
Step 3: Add chicken broth, then apples and raisins. (See below) Cover, reduce heat to medium (or med-low if your stove cooks hot).  Simmer until apples are soft and chops are cooked through.  Time will vary based on thickness of your chops. Meanwhile, mix cold water and corn starch.  Set aside.

Step 4: Once cooked, remove chops and spoon some apples and raisins over each chop.  Reserve some of the fruit for the sauce.  Return heat to high and bring liquid to a boil.
Step 5: Using a hand blender, blend the fruits, onion, and garlic into the liquid.  Add starch mixture to thicken slightly until a light sauce forms.  (If you don't have a hand blender to use in your pan, you can simply whisk the starch in, but blending ingredients together makes for a much richer, more flavorful sauce.)  Cook for a few moments to aid in thickening.  Pour/spoon over the fruit and chops.

Add sides of your choice.  I served them with green beans and garlic mashed potatoes.

My favorite bread

The Gluten Free Pantry French Bread is my all-time favorite (so far)!  

It is super-versatile, easy to mix, and consistent.  I tried a bunch of different breads when I was first diagnosed, and this one has stayed my favorite.  It tastes good, and I can pretty much make whatever I want to from it.

I have made dinner rolls, large loaves of bread, pizza crusts, and little loaves from this mix.

Most commonly, I make 2 small loaves from the mix.  Ironically, I have never made a baguette from this mix.  (because I don't have a baguette pan.)

Back when I used to bake anything and everything, all the time, I bought small loaf pans for making banana bread and zucchini bread (because that's what Grandma used, of course). 

These are the pans I use now for making this mix.  The one on the left is a regular sized bread pan.  The mix can make one of those if you want larger, sandwich sized bread.

I like the small loaves because I can slice one, wrap it tightly and freeze it.

 

 

Then I can eat the other.  I am the only person in the house who eats gluten free, so I don't usually make it through the whole loaf without freezing some. 

If you're looking for a good tasting bread with a nice texture that is good plain, toasted, or grilled or served as french toast, garlic bread, or straight from the oven, pick this one.  I love it.

What's your favorite?

Triumph Dining has arrived!

If you were looking for the Triumph Dining banner from the original site, have no fear, I have transferred it over for you.  Ta-da!


I love Triumph Dining.  I agreed to be an affiliate for them because...

1. They are a local company.  Their mailing address is  just up the road in Falls Church, VA.
2. They have an excellent blog with all kinds of great product release info and links to products like grocery shopping guides and dining cards to help explain to servers and cooks what we need for healthy service.
3. They have a great newsletter.  I do love reading through it and clicking on the links that interest me.

If you are new to this whole gluten-free thing or just looking for some fresh ideas or the latest news, check out Triumph Dining!  (Hint:  There's a link in the side listing that will take you directly to their blog.)

Recipe round-ups

A new addition:  in the sidebar, you'll see buttons linking you to several weekly recipe round-ups.

I contribute recipes now and again to these, but I have also found them to be a great source of inspiration and of practical recipes.  Often, I have been stumped by cookbooks which call for flours I cannot buy at any of my local or near-local stores, and I appreciate having access to meals which are usually much easier to collect ingredients for.

If you're looking for some good recipes, check these out!  Linda, host of What Can I Eat that's Gluten Free (on Wednesdays), and Amy, host of Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, have a really great thing going.

Welcome!

Welcome to the very first posting on my new blog!  Are you my first follower?  Leave me a comment and let me know:  I have some gluten free goodness for you!

(Wait, wait!  There are already 44 other posts!)

Yes, yes, I know.  Those posts are imported from my original blog:  Here's What Let's Do.  If you want to know a little more about me, feel free to wander over there, but all the good gluten-free stuff is going to be here.

What can you expect from this site?

• Recipes. Mostly of my own, but if I run across a good one from elsewhere, I'll share that with you too!  If there's interest, I may start a recipe round-up, but let's not get ahead of ourselves now, okay?
  
• Cook book reviews.  I adore cook books!  I've purchased many gf cookbooks in the year and a half since my diagnosis, and occasionally I get another as a gift or as an advanced copy.  There are a few reviews on here already, too.  Check the links in the side bar or search for them at the top of the page.
• Product Reviews.  I write these from time to time for Gluten Free in Baltimore, and I plan to continue that here with reviews of national products and products local to central Virginia.  Some of these will be products offered to me by manufacturers for review, but primarily they will be things I just decided to try for myself.
  
• Honesty. Yup.
• Support.  It's been a rough year and a half, as some of my older posts will attest to.  I feel your pain, new gluten-free diner.  Many of us remember the transition.  It was hard.  It gets easier.  We'll help you through it.  Feel free to ask questions, and I'll provide as much info and guidance as I can.
• Links.  On the sidebar, there will is a list of other gf blogs that I read, support, or write for.

What you will not see on this site:

• Medical advice.  I'm a teacher, folks, not a health professional.
• Advertising for companies I would not use myself.
• Recommendations for products I don't like or won't use.
• Mutant zombies.  (Check my personal blog for those - haha)

I hope you enjoy this site.  I welcome your conversation and feedback.  If you're new to the site, take some time to check out some of my older posts.  There's some great recipes out there, and some yummy products, and even my own personal diagnosis story.

Do you have a gf blog?  Let me know!  I'm always looking for new people to link up with.

See you around the web!