Live Free, Gluten Free

Maybe it's the fact that Paula and I are close in age, or maybe it's that our blogs have similar titles, but I really love this new blog I found!

I went looking again for GF blogs with good recipes that I (1) am interested in and (2) can cook from, and one of the ones I found was Live Free, Gluten Free by Paula.

Like many GF bloggers, she posts a weekly menu with easy links to recipes she's posted before. She posts regularly - not like spastic little me - and the recipes she puts up are super easy to understand and follow. There's a lot of variety in the foods she cooks, so the recipes are interesting. She has younger kids, so there are plenty of kid-friendly recipes as well (like the McDonald's style nuggets and fries).

If you're looking for a new blogger to follow, check out Paula's Live Free, Gluten Free. It's a wonderful blog.

Pamela's Microwave Brownies

Yeah, that's what I said! Microwave brownies.

At the gluten-free food expo in DC this month, one of the many samples that Pamela's was handing out was a single serving packet of microwavable brownies. They did not disappoint. Pamela's brownies have long been my favorite GF brownie: great taste, awesome texture, easy to prepare, easy to make in a variety of ways, good counter life. They are just an overall great brownie. These little one minute brownies were just as good.

Yes! One minute!

I wished I had some ice cream to make a sundae with (one of my favorite things to do with a brownie), but even just alone, the warm brownie was perfect and delicious. They should be out in stores in September, so be sure to grab some. They are awesome. A perfect 10.

My first food expo

Yesterday, the CNMC's Celiac Disease Program hosted their first annual Gluten-free food expo. I was so excited to be able to go! I didn't eat lunch, so that I'd have plenty of room for all the snacking, and - even though it was a small gathering - there was plenty to sample and tons of goodies to take with us.

For $5, I bought a red cloth bag (reminiscent of the grocery ones) in support of the CDP. By the time I left, it was nearly full. It was $10 to get in the door, and then the feasting, coupon gifts, free samples, business cards, and buying was ON!

Bard's beer, Tamari, Pamela's, Rudi's, Delight Magazine, General Mills, Choice Batter, Udi's, Glutino, and so many others were there. My favorite were the little personal businesses. I bought cream puffs and soft pretzels. I wish I could have taken home some of everything! There were several small business people from Pennsylvania, and they all said that they ship items.

For a first year event, it was very successful, I think. I can't wait to see how they work out the kinks and make it even better next year. (I may save up and stay for the cocktail party next year....)

Were you able to make it to the expo? What did you think of it?

What makes my world go round?

Dang it, but I truly love brownies.  I might go so far as to say that I luurve brownies.  Giving up brownies when I was diagnosed with celiac disease was the hardest thing I've ever done.

Then I found Pamela.

Pamela's brownie mix is my all-time favorite. It's so good, that my gf-shunning husband will even recommend making brownie sundaes out of them. I adore them, and although they're not cheap, they're an easy easy mix to use and the results are terrific. There's big chunks of chocolate in the mix, and they bake up nice and fluffy and delicious.

Another nice perk of the mix is that there are several different preparation variations on the bag. I usually make the original recipe, but I've also made the vegan recipe once. My mother was in town, and I wanted her to be able to share them with me. They were a little less fluffy that way, but they were still tasty!

If you're ever looking for a great gf brownie, my vote goes to Pamela. Super yum.

Testing, Testing.... Is this thing on?

Hey, guys!

It's been a while, hasn't it?  Well, I've been busy with life and teaching and breeding my bulldog and tending to kids with flu and mono and shopping and cruising and video games... ....

You get the idea.

Well, I wanted to let you know that I had the chance to try Triumph Dining's new Gluten-Free Restaurant Guide and it is awesome.  I don't live near a big city or anything, and don't eat out much, so it took me a while to really get a feel for it and get used to using it.  At work and over the holidays, though, it really made it's worth known.

If you've been debating whether or not you should get one and wondering if it would be worth it, then yes. YES it's worth it. And it's easy: you can look up restaurants by city or by name, either one.

I leave it in my car so that it's with me everywhere I go. I really can just go out to lunch now like I used to, and it's super great. 

(PS Yeah, they gave it to me for free to review, but they didn't make me promise to like it or offer to pay me for this review. Full disclosure and what-not)

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.