Glutino Cookie Review

We really like these gluten free cookies from Glutino. Both the vanilla and the chocolate are delicious. They taste a lot like regular cookies.
They are very similar in texture to Oreos, maybe a little harder. There is the slightest hint of the grainy texture that is so common in gluten free foods (usually it is from the rice flour).
Grandpa bought some for Kate a few weeks ago and she was in heaven! She probably would have eaten the entire box in one sitting, had we let her!

Gluten Free Roadtrip

It takes some serious prep-work to be gluten free. You can't just pull in to the nearest fast food like we used to. Between all the stops (including dropping off our car and putting all our stuff into another car) and just driving it took us 12 hours each way to get from Mesa, Arizona to Draper, Utah. Around 1300 miles.
Here was the meal plan...
I baked my favorite gluten free bread the day before we left and sliced it all up. Then in a medium sized cooler I packed sandwich-ready lettuce, cheese slices, turkey, squeeze mayo and mustard. I had some nut thins crackers, Glutino pretzels, Lay's stax chips, apples, Larabars, and carrot sticks. We drove caravan-style with my family, so we all stopped together to eat. They went through a drive through and we just put together our sandwiches.
It's not quite as convenient, but I feel so much better eating this over the greasy junk we used to eat. And I certainly feel better about giving it to my kids, too.
On the trip back home we had a bunch of food to take back with us. Including a couple gf hamburger buns. We stopped at a small supermarket and got a rotisserie chicken that we looked up to make sure it was ok. The lady behind the counter was very friendly and said she had a relative with Celiac too. We had some BBQ sauce and made some sandwiches. The rest of my family got some chicken strips and stuff from the deli.
We bought a drink or some fresh cheese curds or whatever looked good to mix it up. It worked out really well.

Gluten Free Pancakes

Kate really loves pancakes! For her birthday yesterday she wanted them for breakfast. I have no idea how many I ate, but it was a lot! These were very tasty. Kate has been snacking on these all day too. So here is the recipe I used...

Preheat and spray with non-stick cooking spray a griddle or skillet to medium high. In medium bowl mix together...

3 eggs
3 Tablespoons oil (next time I'm going to sub with applesauce)
2 cups milk

Beat with a hand mixer until frothy or foamy. Add...

1 & 1/2cups rice flour
1/2cup gf oats (can be left out, I just felt like an extra grain plus a fun texture)
3Tbs Tapioca
1/3cup Potato starch
1/2tsp baking soda
1/2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp Xanthan gum
3 Tbs sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat mixture until there are no lumps. Spoon onto hot griddle.
Once the batter is set, flip and cook other side until brown (took another 30 seconds or so).
Eat warm with your favorite syrup or toppings.

Streets of New York Pizza 2

Streets of New York is so amazing! Best gluten free pizza. I'm pretty sure I could eat 2 pizzas by myself, no problem. I was able to take a quick picture before we scarfed all of the pizza and wings!
And yes, the wings are also amazing. Really good flavor and of course gluten free! Apparently they have $.50 wings Monday-Thursday when you eat in, and $7 gf pizza! I can't wait to try this out! 2 of my most favorite things in the world, a good deal and pizza! The wings are a great bonus, too.
Btw, I would love to get paid to put this good word out, but sadly, I am not. Maybe if I do more posts on this someone over there will be kind enough to share the recipe or at least send a freebie...? No? Ok, I still love you.

Gluten Free in Utah

Sorry for the lack of posts, we have been in Utah. My youngest sister, Heather, and TJ's younger brother, Kyle, graduated from BYU this last week. We are so proud of both of them. We decided to pack up the whole family and drive up to celebrate!
We had a big group that included my parents, grandpa, and 2 brothers and their little families. TJ's parents came too. The trip went surprisingly well for having 3 small kids (5, 3, & 6 months). Between all the stops it took about 12 hours driving each way. But it was fun to be with both of our families.

Bridget's birthday was while we were there and Kate's birthday is tomorrow. It was also TJ's sister's birthday. So we had a little party with everyone.
I actually had planned to make cupcakes with my yummy cupcake recipe, but I forgot the Xanathan gum! It is a very important ingredient. Luckily, my mom found a little bakery close by that is strictly gluten free. I think we may have to go back to Utah just for this little shop...

 

Eleanor's Bake Shop. A nice little place that is family owned and operated. The neat thing is that most everyone in the family has Celiac disease. The very best thing about this place is there is no cross contamination because they don't have anything not gluten free. That and it was delicious! I don't think I could tell the difference between theirs and not gluten free.

Pizza by the slice

I couldn't take a picture quickly enough! (hence the few bites already taken!) This has to be the best gf pizza crust I have had. It isn't super thin! It isn't really thick, but it is the thickest gf I have had. And it is chewy! TJ was in heaven.

 

We got these beauties for the party.

Top left to bottom right, Strawberry, Hummingbird (pineapple, coconut, banana), Triple chocolate, Chocolate cherry, Orange chocolate, Raspberry cream cheese.

I loved every single one of these! They were the perfect texture. So moist and soft. The frosting was amazing too. Kate had the strawberry cupcake. She sat there licking the frosting for about 5 minutes! 

To keep me from eating the above before we got to the party I treated myself to this amazing snicker doodle...

Best Gluten Free Restaurant Pizza

Streets of New York has the best gluten free pizza by far. It is thin crust, but it has a chewiness to it that no other gf crust has! It is amazing.
In our area (Mesa, AZ) they offer a 10 inch for 10.95 plus $1 for each additional topping. Your pick of just about any topping, even a variety of cheeses and meats.

Pizza and french bread are the things I miss most. You can find good sandwich bread recipes, good cupcake recipes, Pie recipes or other desserts that are gluten free, but a good pizza is rare. T and I have been toying with a pizza recipe that I am excited to share once we nail it. Until then, Streets of New York has my heart.

Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes

Bridget frosting her cupcake.

Vanilla Cupcakes

Dry Ingredients
1 cup Sorghum or brown rice flour

1 cup Tapioca flour
1 cup sugar
1/2tsp salt
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
Wet Ingredients
1 cup milk (of your choice, I think coconut would taste really good)
1 egg
3Tbs oil (of your choice)
1 Tbs Vanilla extract
1/4 tsp lemon juice
(Optional) 1-2 Tbs Jell-o mix

Preheat oven to 350. Sift the dry ingredients together. Add the wet and mix well, but be careful not to over mix or beat (or they will be tough). Bake 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

The first batch of these I didn't use the Jell-o. They were a little more muffin-like. The next day they tasted just like my mom's buttermilk cake (which is one of my favorites). The good thing about that is they are really light. You can use any frosting you want, especially a rich chocolate frosting and it would compliment it very well.
Or...if you want a little more flavor from the cupcake I used strawberry Jell-o. It gave the flavor just a little pick-me-up. I used whipped cream for the frosting and the whole family loved it. The Jell-o made the texture a little more gooey.
I am excited to make these again with a yummy chocolate frosting!