Another Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix!!!

Endeavoring once again to create a gluten free pizza my family will not only eat but ask for again, I bought a box of Hodgson Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix.  At about $4.50 for the box, the price was higher than regular pizza crust mix but not too horrible.  Or maybe I'm just getting used to paying more for gluten free products.  Anyway, I warned my family Saturday that it was gluten free pizza experiment night.  They didn't get excited but at least they didn't groan and moan this time.  For that I am grateful.

The ingredients were all items I had on hand and the instructions were easy to follow.  This is what the dough looked like after I mixed it all together. It was a little sticky so I used some rice flour when I patted it down onto my greased pan.  I also used a long cookie sheet instead of two round pizza pans.  That was probably an error on my part. The crust wasn't quite as crispy as we like but I think it was just because I didn't leave it in the oven long enough.  Four or five more minutes next time should do it.

This is what it looked like.  Not bad for gluten free pizza!  The taste and consistency of the crust was really good. I may have found a crust my family will enjoy.  Even my husband gave it a thumbs up!  Yay!

I"ll probably keep checking out different pizza crust mixes along the way but this one is definitely a winner! 

Next I am going to try Hodgson Mill Baking Mix.  I picked up a box along with the pizza crust.  It was under four dollars for the box so that is a plus.  And it already has the xantham gum in it which is great since xantham gum is so darned expensive. 

Just one more thing, about once a week or so I am faced with eating out.  This can be a challenge for Celiacs but I have researched several restaurants in my area and managed to come up with some options.  It's not perfect because there's always the chance of cross contamination.  I don't care how careful a restaurant claims to be there's always that chance.  But here are a couple of suggestions...Qdoba has some great gluten free options one being the Naked Chicken or Steak Burrito.  It's prepared with rice instead of the tortilla. 
Also Subway has some salad options that are good for those of us on gluten free diets.  I usually choose the Chicken and Baby Spinach Salad. 

If anyone has any restaurants they can recommend, let me know. 

Till my next gluten free meal, take care and God Bless!

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

When I started cooking gluten free one of the things I missed most was chocolate chip cookies.  I used to be quite the baker (okay it shows in my waistline) but after going gluten free a lot of my baking came to an abrupt halt.  A year or so ago a man posted a vague peanut butter cookie recipe.  He basically mixed peanut butter, sugar and egg together to make cookies.  I started with that thought and came up with the following recipe. 
1 cup peanut butter (I prefer crunchy)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips together.  Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cooking sheet.  Top each cookie with several chocolate chips.  Bake for about 8 minutes. 
Let cookies cool for about 5 minutes before removing from cookie sheet (sometimes they can be a little crumbly).  This recipe makes about 12 to 16 good sized cookies.  You can double the recipe if you need more.

Please note that the chocolate chips and peanut butter I used were gluten free according to the labels.  I found both at Aldis.
I think this recipe tastes better than regular peanut butter cookies.  They are moist and chewy.  And my family loves them!

Heartland Fusilli and Cooking For My Family

A couple of years ago I was checking out a gluten free blog and I ran across a woman who was upset because she had to cook for herself and her gluten loving family.  The general consensus was that the rest of the family needed to buck up and eat what she ate.  I agree with this to an extent.  Last night I fixed Chicken Alfredo with gluten free noodles and my family loved it!  It was the Heartland brand Fusilli noodles.  They are very tasty and cook very easily.  The only drawback I could see was they are made with corn and rice so if you are allergic to corn this is not a good option for you.  Otherwise they are about the best gluten free noodles I've ever had. 
But there are times when I have to cook gluten free for me and a regular meal for my family. It doesn't happen very often because I try very hard to prepare what we can all eat.  If there is an occasion when I have to fix something I can't eat I make sure I have something to eat too.  If it's cheeseburgers and I don't have any gluten free buns on hand, I eat mine plain with a side of rice or potatoes.  If it's oriental take-out, which my family loves dearly, I have homemade stir fry or chicken fried rice I've made myself.  There are gluten free soy sauces out there.  Check your labels. 
Not sure what's next on the gluten free list but I have to go to the city tomorrow so I'll pick up something from the health food store to try.

Chebe Pizza Crust MIx

I fixed gluten free pizza last night with Chebe's pizza crust mix, Classico pizza sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni.  The Classico is great and gluten free according to their web site.  I asked my husband and kids to rate the pizza from 1 to 5, with 5 being best.  My son who is normally my picky eater gave it a 4.5, surprise surprise!  My daughter gave the crust a 3.5 because she liked the pizza I made a few weeks ago better.  Since I'm not sure what crust mix I used then it's kind of a moot point.  My husband gave it a 3 because I didn't make it thin enough.  I gave it a 4 out of 5 because it was really easy to make and tasty but the instructions said to put it in an ungreased pan.  The crust stuck a little so next time I'm going to spray the pan with cooking spray.  Would I buy it again?  Yes.  But I would make a couple of changes (thinner and spray the pan). 
I have also used Chebe's bread mix.  I liked it for sandwiches but my daughter loved it!  It's also reasonably priced and simple to put together.
Next on my list of gluten free items to try....Heartland Gluten Free Pasta.  Walmart has it and it's only a little over two dollars a package. 

This has nothing to do with gluten free but I feel like I need to mention it.  I have two dogs, a Cairn Terrier and a West Highland Terrier.  My Cairn kept getting sick with a hacking cough and diarrhea.  My Westie didn't have the cough but had terrible diarrhea.  I did some checking and their dog treats came from China.  If you'll check the internet there's been some issues with the treats manufactured in China so I switched them to homemade dog treats or chewies from the United States only and the diarrhea is gone.  The cough is much better although not completely gone yet.  I'm not saying all the treats manufactured in China are an issue but it scared me enough that I am very careful what I give my dogs now.

Making Gluten Free Pizza and Shopping at Aldi's

I bought a box of Chebe Gluten Free Pizza Mix at an area health food store (if driving forty miles can be considered local).  The instructions to make the crust look pretty easy and the ingredients needed are stock items so I"ll be making it for dinner this evening.  Hopefully my loving family won't make gagging noises or ask for a can of soup instead. 
If there was any way I could have avoided this I would have. But finances took a down turn and to save money I started shopping at Aldi's. If you have one in your area you probably know that it's a low cost self serve grocery store.  I wish I had started shopping here sooner.  Their ingredients labels are very clear and they are very good to label "gluten free" and "lactose free" on a lot of their products.  They even have a frozen meat dish by Bremer that is gluten free.  There are six mcribs with sauce in the container.  Pop it in the oven for 45 minutes and my family thinks they're getting a treat! 
I also got two packages of rice crackers a couple of weeks ago from Aldi's.  The only problem is that some items are seasonal or a one time thing.  Which was the case for the rice crackers. 
Just remember to take a quarter to put into the cart (you'll get it back when you turn the cart back in) and your own grocery bags.  They charge a nickel or dime per bag. 
I"ll post a photo of the pizza and give it the Robert's family rating in the morning. 

What's a Celiac to Eat?!!!

I found out a couple of years ago I have Celiac's.  This is an autoimmune disorder that causes issues with my digestive system.  My body reacts badly to wheat, barley and rye.  Barley and rye are not too hard to avoid but wheat is sooooo difficult.  Wheat starch is in so many food items.  It comes under the guise of hydrolyzed vegetable protein, modified food starch, Triticum....anything, durum....the list goes on. 
Labels are supposed to be clear when wheat is present, however, there are times when cross contamination comes into play so I try very hard to read my labels and if an item says it is processed in a factory that also processes wheat...well, sometimes I take my chances. 
On the bright side I have found items I really like that are gluten free.  Bisquick makes a gluten free baking mix.  Of course it's more expensive than the regular baking mix (everything gluten free is more expensive) but I use it for pancakes and biscuits.  And my kids love the pancakes!  I have also made oatmeal muffins with Bisquick (oatmeal is not an issue for me) that disappear almost as fast as I can make them. 
The only recipe I have tried that didn't turn out like I wanted was their Bisquick pizza crust.  It wasn't as crispy and tasty as it needed to be.  AND since my gluten loving husband (whiney man) says I have ruined pizza for him now that I only fix gluten free pizza, I really need to find a good pizza crust mix that's gluten free.
So for the next few weeks I am going to try any and every gluten free pizza crust mix I can get my hands on.  Starting with Chebe Pizza Crust Mix.  Maybe at some point I will find a mix that my dear (whiney man) husband likes too.
If anyone is reading this they can check back Wednesday cause I'm going to try Chebe's out tomorrow night.  Wish me luck!

My Granddog Max

My current posting photo is of my granddog Max.  He is so ugly he's cute.  My son and his wife adopted him when he was about four months old.  Before he was adopted, he was found and rescued by a deputy sheriff who, while patrolling, spotted Max and two other pups abandoned by a bridge.  All three had been shot with a bb gun and beat with a hammer.  Sadly, it was too late for one puppy.  Max and his brother survived after some emergency attention by one of our local veterinarians. The deputy's mother cared for the two pups till they were adopted.  
We are not sure of his breed but think that he might be part Bulldog and Pit Bull.  He is not the smartest dog (probably because of the head and face wounds from the hammer) but he is one of the sweetest, goofiest, most loveable dogs I have ever met. 
He reminds me a lot of the dog in the movie Turner and Hooch, including the drooling, the massive chewing of anything remotely resembling leather, and the fierce loyalty to his family. 
It's sad and scary to know that there are people in this world that will resort to such violence to rid themselves of unwanted pets.  But comforting to know that there are people such as the deputy, the veterinarian and the deputy's mother.  And, of course, my son and his wife who have loved Max even when he chewed up their leather coffee table (yep the table) and a few other household items that weren't meant to be eaten by a dog, even one as ugly/cute as Max!