Pink Pyrex LOVE!

     Well friends, I'm happy to announce I have another addition to my beautiful collection of Pink Pryex. If you recall I found a beautiful Pink Flamingo 2 quart casserole baker back in April. I feel like I need to send out baby announcements for these lovely pink beauties. Ok, maybe that's a touch overboard. Or is it..... Ok, FINE, I will settle for a blog post announcing their arrival (cue the trumpets and confetti)
    
Blog readers meet the ladies......ladies meet the blog readers.

This is the #444 big 4 quart mixing bowl in the Pink Cinderella with Gooseberries pattern. These bowls were made in the 1950's.

This is the #441 (1.5 pint) smallest of the 4 bowl set. It is also in the Pink Cinderella with Gooseberries pattern.

     Aren't they just beautiful? It is odd to call colored glass bowls beautiful? Oh well, I don't care if it is. They are beautiful!! Do you want to hear the story of how we met? Ok.....well if you don't then just stop reading here. If you do, then continue on.
      My Mom and I were browsing in a large antique store this weekend. We were mostly window shopping and that's when I saw it....the heavens opened up, the music sounded, there was a glowing light in booth #23 and there in that glowing light sat the beautiful bowls (events may have been exaggerated from actual facts to make a better story).
     I of course had to have these beauties. The big bowl (4 quart) seems to be sort of tricky to find in the sets. I guess it must have been used the most and probably dropped the most. I knew I had to have this one because it was in very good condition. It was also a great price for the two bowls. So they came home to live with me Happily Ever After for ever. The End. (was that a good story?)
     So, I do have some more work cut out for me.....I need to find the two middle size bowls in this four bowl set. I am missing bowl #442 and 443. However, that just means I get to have fun looking for them and shopping for a good deal. I will NOT pay an arm and a leg. That is part of the fun of starting this collection. I was pretty proud that I got these two bowls for less than what JUST the large bowl was going for on Ebay. I love a good deal!

Here are a couple more pictures for you to ogle if you wish:

Well thanks for letting me gush about my new pink loves.

-Jessica

Meet the newest addition to my kitchen......

     I have been drooling over pink Pyrex for some time now. Today I acquired my first piece of beautiful, lovely, amazingly beautiful, vintage, pink Pyrex. She (has to be a she because it's PINK) is a lovely round 2 quart covered casserole baker. Mine actually had the lid which is rare.
     I brought my lovely piece home and decided to do some research on how much it is worth and such. I knew that I got a good deal, but I wasn't sure HOW good of a deal. Did you know that there are entire websites devoted to Pyrex? I didn't know until today.
     According to Correlle Corner my pink beauty was made somewhere between 1952 to 1957. The official color name is "Flamingo". Pretty sassy if you ask me!
     I look forward to picking up more pieces of lovely pink Pyrex in the future. I would REALLY love to have some of the pink daisy bowls.
     Now that I know a little about my beauty I need to decide what to cook in her for the first time. Any suggestions??

Valentine Chocolate Info and a Valentine Round-up

     Valentines Day is coming up.....let me repeat that for those of you who were not listening the first time......VALENTINES DAY IS COMING UP QUICKLY!!! Ok, so now you can't tell your loved ones that you "forgot" because I JUST reminded you....twice!
     I thought I would share some important Valentine related info. with you such as what brands of chocolate are safe. Chocolates and Valentines Day go hand in hand. It would be HORRIBLE to give your sweetie a box of chocolates that glutens them. So let's talk chocolates for a while:

Hershey's Chocolate: FAQ says: "We have found that allergen lists quickly become outdated as our product lines change over time. Rather than have you make purchase decisions based on outdated information, we encourage you to check the ingredient label on the package. This label provides accurate, current information about all the ingredients in the package."

Mars (M &M's, Snickers, Skittles, 3 Musketeers, etc). : Allergen Info Page which basically says the label is your best source of information

NECCO (Conversation hearts, NECCO wafers, etc): FAQ Page says:We make the following products which do not contain gluten from wheat, rye, oats or barley: Necco Wafers, Mary Janes, Mary Jane Peanut Butter Kisses, Sweethearts Conversation Hearts (Valentines only), Canada Mint & Wintergreen Lozenges, Haviland Thin Mints and Candy Stix

In addition, Clark Bars, Skybars, Haviland Peppermint & Wintergreen Patties, Necco Candy Eggs (Easter), Talking Pumpkins (Halloween), Squirrel Nut Caramels and Squirrel Nut Zippers, Banana Split and Mint Julep Chews, ULTRAMINTS are also gluten free.        

Russel Stover, Whitman's, Pangburns, Weight Watchers Candy: Their website FAQ says: "To the best of our knowledge, our products are gluten free — with the exception of products containing cookies, such as S'mores and Cookies and Creams. These products contain a small amount of gluten, and ingredient labels indicate clearly that they contain wheat.

Be aware that products containing wheat are produced on equipment that's also used to make other products. So we can't completely rule out the possibility of cross-contamination, despite efforts to prevent it."

Tootsie Roll Industries (Cellas Choco. Covered Cherries, tootsie rolls, Andes Mints, Blow Pops, Junior Mints, Sugar Babies, Sugar Daddies, etc etc etc): Please look at their website to see ALL of their products because they have LOTS. Their FAQ section says that: " At this time, all of our confections are gluten free with the exception of Andes cookies. We do not use wheat, barley, rye, oats, triticale, spelt or any of their components and that includes our dusting on our conveyor belts. We do use corn and soy products in the manufacturing of our products."


Zachary Chocolates : I called them and they said that they don't really have a list. They only have one product that has gluten and that is a cookies and creme Easter Bunny which is made on it's own dedicated line.

I know that those aren't the ONLY candy companies out there, but this should allow you to get your Sweetie some chocolate for Valentines day. If your favorite candy isn't listed, then check out their website, call their 1-800 number and find out if it is safe. Don't assume!!
      Don't forget that you can also make your Sweetie something nice. I'm sure you would score more brownie points with a homemade treat than a store bought treat anyways......here are a few ideas:

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cuppeycakes

Lofthouse style Frosted Sugar Cookies

Melt In Your Mouth Strawberry Shortcake

and I even gave you guys a cool way to make a card........

Valentine Fortune Cookies (crafty, not edible)



     I hope that each of you have an amazing Valentines Day!! Enjoy the time with your loved ones, that's what it is truly all about.

-Jessica

Heavy Duty Cooking

Tonight I'm doing what I call "heavy duty cooking". I'm having a family birthday celebration at my house tomorrow. So that means I'm the "hostest with the mostest". Which also means......I have to prove gluten free is yummy!! I have to prove that I'm not a dufus for not allowing gluteney rolls to pass through my door. Soooo tonight I am getting some of the cooking done early!! That way the "hostest with the mostest" doesn't have to get up at 3am and then drop over in her gluten free kitchen from cooking exhaustion before the guests arrive!
    Tonight I am making yummy gluten free yeast rolls and carrot cake. Both of which aren't rocket science, but they are time consuming. I made the beautiful pink lemonade cuppeycakes yesterday and they are in the freezer. They will come out tomorrow morning to defrost for the party.
     I am not sure I could do it all without the help of a couple amazing things though. Please let me introduce you to............

My beautiful and amazingly wonderful PINK Kitchenaid mixer!!!

AND

a more recent love in my life......my countertop dishwasher!!

Without these two lovely beasts cooking would be more of a chore. Ok probably not really, but it is sure easier with these two!!

Well the timer says that my break is up and the rolls are done rising. I must get back to the kitchen!! I'll be back later with a recipe for that carrot cake I was talking about.

-Jessica