How to survive the holidays while gluten free.....

    
     Holey cow the holidays sure are sneaking up on me!! Last I looked it was summer and I was enjoying my flip flops and sunshine. Somehow it has turned colder, the days are shorter, and it's time to think about holiday foods.
     The holidays are tricky times for those of us who have to eat gluten free. Gluten is hiding everywhere and food is more than plentiful this time of year. Everyone is having a family dinner, work get together, holiday celebration with friends, cookie samples at the store...you get the picture..everybody is forcing food at you! ha It is hard because not everyone understands why you don't just eat ONE of Aunt Betty's cookies, or a little of their world famous chicken and noodle soup (you can just pick out the noodles can't you? haha (no you can't for anyone who is confused)) We have all had the food pressure from people and you just have to stand your ground. It's what is best for your health.
     I find that this battle is easiest when you are prepared. You have done your research. You have cooked ahead of time. You have brought your own plate of food to the dinner. You have baked a dessert that is safe for you. You tucked a bag of snacks in your purse "just in case". Planning ahead is key to getting through the holidays safely.
     I do battle with the holidays by cooking my own meal and taking a plate to dinners. I usually bring a dessert to share with everyone.  That way I am able to enjoy a meal with family and friends without being sick in bed following. I sometimes even find out what is being served and make a gluten free version of the meal so that I'm not eating tacos when everybody else is having roasted turkey.
     I have even started buying the supplies for my Thanksgiving dinner. It seems that right before turkey day some things are nowhere to be found on store shelves....things that are KEY to making my turkey day dinner. SO I have stocked up on poultry seasoning (key ingredient in my dressing recipe), corn meal (also key for the dressing), boxes of broth (they were on sale this week!!). I'm planning on getting my turkey next week.
     I talked a little about this on facebook today. You want to be sure that you get a gluten free turkey. It seems so silly that gluten would be in a turkey...but it happens. Lame, right?!?! They like to pump turkeys full of junk to make them juicy and tasty and sometimes that involves gluteny grossness. So be sure to read the label on your bird before you put it into your shopping cart. I like to buy Honeysuckle White brand turkeys. They clearly label them as gluten free and they are a yummy moist juicy bird. I snapped a picture of the packaging today while I was grocery shopping so that you would know what to look for.......this is where you say thank you to me for looking like a weirdo taking a picture of the frozen turkeys in the crowded store!

Honeysuckle White Turkeys clearly state gluten free on the label...love that!!

If you look closely you can see that it says "No Preservatives, No gluten, No msg"

 

     So the key to surviving the holidays is planning. You absolutely have to plan ahead. Otherwise you will end up eating something that you will regret. I have several Thanksgiving recipes already posted on the blog from last year. They are tested to be yummy and safe. Look them up and give them a try...I don't think you will be disappointed.

 

-Jessica

 

    

Green Velvet Cuppeycakes......... embrace your inner Irish spirit!!

     A couple of weeks ago I had run across a recipe for green velvet cake on Pinterest. Of course it was not gluten free. I pinned it, and decided that I needed to revamp that recipe and turn it gluten free. I thought it would be a really fun recipe to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with. So embrace your inner Irish spirit and get to baking.......these cuppeycakes are yummy!! Oh, and they also turn your tounge green! ha

Green Velvet Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups Gluten Free Flour Mix
3/4 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
2 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 oz green food coloring

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the muffin liners into the muffin tin. Spray the inside of the paper liner with cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine all of the wet ingredients (except the food coloring). Mix on a low speed with an electric mixer. Add in the dry ingredients and mix well until combined. Add in the entire 1oz bottle of food coloring (yes the ENTIRE bottle). Mix on a very low speed or by hand. You won't want the food coloring to splash out of the bowl.

Fill the muffin liners with batter (about 3/4 full). Bake at 350 deg. for 18-20 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool and then frost with your favorite frosting.

Combine all of the wet ingredients, then add in the dry ingredients.

This is the "before" picture....just looks like a chocolate cake batter.

Time to add the green food coloring. It seems like ALOT, but I guess that's why they are called "green velvet".

In goes the green...............ALL OF IT!!

You will want to mix the food coloring in by hand or using the lowest speed on your mixer. Otherwise you may end up with a green speckled wall or counter top!!

Mix until the batter turns an amazing green color and all of the food coloring is incorporated in.

When the cuppeycakes are finished baking, cool them on a cooling rack.

Once they are cool, frost with your favorite frosting. I totally cheated and used a canned frosting! (shhhh)

These cupcakes were fun to make and quite yummy. I hope you enjoy them!! Happy St. Patricks Day! (a little early).

-Jessica

Chocolate Fondue, oh so simple and sinful!

     I decided I would hook you up with another "recipe-O-love" before Valentines Day. *insert ooooh's,  ahhhh's, and thank you's here* ha
     This recipe is super easy, however it tastes like it was hard to make. Your Valentines will be fooled into thinking you spent lots of time on this treat for them, when in reality you only spent a few minutes.
     I have made this fondue for parties, showers, and just nights at home. It is a huge hit every time. Leftovers re-heat well. It also makes an amazing topping for ice cream if you do happen to have leftovers.

Chocolate Fondue

3/4 C. Chocolate Milk Chips (I use milk chocolate, but semi sweet also works well)
5oz Can of Evaporated Milk
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
50 Caramels (1-14 oz bag) unwrapped

In a microwave safe bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Microwave on high for 2 1/2 minutes, stir. Microwave another 2-3 minutes or until all chocolate and caramels are melted. Stir to be sure all ingredients are combined.

Serve with your favorite dippers: strawberries, apple slices, marshmallows, gluten free pretzels, gluten free cookies or pieces of gluten free cake.

Unwrapping all of the caramels is probably the most time consuming part of the recipe. Check out my pile of wrappers! ha

I always use my Pampered Chef microwave cooker when I make this, but any microwave safe bowl will work great.

Dump everything into the bowl and microwave.

Serve with your favorite dippers.

   I hope you enjoy this yummy chocolaty treat. It is sooooo good and soooo sinful. Happy Valentines Day to all of my SillyYaks!!

-Jessica

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

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries....for that special Valentine

     I discovered the amazingness of chocolate dipped strawberries last Valentines Day. A store was advertising 6 dipped strawberries for $25. They looked soooo yummy. However there was absolutely no way that I would pay that much for strawberries, Valentines day or not. I decided to make my own.
     I quickly learned that they are not hard to make! If you are capable of melting chocolate in your microwave then you can handle this! My Valentines are getting them again this year, they were a huge hit last year. What's not to love about strawberries and chocolate?!?!!

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

1 1/2 C Chocolate Chips (approximate)
1 Package of fresh Strawberries, washed and dried
wax paper
Valentine theme cupcake wrappers

Pour the chocolate chips into a microwave safe dish. Microwave on full power for 30 seconds. Remove and stir. Microwave again for 30 seconds. Repeat until chocolate is melted.

Dip the strawberries into the dish of chocolate. Lay on wax paper to dry. When they are dry, place each strawberry into a cupcake wrapper. Store in a container in the refrigerator.

Be sure that you wash and dry your strawberries. The chocolate won't stick well if the berries are still wet.

Put your chips into a microwave safe dish and microwave at 30 sec. intervals until chocolate is melted. I used both white and milk chocolate to make my berries.

Stir the chocolate after each 30 seconds in the microwave. You don't want to scorch the chocolate.

Dip your strawberry into the melted chocolate. Be sure to coat all sides.

Lay the berries out on wax paper so the chocolate can dry. Decorate with sprinkles, or more chocolate!

     I hope you enjoy these chocolate dipped strawberries. Making them at home will save you some money. Maybe you can even take your Valentine out for dinner with all that leftover cash! ha

-Jessica

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cuppeycakes

         This is another Pinterest inspired idea. I had run across an idea that used brownies on the bottom and strawberry cake mix on the top. However both were gluten filled and used mixes. I decided to make them from scratch using a cake recipe that makes "Cupcakes for Two". I made one Vanilla recipe, but flavored it up with some Cherry flavoring to create the Cherry portion. I then made one Chocolate recipe to create the chocolate portion. I then layered them together to create my Chocolate Covered Cherry Cuppeycakes!!
     The great thing about these recipes are that they make just a few cupcakes, you aren't stuck with two dozen cupcakes to find homes and bellies for. Not that anybody is ever "stuck" with a cupcake, but sometimes it is nice to just make a couple instead of a whole batch. If you make JUST the vanilla or JUST the chocolate recipe it will make 2 or 3 cuppeycakes. If you are combining them like I have done for this creation, then you will end up with about 6 cuppeycakes. PERFECT for those special valentines in your life on Valentines Day!
       Let's get cookin'!

Vanilla Cupcakes for Two -Gluten Free

1 egg white
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup gluten free flour mixture
1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 heaping teaspoon of baking powder
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tablespoons milk

Pre heat oven to 350 deg. Line a muffin pan with  2 liners, spray the inside of the liners with cooking spray.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Add in sugar and egg white. Stir until combined. Add flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt. Mix until smooth and creamy. Stir in the milk and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. Divide the batter into the cupcake liners.

Bake at 350 deg. for 10-14 min. or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.  Let the cupcakes cool completely and frost as desired.

For Chocolate Cupcakes: add 4 teaspoons of Cocoa Powder
For Cherry Cupcakes: decrease vanilla extract to 3/4 teaspoon and add 1/2 teaspoon cherry extract and a dash of pink food coloring (optional)

Ok, you have the basic recipe for the cupcakes. and also the instructions on how to make the chocolate batter and the cherry batter. You will need one recipe of chocolate batter and one recipe of cherry batter to make the chocolate covered cherry cuppeycakes. Here we go!!

I think it's easiest if you just have everything out and ready to dump into the bowl.

I just sat two bowls beside each other, when I added the ingredient for one recipe, I also added it to the second bowl. It saved time to do it that way.

Ok....ready to fill the muffin cups.

The chocolate cake batter goes in first.

Cherry Batter goes on top of the chocolate. And into the 350 deg. oven for 10-14 min.

Waiting for frosting......I used some prepared in the can chocolate frosting (just remember to check your brands to be sure it's gluten free).

Happy Valentines to you and your loved ones. I hope they enjoy these sweet treats!!

-Jessica