Desserts

If you didn’t already know, Betty Crocker does gluten-free cake, cookie, and brownie mixes now. Actually, these have been around for a while, but I’m honestly not a fan of Betty Crocker. Or cake mixes in general for that matter. But if I have to use a cake mix, I’m more than likely not going to eat it, so I usually go for Duncan Hines if it’s on sale or Pillsbury, whichever is cheaper.

A few days ago I realized that February is half over and I hadn’t posted anything since January, so I decided to try out the box of Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil’s Food cake mix that had been sitting in my pantry for many weeks. I bought it on sale to use for something, I forget what, that I obviously never used it for. I was also in the mood for something chocolate. And easy. Cupcakes made from a mix are

Sweet noodle kugel Credits: www.glutenfreesmusings.com

As I was reminiscing about living in NYC, and getting kugel from the local kosher deli. And I thought why not…I could do this. If my grandparents could see me now they would be so proud, and very shocked! I remember once when I was younger visiting my grandma in the Bronx and eating at a kosher deli, I asked for an egg-cream with my pastrami sandwich…..oooh, the looks of daggers I received. I might know a fraction more than I did then, like meat and dairy don’t go together, but that is about it sadly. Along with kugel, I do love me a nice big bowl of matzo ball soup and a knish…now my goal is to make those in GF fashion.

This week started with kugel, and it came out great. I really think the key was the noodle. And since traditional kugel calls for egg noodles, us GF-ers are kind of out of luck, or so I thought. But one of my new favorite gluten-free products, a corn pasta from Hungary, Cornito fit the bill! Corn pasta from Hungary, who would have thought? But it is delicious and not only tastes just like traditional egg noodles, it is pretty cheap.   Read More »

Peaches – Cut into half inch slices

One of my passions in life is baking, but once I learned I had to go gluten-free, I felt I had lost this ability.  Not only was I horribly mistaken, but gluten-free baking can actually taste better than baking with wheat flour, yes, even better!

My favorite magazine for the last 15 years has been Food & Wine. Every month when I receive it in the mail, I cannot wait to open it to the index to see what recipes await.  The dessert section is the first category I explore, and try.  I was so disappointed when I thought I would no longer be able to create the wonderful baked goods published in this bible of mine.  Then I saw this recipe, by New York’s Bobby Flay, and decided I have to give it a try. Read More »

Fruit Cake seems to be one of those things that you either love, or you hate. Personally I also find them really hard to bake and not have them dry out, so this year was a double challenge to make the perfect gluten free fruit cake without it drying out. Like most recipes it’s a personal taste on what you’d like to add, obviously if you have a nut allergy you can exclude those. If you like your cake frosted with frosting you can also do that too.

Enjoy!

Read More »

This is my first attempt at making any type of pie, but my mom has made this pie recipe dozens of times, so I know it’s good. As with most gluten free pie crusts, you have to press the dough into the pie plate instead of rolling it out. I messed up a bit with this part because I forgot to check the depth on the bottom of the crust. It turned out way too thick… oops. Luckily, the dough tastes like a sugar cookie, so it wasn’t the end of the world. Next time I will remember to check the depth with a fork before baking the crust. Other than that slight misstep, the pie turned out great. Read More »

I’m not sure if I’ve ever talked about my parents’ obsession with moving change.

I lived in a total of 12 houses in the first 17 years of my life.

Now, you may not think that’s a lot, but when you factor in that 6 of those 12 were temporary houses while our next house was being complete, that’s a heck of a lot of packing and unpacking in a short amount of time.

Sometimes these temporary houses would have a full kitchen, sometimes they wouldn’t. Sometimes they had a bedroom, sometimes they did not.

To make the transition as easy as possible, my Mom would make hundreds of casseroles. From manicotti, cannelloni, lasagna, to Read More »

 
When I heard that Gluten Free Works were encouraging bloggers to contribute recipes for Halloween/Fall it set me to thinking about some apples that I needed to use up.  They had been given to me by a fellow gluten free friend on a recent visit and I wanted to do something with them other than make crumble.

The best kind of gift

 

I have an apple cake recipe that I always use but I wanted to try making smaller cakes, spiced with the flavours that invoke thoughts of Christmas/Thanksgiving and the warm flavours that we love to wrap ourselves in as the weather turns colder.

I have only recently discovered that my pressure cooker is the best thing to use when Read More »

Gluten Free Halloween Table

Maybe you are the host and you are getting ready for a ghoulish party. If you need to plan it around one or more gluten-free eaters, you might need some ideas beyond hummus and rice crackers or tortilla chips with guacamole.

Gluten free pumpkin muffin with pumpkin cream cheese frosting

When you are doing your planning, think about the items that you can’t eat when you are gluten-free: bread, crackers, pretzels, pizza, cookies, cakes and cupcakes, doughnuts. Today, there are many options for all of these items. Of course, if you are the one hosting, you will have much more control. That’s my plan this year; delegation! And, even if you aren’t gluten-free, you can use the ideas below to plan your own party.

If you are the host and not the one with the sensitivity, make sure you understand the needs of your guests. Someone with Celiac disease looks at gluten as seriously as someone with a peanut allergy. Gluten can be in ketchup and bbq sauce and is almost always in Read More »