Udi's Chocolate Muffins

You guys know I'm a fan of Udi's brand, it's definitely one of the best I can get in my area.

Today I had a yummy Double Chocolate muffin.

It says muffin on the container, but really this is more like a cupcake without frosting. As a matter of fact, I've put Nutella on them before. YUM!

Dense, cakey, with bits of chocolate scattered inside. These are a favorite of mine.

Gluten Free Chicken and Dumplings

I was on Facebook and saw a post by Udi's Gluten Free Foods that included a link to making Chicken and Dumplings using one of their products.

I think in order to underline the importance of this discovery I need to give you a little background.

My maternal grandmother is Southern.  From Missouri (pronounced Mizz-er-uh.)  She cooks like a Southern Lady, lots of flour and lard and fried things.   Most of my cooking talents come from her.  One of her specialties is her Chicken 'n' Dumplin's.  Amazing stuff.  Every time we would go visit her or she'd come visit us I would beg her to make us Chicken 'n' Dumplin's.  It is one of those ultimate comfort foods for me.  When I was a teenager I forced her to teach me how to make it.  She has made it so many times and for so long that she doesn't even have a recipe, it's just one of those dishes she grew up making and just "knows".  I had to hover over her and write down every thing she was doing.  Even when I tried to make it myself it was never quite as good, Mamaw just has the touch.

Then came the Celiac Disease.  Obviously there were a lot of comfort foods that I had to give up or try to find substitutions for.  I've looked for recipes, and tried to come up with my own with no luck.  Part of the problem is that Mamaw makes Southern Dumplings, they're big, soft, flat noodles.  Apparently to the rest of the world dumplings are more like boiled drop biscuits.  I can't quite wrap my head around that, so I haven't been able to find anything to fill that particular hole in my diet.

Until now!!!

I also learned how to add video to my blog!

It's Chicken 'n' Dumplin's!!  USING PIZZA CRUST!!!  I don't even have to make the dumplings from scratch using 8 different hard to find flours!  Here's the written recipe just in case I borked the video some how.

I made this for my family on Wednesday night and it was excellent!  I am so happy to have found a replacement for my comfort food.  This time of year is just perfect for it too!  The one complaint I have is that the recipe is too small.  There was only enough for the five of us to have one serving each and everyone wanted seconds.  I will have to double it next time, if not triple, and there definitely will be a next time.

Famous Dave's Barbecue

My husband and I went to Famous Dave's BBQ for lunch today to celebrate our anniversary.

We actually intended to go to Outback Steakhouse since I've heard wonderful things about their gluten free menu. Unfortunately, they don't open until 4 PM which is a most inconvenient time for lunch.

Famous Dave's just happened to be right down the street, I just happen to like barbecue, and so we went there instead.

As soon as we walked in I asked if they had a gluten free menu. The lovely lady who was seating us, Kristin, also happened to be the Manager on Duty. She was very nice and explained that they don't have a dedicated menu, but she did have a list of ingredients for their menu. She also explained that they do their best but can't ensure there won't be any cross contamination. I understand how a "regular" kitchen works and I always assume when I eat out that there may be some cross contamination. It's a risk I'm willing to take for special occasions. (Places where I have no reaction are likely to be visited again while places where I get reactions are avoided in the future, of course.)

Kristin gave us menus and brought me their ingredient lists. Unfortunately none of their incredible smelling barbecue sauces are gluten free, but there were at least two chicken dishes that had no gluten ingredients.

I chose the Barbecue Chicken Platter Lunch Special with no sauce. Normally the lunch special comes with a corn bread muffing, corn on the cob, and a choice of side. The tasty looking muffin was not gluten free (not really a surprise) so I asked our waitress, Ashley, if I could get a different side instead. She said it wasn't a problem at all, and even asked her manager if I could still get the corn on the cob! I guess normally the corn muffin and cob go together, so if you get a substitution for the muffin you forfeit the cob too. Since my problem was diet related and not just preference they went ahead and gave me the cob! For my sides I asked for double Famous Fries and Ashley didn't bat an eye!

This is what came:

There were more fries when I first got it, but they looked and smelled so good I ate some before I had the presence of mind to take a picture. Those fries are AMAZING! They're thick; crispy on the outside, and chewy on the inside. I'm actually drooling a little just thinking about it.

The chicken was really great too. A lot of chicken can be dry without sauce, or if it does manage to retain juiciness it lacks flavor. This chicken had both! It was tender, juicy, and the flavor went all the way through. Kristin told me they do some kind of magic flavor injecting, whatever that is it's beautiful. It had just the right amount of flavor without being too spicy, I really liked it.

Don't let that last picture fool you. I ate quite a bit. I was stuffed. That's just what's left over. I'm looking very forward to finishing that off later.

I'm sure you noticed I'm quite the chatterbox. The manager came over to our table a couple of times to check on us, and I talked her ear off. I told her about our anniversary, and she was very warm and friendly right back. I'm sure I bugged our waitress just as much. I even made them pose for a picture, just so I could show you guys!

That's Ashley on the left and Kristin on the right.

Just as we were feeling like we couldn't eat another bite, Ashley came to our table and told us that her manager had informed her that our dessert was on the house. She wouldn't take no for an answer and brought back the ingredients list so we could pick a dessert.

I'll admit that we didn't fight her too much and we indulged in a Famous Sundae with praline sauce that should be declared illegal. That sauce is the stuff dreams are made of. You owe it to yourself to go out and try that sundae. Excuse me for a moment as I wipe the drool of my keyboard.

I didn't get a picture of the sundae, it was way too good to wait for a snapshot. Use your imagination!

My overall rating for our experience is a resounding A+! Great food, wonderful service, good atmosphere, and at a good price (Our bill came to less than $23 before tip.) Of course they get extra credit for the free sundae, I'm a sucker for free food. Just so you know, I didn't tell them about the blog until after we were ready to go. That's when I made them pose for the picture. So it's not like they were trying to butter me up. This is all my honest, unbiased opinion!

Cupboard Soup

I posted this on my other blog and thought other people might like a nice gluten-free, vegetarian soup recipe.

From Random Heather:

I tossed a bunch of canned food yesterday that had expired and it killed me. Ugh. I hate waste, but throwing away food is the worst. Especially since if I'd been a little more organized I could have avoided the spoilage.

Today I decided to use up a bunch of canned foods that were precariously close to their expiration point. I want to be sure nothing else goes to waste just because I forgot.

I decided to make Cupboard Soup, an idea of my own creation. (See also: Mulligan Stew and Stone Soup.) Since I'm such a dear I wrote everything down so I could share the recipe with you, my three readers.

Cupboard Soup

1 14.5 ounce can Stewed Tomatoes with Onion, Celery, and Bell Peppers (I think somebody gave this to me, I seriously don't remember buying this and I can't think of any recipe I wanted to try that uses it.)

1 14.5 ounce can Diced Tomatoes

2 cups Broth (I used a Gluten-Free, Vegan Chicken Broth powder)

1 15.5 ounce can Black Beans

1 15.5 ounce can Red Beans

1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt (Regular and Sea Salt would probably work just as well, Kosher was just the first one I saw in my cupboard.)

4 cups Cooked Rice (I used Jasmine Rice that was left over and sitting in my fridge. If I'd had more or less then that's what would have gone in the pot!)

Over medium high heat add the tomatoes to a good sized stock pot. Bring them up to a heavy simmer, stirring occasionally. Add the broth and the undrained beans. Turn down the heat to medium. Bring the mixture back up to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Mix the salt in well. Add the rice, breaking up any clumps. Bring the soup back up to a simmer and leave it until the rice has absorbed as much liquid as you'd like. For us it was about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle it with grated Parmesan if that's the kind of thing you like.

This makes a big pot of Cupboard Soup, enough for our family of 5 to have seconds and some left over for Eric's lunch tomorrow.

That's with Parmesan on the right and without on the left.

To give credit where it's due, I based my soup on a recipe I got from Real Simple Magazine. I've added all kinds of things to that Minestrone, and I think you could do the same thing to this soup. Whatever veggies you've got, fresh, frozen, or canned. (Just be sure to add them last if it's a kind that gets mushy.) Pasta, brown rice, chopped potatoes, whatever. I've also added leftover chicken to the minestrone, and if I'd had some I would have added it this time.

Usually Eric isn't a big fan of  the Minestrone I make, he said this is his favorite version. As a matter of fact, he said I have to make it like this from now on. I am allowed to add chicken if I want!

As it stands this is a vegetarian (possibly Vegan) recipe, it makes a great meal. It's incredibly filling.

If you actually make this recipe I would love to hear about it in the comments. Let me know what you added or left out and how you and your family like it!

The Wall Street Journal talks about Gluten Sensitivity

I found this article from the Wall Street Journal very informative.

It helps to shed some light on the differences between Celiac Disease, Gluten Sensitivity, and those who have a Wheat Allergy.

Lunches

Lunch seems to be one of the things that people with Celiac Disease have a hard time with. Either it's kids who need a lunch at school or it's working people who need something quick and easy to eat on their break. I've been in both situations, packing a lunch for my kids and for my husband.

Luckily for me I live in a place where school kids with a medical necessity have to be given a lunch similar to what everyone else is eating. I speak with the Cafeteria Workers at the beginning of each school year and let them know a little about my daughter's needs and how severe her condition really is. Every time they have been very understanding and totally supportive, usually they ask for her favorites and want to know what kinds of things she'd prefer. Lucky for them my daughter likes simple things! We've also bought her a few medic alert style bracelets to wear on her right hand, just to remind people about her condition. Usually she only wears it for the first few months of school, by then everyone is aware and used to things. (I found all of her bracelets on Etsy. The one that she liked the best was silicone, but the writing wore off too quickly for my taste. Luckily she only needed it for a few months.)

My daughter was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in the Spring of her Kindergarten year. For three years I packed her school lunches. At first I didn't know about the law that she had to be given a similar lunch, and even if I'd known I don't think I would have trusted her not to eat something she shouldn't. We actually had a problem once when she tried a friend's chicken nuggets. Let that be a lesson to those with Celiac kids. You need to make them aware of their condition, don't try to hide it from them. We've always been totally honest with our daughter. She knows that if she gets gluten she'll get sick. It just took her having a couple of reactions for the message to sink in. Now she's incredibly careful.

I also pack lunches for my husband to take to work. He doesn't have Celiac Disease, but the same principles apply.

There are two ways I pack a lunch: From Scratch or Leftovers.

The easiest way is Leftovers and that's usually what my husband gets. He has access to a microwave at his office and it isn't a big deal for him to reheat things. If your kid has a microwave at their school then this way might work well for them too.

When I make dinner I rarely cook for just the five of us. Unless I'm making something expensive I always try to make at least two portions more. These left over portions become lunch the next day for my husband and I. This doesn't always work out, there are five of us so if I get a package of chicken with 6 pieces then only Hubby gets leftovers for lunch the next day. This also doesn't apply when I'm making leftovers for another meal, like when I roast an extra chicken to use the meat for soup. Other things are much easier though, and some leave us with much more than just two left over meals. Spaghetti, soup, stir fry, and other 'wet' dinners are easy to make plenty of so we can get many 'extra' meals out of one pot.

After I'm done making dinner I will immediately get the plastic containers out and put aside the portions for lunches. Then if there is any left over after dinner those get portioned out too. I've found it's easier to put the lunch portions away right away, that way if it's something really good we aren't tempted to go back and eat Tomorrow's lunch!

For foods that aren't in the 'wet' category, things like chicken breasts that are in individual portions I like to put them in divided plate containers. That way there is also a place to put sides. For example, if I make grilled chicken I'll usually have some kind of vegetables for the sides. When I'm done cooking the chicken I'll put my husband's lunch piece in the divided plate and go ahead and add veggies to the other sections. The next day he can microwave everything together, save a little time, and still have a nice hot meal.

Even though I'm a stay at home mom I find it's much easier to eat right when I've already got something I can just grab and toss in the microwave. If it's not easy to make I tend to just skip it rather than taking the time to make something. Having leftovers all ready to go really saves me. My toddler doesn't have Celiac Disease, so it isn't like when I make his lunch I can just make extra for me (right now he's at the stage where he only wants PB&J 'sammiches' for lunch.)

Now we move on to Made From Scratch Lunches. These are the lunches I'd make for the kids who didn't have access to a microwave or what I make for my husband on days when there are no leftovers.

There are a few 'rules' I like to follow:

Rule #1: Thou shall not let lunch be boring.

I have found that my family would rather have lots of little portions of different kinds of things to eat than a few larger portions, even if it's something they love. So instead of one big sandwich and two sides I'll try to put 5 or 6 different things in. If they get a sandwich I always cut it into four pieces, triangles or squares. (My husband gets two sandwiches, I just cut those in half. Don't want to embarrass the big guy!)

When my daughter was in Kindergarten and I was still figuring out this whole gluten free thing her lunch usually consisted of: a yogurt, an Envirokidz bar, sliced fruit, and baby carrots. Then she'd buy a milk at school. After I had things more in hand I would alternate the yogurt with a PB&J sandwich.

Going along with the No Boring Lunches rule I would try to alternate what went into lunches. It was always the same formula, but I could vary the pieces. When I went to the store I'd let my kids have a say in what we got. I let them pick the yogurts for their lunches, I'd let them pick the fruit, if we'd run out of jam then they'd get to decide what flavor we got next. I would choose two things (apples or pears, grape jelly or strawberry jam, baby carrots or celery) and they got to pick from there. Giving them unlimited choices would have taken forever or they'd choose something totally out of our budget. Doing it this way let them feel like they had some control without making things too difficult for me. Side note: I try to get the squeezable jam. That way I don't have to worry about cross contamination and I don't have to spend the money to buy two different jars of the same jam. If you're really ambitious you could always buy the squeeze stuff once and then just refill the bottle. I'm not that crazy ambitious.

Rule #2: Thou shalt not have treats every day.

I don't know about you, but my kids have a tendency to eat treats and not have room for the healthy stuff. I take that option off the table by not adding dessert to their lunches. I'm of the opinion that dessert is a treat, not a right. We don't have dessert after every dinner, why should the kids have dessert after every lunch.

This was especially important when my daughter was first diagnosed. She was having a hard time eating, and being malnourished from the Celiac Disease it was really important that she get as many nutrient rich foods as she could.

That isn't to say that lunch didn't have anything sweet. On the contrary, there was always at least one fruit and sometimes I'd even break down and add fruit snacks. Plus, I always added EnviroKidz bars which seem like a treat even though they are actually healthy. (I like the chocolate ones with the Koala, my kids like the peanut butter ones with a Panda and the Fruit ones with the Cheetah.)

On very rare occasions I'd add a real life treat, cookies or maybe a piece of their Halloween candy. This was the exception though.

Rule #3: Thou shalt bring back any uneaten food.

This one was a rule for my kids. If they didn't eat it at school then they were supposed to put it back in their lunch bag and bring it home. This did two things for me. One, it let me see what and how much they were eating. With my daughter it was important to know that she got enough food. If she hadn't eaten all her lunch I knew I needed to give her a bigger afternoon snack or more at dinner. Two, it let me see what my kids preferred. This is how I learned that my kids didn't like apple slices because they turned brown and therefore 'icky', so I'd save those for an after school snack when they could eat them fresh. It's also how I learned that sandwiches cut in quarters got eaten while sandwiches only cut in half never seemed to be finished.

I never got upset with my kids for bringing something home. I thought that if I yelled at them for not eating something it would just encourage them to throw things away instead of bringing it home. I'd ask why they didn't eat something, but only in an "I'm curious" way.

Rule #4 Thou shalt prepare as much as possible ahead of time.

This is the rule that made the most difference. Once a week (usually Sunday for freshness sake) I get as much ready as possible. I clean, cut, and separate veggies, portion out fruit, cube cheese, whatever can be done in advance. Everything goes into individual sandwich or snack sized bags (if you are environmentally conscious you make or buy reusable bags. Etsy has a lot of options.) I have two places just for lunch stuff, a basket in the cupboard and one in the fridge. The family knows not to touch the stuff in those baskets. (I also have baskets for snacks, so it isn't like I'm teasing them!)

I also do anything I can the night before. This is when the leftovers are sectioned out and the sandwiches get made.

Then in the morning I just have to assemble the pieces. I set the lunch bags out on the counter and toss in what's needed. It's super easy to just grab things out of the cupboard and fridge baskets. I also keep those blue freezer pouches ready in the freezer for days where there are things that are perishable. It's just another thing to grab and toss in the bag. Then the lunch bags go right by the door so we don't forget them on our way out.

Here are some other things that I've found made popular lunches:

We do something at our house called Homemade Lunchables. Instead of paying through the nose for those tiny packages of meat, cheese, and crackers we have a DIY version. I buy meat and cheese from the deli and cut it up during my Sunday prep. Then I separate it into individual portions and put it in baggies in the fridge basket. I'll get nut crackers for my daughter and regular Ritz crackers for my husband and sons, they go in baggies in the cupboard (be careful with the crackers, they can be manufactured with wheat stuff. You'll need to watch out for reactions.) Super easy to grab and go in the morning. Another thing that goes good with this style of lunch is that Summer Sausage that comes in a big ol' club.

De-constructed Salads. This only works for my husband, and it only works if I send the pieces and let him assemble it at work. I'll put a spinach salad mix in one large bowl, then lots of toppings in smaller bowls. Popular toppings are: chickpeas, ham pieces, kidney beans, and grape tomatoes. (Salads like this are also something we do in the Summertime for dinner.)

Other ideas for lunches:

Sandwiches. I mention PB&J a lot because that's my kids' favorite. My husband prefers deli meat and cheese. I tend to get whatever's on sale but not the cheap stuff (that stuff is just gross.) We also like tuna salad and egg salad.

Hard boiled eggs. Again an easy Sunday prep item. I boil a dozen eggs and then draw funny faces on the shells. This does double duty of entertaining my kids and letting me know which carton of eggs was boiled and which is raw. The eggs destined for my husband's lunch only get a small HB (for hard boiled) written on it. (Again, wouldn't want to embarrass him!)

Cheese. If you aren't lactose intolerant then cheese can be an easy way to get a little protein. I buy a big block and slice it up (again on Sunday) in interesting ways. My family really only likes mild cheddar, so to vary things I alternate between slices, cubes, and sticks. String cheese is also very popular with my kids, but it's kind of pricey so we don't do that too often.

Ranch dressing. My husband is kind of a baby when it comes to his vegetables. He likes them, but only if he has Ranch to dip them in. Rather than spend a ton of money on those individual cups of Hidden Valley I bought a bunch of condiment containers and fill it with generic Ranch.

Apple sauce and fruit cups. The slightly larger condiment cups are great for making these yourself too, just make sure your kids can take the lid off without making a mess. Some cups are easier than others.

Okay, that's it! I know this was super long but I hope it was somewhat helpful! I'd love to hear what other people do for lunches as well.

Product Links:
MICROWAVE DIVIDED PLATES WITH VENTED LIDS - (SET OF 4 IN ASSORTED COLORS) These aren't the ones I have. Mine are a few years old and this is as close as I could find.
Rubbermaid 50-Piece Easy Find Lids Food Storage Set
Rubbermaid 7J55 Easy Find Lid Square 1/2-Cup Food Storage Container, 2 pack (I have lots of these. They're great for feeding my toddler and carrying snacks for him in my bag.)
Techni Ice HDR 4 Ply Reusable Ice Packs / Hot Packs (5 Sheets) (These are also great to have in the freezer for bumps and ouches. Especially if your kids are as accident prone as mine are.)

Food Links:
EnviroKidz Organic Cheetah Crispy Rice Berry Bars, 6-Count Bars (Pack of 6)
EnviroKidz Organic Panda Crispy Rice Bars, Peanut Butter, 6-Count Bars (Pack of 6) (Those two are the ones my kids like.)
EnviroKidz Organic Koala Crispy Rice Bars, Chocolate, 6-Count Bars (Pack of 6) (These are the ones I like!)
Smucker's Strawberry Squeeze Fruit Spread - 20 oz
Blue Diamond Nut-Thins Cracker Snacks, Almond, 4.25-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12)

Pasta

I love pasta. Really love pasta. Before my diagnosis it was one of my go-to basics for cooking. When the doctor told me I had Celiac Disease and what it meant the first thing I said to him was "You mean no more pasta? No! Can't I give up meat instead?"

Yes. I would rather have gone without bacon than pasta.

Unfortunately life doesn't let you chose your challenges. Fortunately there are some pretty decent gluten free pastas out there. Now I'm not saying that there is a magic gluten free pasta that cooks up to taste and feel just like the gluten full stuff you're used to. Not even a little bit. What there is are a few kinds that resemble the stuff you're used to.

Rice has mostly replaced pasta as my staple carbohydrate for dinners, but we do still enjoy the occasional spaghetti dinner.

Here's what we've discovered.

1) Corn pasta gives us the closest match to gluten full pasta. Even my husband can eat the corn pasta but he can't stand the rice stuff.

2) De Boles brand makes pretty darn good corn pasta
but their rice stuff is gross. Mrs. Leeper's and Tinkyada both make decent rice pasta, but we really prefer the corn pasta at our house. Mrs. Leeper's also makes corn pasta, but I haven't found it locally yet.

3) The thicker the pasta the easier it is to tell that it's gluten free. With spaghetti you can almost fool yourself into thinking that you're eating the 'real' thing. With rotini or shells the difference is more noticeable. I did find a package of Tinkyada lasagna noodles but my son used it for a school project before I could try them and see how they turn out.

The other really big difference with gluten free pasta is how you cook it. You cannot just dump the pasta into boiling water and wait for it to turn al dente. You will end up with a pot full of sticky, gritty nastiness.

This is very important so pay attention!

First of all you cannot look at the package for cooking times. They are almost universally too long. Gluten free pasta cooks fast. Very fast. The thinner the pasta the faster it cooks. If you over cook wheat pasta it gets mushy. If you over cook gluten free pasta it gets gritty. There is a very fine line between undercooked hard and overcooked gritty. The only way to find that is to pull a noodle out of the water (Let it cool slightly!!) and eat it. If it feels right (not too hard, a little al dente) then you know it's done. When it's done you have to get it off the stove FAST. Have a colander in the sink before you put the pasta in the hot water. As soon as your pasta is done dump it in the colander and run cold water on it to keep it from cooking any more. Then put sauce, oil, or butter on it as soon as possible to keep it from clumping together.

Second, you cannot just dump it into the pot of boiling water. Especially the long thin spaghetti noodles. You have to constantly stir the pot while you are slowly adding the pasta. Add a little pasta at a time. If you dump it all in it will stick together. Giant thick 1/2 pieces of spaghetti are not very appetizing. They also defeat the purpose of getting thin pasta to taste better. Clumping is not good. When we were first figuring this out it was actually a two person job. One person to stir and another to add the pasta slowly. Now we can do it by ourselves but we still have to be very careful.

We had spaghetti for dinner last night. The way we make it is two packages of spaghetti, two jars of Prego spaghetti sauce (Be sure to check the label. Some are marked gluten free, the others have ingredients that are really iffy.), and some kind of meat. If we're in a hurry we'll just use our good old stand by Polish sausage, if we're more leisurely we'll brown some hamburger with garlic. Either way is good.

De Boles Pasta Corn Spaghetti, 8-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12)
Mrs. Leeper's Pasta Organic, Corn Spaghetti, 12 Ounce Bags (Pack of 12)
Tinkyada Brown Rice Spaghetti with Rice Bran, 16-Ounce Packages (Pack of 12)
Tinkyada Brown Rice Lasagne with Rice Bran, 10-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12)


In the spirit of honesty and full disclosure I want to let my readers know that I set up an Amazon Affiliates account. That's where I can link to products on Amazon and if you buy that product from my link I get a little kick back. I'll put those links at the bottom of every post. (I have no idea why there is a little white box after every link and I have no idea how to make it go away. I guess I'm not too computer savvy!)