Holiday Baking Ingredients...

If you are fairly new to gluten free holiday baking, as I am, then you know how hard it can be sorting and reading through labels on all those baking products needed to make your favorite cookies and other holiday treats into gluten free.. I have added a list of  just a few of the most used  gluten free ingredients needed in making those beautiful Holiday delicacies. I hope the list helps to make your holiday baking a little easier this year, and  that you can use the time saved to spend with friends and family!.


  Jellies, Peanut Butters & Spreads:
  
   Polaner All Fruit

Jiff Peanut butter-all types

Skippy Peanut butter-creamy, crunchy, reduced fat, and roasted honey nut

Smuckers Jellies and Jams

Smuckers All Fruit

Smuckers Natural Peanut butter

Welch’s Grape jelly and jam

Marshmallow Fluff

 

Molasses and Karo:

 

Brer Rabbit Molasses

Grandma’s molasses

Karo corn syrups-light and dark

 

Butters, Shortenings, Oils, Spreads, and Sprays:

 

Cabot Butter

Cabot Whipped Butter

Crisco Oil

Crisco Shortening-regular and butter

Fleishman’s Light Margarine

Mazola oils and sprays

Smart Balance Shortening and Cooking Spray

Smart Balance Buttery Spread

I Can’t believe it’s not Butter, -all types

Benecol spread (reg and light)

Land O Lakes butter-salted, unsalted and whipped (NOTE: light butter is NOT gluten free)

 

Sour Creams, Yogurts:

 

Axelrod sour cream

Cabot Sour Cream-regular and lite

Columbo yogurts-fat free, light, low fat, classic

Yoplait yogurts-original, light, thick and creamy, whips, go gurts, smoothies

Axelrod Yogurt

Dannon plain yogurt-low fat, nonfat, natural

Dannon Dan Active plain yogurt

 

 

Baking Goods/milks:

 

Carnation Evaporated and Fat Free Evaporated Milk

Carnation Sweetened Condensed Milk

Carnation Instant Nonfat Dry Milk

Thai Kitchen Light Coconut Milk

Thai Kitchen Premium Coconut Milk

A Taste of Thai Coconut Milk

 

Sugars and Misc:

 

Arm and Hammer Baking Soda

Domino’s sugar-brown-light and dark, confectionery, and granulated white

Fleishmann’s Yeast

Splenda Sweetener

 

 

Chocolate and Chocolate chips:

 

Hershey’s chocolate syrup, chocolate chips, baking chips

Ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa, unsweetened baking bar,

bittersweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips,

semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and baking bar

 

 

Spices and Extracts:

 

McCormick’s extracts (all flavors, pure and imitation)

McCormick’s spices (not blends)

McCormick’s food color

Real Lemon and Real lime juice

Nestles Toll House morsels

Betty Crocker candy sprinkles

Betty Crocker Neon decorating gels

Splenda Sweetener

Durkee Spices

 

Pie Fillings:

 

Comstock pie fillings-all flavors 

Lucky leaf pie fillings

Libby’s pure pumpkin

* As always it is up to the individual to read labels to make sure that products used in recipes posted are gluten free, as companies do change ingredients from time to time.

* Splenda...There are no gluten containing, grain based ingredients derived from wheat, rye, or barley, nor any ingredients derived from oats, used to produce SPLENDA^® Brand Sweetener (sucralose) or the SPLENDA^® Sweetener Products. However they do not test their finished products for the presence of gluten.

As always have a great wheat free day!
Sharon

Crustless Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie...

Ingredients:


1 - 15 ounce can Libby's Pumpkin puree...not pie filling
1  - 12 ounce can Carnations fat free evaporated milk
3-  egg whites
1 tsp  Vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves)
2/3 C Splenda for baking

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 F. Prepare 9" glass pie dish by spraying with Smart Balance cooking spray.
Combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth and well blended. Pour mixture into prepared pie dish.
Bake at 400 F for 15 minutes; reduce oven to 325 F and bake for additional  45 minutes, or until a knife  inserted in the center comes out clean.

 Allow to cool completely for several hours before slicing.

* Splenda...There are no gluten containing, grain based ingredients derived from wheat, rye, or barley, nor any ingredients derived from oats, used to produce SPLENDA^® Brand Sweetener (sucralose) or the SPLENDA^® Sweetener Products. However we do not test our finished products for the presence of gluten.

Thanksgiving Gingerbread Cake

It is 4:44 in the morning and although I am tired I just can not sleep with all the thoughts running through my mind. My husbands job has brought us to sunny Tennessee and I will be here for two weeks, of which one has already passed.

I am not an early bird by nature, but since my husband is working twelve hour days, up at 3 AM each morning, and we are staying in a RV for the duration of the visit, it is hard not to be woken during his morning routine of getting ready for the day. I prefer to stay up late and sleep in, not the case as of late!

I decided instead of tossing and turning that I would simply post on the blog. Since I haven't had my computer up and running for over a week I have much catching up to do. I have hundreds of emails to sort through and answer, and I find that the products I need to sample and review will all have to wait until I return home, as RV life is somewhat of a challenge when it comes to cooking!!!

My first attempt at baking a pre-made GF pizza in the tiniest of ovens

Katz Gluten Free storm and shipping update...

Hi all. I just received this email from Katz and thought I should share with those of you who have possibly placed orders.

To all our valued customers:

Unfortunately Katz Gluten Free has been affected by the Storm that has passed through the Northeast.

The Glass Rooster Cannery...

A few weeks back I stopped at the Glass Rooster Home Cannery on one of my grocery shopping outings. I had passed the Cannery many times over the past few years and just never took the time to stop. Shame on me! It was definitely not what I had expected it to be at all. I had pictured a store filled with jars and jars of preserved foods for sale, and found a rare hidden gem instead. It is actually a Licensed Kitchen with a clean, inviting facility for novice and experienced cooks interested in storing a safe food supply efficiently from home grown sources.

I was greeted by Jeannie who was preparing for an Appetizer class, yet she graciously took the time to talk with me and answer my many questions. After explaining what the Cannery offers in the way

Eat..Pray..Love..& Groceries...

Last night I watched the movie "Eat..Pray..Love" with Julia Roberts, who by the way is a beautiful actress. I hadn't seen the movie for quite some time and I was exhausted after a long day in the kitchen tweaking a bread recipe to meet my own personal tastes, and I needed a break. Needless to say every loaf  I had made went into the trash. They were either too moist, to brown, or collapsed while baking.

There is a saying that goes... "Don't believe everything you hear"...well the same could be said for everything you read! How can you print a cook book and leave out important information

Gingerbread cake made gluten free...

Hi all. I have made the gluten free version of this gingerbread cake recipe several times now, tweaking it as I went, to make sure it was something "ALL" ginger lovers would enjoy before sharing the recipe. This makes a 8x8 inch pan and serves 9 generously. It is light, moist

One of those days...

Have you ever had one of those days where you had a million things to do and didn't know where to start? Today is such a day for me.

 I am in the mist of decorating our second bedroom as I found a beautiful watercolor print at our local Goodwill store and just had to have it! It is loaded with shades of green, grape, fuchs's and yellows in every different shade. I finally narrowed it down to selecting the colors for the walls after much deliberation.

Sun Flour Mills Sugar Cookie review...

It has been awhile since I have reviewed any of Sun Flour Mills products and since I still had a few of their products on hand, compliments of the company, I decided to make some sugar cookies this evening. Christmas is right around the corner and I like to get a jump start on what cookies I will be making for my holiday trays. Since this will be my first year being totally gluten free I need

Plea to women everywhere to have breast exams....

Another sleepless night of many this past week, and so I find myself on the computer once again in the wee hours of the morning.( I threw that "wee" in there as I recently found out my family tree starts in Scotland)  I recently returned from a week of visiting family and find that I have not slept through the night since my return. What was suppose to be a fun visit has turned into many stressful days and nights...

If you have read my profile you will know a little of why I actually started this blog and my wheat free journey. For those of you who are new readers let me tell you my story.

Two years ago during my yearly mammogram they found a dark spot in the back of my right breast. I have been on a two year watch which not only entailed my yearly mammogram, but also a sonogram every six months to make sure there were no changes. Combining what was suppose to be my last sonogram to check up on this situation, and a short family visit, has turned into something just short of a nightmare.

I was excited to be at the end of this waiting period and to get a good report and finally put this behind me and move on....I had no doubt in my mind that everything was going to be okay as I lay on the exam table waiting for the results of the reading. This is how the situation panned out.

Technician: " Okay. Your next scheduled mammogram will be in April. We will send you a reminder in the mail and at that time he wants to have another sonogram done".

Me: " I thought this was the last sonogram needed as it is the end of the 2 year watch? Was something wrong, was there a change in the spot?"

Technician: " Well he thinks possibly there may have been a slight change from the past results, or it could just be a technical issue".

Me: " So your saying it has gotten bigger?"

Technician: " Well he thinks it might be a slight change of maybe 1-2 centimeters, or it could just be a  technical issue. If he thought it was serious he would have ordered a biopsy today".

WHAT THE HECK does that mean???? Now this I know from personal experience that 1-2 centimeters is not something to just overlook as I have a 5 centimeter cyst on my right kidney and know that it is about the size of a lime. So 1-2 centimeters to me IS a big deal!!!

I also feel that if it WAS a technical issue that another sonogram should have been taken then and there to rule out that possibility. This is my LIFE you are talking about!

Needless to say that after the initial shock has finally worn off I will be on the phone with my OB this morning with my concerns and complaints, as I feel this was not handled very well on the professional end of this matter.

I am still stunned in the fact that I was left to walk out the door wondering if I now have a growth inside me that might be becoming a serious issue and was just left ignored like I didn't matter. Maybe I am over reacting...maybe everything is okay...I just want to know!

I urge you women out there to please get your scheduled mammogram. The spot in my breast would not have been found without my having my routine checkup, as I physically felt no lump because it is so far back in the breast. Life is to precious to take chances!

As my profile reads.... I hope this blog will encourage you to take control of your life and live it as it was intended....To it's fullest! I want to be the kind of woman that when my feet hit the ground each morning , the devil says, "OH CRAP, SHE'S UP"! Prayerfully God will give me many more of such days...

I will keep you posted on any new results I hear.
 

Gillians GF Fusilli pasta product review...

Last night we tried Gillian's Fusilli for dinner with our favorite pasta sauce. I was very pleased with the way the pasta cooked as well as the taste. This pasta is made with  brown rice pasta and is not only free of wheat and gluten's, but also egg free. It is also sodium, fat free and cholesterol free.

Brown rice is the least processed form of rice. It has the bran layer, which gives this pasta a slightly chewier texture. It is tan in color and has a slight nut like flavor. Brown rice grains are also higher in fiber and nutritional content such as oils, vitamin B's and important minerals than those of white rice.

The texture was great and I really enjoyed the flavor of the noodles. I found it to be the perfect texture when cooked and not mushy like some brands I have tried.

Gillian's facility is dedicated to a gluten and wheat free environment. Their site offers many recipes and information about their products and is easy to maneuver on. Their products include Gluten free rolls, onion rolls, sandwich bread, pasta's, bread crumbs, flours, and wheat/gluten free mixes such as brownie mix, cinnamon bread mix and pizza dough mix. They also offer pre-made cookie doughs in Chocolate Chip and Sugar Cookie.

I would recommend this pasta to those who are looking for a great firm hearty tasting pasta that holds sauces well. It also bakes well so it can even be used in casseroles. You will find several of their pasta products at the Gluten Free Mall on this blog or you can visit their site at Gillians Foods

Rating: 4 3/4 Stars