The best of two worlds...

Hi all. I apologize for being so slow in posting reviews lately...I have been having computer problems as of late and it keeps kicking me off the web.
Now down to business...Today I figured I would combine two products in one recipe for a review.  I used a All Purpose Flour from one company and Mega Chunks from another to make Chocolate chunk cookies and the results were phenomenal!

Better Batter sent me a All Purpose Flour Mix which I used to make the basic cookie dough and I then added Mega Chunks from Enjoy Life in place of regular chocolate chips. I will post the recipe separately and you will not be disappointed if you give it a try.

First the review for the all purpose flour from Better Batter: 

Better Batter Gluten Free Flour is a truly a cup for cup substitute for regular flour in most regular recipes. It sells for $7.50 on their home site for a 20 oz box, although they also offer other sizes as well, for those who need larger quantities.
I found it to be just as easy to work with as a regular wheat flour would be, only difference is, it is gluten free. The cookie dough seemed slightly softer than a regular chocolate chip cookie dough might be, but it was very easy to work with. The cookies themselves were moist, tender, almost like eating air, and I had a hard time eating just two....well okay four, but who's counting?
I was pleasantly surprised at the texture and taste, they browned evenly and were definitely worth making from scratch. I know this is going to be a cookie that will disappear quickly in our house. Since my husband is a diabetic I did use Splenda sugar mix in the recipe in place of regular sugar so I had to press the cookie dough down slightly before placing in oven, but it was because of the added Splenda blend, not the flour itself. I am anxious to try this flour in other recipes as well.

I would rate this product based on the quality of the cookies it produced 5 Stars.

Better Batter offers several other mixes which include a Chocolate cake mix, Yellow cake mix, Fudge brownie mix, Pancake and Biscuit mix, and a Seasoned flour mix. You can visit their site at http://www.betterbatter.org/

Ingredients for the All Purpose Flour:
Rice flour, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, potato flour, xanthan gum, pectin (lemon derivative)
 

Enjoy Life Mega Chunks review:

I LOVED the rich, smooth texture of the Mega Chunks in the cookie recipe. Not only are the Mega Chunks and all of Enjoy Life's products gluten free but they are also free of dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish and shell fish.

I used the whole bag of chunks for my recipe and there was not a bite that wasn't filled with the rich chocolaty taste of chunks.

I would give this product 5 Stars and it will definitely be a added addition to my pantry.

Enjoy Life has quite a variety of gluten free products which include cookies, granolas, chewy bars, seed and fruit mixes, chocolate for baking, chocolate bars, plentils and cereals.

To view what they have to offer or make a purchase visit their site at http://www.enjoylifefoods.com

I apologize...

Hi everyone! I apologize for not posting this past week as I was away visiting family once again. I would have been home sooner and posted, but my youngest daughter "FINALLY" found a new place to live after months and months of looking, how as a mother could I say no and leave her stranded moving alone?
This has been a week of proving to myself that at even at the age of 62 I am still able to pretty much keep up to those younger than myself, even though I am both physically and emotionally drained at the moment. I believe allot of it is that we were never actually able to sit down and eat, so most of our meals, if that is even what you could call it, were basically fast foods and ladened with wheat and gluten! I personally do not have Celiac disease so it wasn't to big of an issue for me, although I definitely noticed a change health wise almost immediately. I think I even gained a few pounds, ugh, so this week it is back to the grind, and I will definitely be eating more fruits and veggies to get back on track!
When I got home I found products for reviews from several  more companies on my door steps, so I will be pretty busy the next few months sharing my taste test results with you.
I hope you all had a better wheat free week than I did, and I will be posting again very soon. Till next post, have a wheat free kind of day!.....Sharon

Bella Lucia gluten free Italian Pizzelles....review...

This week my husband and I sampled Italian Pizzelles, courtesy of Bella Lucia. Although we only sampled the Vanilla and Saigon Cinnamon flavors the company also makes a Anise flavor as well.
They come in approximately a 10 count package, and although they are gluten free, they are made in a facility that also contains wheat, so the company go beyond industry standards by using ELISA Technology to ensure a gluten free result.
 Although they tended to be slightly thicker in nature than that of pizzells I have tasted  in the past, and I have tasted many, they still maintained that outer crispness of the basic pizzelles nature.
There are no extra additives or preservatives added, and the  pizzelles are made with the finest gluten free ingredients, and the taste proves this to be so.
The Vanilla had a soft vanilla flavor that did not over power the pizzelle, but left a smooth taste in your mouth. The Saigon cinnamon pizzelle had a sweet Cinnamon taste but not overpoweringly sweet. This was my favorite.
All the pizzelle flavors have the same basic ingredients except for the flavoring itself.

Ingredient list:  White rice and brown rice flours, tapioca starch, potato starch, potato flour, xanthan gum, pectin, sugar, canola oil, eggs, flavoring.

*Contain eggs

I found the pizzelle was sturdy enough to dip in a cup of tea or coffee as well as with a cold glass of milk. However you eat them you will be sure to enjoy.

Although a few of the top pizzelles were broken upon arrival, most were not harmed and they are a nice size also.

You can purchase the pizelles online at http://bellaluciaglutenfree.com/ in 3 packs for around $20.99 plus S&H. That's about $6.99 for a 6 oz package. You can also purchase them Half case (6 boxes) and Full case (12 boxes).

If you are lucky enough to live in AZ, CA, CT, FL, IL, MD, MA, NJ, PA you might find them on the shelves of a few select stores in your area. If you  local to a Wegman's store check there first.

I would rate this treat:

Vanilla Pizzelles 5 Stars

Saigon Cinnamon Pizzelles 5 Stars

 Nutrition facts:  Serving size 1 cookie (17g); Servings per container 10; Calories 100; Fat calories 38; Total Fat 4.26g; Trans fat 0%; Saturated fat 7g; Cholesterol, 28.78mg; Sodium 9.53mg; Total Carbs 13.65g; Dietary Fiber <1g; Sugars 6.24g; Protein 1.34g; Vitamin A, 1%* Vitamin C, 0%*; Calcium 0%*; Iron <1%* ; Percent daily values are bases on a 2,000 calorie diet

WOW Baking Company review...

WOW Baking company sent me several products to sample and I am so glad they did. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I LOVE my sweets, and this company did not leave me disappointed.
Over the weekend I had family visit from Pa. and used WOW's chocolate cake mix to make a cake for dessert. WOW....is all I can say. The cake was moist and flavorful and was enjoyed by everyone. I even saw a few relatives go back for seconds. I did not tell anyone it was gluten free and the question was never asked. As the saying goes..."What you don't know, can't hurt you"...
I loved the rich chocolate taste and the moistness of this cake. Although it does use quite a few eggs to bake, 6 to be exact, it can stand up to any other cake mix on the shelves of the supermarket, and definitely wins my approval. It was easy to make and iced well also.
This cake mix contains: Organic crystallized cane sugar, gluten free flour (brown rice, sweet rice, tapioca), cocoa, corn starch, potato starch, salt, baking powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn starch, monocalcium phosphate), xanthan gum.

* may contain traces of nuts

Nutritional Facts:

Servings per container 15
Serving Size 1 Slice
Calories 239
Total Fat 10g
Saturated Fat 6g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 66g
Sodium 375mg
Total Carbohydrates 39g
Dietary Fiber 2g
Sugars 22g
Protein 3g

Rating: 5 Stars

The second product they sent me was a bag of their Lemon Burst cookies. These cookies are pre-made so this saved me lots of time in the kitchen. Second to chocolate, Lemon is my second all time favorite flavor. I love it in tea, I love it on seafood, I love it in baked goods, heck, I even love the smell of Lemon!
Once again I was not disappointed. The light lemony taste of these cookies was so satisfying I had trouble putting the bag down! It's a good thing there are only 4 servings per bag so I didn't go too overboard. Well I guess that depends on your own personal version of what you might consider overboard to mean.
The cookies had just enough lemon flavor to satisfy, but not to much to overwhelm. They were moist and chewy with just a hint of sugar sprinkled on top. These are a definite must have in my pantry.

Ingredients:
Gluten free flour (brown rice, sweet rice, tapioca), sugar, butter (milk), eggs, cornstarch, potato starch, vanilla, lemon oil, cream of tartar, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt.

Contains: eggs, milk
*may contain traces of nuts

Rating: 5 Stars

Nutritional Facts:
Servings per container 4
Calories 260
Total fat 12g
Saturated fat 7g
Trans fat 0g
Cholesterol 50mg
Sodium 220mg
Total Carbohydrates 36g
Dietary Fifer 1g
Sugars 14g

The next 3 products they sent me were all individually wrapped baked goods. A Chocolate Chip Cookie, Oregon Oatmeal cookie, and a Chocolate brownie. All these products are not only all natural with No trans fats, and were wheat and gluten free, but were also delicious.

The Chocolate chip cookie was soft and loaded with chips. The Oregon Oatmeal was loaded with cranberries and apricots, a combination I would never have thought to try, but was so moist and chewy with just the right amount of spices it made me wish I had more! Well, do I dare say that the cookies are such a generous size that I would have been making a pig of myself  if I had indeed eaten more!
The brownie was so moist and chewy that I savored every last crumb!
I am not going to list the ingredients of these items for the sake of time, but you can check them out at WOW's home site at http://wowbaking.com/ along with all their other wheat and gluten free products that they offer. Chocolate and yellow cake mixes, bakery tubs of fresh baked mini cookies, individually baked wrapped cookies, bagged baked cookies, and for those more adventurous their cookie dough that you can bake yourself, when needed.

I would rate these products:

Chocolate Chip Cookie:
 4 1/2 Stars ...only because I like my Chocolate chip cookies a little more chewy, although the flavor is excellent.
Oregon Oatmeal Cookie:
5 Stars It was sooooo moist and flavorful.
Chocolate brownie:
5+ Stars....You know I love my brownies!!!

Till next time, have a great wheat free day!!!

Namaste Contest Winner!

The Winner of the Namaste bag filled with Namaste Products  is Angela B. from CA.

Angela wrote:
I fell in love with Namaste's Perfect Flour Blend at Thanksgiving. I made bread with it then made that bread into croutons for some fabulous GF stuffing! It also makes a WONDERFUL banana bread! I'm not a huge baker anymore (since going GF), but Namaste has some great products to make it easy again!

Her gift bag and products will be on the way to her shortly. Congratulations Angela, we hope you enjoy!

Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs...

Hello again...Well here is that delicious recipe I promised using the Original bread crumbs from Gillian's Foods. Just to let you know I LOVE homemade sauce, while my husband prefers his from a jar, go figure!!! Anyway, I compromised and used products to please us both as you will see in  the recipe that follows. ( I hope you enjoy )



Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs:

                                   1 lb extra lean ground beef
                                   1/2 cup finely chopped onion
                                   1/2 cup (Gillian's GF Original) bread crumbs
                                   1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
                                   1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
                                   1 tsp dried basil
                                   2 T extra virgin olive oil
                                   1- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
                                   1-23 oz jar GF mushroom spaghetti sauce
                                             (or your favorite flavor)
                                   3 cups water
                                   1 lb GF spaghetti (I used Penne)

In a large bowl combine beef, onion, bread crumbs, cheese, Italian seasoning and basil. Use your hands to mix, mixture will be slightly dry. Scoop out enough mixture, about 2 T each, and form into balls. I used a cookie scoop for this step, which makes it a little easier and you get more uniform sized meatballs.
In a large saucepan heat the 2 T of oil over a med-high heat. Cook the meatballs, turning often, until all sides are browned. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, pasta sauce and 3 cups of water, then bring to a boil. Cover the pan leaving the lid slightly ajar, reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally until meatballs are thoroughly cooked and flavors are blended..
Cook pasta according to directions. Drain, add sauce and enjoy!

No Nutritional Information given for this recipe.

Gillian's All purpose bread crumbs review...

First I would like to tell you a little about this company. Gillian's Foods are all gluten, wheat, dairy and nut free products. They are all baked or produced in a G/F facility. They are also AIB audited and certified.
Their products include gluten free rolls, onion rolls, sandwich bread, ziti, pasta, pizza dough, pizza, pie shells, pumpkin pie, cakes, bread crumbs, rice flour, potato flour, tapioca flour, and also gluten and wheat free mixes. Products all made without the harmful ingredients that you must avoid if you are living wheat free, or have Celiac disease.
They were kind enough to supply me with  a tub of their Original bread crumbs, so yesterday I made home made spaghetti sauce with meatballs....YUM!
The tub of Original bread crumbs is 12 oz in weight and sells for $3.99 on their site. The Italian bread crumbs are also 12 oz tubs and sell for $4.50. Don't let the weight per tub scare you, as there are plenty of crumbs for several different recipes. I keep mine in the freezer until I need them so as to keep them fresh.
My husband being an Italian really enjoyed this meal. The meatballs turned out to perfection and were so moist and tender, and no eggs were used! The flavor wasn't any different than meatballs I have made in the past using regular wheat bread crumbs, even more tastier I believe.
The taste of the bread crumbs themselves, before adding any ingredients, were light and crunchy with a mild taste and held up well to the moist ingredients of the recipe. I was quite satisfied at the texture and taste of the bread crumbs and the tenderness they gave the meatballs in the recipe I used.
  
The ingredients in the Original bread crumbs are:
Rice flour, water, yeast,salt, sugar.

Rating:  5 Stars

To see what other baked goods and mixes they have to offer visit their site at http://www.gilliansfoods.com

Sun Flour Mills Pizza Crust & French Bread mix

I received a Whole Grain Pizza Crust & French Bread mix compliments of Sun Flour Mills. This being only the second "homemade" pizza crust mix I have ever used I was kind of excited. Hey, I tried one before and didn't do to bad, so I wanted to see if  I could conquer this mix also.  Besides...I NOW have a pizza pan!
I have to admit preparing this pizza crust was a bit more frustrating than the last mix I had tried, and honestly I wasn’t sure if it would turn out. The dough was so soft and sticky, it was really hard to spread evenly in the pan.  The directions call to use sprayed plastic wrap to smooth the dough out in the pan and it just wasn't working to well for for me, but I pressed on and finally seemed to make the most out of it.
After the dough rose and I had pre-baked the crust it looked quite uneven, high in spots, low in others.  I was ready to give up and  just toss the whole thing, but it had smelled so good while baking that I added the sauce, toppings, and cheese and popped back in the oven to finish baking. The crust came out medium thick with a nice crunchy edge, with a mild flavor. I have to admit that even though the dough is not so easy to work with, baked high in some areas and low in others,  it was definitely a winner in the end as it tasted almost like regular pizza dough from days gone bye. It was all eaten, right down to the last slice!
The box also lists recipes for  bagels, donuts and bread sticks that you can make from the mix which is also nice, giving you a variety of choices.

Although the dough is a bit hard to work with, I have to admit the flavor made it well worth the effort. I would give it this mix:

5 Stars for flavor
BUT
4 Stars for the difficulty of working with the dough

Ingredients: Brown rice flour, Cornstarch, Tapioca starch, Cane sugar, Salt, Xanthan gum, Yeast

Nutritional Snapshot ( mix only): 140 calories, 0 g fat, 3 g. fiber, 2 g. sugar, 2 g, protein

If you would like to try this mix or others offered by Sun Flour Mills you can visit their home site at: http://www.sunflourmills.com/

Taste of Gluten Free Pizza Crust mix...

Taste of Gluten Free sent me a pizza crust mix to try. I have never made my own pizza crust before as we have always eaten pizza out, but  since beginning my wheat/gluten free adventure I decided to give it a try, and hope I didn't mess up to bad.
It comes in a 12 ounce mix that makes one large pizza, and sells for $5 on their home site. It is packaged in a  black thick bag, which I like, as it  helps to  protect the mix from the light.
To prepare the crust you must  first mix  2 teaspoons of  vinegar, 2 teaspoons of  oil, and 1 1/3 cup of warm water. Since this was my first time making pizza crust at home I didn't have a pizza pan so I used a rectangle cookie sheet and placed the dough on it. Using rice flour as the directions call for to keep the dough from sticking to my  hands I formed the dough to the shape of the pan making a nice border edge of dough.
 I placed the pizza into a preheated 450 degree oven for 10 minutes. I then added my home made pizza sauce and cheese (recipe for sauce previously posted on blog) and  placed the pizza back in the oven for an additional 25 minutes.
The crust held up to the toppings and cheese although it was not as thick as I had imagined it would be, possibly the shape and size of the pan I used... The crust is soft and chewy, yet not so soft where it falls apart. I found that the edges were a little crisp but not dry 
There are Italian seasoning in the crust which add a nice flavor. Although I like the flavor of this crust it turned out a little to thin for my personal taste. When I try this crust the next time I will use the new pizza pan I have recently purchased, as this  might make a difference in the thickness of the crust.

Rating 4  Stars

Ingredients: Rice flour, Tapioca starch, Dry milk powder, Yeast, Xanthan gum, Gelatin powder, Italian seasoning, Salt, Sugar.

No nutritional information is provided on the bag for this mix.

If you would like to try this mix for yourself visit their home site at: http://tasteofglutenfree.net

Bella Gluten Free Multigrain sandwich bread mix...

Today I made a loaf of fresh multi grain bread in my bread maker compliments of Bella Gluten Free. The nice thing about this bread mix from Bella is that it gives you the option of hand mixing and baking it in the oven or using a bread machine. Since I recently bought a bread machine I opted to use these directions.

The directions were quite easy. After placing all the ingredients in the pan according to the directions on the bag I set the cycle to gluten free and walked away. Two hours and ten minutes later I had my fresh loaf of multi grain yeast bread cooling on the rack.

This bread was moist and had a great hearty multi grain taste. It toasts evenly and holds up to the "sandwich test". I love the fact that it is 100% Allergen Free. No wheat, No gluten, No soy, No nuts, Peanut free, Egg free, Lactose/Casein free, No Modified starches and No GMO's. ( You can use eggs in the mix or egg substitute)

All the ingredients are also 100% natural and organic:
Tapioca flour, Brown rice flour, Sorghum flour, Potato starch, Flax seed meal, Sesame seeds, Sea salt, Sunflower seeds, Organic evaporated cane juice, Xanthan gum, and Yeast packet.

The mix comes in a 13.8 oz thick sturdy zip bag to help protect and keep fresh. Since Mary Capone  the creator of Bella Gluten Free has Celiac children of her own she knows what it takes to create delicious desirable products.

The only disappointment I found was that it made a fairly smaller loaf than most mixes I have used, ( It was so tasty I wanted more) but for all other purposes I was more that satisfied and this mix will definitely become a staple in my kitchen.

Rating: 5 Stars
To purchase this and other products from Bella Gluten Free you can visit their website at: http://www.bellaglutenfree.com/

Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice & Mixed Berries cereal...

Attune Foods was kind enough to provide me with a box of their Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice & Mixed Berries cereal to try. As a kid we always had a box of Rice Crispies in the cupboard for those mornings when we were just plain feeling "lazy". I use to love listening to the sounds of  "snap..crackle...pop' during breakfast.

The Erewhon version of this cereal reminds me of a lightly sweetened  Rice Krispies type cereal, but is much healthier and tastier. The only ingredients are organic brown rice, organic brown rice syrup, organic honey, freeze dried blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, sea salt and natural berry flavor.

The cereal held up well in milk and didn't become soggy as most cereals tend to do, however the crisp flakes did seem to have a tendency to clump  together, I believe this to possibly be from the brown rice and honey syrups when they become wet from the milk.

Also the  amounts of protein and fiber in the cereal are not significant enough that it will tide you over and keep you full, so be prepared with a mid morning snack. However, having said this, I did enjoy the blending of the lightly sweetened brown rice flakes and the freeze dried berries. 

Although I enjoyed eating it straight from the box as more of a snack other than as a breakfast cereal it is a nice staple to have in the cupboard. My grandsons seemed to enjoy it and even asked for seconds!

Overall, I love the simple ingredients in the Attune Foods cereals and their commitment to quality organic ingredients. My hat goes off to a company who cares about those who must eat Gluten Free!

Rating:   4 1/4 Stars