Trying for that perfection..

 Hi everyone. I know that a week ago I promised you a delicious bread recipe. Well Im still trying to find that perfect recipe, and loaf. Its been a very busy week here with having a new vanity installed in our bath along with laying a new floor and so my attention has been a little helter skelter to say the least. 

I promise to try and get back in the kitchen next week when things settle down to continue on my bread baking journey. Being off GF for over three years now and getting back on track is really like starting over. Im finding it alot harder then the first time around because now I also have to maintain a kidney friendly diet as well. Its like suddenly being in a foreign country and not speaking their language! There are many recipes on the site that I hope will keep you busy until then.

So till next post, Happy GF eating!

Lee

Getting Restarted:

 Hi everyone. Its been along time since I have posted for several reasons, years in fact. Four years ago I decided to quit eating gluten free for a number of  reasons. Since then I have lost weight, gained weight, had my gallbladder removed, found out I have had kidney disease for many years of which my Dr neglected to inform me, had panic attacks, and have now gained weight in my belly area. Its been a roller coaster ride to say the least and I am sick n tired of being sick n tired!

So its a new beginning. I will be restarting a GF diet to see if this once again will alliviate most, or all of my symptoms. I was diagnosed in my thirties as having a wheat allergy. I guess this may not mean that I have Celiac disease, but may be enough to give eating gluten free another try. So today is the first day of starting my new journey. 

I am digging out all my former GF recipe books, retrying some of my favorite recipes from the past on my blog, and moving forward trying some new ones to share with you all. Since its been awhile I am basically starting from scratch. If any of you have any recipes you would like to share on the blog just let me know. After all, we are in this togethor.

Since I now know I also have kidney disease most of the recipes will hopefully be low sodium, low potassium, and low phosphorus, a feat in its own. Juggling both types of eating is going to be a task but hopefully one I can master with perserverance. I hope you will stop by often and rejoin me on my journey.

I will be working on a bread maker bread today and tomorrow that I will be hopefully sharing with you by the end of the week. Until then, have a blessed day!

Apple Honey

 Hi everyone,  I'm back after a much needed rest

Gluten Free in South Carolina...

Well here I am in sunny South Carolina.  We are getting a new RV and will be homeless for a few days, so I have to use my notepad and the hotel Internet....bummer! With that said, I don't have much to write about since I have no oven to bake, nor stove to cook. Eating out each and every meal is something I'm not use to, and even though the hotel does have GF buns and bagels individually wrapped at the breakfast buffet, something made me ill the first two days here. So today I decided to avoid the free breakfast, and surprisingly I don't have a stomachache. Go figure... I guess when you have your own kitchen, and don't eat out a lot, there are not so many things to watch, or check for.

I shared with you in one of my last posts a low carb banana nut bread recipe which was a big hit with my husband. He really liked it so much that it will be added to my recipe collection. Since I am limited on what to eat until we are in the new RV, I am really going to have to read, and read, and read labels... I guess I will close this post and surf the web for a few new low carb, gluten free recipes to try in our new RV oven, when we finally DO get the new RV. So until next time, enjoy the nice weather of summer, wherever you are!

Sharon Lee

Home made Bisquick Mix...

                                                                                     

Today was one of those rainy days where I didn't feel much like doing anything, except sit and listen to the rain hit the roof. I love those days. They relax me, help me think more clearly. They also remind me of my childhood where everything was so easy. Today takes me back to the tree house I built out of scrap lumber my dad no longer needed. It was in a tree close to our house, nestled in the woods between ours and the neighbors. I use to love laying on the rough wooden floor as the rain fell, protected from its drops from the leaves above. Oh the memories. Memories of fresh made bread on Fridays, homemade meatballs, pancakes, and strawberry shortcake with fresh strawberries from the farm down the road...

My mom used bisquick quite a lot when we were growing up. Something that was taboo when I first started on my gluten free adventure. Now you can buy a gluten free version in the store, but I find it just a little staggering in cost, so I don't buy it often. So what if I make my own??????? I told you that rainy days help me think clearly....or maybe they just give me to much time to think...well either way it got me up and moving!

I started browsing the web and found several recipes to make a homemade bisquick mix. Mostly with regular flour, but I was now in a experimenting stage, so out came the pans, and my basic gluten free flour mix. I have to say I was a bit skeptical. I mean bisquick mix has been around for generations, but what the heck...

After blending the mix I had to give it a test run. After all, why make it if I am not going to use it. My first choice was strawberry short cakes. My son in law had mentioned them just a few days prior and had planted the seed in my mind. I didn't have a bisquick box to follow the recipe, so I went to the Betty Crocker web page. I must admit that these turned out pretty close to the real deal. The recipe said to bake for 10 to 12 minutes, and although I left them in for the full 12, and they were just a smidgen over browned on the bottom, they still tasted great!

OK...So how would pancakes hold up to the "mock bisquick" test? I had to know being the inquisitive person that I am. Delish!!!!!  I devoured them all before I ever thought to take a picture, sorry! I probably would have kept going, as there are a few other recipes I want to try,  but I had used up all the mock bisquick mix I had made, so I will have to share other recipes in the future. Until then, please enjoy these two.
                                                                               
The mix is soooooo easy to make. Keep a empty bisquick box around to keep your mix in it. When company comes you can make pancakes and I bet you they won't even know its not the real deal!

Enjoy,
Sharon Lee

Homemade GF Bisquick Mix:

384 g Basic GF Multi Purpose Flour Blend  (posted 4-11-17)
1 1/2 T baking powder
1/2 T salt
1/2 c "cold" vegetable shortening, coconut oil, or butter (I used vegetable shortening)

Place dry ingredients in a food processor. Drop cold pieces of shortening, coconut oil, or butter on top of flour mixture. Process until the consistency of a dry crumbly mixture.
Use this as a cup for cup replacement in all recipes that call for a bisquick mix!


Pancake Recipe:

128 g mock bisquick mix
1/2 c milk
1 egg

Stir mixture with a whisk until thoroughly blended.
Cook over a med high heat. I waited until the tops were very bubbly to flip, which worked best for me, however, check the underside often to see if they are browned enough before flipping according to your heat temperature setting. The first few always seem to take longer than the others.

The strawberry shortcake recipe can be found at https://www.bettycrocker.com along with some other recipes you might like to try with this mock blend.