Bread

     It has been awhile (a LONG while) since I posted last. I am not sure how some of the mommy bloggers stay so consistent! Since my last post, I have done a LOT of experimenting in my baking. I have tried several new recipes and quite a few new products.Today's post will focus only on the different breads I have tried.

BREADS and MIXES
     Recently I discovered the beauty of the bread machine. For someone who is gluten intolerant or has Celiac's disease, I would recommend getting one. It makes baking bread so EASY! I mean, you dump the ingredients into the machine, push a button, and walk away. Okay so it may be slightly more complicated than that, but really! So simple!
     While I haven't ever baked gluten free bread from scratch, I have used 2 mixes in my machine. The mixes I have used are the Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Bread Mix, and the Glutino Gluten Free Bread Mix. Surprisingly, they were both really good. If I had to say which was better, I would vote for the Glutino brand. Here's a run down of each bread. Also for those int
erested, is a rating for the Udis Gluten Free Bread.
     -Glutino

     First off, the Glutino bread had almost NO texture difference. My husband's work buddies have become my guinea pigs and that's their opinion. Since they eat gluten all the time, I like to think they are pretty good judges of things like that. According to my faithful taste testers, the Glutino tasted almost exactly like a good loaf of home made white bread. There was no discernible after taste, either. The box made a 2 pound loaf, which was tricky because my machine is only a 1.5 pound machine.
     All in all, this loaf of bread was amazing. I am not a huge bread eater, but when I made this loaf-man, it was gone in less than a week. Also, as long as this was kept in the fridge, it seemed to keep moist for quite awhile. Gluten free bread tends to dry out fast if it isn't kept in the freezer.
     -Bob's Red Mill
     The Bob's Red Mill bread was also fairly good. My biggest issues had to do with the texture and the slight after taste it left in my mouth. The texture of the bread seemed to be slightly rubbery. Still way better than store bought gluten free, but that texture was there for sure. It also had a slight after taste to it that the Glutino didn't have. This bread also seemed to dry out rather quickly in the fridge. That irritated me quite a bit. I'm sure if I had sliced it and then frozen it, it would have been fine.
     Even though the bag says that it makes a 1.5 pound loaf, this bread mix doesn't fit in my machine. It doesn't ever cause problems, but when I pull this loaf out, it is mushroomed up over the top of the pan. This made removing the loaf from the pan kind of hard. But that's my problem and has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the mix.
     -Udis Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread
     For a pre-made gluten free bread, this is one of the best that I have found. It's dry. That's my biggest issue. I keep mine in the freezer and only pull out what I need. Then I toast it. Problem with dryness is now solved.
     One of my biggest gripes is the size of the pieces of bread. Blah. They are about half the size of a normal sandwich. 4 pieces of bread laid flat equals 12 inches. Yeah, super small. Despite the size and the dryness issue, this bread is surprisingly tasty. I make sandwiches with it all the time, and I frequently use it for french toast. If you don't bake fresh, Udis is one product that will probably satisfy you.

Bread Tips
     -If you didn't already know this, gluten free bread makes insanely good french toast. I have found that this is because the bread is slightly dryer than normal bread. Therefore, it soaks up just the right amount of liquid without getting all nasty and soggy. If your gluten free bread ever goes dry on you, don't throw it out! Use it to make breakfast.

     -Keep your gluten free bread in your freezer. It lasts longer. It isn't all that hard to pull apart two pieces and use them. Also, try not to thaw and then refreeze. This is going to dry your bread out faster.

     -If you want to cut costs, bake from scratch or from a mix. A box of mix costs me around $5. Throw in the eggs and oil you usually buy a lot of, and MOST of the time it'll be cheaper to bake bread that way. Even if all the ingredients add up to the $6.99 price tag of prebaked bread, You'll still save. Why? Because the loaves are WAY bigger when you bake from scratch. I'm talking double the size of a loaf of Udis bread. The picture below is HALF of a loaf. This loaf stands about 5 inches tall...yeah, totally worth it.

     Well that's all for now. I'll keep updating this post as I try new things. If I had to vote for my favorite of the above 3, I'd go Glutino. I have yet to try something made by Glutino that is gross.

HAPPY EATING!
~LP~

Pillsbury Gluten Free

A few months ago, I was wandering down the "cheese" isle at Smith's and out of the corner of my eye, saw the words GLUTEN FREE. Naturally, I stopped. Low and behold, those words adorned the front of a Pillsbury container! Seriously?!? I'll tell you right now, this was awesome news. I LOVE those pop-roll thingies. I have missed them. To see that a huge company such as Pillsbury is branching out to accommodate those with Celiacs or Gluten sensitivity was really exciting.

Naturally, I bought the chocolate chip cookie dough right away. I mean, come on. It had been a while since I'd had cookies. I hadn't gotten into baking so much yet and the cravings were instantaneous. Later, around Thanksgiving, I picked up the pie and pastry crust too. Below is my review of these two products.

Cookie Dough

I loved it. Raw and cooked, this dough was delicious. I had to work hard to control myself because the raw dough tasted so amazing I almost decided to eat it all before baking any! When the cookies came out, they were moist and delicious! My hubby and I ate about half over the course of the evening. My review: 5 STARS

Pie/Pastry Dough

I was diagnosed right before Thanksgiving. Ugh. Not cool. I mean, PIE! I wanted pie so bad, but couldn't eat it. I'd looked into making dough from scratch, but I have never been good at pie crust. So this year, when I saw dough in the cheese isle, I looked at my hubby and said "Please??" He agreed.

A few things about this dough-it is quite crumbly...even when raw. Follow the directions on the container to the best of your ability. My Mom did the handling of the dough--she has YEARS more experience than I do--and she still got frustrated.

Make sure you cover the edges of the crust with tinfoil-as per the instructions. This will prevent burning. All in all I loved it. It was great tasting-especially with peach pie filling. It does taste a little different than a regular pie crust, but with gluten free, that is to be expected.

You can find pictures and information about these products here. Hope you enjoy!

~LP~

A Gluten Free Tomato Soup---Finally!!

I absolutely LOVE tomato soup. A bowl of tomato soup with a cheese sandwich on a cold day...oh yum. Unfortunately, every can of tomato soup I have looked at in the store has wheat in it. Why? I have no idea...

So, while browsing through the Yahoo! Foods page the other day, I came across a really easy tomato soup recipe-with no gluten-and thought "I have got to try that!! And I did! Below you will find the link to the recipe.

The finished product-tomato soup, gluten free cheese sandwich,
lightly sauteed mushrooms, cauliflower, and salad.

Gluten Free Tomato Soup

My Take:

Ingredients:
-Basil
-Ground Cumin
-Salt
-Pepper
-28 oz can of diced tomatoes
-1 can chicken broth
-1 medium onion
-1/2 cup olive oil

Okay, I basically followed the recipe for everything. Here is what I learned:

-If 20 minutes isn't enough to get rid of the acidity, simmer it longer
-Add the herbs and spices to taste.
-Fresh is best! I used dried basil and canned tomatoes but if you can go fresh, do it!

Happy eating everyone!

~L

Fish Fillets

I have found that baking gluten free is much more complicated than just cooking. A lot of people who have just recently been diagnosed with Celiac's or a gluten intolerance may seem overwhelmed with the idea of cooking without gluten. Let's face it: our world today relies a lot on prepackaged dinners-many of which have gluten in them. I know this to be true because we relied on them a lot when I got diagnosed. We had a lot of food storage that we had to get rid of because it had some level of gluten in it. So, slowly I have learned how to cook from scratch.

Today's post is a recipe I tried over the last weekend. Actually, I took 2 recipes and combined them. This recipe didn't originally have gluten in it, but it is a tasty dinner idea. My hubby absolutely loved it. He went as far to say "I know you're an amazing cook, but this is absolutely exceptional!!" He certainly knows how to make me feel good.

Anyway, below are the links to the recipes I smashed together, followed by my own version of the tasty dish.
Baked Tilapia with Tomato and Basil
Baked Tilapia with Herb Butter

My recipe:
Baked Tilapia with Herb Butter and Mushrooms

Ingredients:
6 Tilapia Fillets
1 TBSP Basil
1 TSP Oregano
1 TSP Onion Powder
1/2 TSP Garlic Powder
4 TBSP Melted Butter
8 oz Mushrooms
1 TBSP lemon juice
Non-stick cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F

Place a large piece of tinfoil on a cookie sheet. Spray with non stick cooking spray.

Place fillets on the tinfoil.

Melt butter in the microwave. Add spices and herbs and stir. Pour the mixture over the fillets.

Wash the mushrooms and pour over the fillets and herb mix. Fold the tinfoil over the fish and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice before serving.

Serve with an assortment of veggies.

MY TIPS:
-Fresh is always best! If you have fresh herbs, mince and use them. Fresh will go a lot further with flavor than dried.
-I used baby Bella mushrooms. I discovered recently that they have WAY better flavor than regular white mushrooms. (My hubby bought them by mistake when he went shopping. Now I am hooked)
-Know your oven. I always set my timer for about 10 minutes less than the required time and then check it. I do this because my oven cooks differently than others I have used.

My hubby has requested I cook this recipe again this week, so when I do, I'll post pictures. I may try this herb butter with shrimp as well.

Thanks for reading May your table be laden with tasty food!

~L

Back in the Saddle

     After having spent the last year or so being pregnant and learning to be a Mom, it is time to put a little effort back into this blog. In one of my previous posts I mentioned having been diagnosed with Celiacs in November of 2012. Shortly after, I became pregnant and thus neglected my blog. I have changed the name from Kitchen Chronicles to Gluten Free-Tried and True, I hope to try out different gluten free recipes and give an honest opinion and review of them. I have found in the last year that there are A LOT of gluten free recipes out there, but a lot of them have...problems. Baking gluten free can be frustrating. Here are a few of the problems I have encountered:

-Dry and/or crumbly baked goods (gluten free flours tend to be a lot drier)
-Flavor and texture (Once again, gluten free flour can cause both of these)
-Misc. Mechanical errors (flat or heavy finished product)

     Before I move on, I have learned a few things that can help the above:
1. If ingredients are refrigerated, leave them out and get them to room temperature
2. If the recipe calls for eggs, you can do a few things:
     -Beat each egg separately BEFORE adding to the rest of the mixture
     -Add the eggs one at a time, mixing each in well before adding the next
     -And, as mentioned above, have them at room temperature

     Today I have chosen two recipes for gluten free baked goods that I have used over and over again. They taste VERY similar to the "glutenized" original versions. The first is a gluten free banana bread that is to DIE for. The best part for me is that all the ingredients are things I keep around my house regularly. The second recipe is for gluten free crepes. I love both of them and I hope you enjoy them too!!

Gluten Free Banana Bread
Source: http://www.celiac.com/articles/22010/1/Gluten-Free-Banana-Pecans-Muffin-Banana-Nut-Bread-Option/Page1.html
Click for the Original Recipe

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
OR
1/2 cup oil
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup All Purpose gluten free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium sized)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Cinnamon Sugar (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375, for muffins, apply paper liner or spray oil to the muffins tin; for bread, use butter or oil spray to gease a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan; set aside.

2.  In an electric mixer, cream butter or oil, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat to blend.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together all purpose gluten free flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

4. Add to the butter mixture and mix until the ingredients combined.

5. Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla; mix to combine. Stir in nuts.

6a. For Muffin, fill each muffins tin abut 2/3 full and sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on top of the batter. Bake the muffin until golden brown on top. It should take about 20 - 24 minutes depending on the oven.

6b. For bread, pour the batter and fill the prepared loaf pan. Bake the bread for 1 hrs to 1 hr 10 mins until the bread is cooked. Note: the bread does get brown easily, so cover the top with foil after 20 mins of baking.

7. Let the muffins and bread rest for 10 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.

Okay, a few points for this recipe:
-The cinnamon sugar on top leaves a wonderful taste and a little bit of a crunch on the top. I would recommend using it.
-The sour cream does sound weird. Trust me when I say it helps with the moisture and the bread tastes the same as a recipe with gluten.
-REMEMBER it is butter OR oil. Do not do both.
-I use regular salted butter. I do not add more salt because of this

Next recipe

Gluten Free Crepes:

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup milk (or favorite dairy substitute)
2 large eggs
2 TBSP melted butter OR light olive oil
1 cup all purpose gluten free flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp baking powder

Directions:
Pour milk, eggs, melted butter (or olive oil) and vanilla into a blender.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then add them to the blender. Blend just until combined and smooth. The batter should be the consistency of thin pancake batter. Add more milk, one teaspoon at a time if too thick.

To cook: 

Heat a low sided 8 inch skillet or crepe pan over medium high heat. Grease pan with oil or pan spray. GREASE PAN BEFORE EACH CREPE. 

Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the heated skillet. Swirl around the skillet until the bottom of the pan is covered with batter.

Cook the crepe for about 1 minute-the crepe should be barely moist on top.

Use a thin spatula to loosen the edges of the crepe, then gently flip. Cook for about one more minute, then remove from the pan.

A few points for this recipe:

-Make sure you only use 1/4 cup batter. Otherwise the crepe is way too thick.
-Use your favorite topping. I like using Nutella.

Thanks for reading!! I hope this helps some of the newly diagnosed out there!! Good eating to you all!!

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

For the Good:
After almost 2 years of trying, My husband and I are finally expecting a baby! I am about 4 and a half months along and we are WAY excited!! We are fairly certain that my issues with gluten was what was causing me to have issues.
For the Bad:
As much as I am excited about this baby, it has put a serious hold on all my creativity in the kitchen. You see, I have a major sensitivity to smells and can hardly cook anything in my kitchen. It has actually been really depressing.
For the Ugly:
I am in my last semester of school. Along with smell sensitivity, I have had about every other pregnancy symptom in the book. Yeah, morning sickness...bad. So, on top of being unable to cook, now I was having issues keeping food down. Hopefully this part of the pregnancy gets over quick.

So, to all those who may have passed by my very inactive blog, I apologize. I have still been experimenting, mostly with gluten free type foods. I will try to make a better effort to record, or even add great recipes I have found. Thanks for stopping by!
~LP

Chicken Stock and Homemade Soup

     About a week (maybe 2) ago, they announced in my block class that we would be having chicken noodle soup for class this Tuesday. Just barely the day before I was told that it was quite possible that I had a gluten intolerance. This presented me with an interesting puzzle. I was as yet uniformed as to the nature of a gluten free world, so I did a little research into gluten free soups. I came across a blog that absolutely made my day.
     The blog had a site that directed you in making your own chicken stock (cool, right?) Today, my experiment with this recipe was put into action. I must say my kitchen smells absolutely amazing! For those of you interested in this recipe, you can find it here:
http://thenourishinghome.com/2012/04/how-to-make-homemade-chicken-stock/

May your tables stay spread and your bellies stay full!

~L~