Is Vanilla Flavored Almond Bark Gluten Free?

I was recently asked if I knew if Vanilla flavored Almond Bark was Gluten Free. We have the CSA Gluten Free Product Listing Book and I was not able to find this information anywhere! The ingredients on the Plymouth Pantry vanilla flavored Almond Bark are as follows:

• Sugar
• Partially Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil
• Whey Powder
• Soya Lecithin
• Artificial Flavor
• Milk

If I was to make a judgment by ingredients alone I would say it was probably ok, however, I am not sure whether there is a possibility of cross-contamination in the factory where it is made and packaged. Since this is the case, I cannot positively guarantee it and don't want anyone to get sick. One option would be to contact the company to find out if it is indeed a gluten free product as well as verifying the cross-contamination risks. The contact information is:

Staple Food Products
700 Berkshire Lane
Plymouth, MN 55441

P.S. This is a little off of the subject, but if you ever send an email to me, please include an email address to respond to because I don't have access to your email address (It says it is a "do not reply" email) Thanks and I hope that this helps. :-)

Finally! Some great homemade pancakes!

I have always been a huge fan of buttermilk pancakes, so you can imagine how it feels to not be able to enjoy them any longer. I found a fantastic recipe on Recipezaar that is absolutely delicious (I made some slight adjustments). It doesn't even taste gluten free. These pancakes are fluffy, white, and oh-so-yummy! I hope you will try them out, you will not be disappointed. Enjoy! This recipe makes about 6 small pancakes.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Gluten-free flour blend (1&1/2 cup white rice flour, 1/2 cup potato starch flour, 1/4 cup corn starch flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and vegetable oil.
3. Add milk mixture to the dry ingredients, and whisk until well blended.
4. Let stand for about 10 minutes.
5. Preheat frying pan to medium heat (melt a small amount of butter to oil pan if needed)
6. Pour about 1/3 cup of batter onto the hot pan for small pancakes.
7. Pancakes are ready to be turned over when the edges are no longer glossy, and the bubbles that pop stay open. To check the second side for doneness, you just have to lift an edge of the pancake up with a spatula and take a peek.

BACK TO SCHOOL GF LUNCHES!!! WHAT TO DO?

This idea has probably been around for a while in other realms. Who knows, it may have even been mentioned as a Gluten Free idea. My son and I were brainstorming lunch ideas and came up with a fantastic idea that allows variety and spunk in your lunch. We even had some non-gluten free peoples try out our ideas and they enjoyed them a lot. So what could make a gluten free child feel better than to bring a lunch to school that other kids think is pretty neat and would like to try, right?

                     

Here is the deal. The fundamental idea revolves around white corn tortillas. The sky's the limit once you get these. One of our favorite creations is spreading peanut butter and jelly onto the tortilla and rolling it up. A few of these work well as a replacement sandwich. You can also go in several other directions with this....Peanut butter and honey; peanut butter and sliced bananas; mayo, ham and cheese; mayo, turkey, and cheese, the sky's the limit! You layer up your tortilla and roll up as many as you desire. They are ultra yummy and definitely hit the spot. 

Here are some of the combos we put together when packing our school lunches:

1. A corn tortilla roll creation, boiled egg, GF crackers with cookie cut slices of meat and cheese,or homemade trail mix
   
2. A drink (water bottle, Capri sun, kool-aide, milk, chocolate milk)
3. fruit/veggie of some kind (watermelon, banana, apple slices w/ peanut butter, carrot sticks, cucumbers, salad, grapes, cherry tomatoes,etc.)
4. Dairy (string cheese, etc)
5. Snack (chips, fruit snacks, candy, etc)

We have had great success since we have implemented this system and I hope that it is a great help to all of you out there looking for creative options to perk up your child's GF lunch. ENJOY!

Mmmmm, Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Nope, I didn't disappear. I have been extremely busy with classes, so my apologizes for the lack of blogging. :-)

So, this is an absolutely delicious recipe. I found this recipe on the Martha Stewart website and have brought it to several family functions. It has actually been a big hit. We just serve it with tortilla chips and "Presto!" fabulous meal, with very little effort.


INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Course salt and ground pepper
• 5 unpeeled garlic cloves
• 2 jars (16 oz each) medium salsa
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 12 corn tortillas (6-inch)
• 12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup fresh, chopped cilantro

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper, place with garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until an baking thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast registers 165 degrees (25-30 minutes)
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine salsa and cream
4. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Once chicken is cool enough to handle, shred meat.
5. Peel and chop garlic
6. In a large bowl, combine chicken, garlic, and 1/2 cup salsa mixture
7. Stack tortillas flat, and wrap in damp paper towels. Microwave on high for 1 minute to soften.
8. Working with one tortilla at a time, dip in salsa mixture, lay flat, and fill with 1/3 cup chicken mixture.
9. Roll up and arrange, seam side down, 8 enchiladas lengthwise and 4 crosswise in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
10. Top with remaining salsa mixture, then cheese.
11. Bake until cheese is browned and salsa is bubbling (40-45 minutes)
12. Let rest for 10 minutes
13. Serve, sprinkled with cilantro

Namaste Chocolate Birthday Cake

Did I mention that I love Namaste? SO YUMMY! Here are some pics of a 3 tier cake that I made for my little man for his 8th birthday. Namaste chocolate cake mix and chocolate Pillsberry frosting, topped with sprinkles. So moist and absolutely delicious!!!

More GF Ice Cream Cake Creations!!!

I am really loving my latest GF Ice Cream cake creations! They are a huge hit. Yum-Yum-Yum! Here are some pics of my latest creation for my son's 8th birthday party:

It's a Pirate's Life!

Great Gluten Escape Camp 2008

Get ready to walk and talk like a pirate...

When: June 15 - 20, 2008
Where: Camp Gilmont in Gilmer, Texas
What: A celiac camp for children ages 7-15
Camp Fees: $395

Don't miss the boat!
As of February 14th they have already registered 30%
of the camp capacity and we expect to fill the camp this summer!

MISSION STATEMENT
The Great Gluten Escape will provide each camper with an opportunity to participate in all camp activities without concern for the gluten content of the food provided. The camp will provide an environment that encourages peer support and escape from the daily peer pressure of the “I can't have that” syndrome.

Visit our 2005 and 2006 Great Gluten Escape Photo Galleries

QUESTIONS ABOUT CAMP
If you have questions concerning your child's situation that you would like to discuss with a staff member prior to registration, please use the Contact Page. From the contact page you are able to send an email with your questions, or you can contact the Camp Director, Kelly LeMonds via telephone.

CAMP DETAILS
This 6 day/5 night summer resident camp has been designed for youth ages 7-15 with dietary restrictions related to Celiac Disease, Dermatitis Herpetiformis, and/or Gluten Sensitivity/Intolerance. This is the camp where you can escape from the gluten loaded world we live in. For one week you will no longer have to worry about gluten!

Camp Gilmont located in Gilmer, Texas approximately 2 hours east of Dallas , Texas . The camp comes with all the normal camp events and activities. Each camper will experience all of the excitement of a summer resident camp, including S'mores by the campfire!

We welcome siblings whom are also of the age 7 to 15 that are not diagnosed with Celiac Disease, DH, or Gluten Intolerance, however, only gluten free food will be served during camp. We regret we will not be able to accommodate campers experiencing the physical challenges associated with Down Syndrome and/or Autism.

CAMP NURSE
We will have a camp RN (celiac knowledgeable) on facility during the entire week, and all foods and medications will be gluten-free. Other dietary restrictions that can be accommodated are casein and dairy intolerance. All other dietary restrictions should be discussed with the Camp Nurse , Cheryl Gainer, RN at 214-274-6094, or ggenurse@dallasrock.org BEFORE registering for camp .

REGISTRATION
Registration may be completed on the Registration Page from the link above. To reserve your spot, complete the registration form and make (at minimum) the $100 non-refundable deposit by May 1, 2008. Information regarding payment by Pay Pal or by check is available on the registration page. Campers will be registered on a first-come first–served basis. It is our policy to return all registrations that are not complete, that do not have the complete deposit, or that have contingencies. The camp deposit of $100 is non-refundable. For more information please contact the camp registrar via email or 972-359-1955.

Note: This information has been copied from the Dallas R.O.C.K. website. This camp offers fantastic opportunity and experience to Gluten Intolerant and Celiac kids!

More Ice Cream Cake Experiments

Happy Birthday Rachel!!!

I have found a new passion...Ice cream cakes. The one I made for my sister's birthday was very popular. I personally thought it tasted better than the first one I made (Mostly because I love chocolate;-) Here are some pictures of the final product (you can get the recipe from my original post).

This cake was made with a chocolate cake base (Namaste, of course.) The filling was mint chocolate chip ice cream, which was frosted with chocolate chip vanilla ice cream. The cake was decorated with green dyed Pillsbury vanilla frosting.

HOPE YOU HAD A FABULOUS
BIRTHDAY RACHEL!!!

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

My cousin Katie shared this recipe on her blog and it is absolutely delicious! I am already a peanut butter fanatic, so lets just say that I have been baking and eating peanut butter cookies since she posted the recipe;-)


Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
• 3 cups packed brown sugar (the original recipe calls for 2 cups, but I found that adding one extra cup makes the cookies hold together better instead of flattening out)
  
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• 1 tsp GF vanilla
• 2 tsp baking soda
• a pinch or two of salt
  

Directions

Preheat oven to 350

1. Mix together dry ingredients, followed by liquid ingredients
   
2. Roll into small balls (I used a tablespoon to scoop)
3. Take a fork and press the down down, making a criss-cross pattern
4. Bake between 8-10 minutes (I bake for 8 minutes using stoneware and they turn out to be perfectly chewy.)
5. Let the cookies cool on pan for about 5 minutes and then place them on wire cooling racks so the can cool completely.

In case your not in the V-day spirit yet....

"THANKS DAD FOR THE YUMMY VALENTINE'S DAY TREATS!"
Love, Grandma, Mom, Rachel, and I :-)

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Ingredients

1. 1 pound semi sweet chocolate chips
2. 1 cup heavy whipping cream
3. 1/2 cup of cocoa powder

Directions

1. Place chocolate in large heat-proof bowl. Bring cream to a boil in microwave
2. Pour directly over chocolate
3. Allow to sit 10 minutes, then use a rubber spatula to stir chocolate and cream until combined.
4. Pour mixture into pie dish; refrigerate until set (about 40 minutes)
5. Using a rounded tablespoon, form balls from mixture and place on parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet
6. Refrigerate until firm.
7. Remove from refrigerator
8. Quickly roll into a ball, dust with cocoa powder
9. If truffles become too soft to handle, chill again until firm

*Makes about 2 dozen
(Must stay refrigerated)
**Store refrigerated in an airtight container up to one week**



This recipe was inspired by a Martha Stewart Chocolate Truffle recipe