Sweet or Tart? Gluten Free Key Lime Pie hits the spot.

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A Southern thing for sure. So smooth and creamy, never green.

A Southern thing for sure. So smooth and creamy, never green.

Sometimes I want something a little tart with just a hint of sweet. Well here you go. This gluten-free Key Lime Pie sure takes care of that. Connor said it was to tart, but sure gobbled it down. His dad and I like it because it’s a bit tart.

This southern pie is a creamy pale vanilla looking color. If you ever had key lime pie and it was green, that was because they added food coloring. I say, who cares what color it is. The small round key limes are what give it not only the name, but the flavor. Be careful, they need to be ripe.

Last night I wanted something chocolate, so I added a dollop of hot fudge sauce on top of my pie. Sound crazy? It was good like that. I guess I’m one of those people who think chocolate makes “everything” better. Gluten-Free Key Lime Pie is real easy to make and a perfect summer treat when you’re wanting something kind of tart.

A Gluten Free Family Travels

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Planning ahead for travels with Trader Joe's waffles. It's very hard to find gf breakfast when traveling.

Planning ahead for travels with Trader Joe’s waffles. It’s very hard to find gf breakfast when traveling.

Have you traveled since going gluten-free yet? For us the hardest meals are breakfast and lunch. So, I bought a whole case (24) of Trader Joe’s Wheat Free Waffles. Had to take over my husbands garage refrigerator freezer to store them. You should have seen his face when he opened the freezer door and saw all those waffles. I hadn’t shared my plan with him until that point.

As long as we have electricity, I can take the toaster and at least make us some GF Waffles. Sure beats spending hours trying to find someplace with a GF breakfast menu. Same with lunch, I take Udi’s sandwich bread and our own fillings for sandwiches. If camping, we of course cook up some burgers and all natural hot dogs.

This time we are heading south to the beach. Staying in a condo, I’ll take our toaster and other kitchen essentials. This trip, I will do some cooking. Mostly breakfast (Can’t have us live on those waffles alone can I?). But, traveling can be a real pain. Better to be prepared, have a meal plan before you go. Especially, those first two meals of the day. I’m also taking homemade gluten-free Apple Cinnamon Muffins.  Oh and don’t forget the snacks. I’ll be making us plenty of our gluten-free graham crackers and gluten-free peanut butter cookies for the trip.

As for dinner that’s not as difficult. There are many restaurants now that have a GF menu. I mean, grill up some seafood or meat, throw in a salad and potato and you won’t go hungry. Not so difficult right? you would think not, but you have to stress to the server/ manager/ head cook/chef about your gluten issues. Making sure they “all” get it. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve thought I had done that, and then we’re brought a salad with croutons. Servers unfortunately are not always schooled about what “gluten” is.

You can still enjoy your travels, just do the prep work first. Remember, there are now apps that can help us find gluten-free restaurants. Like “Find Me Gluten Free“.  Happy trails…to you.

Dare to be Different!

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GLUTEN SUGAR FREE MUFFINS

You asked for it! Truvia Muffins and they are good.

Yea, we’re all gluten-free. If your here, that’s expected. But, sugar-free? I made our favored pumpkin muffins and in the middle of pulling all the ingredients out I realized I was completely out of pure cane sugar. Hmmm, what to do? I shuffled through the pantry to see what I could use.  Wa-lah! I found a bag of Truvia.

I followed the package substitution guide. It was easy. While baking they smelled that same wonderfully pumpkin smell. But, taste is the real test. I sat them on the rack to cool, and here comes my son Connor. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on one of those gluten-free pumpkin muffins. I thought about telling him that they were “different”. But, thought better of it.

He took a bite. “Yum, these are great. Thanks mom.” Four muffins later, I finally came clean. He shrugged his shoulders and couldn’t have cared less that these muffins were different. Now, we can offer both. Think about it though, why eat the sugar? Gluten Free/Sugar Free Pumpkin Muffins may just be our new thing.

As far as being different, well if the shoe fits….

CONTEST OVER! CONGRATS IRENE!

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Win these Super Flour!

Win these Super Flour!

Our last Flour Power Package Contest was very popular. I thought; “Why not do it again? With different gluten-free Flours”. Thanks to our local Whole Foods Market in Lexington KY, we are doing just that. Our Yeasty Flour Blend calls for Quinoa and Millet and I love Coconut Flour in just about any dessert recipe. I have used the Gluten Free Graham Crumbs and they are great! This is really an awesome package.

To enter all you have to do is:
1. Comment and tell us about your personal gluten free journey.
2. The comment “must” be on our Blog site.
That’s it! We will select a winner on Friday, May 24.

We want to know “Why” you are gluten free and how it’s going.

Gluten Free – Multi Grain Flax Bread

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GLUTEN FREE MULTI GRAIN FLAX BREAD

Gluten Free Bread so good for you and delicious.

Talk about a Super nutritious bread. High in fiber and protein, this gluten-free Multi Grain Flax Bread is made with flax meal for added nutrition. I love the consistency of this super bread. I can’t believe we used to eat wheat or white breads. Since going gluten-free we eat bread that give us daily nutrition our bodies hunger for. Knowing what I know now, I would never go back to regular breads. Even the ones that are whole grain that you think are good for you, really are not so great.

I made this Multi Grain Flax bread when my oldest son was in for Easter. He had it warm out of the oven and went nuts for it. Guess what? He’s not gluten-free. Since, then he’s been trying the gluten-free thing here and there. Re-thinking his old way of thinking. He realized you can have delicious foods that are way better for you.

Imagine if you will, a sandwich bread made with Quinoa, Millet and Flax meal. Sounds crazy good for you doesn’t it? Taste? Well, we like it.

Introducing the “Derby Kiss”

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GLUTEN FREE DERBY KISS

A special dessert for a special day.

Around here the Derby is a pretty big deal. I decided to make a dessert fit to meet the occasion. It “is” a high maintenance dessert. I made our homemade gluten-free graham crackers. Then I made dairy-free Chocolate Pudding to layer with the graham crackers. Now those two together already had my mouth-watering. But, I wasn’t about to stop there. Time to make the Meringues. They cook for 2 hours and have to sit drying out for at least 3 hours. Like I said high maintenance and time-consuming.

For a special dessert it was well worth the effort. We truly enjoyed the special treat last night. Most of the time I opt for an easy in easy out dessert. For a special day like the Derby, I wanted a special dessert. I did not make my homemade Hot Fudge Sauce. Only because, I had a jar of Mrs. Richardson’s gluten-free Hot Fudge Sauce in the pantry. Every single bite of the Derby Kiss left my taste buds jumping for joy.

Caution: Gluten Free – Luscious Layer Bars May Cause Food Frenzy!!

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GLUTEN FREE COOKIE BARS

Wonderful Cookie Bars!!

Seriously, when you make these wonderful Luscious Layer Bars from Betty Crocker.  You may just have a food frenzy on your hands.  They are that good. Be prepared…people (family) tend to resort to all sorts of distractive means to try to finagle another cookie bar.

These bars really are similar to the original Magic Bars, only I think they may be better. You start with a Chocolate Chip Cookie crust instead of a graham crust. When you’re done you have truly got a masterpiece sitting right in front of you. The problem is while baking the smell winds its way all through the house. The perpetrators soon are lurking and waiting for their moment of glory.

You must take extra measures of security when you make these. Otherwise, they will disappear without a trace. Okay, there most likely will be a few crumbs laying about. My husband took some with him to work and came home praising these Luscious Layer Bars. He said I had outdone myself. If only he knew. These are super quick and easy to make.  No reason not to make them.  Except of course for the “treason” it sure to cause.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Pie makes it all better.

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GLUTEN FREE PEANUT BUTTER PIE

Rich and Creamy Peanut Butter Pie is so satisfying.

It’s been a rough week in our nation and around the world.  Between bombings, a fertilizer plant exploding and earthquakes. It’s enough to put anyone in a dark mood. But don’t stay there. We are Americans and we will not let anyone take away our freedom or our peace.

It’s so hard to explain the magnitude of these situations to our kids. Mine who is constantly reminding me he is almost a tween….just couldn’t grasp it. Still we talked about it all and prayed together as a family for all of those hit hard in these areas.

We are so blessed…to live in this country. We are so blessed to have not been in those areas that were in trouble. We are so blessed to have…each other. Our Community Group from church is coming here tonight. I wanted to make them something special, so I made this gluten-free Peanut Butter Pie. I know it’s little things that bring light into the darkness. We will eat, fellowship and pray… Undoubtedly, for so many people who are hurting right now.

Gluten Free Breadsticks….

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GLUTEN FREE BREADSTICKS

Nutritious Breadsticks and taste great!

It’s not hard to make gluten-free Breadsticks. I use my gluten-free Party Pizza Crust recipe and work it into breadsticks.  Whip up some garlic butter and pair it with either our pizza or pasta.  It is just wonderful.  Sometimes I’ll toss some italian herbs into the dough for a bit of a twist.

So many people think us gluten-free folks are deprived. If only they knew that I eat pretty much whatever I want. Just without gluten. My breadsticks are much healthier than any pizzeria’s and taste great. I like knowing I’m not just dumping empty calories into my body. What goes in matters, so we need to make it count. That’s not to say it can’t taste good. That goes without saying. Around here with my guys, taste comes first, nutrition second. For me they should come together, always.

Gluten Free Pasta Primavera w/Chicken is just one of the wonderful dishes we’ll be cooking up at our Gluten Free Miracles Workshop this Saturday!

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GLUTEN FREE PASTA PRIMAVERA W/CHICKEN

Pasta Primavera is great with or without chicken.

We will be cooking and baking up some wonderful Gluten Free Foods this Saturday at our Workshop. This colorful Gluten Free Pasta Primavera dish is healthy and loaded with flavor. It is so easy to make….you will be so happy to have this recipe in your recipe box.

We will also make our delicious gluten-free Chicken and Dumplings (a personal favorite). Everyone will learn how to make our very versatile gluten-free Traditional Pie crust and Tuxedo Pie. But, the thing I’m most excited about, is teaching how to make your own homemade gluten-free Graham Crackers. They melt in your mouth, are very healthy (way healthier than their store-bought counterpart) and can be used in so many desserts. I often make them into a crust or a dessert dish.

These recipes will truly empower gluten-free folks in the kitchen. How blessed I am to have  this opportunity to share just a few of our favorite recipes one on one with people who are new to the gluten-free life.  Remember to bring two recipes you want me to help you convert and any questions you have.

Can’t make it?  Don’t worry, we’ll share photo’s and details next week about the event.  But, we will miss YOU.