Amy's GF Pizza

It's Sunday night, and I am thankful that I don't have to work tomorrow. In fact, I have the entire week off for Thanksgiving; it couldn't have come at a better time. This school year has been nonstop! I'm looking forward to sleeping in, catching up on cleaning, going to appointments, and just relaxing. I'm hoping to be able to start blogging regularly again.

I'll start this post off with some football food that we enjoyed yesterday during the MSU game. We had an Amy's gluten free pizza that Justin and I found it at the commissary.

It was a plain cheese pizza that we cooked on our pizza stone. 

But, we decided to jazz it up with some cajun sausage that we had left over from Jambalaya.

 I sliced it up and spread it across the pizza. You could of course add veggies, other meat, or eat it plain.

The pizza cooked up nicely with the sausage and added extra flavor.

We also made a Black Velvet to drink with the pizza. Last weekend we bought a new tool that makes the process much easier. I'll share about that tomorrow! I also had some Wishbone buffalo ranch salad dressing to dip my pizza in (seen here). Overall, the pizza was decent. I think adding to the top of it made it taste better. The crust was thin and the sauce wasn't over powering. 

Gluten Free Options at Comerica Park

In honor of the Tiger's playing in the World Series tonight, I thought I'd find time to update. Plus, this post relates to my previous one about the Tiger's.

When we were at the game about a month ago there was a rain delay. With all the waiting, I didn't realize I had become hangry (hungry + angry). Luckily, I knew there were some gluten free options at Comerica Park. I had read up on their website about the Brushfire Grill.

I was a little disappointed when I did read their gluten free options because none of them were a meal. My choices were a fruit plate, hummus & veggies, or peanuts!

Although I did smile when I noticed Redbridge!

I opted to order a chicken breast (of course sans bun), a Redbridge, and hummus & veggies. The chicken was served with Lay's potato chips which I could eat. Since I was hangry, I was upset that they served me a bag of pretzel thins with the hummus. In the end, I was thankful to have some gluten free choices especially because it filled my belly and I wasn't sick.

Another FYI, under concessions on their website it also lists other GF choices:

All Sausages and Hot Dogs (without the bun), Chicken Breast, Turkey Leg, French Fries, Peanuts, Popcorn, Nachos w/o cheese (salsa only), Frozen Minute Maid, Redbridge, Beer – Beer Hall

GF Warm Cheddar & Bean Dip

On my birthday post, I gave a sneak peak picture of our football food! We had chicken tenders marinated in Red Hot sauce and then grilled. Justin and I also made a cheddar and bean dip.

I found the recipe for the dip on the back of a Glutino box of bagel chips. <--- I linked the recipe from the website, but below the box picture I also copied and pasted it, just in case the Glutino site ever takes the recipe down.

Warm Cheddar and Bean Dip

• 2 cups canned white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2  cup gluten-free beer (1/2 to 3/4 cup) or apple cider
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and cut into thirds
• 1/2  teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 2 green onions, tops and roots discarded, minced for garnish

In a food processor, combine beans, beer, garlic, cumin and salt.  Process until smooth.  Add 1 cup of the grated cheese along with the Tabasco Sauce and process just until combined. Place the mixture in an attractive, heatproof dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cheese over the top.

Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with green onions and serve with Glutino bagel chips.

Here are all the ingredients for the warm cheddar and bean dip, including gluten free beer.

I was also overly ecstatic to use my new Le Creuset Heritage stoneware casserole dish. (Even though in the end it was a little too big, the dip still gave me an excuse to use it.) If you read the recipe, it even said to use "an attractive, heatproof dish."

The food processor with beans, beer, garlic, cumin and salt. The hot sauce and cheese were ready to mix in.

Right out of the oven!

I ended up scooping some dip into a ramekin, which worked out because it was sort of runny. Even though it was runny, it still tasted fantastic. I will definitely make this again! If you like beans and cheese, you'll love this dip. The bagel chips are what make it truly delicious.

It was my Birthday!

I'm so thankful that my husband was home for my birthday. Saturday was my birthday, and the day always seems much better when it falls on a weekend.

I started out the morning with a wonderful breakfast made by my hubby. He made gluten free waffles with GF Bisquick. I also had a mimosa, fresh fruit with dip, and coffee.

We enjoyed football appetizers during the MSU game. For this game we ate skinless, boneless chicken tenders and gluten free bagel chips with cheddar and bean dip.  I'll post more about this dip recipe on a later post. 

For dinner we went to one of our favorite restaurants, Las Canarias. I savored the food so much that didn't document all of the food with photos! But as usual, it was decedent and delicious. We ordered a three course meal with a wine pairing. This is me with my final course, one scoop of coffee ice cream and one scoop of pistachio gelato. 

 The handsome man who made the whole day of food possible!

I love getting free birthday desserts! Even after my ice cream, they brought out chocolate covered strawberries for me. Remember last year when we celebrated my birthday in Dallas? I enjoyed some gelato then!

After dinner we went to a musical at the Cameo Theater. We saw The Marvelous Wonderettes, which was about four girls in the 50s and 60s. Following the show, we had some drinks downtown.

We were able to meet up with some friends I made while Justin was deployed where we danced the night away.

Me & Kara

Welcome Home

After greeting my hubby at the airport (almost 3 weeks ago already!), I wanted to welcome him home with some surprises.

I bought flowers at Central Market, and I made my own floral arrangement. (Red, white, & blue flowers to be exact because I was trying to be patriotic.) I had wanted to get some star balloons too, but there is a helium shortage so I had to stick with just flowers.

I figured we would want to snack on some food before we ate a full meal so I prepared some tapas! I bought fresh mozzarella marinated in pesto, Boar's Head pepperoni, cheese & prosciutto stuffed cherry peppers, jalapeno stuffed olives, Columbus salami, and Colby jack cheese.

Of course we needed dessert too! I ordered an entire gluten free cake from Little Aussie. (We still have almost half of it saved in the freezer.) Our favorite is the tiramisu flavored sponge cake so that is what I bought.

GF Lemon Cupcake Balls

A few weeks ago, I purchased some gluten free cake mix at Marshall's. Shortly after buying the lemon mix, I decided to to make some cupcakes. I figured I could practice some of my long lost decorating skills from last summer. I followed the box directions, which didn't require too many extra added ingredients.

I'm sure it was user error, but for what ever reason when I poured the batter, some of the cupcake holders started to buckle a little. They made a little indent that didn't look nice. I was hoping when the cupcakes baked, the little dent would pop back out.

 No luck though, they stayed looking deformed.

So I decided to try plan B. I crumbled all the cupcakes in a bowl and mixed them with lemon cream cheese frosting that I made from the recipe on the box as well. I would like to mention that I did try a cupcake before I destroyed the evidence. It was a good tasting gluten free cupcake: moist and lemony.

After that I rolled the mixture into balls. Then I put them in the freezer until the next day when I was ready to coat them in white chocolate. You need to put them in the freezer so the crumbs don't mix in with the chocolate when you coat them.

Then came my second failure. When I was in Michigan I saw a cute little Crockpot-like chocolate dipper at a store. I thought to myself, how perfect! I have a Crock-Pot little dipper at home that I can use. Clearly, I did no research because I poured white chocolate chips in the pot and turned it on. I didn't add any liquid. Oops. The chocolate burned and never got liquidy. Luckily the cake balls were in the freezer so there was no rush to get them coated. I probably should've used candy coating chocolates or added some oil or shortening. 

The next day, I tried round two. I melted white chocolate chips in the microwave. I read the directions on the bag so that I wouldn't burn them in the microwave too. I decided to add a little oil, to make the chocolate a little smoother. I dipped the lemon cake balls into the chocolate with a spoon. It worked out okay; I feel like some had too much chocolate. Also, they don't look the prettiest but I'll take it for my first try. I have the Red Velvet Mix still and plan to attempt cake balls again. This time I will correct my mistakes. I also want to drizzle some chocolate or dip them in sprinkles to make them look a little cuter.

But I love the idea of cake balls or pops! They are smaller in size and I have been keeping mine in the freezer. Whenever a sweet tooth craving hits, I pull the container out for a minute and take one out. It is the perfect situation for me because then I don't feel like I have to devour 12 cupcakes in a week. Gluten free products are already more expensive, so keeping them in the freezer cuts out all the waste too.

Marshall's Finds

Last week, I enjoyed a 90 minute exfoliating massage as a way to finish up my final weeks of summer. Justin bought it for me as a gift before school was out, and I kept putting off using it. I was happy to use it on a summer day, because I wasn't rushing to get there or leave. I could just let my body and mind relax. When it was done, the masseuse told me I should walk around at some of the stores next door because after a massage you are in a sleepy state. She said it is not safe to drive right away.

So I wandered over to Marshall's, which is a discount store that sells mostly clothing items. While in the store, I stumbled upon the small food section and found some gluten free food items. Each item was one or two dollars off of the suggested price that I would probably pay at Whole Foods or Central Market. These are the gluten free food items that I bought: cake mix, pizza mix, chips, and candy.

I wasn't overly impressed with either of these two candy items when I tried them. (And I love fruity chewy candy!) The worms only came in three flavors which if I remember correctly were lemon, grape, and tangerine. What a random combination? The gummy bears just didn't measure up to my standards either. I don't know if since I bought them at Marshall's that they were harder than normal, but they weren't squishy and gummy enough for me (if that even makes sense!)

I love these Dude Ranch flavored Late July chips! I normally buy them at Whole Foods for 2.99 for these smaller sized bag. These were only 1.99, which I was ecstatic to find this deal. The ranch flavor is so addicting that you eat this bag much faster than is intended. I guess I'm lucky they only had two bags in this flavor, because I don't need to have a stock pile of quick eating chips in the house.

It was exciting to find gluten free foods at a discounted price. I will have to remember to keep Marshall's and similar stores in mind for the future. I'll post about one of the cake mixes soon. I still need to try the other cupcake mix and the pizza mix. Hopefully I'll get to them soon. I have a couple ideas in mind, so we'll see...

Sour Lovers

When I first moved to Texas 4 years ago, I sounded like a broken record at the grocery store. I'd say, "This product is cheaper at Meijer. Meijer has a wider variety. I miss Meijer." When I was in Michigan during the month of July, I had to find time to wander around Meijer. It was then that I came across Gimbal's Sour Lovers. (I'm sure they probably sell these in Texas too, but I haven't seen them here. I've seen the Cherry Lovers at the BX before, but never the sour heart candy.) 

Look at all these delicious flavors! I liked them all but my favorites where Georgia Peach, Bing Cherry, and Fuji Apple.

Gimbal's candies are free of 8 major allergens, which is awesome. Plus, they don't use high-fructose corn syrup.

 The heart shape is so cute too.

Wisconsin - Favorite Things

Before we drove back to Texas, my mom, dad, Iivana, and I went to visit my grandparents in Wisconsin for a few days. It's almost been 2 years since I was diagnosed with celiac disease and when I go to visit my grandma and grandpa I am pleasantly surprised at what they've done to accommodate my dietary needs.

1. Schaum Torte

One of my favorite desserts that my grandma makes is called schaum torte. It's been a favorite of mine even before I was diagnosed with celiac disease, so I'm excited that it is a dessert that I can still indulge in. It is basically a meringue, but I think it is more fluffy and marshmallow-like. When my grandma makes it, I don't think she even uses a recipe. I was searching for recipes on the Internet to post, in case others were interested in making it. I think this one seemed close to what I remember of hers because I've made it with her when I was younger. Although I don't think she uses vinegar, but she does the second method cooking option like the recipe suggests where you preheat the oven and then turn it off after a couple minutes and allow the torte to cook for hours. Mine pictured below is topped in strawberries and whipped topping. I came across this lemon schaum torte recipe that I thought looked interesting to try to make in the future.

2. Chicken Rice Soup
Every time we would make the drive from Michigan to Wisconsin for as long as I can remember, when we would arrive my grandma would have homemade chicken rice soup ready for us for lunch. She normally uses bullion in her recipe, which contains wheat; but she makes a special batch for Kristen and me that doesn't use it. Mmm, I always try to replicate her soup, but hers is always the best.

3. Wisconsin Brick Cheese
These are my favorite Wisconsin things all wrapped into one trip! Because what is a trip to dairy land without cheese. We always buy brick cheese, which is a treat because we can't really find it other places outside of Wisconsin. It's a light, buttery tasting cheese which means you can eat slice after slice. I brought a couple pounds of it back to Texas with me!

Vince & Joe's

Updating from Michigan.

Last week I decided to check out Vince & Joe's, which is a market that has quite a few gluten free items. I wandered through out the store, mostly browsing. They have a wonderful selection of baked gluten free goods; however, I couldn't find the cake section. They must have moved it since I was there last, remember my Favorite Things - Michigan post from last summer. I decided to purchase these butterscotch macadamia cookies.

I ate all the cookies by myself! I liked the fact that they were a thicker cookie which was soft in the the middle. I know I've said it, but I'll say it again: I'm not the biggest fan of crunchy cookies. I love butterscotch, but usually don't like nuts in my cookies. However, the combination was perfect for me. The butterscotch flavor was present in all bites and the nuts weren't overbearing. 

Now, Cape Cod chips are not new to me. They are often part of my lunch or a go to snack in out house. I knew they came out with the 40% less fat Aged Cheddar and Sour Cream flavor a while back, but I couldn't find them in Texas. I was pleasantly surprised to find them at Vince & Joe's. This flavor didn't disappoint either, I think it fell in the same quality category as the rest of the chips that Cape Cod makes. I think they were more Cheddar-y than Sour Creamy though.

Gluten Free!

I'm sure I'll be making another trip to Vince & Joe's soon.

Late Night Treat

I usually don't eat much gluten free bread. But for whatever reason this weekend, I felt the need to make some late night cheese bread. 

I followed the simple directions on the back of the box. I only had to add oil, cheese, eggs, and water.

I think the cheese is what makes these so amazing.

These aren't an exact replica of the bread at Fogo, but an easy version to enjoy at home.

The bread is delicious when it is warm out of the oven. The left overs taste amazing in the microwave for a few seconds too.