An Ode to My Roomie

My college roomie, Francesca, sent me some recipes that she enjoyed. Thanks lover!  As I was going to post about one of these such recipes, I felt I needed a photo of the two of us. An hour later...my stomach was hurting from laughing at all of the ridiculous pictures of us. I couldn't help myself and decided to post a collection of Fran and Karen pics.

Oh college...I honestly can't explain these all to you if I wanted. Miss you Franny. Hmm...I wonder how college would've been different if I had been diagnosed with celiac then.

For good measure, we do have some normal pictures as well.

 

Now on to the original reason for this post: pan roasted corn salad with tomatoes and feta.

The recipe was amazing! I substituted the feta for quesco fresco like Francesca suggested. Although, I didn't follow the directions very well. I crumbled the cheese instead of chunking it. I also used too much olive oil at first. I'm not sure why the recipe wants you to split it into two batches. Even with these mistakes it was a fresh take on corn! 

Boxes of Bars

I'm pretty sure by now, you are aware of my love for Larabars. (As seen here, here, and here.) Although my sister, Kristen, is not a fan. As a result, I've inherited two huge boxes with 18 bars in each from her!

If you're not a fan of Larabars, or you require a more candy bar-like snack on the go I have the prefect replacement. 

Luna Protein Bars!

The GF flavors I tried were chocolate, chocolate peanut butter, cookie dough, and mint chocolate chip. There is also chocolate cherry almond which I haven't tried yet. These protein bars are labeled gluten free in the corner of the packaging, so be on the look out for that. However, regular Luna bars are not GF.

Whoa chocolate!

Pictured below is the chocolate chip cookie dough.

But my favorite flavor is the mint chocolate chip! There is something about the crunch and mix of chocolate that soothes my sweet tooth and leaves me feeling satisfied.

These are definitely marketed towards women, including a rant on the packaging. According to the Luna website, 

"Each 1.6 oz (45g) LUNA Protein bar has around 180-190 calories with 12g protein and 3g fiber, along with essential nutrients women need. It is high in calcium and folic acid, and is a good source of vitamin D, iron, fiber and antioxidants (vitamins A, C and E). Each bar has 6-9g fat and 13-15g sugar depending on the flavor."

It made the hubs wonder if he could enjoy Luna Proteins too. No worries, 

"Men, too, can enjoy LUNA Protein. There is nothing in LUNA Protein that is not good for men. However, LUNA Protein bars are specifically formulated to provide women with the nutrients that are often harder for them to get."

Caprese Salad Roll Up

Justin and I love checking out the specialty cheese section at the commissary. Some of our favorites are fresh mozzarella, queso fresco, and goat cheese. On a recent shopping trip, Justin noticed an unusual fresh mozzarella.

You unroll it and fill with various goodies.

We already had fresh basil and tomatoes in our cart, so it was a must have! It would be a caprese salad with a twist.

Layer with fresh basil and sliced tomatoes.

Sprinkle with fresh salt and pepper. Then drizzle olive oil.

Tightly roll

Cut and enjoy!

I did find the circles a little hard to eat with out tomatoes or basil falling out. Maybe I needed to roll it a little tighter. I guess you know it must be good if it falls out while you eat!

Kefir

Our latest household obsession: Kefir!

Justin was the one who first started drinking the yogurt-y smoothie. Curiosity led me to try the delightful probiotic myself. Kefir is thick, but smooth. Both flavors I've tried have no chunks or seeds! 

Kefir is gluten free! According to their FAQ page, "All of Lifeway's products are Gluten Free except for the Probiotic Wellness Bars. The bars are produced at a different facility separate from where Lifeway Kefir is produced. Therefore there is no nut and gluten contamination." Further research on the site, also led me to find out Green Kefir is not GF, as it contains wheat grass powder.

I'm so glad I wrote this post, because I started playing around on Lifeway's website. I've now signed up for coupons and can't wait to try some other products. I had no idea how many flavors they carry, I must try birthday cake Kefir. I also read about frozen Kefir in Men's Health and need to find a store that carries it!

Mini Layer Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache

I decided to make Justin a gluten free cake so that I could enjoy some too. I wanted to make an old favorite of his into a gluten free version. I knew I wanted to make a layered chocolate cake, so I browsed through my Cupcake Cookbook. All the recipes make smaller quantities than normal gluten-filled recipes.  So I settled on making a mini cake and some Hostess-like cupcakes.

I followed the chocolate cupcake recipe on page 22. I poured about a half cup of batter into my mini cake pans.

The remaining batter filled four cupcakes. A perfect portion for two people! Who really needs 22 cupcakes at once?

Elana Amsterdam has a recipe in her book that is for cream-filled chocolate cupcakes. The chocolate cake recipe is the same one from page 22. I looked at her meringue frosting recipe and decided not to try it. I wanted to make the filling I used to use when I would make the cupcakes with wheat flour. (You can find a picture of these in the "Full of Gluten" tab.) Here is the link to the cream-filled cupcakes I used to make. For these cupcakes, I followed the filling recipe ONLY! The marshmallow insides are so sticky and still a pain in the butt to get in the pastry bag.

Another reason I chose to use my old recipe was because you fill the cupcakes by inserting the tip into the cupcake and squeezing. In Amsterdam's book, she calls for you to cut out the bottom of the cupcake.

I wanted to dually use the chocolate ganache so I had to make sure I filled the cupcakes before I made my ganache. To make the ganache, you boil heavy whipping cream, chocolate chips, and vanilla. 

When the ganache was still warm, I dipped the cupcakes.

The glazed look.

My only complaint was that for some reason they sank in the center where I had filled the cupcakes. I never had that problem before, so it must have been something about the consistency of the GF cake mix.

Not too bad, if I do critique myself!

Now onto the cake...

Looks good

But I managed to make a major mess!

The ganache was a little troublesome (for me). I needed to put it in the fridge so it could thicken. I came up with the grand idea of putting it in a pastry bag first. I covered the tip with plastic wrap. At first, it went in with no problem. All of the sudden is started pouring out...epic fail! I squeezed the mixture back into the pot and into the fridge it went. 

I was constantly checking the fridge for the perfect consistency. It seemed to be going no where fast, so into the freezer I put it. Wrong move again! Now it was too hard. I felt like Goldilocks. I screamed several times through out this process. Patience would have solved it all.

I was able to mix it up enough to obtain a spreadable mixture. I used the pastry bag to layer the cake. It worked really well and created thicker frosting layers.

I spread the rest with a butter knife around the cake.

And check out that inside! It was very sweet but tasted similar to the original gluten counter-part.

Happy Birthday Hubby!

Happy Birthday to my biggest supporter! 

Justin truly is an amazing man, who makes eating GF a breeze. He's given up so much to eat GF with me at home. He helps me read labels, cook GF, and goes to restaurants that are accommodating for me. Thank you hubby! I couldn't do this without you.

He had a couple requests for his special day.

1. "I want waffles with birthday cake ice cream for breakfast."

I woke up early to make him breakfast before work. The waffles were extra fluffy this morning, yet still crispy on the outside. I think the dash of vanilla I added did the trick (although it made the batter even more watery and made me worry!)

I waited around most of the day hoping Justin would get off work early. Unfortunately, he didn't arrive home until nearly 5:00. He opened his card and gift, then we were off to dinner, which was request number two.

2. "I want to go to Red Lobster and eat the biscuits."

This was a request because usually when we go out, he denies the bread too! I told him no problem, eat all the cheddar biscuits you want.

I did my research before we left and found that Red Lobster did in fact have an allergy menu. I looked over the menu at home to get an idea of what I could eat and to think about what sounded good. At the restaurant I asked the hostess for an allergy menu. She wasn't too sure what I was asking about and showed me the healthy menu on the table. This was not what I was looking for, so I asked the server. He seemed new and unsure but went to ask the manager.

The manager printed out a menu for me and I examined it. I asked a few questions about how the fish was cooked and settled on the blackened catfish, coleslaw, and a baked potato. I also requested the cook's gloves be changed when handling my food.

The server asked if we wanted biscuits, which was appreciated because we do often deny the bread. But this time I answered, "I think he wants some."

When I received the bill, I couldn't help but laugh. As guest number one, I was labeled "allergen guest."

After dinner we went to Target for a bit. Then when we got home we had cake! I'll tell you more about the chocolate mini cake tomorrow.

My Favorite Things - Michigan Trip

I love making lists.

I was away on vacation for 14 days, which would be nearly impossible to catch up all of the details from my amazing trip.

As a result, I'm going to share some of my favorite Michigan things.

1. Family 

Me & Kristen (my fellow celiac)

Of course, number one on my list is seeing my family. I saw all three of my sisters, my niece, my nephew, my parents, Justin's parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandpa, even my grandparents from Wisconsin came! I had fun with every single person I saw.

2. Faygo Pop

So many flavors at Meijer.

My favorite flavor is diet Rock and Rye. I describe it as a cross between cream soda and red pop. In fact, at the store I questioned if there was actually rye in the pop. Then Justin's mom made a good point, is there actually pepper in Dr. Pepper? Just to be certain, I emailed Faygo about their gluten status. Here was their response:


Hi Karen,

All Faygo products are gluten free.

Thanks for writing!


3. My Jenna Kator Handbag

I had been obsessing about these online for quite awhile. When looking at the shop locations, I knew I would have to pick one up on my trip! My procrastination got the best of me and I waited until the day I left to search for this Corktown purse. The handbag came with a longer strap as well, that I've been rocking for the summer time. There are little pockets inside that make organizing easy.

Jenna Kator went to Michigan State and named her collection after places in Michigan, which I love! I will hands down support a Michigan designer over other designers.

4. Desserts! 

Everywhere I went, everyone was very supportive of my dietary needs. Justin parent's bought a toaster oven for GF stuff only! My mom always made meals that were naturally GF. Kristen and I were always eating first to avoid cross contamination with bread crumbs. Everyone was so amazing.

Desserts are a treat for me. I honestly don't eat as many cookies and cakes that I used to. When I was home, there was no shortage of desserts!

Disclaimer: I have more photos of the desserts than I do of my family. Some of the pics are not the greatest quality either because I felt like my dog, Iivana, with my mouth watering while I looked on.

Julie brought GF cupcakes from a bakery in Berkley. The carrot cake was my favorite.

My mom took me to Vince & Joe's to pick out some things from their GF bakery collection. I chose:

Bumpy GF Cupcakes

The topping was outrageous!

The frosting to cake ratio was almost equal.

My mouth is full, yet I'm still smiling.

I also picked out some GF peanut butter candy cookies. (aka Reese's Pieces inside)

I've had some amazing cakes since being gluten free, but cookies are a lot harder to replicate, in my opinion. I love soft, chewy cookies. Most cookies I've tried are as hard as a rock. These were a little stiff, but the peanut butter and candy made up on the crunchiness. 

Then Kristen arrived in town and was craving carrot cake from Vince & Joe's. The carrot cake was moist and filled with raisins. Like I said, so many delicious desserts.

My mom made homemade strawberry pie with Michigan strawberries for my grandpa's birthday. So she made me a crustless version. I never really liked pie crust anyways. The insides are the best part of the pie!

5. Biggby Coffee  

My mom gave Justin and me a couple gift cards to Biggby (formerly Beaner's). After quick research, I concluded there should be some GF options for me. To confirm these suspicions, I questioned the barista. He read me the label, asked me questions, and was patient. We went to Biggby twice. One time I ordered the Caramel Marvel iced. The next trip I ordered Caramel Mellow (caramel + marshmallow) hot. I love that you can order hot, cold, or frozen. I didn't take any pictures of my drinks :(

But if I had the option between Starbucks and Biggby: it would be Biggby every time!

• They offer several GF options. Upon further research I found:

Biggby Coffee Did you know all of our sauces and syrups are gluten free?? Only one drink currently on our menu has gluten - our chocolate chip cookie creme freeze. B happy!! ^FF

This was a recent Facebook post from May 23!

• And they are Michigan based!

 Check out my other favorite things here.