SO Delicious is so delicious!

Have you tried SO Delicious? This frozen dessert is delightful! The first flavor I tried was Mocha Fudge....scrumptious! It's gluten free and dairy free. Another great flavor is the Coconut Milk Vanilla Bean. It's gluten free, dairy free, and soy free. Both are yummy. There have other varieties as well, but I always make sure it says GF on the labeling. So if a flavor doesn't plainly say (and even when it does :)) be sure to check the ingredients!

This post is linked to Allergy Free Wednesdays

A Recipe from Southern Living...Tarragon Chicken Salad

Our Southern Living magazine just arrived in the mail, so I thought I'd flip through and see if there were any recipes that were GF or could be made GF...sure enough, I found one! This chicken salad sounds delicious...I'll be trying it soon!

Tarragon Chicken Salad

1 tbsp butter

3/4 cup chopped pecans

1 cup mayonnaise (Hellman's is GF)

3 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon (I also just checked and McCormick has dried tarragon leaves that are GF, you just have to use less if you use dried, maybe around 1 tbsp)

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

4 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts

1 1/2 cups diced Granny Smith apples

1 cup celery diced

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

salt and pepper

Directions:

Melt butter in a small skillet over med-low heat.

Add pecans and cook, stirring constantly 6-8 minutes or until toasted and fragrant.

Whisk together mayonnaise and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl.

Stir in chicken and next 3 ingredients just until blended.

Add salt and pepper to taste

Cover and chill 2 to 24 hours.

Stir in 1/2 cup toasted pecans just before serving.

Sprinkle with remaining pecans.

This recipe is linked to...

Allergy Free Wednesdays http://glutenfreepantry.blogspot.com/2012/02/allergy-free-wednesdays-blog-hop-week-6.html

Gluten Free Wednesdays http://glutenfreehomemaker.com/2012/02/gluten-free-wednesdays-22912/

It's A Keeper Thursdays http://www.everydaytastes.com/2012/03/01/its-a-keeper-thursday-recipe-project-swap-3/

Friday Favorites...Eating GF in the Outback!

These days there are many restaurants with gluten free menus. And most of the time servers are very helpful when I tell them I have a "gluten intolerance". If I do tell them I have Celiac Disease, most of the time they say they know someone with Celiac too... There are about four restaurants where I regularly go to eat gluten free, but time and again, I have had the best experience at Outback Steakhouse! They have a great gluten free menu and in my experience, a very helpful staff. Before CD, my favorite menu item was Alice Springs Chicken....and guess what? It's on the GF menu! All I have to do is substitute something in the place of the fries, which are not gluten free. Although I do miss my Bloomin' Onion, for the mostpart I can eat the same at Outback as I did before going gluten free! Love it! And believe me, I eat till my little heart is content and my tummy is stuffed! Here's a link to their great gluten free menu http://www.outback.com/menu/pdf/glutenfree.pdf

What are some of your favorite places for eating GF??

Easy No Oats Gluten Free Meatloaf

Growing up, meatloaf was one of my favorite meals and it still is. So when I went gluten free, I searched for a great gluten free meatloaf. Early on, I found this tasty recipe from glutenfreefrenzy.com http://www.glutenfreefrenzy.com/2009/10/oatmeal-meatloaf.html Just like my mom's, this one uses oats...gf, of course. I made this delicious recipe, but found I didn't feel so good afterwards. I later read that some folks have trouble with even GF oats....So I wanted to find another recipe that used a different ingredient. Enter the Pioneer Woman's Favorite Meatloaf http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/09/my-favorite-meatloaf/ which uses white sandwich bread. Substitute a little GF Udi's, and you've got a great consistency! I LOVE the addition of bacon and the topping Pioneer Woman adds to hers...I love the flavor from Gluten Free Frenzy...so why not throw my favorite parts of both together in one great dish? It turned out so delicious!!

Here's what I came up with...

Ingredients for meatloaf:
3-4 slices of GF white sandwich bread (I use Udi's White Sandwich Bread)
1 cup or more of milk
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins is GF)
1/2 of an onion, diced
salt/pepper
a few dashes dried minced garlic
a few dashes dried oregano
a couple of dashes chili powder
a few dashes dried parsley
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Ingredients for Pioneer Woman's meatloaf topping
3/4 cup ketchup
1/6 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground mustard (dry mustard)
tabasco to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put bread slices in a single layer in a small baking dish. Pour milk over them. Let bread soak for several minutes. (I also add a little extra milk and flipthe bread over once while it soaks so all the pieces get covered)

After bread has soaked for several minutes, remove from milk. Combine bread, meat and all other ingredients for meatloaf in a separate large bowl.

Wash hands well, and mix all ingredients with hands till combined.

Shape into a loaf and put on broiler pan or put into meatloaf loaf pan. If using a broiler pan, Pioneer Woman suggests lining the bottom pan with foil for easy clean up! I didn't line the pan the first time I did this and, oh my goodness.....just line the pan :)

For sauce topping combine ingredients in small bowl and stir together until combined. Spoon out enough to cover the top of the meatloaf into a separate cup and reserve the rest for later...

Bake for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, coat meatloaf with more of the delicious sauce...NO DOUBLE DIPPING :) ~You should still have a little sauce left for topping the meatloaf when it is served, which is oh so yummy!~

Bake for 15-20 more minutes until done. And I highly recommend using a loaf pain with a draining piece at the bottom. This helps keep your meatloaf from sitting in all the grease as it cooks.  I love this one from Temptations...(yes I'm a QVC junkie :))

Slice and enjoy! Don't forget to use your extra sauce...delicious!

Serve w/ your favorite side...some of my favorites...mashed potatoes, oven steak fries, orange spiced sweet potatoes, or spiced apples :)

Linked to Gluten Free Wednesdays at glutenfreehomemaker.com

Super Easy Chicken Casserole....

One Christmas, my aunt put together all my Grandmother's recipes in a book and gave it to me.... What a special gift. I found a simple and delicious chicken casserole recipe in there and I made it a lot before going gluten free. With just a few changes, here is my GF version....

Ingredients:

2 cooked chicken breasts diced

1 container Pacific Organic Gluten Free condensed cream of chicken soup

8 oz sour cream

salt & pepper

Onion powder

GF chicken broth

GF Brown rice

Combine cooked chicken, soup, sour cream,

a few dashes of salt, pepper and just a sprinkle of onion powder

Pour in a little chicken broth a little at a time and stir (don't make it too soupy)

Pour into baking dish.

Cook at 350 degrees uncovered for 40 minutes or until heated through.

Prepare rice according to directions and spoon casserole over rice.

Enjoy!

Linked to Make It Gluten Free Tuesdays at http://gingerlemongirl.blogspot.com/

Gluten Free Breakfast Casserole

I love breakfast casserole. It is my favorite breakfast dish ever. But every time I tried to make it myself, I never could get it quite right. That was until my cousin shared her breakfast casserole recipe with me. It's delicious! Here's the recipe GF!

2-3 slices of GF bread (I use Udi's GF white sandwich bread and may use 4 pieces, since they are smaller than the regular loaves)

1 lb GF bulk sausage, browned and broken up (I use Ingles Markets Gluten Free Italian Bulk Sausage)

1 cup shredded cheese

6 eggs

2 cups milk

Tear bread into pieces and place in bottom of baking dish.

Sprinkle cooked sausage over bread.
Sprinkle grated cheese over sausage.

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and milk together.

Pour over bread, sausage, and cheese.

Refrigerate. You could refrigerate overnight and cook for breakfast. I have also put this together in the morning, refrigerated it all day and cooked it for supper.

Cook for 1 hr @350. (I usually cook it about 5 minutes longer, just keep an eye on it till it's done)

Enjoy!

This recipe is linked to...

Gluten Free Wednesdays http://glutenfreehomemaker.com/2012/02/gluten-free-wednesdays-2-22-12/

Frustration....

That's what I'm feeling. As of today I have been GF for 3 1/2 months. As I have written before, the beginning of all this was very scary for me, but I accepted Celiac Disease and moved on, finding great GF recipes and learning that this was very doable....But now I'm feeling the same fear and frustration I felt in the beginning....I expected a complete turn around once going GF...no more "issues", more energy, a whole new me....that hasn't happened. I have not cheated, not once...and while I have noticed some difference, the same "issues" are still there. I went to the Dr yesterday to see if we could figure this out, and he tells me he's only ever had one person for whom the GF diet didn't work...frustration. We talked about what it could be, he ordered some tests, said to try fiber....and I wait...I thought that maybe someone else might be going through this too??

Friday Favorites...GF Storage

Recently, a few different GF bloggers have shown their pantries neatly organized with labeled storage containers for all their flours and baking products. After seeing this, I realized that the quart size zip bags in which I was storing mine weren't cutting it! And every time I went to use them, flour got everywhere, making a huge mess....uughhh! The gift of organization is one that I do not possess...I'm a self proclaimed clutter-bug! But it was clear, I needed to do something about my flour situation! So I turned to my favorite storage containers....Lock-n-Lock!

This brings up another confession I must make to you... I am a QVC junkie...which is where I first discovered Lock-n-Lock. I love to shop the Q, Shoot, I don't even have to buy anything, I love just watching the Q~which Hubby does not understand at all!

Anyway, back to storage....One year for my birthday, Hubby surprised me with two sets of Lock-n-Lock from QVC. I don't think he had any idea how excited I would get over storage containers....To this day, it ranks as one of his best gifts ever, I was so thrilled to get them...and still use them all the time! So what better containers to use than Lock-n-Lock for my GF storage...and they work great! I actually picked up these three new containers at the grocery store, but here's the link to any Lock-n-Lock you could ever want from QVC :) http://www.qvc.com/

Loving my new gluten free lip gloss from Red Apple Lipstick!

When I went gluten free, I realized I would have to change lipsticks, as mine was not GF. I found some great lip balms...Carmex and Made On lip balm are great...but I missed wearing a color on my lips....It's like that song, "You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile..." I felt like something was missing. Then thanks to the Celiac Diva, I discovered Red Apple Lipstick, who makes GF lipsticks and glosses! I recently ordered their newest shade of gloss, Brandy Candy....LOVE IT! Here's a picture of me sporting the new shade....and this was after I'd had it on for a couple of hours! Check out the website here http://www.redapplelipstick.com/ lots of great colors to choose from!

My Simply Good "Shepherd's Pie"

The other night I set out to make this recipe http://www.recipes.co.nz/baked-potato?pid=885dd5e6-d3ad-4812-ba2c-6646c8247f1f a truly "meat and potatoes" meal I borrowed from the Gluten Free Chef. I started cooking the beef, then, partly out of laziness, instead of following the recipe, I thought I'd just plop some mashed potatoes on top like a shepherd's pie. The results were fabulous! Hubby commented that he thought it was the best gluten free meal I've made so far! Here's the recipe....

1 1/2 lbs ground beef or ground chuck
1 small onion diced
1 can diced tomatoes
dried minced garlic
dried parsley
chili powder
dried oregano
onion powder~just a little for extra flavor
salt & pepper
1 small can tomato sauce

4 or 5 russet potatoes

milk 

butter or butter substitute

Directions:
Brown and break up beef with onion until beef is no longer pink.

Drain beef and return to pot.

Add diced tomatoes, a few dashes of the herbs and spices and a little tomato sauce (not the whole can) to thicken the mixture just a little, and cook over med until heated through and thickened.

I didn't measure the spices, just added dashes till it felt right and taste-tested the mixture till it tasted yummy!

Peel and dice potatoes. Put in pot and cover with water.

Sprinkle with salt & pepper

Bring to a boil and cook over med-high heat until potatoes are tender.

Drain potatoes.

In med bowl combine drained potatoes, some butter, milk (a little at a time), and salt and pepper.

Beat with hand mixer till smooth. This is another recipe I taste-test to get just right.

Put meat mixture in the bottom of baking dish. Put mashed potatoes on top and spread till smooth. Heat for just a few minutes till warm in 350 degree oven.

Enjoy!

This recipe is linked to...

Gluten Free Wednesday http://glutenfreehomemaker.com/2012/02/gluten-free-wednesdays-2-8-12/

GF Ideas for the Super Bowl

I have found some great looking recipe ideas for GF Super Bowl party foods lately! Thought I'd share them along with a few from this site too!


Here are some recipes I've posted before that would make yummy party treats!




GF Chili Beans http://glutenfreesimplygood.blogspot.com/2012/01/gf-chili-beans.html

Black Eyed Pea Dip http://glutenfreesimplygood.blogspot.com/2011/12/pioneer-womanzannies-black-eyed-pea-dip.html

GF Oreo Truffles http://glutenfreesimplygood.blogspot.com/2011/12/yummy-gf-oreo-truffles.html

GF Chili Fries http://glutenfreesimplygood.blogspot.com/2012/01/gluten-free-chili-fries.html

Unbelievably Fabulous Fruit Dip http://glutenfreesimplygood.blogspot.com/2011/11/unbelievably-fabulous-fruit-dip.html

Here are some other great looking recipes from other blogs that you might want to try for your Super Bowl gathering...

Not Your Mother's Meatballs from Stephanie O'Dea http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2011/12/not-your-mothers-meatballs-slow-cooker.html

BBQ Beans from As Good As Gluten http://asgoodasgluten.blogspot.com/2011/12/aunt-julies-bbq-beans.html

Caramelized French Onion Dip from Fox in the Kitchen http://www.foxinthekitchenblog.com/gf-egg-free/2012/01/recipe-caramelized-french-onion-dip/

Super Bowls Ideas and Recipes from The Gluten Free Homemaker http://glutenfreehomemaker.com/2012/02/super-bowl-recipe/

Buffalo Chicken Dip from As Good As Gluten http://asgoodasgluten.blogspot.com/2011/08/healthier-buffalo-chicken-dip.html

Buffalo Chicken Dip from Sticy Gooey Creamy Chewy.

This recipe is not specifically GF. So just make sure all brands are GF. I called Texas Pete and they said all their hot sauces are GF. Be sure to check your blue cheese dressing and other ingredients too. I will cook my own chicken when I make this...as of yet I have not been able to find a GF rotisserie chicken.

http://stickygooeycreamychewy.com/2012/01/26/buffalo-chicken-dip-recipe/

Caramel Nut Clusters from Fox in the Kitchen http://www.foxinthekitchenblog.com/gf-recipes/gf-sweets/2012/01/happy-new-year-and-a-recipe-turtles/

Friday Favorites....King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Mixes

You are probably already familiar with King Arthur Flour's line of gluten free products. If not though, you should give them a try! I love them! The muffin mix is yummy with blueberries added in, and I have even squeezed some fresh orange juice in with the mix before too :). And the brownies....oh the brownies...they are delicious! My family is coming over for dinner this weekend and for dessert I'm planning on serving the brownies with GF vanilla ice cream and GF chocolate syrup...tasty! These King Arthur Flour mixes are certified gluten free and made in a dedicated GF facility :). They also make other mixes too :)

This post is linked to Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love at http://allergyfreecookery.blogspot.com/2012/02/allergy-friendly-lunchbox-love-19.html