The Gluti Girls...

I need ideas!

I have a problem.  We are going away for the weekend in June.  We will be staying in a college dorm room.  The event we are going to will, of course, have tons of food vendors, but I do not trust any of them.  I need to take my own food. I don't do well eating out at all.   I will need two breakfast, three lunch and two dinner ideas.  I will have a cooler.  I might, that's a big might, have access to a microwave oven.  More than likely, I will be stuck with cold food from a cooler.  I need something I can fix that is easy, but filling.  And it has to be yummy too, because everyone else will be eating yummy things from the food vendors.   I have thought of the standard things like potato salad, teff wraps, tuna on crackers etc.  Do you have any different ideas?  I need ideas.  I'm brain dead on this one.  

My Sweet Girl

 

This is my sweet girl, Kati.  This is her senior picture.  I can not believe she is old enough to graduate.  I have home schooled her since 4th grade.  For her senior year, she went to a local community college and did very well.  I am very proud of her! 

But, with graduating, there comes the problem of having a graduation party.  At least when you have to eat gluten free.  I was determined to have a totally gluten free party for her.  There are enough times and enough places we go where she can not eat what she wants. If you are facing the same dilemma as I was, hopefully this post will give you some ideas.  We did not want anything fancy.  She not only had family coming, but a lot of friends.  Wouldn't you know, I don't have pictures of the food!  I got to caught up in everyone being there and totally forgot!  But that's life.

 My first worry was cake.  I wanted something tried and true, but easy.  I opted for my family Mayonnaise cake recipe.  It's so easy to put together and I knew it would turn out good.  I have a large pan.  It's the size of two 9 x 13" cake pans.  It's like a jelly roll pan, but deeper.  I doubled this recipe and it worked great in that pan.  I tell you, if you make this cake, no one will know it's gluten free

Mayonnaise Cake 

1 -1/2 cups  sugar 

3 teaspoons soda 

3 cups flour (to make gluten free, use 3 cups Pamela's baking and pancake mix, plus 1 teaspoon xantham gum) 

4 Tablespoons cocoa 

1-1/2 cup water 

1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

1-1/2 cup mayonnaise 

Mix together  water, vanilla and mayonnaise in mixer.  Add sugar, soda, flour (xantham gum if making it gluten free), and cocoa.  Mix on medium speed until well blended.  Pour into greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 min. 

Easy Carmel Icing 

1/2 cup butter 

1 cup brown sugar 

1/4 cup milk 

2-1/2 cup powdered sugar

 Melt butter in sauce pan; add brown sugar.  Boil over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add milk and stir till boiling.  Remove from heat.  Allow to cool completely.  Add powdered sugar gradually, beating will, till it reaches correct consistency.  Spread over cooled cake. 

My next challenge was making some kind of sandwiches.  Growing up, Kati loved tuna salad.  Anyone who knew her when she was little, knew she was obsessed by it.  I knew we had to have tuna salad sandwiches as sort of a joke.  The day before the party,  I had my bread machine going overtime making bread.  I used Gluten Free Pantry French Bread mix.  On the day of the party, we put together the sandwiches (with the crusts cut off!).  The were a hit too.  Who knew everyone would love tuna salad! 

For the rest of the food, we put together a list of her favorite snacks.  We had cheese and crackers, cheese spread, hummus, edemame, corn chips and salsa, potato chips, Pirates Booty, M& M's, Snickers bars, fruit with chocolate dip and a tray of veggies. She had a great time visiting with family and friends.  I was so glad when it was over.  Two weeks of company and cooking just about did me in.

 This weekend, I was so glad to have a weekend of not cooking for a crowd!  I did grill out though :)  I think there is a rule about living in Indianapolis and race day and grilling. No, we didn't go to the race, but listened on the radio.  It's blacked out here, so we can't watch it live. 

Next weekend we are having a going away party for our drummer, Judy.  This will be tricky.  Most everyone there will be gluten eaters.  We are grilling out burger and dogs.  This is a dilemma I'm sure most of you will be faced with at one time or another.  Normally, I do not allow any gluten in the house unless it's in the basement.  This however, is different.  I can't expect everyone to eat their burgers without a bun.  And, it's a pitch in.  So there will be gluten in the house. I am sure most of what they will bring, Kati and I will not be able to eat. 

My plan is to keep the gluten and the gluten free as separate as possible.  I have a separate dining room.  I think I will put all the gluten in there.  I will keep the gluten free dishes in the kitchen.  As far as clean up, Steve and Bryan (husband and son) can help with the clean up so I don't have to deal with it (touch it).  That's about the best solution I can think of. 

If I hadn't had two weekends already this month where I did all the cooking myself, I would make everything for the event and not have a pitch in.  But, it's just too much.  And, there are times when I think you have to compromise.  This is the best way I can think to manage it.  If any of you have any suggestions, I would love it.  We all have to get through these times at one point or another. Hope you all have a great Memorial Weekend.  It did finally get warm enough here to wear shorts!  That makes me a happy girl :)

Update edit:  The band party was great and most surprising, so many of the band members went to the trouble to bring a dish that was gluten free.  They were so thoughtful!

Potato Salad and Beans

I think I'm ready for my Mother's Day company.  I spent most of today in the kitchen trying to get as much of it done ahead of time.  Both of these dishes are recipes my family have used for a long time.  The bean recipe is my sister-in-laws.  Her name is Sue.  She did not make this recipe up herself.   It was given to her by somebody and I don't know the original name of it.  I call it Sue's beans. These are the best beans I've ever had.  If you make them, make sure you have copied the recipe off to share because people will ask for it!  Even people who don't normally like beans.

 The potato salad recipe came from my mom.  She has been making this recipe for as long as I can remember.  We used to have it on Christmas eve with cold ham sandwiches.  It has always been one of my favorites.  This is a great recipe to take on picnics since there is no mayonnaise in it.  The dressing has olive oil in it so I think it won't spoil as quickly as mayonnaise would in the heat, but you still need to be careful.  Also, this salad gets even better the next day.  It's a great salad to make the day before and let the flavors meld together. 

Sue's Beans

(They have not been baked yet in this picture.  They do thicken up when they bake.)

 3/4 cup brown sugar 

1/3 cup vinegar

 2 teaspoons dry mustard 

1 lb. raw bacon, chopped ( I used Hormel already cooked bacon in mine) 

4 onions, diced 

Combine the above ingredients in a heavy saucepan and simmer on medium heat for about 20 minutes.  (I do not cover mine while they are simmering.) Mix in one can (small can) each of the following drained beans: Lima Kidney Butter Pork and Beans (I used Bushes plain Pork and Beans) Pour into a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour.  Be ready to give out the recipe! 

Cesar Potato Salad

5 pounds red potatoes 

1/2 cup salad oil (I use a good quality olive oil) 

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 

1/2 cup lemon juice 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 

1/4 teaspoon pepper 8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped 

1 medium onion or 4 large scallions, 

chopped Parsley

 chopped Slice green olives, about 3/4 cup or to taste

 Six boiled eggs, sliced 

Place potatoes (do not peel them!) in a large heavy pan, and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and simmer till until done.  This takes a while so I always start them and let them cook while I am doing something else in the kitchen (like start the boiled eggs).  After they are fork tender, drain and place them in the refrigerator till completely cold. After the potatoes have cooled completely, peel and chop them.  The peeling comes off very easy at this point.  Just use the edge of a knife to slide the skins off.  

Place the chopped potatoes in a fairly large bowl.  Add the slice olives, onions, bacon and 3 of the eggs. In a separate bowl mix the oil, cheese, lemon, salt and pepper, parsley, and Worcestershire sauce together.  Pour over the potato mixture and mix well.  Place the last 3 sliced eggs around the top of the potato salad for decoration. Enjoy! Hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day!

Pleasant surprises while shopping

I had to go shopping today.  I'm having my whole family over on Mother's Day.  I'm making a pork tenderloin so I went to Sam's Club.  They have a double pack of plain pork tenderloin that I can season as I want. 

If you've never been in a Sam's Club before, let me tell you the first time I went shopping there after being gluten free, it made me mad.  The place is filled with "food ladies" as I call them.  "Would you like to try some blah, blah, blah?"  That's like a land mind for the gluten intolerant.  I had to say no to everything. In our local Sam's, they are around every corner.  I try to avoid them.  

I was almost done with my shopping today and was at the cheese area where I had avoided two of them already.  There was one lady with her table and back to me so I sneaked around behind her looking at the cheese trying to find something for Mother's Day.  I was stressing myself a little because I was thinking I was going to have to make a special trip to find some gluten free crackers to go with the cheese I was buying. As I came around the other side of the cheese counter and up towards the side of her, I noticed my husband reading the box the food lady had out.  I could hear him say, "I think my wife might be able to eat this."  I was thinking he was crazy.  All I could see was whole grain from a distance. I came over to look at the box and realized it was a rice cracker and the box said gluten free!  Geeze, I got so excited.  And the food lady was serving it with Laughing Cow cheese.  I actually got to eat something the food lady was serving!  Way.  Cool.  I bought two boxes.  

Crackers for cheese crisis was solved.  No special trip for crackers needed!  And, they were darn good! These crackers are made by Crunchmaster.  I have heard mixed reviews on the internet about the fact they are made in a facility that also uses wheat.  On the box it says less than 100 parts per million.  It seems as if some think that is not low enough and it should be less than 20 parts per million.  So, buy at your own risk.  I am trying them.  We'll see.

Then I went to Walmart.  I usually have trouble finding a gluten free, healthy chicken broth.  I don't like a bunch of chemicals in my chicken broth.  There on the shelf they had Rachel Ray Stock in a Box.  And right on the side the words, gluten free.  Again, way cool.  Thank you, Rachel.  

On the way home, I had to stop at Kroger's.  Yes, I was in every grocery store on the southside of Indianapolis today!  I was hoping to find a vinegar similar to the one I get at Trader Joe's.  No such luck at Walmart, so I thought I'd give Kroger's a try.  No luck there either, but I found a salad dressing with gluten free on the label.  So I had to buy it.  Just because.  It was good too!

I don't know about you all, but I get so excited when I see gluten free on a label.  I think my week is ending on an upswing.  It didn't start out to well. Steve bought me an elliptical and it's defective.  It has to be exchanged.  We bought a sofa a couple weeks ago and was told the color we wanted was on back order.  So after weeks of waiting, on Tuesday my new sofa was being delivered.  The delivery guy was walking in the house with a cushion and I noticed it was the wrong color.  It was green.  I ordered beige!  He asked me if I was sure.  Like I wouldn't know the difference between ordering green or beige.  Hmmmm.  No comment. So come to find out, the reason we had to wait several weeks was because they had keyed in the wrong color.  They had my color in stock all along.  Hopefully my new sofa will be sitting in my living room by next Tuesday.  I have high hopes because my week is getting better! 

I have my menu ready for Mother's Day and hopefully, tomorrow I will have some pictures and recipes posted.  That is if I'm not too tired after cooking all day.  I am making as much as I can tomorrow so Sunday will be less stressful.  The potato salad I make is better the second day anyway. Here is my menu: Pork tenderloin Cesar potato salad Sue's beans Cranberry walnut slaw Crescent rolls Millet bread Swedish Pinnapple cake

Croutons!

I feel like it's been so long since I've blogged!  So much to catch up on.  Saturday, I made a loaf of Gluten Free Pantry's French bread.  It's pretty good if you are craving white bread.  I never ate white bread much except when I was craving a peanut butter sandwich.  Let me tell you, I cut the end off while it was still hot and slathered it with peanut butter.  Wow.  Yummy. 

Sunday I worked in the yard all day getting the rest of the garden in and filling pots with flowers for the patio and deck.  When I went in the kitchen after being outside all day, I saw I had half a loaf of French bread left.  All of a sudden, I got a terrible craving for croutons.  I hadn't had any since January 2007.  It was so easy and quick that I have no idea why I haven't made them before!  I didn't have a recipe.  Just made it up on the spot.  Here is what I did: 

Croutons 

4 -1/2 inch slices of gluten free bread (Gluten Free Pantry French), cut into 1/2 inch cubes 

5 Tablespoons melted butter 

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/2 teaspoon onion powder 

1 Tablespoon fresh parsley 

Mix butter, garlic and onion powder, and fresh parsley in a large bowl.  Add bread cubes and toss until they are all coated.  Spread on a parchment paper lined baking tray in one layer.  Bake at 450 until golden brown.  I forgot to time how long that took!  Sorry.  I think it was at least 15 minutes.  

The kids were pretty excited because it had been so long since we had had any croutons in the house.  They didn't last long.  We all had salad and I have to confess I munched on what was left with a glass of wine just before bed that night! 

Here is the rest of the garden planted.  I have four tomato plants.  I have a  roma, big boy, celebrity and a sweet 100 cherry tomato.  I also put out some cucumbers, 3 green pepper, 1 red pepper and 1 jalapeno pepper plant.  I can't wait to have fresh tomatoes. 

 

Hmmm....

   

The weekend before last I was busy with this little girl..... 

This is Cici.  She is our drummers new puppy.  We got to babysit her all weekend.  What a sweetheart.  I wish she wasn't moving all the way to Florida, but she is.  She had a good time playing with our girls and visiting with us.  It was hard to give her back! 

I've not kept up with having a weekly menu and I don't think I will for a while.  Too much is going on.  This weekend I am having my family for Mother's Day.  I sort of have the menu together and I am planning on posting about it.  Instead of trying to keep up with the weekly menu I am just going to post about what I am doing and when I make something I like, I will share it. 

Today in Indiana is the big primary.  On the news we are either hearing about that or what's going on at the track.  You know, it's 500 time here in Indiana.  The track is open. It's been a beautiful day but it's going to cool off again for the weekend.  I had to grill tonight.  We had a really simple meal that took only minutes to prepare.  I thawed out some talapia earlier in the day.  So when dinner came I made spinach salads.  I grilled some fresh veggies with the talapia. 

For my salad, I just had spinach with some slivered almonds and chopped apples on top.  I made a very simple dressing.  I have a thing from Pampered chef I make my dressing in and I use a stick blender to mix mine up. 

Lemon vinegrette 

2 oz. canola oil 

1 oz. honey 

1 oz. lemon juice 1 

Tablespoon fresh, chopped cilantro 

Mix well and serve over salad.  

I have a couple grill pans for the grill.  They are flat with small holes in them so you still get grill marks, but small food doesn't fall through.  I spray them with cooking spray to keep the food from sticking. For the veggies, I had some snow peas and sliced carrots.  I just drizzled them with olive oil, coarse sea salt, salt and pepper.  So simple. 

I wasn't sure what to do with the fish tonight.  I don't usually grill talapia because it is so delicate.  But I sprayed the grill pan well.  I laid the fish out and drizzled them with olive oil, lemon juice, coarse sea salt, pepper and a good sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.  I pre-heat the grill to about 600 degrees and then turned it all the way down to the lowest setting when I put the fish and veggies on .  I did not turn the fish at all.  I left it undisturbed on the grill pan until it was done (about 5-10 minutes).  The veggies were turned several times during the the cooking.  Just keep a close eye on both fish and veggies on the grill as they only take minutes to cook. 

 

So simple.  So good.  I think sometimes the best meals are foods cooked simple without a lot of ingredients. I hope to have my Mother's Day menu all figured out and posted by the end of the week.  So stay tuned!  Now I have to go watch American Idol.  It's getting good!