Let Me Eat Cake

I went to the coolest store yesterday.  All gluten-free.  Everything in the store.  Found some yummy stuff and found things that I don’t see at any of the six grocery stores I frequent.  Decided to give this Gluten-Free Pantry cake mix a try, as the next attempt in my endless quest to find the perfect cake.

The batter was super easy to prepare and looked halfway normal.  I felt optimistic.

It only took 28 minutes to bake and came out looking like … well, cake.

Appearance was really good.  Texture is dry, a bit crumbly.  Taste:  It’s not objectionable, but it tastes like rice.  Sigh.  The search continues.

4 Comments | Category: Cakes |

Amy’s Gluten Free Macaroni And Cheese

The good folks at Amy’s have nearly perfected their version of gluten-free macaroni and cheese.

Here’s the thing about rice pasta:  you can’t really tell that it’s rice pasta when it’s smothered in cheese.  Calories are high, but when you’re living a life without decent bread, everything is open to negotiation.

Like most GF foods, these individual serving entrees are expensive little suckers.  I’ve seen them priced from $2.69-$4.69 ea.  Oh, and they’re fairly difficult to find but I live in cow town so take that with a grain of salt.

I know Amy’s makes a few other gluten-free offerings — I haven’t been able to locate them — so stay tuned for a vlog once I get my hot little hands on them.  Pizza…yum.

4 Comments | Category: Pasta |

Shameless Self-Promotion

If you can believe it, I’m unplugging for the weekend.  No laptop.  I’m considering no Blackberry, but it’s possible that I’m being a little overzealous. 

I’m going to Cape Cod with my mom and doing nothing but reading books.  It’s kind of one of those trips that I can’t afford to take and can’t afford not to take.

Fear not, I am writing some stuff which will be scheduled for release over the weekend including my thoughts on some very inneresting commentary I received on this post.

Oh, okay, this is totally embarassing, but someone started a Wendie Tobin fan club on Facebook.  I know, I know…are you kiddin’ me?  But since it’s there, and since I desperately need attention – I’m convinced every blogger in the world was unpopular in high school — join!  Okay?

My Facebook

My Twitter-Well Honestly Now

My Twitter-Mommytopia

My Twitter-Surviving Celiac

My Fan Club  (Can’t really type that without laughing.)

My MySpace  (I never really check this, but if you post nekkid pictures or something I’ll start checking it again.)

Well Honestly Now  If you need advice-free, confidential, kinda brutal

Surviving Celiac   If you need me to review a gluten-free product to determine if it’s any good before you pay its totally inflated price.

Mommytopia  You know, all the imperfect parenting stuff.

1 Comment | Category: Uncategorized |

They Love Us, They Really, Really Love Us

Oh, my God.  Next to the Pierce Brosnan dreams, this is one of my biggest fantasies.  Betty Crocker, a mainstream company we’ve all heard of that probably won’t have the gall to charge six dollars, is releasing a line of gluten-free mixes this month!  Yellow cake, chocolate cake, brownies and a cookie mix.  My fellow Celiacs will understand what joy this has struck in my heart!

I’ll be reviewing all four products once they arrive at my local grocery store until then, I’m camping in their parking lot.  If the kind folks at BC feel like sending me some free samples, perhaps I’ll do a video blog of preparation and taste-testing.  I’m just sayin’…

2 Comments | Category: Cakes, Cookies |

K-Toos Cookies

I think it’s funny that I’ve only done three or four posts here so far, but two of them are about cookies.  I have a problem.

Okay, if you’ve tried gluten-free cookies, you know that it’s a miracle if you find one that doesn’t taste like a big bite of rice flour.  

Kinnikinnick, the people who make a decent English muffin, makes a brand of cookies called K-Toos that aren’t horrible.  They make a blonde version of these with vanilla cookies that I’m not as fond of.  You definitely get that powdery gritty texture, but still…IT’S A COOKIE!  These chocolate Orefauxs as I like to call them, are pretty good.  Better texture, slight rice aftertaste, but not objectionable.  Since they are 60 calories apiece, my theory is that they load them up with sugar so they taste better. 

I don’t know that there will ever be a gluten-free cookie that is as good as the real thing, but these are certainly edible and even enjoyable.  At $5.19 for 21 cookies, they are expensive as is everything from Kinnikinnick.  But, you know, THEY’RE COOKIES!

4 Comments | Category: Cookies |

Cookie, Thy Name Is Love

Ok.  I love these hot bitches.  They are from Whole Foods Bakehouse line.  Why?  Why is there not a WF closer to me?  I need to start sleeping with a local zoning official, STAT!  Thank you Sasha for the tip!  I’ll name my next baby after you.  I swear.

No Comments | Category: Cookies |

Organix Shampoo

There is something I’ve learned recently:  many companies I’ve contacted regarding the existence of gluten in their products will not respond.  Which pisses me off.  So when I have a positive experience, you can bet that I’m going to share it here with my massive and influential audience of five.  And by “positive experience” I mean that this chick sounds like she actually had a conversation with someone.  Like…asked the question.  Of course “our chemist” is probably the dude who fills the vending machine every Tuesday but I like the fantasy of a geek in lab coat with beakers all around giving this product the Celiac green light. 

Organix’s reply to my inquiry:

Dear Wendie:

Thank you so much for contacting us!  I have checked with our chemist at
the manufacturing plant and she assures me that our entire Organix line
is gluten-free.  Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Customer Service Department
Vogue International

2 Comments | Category: Shampoo |

Gluten: What It Is And What It Is Not

Gluten:  A Biography

I had a hard time getting my mind around this but gluten is NOT wheat.  And it’s not flour.  Though it is found in each.  Gluten is a combination of two proteins:  gliadin and glutenin.  It is a protein found in many grains such as wheat, barley and rye.  Rice and corn are often called glutens but they only have the giadin protein in them.  And it is the combination of the two proteins which make a lot of people really sick.  More about that later.  But what you need to know:  Wheat bad.  Rice good.

What is gluten’s life purpose?

Gluten makes dough pliable and baked goods chewy.  Think coagulation.  It’s also added to foods that otherwise don’t have a lot (or any) protein in them such as ketchup and ice cream.  Gluten lurks in many things, but more about that later.

Why is gluten the devil?

For many, most, it is not.  But for about 1% of the human population, it is sickening, damaging and absolutely incompatible with comfort, happiness or good health.

3 Comments | Category: Uncategorized |