Yummy yummy cake balls!

Ok, ok, I have been absent from the blogging world for like 2.5 months....WOW! Guess I've been busy ;). Maybe "being a better blogger" will make its way onto my "new year's resolution" list...and maybe it won't. We'll see! ;)

Anyway, in more exciting news....here's a fun new GF "recipe"!!

Yeah, so...."cake balls" doesn't sound overly eloquent ;)....but these little guys are mighty tasty! I must give credit where credit is due, I got the idea here...at MckMama's blog (a fabulously entertaining blog I peruse regularly).

Here's MckMama's entry about her "cake ball" extravaganza (she stuck sucker sticks in them, made pretty-colored frosting, and named them "snow pops"....a little more eloquent ;)). MckMama's Snow Pops. THAT is where I got the idea for my own variation!

I am going to a party tonight (a going-away party for a co-worker/friend who recently got a different job) and wanted to have some kind of yummy chocolate-y GF treat to bring! Based on the aforementioned idea from MckMama's blog, I decided to make some GF cake balls....



**{Please note} My idea of baking/cooking/food preparation in general is often throwing random quantities of random crap together. I inherited the wonderful gift of "eyeballing" something I am making/baking/cooking from my mother who also seldom measures (aside from the obvious baked goods that naturally require more precise measurements).


Process......

Get 1 box of GF cake mix (I used Betty Crocker GF yellow cake). Prepare per instructions on the box, cook cake in refrigerator. When cool, cut into chunks and put in food processor. Pulse until cake becomes fine and powder-like (don't over-process, like I did! It may turn into a big ol' lump!)

Prepare 1 box of GF/dairy free/peanut free (because a friend I am eating with tonight cannot have dairy or peanuts) vanilla frosting. (YOU can likely use whatever kind of frosting you'd like. Mckmama suggests cream cheese frosting. Naturally, being a cream cheese lover, I think that sounds phenomenal. However, I opted out of that this time since a friend of mine who will likely be eating these can't do dairy).

Mix frosting and powdery-cake-bits together. I noted that my frosting/cake heap seemed kinda squishy, probably too much so. Mckmama had written that she added some rolled oats to hers to thicken it up. So, I pulverized some GF animal crackers in my handy-dandy food processor and added those to the mix to thicken things up. I think it was a good choice.

Shape into balls (approx 1"-1 1'/2" diameter), put on a cookie sheet/plate that you've lined with wax paper. Put into freezer for a while to harden.

Remove from freezer when they seem sufficiently hard (I waited an hour). Melt some coating for your balls. Mckmama used Hershey's white chocolate (that she colored with food coloring! They are super-cute). I would assume almond bark would also be good. I used Enjoy Life's allergen-free chocolate chips for the aforementioned reasons. I melted them slowly in the microwave and then swirled the balls in the chocolate. After swirling, remove with toothpick and set on wax paper-ed surface to dry.

You could top these little beauties with anything...a swirl of a contrasting colored chocolate/coating, red sprinkles (what I used!), crushed up peppermints (I thought this would be yummy but, frankly, was too lazy to crush them up to try it out), crushed nuts, etc, etc, etc. Just make sure you sprinkle on your topping before the coating is dry!!

ENJOY!!!!

Happy Gluten Free Anniversary To Me!

So, it was ONE year ago....October 18, 2008....that I made the switch to gluten free! WOW! What a year it has been. 105 blog posts, some baking successes, some failures...new friends...new knowledge...but, best of all....

I am healthy!

I am the healthiest I have ever been in my life. Before this, I never knew what it was like to feel well. I can say with confidence that NOW, I (usually!) truly feel WELL! It is an amazing feeling. I can't believe I made it a year!

No cheating! Not knowingly, anyway! Not even once.

I think I should go bake myself a gluten free cake or something!!! :)

And, just because I want to pat myself on the back again ;)...I successfully finished the Chicago Marathon last Sunday! I could have NEVER fulfilled this dream pre-GF lifestyle. Long story short, I had more than 1...shall we say..."bathroom mis-adventure" while running last summer/fall. Suffice it to say there is absolutely NO WAY I would've EVER been able to make it through a marathon (and probably not even a half marathon) without living GF!

So, I'll say it again...Happy Gluten Free Anniversary to ME!!!!!!



..and, happy wedding anniversary to my parents, who have been married 29 years today! WOW!!!

These are a few of my favorite things...lately

I've neglected this little blog for a while now!
A friend of mine from work asked for some recipes/tips...she is having a GF relative visit next weekend and wants to be sure she is sufficiently prepared to feed him. I decided to take this opportunity to update this blog with some of my recent favorite GF finds and share them with not only her, but the rest of blog-land as well :).

1) Kinnikinnick Foods Inc. Personal Size Pizza Crusts
These things are AMAZING. They come in the freezer section a box of 4 and are DELICIOUS. They are easy to prepare...preheat oven to 375, then bake with your choice of favorite toppings for 10-15 minutes. The crust gets wonderfully crispy and has a great texture. These crusts would be great to have a "build-your-own-pizza" night with kids and grown-ups alike. They are also wonderful to have on hand for a quick, easy meal or snack. I enjoy them with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese...and sometimes pepperoni, yellow and red peppers, mushrooms....ANYTHING, really!
I found them at a Kroger in Peoria...however according to the Kinnikinnick website, they can be purchased online as well. Common Ground Grocer in Bloomington carries Kinnikinnick products, as does Naturally Yours...however I cannot vouch for the presence of this particular product at these grocery stores....worth calling ahead and checking into, if you are interested. If all else fails, they can be ordered from the website.


2) La Tortilla Factory Ivory Teff Wraps
DELICIOUS, DELICIOUS, DELICIOUS! My friend Jillian actually found these for me...and they are amazing! Another friend, Abbey, brought them to work for a Mexican potluck lunch since she saw them at Meijer (here in Bloomington) and saw that they were gluten free and that I would then be able to enjoy them! I have some wonderful friends :). These were a GREAT find. They are yummy both hot and cold...and are completely versatile. I pop them into the toaster oven with taco meat for an easy burrito (and then top with cheese/sour cream/lettuce, etc. after cooking in the toaster oven)...or enjoy them cold with a variety of sandwich toppings (Boar's Head meats are another one of my GF favorites...available at the deli counter at Kroger on College here in Bloomington)


3) Pamela's Products Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix
I found this one at Meijer here in Bloomington. These are yummy, yummy cookies! My non-GF hubby, Jeremy, actually gobbled them up even faster than me! He's a big fan of chocolate chip cookies, and a big food critic ;)...so if he approves, they HAVE to be good! ;) They are easy to prepare...and delicious. Definitely recommend these for an easy dessert...and a fun one for kids to help prepare, too.



4) I've written about this one a lot...but it's a recipe my husband and I come back to ALL of the time....Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup....
As far as seasoning goes, I use McCormick brand taco seasoning. Many McCormick brand spices are gluten free....as listed in my gluten free grocery shopping guide, and cited on this blog.
I use Tostitos chips, Daisy sour cream, and Kraft shredded cheddar...all gluten free...for the topping of this soup.

5) Chex...
Check out the Chex GLUTEN-FREE section of their website for some AWESOME snack ideas.
YUMMY doesn't even begin to describe these recipes! I've tried a few...but I want to try them ALL! Happy Chex-mixing! :)

Time for bed....perhaps a post with more later this weekend. We'll see ;).

Stonyfield Farms Yogurt

Not only is it delicious, but it is Certified Gluten Free! I do love me some Stonyfield Farms yogurt. My mom introduced me to the Oikos Greek Yogurt, also made by Stonyfield Farms....it isn't yet "certified" gluten free...but it is gluten free (and they are in the process of getting it certified). I've eaten it numerous times and been fine. Read the label for yourself to be sure ;), but I am telling you....it is gluten free. Also, you can print out coupons for their yogurt products.....http://www.stonyfield.com/coupons/new_coupon3.cfm. Their yogurt tends to be a little pricey, so the coupons are great.

Gluten free, organic, delicious, healthy...what more could you want?! :) I have a bunch of Stonyfield Farms yogurt in my fridge (as always!) and so should you :)

Dr. Stephen Wangen

I love this guy! I have his book, Healthier Without Wheat, that is all about non-celiac gluten intolerance (which is what my doctor believes I am presenting with). I found a powerpoint of a presentation he gave online, which is great...and explains things very simply.

Basically...people with celiac disease represent a SMALL percentage of the overall population of people who have gluten intolerance. Gluten intolerance is not a less-severe form of celiac disease....it can cause all of the same signs/symptoms/issues. Basically the only difference is that you do not have "villous atrophy"....but you still have a host of other issues. There are 130+ issues that can be caused by gluten intolerance. It's crazy!!

Here's a link to his blog: http://ibstreatmentcenter.blogspot.com/

Check this out!

A new discovery I made today: Gluten-Free on a Shoestring...a great blog with tons of GF recipes! Awesome!

I have been a slacker blogger lately....it seems that, as usual, I tend to overcommitt myself and in the midst of finishing our basement, training for a marathon, starting a beginning runners' group at work for some of my coworkers, getting ready to take on a student intern at work, catching up on paperwork at work that I let pile up during the month of July when I was finishing up more classes....I just haven't had that much time for blogging!

SORRY!!! I hope to share more recipes and tips, soon! For now, though....enjoy the blog listed above! It looks to be fantastic and I will spend more time perusing it later when I have more time. :)

Have a wonderful weekend, all!

~Rachel

DESSERT!

So, as I previously mentioned, I slaved away ;) for the past 13 months in some classes. Some of the students enrolled in this program traveled from hours away to participate in these classes. During the past 2 Julys, when classes were the most frequent and intense, the students who traveled from far-away-places to be a part of the program "lived" in hotels here in Bloomington (the class also had members up in the Chicago area; students attended whichever location was more convenient for them and we had class via Polycomm, which was kinda annoying). Tuesday night this week was the last night that these students would be staying overnight, so the 8 of us here in Bloomington went out for dinner/drinks together. Amelia, a fun girl I have become friends with, ordered "Gooey Butter Cake" at Baxter's Grill here in town...and they all analyzed it (I couldn't try it, of course) and decided it wasn't gooey at all and wasn't even really that good. So, I googled a recipe for Gooey Butter Cake and adapted it to be GF and made some to bring to class on Wednesday! It appeared to be a hit!
Here's the recipe:

1pkg yellow cake mix (I used Betty Crocker's gluten free yellow cake mix)
1 stick of butter
1 egg
-Mix the dry cake mix with the 1 stick of butter (melted) and 1 egg; press into an ungreased 9x13 pan

Then Cream Together:
1 brick cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
4 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla
-Pour over cake mixture, spreading to the edges. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 35-40 minutes.

I served it plain...but classmates (who are from the St. Louis area, where apparently this dessert originated) suggested sprinkling powdered sugar on top of the cooled cake, or serving with fruit or a variety of dessert sauces. YUM! Another classmate said that she wondered if brown sugar sprinkled on top would be good...I think that sounds great! Maybe I'll try that next time :)