Holiday baking with Glutino Sugar Cookies.

  *I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample for review purposes. The opinions are completely  based on my experience. My opinions are honest and unbiased.*

I spent tonight working on Christmas. Up late, chipping away at the massive to do list I have to complete before Santa slides down my imaginary chimney. I have baked goodies for other, disinfected the kitchen to get that dreaded gluten out but tonight, it was my turn. My turn for a home baked treat.

Glutino had sent me some goodies (thanks Glutino!!!) and had a sweet tooth that needed satisfying, sounded like a win/win for the night.

I had been eying this in my pantry for a few weeks! It was time to get baking!

Glutino has really user friendly directions and their Sugar Cookies were no exception. Easy peasy.

Cookie Dough!

The batter was delish. I know, only lick the spoon, but OMG! AMAZEBALLS! I almost wanted to just eat the cookie dough.

After I placed the cookie sheets in the pre-heated oven, I waited a mere 15 minutes and my cookies were finished!

                                                They were big, fluffy and smelled great!

Excuse the not so great pic but the cookies tasted great!

Thanksgiving & Glutino Gluten Free Stuffing

 *I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample for review purposes. The opinions are completely  based on my experience. My opinions are honest and unbiased.*

Oh, Thanksgiving how you came and went and the days after it seem like a food filled blur.

Thanksgiving dinner was amazing (with the exception of Steve accidentally glutening Blaine and a diaper explosion being the result!). The day was filled with family and love.

The only thing that would make this picture better would be if Steve was in it too. He was playing photographer!

We ate to our hearts content and my mom had tons of GF options. She sent us home with tons of leftovers too! Score!

The next day, I knew what would be the perfect dish to accompany all of the delicious dishes  my mom worked so hard on. Glutino's Gluten Free Stuffing!

I was super excited. I hadn't had stuffing in over five years!

I sauteed the onions and celery per the directions. The aroma was amazing.

 I mixed together all the ingredients, it was so simple.

Yum!

All done!!

Once it was done, I dug in. It was a taste explosion in my mouth. I LOVED it. Blaine loved it. This made my leftovers from my mom's last even longer. I am buying some of this for Christmas.

That is a lot of pressure for one pie... (Glutino Perfect Pie Crust)

*I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample for review purposes. The opinions are completely  based on my experience. My opinions are honest and unbiased.*


 You know how Sororities have Hell Week? I would deem this November my Hell Month. Too much stress for me. My youngest was in the hospital for a week. That caused me to feel out of sorts. I am not sure I even recovered from it. I feel like getting back into the swing of things has taken me longer this time around. Throw in Hanukkah and Thanksgiving to the mix and November went from stressful to downright chaotic. 

Anyway, Glutino had sent me their Perfect Pie Crust. I had planned to make it before the whole hospital debacle went down. Then I was stuck at the hospital for a week with my mind wandering to other things to take me anywhere else but where we were. I started to picture this magnificent pie. This pie started to represent so many things to me. It almost became ludicrous how many different incarnations of pie I had created in my imagination over the hospital stay. It probably didn't help that every time I went to the cafeteria, non-gluten free pie was staring me in the face.

This pie became a thing. 

Have you seen the movie Waitress? I love that movie. The main character creates these different pies that are supposed to encompass whatever emotion she needs to fill. That is a tall order for a pie. However, I found myself doing just that with the Perfect Pie Crust. 

I had a lot of time to think. I was going to make an elaborate pie but then I decided to go simple. You cannot screw simple up and I had never met a cherry pie I did not like.

I took all my stress out on the dough. It was a lot easier to work than I imagined. I chose to have my Perfect Pie Crust dough rest overnight. I thought that would make it easier to use.

Before it was filled!

I followed the directions and my house smelled fabulous while it baked. 

Finished pie

I was so excited to dig in. However, once I tried it...I was less than thrilled. This was the first Glutino product that I did not go nuts over. There was a sour undertone to the crust. I even called a friend over to try it to make sure I wasn't imagining it. She said she had a hard time getting the aftertaste out of her mouth. I ended up eating the pie...somewhat. I scopped the cherry filling out and eating just that. 

I think I put too much pressure on the pie. I built it up to be a monumental thing. It was silly to assume a pie could cure my November blues. It was just a pie...with a funky after taste.

 

Halloweenish Brownies.

*I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience. My opinions are honest and unbiased.*

 Blaine is my little gluten free baby. I share almost all of my gluten free goodies with him and I am sure that is just how he likes it. It is fun to have someone who can share food with me. Glutino had sent some brownies and what could be better than making them a little festive?

I made the Double Chocolate Brownies as directed on the box and then decorated the brownies with cream cheese frosting and sprinkles. It was perfect pre-Halloween treat to get us geared up for Thursday's Trick-Or-Treating.

I really liked the flavor or the brownies and the middle was very soft and moist. I always have a problem when I bake brownies that the sides are a little too hard. 

Both Blaine and I really liked Glutino's Double Chocolate Brownies and we would defiantly recommend them.

Glutino Toaster Pastry

I make it no secret, I love Glutino items. I have a hard time thinking of a Glutino product my pallet did not like. Their Strawberry Toaster Pastry is no exception. My only complaints is that there is no no frosting on top, and that more do not come in a box... but that is a small oversight.


These toaster pastries do not last long in my house at all. I have a hard time with restraint.

Glutino: Cinnamon French Toast

I got so excited when I saw these at my grocery store! I have been longing for french toast for a while and I love Glutino products so I knew that I had to pick these up. It was the first time ever that my son and I both ate French Toast at breakfast together!

While I did really enjoy the product, it was slightly rubbery at first so I had to add more syrup to it and then it was perfect!

If you guys are hankering for french toast, pick up Glutino Cinnamon French Toast!

Glutino Gluten Free Candy Bar

I have not one bad thing to say about either one of these amazing flavors of candy bar goodness. I learned the hard way several times now though that I cannot have a box around because I have no self control with these in my house. The milk chocolate reminds me of a Kit Kat bar. Which let me tell you, those were once my favorite, so eating these bring my taste buds back to a pre-gluten free Heaven. The chocolate peanut butter are extraordinary too! They hit the spot and are fabulous with a glass of milk.


MILK CHOCOLATE:

The Stats:
Serving Size: 1Bar
Calories: 140
Total Fat: 8 grams
Total Carbs: 14 grams
Protein: less than 1 gram


For Chocolate Peanut Butter Lovers:

The Stats:
Serving Size: 1 Bar
Calories: 140
Total Fat: 9 grams
Total Carbs: 13 grams
Protein: 2 grams

Avanti= Awesome Italian Done Right

I was nervous about going to dinner tonight. I dreaded eating Italian at a restaurant and getting sick. I haven't done it since finding out about my gluten intolerance. My sister's 30th birthday was today (happy birthday again) and she wanted to eat at Avanti to celebrate this grand occasion. I didn't glance at the menu like I normally would have. But because at other Italian restaurants I had not seen many gluten free options, I didn't bother. I walked in expecting to order a salad with no dressing and a side of lemon to sprinkle on top. Once inside, I talk to the owner. He is a wonderful Italian man that is so sweet and accommodating. I told him all about celiacs and he understood everything. He went to the kitchen and came out with a box of gluten free pene! I was so happy! He told me that he was even going to cook it himself to make sure it was ok in a kitchen they didn't use much! Woo hoo, I didn't have to worry about cross contamination! I asked him if I could eat meatballs there and it turns out that they use wheat in them, so stay away from there meatballs if you cant eat gluten! But, the food is really good!

The lovely owner and I:


I love this place!

My mom wanted to order appetizers so I looked through the menu and I figured out that I could eat the Beef Carpaccio. It comes with the bread on a separate plate and do not eat the dip on the side because I do not know what is in it. It was fabulous. I found it to be very fresh.
My dinner was the Glutino Brand penne pasta, grilled chicken, tomato sauce, fresh basil and a ton of Parmesan cheese!
Can you tell...I am happy with my food! I love Avanti!
For dessert, I had Creme Brulee with Berries!


My sister & I on her big night!
I also met Doris Roberts, the actress on "Everybody Loves Raymond"!



Avanti took away my fear of eating out at an Italian restaurant. They showed me the magic of speaking up in order to get the type of food I want. I know that my last post was a real bummer because I spoke about how bad my last restaurant experience was. Avanti really helped show me the difference between a bad experience and a good one. I cant recommend Avanti enough.

For more pictures of the night, check out the Endless Possiblities Blog.

A Review & Recipe! Woo hoo! Pasta & Breadstick

I have been eying the Glutino brand Gluten Free Breadsticks every time I go to the supermarket but I couldn't justify paying over five dollars for it. I had mentioned it to my boyfriend one of the last times we were at the store together and he told me I should just go for it because I don't get to eat food like this anymore.

I was taking my son to the park and on the way there I went to the store and picked up a box. I decided to make Italian for dinner so I would have an excuse to eat them!

The Review:
I served them with brown rice penne, meat balls and tomato sauce. The breadsticks are pizza flavored and very crunchy. They are a great addition to a meal. I will say though that they are small, the serving size is 9 sticks...I didn't eat the serving size because I was full fast. I ate about 5.
The verdict on the Glutino Gluten Free Breadsticks:
The Stats:
Serving Size: 9 sticks
Calories: 60
Total Fat: 1
Total Carbs: 12 grams
Fiber:0
Protein:0


Meatballs were made from a recipe from Gluten-Free Quick & Easy by Carol Fenster, Ph.D.

However, I didn't use the gluten free breadcrumbs because I was trying to reduce the calorie count but the recipe from the book sounds amazing!

Mother Meatballs:

Ingredients:

• 1 pound raw lean ground beef, or use half ground beef and half ground pork
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
• 1/2 cup gluten free breadcrumbs (I didn't use)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

For Italian-Flavored meatballs, add(which I did):

• 1 1/2 dried basil
  
• 1/2 dried oregano
  
• 2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese (didn't have, so I didn't use)

Glutino Gluten Free Penne Duo Mushroom Meal

The Review:

I know that I have written that I have never been let down by Glutino brand before but I think I have been corrected...and this meal is why. It was not that the meal totally sucked, it served its purpose and filled me up when I was hungry. But, it wasn't a satisfying texture and I didn't find the taste to be out of this world delicious. It wasn't like I bit into this dish and felt like I couldn't wait to purchase this item again.

What is the verdict?



Would I eat this again...yes, because I think I need to try it again to see if I really don't like it. I think you should decided for yourself. I still love Glutino brand. I just feel like if they revamped this item it could be better. I am on the fence.

The Stats:
Calories: 380
Total fat: 6 grams
Carbs:73 grams
Sugars: 1gram
Protein: 8grams

Glutino Gluten Free Pizza: Spinach & Feta

I have been wanting a good pizza for a few days. When I was at Sprouts with my mom & son today and I saw this on sale and I couldn't resist ( I couldn't resist a lot of items, so a lot of items will be reviewed in the next few days) .

I think of Glutino as a really good brand, a brand that I have come to trust. I cant really say that I have been let down by Glutino before.

The directions were super easy. All you do is place the pizza in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F or 200 C and bake for 15 to 17 minutes.

Here is the finished pizza:
It is a personal pizza but it looked and smelled so delicious that I offered some to my mom. She tried some first and thought it was delicious. I tried some and also thought it was delicious!

Here is why this pizza gets a stellar review:

1. It is freaking yummy! I would eat it even if I didn't have to eat gluten free.
   
2. It had great texture. It was crunchy!
3. The whole pizza was 430 calories. I think that is pretty good.