Ok, it is taking me a bit longer to get this started than I thought, but I will continue no matter how many cookies I must eat! I have found that to have a proper comparison of two gluten free products, you must try both side by side. Double batches of cookies is more of a reward than it is work though, so I can't complain too much.
The two mixes gleefully sampled by my myself, my husband, and my parents, are Bob's Red Mill chocolate chip cookie mix, and Pamela's Products chocolate chunk cookie mix. I picked these two, as they seem to be the most readily available (I have found them at both large and small stores, between here and Canada). I will sample other brands, including Betty Crocker, King Arthur, and Glutino, as well as any others I come across, but my waistline could justify only two batches at a time.
Bob's Red Mill:
Gooier
Slightly nutty flavor? A bit hard to describe, but you could pick them out as the GF cookie in a taste test.
Sweeter
Pamela's products:
A bit dry (I made a second batch, and shaved off some bake time, and it mostly solved it)
Cocoa powder in dough!
More of a semi-sweet/dark chocolate
Overall, Bob's won the taste test. It is more like a classic cookie, while Pamela's would appeal more to the dark chocolate fan. Bob's mix was cheaper as well. However, neither batch will last long with my family, and a fresh gallon of milk in the fridge!
The biggest thing with GF cooking that I have found so far though, is DO NOT OVERCOOK IT! GF is generally dry/crumbly anyway, and overcooking will turn it the rest of the way into crumbs. I usually undercook all baking items about 5-15% of the lowest called for bake time.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Well, it was an exciting drive to Canada! From my previous inquiries into the weather conditions for this time of year, it was supposed to be about 45F. It was 22F and a blizzard! Thank goodness I had my truck instead of a car. The B&B is awesome. It has a huge open living room, kitchen, dining area, along with a big bedroom with a full bath (shower & tub), and a patio. If it warms up, I plan to eat dinners out there so I can enjoy the awesome view of the valley. It also has floor to ceiling windows in the living room that face the valley.
So for the gluten free part of this entry:
Pamela's chocolate chunk cookies are awesome! www.pamelasproducts.com They are not quite as gooey as wheat flour cookies, but can easily be baked to a soft consistency without falling apart (I like my cookies soft in the middle). I even put them in a plastic bag that has been moved around quite a bit, and the cookies still have not fallen apart. They also bake to be crispy really well. There is a little cocoa powder in the dough part, as well as chocolate chunks. The only things you need are 8oz of butter, and one egg. I personally can't stop eating them!
I also made homemade mac and cheese. I used Tinkyada brown rice spiral pasta. This pasta is made in Canada, on machinery that is never used for any gluten containing products, and is also Kosher. www.tinkyada.com for more information. These noodles seem to require a longer cook time (+ 2-4 minutes) than other noodles, but they do not turn gooey or stick to each other. They have a mild flavor, which makes them great for dishes that don't have a lot of seasoning.
16oz pasta, 1lb grated medium or sharp cheddar, 1tbsp butter, 1 12oz can evaporated milk, salt & pepper to taste.
Oven temp 375F, precook noodles but leave slightly firm (they are going in the oven still). In a greased 2qt pan, layer pasta, cheese, butter, and salt/pepper (to taste), then top evenly with the evaporated milk.
Bake uncovered until golden brown on top (approx. 1 hr). I personally will use the softest brand of cheddar I can find (melts better), as the harder ones I've used tend to turn lumpy with lots of oily runoff. And, if you think there is not enough liquid you can add a little milk, do NOT add water.
Both of these products have excellent reviews on Amazon, as well as the other products these companies offer. In my town (Grants Pass, OR), I buy both of these at Farmer's market. Fred Meyer also has the Pamela's products, but they cost more. Although, Fred Meyer has the pizza dough mix, but Farmer's doesn't. I don't know if other stores carry them, but one of my next projects is going to be making a list all the gluten free prepackaged products available in GP stores.
I will be posting about the saddle class tomorrow. I will have some pictures then so it will be a little more informative and understandable.
So for the gluten free part of this entry:
Pamela's chocolate chunk cookies are awesome! www.pamelasproducts.com They are not quite as gooey as wheat flour cookies, but can easily be baked to a soft consistency without falling apart (I like my cookies soft in the middle). I even put them in a plastic bag that has been moved around quite a bit, and the cookies still have not fallen apart. They also bake to be crispy really well. There is a little cocoa powder in the dough part, as well as chocolate chunks. The only things you need are 8oz of butter, and one egg. I personally can't stop eating them!
I also made homemade mac and cheese. I used Tinkyada brown rice spiral pasta. This pasta is made in Canada, on machinery that is never used for any gluten containing products, and is also Kosher. www.tinkyada.com for more information. These noodles seem to require a longer cook time (+ 2-4 minutes) than other noodles, but they do not turn gooey or stick to each other. They have a mild flavor, which makes them great for dishes that don't have a lot of seasoning.
16oz pasta, 1lb grated medium or sharp cheddar, 1tbsp butter, 1 12oz can evaporated milk, salt & pepper to taste.
Oven temp 375F, precook noodles but leave slightly firm (they are going in the oven still). In a greased 2qt pan, layer pasta, cheese, butter, and salt/pepper (to taste), then top evenly with the evaporated milk.
Bake uncovered until golden brown on top (approx. 1 hr). I personally will use the softest brand of cheddar I can find (melts better), as the harder ones I've used tend to turn lumpy with lots of oily runoff. And, if you think there is not enough liquid you can add a little milk, do NOT add water.
Both of these products have excellent reviews on Amazon, as well as the other products these companies offer. In my town (Grants Pass, OR), I buy both of these at Farmer's market. Fred Meyer also has the Pamela's products, but they cost more. Although, Fred Meyer has the pizza dough mix, but Farmer's doesn't. I don't know if other stores carry them, but one of my next projects is going to be making a list all the gluten free prepackaged products available in GP stores.
I will be posting about the saddle class tomorrow. I will have some pictures then so it will be a little more informative and understandable.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Into!
I am overcoming so many feelings of insecurity as I type this, sitting at my desk wondering if I will be even remotely interesting enough to read about. Then I think, this is as much for me as a kind of journal as it is for anyone else.
Recently, I was informed by my doctor that I am gluten intolerant. Rough news for a bread and pasta lover like me! My doc believes this is the source of years of poor health, which is quite a list of seemingly unrelated minor ailments, which add up to a whole lot of "I have no idea what is wrong, I just feel like crap". Because I am stubborn, and think I can fix everything myself, this has apparently been going on for about 11 years, and it will take a while to heal all the damage, as well as discover all the ways gluten hides in seemingly innocuous foods. Since I now have to carefully plan every meal, I am realizing that it is both easy and hard to cook without gluten. There are a lot of products and books out there, but it is still trial and error working with wheat's stand ins. Some noodles turn to goo, others refuse to cook all the way. Some bread tastes like a kitchen sponge, others I would eat even if I wasn't gluten intolerant. As I wind my way through the health food stores I didn't even know were in my town, I thought I would post my favorite recipes and products, along with mine and my guinea p . . . I mean families reviews.
But because I have never been able to settle on just one interest, I will also be posting about horses. Yeah, I know, they are not related. Not even a little. I will probably toss in cross stitching, camping, photography, and whatever else, has caught my ever fleeting attention span.
To make things even more interesting, just as I begin my foray into the gluten free world, I will be going on a should have been long planned, but turned into a spur of the moment monthlong trip to Canada! The last class available to learn how to make and repair English saddles begins next week. I had been planning on taking this class next year, but since the teacher is retiring, I (with mountains of support from family, friends, and total strangers) have only this one chance, and I refuse to miss it. So now I am rushing to put this trip together, at the same time I am relearning how to cook! Fortunately, I have a wonderful opportunity to stay at a B&B, in an apartment with a full kitchen (one of the total strangers who is helping me).
Because of the passing of my friend's husband, who was the go-to English saddle maker in, well, basically the west coast, damaged English saddles have been piling up in tack rooms, and in tack shop consignment everywhere. There is money to be made in one of the few areas of interest that has managed to hold my attention for more that a few months (18 years now). I also plan on applying my new skill into making saddles for disabled riders. Helping others has always been at the forefront of my life, and here is a way I can do that while enjoying a hobby at the same time.
Anyway, everyone who knows me in real life, knows I could go on forever. So I will end here for today, and save at least a little for future posts.
-Netta
Recently, I was informed by my doctor that I am gluten intolerant. Rough news for a bread and pasta lover like me! My doc believes this is the source of years of poor health, which is quite a list of seemingly unrelated minor ailments, which add up to a whole lot of "I have no idea what is wrong, I just feel like crap". Because I am stubborn, and think I can fix everything myself, this has apparently been going on for about 11 years, and it will take a while to heal all the damage, as well as discover all the ways gluten hides in seemingly innocuous foods. Since I now have to carefully plan every meal, I am realizing that it is both easy and hard to cook without gluten. There are a lot of products and books out there, but it is still trial and error working with wheat's stand ins. Some noodles turn to goo, others refuse to cook all the way. Some bread tastes like a kitchen sponge, others I would eat even if I wasn't gluten intolerant. As I wind my way through the health food stores I didn't even know were in my town, I thought I would post my favorite recipes and products, along with mine and my guinea p . . . I mean families reviews.
But because I have never been able to settle on just one interest, I will also be posting about horses. Yeah, I know, they are not related. Not even a little. I will probably toss in cross stitching, camping, photography, and whatever else, has caught my ever fleeting attention span.
To make things even more interesting, just as I begin my foray into the gluten free world, I will be going on a should have been long planned, but turned into a spur of the moment monthlong trip to Canada! The last class available to learn how to make and repair English saddles begins next week. I had been planning on taking this class next year, but since the teacher is retiring, I (with mountains of support from family, friends, and total strangers) have only this one chance, and I refuse to miss it. So now I am rushing to put this trip together, at the same time I am relearning how to cook! Fortunately, I have a wonderful opportunity to stay at a B&B, in an apartment with a full kitchen (one of the total strangers who is helping me).
Because of the passing of my friend's husband, who was the go-to English saddle maker in, well, basically the west coast, damaged English saddles have been piling up in tack rooms, and in tack shop consignment everywhere. There is money to be made in one of the few areas of interest that has managed to hold my attention for more that a few months (18 years now). I also plan on applying my new skill into making saddles for disabled riders. Helping others has always been at the forefront of my life, and here is a way I can do that while enjoying a hobby at the same time.
Anyway, everyone who knows me in real life, knows I could go on forever. So I will end here for today, and save at least a little for future posts.
-Netta
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