Betty Crocker-liscious
I missed cake for a long time. No matter how many ‘flour-less chocolate cakes’ came my way. (And, in essence, these are whipped eggs, chocolate, butter (or fat) – they aren’t really cake.) They are very, very kwowy – you know – that feeling you get when you’ve eaten something so rich, so decadent that you feel you cannot go any further and what you really need is a salty snack to wash it all down.
I’ve tried many off-the-shelf GF cake mixes, but a lot of them are potato-based. I have to say, I’m not a fan of the potato-based GF items out there. They tend to be to dense, and have a flavor that doesn’t quite cut it for the sweeter side of things. Based on this, I tend towards things that are rice-based. Although the rice can be grainy at times, it isn’t as dense as potato and provides the same lightness and fluffiness that our wheat-based comrades enjoy.
A short time ago, I tried the (what was new) Betty Crocker Gluten Free cake mixes. They are delicious! I made a cake when we had friends and family over and they really didn’t know it was GF. You can tell a slight difference in the texture, but overall, the cake rises to the occasion. I was happy to have found a good cake mix!
The trouble with finding a good cake mix, is figuring out what delicious GF (and dairy-free) topping to add. (I can’t have dairy either, so it’s a big conundrum at dessert time – anywhere we go!) For this, I found a very good butter-cream frosting recipe that does not contain lard or shortening, but instead is butter-only based and decadent atop the GF cake. Be sure to use GF confectioner’s sugar (technically sugar does not contain any gluten, but you never know where it is processed – so be careful).
So … the next time you are strolling through the baking aisle in the grocery store longing for a wheat-filled treat that you know you shouldn’t ever have – look closer, snag a GF cake mix, some butter and some sugar. Within an hour you will have a delicious treat to enjoy! (Be sure to grab some GF pretzels too … you may need it to wash down the 4 pieces of cake you will inevitably eat!)
P.S. The brownies ain’t too shabby either!!
Big City….Little City
I had an interesting time last week when I was travelling to Jefferson City MO. I have traveled since my diagnosis, I have been to Washington D.C. and a few other places; most of them bigger cities. Jefferson City was my first trip to somewhere a little more out of the way and definitely a lot smaller. I wish I could say that this trip was successful from a food stand-point but I ran into more problems than I have anywhere I have traveled. I can count three times that I was “glutened” in one week; I know that you may say that that is not much but when you are diagnosed with Celiac Disease you are told that you need to be careful because even a small amount of gluten can start the damage to my finally healed intestines all over again. A few of the things that I ran in to:
- A restaurant that put flour in their mashed potatoes
- A few restaurants that didn’t even know what a gluten free diet
- The hotel where we (GFBill and GFJason) stayed did a great job of getting gluten free deserts but when it came to lunch it was salad for the first couple of days. If you are going to say that you cater to the GF, then you need to understand that it has to be more than salad.
You know that you are in trouble when people start asking the “well can you have cheese?” It really shows how much more education is needed for places where food is served. With so many people (1 in 133) who suffer from Celiac Disease, I think it is very important that restaurants seek out allergen education. I think it will take time for smaller cities to catch up but I think it is important that they do, in the meantime I think the next time I fly there or to any small city, I will stick to chain restaurants where I can be sure I will be safe.
But not all was bad…see this thing below. This was a pork steak that I had from a small shack in Warrenton MO called Two Dudes BBQ; the owner’s wife spent time with me and Jason telling us all the ingredients and how things were cooked. It was so amazingly good and made my week.
Where we have been…
Hi followers…if we have any left. It has been a while since you have seen any writing on this site. It’s not that we are not still Gluten Free (we are). It is not that we didn’t want to help or educate people any more (we do). It’s just that life got in the way. Since the last time we posted our jobs have gotten more hectic, I lost my dad and with all of that going on it is very hard to find the time to think never mind put sentences together. So I am here to explain where we have been and apologize to anyone who was reading us and let you know that we are back. Starting right now with this post!! There is so much going on in the GF world and we have a lot to say. So many new products to talk about, so many stories to tell. I will keep this one short and promise I will be back at the end of the week with more to say. Just know that even though life gets in the way…we will find a way to get this into life. Talk to you later this week!! GFBill
We are coming back!!
We know that it has been a while and that we owe our readers a big apology…work has been killing both of us. But we are getting back to business starting the week after Christmas. I promise.
So stay tuned and look back here soon!!
GFBill
So much to say so little time…
I have so much to say in this post that I will call this a mish mash of stuff…here we go!
Gluten Free Fenway Part II – Sorry to say that I have been to couple of more games this year and the one cart that said Gluten Free and lived in the healthy selections area of the concessions now sells candy. First, they still do carry a GF cookie and Brownie, but if someone didn’t tell you that they were there you are not going to find it. Second, not sure how Swedish Fish can be termed healthy (don’t get me wrong, downright my favorite candy). There is still concessions though that you can get a hamburger or hot dog without a bun and that only cook French Fries in their fryers so just ask around and you will find them. But needless to say I am a little disappointed that they took down the sign…
FDA on Their Way – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reopened the comment period for its 2007 proposal on labeling foods as “gluten-free” on August 2nd. The agency is also making available a safety assessment of exposure to gluten for people with celiac disease (CD) and invites comment on these additional data. For more information and to make a comment go to http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm265838.htm
On a Personal Note: Had an appointment at the Celiac Center at Beth Israel the other day (it’s Bill by the way) and the Dr. is very happy with my progress. The only problem is that now I have to lose some weight. So not only am I on a Gluten Free diet but now I have to be on a Gluten Free diet diet. I guess I could be in a worse place than gaining weight and having my body absorb nutrients again. So I will cut down on the bread, the rice and the chocolate chip cookies and start to eat a little healthier.
That’s what I have for today…I will try to be more focused next time (if that is at all possible!!)
