Today I got a call from a friend asking if I had a recipe for a gluten free pie crust.
I had to tell her no, BUT I was able to let her know that I do have a frozen pie crust I love. The ‘Wholly Gluten Free 9″ Pie Shells’ in a 2 pack. They are great to work with, bake beautifully and taste fabulous.
I’m usually able to find them in either Whole Foods, Fresh Thyme or Better Health Stores, but they always seem to be down to the last two or three packages. I always buy at least two, sometimes three. Remember, they’re in the freezer section, and they last for months in the freezer.
I usually make one crust pies, lemon meringue, pumpkin, banana cream or chocolate cream. Lately I’ve gotten a little bolder with two crust pies. I’ve tried my hand at chicken pot pie and just this past week, I made a cherry pie (Kevin’s favorite) for his birthday. When I make a two-crust pie, I brush the top crust with my ‘Smart Balance’ dairy free butter. It comes out a beautiful flaky, golden brown and tastes like you’re eating pastry. Delicious!
First I saw a commercial about these non-dairy chocolate truffles. Next, I got a $2 Kroger coupon for them and today when I stopped in the Lake Lansing Rd. Kroger, I found them. And they were on sale! Aaaannnddd…they are fabulous!!
Thank you Lindt!
Thanks for stopping!
Enjoy. Brenda
Fun Fact: The pic of the chocolate fountain, below, is actually the Lindt chocolate fountain in their Germany factory. Kevin and I toured it eighteen years ago. I LOVE chocolate!
So, I recently sang the praises of the deliciousness of Nestle Coffee Mate Brown Sugar flavored Oat Creamer coffee creamer, but maybe some of you out there are looking for a more natural coffee creamer.
Jastram Farm, located in St Johns, Michigan has just what you’re looking for! All Natural Pure Maple Cream. Put a dollop or two of that in your coffee and you’re golden. (Although it won’t give you the creamy effect that you traditionally get from creamers.)
You may be asking yourself, why would Brenda take a pic with a jar that is basically empty? Because she wanted to get this post completed and had pretty much used up all of the maple cream she had on hand.
They’re just a stone’s throw from us, participate in many local craft shows, have their own store-front and a Facebook page (Jastram Farm). Check their page out to see ALL of the wonderful products they offer.
Honestly, daring is not the emotion I was feeling that day in the grocery store. It was frustration. Once again I’d hoped I could quickly find a “ready-made frozen something” I could keep in the freezer at work for those days I don’t have leftovers to bring for lunch. Silly girl.
Then, I spied a bag with the name Daring on it. “Daring Breaded Plant Chicken Pieces” to be exact. Now I’ve said it before, I’m not vegan, but ordering vegan in a restaurant assures me that my food has been prepared without dairy or eggs. With that being said, I also want to make it clear that I am not opposed to the occasional meatless burger or chicken nuggets either.
So, I bought the bag and put it in my work freezer. A couple weeks later I took the plunge and warmed several strips up. I wrapped a couple of those puppies up in lettuce with some of my Hellmann’s Vegan Dressing and Spread. I also dipped a couple pieces in spicy mustard and a couple others in bbq sauce with some green beans on the side. Tasted great! Just like regular chicken strips. (I should let you know that Hellman’s recently changed the name from Vegan to Plant Based. I had a friend trying to find the Vegan Hellman’s recently, she called and said she could only find Hellman’s Plant Based; she asked if they were the same product. I did a quick search and discovered the name change. Yes, they are the same product.)
While they’re a bit pricey, I will not hesitate to buy them again. I mean, seriously, when eating foods that comply with your dietary restrictions, what isn’t pricey, right?
So, if you’re feeling daring the next time you’re in the grocery store, take a leap and pick up a bag of the ‘Daring’ brand of meatless chicken strips! You won’t regret it.
Pretty tempting, right? I gotta ‘fess up right here, it’s not my recipe. It’s Kevin’s. He loves to cook and he’s oh so good at it! So on the days I work, he has dinner on the table for us when I get home. Yay!
Recently we’ve made some changes in our eating habits: Less carbs, a little more meat and a lot more vegetables.
Kevin (a total fan of all things potato) has stepped up to the plate beautifully. He’s eliminated the potatoes and is sometimes serving 2 different veggies for dinner along with our meat entree.
This is his most recent creation, served alongside meatballs. I don’t know if this is exactly the way some might envision eating more vegetables, but it works for both of us. It was fabulous and we were still eating asparagus!
Deliciousness at its’ finest!
Pretty simple recipe:
Preheat oven to 400.
Line baking sheet with foil.
Wrap bacon around asparagus and place on baking sheet. Give it a little dusting of that cinnamon and sugar.
Bake 15 minutes. You’re going to have to just keep an eye on it from there, checking if the asparagus is done and how you like your bacon. Kevin said once the asparagus is done, he turns up the oven to 425 degrees to crisp up the bacon a little. (That’s for my benefit.😊)
Serve right out of the oven.
We’ve since made this again, this time with a dusting of brown sugar and chili powder. Yummers!
Five or six years ago my sister Bethany gave me a Keurig. I decided to spoil myself and keep it at work. It would be my reward for going into the office, splurging on a daily K-cup of coffee for putting in my time. (It’s the simple things.)
Choosing which coffee K-cups to buy was easy. Finding a dairy free coffee creamer, not so much. Kroger and Walmart in St. Johns offer a very limited pallet of choices. I’ve tried some bad and then some really bad dairy free coffee creamers. I’ve dumped many a bottle of coffee creamer (not to mention money) down the drain. I don’t know who’s making this stuff, but they need to up their game.
I’d finally settled on Coffee Mate Natural Bliss Almond Creamer Plant Based Vanilla, something I can usually find at St. John’s Kroger. It’s not fabulous, but it’s good.
But recently. my friend’s daughter, Rae, mentioned she drinks Coffee Mate Natural Bliss Oat Creamer Plant Based Brown Sugar. She said it was a game changer.
Ding! Ding! We have a winner. This is really good coffee creamer! And the sugar content is a mere four grams, that’s actually one less gram than the vanilla creamer I’ve been using. (As you know I’m a label reader. I don’t even know if four grams is that good, but it’s lower than five! I’m calling it a win.)
I’m a pretty happy girl right now! Now if I can just get someone in the St. Johns/Fowler area to carry the Coffee Mate Natural Bliss Plant Based Oat Brown Sugar Coffee Creamer it would save me from having to make a trip into Lansing for it.
Woke up this morning feeling ambitious and hungry. Today is a good day for Monte Cristo breakfast sandwiches!
What you need:
Gluten free bread (Schar)
Sliced ham
Non-dairy cheese (Violife)
Just Egg (liquid in carton)
Hellman’s Vegan Mayo
Mustard
Optional: powdered sugar, strawberries, strawberry jam and CoCo Whip
Set out two slices of bread. Put mayo on one slice and mustard on the other. Next put cheese on the mustard side and several ham slices on the mayo side. Put your sandwich together.
Pour the Just Egg liquid in a bowl that’s large enough for you to be able to dip your sandwich (both sides) in it. Hold tight to your sandwich as you dip it in the Just Egg mixture.
Place your sandwich in a skillet on the stove – same temp. as you’d use for French toast or grilled cheese. (While cooking, I covered the pan so any of the egg mixture that may have gotten inside the sandwich would cook while toasting the bread.) Flip bread when first side is toasted and toast the other side. (I used a tongs to flip, holding everything together.) Remove the sandwich when done cooking and place on a plate. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Top with fresh strawberries and a dollop of Coco Whip whipped cream. (Kevin also added a little strawberry jam to his.)
Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping!
Brenda
Links for the products I used are below my disclaimer.
Superbowl is a week from today. Giving you a couple quick ideas for your party.
Wholly Veggie! Mozzarella Style Sticks. Vegan and gluten free. These are REALLY good. The “cheese” actually melts. You can cook them in the oven or an air fryer. I found them in Walmart and Kroger, but I don’t think all Kroger stores will have them. (The St. John’s Kroger just did a ‘Last Chance Clearance’ on them). Pretty sure that means, I’ll be shopping for these in Walmart from now on.
Caulipower Chicken Nuggets. Gluten free. So yummy. Even the grandkids liked them. You can cook them in the oven or an air fryer. I found them in Fresh Thyme, Walmart and Meijer. Again, location makes all the difference.
Not the greatest pic, but you get the point. Seen one, you’ve seen them all.
That’s it. Short and to the point. Now, get to the store! Links for both products are below the disclaimer.
Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping.
Brenda
Disclaimer:
These recipes and tips are not guaranteed to work or be safe for everyone. Allergies are extremely complicated and vary for each individual. It is still your responsibility to read labels to ensure your safety. I cannot be held liable for any ill effects from using my tips to avoid your allergies. (Sorry guys, I don’t foresee any problems, but Momma’s gotta cover her backside, ya know?) Just read your labels! Do your research!
I made these chocolate dipped pretzel rods, which look like lit cigars, for a recent Ugly Sweater Party. (That would explain the hat.)
Not sure why I have funky yellow rectangles in my glasses.
They’re simple, quick, delicious, gluten free and vegan friendly! And they look quite realistic.
I used:
Snyder’s of Hanover Gluten Free Pretzel Rods. I found them at Meijer. Finding gluten free pretzel rods is no easy task. You’re just going to have to look around for them. When I find them I usually get 3 or 4 bags and stash the extra bags in the freezer.
Enjoy Life Mini Chips Semi Sweet. I’m able to find these in Meijer, Kroger, Walmart, Whole Foods and Fresh Thyme. (I’ve also used the Nestle brand of dairy free chips, but the Enjoy Life are my favorite.)
1 tsp of shortening. It helps the chocolate to firm up a little better on the pretzel rod. (I’ve had some people tell me they’ve never used shortening when dipping pretzels, so I’d say this could be a personal preference thing.)
Grey, red and white sugar sprinkles for the “ash” effect. I found them in my sister-in-law’s kitchen cabinet, farthest cupboard on the right, middle shelf. (She’s a cake decorator.) Pretty sure she’s not in the habit of letting just anyone into her kitchen to borrow sprinkles, so I would suggest Hobby Lobby or Walmart or any store that carries cake decorating supplies. These are just the colored sugar sprinkles you put on Christmas cookies, but the grey is not something you’d probably find in a grocery store. I mixed up the combination I wanted, in a small dish, to get the “ash” effect.
Ashtray. Not mandatory, but it sure gives off the vibe that it’s a bunch of lit cigars sitting in there. I looked in thrift stores to try and find one but had no luck. Fortunately, I had a friend who just so happened to have one that is vintage 1970’s. Perfect!
The process:
Line 1 or 2 cookie sheets with parchment or wax paper. You’ll be placing the rods on them after you’ve dipped them.
I’m not going to give you quantities to use, you’ll just want to eyeball it depending on how many you want to make.
In a glass 4 cup measuring cup or a tall microwavable glass that is tall enough to fit most of the pretzel in and wide enough for your hand to fit, add about half of a bag of your chocolate chips and shortening. You can always add more chocolate chips later if needed. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time; stirring after every 30 seconds. Continue until melted.
You’re ready to start dipping. Pick up pretzel rods individually and swirl them around in the chocolate, leaving the top 2-3 inches uncovered so you have something to hold on to when you pick it up to eat. Lay it on the cookie sheet. I do about 6 of them before I sprinkle with my mixture of colored sugar sprinkles. It actually takes a fair amount of sprinkles, even though you’re just doing a few inches on the tip of the pretzel.
Let them cool. If I’m in a hurry (and I usually am) I pop them in the fridge to speed the process up. When the chocolate is firm, you’re ready to place them, haphazardly, in your ashtray.
Reminds both Kevin and I of family parties back in the day. We haven’t decided if that should disturb us or not.Really looks like ashes.
That’s it. Enjoy!
Pretty legit. LOL
Thanks for stopping.
Brenda
Links for the pretzels and chocolate chips are below the disclaimer.
Disclaimer:
These recipes and tips are not guaranteed to work or be safe for everyone. Allergies are extremely complicated and vary for each individual. It is still your responsibility to read labels to ensure your safety. I cannot be held liable for any ill effects from using my tips to avoid your allergies. (Sorry guys, I don’t foresee any problems, but Momma’s gotta cover her backside, ya know?) Just read your labels! Do your research!
Next stop, the Upper Eastside, for a 100% organic, plant-based lunch at ‘Le Botaniste’.
We ordered 3 different ‘half portion’ bowls:
1) Pasta Bolo, a gluten free/vegan version of an Italian pasta and marinara. By far, both my favorite and Kevin’s.
2) The Spicy Chili Sin Carne, just what it sounds like – (kind of), but of course, it’s a gluten free/vegan version of chili, cheese and sour cream. Kevin and I both said this was a distant second. There was just something about the texture that we couldn’t get past.
3) The Tibetan Mama, a combination of brown rice, coconut peanut butter curry, greens and kimchi. Wow! Kevin and I… not fans! Bradley on the other hand said this is one of his favorites.
Along with our half bowls, we also ordered several sides, four of which were spreads.
1.) The roasted beets, which were fabulous. We’ve got to figure out how to make these.
2.) Green Pea Hummus, which was a bit of a let down. Even though I knew it was made with peas, it looked like guacamole and that was what I was expecting – it wasn’t.
3.) The Jackuna, which looked a little like chicken salad. I was excited for this. I’d read about Jack Fruit before but had never tried it. It was okay. I’m glad it was served with crackers!
4.) Turmeric Lemon Hummus – not a fan.
5) Lastly, the Young Coconut Ceviche, a spread of coconut meat, cashew, cilantro, jalapeno and garlic. I do not like cilantro, so one small bite of this was enough for me. Kevin didn’t like it either. Bradley liked everything we ordered.
Lunch is served! (Bottom left: Tibetan Mama, middle left: Pasta Bolo, top left: the 4 spreads, top right: the gluten-free crackers, middle right: Spicy Chili Sin Carne and bottom right: Roasted Beets.)
Bradley has talked about this place for years and was anxious for us to try it. I’m glad we were able to finally to get there.
Link for ‘Le Botaniste’ is below my disclaimer. Thanks for stopping!
