Gingerbread Cookies

These are an every Christmas must in the Penrod family! I unfortunately lost my recipe this year, and while the one I found is close, it's not quite there. Still good, just not what it was. However, I feel I need to get it written somewhere so that I won't lose it again! It may be tweaked in the future though.... (I will put a date in here when I do though so you know you are looking at the one I use!)

Flour Blend: (I use this for all flour substitutions)
1 cup Rice Flour
1 cup Corn Starch
1 cup Tapioca Starch
1 Tbsp Potato Flour (I have had trouble finding this for a while and left it out. The blend still works well without it.)

Cookies:
3 cups Gluten Free Flour Blend
3 tsp Ginger
2 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 to 3/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) of softened Butter
3/4 cup packed Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Molasses
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Raisins for buttons and red hots for eyes

Frosting:
1 stick softened Butter
1 tsp Vanilla
Dash of milk
3-6 cups of Powdered Sugar

• Heat oven to350°
• Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside
• Beat butter and brown sugar in a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
• Add molasses, egg, and vanilla; Mix well
• Gradually add in flour mix on low speed
• Flour a gallon size zip lock bag or bottom of a bowl and put your sticky ball in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.

• Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness on a floured surface. You may have to knead some flour into it a little until it is firm enough to not stick to your roller, cookie cutter, or counter.
• Cut out men with a gingerbread man cookie cutter and place on cookie sheet. (I like to put down a piece of parchment paper to help with cleanup and easy transfer to cooling rack)
• Bake in oven for 8-10 minutes (I had to do about 9) The egdes will set and begin to brown
• Cool on cookies sheet for 1-2 minutes and then more to a cooling rack

This made about 60-65 cookies.
I make this recipe with regular flour too, very carefully! 

Frosting:
Beat butter. Add vanilla, powdered sugar, and a dash of milk. Add powdered sugar until you have a frosting consistence. Depending on how you decorate your cookies you may need more than this makes. My father in law likes them with no frosting but what I use to stick the buttons and eyes on, but my husband has to have the whole cookie covered. It's whatever your preference is.

Gluten Free Biscuits and Gravy

LOVE this product!! It is a bit gritty and the biscuits are different than what you remember but as long as you put those aside, they are very good! While I visited Coronado, San Diego, my mother and sister in law made the best gluten free biscuits and gravy that I just had to share with you! Enjoy!

Biscuits:
2 cups Gluten Free Bisquick
1/3 cup Shortening (if you have it, the butter Crisco adds a little yum to it!)
2/3 cup Milk
3 Eggs

Gravy:
1 lb Medium Sausage (I like the RB Rice brand)
3 Tbsp Gluten Free Bisquick
1 1/2 to 2 cups Milk
Salt & Pepper

• Heat oven to 400° F

• Cut shortening into mix, using fork, until particles are pea size. Stir in remaining ingredients until soft dough forms.

• Roll into 9 equal balls and pat them flat leaving them 1/2 to 1 inch thick

• Bake 13-16 minutes or until golden brown. Do not over bake. Gluten free is dry enough that over baking is a disaster!

While those bake, gravy:

• Brown your sausage on the stove top and then drain off the grease.

• In a separate bowl or measuring cup, mix the bisquick and 1/2 cup of milk.

• Add 1 cup of milk to your pan of sausage and warm to a boil. Stir constantly and add your milk and Bisquick. Stir until it thickens. Add more milk to thin it or add more Bisquick to thicken it up.

• Salt & pepper to taste

Cross contamination, Intentional Slips, and Genetics

Living totally gluten free is hard. To be honest, anytime you eat you are at risk of cross contamination, even if you made it. I have to admit, after being so strict for so long, I can get a little lackadaisical and I shouldn't. For someone with celiac disease, it is essential that you maintain no gluten in your diet. The short term issues can include abdominal pain, bloating, joint pain, fatigue, headache,  damage to dental enamel, anemia, constipation or diarrhea, gas and acid reflux. You could experience some or all of these, it's different for each individual. But there are more long term issues to be concerned with. Some of the following are side effects of this disease if you don't follow the "rules":

According to the mayo clinic:

• "Malnutrition. The damage to your small intestine means it can't absorb enough nutrients. Malnutrition can lead to anemia and weight loss. In children, malnutrition can cause stunted growth and delayed development.
• Loss of calcium and bone density. Malabsorption of calcium and vitamin D may lead to a softening of the bone (osteomalacia or rickets) in children and a loss of bone density (osteoporosis) in adults.
• Infertility and miscarriage. Malabsorption of calcium and vitamin D can contribute to reproductive issues.
• Lactose intolerance. Damage to your small intestine may cause you to experience abdominal pain and diarrhea after eating lactose-containing dairy products, even though they don't contain gluten. Once your intestine has healed, you may be able to tolerate dairy products again. However, some people continue to experience lactose intolerance despite successful management of celiac disease.
• Cancer. People with celiac disease who don't maintain a gluten-free diet have a greater risk of developing several forms of cancer, including intestinal lymphoma and small bowel cancer." Mayoclinic
• Other Autoimmune diseases.

So as you can see, it is very important to continue your diet as it is the only way to prevent these things. That last few are the scariest for me! I have lots of cancer related deaths and other autoimmune diseases in my family history, so honestly, this is a great little reminder, even to me, that I should never be lackadaisical.

Now, about what I said above, "anytime you eat you are at risk of cross contamination, even if you made it" I wasn't kidding. At any restaurant you will find not only people who don't understand the gravity of the situation, but it can be really hard to get every surface, every employee, every process perfect unless it's a 100% dedicated gluten free kitchen. Same goes at home! I cook regular meals for Jay and gluten free for me a lot due to the cost of my food. Sometimes switching from regular to gluten free, or vis versa, can inadvertently be dangerous. You must learn to make the gluten free first and if you make anything regular wash, wash, wash everywhere it touches! Hands, towels, sponges, counters, utensils, pans..... Wash it all really good! Some websites even discuss a whole different set of dishes, sponges, and pans for gluten free but I haven't quite done that yet. I just make sure to wash everything in the dishwasher, even the sponge, or double wash things with lots of soap/hot water.

"Slips" As in I just can't help myself, I have to have that cookie! Or when someone that doesn't know anything about your disease says, "Can't you just have a little?" Really, if you have read this far you can understand why I think this one is just silly. There is no such thing as just a little, or giving into a craving for things you used to love. I am understanding when someone doesn't know, but I defiantly don't give in. It is not worth my health, short term or long term. I encourage you to make that your priority too! 

Celiac disease is a genetic disease. Which means this can be passed to your children, and came from one of your parents or both. They don't necessarily have to have an active form of the disease though. It stays dormant until it is triggered by an illness, pregnancy, or surgery. So, it isn't a terrible idea to encourage your family to be tested if you have a positive celiac diagnosis. There is a blood test but this is generally not effective, so I wouldn't count that as the end all be all if you get a negative result. The best way to know for sure is the intestinal biopsy. This can be expensive, but is the only sure fire way to know one way or the other if you have celiac disease.

There is soooooo much more I could keep talking about, but this is enough for now. Just be careful out there! It gets easier over time, I promise!

Coming soon!

So sorry for the delay in posts. After Christmas I will post a bunch, I promise! On my list to do are: The Del Coronado in the Coronado/San Diego, CA area, gluten free turkey dinner, Gingerbread cookies, the gluten free fad, and gluten free biscuits and gravy! So keep an eye out! Hope everyone has happy holidays!

Granite City Food & Brewery

         Now, this is a more pricey restaurant, but I was pleasantly surprised a few months ago when I found they had a separate gluten free menu. Not only that, but it has more on it than grilled chicken and salad! They have their own GF buns for sandwiches, appetizers, and though it's not listed on here, the creme brulee is GF as well! I try not to get french fries from too many places but sometimes I'll take the risk and this last time turned out fine. These can most often be a source of cross contamination, so I would not recommend it, but if you want to, ask for them without seasoning. The Granite city dip has not given me issue either, but is not on the list. I have found that restaurants that make a menu or list don't always put everything on them that are ok. Small sides, sauces, desserts, and dressings can get left off despite no gluten present. If you have any questions or comments, please post below and I will do my best to answer!

As the menu is not listed online, I tried to take a photo of it for you all. Here is their website anyways if you wish to see what else they have. 

http://www.gcfb.net/

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

     These are ALWAYS a hit! They are so easy to make, very tasty, and with only a few ingredients, they are very cheap to make. When I tell anyone they are gluten free, they usually don't believe me and even better, when I tell what I used to make them, they don't believe me! You can use any kind of Hershey kiss or Reese’s are yummy too!

Ingredients:

-1 Cup Peanut Butter
-1 Cup White Sugar
-1 Egg
-1 Tsp Vanilla
-1 Tsp Baking soda (optional)
-1 Bag of Hershey kisses, caramel kisses, or peanut butter cups

     Mix all ingredients together (minus the kisses/pb cups) and stick the mixture in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. This will make it easier to roll dough into balls. I like to then portion chucks out into 20g increments but if you prefer to just make teaspoon size portion’s, that would work as well. Roll into balls and place on your cookie sheet. I usually do one pan at a time as they get warm and sticky pretty quickly. If they do, just stick the batter back in the freezer for 5-10 minutes and try again. When you have a whole pan complete, put them in the oven at 350° for 8-10 minutes. 

     When you take them out, they sometimes make me wonder if they are done. They crack on the tops and look a little gooey between the cracks. The best way to check them, is to carefully flip one cookie over and see if the bottom is browned a bit. If you over cook these cookies the bottoms burn, not the tops. Once you decide they are done, place your chocolate kisses or peanut butter cups in the center. Transfer to a cooling rack and store once cooled. 

      This recipe can make about 2-2 ½ dozen and are DELICIOUS! Enjoy!

Resturant Tips

Restaurants were a bit scary at first. I remember sitting in Texas Roadhouse feeling like I couldn't eat anything and just wanted to cry, I may have actually. (You can eat at Texas Roadhouse by way) There will be places that know nothing about gluten, treat it like a "choice" not a requirement, and even ones that seem to not care at all if you get a crumb or two of cross contamination. You just have to do a few more things before going out, especially if it’s a new place. This is what I do:

1. I check their online menus or nutritional facts for any direction towards a GF list or menu. Sometimes I even print it and take it with me if I have a printer available.

2. If there is no list or menu, I call and ask for a manager to find out what I might be able to have. It all depends on the type of restaurant with this one. If they don’t have a clue, I usually won’t eat there, but here are some of the questions I ask either on the phone or in person.

·         Mexican:

·         Do you make your own chips? If so, are they fried in the same grease as any other fried item?

·         Is your rice GF? Do you use any commercially made broths in your recipes to make the rice, beef, or chicken?

·         Chicken, is it marinated? Believe it or not, I have run into multiple places that use soy sauce, broth, or Italian dressing in the marinade.

·         Beef, check the seasoning. Also can use soy sauce for seasoning.

·         Italian:

·         Do you have any GF pasta available?

·         Bar and grill/Steakhouse:

·         Marinades for Chicken?

·         Seasoning on steak, fish & burgers?

·         Are your fries fried in a community fryer with other fried yummies?

·         If there are veggies on the dish, they often times have these steamed as the seasoning are sometimes contaminated.

·         Dressings, do you make your own or buy it in? If bought, can you check the label? If made, was wheat used to thicken it?

3. ALWAYS tell your server! I get embarrassed or forget sometimes and then it comes out with croutons or a bun and the whole dish has to go back. My husband or family has gotten good at reminding me sometimes if I don’t mention it. Just know that even though you will always have modifications from now on anywhere you go, its ok! This is medically important to follow so don’t be embarrassed to ask for them!

4. Take a good look around before eating! Make sure if you sent it back they understand that this is not a fade diet you’re trying, but a “severe allergy”, so don’t just pick off the bread and send it back to you. If it comes back out immediately I would be suspicious. Side note, even though this is not an allergy for us, it can be easier to explain & understand when talking to a server that may know nothing about celiac disease that it is a severe allergy than saying it’s an autoimmune disease. Sad, but true!