2 weeks with the kid...

Over the past week my husband and I have had our 6 year old nephew staying with us. It's been both a fun and challenging ride for us and for Chris.

For one thing, I'm not sure how moms in general blog. Where do you find the time?

My husband says our house (which seemed small before) seems absolutely tiny now. If we ever have kids he says we have to get a bigger house and a dishwasher and 4 bathrooms. 4 bathrooms hon?

I have learned that this once unpicky kid will not eat on command. EAT IT... that doesn't work. And don't tell him it's good for him. That doesn't work either.

I have learned that he can eat gluten free without knowing it and he likes it anyway!

I've learned that kids need to not only come with an instruction manual, but a first aid kit. So far we've had 2 nosebleeds, a bunch of scrapes and scratches, lots of bandaids, and a bad cut on the forehead from accidentally falling. A cut that nearly caused this aunt & uncle to have a panic attack, not only from worrying about the cut & the kid, but worrying that the kid's mom will have our heads for letting her child get hurt.

I've learned that hearing bedtime stories read by your husband can really melt your heart.

Every day is filled with giggles, sneaky smiles, bananas (which is a SNACK by the way, NOT dessert), and sticky hugs & kisses.

While this kid decidedly doesn't want to eat lettuce, he'll eat carrots, bacon, and macaroni and cheese like it's going out of style.

Meals with the kid this week have been simple & kid friendly and actually quite nutritious:

• gluten free mac & "cheese" made with Daiya (so it won't hurt my tummy) carrot sticks, and apple slices.

• pizza made on a gluten free almond flour crust (recipe to come!) with fresh watermelon as a side.
  

• a very simple homemade chicken soup: homemade chicken stock, chicken, a little brown rice, salt & pepper, carrots, and celery.
  

• the kid's favorite ham & provolone (the round cheese per Chris) sandwiches, made of course with mustard & ketchup. And served on almond flour bread. (He said they were delicious sandwiches!)

• gluten free spaghetti noodles with homemade "loaded with veggies" spaghetti sauce made from our CSA box earlier this summer. The sauce was so chock full of zucchini, squash, mushrooms, tomatoes, and peppers, we didn't even serve additional vegetables, which the kid thought was a super cool treat.
  

• Saturday morning breakfast: homemade oatmeal from Bob's Red Mill GF rolled oats. This kid devoured two bowls of homemade gluten free honey & cinnamon oatmeal and declared we needed to make it for dinner! I was so excited he enjoyed this!

• Treats & Sweets: a cinnamon variation of these almond flour cookies have been a huge hit, along with cinnamon toast (the kid likes cinnamon & vanilla... must be genetic!) made from almond flour bread. Bananas are a popular snack, we've been through more bananas than I probably eat in 2 months!
  

We have another week with the kid and I have to admit despite feeling exhausted from all the activities we're squeezing in during the week I'll really miss him!

I hope we can make this a summer tradition with our nephew and I'll share more about the kid-friendly meals & snacks & breakfasts we make in the upcoming week.

What are your favorite gluten free kid-friendly meals and snacks?

The winners from our 30 Days of Gluten Free Quick & Easy Meals Giveaway will be announced soon!

GF Baking 101: Gluten Free Flours

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies - Using arrowroot starch instead of tapioca

Some of the most frequent questions I get are about the types of gluten free flour I use in baking. Over the past four years I've used a dozen or more different types of flour. As with many who are new to being gluten free, I started using white rice flour, lots of starches like tapioca starch, corn starch, and potato starch, etc...

But soon after starting to bake gluten free, it became apparent to me that the popular starchy white gluten free flours used by most gluten free cookbook & recipe authors (while not hurting my gut) were doing serious damage to my blood sugar and my waist line.

Obesity, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, diabetes, etc... ALL run in my family. Research is starting to show how diabetes, celiac disease, and gluten intolerance are often linked genetically. Therefore, what are gluten free folks doing eating all of these super starchy, simple carbohydrate flours when diabetes and blood sugar disorders so are closely related to celiac disease?

I've been overweight most of my life. About two years ago I was diagnosed with the high blood pressure & high cholesterol that is so exceedingly abundant in my family. They were NOT diagnoses I was thrilled with. Seeing the pattern of being overweight and having elevated levels of these unhealthy medical problems has made me very aware of my diet and what I need to do to prevent the onset of diabetes. One of the first places I could start was changing the types of flours I used in gluten free baking.

One of my main goals in baking gluten free the past few years has been to create recipes that are not only delicious, but are as healthy and low glycemic as possible. Websites like Meghan Telpner's Making Love in the Kitchen, Elana's Pantry, and the Spunky Coconut have helped me to re-learn how to bake gluten free in ways that are much more healthy, low glycemic, and good for my body.


Gluten Free Grain Free (Low Glycemic) Baking

Most often these days I stick with low glycemic, mostly grain free baking. For baking recipes in this manner I use blanched almond flour, coconut flour, and for a bit of lightness arrowroot starch.

Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour.
It's the only almond flour I buy. The company doesn't pay me a dime (I wish they did! lol). It's just a good flour, period. I learned about using the Honeyville brand from Elana, and she's right... Other brands of blanched almond flour (in my opinion) just don't compare to the quality that you get with this brand. Almond flour is a naturally gluten free flour (and the Honeyville brand is CERTIFIED gluten free), it's high protein, low glycemic, and is nutritionally a great option. I love using almond flour for recipes because it's so insanely simple. So often you make recipes for cookies, muffins, bread etc... and just use this one flour. That's it. No xanthan gum, no combination of flours, etc... Simple. Easy. Healthy.

Tropical Traditions Coconut Flour.
I actually have not tried any other brand of coconut flour, so I don't know how they compare to the Tropical Traditions brand. I've been using coconut flour for several years. I actually started to use this flour before I tried almond flour. The neat thing about baking with coconut flour, is that most often the things you bake don't taste like coconut. (At least I don't think they do.) I personally prefer to combine coconut flour with another flour like almond flour instead of using straight coconut flour recipes. Coconut flour, while expensive initially, is often a practical & economical choice of flour because most recipes call for so little actual flour. Coconut flour is VERY absorbent and therefore you don't need very much of it to create a lot of volume. You generally use 3 eggs in a recipe calling for 2 tablespoons of coconut flour! If you would like to use coconut flour exclusively, check out this book by Bruce Fife.

Bob's Red Mill Arrowroot Starch.
The only starch flour I use anymore is arrowroot starch. It's lower on the glycemic index ( I cannot find the original information I used to verify the glycemic index -- yet while I cannot "prove" it's a better starch, I still prefer this gluten free starch to all others. --csf 8/25/11)  Like most starches it really doesn't have that many health benefits, but it does provide a lightness to gluten free baked goods without compromising your health. I haven't tried other brands of arrowroot starch, simply because I can buy it in bulk from Bob's Red Mill. One thing I really like about arrowroot starch is it's great both in grain-free gluten free baking and in whole grain gluten free baking. It means I only have to stock one little starch in my small pantry space! If you prefer not to use arrowroot starch in your baking, just remember you can use any other starch in place of it in a one-to-one ratio.

Gluten Free Whole Grain Baking

When I do use grains in gluten free baking, I stick with whole grains. What has worked for me has been to simply use 2 grains & 1 starch for best results. For example if I'm converting a recipe that calls for 1 cup of "regular" flour I'll simply use:

• 1/3 cup brown rice flour (whole grain)
• 1/3 cup sorghum flour or millet flour (whole grains)
• 1/3 cup arrowroot starch
• + a binder = either 1/2 tsp. of xanthan gum or guar gum  -OR- **2 tbsp ground flax seeds (ground flax can be used in place of xanthan gum in MOST recipes -- please note that this does NOT work well in yeast breads!) Most gluten free baking requires a binder/texture ingredient such as xanthan gum or guar gum which sort of "replaces" the gluten that gives such great texture in wheat baking, especially for yeast breads. Many baked goods like quick breads can actually be made without the gums... since muffins, cakes, coffee cake etc... do not need to have the same somewhat resilient texture, tight-crumbed texture as yeast bread. 

That's it. I don't have any rhyme or reason as to why I choose a specific gluten free whole grain. Whatever is in my pantry I use. Generally I keep sorghum, millet, and brown rice in my pantry. Arrowroot starch is the only starch I keep in my pantry because it's lower glycemic & because it's not grain based. This simple ratio of 2 whole grains to 1 starch works for nearly every recipe I try. It's easy. It's simple to stock in my pantry. It's healthier than using white flours and grain-based starches.

My whole grain flours of choice that I may have rotating in my pantry are the following:

Brown Rice Flour.
A whole grain of brown rice finely ground into a flour. It's one of my favorite whole grain flours. I always have it in my pantry and it's usually the 1st whole grain I use in a recipe. It has a very mild flavor, it works well in every recipe I use. My husband would call it "low maintenance" (unlike his wife... lol) If you had to pick two whole grains to stock in your pantry, this is #1 choice I'd go for. I've always used Bob's Red Mill. Some people say that they prefer Authentic Foods superfine ground brown rice flour, but I've never had a problem with Bob's Red Mill. Gotta love buying in bulk and low shipping costs!

Sorghum Flour.
An ancient grain that's been used in other parts of the world for centuries, it's relatively new to the US food market. Sorghum flour is high in insoluble fiber and it has a slower digestion rate, which makes it not only suitable for celiacs, but also for people with diabeties or high blood sugar. If you wanted my pick for #2 whole grain to keep in your pantry, it would be sorghum flour. Some people don't like the flavor of sorghum, but I love it! I think it makes gluten free baked goods taste very similar to their wheat counterparts. Sorghum and brown rice flour are the only whole grains that are ALWAYS in my pantry. Again, I personally have always used the Bob's Red Mill brand and I'm very happy with it.

Millet Flour

Another ancient seed grain that's been largely ignored in the western world up until recently. Probably more often than not you'll find it as the main ingredients in some bird seeds. My favorite aspect of millet flour is it's very mild flavor. Most people who do not like the taste of sorghum, really like the mild nutty texture of millet flour. For some reason I generally buy a box of sorghum flour and millet flour at the same time. I'll use all the sorghum flour first, and then I'll use the millet flour. Don't ask me why. I'll pretend it's for variety. I use them equally and exchange them 1:1 in baking. It's mildly flavored. A whole grain that's lightly colored (so it doesn't seem like a whole grain!) and it's healthy. Another win win! As with the others, I solely use Bob's Red Mill.

Quinoa Flour.
The most recent whole grain addition to my pantry. I really love the flavor of quinoa flour. I don't use it nearly enough. Quinoa (pronounced - "keenwah") is a hearty, high protein flour, high fiber flour that's really a great option for celiacs and those with high blood sugar, sugar sensitivity, or diabetes. Quinoa flour also seems to naturally bring out the sweetness baked goods (even when you don't use much sweetener!), it's a lighter high fiber flour, and it's really delicious. I definitely plan to use more quinoa flour in my future whole grain baking! Again, I purchase mine from Bob's Red Mill.

Notes on my recipes:

• Tapioca starch - Lots of my older recipes use tapioca starch. I've realized over the past few years that tapioca starch tastes very bitter to me. I've also had readers complain about some recipes having a bitter taste. I've found that it's the tapioca starch that causes this bitterness. I don't know if it's a personal taste preference, if tapioca goes rancid quickly, or what exactly causes this. But I've stopped using tapioca starch, not only because it's so unhealthy, but because of the bitter aftertaste. I substitute arrowroot starch 1:1 for tapioca starch in any recipe calling for tapioca. If you have a baked good that seems to have a bitter aftertaste, check the ingredients for tapioca starch.

• Sugar - I seldom, if at all, use sugar in recipes anymore. I will be doing a post soon on my preferred natural sweeteners. Generally in most recipes now, I use agave nectar, honey, or stevia.

• Gluten Free Flour Substitutions - In ALL of my recipes, EXCEPT YEAST BREADS, you can substitute any whole grain for a whole grain, any starch for a starch. If I used brown rice flour and all you have is sorghum flour, use sorghum flour. If I used arrowroot starch and all you have is potato starch, use it! It will work! Yeast breads are the only recipes that break this rule. Yeast breads are tricky and the ratio of starches to whole grain is very important in getting a bread to rise correctly.

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So there you have it... a glance of the ingredients in my gluten free baking pantry. What flours do you use most often in your gluten free baking? Why do you use them? What gluten free flour combinations seem to work best for you? Share your favorite gluten free baking ingredients in the comments below!

30 Days Gluten Free Quick & Easy Meals: Day 20 - Carrie's Turkey Kielbasa with Sauerkraut

Welcome to 30 Days Gluten Free Quick & Easy Meals!

I can't believe we are 20 days into this wonderful series on super fast & delicious gluten free meals!

Thank you so much for joining me & all the other amazing gluten free food bloggers who have participated the last 20 days! Please stay tuned throughout the last ten days of this 30 Day challenge! Along with more incredibly yummy recipes & tips from fellow bloggers, there will also be a fun giveaway once the 30 days is over!

Day 20 - Carrie's Turkey Kielbasa & Homemade Sauerkraut.

During summers when I was growing up, my sister & I often had the chance to spend a few weeks with "Nan," our grandmother. One of the first recipes I featured on this blog was Nan's Skillet Dinner, another family favorite and definitely a 20 minute meal. Nan also taught my dad how to make his basic & easy pancakes, a super easy gluten free weeknight meal!

Nan knows all about simple & easy meals and today's recipe is a meal she often made for my sister & I.

This meal is SO easy, and literally takes less than 20 minutes to prepare. I love using sauerkraut because it's a very healthy way to incorporate cabbage into your diet. Sauerkraut can be an acquired taste, but after this meal, it's even on my husband's list of favorite dinners!

You can buy prepared sauerkraut at any grocery store. It's available in jars, canned, and even fresh in bags either in the produce section or the fresh meat section.

At home though, we make our own. Making homemade sauerkraut takes a little bit of time initially, but it's SO easy. It takes as little as 3 days to "cure" and then it's ready to eat and of course be used instantly for dinner! For instructions on how to make your own sauerkraut, visit Meghan's blog for a great tutorial video.



Another thing I love about this meal is that is contains so few ingredients. And really, like most of the recipes that have been shared the past 20 days, this is only a cooking technique. Use ingredients that you have on hand. Don't have a green pepper? Add a red pepper or tomatoes. Add shredded carrots for more color and yumminess! Don't have sauerkraut? Shred some fresh red or purple cabbage and use that instead.

Real cooking, especially EASY cooking is simply learning to creatively use the ingredients you have available!



Carrie's Turkey Kielbasa with Homemade Sauerkraut
Free of gluten, casein, and soy
Makes 4 servings

1 (14 oz.) package turkey kielbasa, sliced into 1/4" thick pieces
1 green pepper, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 - 3 cups prepared sauerkraut
1-2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
2 cups cooked brown rice -or- jasmine rice (1/2 cup per serving)

Directions:
In a non-stick -or- seasoned cast iron skillet saute green peppers in olive oil for 2-3 minutes until they are bright green. Add cut kielbasa pieces and saute on medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes. Add sauerkraut and freshly ground pepper. Saute with kielbasa for an additional 10-12 minutes until heated through. Serve with cooked rice & fresh fruit or a salad.

* I put the rice on the stove (cooked according to package directions) right before I start sauteeing the green peppers. The rice will be fully cooked & super fluffy by the time the kielbasa & sauerkraut has been heated through.

For more information about me & this blog, please check out my "About Carrie" page!

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Stay tuned for Day 21 in 30 Days Gluten Free Quick & Easy Meals. Tomorrow will feature a beautiful recipe from Heather, author of TheCeliacFamily. Also check out Healther's post with a listing of all the Gluten Free Q&E recipes so far!!

A Simple Gluten Free Lifestyle

Today's post is a guest post I wrote for Erin @ $5 Dollar Dinners earlier this year.
I thought my readers would enjoy the columns I shared with her back in early June about basic gluten free living. I hope for readers who are new to a celiac diease or are just starting a gluten free diet for health reasons, that this post will inspire you with simple, easy tips for a delicious gluten free life!

I started a gluten free diet in August 2007. I decided to go gluten free because I thought it would cure or at least reduce the terrible migraine headaches that I had been living with. I have had migraines as long as I can remember. Between migraines, panic attacks, high blood pressure, and gastrointestinal distress I was not living well. My life was not healthy or fun.

In July of 2007 I discovered Shauna at her blog, Gluten Free Girl. After reading her beautiful thoughts on how she truly began to live after becoming gluten free I was inspired and intrigued. Upon further online research I found that many people either with celiac disease or a wheat/gluten intolerance had symptoms similar to mine: frequent migraines, GI distress, allergy-like symptoms: nasal/sinus congestion, etc... And by that point, I was willing to try ANYTHING to get rid of my migraines and simply feel better in general. I thought going gluten free could possibly help me.

Gluten Free For Life.

It took several months for me to see the full effects of how going gluten free affected my whole body positively. The results were not immediate, but over time I could tell that my migraines were fewer and I felt MUCH better overall. I felt healthy for the first time in my life. Despite being overweight, I felt like for the first time I was eating whole, natural foods that were healing my body. While my migraines did not go away completely until I began therapy for high blood pressure in 2008, I realized how incredibly sensitive I was to certain foods! Namely any foods with gluten, soy, and casein and/or dairy.

I am not diagnosed with celiac disease. But I am very thankful to be on the gluten free diet. Going gluten free taught me to discover how my body reacts to food. Certain foods cause reactions when I eat them and now I am fully aware of foods that make my body healthy and foods that hurt me.

Going gluten free is a process. I am continually learning new things and changing my diet to help my body to become more healthy. In this journey I have discovered many things:


- I love to cook!

- I love learning about food chemistry and how it works in gluten free baking!

- That there are many, many foods out there I had not yet tried or had the joy of eating! I now LOVE trying new things!

- That my body reacts in several ways to all forms of gluten found in wheat, barley, rye, and due to cross-contamination, uncertified oats. I get nasal/sinus congestion along with gastrointestinal issues. From 1-3 days later, I will often have a terrible migraine headache.

- That my body severely reacts to any form of soy protein.

- That my body also reacts to certain dairy/casein products.

- That my body treats most simple carbohydrates as a "drug" and I have to avoid simple sugars/carbohydrates, white gluten free starches, etc...

- A vast amount of foods are already beautifully, simply, and naturally gluten free!

I have found that for me following a gluten free diet is easiest when you eat simple, naturally gluten free foods. As much as I enjoy baking, I don't often have the time it takes to do so, nor it is necessarily good for me due to the simple carbohydrates found in many gluten free flours. Meal preparations at our home have to be fast, quick, and healthy due to our work schedules. Our meals are usually based around fresh vegetables, a lean protein (when I'm not following a vegan diet), and a small portion of complex carbohydrates such as whole grain brown rice, sweet potatoes, or black or red beans.



Here are some examples of naturally gluten free meal choices that are frugal and healthy and in our meal rotations:

A few Naturally Gluten Free Breakfast Options:

- eggs, boiled, scrambled, etc...
- breakfast meat such as turkey bacon, sausage, etc...
- fresh fruit
- certified gluten free oatmeal -or- homemade corn grits
- breakfast wraps with scrambled eggs, a few tablespoons of salsa, and green onions wrapped in a warmed corn tortilla
- naturally gluten free cereal such as Rice Chex
- green smoothies made with fresh greens such as kale and spinach, plus fresh fruits added in along with hemp milk


A few Naturally Gluten Free Lunch Options:

- fresh homemade salads with homemade dressing
- sliced vegetables such as avocados, grape tomatoes, celery, green peppers, carrots, etc... with homemade dressing
- fresh apple slices with natural peanut butter -or- almond butter
- lettuce wraps with ham or turkey slices with sliced green peppers, mushrooms, etc...
- boiled eggs
- hummus with celery sticks and carrot sticks

A few Naturally Gluten Free Dinner Options:

- simple grilled or baked chicken with freshly steamed broccoli and baked sweet potatoes
- homemade caesar salad with grilled salmon -or- boneless pork chops served with steamed carrots
- super easy stir-fry using frozen vegetables and chicken or beef served over steamed brown rice
- easy homemade marinara sauce served over freshly roasted spaghetti squash with green beans
- simple crustless quiche served with a garden salad and roasted red potatoes
- quick ground beef tacos or taco salads using corn tortillas served with black beans and corn


One of the best things about following a naturally gluten free diet is learning the vast array of foods that you CAN eat! Take a simple walk around the perimeter of your favorite grocery store and search out new vegetables you have not tried before, try different grains, try new cuts of meat, learn how to oven-roast vegetables so that they caramelize in the oven. There are SO many wonderful food choices that are available to you!

Being gluten free has been a true joy for me and my family. We have learned how to cook and enjoy real, whole, and nourishing foods! In the next few weeks I will be sharing very simple, naturally gluten free, budget-friendly meals with you! Being gluten free does not mean that you will need to spend a fortune on food, you will simply need to learn what foods to buy that are safe and healthy for your family!

Here's to a healthy gluten free body!

Check out Ginger Lemon Girl @ $5 Dinners

Please check out my guest post for Erin of $5 Dinners fame. This article is a great introduction to simple,healthy, and naturally gluten free meals for your family! I have written a short series of posts for Erin and they will be posted in the upcoming weeks!

Erin's blog focuses on frugal, inexpensive, and healthy $5 meals. Erin started making frugal meals for under $5 several years ago and it has become a passion. Many of Erin's recipes are gluten free, use gluten free ingredients, or are naturally gluten free! I highly encourage you to visit her fantastic website!

Erin was featured on the Rachael Ray show a few weeks ago, and she just announced she has signed on to write a book about her $5 dinners!! Congratulations to Erin and MANY thanks to her for allowing me to guest host on her blog!

Enjoy!!

Ginger Lemon Girl ON THE AIR TONIGHT!

REMINDER:

Please listen in to Ginger Lemon Girl ON FrugalCoast2Coast TONIGHT at 8:30 EST!!!

Please call into the show or chat with your questions!!

I'd LOVE to hear from you!!

Ginger Lemon Girl On the Air...

Ginger Lemon Girl goes Live via online radio air!

I will be participating in a live radio program hosted by Jenn of Frugal Upstate: http://frugalupstate.blogspot.com/, along with Amanda from Mrs. W's Kitchen. Amanda graciously suggested my blog to Jenn and Lynnae! Thanks Amanda!!

Jenn's online radio call-in show airs live each Monday night. It is called "Frugal Coast2Coast." Each week Jenn focuses on a different "frugal" topic which she discusses with her blog readers and radio listeners.

On Monday, March 30th, Jenn and her co-host Lynnae (from Being Frugal.net) will be discussing how to be frugal on a special diet. They have invited me to discuss gluten free eating on a budget!

Here is the website for the call-in radio show!

I'd love for you to share your ideas with me on how YOU are gluten free on a budget!

Please drop me an email (gingerlemongirl (at)gmail(dot)com) or leave me a comment below!

I hope you will listen in on Monday March 30th, or even call into Jenn's radio show!! I'd love to hear from you!

Also,if you are not a member already, I invite you join in the conversation with my Gluten Free Recipe Swap Group! We have a lively group of 200+ members involved in ongoing discussions regarding gluten free recipes, gluten free menus, gluten free grocery shopping, etc... Please join in the fun!!

Sugar Free January 2009

Hello 2009!

I don't know about you, my dear friends, but 2009 really snuck up on me. It's nearly the middle of January and I haven't posted a single recipe this year.

That will be resolved very soon.

For the past several years my husband and I have had a fast during the month of January. We slowly let go of sugar for the whole month and tried to eat as healthily as possible. To see our plan from last year, click here.

This year will be a bit different. This Ginger Lemon Girl seriously needs to get healthy. So we're cutting WAY back on sugar. I'm going to do some serious investigating of other natural sweeteners, I'm going to tweak recipes, we're going to incorporate healthy low-carb recipes into our daily lifestyle, I'm going to eat vegetables (seriously... real ones!), and I'm going to dig out the Richard Simmons videos. Stop laughing, I love Richard Simmons!

And this isn't going to end in January. You're stuck with a healthier Ginger Lemon Girl...

At least until next Thanksgiving.

Stay tuned for a delicious refined sugar-free cookie recipe coming your way! ;-)

Best wishes to you all for a Happy, Healthy 2009!!!

Happy Birthday Michael!

That handsome guy turns the big 3-0 today! You may remember that picture from his last birthday... but I just love his smile in this picture.

I'm so thankful to be married to him. He's my best friend. I love waking up to his smile and every afternoon I can't wait for him to get home. It is simply a joy to love this man. His laughter can change my attitude. His prayers help carry me through the day. His faith lifts me up. His heartfelt commitment to our marriage helps sustain me. He is such a gift. Michael, I love you more than you will ever know. I'm so thankful you were born. Thank you for loving me deep. Happy Birthday!

To celebrate Michael's special day, I thought I'd share a few of his favorite recipes:

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Simply the best cookies ever, and Michael's absolute favorites!!


Southern Style Tuna Salad
This is Michael's first choice when I ask him to make dinner! The man can make seriously good tuna salad!


Carol Fenster's Pizza Crust
For a really quick gluten free, casein free crust, this is the best!


Karen's Pizza
But this is Michael's favorite! Thanks Karen!!


Pipin' Hot Pancakes
Our Saturday morning tradition!


Everday Chocolate Cake
Michael's favorite chocolate cake!


Rich Chocolate Brownies
The best, easy and super quick brownies!


Our favorite Grits Bowl Breakfasts
Because we LOVE grits!!


Belgian Waffles
For a special breakfast these are always a hit! You can't beat 'em!!


Cherry Fluff Cheesecake
Michael doesn't always like "fruity" desserts, but he loves this quick and tasty cheesecake!


Gluten Free Crescent Rolls
We love using these for "pigs in a blanket!"


My Dad's Caesar Salad
Michael actually enjoys making the dressing for this himself!


Red Potato Salad
Michael's mom serves potato salad at EVERY family gathering!


Cheesy Chicken Pasta Primavera
This is just a super easy, yummy, cheesy casserole!


Nan's Skillet Dinner
We both love Nan's signature dish... it's our favorite comfort food!

Don't let that lack of a smile fool you, he's one amazing, thoughtful, HANDSOME (thanks for pointing that out Rachel!!), and happy guy.
Happy Birthday babe!

If you're interested...

Several months ago I started a new blog called "Heart of a Servant." This blog focuses on my faith, frugal living, and as you can see from the picture above: Basic Home Budgeting.

I would like to welcome all my Ginger Lemon Girl readers to hop over to Heart of a Servant if you are interested! Topics covered in this new blog range from daily frugal practices, green living, frugal recipes, Christianity and faith topics, Biblical womanhood and bible study, etc... basically all of the areas outside of gluten free baking and cooking that are important to me!

Most recently featured on Heart of a Servant : A series on Home Budgeting 101. This is a very basic, practical first course in Home Budgeting. I know this is one area many people struggle with. The system we use is practical, easy to use, and will help you take better control of your finances.

I'd love to hear your feedback on the new blog: What you think? Are the topics interesting?, etc..

And as always, please stay tuned here at Ginger Lemon Girl for delicious and nutritious gluten free recipes!

A Glance at upcoming posts on Ginger Lemon Girl:

• Easy, Quick, Last-Minute, Master Mix Brownies
• Upside-Down Fruit Cake
• How to Make and Bake Gluten Free Sandwich Bread
• "Wish I had thought of that..." Roundup 2
• Rice Cooker 101: Great for quick, gluten free meals!
• Several reduced sugar/alternative sugar baking recipes
• Celebrating a blogging year anniversary with a super GF giveaway!