Product Review: Hodgson's Mill Gluten-Free Brownie Mix

Product: Hodgson's Mill Gluten-Free Brownie Mix
Company: Hodgson Mill Inc.
Location: All products made in USA
Self-purchased or Company Sample: Self-purchased

I don't keep a lot of gluten-free mixes in my kitchen. I like making things from scratch and brownies are no exception. However a few weeks ago I found this brownie mix from Hodgson's Mill and it was very reasonably priced (a little over $4.00 I think?) so I thought I'd try it out.

Last night was the perfect opportunity. Because is there ever a bad opportunity to make brownies? :-)

The mix called for 1/2 cup of butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1 egg, and water. To save a few calories, I used 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce (instead of butter) and added about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. I mixed as directed and then decided to put the mix into cupcake liners to make individual servings.

On top of each brownie "cupcake" I added  a small sprinkling of chocolate chips and 2 pecan halves. I baked them for about 18 minutes and voila... some really cute & delicious brownie cupcakes!

Michael and I really enjoyed these. They were chewy and cakey at the same time. SUPER chocolately and rich... definitely a match for any chocolate craving!

This is a gluten-free baking mix I think I definitely plan to keep in the pantry for a quick dessert!

Book Review: Adam's Gluten-Free Surprise by Debbie Simpson

Title: Adam's Gluten Free Surprise
Written and Illustrated by: Debbie Simpson
Copyright: 2012

Back in early May (or who knows, it could have been April!) I approached Debbie Simpson, a mom in our Yahoo Gluten-Free Recipe Swap Group, for a copy of her new gluten-free children's book. She sweetly agreed to send me a copy and as soon as I saw the illustrations I knew this was going to be a great book! 

I meant to write a review for it several months ago, but life became a little topsy turvy and I'm just now getting back into writing posts that are way behind schedule!! But honestly I think this is great timing for Adam's Gluten-Free Surprise, because it's the perfect book to share with school-age children! 

Adam is a young boy who is just headed back to school. He found out the previous year that he had celiac disease and he has been getting used to a new diet and eating foods that don't hurt his tummy. This book shares Adam's experience in this new classroom with his teacher Mrs. Brown as she learns about celiac disease. Mrs. Brown learns that celiac is a very special disease that requires her to take extra precautions whenever the class plans on eating a snack or having food along with a lesson. 

This book has charming illustrations that kids and adults will both love! The story is clearly written in language that will be meaningful to all who read and listen to it. Also, I love how relate-able the characters are and how creatively the story is shared. 

This book is extremely warm, encouraging, and helpful for both children, teachers, and parents alike. Celiac disease, food allergies, and/or having food sensitivies can be a huge learning curve for all the people who interact with your children. Having this book to share could be a huge help to explain what celiac disease is, how to safely prepare food for those who eat gluten-free, and how to educate others about the gluten-free lifestyle. 

My favorite thing about this book is the truly positive outlook that Debbie shares with gluten-free kids and parents. She wants parents and children to know that while there is a lot to learn, it's not a hard process and kids are extremely adaptive to changes if you face them with a positive attitude. 

You can find Debbie's newly redesigned book on Amazon for a steal right now at only $9.56!! If you prefer ebooks, you can get the kindle version for $3.99! 

Please check out Debbie's great book, read it to your kids, and share it with teachers. I plan on purchasing a copy to donate to my local public library! Thank you for a truly inspiring and positive book for children about celiac disease Debbie! 

Gluten-Free Food Bloggers in North Carolina

I love North Carolina. I've been a resident since I moved here for college in 1997 1996 (yikes!). It's kind of amazing I've lived here longer than I lived in Virginia growing up.

Over the past 5 years I've noticed a growing number of gluten-free bloggers in North Carolina and I just wanted to highlight them today.

What I love about all these blogs is the HUGE variety of gluten-free cooking, baking, and lifestyles you will encounter. Some are parents, some are college students, some enjoy eating out, others cooking in, some live on the coast, others in the mountains!

If there's a gluten-free North Carolina blogger that I've missed in this list, please let me know (gingerlemongirl at gmail dot com) and I'll add them ASAP! 

These websites are listed in alphabetical order.   

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Chacha's Gluten-Free Kitchen -- Written by Kathryn M. Chacha's GF Kitchen is a delightful gluten-free food and lifestyle blog based out of Cary, NC. Kathryn (aka Chacha) shares her favorite whole foods recipes, many of which are naturally gluten-free, along with her faith, her family, and finding fantastic local restaurants in the Triangle area, which cater to gluten-free patrons.

GingerLemonGirl -- written by me, Carrie Forbes. Started in 2007. A gluten-free food & lifestyle blog. My writing has morphed over the years and now focuses on healthy gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free recipes along with personal musing on holistic self-care. I am inspired by gluten-free foods that treat me well, are super healthy, and of course taste delicious. I live in rural Eastern NC.

The Gluten-Free Dish -- written by Debbie R. This blog focuses on holistic wellness and gluten-free living. As one who has thrived despite living with severe health issues, Debbie shares her journey and what she has learned along the way in the search for healthy, whole living. As a devout, loving, and faithful Christian she also shares her day-to-day life with her husband, two sons, and their happy golden retriever. Debbie lives in the Triangle area of NC.

Gluten-Free Fox -- created by Kristen Campbell and her boyfriend Tyler. Kristen is the founder and creator of Gluten-Free Beauty, a company that creates all natural and healthy gluten free beauty products such as serums and creams for healthy, happy, gluten-free skin. Gluten-Free Fox is a blog and a search engine designed to help you find everything you need gluten-free! Kristen lives in the coastal area of NC.

Gluten-Free Galley -- created and written by Liz Pearce. Liz is a gluten-free baker from Raleigh, NC. Her bakery, "Gluten-Free Galley" has been a huge success and she creates delicious gluten-free baked goods and desserts using whole, fresh, and local ingredients. Liz's baked goods can also be found in several Whole Foods stores in Raleigh and Cary. Liz also provides gluten-free baked goods to a local restaurant, Tribeca Tavern. In her spare time, she's an amazing mom, enjoys paleo-ish cooking, and hanging out with her husband Nathan.

Gluten-Free Kids Rock!  -- written by Nikki Everett. Nikki is one amazing woman who runs some of the best gluten-free and allergen-free expos in the southeast US! Nikki also started a gluten-free support group for people in the Charlotte NC area several years ago when her daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease. This blog shares fantastic gluten-free tips for parents and families of kids with celiac disease.

Gluten-Free Mimi -- Created & written by Melissa Friend. Melissa is a gluten-free baker selling her delicious homemade gluten-free baked goods in the Statesville area of NC. You can also find her on facebook where she shares what's she is baking for the day and when she will be selling and delivering to local stores and farmer's markets in the Piedmont!

Gluten-Free Raleigh -- written by Zach Becker. Zach has been a key advocate for those with celiac disease  in the Triangle since 2008. Hosting numerous fundraisers for the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research, for kids going to a local gluten-free summer camp, and even for the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, Zach has worked extremely hard to bring celiac disease to the spotlight in central North Carolina. Though Zach is "semi-retired" as a blogger, he still shares the most up-to-date and accurate information about gluten-free news in the Triangle.

Gluten-Free in NC -- written by Jeff SanGeorge. This website is one of the best resources around for learning where you can eat and shop gluten-free all over North Carolina. The site is comprehensive and is constantly adding information on new gluten-free eateries and grocery stores around the state. Jeff hales from Greensboro, NC and is a passionate advocate for celiac disease awareness. Jeff also leads a gluten-free support group in the Triad.

Gluten Hates Me -- Written by April Marlow. An incredibly fun and lighthearted blog that shares "Marlow's" latest gluten-free kitchen creations, restaurants reviews, gluten-free traveling tips, and her journey through grad school. Marlow hails from Durham, NC.

I'm a Celiac -- written by Pam Jordan. Pam is a full-time celiac mother of three (including a set of twins), works part-time, and is a pastor's wife. Her upbeat blog chronicles her gluten-free journey, shares recipes for her whole family (including some veggie-hating kids!), and includes restaurant and product reviews. Pam's super fun sense of humor shines through on each post. Pam and her family live near Winston-Salem, NC.

Spoonful at a Time -- written by Jenni. Jenni is new to the blogging scene, but has a great website sharing her journey into gluten-free cooking and baking, gluten-free restaurant and product reviews, along with awesome gluten-free organization and blogging tips. Jenni recently shared a guest post highlighting some of the best places to chow down gluten-free style in Raleigh, N.C.

Yum Yum Yum -- written by Erin out of Charlotte, NC. Erin's gluten-free food blog focuses on using healthy, local, and naturally gluten-free ingredients. Erin began her blog in 2007 and has been sharing her simple, delicious, and healthy recipes with North Carolina readers ever since.

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NEW ADDITIONS:

Gluten Free Carolina Girl -- written by Ashley, a new gluten-free food & lifestyle blogger to the North Carolina scene. We hope you'll check out her blog and find out her latest new gluten-free recipe or restaurant review! 

Do you have a gluten-free blog and reside in 

North Carolina? 

Please let me know and I'll add you to the list! 

Just email me at gingerlemongirl at gmail dot com. 

Book Review: The Essential Gluten-Free Baking Guide, Part 2

Title: The Essential Gluten-Free Baking Guide, Part 2
Authors: Iris Higgins and Brittany Angell
Publisher: Triumph Dining, Inc.,
Copyright: 2012

Earlier this year a dear friend of mine, Iris Higgins the author of the website "The Daily Dietribe" asked me if I would like to try a few recipes from one of her new books, "The Essential Gluten-Free Baking Guide, Part 2." I was delighted. Iris is a registered hypnotherapist with a master's degree in psychology and is working on her second master's in nutrition.

Iris is also a passionate writer with a love of living holistically. Adding to her list of accomplishments, Iris also has a private wellness coaching practice in which she helps women to have a healthy relationship with food, with their bodies, and with their emotional, physical, and spiritual health.

And on top of ALL of that? Iris somehow finds the time to create recipes of all sorts! Iris' new cookbooks are published by Triumph Dining. They are entitled, "The Essential Gluten-Free Baking Guides Part 1 and Part 2." Iris along with her co-writer and co-recipe developer Brittany Angell (author of Real Sustenance) studied and experimented with 12 different gluten-free flours to learn about their properties and how they worked best. Then they both worked tirelessly to develop a number of recipes for each gluten-free flour.

One of the recipes I have tried so far are her basic Brownies. The brownies are very simple and are made with a new gluten-free flour called cassava flour. Cassava flour is made from the same plant as tapioca starch.  I made the brownies in a round glass pie pan for dessert one night last week. WE LOVED them! My inlaws had no idea they were gluten-free! They were gooey and rich and super crispy on the outside. The brownies were perfect with coconut milk ice-cream! 

The next recipe I tried from Iris' book was her Yeast-Free, Vegan Sandwich Bread.

This bread is simply amazing. I truly don't know how else to describe it. I have tried for YEARS to create a yeast-free bread that tastes like a normal sandwich bread. A yeast-free bread that doesn't crumble when it's cut, that is sturdy, yet pliable. That just tastes like good sandwich bread...and Iris' recipe nails it, plain and simple.

I have several friends who cannot tolerate yeast and I love baking egg-free (mostly because it's cheaper) so personally to me, this recipe alone is worth the cost of the book!!

This recipe uses sorghum flour, teff flour, and potato starch. It is a super light, fluffy bread and it contains a secret ingredient to give it structure and a texture that is incredibly similar to yeast bread.

It's seriously easy to make and I think this bread is my new weekly sandwich bread. I love that it doesn't use eggs and it's a high fiber, "normal" sized loaf of bread.

The cookbook is not only chock full of great recipes, but also handy baking tips, interviews with gluten-free baking experts, research on gluten-free flours, etc...

Basically this book along with the first, are both THE ESSENTIAL books you need to learn about the most useful gluten-free flours and the best ways to incorporate them into your everyday baking. There aren't many books that I would recommend to people who are learning how to bake gluten-free... but these books? Get them. Use them. And have a whole lot more fun baking gluten-free!

Iris...you're a genius girl. Simply genius! And those pastry tarts... I'm so making those next!

The only Pinterest idea I've used so far...

I love Pinterest and can spend hours looking at awesome ideas which I would absolutely never use (due to time, cost of materials, or because I'd rather be reading a book or cooking... lol)

But when I was cooking on Sunday evening... I remembered this little Pinterest tip...

Just use an old clothing (usually a skirt or pants) hanger with clamps to hold a magazine or cookbook (or as I have here, a print-out of a soon-to-be published cookbook) at eye level while prepping food and recipes in the kitchen... just awesome!