Then along comes Facebook. A friend posted about a cookie recipe she had seen previously and one of her friends linked to the Melted Snowman cookies. How cute?! Finally living in a decent house with a great kitchen that I can actually use, I just had to give this a try. I looked at few recipes and then remembered that pink box. Seemed like a good time to bust it out huh?

I’m sooo glad I did. Maybe I’m becoming immune to that gluten free aftertaste or maybe it just (as I hope) doesn’t exist with this recipe. Either way, this is one to keep and reuse and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

UPDATE: Be sure to read the comments. We made our own little version of this tonight for dinner and while 3 of the kids weren’t exactly thrilled, it was really good and we will be making it again. You just can’t beat a quick and easy dinner.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBOZxAQvoyM

At home, I know my local restaurants, I know what I can order and I know the chance I’m taking. But when traveling, I don’t know what restaurants are available, I don’t know how gluten free they are or what they have to offer. I’m the type that likes to know what I’m getting into. I want to know ahead of time if the restaurant can accommodate us and what they have to offer.

Sure, a lot of places can put something together, but just as many can’t or won’t. I hate needing “special service”, I don’t like drawing attention to my dietary needs. Please! If you run a restaurant, be it a chain or a just a simple local place, put your allergen menu online! Having it there at least lets us know that someone in your kitchen is aware of allergens, but it really helps in deciding where to go. If I have another “naked” burger I may scream! I don’t want to have to settle for the same stuff over and over, advertise what your gluten free options are online and with a special menu. I don’t mind asking for a gluten free menu, I love that, I hate having someone come out and rattle off a list to me. My brain does not handle that and I’ll forget everything I was told.

Things I learned:
1. Mexican food is generally a safe bet for anyone with gluten sensitivities. However, with most servers speaking english as a second language, it can be hard to get your allergen across. It’s definitely taking a chance, but probably safer than some other places. However, tacos and enchiladas do get a bit tiring after awhile

2. Rudy’s BBQ in Texas is great! Just remember to say no bread as soon as you step to the counter and watch your bbq being prepared. I had to bring attention to myself (hate that!) because one server dumped brisket off a sandwich onto the cutting table and my server tried to give us that cut of meat. No go! I totally understand cross contact, and that’s a chance I take, but I saw that one and was able to stop it. Nevermind that it took 4 servers to get her to understand she can’t do that!

3. Cheddar’s (Texas), while not having a gluten free menu, did the thing I hate the most by calling out the kitchen manager. He was actually very nice, unlike others I’ve encountered, and he made sure we had a great meal, including putting together a meal especially for my son. A specific menu would have been much more to my liking, but at least I know what to order next time.

4. Graceland (Mempis, Tn) is not at all gluten free friendly. I took a chance, a big chance and thankfully didn’t react too much. It’s best not to eat at Graceland though.

5. Brixx Pizza (Tn, Carolina’s and Va I believe) have a pretty darn good gluten free pizza. They are right on par with zPizza (my favorite), but not quite as good. The pizza could have been cooked a little longer, but we were just so hungry we didn’t really care.

6. There is an awesome little cafe/bakery in Austin- Wild Wood Art Cafe. Yummulicious! If you get the chance, you must try the sweets they offer. The entire place is gluten free and the bread they bake is pretty good.

There was more I wanted to share in this post, but by now I’ve forgotten. Lucky for you, I’m making that trip to Texas again this weekend

What goes with chili? Cornbread of course! I tried all of 2 gluten free cornbread recipes and fell so in love with the second one, that I looked no more. Gluten Free Mommy has a wonderful cornbread recipe, the only thing I changed was to add a little honey.

Today things didn’t quite go as planned, but that’s normal for me. Usually, an hour before we have to leave, I’m tossing things together and getting the cornbread into the oven so it’s ready when we get home. I was all happy with myself that I started the cornbread early enough that it’d be done before we head out for evening activities. But someone (nope, wasn’t me, couldn’t have been) did not set the timer on the oven as she is known to do and then began the math battle with the 2nd grader. By the time math was finally done, the smell of over baked cornbread was streaming through the house. Lovely. Oh well, the kids say it’s only “a little dark” and it’ll just have to do.

I’m so ready for a weekend break, even though we have a lot to get done, at least the husband will be here to help out!

(CBS News)

Gluten-free food has become popular and profitable — but sometimes products labeled “gluten free” — aren’t.

Now, the Food and Drug Administration is preparing strict new standards – and that’s a relief for people who are allergic to gluten.

CBS News correspondent Elaine Quijano reported Jennifer Shannon is a careful shopper, double-checking labels to make sure the food she is buying is gluten-free.

Shannon told CBS News, “If a company is going to sell me a product based on the fact that it’s gluten-free, I think they should be held accountable for it.”

Shannon has celiac disease, an allergy to gluten, which is a protein found in common grains like wheat, rye and barley. About three million Americans now suffer from this disease, which can have a wide array of symptoms, such as bloating, constipation, problems digesting food, numbing feeling in the extremities, and for some sufferers a rash.

Right now, the gluten-free label on the products is not regulated — something the FDA is looking to change by establishing a tough new standard for labeling foods as gluten-free.

Gluten-free products have gone mainstream and are big business, ringing up $2.6 billion in sales – up 30 percent in the last five years. Kelloggs’ new gluten-free Rice Krispies is now a top seller.

Some celebrities are even advocating a gluten-free diet for health benefits alone. But not all doctors are on board.

Dr. Peter Green, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center, told CBS News, “A gluten-free diet is not necessarily a healthy diet. People who are on a gluten free diet for an extended period can become iron-deficient and B Vitamin deficient.”

But for celiac patients like Jennifer Shannon, a gluten-free diet is the only treatment she has.

Shannon said, “Gluten-free food is the only medicine for celiac. It’s the only thing available and it’s a cure essentially. It’s how you heal yourself through eating and so knowledge of what’s in the food you’re eating is very important.”

The new standard, “Early Show” co-anchor Erica Hill noted, matches the one already in place in Europe. It’s expected to take effect early next year.

According to Gluten Freeville, the crust is a bit flavorless, but we can deal. It is available for 29 of their pizzas. The gluten free crusts contain rice flour, corn, dairy and soy. They are prepped and cooked on foil to avoid cross contamination. As usual, you should speak with a manager if you are super sensitive, just to make sure extra care is taken with your food. The new menu released today clearly marks gluten free options eliminating the need for a separate menu. Awesome!

I can not wait to try this pizza. So far, I know I can get a gluten free pizza at zPizza (my fave!), Boston’s (not so great), Uno’s (the worst) and now CPK. I’m hoping I’ll rank them up with zPizza. The absence of a gluten free surcharge definitely earns them bonus points LOL

Doesn’t this look yummy?! (I’m on an avocado kick lately)

Squidbalm: bar soap, oil cleanser, shampoo bar, lotion tin, conditioner bar

Wow. Just wow.

I have been trying to sit down and write a review for some Squidbalm products for over a week now. I’ve been so excited and I’ve wanted to share these great products, but as usual, life gets in the way. Squidbalm was created by a mom in need. That’s how most great products originate, when you can’t find it, you make it! Her daughter needed a moisturizer that would relieve her eczema, while remaining free of chemicals and allergens. Having no luck, mom created a lotion bar and shortly after, her other products followed.

The ladies over at Squidbalm contacted me a few weeks ago to see if I was interested in trying their lotion bar. As I know I’ve said before, I’m having a difficult time finding items, lotion in particular, that is gluten and lavender free and does not contain all those other yucky additives. And yeah, meets my budget. So, I said sure, why not. I can try it and give a review. I’m pretty picky about lotion, the consistency has to be perfect, not too thin and not too thick, it has to moisturize and last a while and not dry my hands out. I wasn’t sure how a lotion bar would work out for me, but I figured I had nothing to lose.

And then the package arrived. Just opening it made me smile. The scent was WONDERFUL, but I’ll get to that in a minute. I couldn’t wait to try this stuff. My package contained a lotion bar, cleanser, shampoo bar, conditioner bar and a bar of soap. All beautifully wrapped in tissue paper. All I was expecting was a lotion bar! I pretty much dislike bar soap and how it leaves my skin feeling too dry, and the only shampoo bar I ever tried, I hated. But, I was determined to at least try these items.

I have never encountered lotion in bar form. Interesting. Smells great and I love it. I does feel a little thick at first, but quickly soaks in and leaves my hands feeling great. Love this stuff! It’s in a cute little tin that I can easily pop into my purse and take with me on the go. Now that it’s gotten so hot out, I’m a little afraid to take it out, I’m not sure how it’ll handle the heat, but I will definitely buy more. The cute little tin sits nicely on my desk.

The shampoo and conditioner bars, I have mixed feelings on. Pro- they did not dry out my hair and make it feel like straw like the previous stuff I used. Con- I felt the need to wash my hair just about each day. I typically wash my hair every other day or two, I just don’t have time (or desire) to do it daily. But, I did love how my soft and smooth my hair looked, even after the first use. So, I have mixed feelings. I will keep using it, but I’m not sure I’ll give up my regular shampoo. What I have is the original formula, maybe I need to try the light formula. Oh, and let me add that this stuff lathers nicely, so different than the other stuff I tried. I know bubbly lather isn’t important, but it does help me to know that I’ve worked it all through my hair.

The soap bar is GREAT. It didn’t leave my skin feeling dry, it smells great. I would rank this as one of the top bar soaps I’ve ever tried. This may end up being my replacement for my Burt’s Bees bodywash, I think they’ve changed their forumla. As for the cleanser, I’ve not tried it yet. I didn’t want to test it in the midst of a breakout since I wouldn’t be able to judge my reaction to it. I will be doing that soon. Judging by the other items, I’m sure I’ll love it!

Back to the scents. Oh wow. Before I tested anything I told my husband I’d be buying more bars in the Coconut Peach scent just to set around my house. It smells so good, I spent a great deal of time shoving the shampoo bar under the nose of anyone that entered the room to share the wonderful scent. It’s that good! My soap bar is Honey Zen Avocado and it smells great too, but I can not get enough of that Coconut Peach!

Pop on over to Squidbalm and buy this stuff. Get the Coconut Peach scent, you won’t regret it.

Getting tired of plain rice, or even plain rice jazzed with a little chicken broth, I set out to search the web for the perfect chicken rice recipe. Imagine my surprise when within a few clicks I came upon Homemade Chicken Rice-A-Roni from Stolenmomentscooking.com! Ok, so I’m halfway there. A quick look through the ingredient and I know I can pull this together. Even better! No trips to the store for special ingredients!

So, I made a few tiny modifications and here you have a Gluten Free Rice-A-Roni! This is so good that we’ve made this about three times in one week.

As someone on a gluten free diet, this issue is very important to me. There is nothing worse than losing a few days to recovering from an accidental glutening as I call it. The first Gluten Free Food Labeling Summit will be May 4th, 2011 in Washington, DC. Being so close to DC, I’m even thinking of attending the event.

Please do something to support this movement. Whether you donate money, sign the petition, like their facebook page, follow on Twitter or just pass the word on to a few friends, it doesn’t matter. Just do something. Celiac and gluten intolerance is on the rise and we need to bring more awareness to the issue.

Both companies that make the best gluten free bread known, are releasing hamburger and hot dog buns. Both Rudi’s and Udi’s are releasing these new products in May. As for bread, I don’t really favor one company over the other. I love them both. I hope their buns hold up to the quality and yummy-ness I’ve come to expect from them.

My first burger will have to have bacon, maybe some avocado. I am (or was) a fan of the Bonzai burger at Red Robin so I’ll probably need to recreate that one at some point as well- pineapple and teriyaki.

If you haven’t already, head on over to Rudi’s Gluten Free Bakery and Udi’s Gluten Free Foods and sign up for your $1 coupon! With the cost of gluten free foods, every coupon counts!