This month I adopted Natalie of Gluten Free Mommy!  Her blog is filled with many recipes that look delicious, her photos are gorgeous, and she seems really friendly and sweet.  We purchased the ingredients to make both the Chocolate Truffles and Chicken Salad Sandwiches, but only had the time and energy to make the Chicken salad.  

The chicken salad was wonderful, and we plan to serve it this weekend at a tea party we’re hosting.  The sweetness of the grapes really added a lovely touch.  We ate it as a salad rather than a sandwich and it is the kind of dish that you can enjoy throughout the day.  I’m sure we’ll be making it again and again.  (I’ll take some pictures this weekend to add to the post after we make it.  We ate it all up before I had a chance to take a picture last time!)

I had hoped to make the truffles as well, but both my Mom and I were too tired to attempt it.  It was quite disappointing, but if we have time this weekend we will be making them for the tea party.

I can’t wait until we have an oven so I can try her baked recipes… she has so many cookies, cakes, and breads that look really wonderful.

I’m really tired tonight, so I’ll try to make this clear, but I’m afraid I will fail miserably… just a warning.

In my last post I mentioned looking for a gluten-free no-bake cheesecake recipe for my brothers birthday. Well, I didn’t really find anything that didn’t require a baked crust or things like coolwhip as the main filling ingredient, which I wanted to avoid, because that is not cheesecake to me. After a long brainstorming session, my brother finally suggested our Mom’s (Famous) Strawberry Jello (since we recently found out that Jello is gluten free) and it was perfect. We brought it to our weekly Bible study for dessert and they enjoyed it.

My Mom makes this recipe for most dish-to-pass events and special occasions like Christmas. Mom drains the strawberry and pineapple juices into a bowl and saves it for us as a special treat.

Strawberry Jello

1 pkg. (6-oz.) strawberry gelatin

1 c. boiling water

2 (10-oz.) pkgs. frozen strawberries, thawed

2 (20-oz.) cans crushed pineapple, drained

6 bananas, mashed

1 (16-oz.) sour cream

In a bowl, dissolve gelatin in water. Stir in strawberries, pineapple, an bananas. Poor half of the mixture into Jello mold. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour. Spread sour cream over the Jello. Spoon remaining gelatin mixture over top. Refrigerate until set.

Note: I am sensing that there is a step missing from the directions. I’ll speak with my Mom about it in the morning. We’re making it tomorrow for a tea party we’re having this weekend.

Also, I’ve edited my about me page to include a miniaturized version of my gluten-free tale to date and a little bit more about me in general.

Wish me luck!

Unfortunately, I don’t know Ellen of I Am Gluten Free very well, but she has many wonderful looking recipes on her blog. The Cinnamon Rolls, Blueberry Muffins, Homerun GF Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Ranch Dressing all look wonderful! I was really excited to find this bagel recipe on her blog. I’ve never been much of a breakfast/bread eater, but in the old days I did enjoy bagels for a quick breakfast or snack – especially spread with peanut butter and topped with chocolate chips, so I was really excited about finding it.

The Bagel Adventure

6:30 – Started measuring out the flours…

7:50 A.M. – It occurred to me this morning, as I was thinking about when I would be making these, that it might be a little ambitious to make bagels for your first time baking gluten-free. I think I’m up for the challenge though.

8:30 AM. – I just finished measuring the flours. It has always taken me a long time to measure out flours so I’m not surprised… especially since I kept turning around to tell Mom how excited I am to be baking again.

9:00 – All mixed. Now comes the sticky part – rolling them out.

9:40 – Put them in the oven to rise.

10:40 – They haven’t risen at all. Not sure what I did wrong.

11:00 – Putting them in the oven to bake, despite the lack of rising. Hopefully they will be “okay”.

11:28 – Taste tested them… they taste great – it’s wonderful to be eating bread again. Definitely will be trying them again.

I do have a lot of questions… what kind of yeast should be used… what speed should it be mixed on… is there something that could replace the flaxmeal to make a less grainy bagel…

I will be gone all weekend, so I won’t have time to try making these again, or anything else of Ellen’s. I may return later and edit some photos into this post if I have time.

-Luke 4:4

It might be a little crazy to have two gluten free blogs, but I wished to have one place to talk about the recipes and products and to have another place to write about the rest of the gluten free life.

My thoughts on the rest of the gluten free life can be found at Not By Bread Alone.