The Antithesis of Martha Stewart = ME

Trying something different...let me know what you think :)



A side note...when I talk about putting your feet up and getting a good night's sleep, I mean around 5 hours :)  When you have small children 5 hours in a row is A RARITY!

It's so yummy, I'm gonna die!!!

Okay maybe not die, but boy oh boy is this good!  Yes, my friends, you all have been waiting and now is the big reveal!

Wait...maybe I should preface with a little backstory...

This dessert was a favorite of mine before I went gluten free :)  After transitioning to gluten free living it went on the back burner as I discovered new things to try.  THEN I made the mistake of buying Corn Flake crumbs to use as bread crumbs...Kellogs Corn Flakes are NOT gluten free!  (Malt is a big No No!)  So I have a perfectly good box of crumbs sitting on my counter if anyone wants it? (Those of you who are not GF of course!)  Anyway, on the back was the long forgotten recipe!  I wanted to try it SO bad, but I didn't know where to find gluten free corn flakes...enter Erewhon (and dairy free and organic WIN!) corn flakes which my Twitter friend Annelies at Attune Foods introduced me to!  Woohoo!  It was on!

Into the food processor the corn flakes went...til I had some nice crumbs...  Then I add some melted margarine and sugar, mixed and pressed them into a pan to make a crust.

Now it's important to note - The original recipe was NOT gluten free and NOT dairy free...so I had a bit of a challenge in front of me.  In particular the recipe called for condensed milk.  I was at a loss for a minute as to what to substitute, but then came up with the bright idea to try canned coconut milk!  Canned coconut milk has guar gum added to it that makes it a similar consistency to condensed milk.

After the crust was pressed in...I added more good stuff :)  Chocolate chips, shredded coconut, crushed walnuts (the recipe also called for butterscotch chips but I never used them before because I found it to be TOO much!)  Finally after layering up the goodness, I topped it all off with the coconut milk.

Now it doesn't look that good before it goes in the oven, but trust me ;)  By the way, I always get to this point and realize that I haven't pre-heated the oven...this is why I will never have my own cooking show!  Or maybe I will, "The Accidental Chef" tm (Haha)!  Once the oven reached 350 degrees, in the goopy stuff went!  The recipe called for 25 mins, but it took about 3-5 mins longer because of the coconut milk.  I pulled them out when they were golden brown around the edges.

It was painful to wait for them to cool... just saying... I finally caved and cut into them while they were still warm!  But I would recommend to let it chill or set over night for the best results when cutting it into bars.  I didn't need it to be pretty to shove EVERY last crumb of the crumbling piece I cut into my awaiting mouth : D  I did leave the rest in the pan to chill over night, hense the pretty picture!

Trust me, they taste as good as they look!  Now that you're dying to try these bad boys, here is the recipe for my GF/DF version of the 5 Layer Bars:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees :)
1 1/2 cups Erewhon GF corn flakes, crushed into crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted margarine
1 cup Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, Gluten, Dairy & Soy Free, 10-Ounce Bags (Pack of 6)
1 1/3 cups coconut flakes
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
1 can of coconut milk

Stir together the corn flakes, sugar and margarine, press into a crust in a 9 x 13 pan.  (I would slightly grease the pan to make sure that none of it sticks even though you're using margarine for the crust.  I didn't and mine stuck on one side slightly!)  Layer the chocolate chips, coconut and walnuts evenly.  I layered them twice to make sure it came out nicely blended at the end!  Pour the coconut milk over the top, covering it evenly.  Bake for 25 minutes or until browned on the edges.  Cool, cut into bars and serve!  Just a thought, freezing these would be an awesome summer dessert for after the bbq! ;)  The best part, you can get creative.  Add/subtract, etc whatever your little heart desires!  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear from you.

To Mum Mum or not to Mum Mum...

That my friends is the question...  We got the Mum Mum baby teething bisquits/crackers to try and review for you all.  Since this product was for my baby and not for me, I decided to give him the first say in this review.

After many trips to various stores in search of a gluten free, milk free, organic baby teething biscuit, my cousin finally found Mum Mum teething biscuits online at Amazon for me.  The ingredients are japonica rice, sugar, potato starch, salt, all USDA certified organic!  When they arrived I read over the box and saw that they did list "may contain traces of milk" in the allergen warning, but this didn't concern me due to the fact that my son has eaten other things with this type of warning (by mistake) without having any incidences.  Generally "may contain traces of milk" means that the company processes milk in the same plant where something is made and they put a warning so you "eat at your own risk" type of thing.  IF your child is severely allergic to milk, I would NOT recommend risking them eating the biscuits even if it's only "made in the same plant".  *Please see my note at the end after talking with a company representative  My son has eaten them for the last 4 days and has had no issues or allergic reactions. (Again, if he had a SEVERE allergy I would NOT have risked it!!! Your child's health is very important!)

As you can see in the video, he was a little confused by them at first :)  He was content just to use them as a drumstick on his highchair tray.  Food that doubles as a toy is ALWAYS fun!  I had to help him out a bit so he would taste it before I ran out of video space lol!  His initial reation was better than most foods when he tries them for the first time!  Usually he pulls a really yucky face like he's tasting a lemon, but not this time.  He tried to "bite" a piece off.  The texture of the biscuits/crackers doesn't allow for them to break pieces off easily which I was very happy about!  The biscuit seemed to dissolve quickly.  My son made a royal mess once he managed to gnaw down a good portion of it!  He also tried to put the whole thing in his mouth.  This can't be done simply <- very good thing, but I would still recommend that you are ALWAYS in the room watching your child whenever they're eating solid food, especially for the first time! 

After videotaping his trial, I decided I needed to try one to give an objective opinion.  I used my lips to try to mimic a baby's gumming action (NO I did not videotape myself doing this lol).  The only way I could get it to break while "gumming" was to bend it down or up with force.  This is great since most babies will not be able to break off big dangerous pieces!  The taste was very good, sort of like a rice cake but a smoother texture and slightly sweeter.  There is 1 gram of sugar in these teething crackers.  It dissolved quickly and was easy to swallow!  If your child is a normal eater, you probably won't have much of a mess.  My son likes to try to swallow his food whole because it can't get in his stomach fast enough!  This creates a bit of a mess, but still nothing major or out of the ordinary.  I only got one bite before my son was reaching and grabbing for MY bisquit!  I decided to let him finish it since they're technically his anyway :)

One of the nicest things about this product is the crackers are individually wrapped in packs of two for easy transport in a diaper bag, purse, etc!  Now I have something simple to bring on outings!  My son is very aware of food at this point and wants to eat whenever I'm eating.  He also wants to gnaw on things constantly since he's officially teething.  This spares me having to keep him off of shopping carts, restaurant tables, etc that he thinks are better teething toys then the ones I give him!  Thankfully he likes these crackers more!

My only complaints:
1. No stores around me carry these teething crackers! At least I have not been able to find them in any!
    Here's the list on their website
2. They do make a HUGE mess if you have a messy eater like mine! But come off clothes if you use HOT water.
 
Ultimately, you know your child.  If I ever have any doubts about a product, I will not give them to my child.  The fact that they are USDA certified makes me feel more confident that this product has gone through at least slightly more strigent testing.  I have an email into the company requesting information on the milk statement so I can give you a better answer.  This will also tell us how long it takes to get a customer service response ;)  *Note Added: 6/15/11 - Spoke with a gentleman from Mum Mum!  The crackers are produced on the same equipment as milk containing products, BUT they completely clean equipment in between to avoid cross contamination.  Due to the potential risk of missing something, they add the "may contain traces of milk" statement. :) 

If you’ve already tried them or decide to try them, let me know what your thoughts are!
Hot Kid Organic Baby Mum-Mum Original Flavor Rice Biscuit, 24-Count (Pack of 6)

Celiac Awareness - Year Round!

The start of June means that Celiac Awareness Month has come to an end.  This makes me a little sad...I don't suddenly become "un-Celiac" or "gluten tolerant" just because the month is over, but yet it feels like the gains we make in promoting awareness start to wane with each passing day after May 31st.  Mind you, it's only June 3rd.  Maybe I'm being a little melodramatic.  Personally, I don't think so.  There isn't a day that goes by without meeting someone who doesn't have a clue what celiac disease or living gluten free is.  Yet celiac affects 1 out of 133 people.  According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, 97% of people with celiac disease go undiagnosed!  It's seriously in need of more attention! 

The idea of having a Celiac Awareness Year was posed by some friends on Twitter.  While that might be a little difficult to get going, I came up with an alternative that could have a big impact if we work together!  From now on, starting in July, I'm going to celebrate the 1st day of every month as Celiac Awareness Day.  In my phone calendar I have reminders set up for the rest of the year.  If each of you decide to follow and tell one person who tells one person...it just might go viral!  Heaven knows things a lot less important go "viral" every day! : P PLEASE JOIN ME!!!

In other GF news, my family's restaurant has a new gluten free menu that will be unveiled next week!  Stay tuned if you live anywhere near the Lansdale, PA area or take Septa's Lansdale/Doylestown train line up or down town (or just want to take a trip to visit for the heck of it!)  I've been enjoying the food for years, but had to stop eating a lot of it once I was diagnosed.  Thankfully, my family has allowed me to work with them to offer the delicious sandwiches and Italian coffees that I love so much in gluten free versions! :)