Sister’s Three Gluten Free Bread Mix

Nancy from Sisters Three asked me to try their new gluten free bread mix.  Their website says “If you can bake a cake from a mix you can make our  bread.”  They were right, too. This bread is so simple and easy to make, a beginner cook could do it.

You put the mix in a bowl, add 1/4 cup shortening, 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups warm water and a teaspoon of cider vinegar. Mix well, and pour into a greased loaf pan. Cover, and let it rise until it is about an inch or so over the top of the pan. Place in the oven and bake for 65 minutes. And you have bread.

This bread is soft, and tastes really good. I loved it hot from the oven with butter, and made into sandwiches. I made some french toast with it, too. All in all, a very good loaf of gluten free bread!

Ingredients:   Tapioca Starch, Rice Flour, Sugar, Xanthan gum, Salt

The website says you can use egg replacer and Spectrum shortening to make this egg and soy free if you want.

Mmmm, this was very good bread:

Sisters Three White Bread Mix is not available for sale online yet–until it is, you can buy it at these locations:

Bi-Lo 4^th North Ave, Indiana, PA

County Market 201 Hampton Ave, Punxsutawney, PA

Yoder’s Carfts & Gift Shop 14342 Route 36, Punxsutawney, PA,

Shop ‘n Save 200 Commons Drive,  Dubois, PA

Wholesome Fare 1780 Pine Hollow Blvd. Hermitage, PA

Mary’s Love Cookies Giveaway Winners

There were 72 comments to enter this giveaway. I used the Random Number Generator to pick two winners:

Commenter #1: Tara M. said:

“I think we would really like the GF choc. chip flavor. It’s difficult to find the gluten fre brand that tastes like the real thing.”

Commenter #46: Brian said:

“I’d love to try the chocolate chip ones.”

I have emailed both of them to let them know they are the winners. Thanks to everyone who played.

Vistaprint Business Cards

I know you have probably seen the emails or ads on the internet for Vistaprint . They usually say something like “free business cards, you just pay shipping.”  Well, a few years ago I decided to give them a try. I wanted some business cards that looked a little more professional than what I could print at home. I wanted something that would be get my personality across, but look like I really meant business. This is the design I came up with:

I think I actually ordered the first business cards before I ever had a blog, which I started in 2006. The lifestyle that my husband and I lead involves meeting new people all the time–most full time RV’ers have a “calling card” to exchange with others, and I wanted one, too.Also, after I started writing my first blog, I started interviewing people at places we went for stories I wrote. I always handed them a business card when asking them to answer a few questions about their business or about themselves, and almost 100% of the time, that simple gesture opened them up for me to get a better story. I think the design, even though it is one of the standard ones offered by Vistaprint , is fresh, it includes my love of flowers and the outdoors, but is not too cutesy. The first ones I bought were free except for the shipping, because they included a Vistatprint add on the back of the card.

All of the subsequent orders I have placed have had my own “advertising” on the back. I pay a little extra to make my cards work for me instead of for the company who printed them. I can order news at any time, and change the message on the back, change my address and contact info on the front, and there is no extra charge to change things.

This time I ordered two new to me products. The window decal above also matches my business cards. I have installed it on the back window of my truck:

Yeah. I know. I’m a geek! Just wait until next time when I order a door magnet! This time I also got 200 return address labels:

I have been very pleased with all the merchandise I have ordered from  Vistaprint , and will continue to get my business cards and other stationery from them.  My last order included 250 business cards with my own advertisement on the back; 200 return address labels, and 2 window decals. They all match, and make me at least feel like I am a little more professional than I was before. the total for this order was $32.09, and that included shipping.

Mixes From The Heartland Chocolate Pudding Delight and Pie Crust

I combined Mixes From The Heartland’s Chocolate Pudding Delight and their Pie Crust Mix to make a fabulous chocolate pie.

I made the pie crust first. Now my confession here, is that I have never been able to make a pie crust before, either from scratch or from a mix, using wheat flour or using gluten free flours. I am just “pie crust challenged”.

But this pie crust was easy. Because the bag has instructions for makin four crusts, and I only needed one, I divided the mix  and used the following:

1 cup of Pie Crust Mix
¼ cup butter
1 egg

Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a fork, then add the egg and mix until everything is wet and sticks together. Form into a ball.  Roll out between waxed paper (I didn’t have any waxed paper—aluminum foil works fine). Now here is the real test of a pie crust: the whole thing held together while I transferred it from the aluminum foil to the pie plate. Fit the crust into the pie plate and press the tines of a fork all along the edge. Trim off excess dough. Prick the bottom of the crust a couple of times with a fork. Bake in a 400 degree oven for twenty minutes. This crust came out nice and golden brown.

While the crust was baking, I made the pudding mix. Add dry mix and ½ cup hot water in a pan. Mix well. Cook over low heat until ingredients dissolve.

Add 2 cups milk and stir until mixture thickens.  Because I was making this into a pie, I added 2 tablespoons of tapioca flour so it would be thicker. You could also only use 1 ½ cups of milk instead.  I let the pudding and the crust cool for about an hour, then poured the pudding into the crust. Place a piece o plastic wrap on top of the filling. Refrigerate overnight.

The next day, I cut the pie and served to FabGrandpa. The crust held up very nicely—it did not crumble and fall apart before I could get the piece onto a plate.  And the filling wasn’t too loose—it didn’t spread all over the plate:

If you’re looking for a really good, easy to prepare, gluten free chocolate pie, this is a  good choice.

Ingredients:

Pie Crust Mix:  Brown and white rice flour (organic), cornstarch (Non GMO), xanthan gum, tapioca starch, sugar, non aluminum baking powder and sea salt.

Calories: 150 per ¼ cup mix Carbohydrate: 35 grams per ¼ cup mix

Chocolate Pudding Delight: White and brown rice flour (organic), sugar, tapioca flour, corn starch (Non GMO), xanthan gum, cocoa, natural vanilla powder (Non GMO corn starch, vanilla beans).

Calories: 180 per ¼ cup mix (about 1/6 of mix) Carbohydrates: 42 grams per ¼ cup of mix.

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Manischewitz Potato Pancakes

Today I am going to tell you about Manichewitz Potato Pancake Mix. It was really easy to make: just add an egg and a cup of water, mix, and let sit for five minutes. Drop by tablespoonfuls into a skillet with oil and fry until golden brown on each side. It only took about 20 minutes from box to table.

The pancakes tasted very good—we ate them for breakfast with scrambled eggs one morning, and for dinner with hamburgers one evening. I made mine according to the directions on the box, but they also suggested adding chopped onions and peppers, and that sounded really good, too.

Ingredients: Potatoes (contains sulfites to maintain whiteness), potato starch, salt, onion, vegetable shortening (partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil).

Calories: 80 in 3 pancakes  Carbohydrate: 18 grams

Manischewitz Potato Pancakes can be found in most grocery stores in the ethnic foods aisle.  At my local Winn Dixie store, the cost for the 3 oz box was $3.49.  They can also be ordered online at Amazon.com.

Manischewitz Gluten Free Products Give Away!

I have been eating a gluten free diet for three years now, so I am always looking for new and different gluten free foods.  When I was asked to try some products from the Manischewitz company, I really was surprised to learn that they have so many gluten free items in their line.

If you’re like me, you have probably seen their products on the shelves in grocery stores and never given them a second thought.  After all, I’m not Jewish, and I am not restricted to a kosher diet.

Manischewitz has been in business for 120 years, and are the largest manufacturer of processed kosher food products in the country. “Today, a growing number of consumers are buying kosher products, not for religious reasons, but because they perceive these products to be “healthier” like organic and natural food.”(* from the Manischewitz website). Their Health Corner page has a long list of not only gluten free items, but several other allergens free items as well.

They sent me samples of some of their products, and I have to tell you, all of them that I have tried are really good.

The Potato Pancake Mix was very easy to prepare—just add an egg and water, let sit for five minutes, and fry up. They were quite tasty as a side dish for either breakfast or dinner, and needed no additional seasonings

The Chicken Broth made a delicious batch of southern style chicken and dumplings.  And the Chocolate Chip Macaroons were divine!

Because they were so generous with their samples, I am having a give away to share them. I would love to keep them all for myself, but I live in a tiny RV trailer and have no room to store them all. If you would like to win one of three gift packs consisting of 1 of each of the 10 items I received, here is what you need to do:

Check out the Manischewitz website, and then come back here and leave a comment, telling me what item in their product line you would like most.

And for a second chance to win, check out the review of Manischewitz products at MomGadget, and leave a comment there.  I’ll be giving away three prizes in all, open to United States residents only. Last day to enter will be February 14, 2010.

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