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You are here: Home / Archives for Mixes

Mixes From The Heartland Sweet Potato Brownies

November 22, 2009 By
When I got this mix in the mail, I was thinking, ewwwwwhhh! Sweet potatoes in brownies? But now, I am convinced this is one of mankind’s better discoveries, right up there with fire and electricity.

I followed package directions, which were to put the mix, 2 eggs and 1/2 cup butter in a bowl, blend well, pour into a greased 9 X 9 pan, and bake at 325 degrees for 35-30 minutes.
The batter is very thick, so be sure to spread it evenly in the pan.
The brownies come out moist and slightly chewy, and taste more like the blonde brownies I used to make when I still ate the evil wheat than sweet potatoes. They have a sort of butterscotchy flavor, which I love! It was very hard not to eat the whole pan in one day. But I did not, I made them last for 4 days. FabGrandpa liked them, too. His only negative comment was “I thought brownies were supposed to be chocolate.”
I took the photo above on day two–the brownies were still moist, did not crumble, or fall apart. I could actually eat it with that fork you see there. And the one I had tonight, the last one, was still pretty good after four days. If you want to try them for yourself, a package of the mix costs  $6.99 and can be ordered at Mixes From The Heartland.

Ingredients: Brown and white rice flour (organic), (Non GMO) corn starch, tapioca flour, sugar, xanthan gum, cinnamon, freeze dried sweet potato, natural vanilla powder (Non GMO corn starch, vanilla beans).

Filed Under: Brownies, Gluten Free, Mixes, Mixes From The Heartland, Snacks Tagged With: , , ,

Mixes From The Heartland Texas Sausage-N-Bean Soup

November 19, 2009 By
Tonight we made the Texas Sausage-N-Bean Gluten Free Soup Mix from Mixes From The Heartland. Talk about easy to fix and yummy to eat! This soup was really easy to make. I really like that I can make this soup, with onions, potatoes, garlic and peppers already in it, and I don’t have to do any of the chopping. I also like that it is ready to eat in less than an hour, and that people who are not gluten intolerant will like it for sure .


The directions on the back of the package say to brown 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef or sausage in a skillet, drain off the grease, add 8 cups beef stock, 2 cups crushed tomatoes, and dry mix. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Reduce heat. cook 30-35 minutes until beans are tender.


I used a package of smoked sausage because 1. we like smoked sausage, and 2. I had some in the freezer.  I browned half of it, then added the tomatoes, 8 cups of water because I did not have beef stock, and the mix. Half an hour later, we had a spicey, thick soup.  The package made enough for two adults to eat for dinner for two nights. It would easily feed a family of four a filling meal.


The soup had just enough spice and heat to it to make it good, but not so much that it made my lips burn. It would be great with crackers or cornbread, although I just served it by itself.


And yes, that IS Fabgrandpa going back for seconds! Although he doesn’t have to eat gluten free, he does because I am the cook. He really liked this soup, and told me to be sure and order some more from Teri at Mixes From The Heartland. She sent us this mix free for me to review.

The ingredients: Freeze dried pinto, navy, kidney, and black beans; potatoes, carrots, red and green bell peppers, onions, parsley, tomatoes, garlic powder.

A 9.8 oz bag mix costs $7.99. You can order their many products from MIxes From The Heartland.
Filed Under: Gluten Free, Mixes, Mixes From The Heartland, Soups Tagged With: , , ,

Mixes From The Heartland Gluten Free Country Dumpling Mix

November 18, 2009 By
Last week I received a package of products from Mixes From The Heartland. When they emailed a while back and asked me if I would like to try some of their stuff, I immediately emailed them back and told them I would love to try their Country Dumpling Mix and their Cornbread Mix.  Imagine my surprise to receive those two, plus about 12 other mixes. I will be writing reviews of all of the items they sent as I use them. Guess which one we tried first?
When I ate a gluten filled diet, I loved me some good old southern style chicken and dumplings.  My daughter, Becca, always asked me to make them when she came home from college. To us, they are comfort food, something we both love and shared so often. So, when we had to start eating a gluten free diet, Chicken and Dumplings are one of the things we mourned the most.
Last week I made the first batch of chicken and dumplings we have had since I started eating gluten free. I followed the directions on the back of the package, except that I only made half of the bag. The whole bag would have been too much for me and FabGrandpa.  The result was less than satisfying–although they tasted good, the dumplings were hard little balls of dough that were difficult to eat. They were too chewy and just awful.  I was disappointed. But instead of tossing out the rest of the package, I thought about what I did when I made them over and over, and came to the conclusion that it was ME, not the dumplings. I had done a couple of things wrong that caused what FabGrandpa called the “golfball dumplings”.

What I thought I did wrong was that I did not use enough liquid in the mix. I was distracted while I was making them, so the resulting dumplings were not wet enough to hold together. Then, because they wouldn’t hold together I squeezed them into a ball. That was the problem.
This is one of the dumplings from last week–hard and gooey, not much good. It was MY fault, not the mix.

Today, I set about making another batch of chicken and dumplings. I added the correct amount of liquid. But, instead of adding 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil, I added 1 1/2 tablespoons of Crisco and cut it into the flours like I used to do with my wheat dumplings.
This was the dumpling dough from last week. Too Dry.
I dropped the resulting dumpling dough into the chicken broth, covered and cooked for 12 minutes per the directions,and WOW! they were good. FabGrandpa even said they were good.
And this is the dough from this week. Enough liquid and wet enough.

The dough looked wet enough, and the spoonfuls of dough held together in the spoon, which did not happen last week.

These dumplings were fluffy and light. While they were cooking they made a creamy gravy characteristic of the chicken and dumplings I am used to eating. They had a very good flavor. We both had seconds, and wished there was more.
A 12.2 oz package of Mixes From The Heartland Country Dumpling Mix costs $5.99. The package will make a huge pot of dumplings, enough for a family of four to have a very filling meal, or a family of two to have at least two, maybe three, meals.  You can order it here.

The ingredients listed on the package: White and brown rice flour (organic), (Non GMO) corn starch, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, non aluminum baking powder, and parsley.

I added a little salt, some Crisco, and buttermilk to make my dumplings. I will be buying some more of these, soon.

Filed Under: Dumpling and Noodle Mixes, Gluten Free, Mixes From The Heartland Tagged With: , , ,

Pamela’s Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix

October 4, 2009 By

Pamelas Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix

The front of the bag says “Fast, Easy, Delicious”, and I found that to be true.  To make these cookies, just add 1 stick of butter or margarine, 1 egg, and 1 tablespoon of water. Beat the butter or margarine, then add the egg, water and contents of the bag. Mix one minute. Drop by tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet, and bake @ 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

When you take them out of the oven, let them cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet, then remove to a paper towel lined plate.

Pamelas cookie mix

The cookies have big chunks of chocolate in them, and cook up just right with a little crunch, a little chewiness. They taste AWESOME!  Some of the best gluten free chocolate chip cookies I have ever had.


Suggestions on the side of the bag are for Peanut Butter Chunk Cookies–add 1/2 cup peanut butter and 1/4 cup water, mix as above, and bake.  They also suggest making crumbs out of the Chocolate Chunk Cookies to use as a crust for a chocolate cream pie or a cheesecake. Mmmm, sounds very good to me!

Pamelas Cookie Mix

Ingredients: Organic chocolate chunks (organic natural evaporated cane sugar, organic chocolate liquor, organic cocoa butter, non-GMO soy lecithin/emulsifier, organic vanilla.  Chunks may contain traces of milk protein due to manufacturing equipment.); Organic natural cane sugar, brown rice flour, brown sugar, white rice flour, tapioca starch, sweet rice flour, grainless and aluminum-free baking powder (sodium bicarbonate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, potato starch), sea salt, organic cocoa power (processed with alkali), gluten-free natural flavor (contains corn derivative), xanthan gum, baking soda.

Fabgrandpa, who does not have to eat gluten free, LOVED these cookies. I will be buying more–I’m gonna make a pie crust next time!.
Filed Under: Cookie mixes, Cookies, Gluten Free, Mixes, Pamela's Tagged With: , ,

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix

August 16, 2009 By

A few weeks ago I found the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix in a grocery store in Kanab, Utah–a very small town in the remote southwest of the state, 85 miles from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It just happens that the owner of that store is a celiac, and stocks lots of gluten free goodness.

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix

Tonight was the night for me to give them a try. My sister sent me a new mixing bowl, and I thought they would be a good first effort using my new bowl. All I can say is, OMG!!! These are soooooo good! They are chocolatey, gooey, fudgy and just plain old yummy! They don’t “taste” or “feel” gluten free. Those of you have to eat a gluten free diet know just exactly what I mean.

Moist and chewy gluten free brownies

The side of the box says:

“Why go gluten free? Not long ago, two of our co-workers found themselves in the gluten free world. Linc was diagnosed with Celiac disease, and Colleen’s family switched to the diet for her son’s well-being.

Their experiences opened our eyes to the challenges families face following the diet. It’s hard to be different, especially when it affects sweet moments with friends and family. No one wants to miss sharing a birthday cake or see their child have to turn down a homemade cookie from a buddy after a game.

We hope we can help by bringing you these mixes for gluten free desserts that look and taste like the treats you’ve been longing to share. Finally, Betty Crocker Gluten Free!”

The ingredients: Sugar, Semi-sweet chocolate chips (Sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla), Cocoa processed with alkali, Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Corn Starch, Xanthan Gum, Salt. Contains Soy Ingredients.

The box also states it is made in a gluten free processing facility.


The mix is very easy to make–just add a 1/2 stick of melted butter and 2 eggs, stir, spread in an 8 X 8 greased baking pan, bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. The mix I bought cost $3.89, which is not too bad for a gluten free mix. My husband and both loved them, and we will be making them again.

Betty Crocker also makes Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix, Gluten Free Devil’s Food Cake Mix, and Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix. I may have to buy them all now.

Filed Under: Brownies, Gluten Free, Mixes Tagged With: , ,