Easy Lemon Cookies (Gluten Free of course)

Do you ever get a craving for something? This week I've had a craving for lemon cookies....and Food Fantasies doesn't carry my favorite kind anymore. So I did what I always do, searched the internet for a recipe. I couldn't find anything super easy that was gluten free so I took a "regular" recipe and modified it. I found a recipe on the Betty Crocker site. Here is what I came up with...

1 box Betty Crocker gluten free yellow cake mix
1/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1 Tbsp lemon extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Beat all the ingredients in a bowl for about 2 minutes.
Scoop tablespoon fulls onto cookie sheets. Flatten slightly.
Bake about 10 minutes or until light brown around the edges. Let cool on the cookie sheet for at least 2 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

These are great as is, but I made a glaze to put on them to kick up the lemon flavor just a little.

2/3 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon rind

Whisk all ingredients together until well combined. Brush on cookies after they have cooled.

Gluten Free Game Night

So, you think you can't fool your friends into eating your "weird" food? Well you would be wrong. Last weekend we had game night at Amanda's house. Everything was gluten free. The crockpot pizza, the french bread, the rice chips and the dip. No one complained, no one even noticed and some gluten people even had seconds. To help you along I'll even give you the recipe for the crockpot pizza.

Crockpot pizza

1 bag gluten free noodles (I used Mrs. Leeper's vegetable twists-they didn't hold up very well but tasted good anyway)
1 lb turkey breakfast sausage
1 package Hormel Canadian bacon (slices cut in quarters)
1 package Hormel mini pepperoni
1 jar spaghetti sauce
2 packages Boboli pizza sauce
1 package shredded cheese

Cook the noodles according to the package directions.
Brown the sausage.
Toss the cooked noodles, sausage, bacon, pepperoni, spaghetti sauce and pizza sauce in the crockpot. Stir.
Add 2/3 package of cheese and stir again.
Dump the rest of the cheese on top.
Cook about 4 hours on low.

We served this with french bread made from Gluten Free Pantry's french bread mix.

C'mon Springfield....keep up!

Trying to dine out in Springfield is a challenge if you are gluten free. The waiter brings a big basket of bread to the table...no thanks. Appetizers? You have anything that's not fried? What about soup? "We have some yummy cream soups"... Sorry no can do. By the time you get your meal, you feel defeated. Restaurants can do some simple things to make dining a better experience for those with food sensitivities... and we're here to help. The more people know, the better things can get. Trust us, it can happen. Take for instance a place in Bloomington, just up the road.

If you can't have gluten and you have a Biaggi's near you... Run, don't walk there. A reservation is probably recommended if you have food allergies/intolerance. Biaggi's has an extensive gluten free menu (bigger than Outback's if you can believe it) that includes pizza, pasta, and other entrees. They even have a couple of appetizer and dessert choices. If you have been gluten free for a while, that last statement may come as a shock. The most shocking revelation though is they have gluten free BREAD, that they bring to your table before the meal. This is where the reservation comes in handy, so they know to have some around. The first time I ate there, the bread was amazing, the second time it was a little stale and cracker-like from being overtoasted. It was still pretty good and much better than watching our tablemates eat bread in front of us. For an appetizer we shared a gluten free margherita pizza. The crust was made from rice flour and amazingly crispy. The entrees were also excellent. We were too full for dessert this time, but previously I had the creme brulee and it was good. All in all, I try to find excuses to drive the hour to Bloomington just to have dinner there.