Wheat and Gluten Free

Last week my good friend Laurencia asked me to be a part of the Shoreline Gluten-Free Association. Although I'm not wheat and gluten intolerant I have many friends and family members who are. At their monthly meeting I learned that 15% of the population is dealing with this daily struggle. I was surprised by how much wheat is out there. The obvious breads, pastas, crackers and sweets are just the tip of the iceberg. Almost every label you read has modified food starch and now the question has to be, "where does that starch come from?" The starch can come from many places. Potatoes, corn, rice and tapioca are commonly used but wheat by far is the most common. This is where the 1-800#'s can be useful, call them up! You finally have a good reason to use your cell phone in the middle of the grocery store.

I already love many different grains; quinoa, millet and the wide family of rice. Matthew and I cook and eat these on a daily basis. We have been looking to incorporate them into catering and now the time has come. With these grains, as with all your foods, you have to be careful of cross wheat and gluten contamination. Always read the labels! Soups and stocks are another culprit for wheat starch. This never occurred to me because I make my own soups and stocks from scratch. If a thickening agent is needed there are great alternatives to a roux. Not only will cornstarch and arrowroot thicken your soups, stocks and gravies it will do so with out the extra butter!

As for those breads, pasta, sweets and crackers....there are so many WF & GF products out there that are very tasty. I was surprised at how great some of the products are, some even tastier then the conventional alternatives. I love Pamela's cookies! You can find many of these products at your grocery store in the health/organic section or your favorite natural food market. I have enjoyed the last week trying out different recipes. I am trying to stay away from recipes calling for additives and that has been a challenge. Although many come from natural ingredients, I'm not a fan. For instance xanthum gum comes from fermenting corn. There is no avoiding this product in commercially made items (Pamela's cookies,) so I choose to avoid them in homemade baking and cooking. When you start looking at these additives you find they are in everything; livestock feed, cat food, baked goods and meat and poultry packaging. I think you catch my drift! Xanthum gum is used in WF & GF baking because it adds stability and strength to wheat alternative flours. I have made some very tasty brownies and shortbread without any xanthum gum. I used the Arrowhead Mill's GF & WF Baking Mix and the batch used contained no additives. This may not always be true, so if important to you read the label every time you buy. Please enjoy!

Alexa's Chocolate Shortbread

1 cup Arrowhead Mill's GF&WF Baking Mix

1/3 cup Green&Black Cocoa Powder

3T corn starch (WF & GF)

1/2 cup Confectioner's Sugar (WF & GF)

3/4 cup butter

1. Put all dry ingredients into food processor bowl and pulse to mix.

2. Add butter to dry ingredients (for easier mixing cut the butter into small cubes). Process ingredients until they come together in a ball.

3. Divide dough in half and roll into logs about 1inch in diameter. Roll in wax paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

4. Slice logs (about 16 cookies per log) and place in baking sheet in a 350 degree Fahrenheit preheated oven. Bake about 12 minutes or until cookies are firm but not colored.

5. Let rest 5 minutes then transfer to cooling rack.

Alexa's Chocolate Brownies

140g butter

200g dark chocolate (WF & GF)

340g cane sugar

4 large eggs, beaten

140g Arrowhead Mill's WF & GF Baking Mix

2t baking powder (WF & GF)

1/2t salt

1t vanilla extract

9x11 inch pan (lined with foil and then greased)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.

2. Melt butter in sauce pan and then add chocolate, stir with heat proof spatula until chocolate is melted. Mix in the sugar. Remove from heat and let cool.

3. Add vanilla to the eggs. Pour egg mixture slowly into the chocolate mixture (be sure to keep mixing so you don't cook the eggs.)

4. Sift dry ingredients together and stir into the wet ingredients.

5. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes. Be sure not to over bake.

Our Feathered Friends

Ok, I know my first post in the New Year and I'm talking about birds. Here in Connecticut we were hit with a pretty big snow storm and what better thing to do then watch our feathered friends. I can't get enough!
Matthew (my husband) has noticed on several occasions I'm in the same position, staring out the same window as when he gets home from work as when he left. I know, how lazy can you be?
I must say very lazy, but they have become my friends. I feed them, water them and care deeply for there well being. I have lost three birds over the last year that I had become very found of. I had a little House Sparrow that just wasn't right, he couldn't fly well. We all know that being able to fly well for a bird is very important. I was hoping that if he just made it through another molt his feathers would be stronger and away he'd go. No such luck!
Then a White-throated Sparrow had a similar story. The Mocking Bird was maybe the hardest. They are such friendly and happy birds. This sweet bird met its fate by a cunning hawk. But, for these sad stories there are as equally happy moments when watching and becoming friends with the birds.
My favorite is about a Carolina Wren. What a trooper. He too had a rough start and couldn't fly well. This time it was only the feathers. He was from a late clutch and must have missed out on some important nutrients because his flight feathers were just not right. The cold didn't get him down. He hunkered down in the basket by our back door. Being such a softy I lined the basket with leaves and pine needles, kept the feeders full and the bird bath heated. Low and behold his next set of flight feathers grew in and away he could fly. But, not to far. I found him a week later; he moved to the basket on our barn. To my surprise he needed the larger basket because he made a friend. My misfit wren now has a mate and I watch their antics everyday around the house.