Gluten Free, R U?: July 2020

Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Odd Bagel - Plain

I have seen Odd Bagels reviewed many places but I never tried them. Well this time there was free shipping for 2 packs or more, so I decided to order. I ordered Plain, Sesame and Cinnamon Raisin.

They have been described as New York bagels. Now I am really a Philly bagel gal but I know what a NY bagel should be. And this is pretty darn close.

It has heft to it. It smelled divine. It looked like a NY bagel.

One bite and I was back in NY eating bagels with my family on a trip.

Slightly thick outside but chewy, airy, soft inside.

Delicious! Highly recommend.

Thursday, July 16, 2020

Very good, not as good as the Schar Entertainment Crackers I've written about but good.

A little messier and thinner/lighter which I don’t mind but I couldn’t get the Entertainment Crackers out of my mind when I ate these. Maybe if I had these first?

Again one of my favorite things for these crackers is the individual package for the crackers. I just really like being able to take just a pack for lunch or sitting watching TV.

Try them. Compare them to the Entertainment Crackers and let me know which you like better.

Friday, July 10, 2020

Josie’s Best Gluten Free Crepe Mix

The last Josie’s Best mix that I had is The Crepe mix. It was actually the one I wanted to try the most but it is also the one I knew the least about making.

I thought I followed the directions for cooking the crepes but apparently I didn’t follow something or understand something.

This is not a crepe.

I will be honest, I got very frustrated with myself and my lack of crepe making skill and I gave up.

I did write to both Josie’s Best and Alexis Gluten Free Adventures for some tips.

Both got back to me with more information including a video of how to make the crepes from Josie.

The video was a huge help but I was still gun shy to go back and try again.

I promise I will make these, I just need a moment.

In no way is my frustration a negative for the mix as it was very easy to make and looked perfect.

I just need patience and more time to learn how to make the crepe. It was all operator error.

Tuesday, July 7, 2020

Josie’s Best Gluten Free Waffle Mix

It was a Josie’s Best mix weekend. Next up The Waffle mix. Simple instructions, simple ingredients and simply delicious waffles.

Except for some operator error on timing for these waffles they were very yummy and easy to make.

If you do not bake these long enough they are rubbery when you take them out of the maker but they still taste good. Will try again, making sure to cook them at least 10 minutes if not 12 minutes. At least that would be the timing in my waffle iron. But I love the ease of this mix.

Friday, July 3, 2020

Josie’s Best Gluten Free Pancake Mix

Next up from my variety pack purchase of Josie’s Best mixes is The Pancake mix.

I have a love/hate relationship with making pancakes. I usually HATE making them. There are various reasons for this but mostly the mixes I’ve tried have caused me problems. Too thick or too thin or too lumpy or too watery. Well, we have a Goldilocks winner here. This mix was juuuuust right. I mean it.

I followed the one cup directions perfectly, including the optional vanilla. It stated if you let it sit, it would get thicker ... and it really did. I feel this is the first time ever that the directions matched what I saw as the completed product.

Aren’t they beautiful. Too bad you can’t taste or smell them through the internet. Soooo good.

I even added blueberries to the second half.

I can’t recommend this mix enough. Simple, easy, tasty, what more could I ask for.

Thank you Josie’s Best for my Goldilocks pancake mix. Juuuust right!

My gluten free history

When I turned 30 years old, I started to gain weight that I couldn't lose and I was getting back to back colds. The final straw was I got bronchitis and I had to take an antibiotic to help me get better. The side effect for 4% of people on this antibiotic was gastrointestinal issues. Yes, I was part of that 4%. The medicine basically stripped away whatever had been protecting me through my first 30 years of life. You see I have always had gastrointestinal issues since I can remember. My father also had the same issues and my paternal grandmother too. I was so sick from the medicine (or so I thought) that I had to go back to the doctor and do a series of tests. During this time I was following the BRAT diet (Banana, rice, a, toast). Saltines and toast were my go to comfort, little did I know they were NOT what I should be eating. My co-worker gave me an article about food allergies and there was a quiz. You only needed to answer 4 of the 8 questions with yes to fall under their designation and I had answered 6 of the 8 with yes. I was on my way. My husband and I cleaned out all our cabinets of the 7 allergens… all that was left was rice. After a few weeks, I was feeling somewhat better when I stayed at a home where they told me to eat whatever was in the fridge. I saw the rice and started eating. Within a hour I was violently ill. I couldn't understand. I took the rice with me to work the next day and when I told my other co-worker about my issue she asked to see the rice. It was orzo… pasta… gluten/wheat filled pasta! I had my first allergen to check off the list as being an issue. It turned out at the time dairy and eggs were also triggers but I have since been able to add them back. My husband and I went on a full gluten free diet and within a few months I had lost my weight, stopped living in my bathroom, looked healthy and was not terrified to eat things any more. Now it has been 15 years and while I have gained some weight back (darn those yummy gluten free cookies and pretzels) my issues are still in check and I couldn't be happier to figure out what was wrong with my body and be able to fix it.