A New Journey

Truhte, four months old - Photo by J.Stahl

Today, we are bringing home our very own Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Her name is Truhte and she is four months old. She comes from a town just a stone's throw away (or "Katzensprung") from where we live, and her mama and daddy are equally as gorgeous as she is. They are absolutely wonderful and sweet. I am very happy to have met them.


A little about Cavalier King Charles Spaniels:

I'm sure you're wondering what this has to do with my diet-specific blog. Well, due to my dietary concerns and dermatitis herpetiformis, I require any pets we own to be gluten free. I've been doing a lot of research and trying to find the best toy breed for our family needs, to keep me company and also get me out the door daily to get my dose of sunshine. I found my baby!

Truhte will be joining us for some combination feeding - some cooked, some raw and some store-bought dog food that is gluten free.

Starting this month, I will be working with her on potty learning (the way we do it is more at Elimination Communication), basic commands and teaching her how to go on walks. (At this age, walking = mostly carrying and getting used to apartment life until she understands leashes and such.) She is still so very little that she is just now being old enough to learn some of these things. This may mean pulling back somewhat from my social media. However, it may bring some new great things to this blog.

Here are some photos from our "getting ready for baby"/"coming home day" preparations:

First things first - be absolutely sure that your preferred dog food is labeled properly.
Grain and gluten free! Check.

Pat yourself on the back for finding such great deals at
Kik Textilien, REWE and Fressnapf

Get an idea what you're working with and clean the kitchen before final set-up.

Remember: children will be tempted to feed between meals.
Find a place high up in the bathroom to put the food and extra bowl.

Receive a package with new gluten and grain free treats.
Place them high up as well.

Look at bed that came in the same package.
Place in kitchen, where you are 4 times a day.

Receive another package. Proceed to put the popup tent/carrier together.

Congratulate yourself for your taste in carriers and
that this fits perfectly in the room so your pet is included,
but allowed to retreat from involvement if she wants.

Take it all in. Enjoy the idea of this cool carrier.

Remember Kik Textilien has a sale on pet items.
You wanted a bag dispenser for potty trips. Go buy it!

All in all, I'm pretty pleased with what we have ordered and how pretty it all is. I hope that Truhte enjoys it all and that she feels at home with us.

One of my main questions and biggest apprehensions about our new baby is what kind of diet she had. I was so anxious. I know how careful we have to be adjusting to new foods and such as the environment changes for her. When I found out that her diet is almost exactly the same what it will be at our house!! I'm really excited. All we are changing is the kibble will be gluten free, and anything we cook will be as well. Otherwise, same diet, same foods.  This is a massive load off of my shoulders.

Part of my research has included finding out what gluten free dog food brands are out there, and also what kind of care items are out there now, as the last time I had a dog was almost a decade ago. I've found this to be a very positive and encouraging excursion to a couple of stores and also viewing online for those that are further away.  Another really cool option for a lot of owners is that many of your pet stores in Germany now have a freezer section with fresh meat so you can cook your own food for your pet if they have any dietary need for such.

Example Freezer Section at pet store - Photo by J. Stahl

In this freezer section, there is everything from Turkey and Chicken to Beef and there is even Ostrich, Fish and Kangaroo!  I was very impressed by the reasonable prices for the bulk and smaller packages of meat.

I have been researching how to safely transport our new puppy in the car, and for those who did not know, there are specific road rules here in Germany about that. Here is a helpful PDF that I found on the subject. I followed the links provided to check out various carriers for car use and camping from there, and then checked out a couple of pet stores online and in person, as well as cross-checking prices between them on Amazon.de

The most reliable and price effective websites I have found for our area are:

• Amazon.de
• Fressnapf 
• Schecker 
• Zooplus

I had been helping my sister who is training Charlie to be a service dog, and as such we've been collecting some cool recipes and training ideas. You can find some of this on my various dog-related Pinterest boards.

If you are in Germany and interested in a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, I would recommend you check out these two links.


I would like to welcome you to follow along on our journey, and this year will be a fun year of experimentation, trying out some treat recipes to keep our costs down, and come October, a birthday party for Truhte!

Hopefully we can do some Google Plus cooking hangouts on air. Maybe she'll be like my favorite cooking celebrity, Francis, from Cooking with Dog one day. One can hope, right?

Interesting articles I've read over the summer

Cat and Kitten, 2008  Photo by A. Stahl

I wanted to share a few interesting news articles that I've been reading over the summer. You see, I never really stop reading. I have friends who ask questions about "gluten free" or celiac disease, or whether or not a certain cross-reactive food is passed on in animal milk and that sort of thing... and I get the bug to go researching.

The only problem with this bug, is that I haven't been trained as a dietician or nutritionist, so I can only access whatever medical paperwork is publicly available or readily found via search engines. So, while these things are interesting, it's best to discuss these papers with knowledgeable gastroenterologist, dieticians and nutritionists who are well versed in Celiac Disease.

I read an eleven page document from The New York Times on "The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food" by Michael Moss. My take-away from the article was that we need to be very proactive and aware of the psychology of marketing and that if we are to partake of junk food, that we keep it to a very limited amount. Not because it is too sugary or too salty - but because it is so addictive and it can affect us for a long time to come.

The more interesting articles I was reading happened to do with the evolving spectrum of celiac disease. I've long believed that "gluten sensitivity" or "intolerance" happens to be part of celiac disease, even if it is as of yet, not recognized as such. Voilá, attitudes are changing in the medical community.

"Gluten Sensitivity (GS) is a state of heightened immunological responsiveness to ingested gluten in genetically susceptible people. It represents a spectrum of diverse manifestations, of which, the gluten sensitive enteropathy known as [Celiac Disease] is one of many."
Celiac Disease and Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity: The Evolving Spectrum

"It is now becoming apparent that reactions to gluten are not limited to [Celiac Disease], rather we now appreciate the existence of a spectrum of gluten-related disorders. The high frequency and wide range of adverse reactions to gluten raise the question as to why this dietary progein is toxic for so many individuals in the world."
Spectrum of gluten-related disorders: consensus on new nomenclature and classification

"Sub-clinical, or hidden, gluten intolerance is a health problem at epidemic proportions in certain populations in the United States and remains largely unrecognized by conventional medicine."
Dr. Daniel Kalish

Some acquaintances of mine were discussing some myths that were driving them crazy about Celiac Disease and I mentioned that wheat grass being gluten free was one of my major concerns, after seeing it featured in "Bedtime Stories" and another film ("Working Mom"?) as a safe option for Celiacs who wish to keep a healthy diet.

The problem is not that wheat grass is gluten free, but that the processing involved often causes the actual product to not be gluten free, and really that Celiacs need not be eating any of the grains (sprouted or not) provided from gluten containing grains because it is just too risky for accidents to happen. It took a lot of looking on my end to find an article that discussed these issues with wheat grass, and I found it at About.com's Celiac section.

"...while wheat grass and barley grass in their pure forms are considered gluten-free, it matters how they're harvested and how products containing them are produced.
...if a farmer allows some of the grasses to begin producing seeds prior to harvest, then that particular crop will contain gluten.
...if a manufacturer of supplements produces gluten-containing products alongside or on the same equipment as it's using for gluten-free labeled products, then those products can be cross-contaminated unless special precautions are taken, and they may contain gluten."
Are wheat grass and barley grass gluten-free?

What the article doesn't discuss is that there is a propensity of people with celiac disease to also be allergic to wheat, barley, rye or oats. If one doesn't know that they are additionally allergic, as well as intolerant -- this can cause some massive issues that are just not worth it.  If you do wish to go there, it is best to be sure you only acquire gluten free certified wheat or barley grass, and that you are certain you are not additionally allergic like I am.   It is very unpleasant if you are, and react as I have been.

Another article that I found was related to gluten traces in gluten free foods. This study was referenced in a recent DZG magazine and I went to find the actual article to read on my own. Basically, the DZG translated the article for a German audience, so I had the benefit of the study in both languages. Double plus! The study is entitled "Might gluten traces in wheat substitutes pose a risk in patients with celiac disease? A population-based probabilistic approach to risk estimation." and was put out by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  The "short" of the article is that there has not been enough study and that some Celiacs are more sensitive than others and will react to trace amounts while others do not. We need to adopt the 20mg/kg gluten threshold for the United States.


I have been hearing some things out there in cyber space about fermentation of grains making it gluten free or suitable for individuals with celiac disease. This is patently untrue, and mostly has been skewed from a few, very small sample-size studies.

Here are the basics:

"Because enzymatic breakdown of gluten proteins often leads to small, difficult to degrade, toxic peptides, the partial breakdown of wheat, rye, or barley proteins during seed germination or in the malting process probably will not usually eliminate toxicity even when there is no trace of the large original proteins remaining. Thus, malt extracts and other hydrolysates of wheat, rye, or barley proteins (including beers) might retain some toxicity. Nevertheless, when such extracts are used in a product in very small proportions, as a flavoring, for example, the amount of toxic peptides present in the final product might be so small as to be negligible. Again, however, good scientific studies are lacking."
http://wheat.pw.usda.gov/.../topics/Celiac.vs.grains.html

"The sourdough fermentation may enhance the recovery from intestinal inflammation of coeliac patients at the early stage of the gluten-free diet.
PURPOSE:
This study aimed at investigating the effect of corn, rice and amaranth gluten-free (GF) sourdoughs on the release of nitric oxide (NO) and synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines by duodenal mucosa biopsies of eight coeliac disease (CD) patients."
http://cassies-candida-carbs.blogspot.de/2012/03/study-on-fermentation-of-grains.html

There was a study done in Italy with 13 patients:

"The Italian study was designed to assess how 13 Celiacs responded to eating baked goods made with wheat flour treated with lactobacilli and fungal protease. The study, Safety for Patients with Celiac Disease of Baked Goods Made of Wheat Flour Hydrolyzed During Food Processing was published in the January 2011 issue of the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology."
"...methods used to assess gluten damage in the participants -- blood tests for anti–tissue transglutaminase antibodies and small bowel biopsy have potential for false negative results. "
Is fermented sourdough wheat bread safe for Celiacs?

"These results showed that a bread biotechnology that uses selected lactobacilli, nontoxic flours, and a long fermentation time is a novel tool for decreasing the level of gluten intolerance in humans."
Sourdough Bread Made from Wheat and Nontoxic Flours and Started with Selected Lactobacilli Is Tolerated in Celiac Sprue Patients

The only issue with the studies is that it is such a small sample size, it was not done with a double-blind and they did not test individuals with the rather broad spectrum of celiac disease. There is no long term study, and you could not sign me up for this test with the reactions I have. Heck, I'm reacting to gluten grains in the fields now!


The other interesting bit of research I went into was the myth of there being traces of gluten in dairy products from animals. Based on testing, no significant amounts of gluten peptides have been detected in cow’s milk.

However, Lactose Intolerance Can Be A Symptom Of Gluten Intolerance. That actually was one of the many symptoms I had as a teenager before we figured out that my entire health issues could be pinned on Celiac Disease.

Here's the research I was able to find:

• Gluten Peptides in Human Breast Milk: Implications for Cow’s Milk???
• When Dairy Intolerance Joins Celiac Disease 
• What About Dairy Sensitivity? 
• How is lactose intolerance related to celiac disease?
• Mucosal reactivity to cow's milk protein in coeliac disease.
• Capsule Endoscopy Detection of Ileal Mucosa Alterations due to Cow Milk Malabsorption in a Celiac Patient
• Mucosal reactivity to cow's milk protein in coeliac disease
• https://tinyurl.com/of79nce   
• Intolerance of celiac disease patients to bovine milk is not due to the presence of T-cell stimulatory epitopes of gluten.

Here's hoping that you had a wonderful Summer and are easing gracefully back into school.

Jennifer

Gluten Free Product Review - Schär Millefoglie and Kraft Philly Milka

Schär Millefoglie (Phyllo Dough)

 For those of us out there in the greater European Union, our wishes for phyllo dough have been answered in Schär's Millefoglie! (Note: This is not GAPS or PALEO compliant)

I've been using this product now for the last couple of years. I decided this past weekend that I could not live without making some dessert. I'd seen a recipe floating around on various social media floating around for a dessert and I had to try it.  As warm as our weather has been, I did not want to make Gluten Free Gobsmacked's Croissant recipe. I LOVE her recipe, but it was too hot to be in the kitchen for any reason, especially anything that would be more involved than "pour, mix, shove in, take out".  (30° and a relative humidity of 80% - NO! Get out of the kitchen and go shower yet again.)

 There are several variations of this recipe going around, but the gist of it is that you take two cans of crescent rolls and roll one out in a 9x13 dish. Mix 2 packages of cream cheese, 1/4c softened butter and 1.5 tsp of vanilla and a cup of sugar together, spread it on the rolls and then top with the other can, butter that a bit and then sprinkle cinnamon and sugar up top prior to baking it for 20-30 minutes at 350°F. (175°C)

 If you know who created this recipe, please do let me know so I can give proper credit. This is to die for!!

I decided to use my 9x9 tin along with two packages of Millefoglie. I did not roll this out any further since I expected something thick enough to make rolls.

I'd long known about Kraft's Philadelphia Milka Chocolate Cream Cheese, and decided to whip it up a notch and also make some with that. I've used the chocolate cream cheese before for a few recipes (Cheesecake and a pastry similar to this)

My only complaint with the Millefoglie is that it breaks so easily. But, that's pastry for you.

Millefoglie in the pan with cream cheese mixture

Top layer of Millefoglie and butter added

cinnamon and sugar

All done!! Look how that has nicely separated from the edges!!

"plain" cream cheese

Milka cream cheese

This was delicious and was gone between dessert and our breakfast. I kid you not, we ate this for breakfast.


If you want a piece, you're more than welcome to let me know you are coming by. I'll be more than happy to share a slice!

Birthday Cakes, Breakfast bento and pasta, oh my! - First Week of June

Why yes, I am a Whovian!

This week has been a whirlwind to say the very least! My oldest son turned five on Saturday. Now, normally I'd be on top of things, but, I went to the doctor last week and was put on bed rest due to a sinus infection and upper respiratory infection.  So, I planned, but getting things implemented was another story.

Refurbished tins from canned food, inspired by this pin

My son expressed that he wished to have a Disney "Cars"-related birthday. So I went hunting up logos I could print and then tape to some tins I was saving from canned goods.  I made up some gift bags for us to be able to pack away some of the doughnuts and a slice of cake for all the children; and I'd purchased and wrapped a coloring book each for all of the children who were present and had put their names down on them.

Handmade Stoplight Goody Bags

I'd run around and found my doughnut recipe, and got those made up. (Husband failed to get a photo of this, they were delicious nonetheless!) We made organic fruit salad (we'd printed a logo that said "Organic Fuel" that we found here), which was gone by the time the party was over. Wow!

Traffic signs that we incorporated into our decorations

The day rolled on by, and none of the baking except for the doughnuts had been done. The doughnuts were slightly burnt, but I knew we could save them if we could get some chocolate glaze going. I've been keeping packets of chocolate glaze laid by for such an occasion since I do not like chocolate glaze on the boxed cupcakes.

Traffic Cones we used for the party

We had put the youngest to bed so he could nap, and the eldest was running from room to room and kept asking when our guests would arrive.  I realized the doughnuts weren't done and I was starting to freak out, while my husband just puttered around the house looking busy.

We had just enough glaze to ice half of the doughnuts, which meant that I had to make a clear glaze. I thought we had powdered sugar upstairs. I thought wrong! Nope, in the basement and our guests had arrived.

One of our younger guests is allergic to many foods, and I was very concerned about him being able to have something other than the fruit salad at the birthday party; so we decided to make the birthday cake as allergen free as possible.

We'd gotten the party banner up, we'd set out the plates, cups, silver and were just finishing up the cake. The doughnuts were nearing completion and I had a panic attack about the fruit salad after my in laws had arrived and my next set of guests came in the door.

Thank G-d, we got it all done. I apologize for the quality of this photo, as my husband took it rather quickly while children were begging to eat and my oldest really wanted to blow his candles out.

This cake recipe is gluten, egg, dairy, soy and nut free.

The recipe for this cake is originally in German. Below is the translation and the changes I made to it.

Schnelle Schokomuffins ohne Milch und ohne Ei
Author: wuschel-

125g Flour*
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4th teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon guar gum**
65g Sugar
1 packet of Vanillezucker (you can substitute for 1 teaspoon Vanilla)
3 tablespoons of Cocoa***
50ml Oil
100ml Water
1 tablespoon Vinegar

Mix all dry ingredients and then slowly add the wet ingredients while mixing, just until it comes together. Fill in muffin forms and  bake at 180°C for around 20 minutes.
*Use Gluten Free Flour of your choice, this could work with almond flour.
**Guar Gum is my addition.
***If you do not wish the cake to be chocolate, do not add cocoa. Simply add flour in the same amount.

Since we were making this for a sheet cake, we had decided to place baking paper on two cookie sheets and just be really careful about pouring and setting it in the oven. We cooled these on a couple cookie racks and it was ready to go rather quickly.


The icing on the cake is based on Wilton's Buttercream icing, but since I didn't have a lot of time, I modified the recipe slightly and used more rice milk so that it would spread thinner as it had to cover two very thin 9"x13" layers. At this point, I've made Buttercream so much that I don't even use the recipe any longer. We substituted the German Alsan Bio non-dairy butter (Similar to "Earth Balance" in the USA) and I thinned the icing by tripling the milk amount with rice milk.


By Monday, I was STILL beat from Saturday. I overslept, so the children and I stayed home.
Tuesday, I was able to pack bento for the children's breakfast and also for their lunch. I used Tchibo's new lovely snack towers for the children's breakfast.

Roses made with Roast Turkey and Boiled Eggs, a Banana, and Grapes

Rice, Steamed Carrots and Turkey Breast

 The children's lunch was turkey breast (not breaded), steamed carrots, rice and yogurt. I know, not imaginative, and not GAPS-y. I can't change that as our options are limited with the kindergarten. Amazingly though, the children ate 80% of what is in this glass clip box! I'm impressed.

Father in law's birthday card and presents

In addition to kindergarten, Tuesday was my father in law's birthday. So, I was in a bit of a rush to finish his present, which included a handmade card and apple cobbler.  I was in such a rush to complete everything and make it on time to our dinner reservation (as well as sneaking the cobbler into their apartment) that I completely missed getting a photo of it! Noo!!

I figure it will even out in the end considering I plan on making one for us later in the month. ;)



Wednesday, I was able to get out Maultaschen and some snacks for the kids to eat for breakfast.

Maultaschen, made with Trudel Marquardt's Recipe

Below is the translated recipe for Trudel's Maultaschen. Note that this is also neither PALEO or GAPS.

Maultaschen by Trudel Marquardt

Noodle Dough:
300g gluten free flour (My husband uses Schär as recommended by Trudel)
3 Eggs                                                                  
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Psyllium Husk
3-4 Tablespoons Water (depending on the size of the eggs)
1 Tablespoons of Sunflower oil

Mix all ingredients until they make a strong dough (do not overmix!) and roll it together and place into plastic wrap in your fridge for around 30 minutes.

After your dough has sat in the fridge for a while, you will want to roll it out on a well floured surface. Cut out your Maultaschen and add about 1TBS-2TBS of the filling of your choice in the middle while carefully pinching together all sides.

You really can fill this with anything that you want to, this time we chose to put in some ground beef with a little herbs. Her recipe gives more instruction on that.

Once your Maultaschen have been filled, you will cook these in salt water for around eight minutes.

We filled ours with hamburger meat and some seasonings, and used a vegetable broth for the soup. You really can use any soup, so have fun playing with this recipe!

Thursday however, we are celebrating my son's birthday at kindergarten, which necessitated chocolate cake and icing.

Gluten Free Chocolate Birthday Cake

Normally, I would use this Annalise Roberts' White Cake recipe from the cookbook "Gluten-Free Baking Classics" for birthday cake and modify as I need to.

However, I was very pressed for time, so I used the new "Frei Von" brand of Chocolate Muffins from REWE. I usually modify their box mix with a couple tablespoons of molasses and walnuts, but I decided the nuts were just too much for the kindergarten party.  I buttered (with Alsan-Bio) two 9" round cake tins and floured them with cocoa. 25 minutes in the oven and both layers were done.  A few hours and some Buttercream later, Birthday cake!

If you make the Annalise Roberts recipe, to make it into chocolate, remove about 3/4 the flour and replace with cocoa. Add in 2TBS of molasses and you have got yourself a chocolate cake to die for.

 Here's how the table looked at Kindergarten with the Lightning McQueen birthday Candle:

JD's birthday, 2013

Since TB has pink eye, he wasn't able to be at the birthday party, and received a slice of cake to enjoy at home:

Birthday Cake

I'm terribly sorry at the lateness of this post, but I figure you are probably wondering what is going on in our kitchen these days.

Tuesday and Wednesday's Bentos

 I'm terribly sorry for the delay in getting these up, but I've been battling an infection and only just got back from the doctor yesterday. I'm supposed to take things slowly, drink lots of fluid and rest. Good thing we're having a 4 day weekend, right?

Without further ado, here are the meals we had on Tuesday morning and Wednesday, with the addition of our Wednesday dinner. :)

I was feeling rather unimaginative on Tuesday. Basically I questioned what I could put together quickly because I had overslept. Voilá, Breakfast.

I apologize for the quality of the photos in this post. I really could have done a lot better than this.

Breakfast Bento, Left to right: Applesauce, Yogurt, Gherkins

Then I had lunch to contend with. No time to make it, so I just threw together what I could while I ran around thinking I had no time. I had forgotten that I had moved the clock ahead almost fifteen minutes in the kitchen so I could keep us on time all the time. Whoops.

Cut up Bratwurst with organic ketchup

Ketchup, Yogurt Dressing, Salad with sprouts and potatoes

Packed Breakfast and Lunch

 Not bad for a quickly packed lunch, eh?  This is how it all turned out packed. The thicker looking bag has everything wrapped in a towel. Since they are thermal bags, this kept the meal warm until lunch time.

 

Wednesday's Breakfast: Chocolate Cupcakes for a party, cheese, applesauce
Gherkins, Boiled Egg. Lunch: Rice and Carrots, Southern Sausage and Monte

Wednesday was a bit more difficult. The children were having a going away party for a classmate whose mother is soon to give birth. She'll be SAHM'ing both her little one and the new baby for the next year.  Benefits are better here, and life would be much easier doing that so quickly after birth.

So, we have some cupcakes packed along. This is unusual since the kindergarten likes to keep things low sugar.

Packed Lunch and Breakfast

This is how it all ended up packed. Breakfast in the blue box, Lunch in the larger purse. It's just easier to hand one off to the children to carry, rather than having to carry both down the steps and into the car, as well as out of the car and to the classroom. I wasn't sure if I trusted them entirely carrying the lunch bag though. My youngest has a habit of wanting to drag it rather than carry. We're working on that. 







Now for the recipe portion of today's post. I wasn't feeling good and I was really having a hankerin' for a meal I haven't had since I have gone gluten free. I asked my mom to send along the recipe, and my husband was nice enough to make it all up from scratch for me. He didn't think we would end up eating everything all at once, or within two days. Um, it is that good. It's gone as of 4pm today.

Chicken Pockets

Since I live in Germany and do not have US Base access, I don't have the ability to get a gluten free packet of American Ranch Dressing. So, I had to make my ranch dressing before we moved forward. This means we had to get two spices that were not already included in our spice rack. I'm not entirely sure where all of these recipes are from other than my mom. If these look familiar to you or you know where they came from, please do let me know and I'll be more than happy to give credit where credit is due.

Ranch Dressing and Dip Mix
This versatile mix can be used to make a dressing for salads, a dip for fresh veggies, or topping for baked potatoes.
1 1/2 Tbsp. dried parsley           
1/2 Tbsp. dried chives
1/4 Tbsp. dried tarragon           
1/2 Tbsp. lemon pepper
1 Tbsp. Salt                   
1/4 Tbsp. oregano
1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder
In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients. Store in an airtight container.
Attach this to the Jar:  Ranch Dressing Makes 1 cup
1/2 cup mayonnaise           
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp. Ranch Pressing & Dip Mix
In a large bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk and dressing & dip mix. Refrigerate for one hour before serving.

 So, we had the dry mix made up and put in a small Lock & Lock container ready and waiting. My husband went ahead and made a whole chicken breast up on the stove, and began to mix the following recipe for yeast rolls. Instead of cooking these as directed, you'll do something else with them.

Mock Angel Biscuit Rolls
1 packet yeast               
1/8 cup warm water
3/4 cups lukewarm milk (scald then cool)               
1/8 cup sugar
3/4 tsp salt                   
1 egg
3 Tbs shortening               
1 1/2 cups Gluten Free flour mix (up to 1 cup reserved if needed - we needed it)
1 1/2 tsps guar gum               

Combine 1 cup flour with guar gum, set aside. Dissolve yeast in warm water with sugar . In a 2 1/2-quart bowl add milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening and 1 1/2 cup of flour with guar gum mixed. Beat on low speed scraping bowl constantly (30 seconds). Beat on medium speed scraping bowl occasionally (2 minutes). Stir in remaining flour until smooth. Turn dough onto well (use out of the reserved flour) floured surface.  Roll around lightly to coat with flour. Gently roll dough 1/2 inch thick with floured rolling pin. Cut with a floured biscuit  cutter. Cover and let rise until doubled (40-50 minutes).  Bake in a preheated oven 450 degrees for about 10-12 minutes.  

*You can roll into balls and make divided rolls in a muffin tin. Brush tops with melted butter before baking.

**Roll out into a circle and cut into wedge pieces.  Roll up like crescent rolls and bake after rising time.  Make sure to have a well floured surface to roll these out on or they will stick and be messy.  You might want to brush them with melted butter before rolling and after rising.

***For sweet crescents, brush with melted butter.  Sprinkle with cinnimon and sugar before rolling into shape.  Brush tops with melted butter.

So, instead of making these into biscuits/rolls,  you'll roll these out into about 10-12 rectangles. These will be your base for the pockets.

In your food mixer, you will want to mix the following:

2 cups cooked boneless chicken
1TBS chopped chives
salt to taste
1 Cup crushed seasoned bread crumbs (I would just put a little of the Ranch with that too)
3 oz cream cheese
2T milk
1/2 c melted butter

 Preheat your oven to 350°F.  Carefully spoon out this mixture onto the rectangles and fold shut. Brush the outsides with butter and roll both sides into bread crumbs prior to placing onto a pan with a baking sheet. Bake these for 20 minutes.

This should be your end result:

Chicken Pockets

Happy baking!

Monday Morning and afternoon "Bento"

Good morning everyone, here I am just about two hours out from packing these lovely Bento and I am here to share them with you.  I noticed after snapping the photos that I missed one critical item of the children's lunch - their yogurt. I did not forget to pack it, I simply forgot to photograph it! Whoops!

Since the children have a hot lunch, I have wrapped it up in a warm towel, and it will stay hot until right at lunch time. I've been pleasantly surprised how hot it will stay in a lunch box when covered this way. I'm hoping that we can afford a couple LunchBots Thermals Isolierbehälter or Zojirushi Classic Bento Vacuum Lunch Jars, as that would help us out a bit more packing these and not making as much of a mess with our laundry. I've not seen the Zojirushi containers here in Germany, but I have seen them on Ebay with the same prices as Amazon.com - though shipping straight out of Japan. Ahhh Bento Containers, how I love you.


Today's breakfast Bento are packed in plastic containers I purchased that originally held sprouted vegetable seeds for salad. They're such lovely food-grade containers, that I couldn't see recycling them right away.  I've packed some gherkins, apple-banana sauce, Babybel and a peanut butter sandwich for each child. The nice thing about these packages is that they are not only study and see-through; but that they snap shut and will not leak.

Re-purposed Salad container Bento Breakfast:
Gherkins, Babybel,
Peanut Butter sandwich and Applesauce

Today's lunch is noodles with a brown ground meat sauce, salad and yogurt. I figured that the kids might do with a change, and since I make everything from scratch, it was easier to simply make them meatballs today. I did cheat a little on the sauce by using GEFRO's Dunklesoße with about half a liter of water. If I were more awake and not distracted, I would have used the bone broth I have in the fridge.  The noodles are from Schär, and are corn based.  I've made this before with rice noodles from our local Asian store and with buckwheat noodles from our local health food store. Really, when you're limited to a Kindergarten menu, you just do what you can to get by, especially when limited by your diet and finances.

Salad with sprouts, Yogurt Dressing,
Noodles with Meatballs and Brown Sauce.

Obviously, the children's meal isn't Paleo or GAPS, but it is all gluten free and rather packed with vitamins and minerals.  Usually I like to hide things in their meatballs or sauces, but I was rushed for time today and when the kids started running around in and out of my kitchen, I was too distracted to think about that.

Both of these packed nicely into two thermal bags.  A lot of people think you need to spend a lot of money on these, but truth be told, I purchased two really cheap thermal lunch bags at our local KIK Textilien Markt for about 50c each two summers ago. I did however spend a little bit more on my thermal lunch "purse" that I got at our local TK Maxx. I haven't seen anything else like it and I've been trying to find another so I will have my own bag once I start back to German Class.

I'm in the middle of birthday party and going away party planning, so this week should be post-packed if I can stay on top of things.  I look forward to bringing new items each week so that everyone can see that Bento doesn't always have to be beautiful or decorative. Even people who "ain't got time for that" actually do. To be perfectly honest, I overslept and got this all together + the children dressed in 40 minutes. It can be done, even with the crazy making, voice-raising and clapping everyone step by step out the door. So, don't panic!  As Richard Dreyfuss said in "What about Bob?" - Baby steps. And you, like Bill Murray's character "Bob", can cheer yourself along - "I'm Baby stepping!" (I've done this more times than I can count!)

If you've never seen "What about Bob?" - here's a clip from it:

I hope you have a Happy Monday!

Jennifer

Exciting new things!

 This past Saturday, I received something new in the mail! (Sorry for the poor lighting) I had heard last week that Coeliac UK had a gluten free magazine, so I went ahead and ordered myself a copy to see what I thought about getting a subscription.

This is my copy.  It was a very good read. It had around 62 pages and lots of information inside, including new gluten free products, an upcoming vendor fair in June, the latest from their conference in May, and the latest diagnostic information as well as recipes.

Oh my goodness, recipes!! There are recipes in there for breads and meals. Scones! I've been hunting a recipe for gluten free scones for ages, and hadn't found anything close to the real deal, and there is a recipe for scones in the Summer 2013 issue! Stay tuned, I will definitely be trying that one out!

 Also, I went to our local ToomMarkt here in Germany, and found that Schneekoppe has a new set of products out. There area actually three new pastas available that are easily made at the office, in a hotel kitchenette or your dorm or home.

I thought, hey, that is neat! let's see if it is gluten free wheat starch free, and if it is, I'll go ahead and try it!  I'm not being paid for my review, and considering I keep coming into contact with people with Celiac who are traveling through, this may be worth reviewing and sharing the information on my blog, right?

The pasta packets are all gluten and lactose free, but they are not corn free. (I've not found any gluten free items here that are pre-packaged without corn just yet.)

You can click on the images and it'll enlarge, or you're welcome to check out the items on the website as well. If you live here in Germany, feel free to either order online or ask your local REWE Gruppe store if they will carry it for you.

I tried the Tomate-Basilikum on Saturday, and it really tastes a lot like Spaghetti-Os. I was actually surprised I remembered the taste of it, considering that I hadn't had any in almost a decade!

Each of these pasta packets makes up 2 servings. I thought it was going to be one of those laughable "oh two servings, right? ha!" - no. It makes up two whole bowls of pasta.  You will want to either make half of a package or have another person to share with you.

My husband said it "tastes ok" - but I don't know if that is good or bad. He's notoriously very quiet about things unless he absolutely hates it. I pressed a bit more and  he says, "It isn't nasty, it could be bought again."  I guess this means we could stock something like this in our pantry?

The Zuchinni-Käse is also lactose free, so this is safe for GFCF individuals visiting or living in Germany. Oh my goodness, it is so delicious. It tastes about like a cheese soup, the noodles are absolutely lovely and I ate a whole bowl myself. We got the kids to try it, they're not so great on soups, but they both said it was very good.


It really wasn't as thick as the photo on the packet. The tomato one was DEFINITELY as thick as the images on the package. It was absolutely delicious and I would love having this one again.


I may order the Pilz-Creme to try at a future date. 

 These ran around 3€ at our local store, but it looks like they're on sale through Schneekoppe at the moment for under 3€ a package.

These are definitely worth keeping on hand for a day when you just haven't time to spend in the kitchen!

Here is hoping you have a wonderful week ahead!