Allergy Free White Cake

I am trying to make a cake for my good friend's daughter.  She has many food allergies, including wheat, eggs, and dairy.  I tried one recipe a couple weeks back and wasn't pleased with the texture of the end product, it had great flavor, but it was very dense.  I just had to find a better recipe.

I have been reading about whacky cake recipes online and how they were popular during the depression when people didn't have extra cash for things like milk and eggs.  I actually remember these cakes from my days in grade school.  The whacky cake recipes produced cakes that were great tasting and very moist.  Now, if I could just  fine one catering to a gluten free diet, I would be set.  After several nights looking, I finally found one, Kathy P's Wacky Cake recipe.

Tonight I tried out Kathy P's Wacky Cake recipe and was very pleased with the results!  The cake was very moist and wasn't dense.  The cake was still heavier than a traditional cake, but that's to be expected when cooking gluten free.  I also managed to get a tiny taste when I trimmed down the crown of the cake for stacking it.  The taste was also yummy, score!

I also bought some Cherrybrook Kitchen Vanilla Frosting (completely allergy free).  I guess I can't have it all... the  frosting was extremely thick and almost like glue.  At one point, I thought it was going to rip the top off the cake when I pulled my knife across it.  On a plus side, it had good flavor, but working with the frosting was a nightmare compared to normal frostings.  I think I am going to need to try and make a frosting from scratch so I can get the right consistency.

The important part is that I finally found the cake recipe I am going to use.  Thanks Kathy Przywara, your recipe is going to make a little girl very happy for her 3rd birthday!

Tyler Potty Time

So, as many parents know, there are unique events that occur with your children that are worth celebrating.  Two nights ago was one of those events for Casey and I.  Tyler managed to go #1 and #2 in his potty!!!  We were hoping Tyler would eventually do it.  He really enjoys sitting on his training potty, but has never done any real business other than rip off the potty's pee shield.

Good job little man!

Mini Monster March

Tonight Casey and I took Hailey and Tyler to Wegmans to check out the Mini Monster March.  It was a lot of fun for Hailey and Tyler.  Both got a bag with some goodies, plus there were games and snacks throughout the store.  We definitely had a good time, thank you Wegmans!

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Record Snow

Old news I know, but I finally got around to getting my pictures off my camera of the crazy record snow storm we had here.  I took a photo on the way to work last Friday, check out the trees in the back ground.



The kids and I went outside for some snow fun on Saturday before the flurries turned to rain.  We had a good time making a snow man and rolling around in the snow.  Tyler enjoyed eating snow too!

[caption id="attachment_398" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Tyler taking his first steps in snow"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_395" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Deck view of the Snow"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_396" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Hailey posing in the snow"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_397" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Tyler posing while Hailey works on mr snow man"][/caption]

Schwinn s[9Five].1 Photos

Awhile back I posted about getting my Schwinn s [9 Five].1 repaired with new brakes and shocks.  Well, I have been riding it ever since then.  I really like this bike because it is lighter and smaller than my other mountain bike.  Its also so much fun to ride on the trails around here (Bear Meadows).  Here are some photos of this bike, enjoy.

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Unos Chicago Grill - Gluten Free Pizza

I remember reading about how Unos Chicago Grill is offering gluten free pizza.  We were all over in Altoona today, which just happens to have a Unos and it was dinner time, so we stopped.  I made sure to ask the host if they offered the GF pizza, and she said yes sir.  Score!

Casey and I shared a GF Cheese Pizza and the kids had regular personal cheese pizzas.  Unos GF cheese pizza came very quickly, almost as quick as the kids.  Unos GF Cheese Pizza was a very thin crust, much thinner than Corinado's and extremely thing compared to my gluten free pizzas I make at home.  Unos GF Cheese Pizza had decent flavor and I would most likely have it again when traveling with the family.  The price was decent too:  $10 for a 12-14 inch pizza.

So if  you are out and about on travel, and looking for a decent GF pizza, give Unos a try.

A cup of coffee is just that, right?

A cup of coffee is how I start my day.  I grind my own beans and use a finer grind to achieve a darker more flavorful brew. I enjoy the taste of coffee, and I thought grinding my own beans was enough to enjoy a great cup.  

I have been a member of the monthly coffee club, which is far from a great cup of coffee,. Its a bitter, shallow flavored, commercial grind that claims to be good to the last drop (yeah right).  It is a good source of caffeine and cheap, but that's only pros.  So I stopped paying and drinking the stuff.

Recently, I was reading a post on a friend's blog about making the perfect cup of coffee.

Celiac Support Group Meeting

Wow big turnout for tonight's meeting.  It was good to see lots of new faces and hear their stories.  I really hope that the group can help these new members ease their mines in knowing that living gluten free is not as hard as it may first seem.

Tonight was recipe exchange night and several people provided copies of their recipes, and some even brought samples of their yummies!  I took my favorite pizza crust recipe as well as the peanut butter chocolate pie I so enjoy.

Ken and Karen brought a motherload of freebees from various gluten free food companies: Bob's Red Mill, Quin0a, and others.  Bob's Red Mill send 20+ bags of their new GF Corn Meal!  The same with Quinoa, loads of their corn+quinoa blend pasta.  This is really amazing how these two companies chose to be so giving and supplying these samples.  

Tonight Heidi also covered the proposal of developing a board for the group, pres, secretary, public relations, etc.  Casey and I would definitely like to help, but need to figure out just how much time we can provide since Tyler and Hailey keep up pretty busy.  We will see, I know that if the group continues to grow like this we are definitely going to need some sort of board of people to keep things running smoothly.  

Thanks again to Heidi for organizing the meeting. Thanks Ken and Karen for contacting these companies about samples and bringing those samples to the meeting.

Dad's Birthday

Tyler and I enjoyed getting pizza and taking it over to my dad's house for his birthday. It was nice just us guys hanging out together. After eating we went out side and ate red raspberries for dessert. Tyler kept trying to eat the unripe ones, yuck! Tyler also enjoyed running around my dad's yard since it is fenced in. Good times, happy birthday dad!

Summer time in the city

Its funny how summer time keeps people busy and outside... I guess that is why I haven't been posting any new entries.  My sister told me I was being lazy.  lol

Anyhow, Casey and I have been enjoying the summer.  We went to Alexandria, VA this weekend for a bachelor and bachelorette party.  It was fun.  The party/gathering was at Dave and Busters.  We had never been to a Dave and Busters, but it is basically a Chucky Cheese for adults.  We had a good time.  

Casey and I did dinner at P.F. Changs which was right around the corner from Dave and Busters.  Casey loves P.F. Changs because it is the only Chinese food that Casey can eat that is gluten free (normal soy sauce is bad news).  We shared a bottle of riesling wine, some chicken lettuce wraps, and both of us had Ginger Chicken Broccoli entrees.  

After Dave and Busters, the group decided it was time to venture into the city for some fun.  We all headed to a little bar called the Madhatter.  It was a small bar, but a favorite of the bachelor and bachelorette.  Casey and I left the bar at around 1:30am and caught a ride on the Metro back to our hotel.  The Metro ride was interesting since neither of us had ever ridden the Metro by ourselves.  We managed to figure the ticket machine, hopped on the train, and made one switch to a different line, and finally got back to our hotel. woohoo.

I will try to post more frequently, or maybe not since it is summertime.

Dinner with Friends

This evening, I had the pleasure of cooking for my good friends from college; Chris, Jim, and John.  I prepared some excellent tenderloins and salmon on the grill for my guests.  Their taste buds were pleased and their bellies full after dinner.    I setup  my friend John (the mojito master) by buying some mint and limes.  I was hoping that he would show us his mojito skills and he sure did.  His mojito's were so delicious.  Thanks John and Dorota, Chris and Loretta, and Jim for the great evening!

Giant CFM-3 Tires

My co-worker and I ordered some WTB Timberwolf 2.3 tires from Nashbar.  These tires came in this past week and I installed them on my 1995 Giant CFM-3 mountain bike.  These tires are INSANE looking!  To quote Pat, "They look like truck tires."  

I got to try them out Thursday after work by taking ride up Shingletown Gap Lower Trail.  This trail is pretty rough (roots, stones, logs, etc), but these tires just rolled right over everything and didn't slip out from under me at all.  I think they were a wise choice and I look forward to hitting the Longberger Trail soon with these tires.

Schwinn s[9Five].1 Repaired

I got my 1995 Schwinn s[9five].1 mountain bike back from my local bike shop (LBS) today. Thanks to the LBS owners (Justin and Jordyn) for making some great recommendations for fixing this oldie but goodie.

It was in need of some upgrades: new supsension forks, v-brakes, and v-brake compatible levers/shifters. The Rock Shox Judy XC fork was replaced with a Rock Shox DART 2, since anything more extreme (too much travel) would probably affect the overall handling in a negative way. The LBS got me some used v-brake compatible levers/shifters, so that saved me some cash, but they are a little bulky.

I still need put on some new rubber, then this bike will be trail ready. I will also be keeping my eyes open for some new 7 speed Shimano STX rapid fire shifters to replace the used ones the LBS put on it.

Finger Lakes Trip

Casey and I had the opportunity to escape to the finger lake region (Seneca Lake) on Friday for an overnight.  The trip was a last minute one, because we realized if we didn't go now we might not get up there until late fall.

Casey and I have stayed at different places in the past; hotels and B&Bs.  This time we did something different, thanks to one of Casey's co-workers for letting us know about a wonderful place.  We stayed at Finger Lakes Cabins at Mill Creek near Valois, NY (East Side of Seneca Lake).  This place had two cabins that were fully loaded with everything we could possibly need (soap, shampoo, stove, fridge, microwave, tv, games, coffee, creamer, charcoal for the grill, wood for the fire pit... you get the idea).  

Gluten-Free Banana Bread

This past weekend I was woken up by my daughter Hailey telling me that mommy cooked a surprise for me.  When I entered the kitchen, I saw something that I haven't seen for breakfast since before Casey was diagnosed with Celiac disease... banana bread... and it looked and smelled wonderful.

Casey made the bread from a recipe on the back of a Pamela's Products Baking and Pancake Mix.  She said it was so  easy and the results were definitely the same as everything we have made with this mix, super yummy.  Below are some photos for you to enjoy.

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Gluten-Free Green Peppers and Pepperoni Pizza

I know that I have posted about my gluten free pizza before, but this time the photos are better.  Enjoy.  I think I have gotten this recipe down perfect now, I haven't made a less than perfect pizza in over 6 months.  Here are some photos of the yumminess.

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Tyler's 18 Month Checkup

I took Tyler to his 18 month checkup with the Doctor today. He was such a good little dude at the office and everyone got a kick outta watching him run around and laughing. Little did he know he was going to be getting a shot today.

Tyler weighed in at 31 lbs @ 32 inches tall. Wow, he sure is one heavy guy. No wonder Casey is always saying her back hurts when she carries him. :)

When it came time for his shot he didn't even cry! He made a grunting noise like he was irritated. The nurse was very surprised and got Tyler a sticker for being such a good boy. He laughed and ran down the hallway when leaving... it was a good doctor visit.

Celiac Support Group Meeting

Tonight was my first time attending the State College Celiac Support Group.  I am just so excited to see a local group is now present because the next closest group is in Harrisburg, PA and that is just too far to drive.

Heidi Watson is the group organizer / contact person.  Kudos to her for getting the local support group started!  I enjoyed the meeting agenda.  I especially enjoyed the meeting's inclusion of two local business owners: Natures Pantry Owner and Corrinado's Pizza Owner.

Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins

Casey made these wonderful gluten-free blueberry muffins for breakfast!  These muffins are from our favorite gluten-free cookbook  (“Gluten-Free Baking Classic”).  I posted some photos so people could see how good they turn out.

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Update:  Entered the above photo in and this post into the Simply...Gluten Free Photo Contest.

Hands-on House

Casey and I took Hailey and Tyler to Lancaster, PA this past weekend to a place called the Hands-on House.  The Hands-on House is a children's museum featuring many day-to-day activities miniaturized for the benefit of educating children.  Activities like farming, fishing, grocery shopping, acting, and manufacturing were just a few things the kids could experience. 

[caption id="attachment_273" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Hands on house"][/caption]

Hailey's favorite experience was the factory where she could make widgets and learn about the processes involved with manufacturing.   Tyler's favorite experience was definitely the grocery store, he continuously pulled items from one shelve and put them on others.  It was so cute.  

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After the museum, we went to Carrabba's for some yummy food (they even had a gluten-free menu for Casey) and the kids were so well behaved.  It was  a fun day trip, if you get some time check out the Hands-on House.

Enjoyed Our Visitors

Kyra, nephew Paulie, and my mom left yesterday after visiting since last Tuesday.  It was so nice seeing them, especially baby Paulie.  This was the first time I had saw him in person since he was born 5 months ago.  He is such a pleasant little man, not fussy at all, and so happy.  Thanks Kyra for making the trip with the little guy.

Kyra and my mom spent a lot of time here at our house, but they also visited with GG and took Hailey out and about with them.  My dad stopped over on Thursday to see Paulie.

While our guests were here I made sure to keep their bellies full with yummy food.  I cooked breakfast, but I mostly took care of the dinners (Gluten-Free of course).  Some of the things I cooked included homemade pizza, an apple pork tenderloin dinner, rosemary balsamic chicken kabobs w/ mac n cheese, and apple crisp for desert.  Below are a few of the photos.

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All in all, I think Kyra, Paulie, and mom had a great time and we sure hope they come visit again soon.

Links/recipies for the foods shown above are listed here:

• Pork Tenderloin with Apples


• Gluten Free Mac and Cheese


• Gluten Free Apple Crisp (Book: Gluten Free Baking Classics)


• Rosemary Balsamic Chicken Kabobs (Wegmans prepared or by their marinade)

Now on Facebook...

Yeah, so like I said in my previous post, it wouldn't be long till I was on Facebook.  So far I can see why people get sucked into it, getting to see old classmates, etc, its fun.  I hope to use it to keep in touch with my friends and catch up with old friends.

Casey on Facebook

Casey  joined the gorilla of social networks this evening, Facebook. Thanks Kyra! Looks like she is going to easily be able to connect with her old friends, co-workers, etc. Maybe I should join sometime soon, we'll see...

Gateway Lodge - Heading home

It snowed overnight!  There was a fresh 4 inches of the white stuff on the ground and everything looked awesome outside.  We had breakfast before finally packing up and checking out to head home.   Casey and I ended up getting home around 1:30pm, the kids were so happy to see us.

Thanks Wendy and Dustin for making the long drive to join Casey and I for a nice get away.  It was so nice seeing you two again.

Thanks Gateway lodge for a great visit.

Gateway Lodge - Full Day

Today was a full day at Gateway Lodge.  We finally got out of bed at 9 am and had breakfast at 10am.  We heard about the Cook's Forest Snowman in the Forest Day so we headed down to check it out. They had a chili cookoff, reindeer rides, ice skating, sled riding, and hot drinks.  There was a pretty good turnout.

[caption id="attachment_223" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Drinking the hot stuff"][/caption]

We returned to the lodge to warm up and relax.  We ended up having lunch in the great room and enjoying some wine.

Later that after noon, Wendy and Casey both had massages at the on-site spa.  Dustin took a nap and I read up on various fly fishing casting techniques (like the double haul cast).

We had reservations for dinner that evening at 7pm. It was delicious!  Dustin, Wendy, and I had the 8oz Filet.   Casey had the Salmon.  Dustin ordered a wonderful wine (Earthquake Petite Sirah '05) to pair up with our steak dinners.  After dinner, we all retreated to the great room, where I served some Gluten-Free Peanut Butter pie I brought for the occasion.

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Gateway Lodge - First Night

Casey and I arrived at Gateway Lodge around 4pm.  Dustin and Wendy were already there and greeted us when we got to our room.

We enjoyed each-other's company that evening; sharing wine, food, and stories.  We also got a game or two of pool in.  Check out the photos below:

 

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Cooks Forest with friends

Tomorrow, Casey and I are treating ourselves to a weekend at the wonderful Gateway Lodge B & B in Cooksburg, PA.  The Gateway Lodge is a truly amazing jewel in the middle of the Cooks Forest State Forest.  They have everything you could want for a relaxing getaway from it all:  indoor pool, full day spa services, fine dining restaurant, full bar including a huge wine selection, luxurious rooms, and much more.  

[caption id="attachment_188" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Gateway Lodge's Great Room"][/caption]

This will be our third year in a row visiting this special place.  We enjoyed it so much that we asked our good friends Wendy and Dustin to join us last year.  

[caption id="attachment_187" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Wendy and Dustin "][/caption]

I don't need to say how they felt about the Gateway Lodge, they are also going to be joining us there tomorrow.  I will post some photos of the trip when we return Sunday.

P.S. - Thank you Bonnie and Don for watching the kids and letting Casey and I get away, we owe you!

Gluten-Free Chicken Cheese Steaks

One of my favorite meals to make for Casey is GF Chicken Cheese Steaks.



I used the recipe from my favorite gluten-free cookbook (“Gluten-Free Baking Classic”) to make the roll.  I thought I would post the photo for now just so people could see what the recipe from this book actually looks like when baked.  Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie

I have noticed that most gluten-free bloggers have wonderful photos and recipes for their visitors to Oooo and Ahh over... well the other night I was searching for a GF peanut butter pie and stumbled upon Simply Gluten Free the personal blog of Carol Kicinski. Carol's blog most definitely fits into the Ooo and Ahh category. Carol's Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie looked amazing and so I decided to give it a try.

It was really easy to make and tasted great. The only thing I would like to try is adding more peanut butter in the recipe. Below are some photos of the finished product.

Gluten-Free Breakfast

A favorite in our house are belgian waffles made using Pamela's Products Baking and Pancake Mix.  I have been using this mix ever since Casey first got diagnosed with Celiac disease.  It makes wonderful waffles as you can see in the image below.  

 

Gluten-Free Belgian Waffle

Casey asked me for blueberry pancakes yesterday and I figured I would give Pamela's mix a try and see how the pancakes would turn out.  The batter was just like real pancake batter, the batter baked up just like real pancake batter, and most importantly, they sure tasted like real pancakes!  Enjoy the photos and be sure to try out this mix for your gluten-free loved ones.