Pizza hodge podge

Yesterday I was at the hospital in the morning with my parents for some testing for Dad.   We got back to their place around 1ish.  I hadn't eaten anything since the breakfast sandwiches I made for Mom and I .   So it was time to eat something and I was craving pizza.  I had to go to the grocery store to get more apples for the apple crisp I was to make for mom, so I grabbed the Against the Grain pizza shell since all their products have been divine.  I topped it off with the Piazza Sorrento's marinara sauce mom had in the fridge and the Daiya dairy free mozzarella cheese and Sargento's Colby Jack cheese.  A total hodge podge of ingredients.  This was delicious.  Seriously good.  And by using the pizza tray to bake it, it was a floppy crust, almost like a pizzeria pizza.  I had to show some restraint eating it.  It was that good.   Mom agreed. She was loving it just as much as I was!

She also picked up some stuff at Made with Love Not Gluten.  OMG.  The strawberry filled cupcakes were amazing. I want a cake of this.  Soooooo good.  The orange cranberry scones were good too.  I have a few more items to try out, but it remains, I have yet to have anything here that was not good. 

 

catching up

It's been far too long and I know I have a lot to catch up on.   So let's dive in.  I found a new frozen pizza that I really love, and even Ken likes it.  And that is saying something.   Against the grain's regular pizza is pretty close to "normal" pizza.   It was delightful.  It turned out best when I followed their pizza stone instructions.   Good stuff, good stuff.
Made With Love Not Gluten has really expanded their hours and dear lord, is their food tasty.   I tried today doughnuts, brownies and cupcakes.  DELICIOUS!  I wish I lived closer so I could get it more often.  Might have to start asking to work there so I can get my fix!
Now due to some phone issues I am having (I would go into detail, but that would require more wine....) I am missing some of my photos to back up this post, so I will have to include some links.
We were on vacation in Cooperstown, NY this week, to take dad to the baseball hall of fame!   It's been a long time in the making, and with the way things have gone in the past few years, no time like the present to make and enjoy new memories.  You never know what will happen around the corner, so we did get to enjoy one of the places there that has some gluten free options, 3 times!  Two breakfasts and one dinner.  They had some decent options.  The Doubleday Cafe.   I really enjoyed the #6 breakfast (no breads) and the GF chicken quesadillas.  
I plan on getting back on the recipe experimentation track in the next few weeks now that we got some painting done at mom and dads and vacation out of the way.  I will also be continuing my tattoo removal.  Good times all around, lol.

http://www.againstthegraingourmet.com/products/

http://www.madewithlovenotgluten.com/

https://www.facebook.com/DoubledayCafe

GF pizza, cod and cider

When I was strolling through the grocery store the other day, I found this Gluten Free Breaded Cod.  So I had to buy it to try it.  it was rather tastey!  I would recommend spraying your tray though, I flipped it when they recommended and it was sticking to the pan. They said not to spray, so I didn't.  Next time I will.

 

We also went back to Sabatini's while up visiting Ken's family.   I still love their GF pizza.  I also go to try a new Cider this time, and LOVE it.  Hoping we can find it down here somewhere.  It was crisp and refreshing. 

Piazza Sorrento, Orville Redenbacher, Wild Tomato

I got to try more yummies at Piazza Sorrento, including their crab dip and the tiramisu.  OMG.  Delicious!  I also got to try the shrimp crostini.  I can't get over how everything I have had there has been so delicious.  They have won my heart and my tummy!

 

A friend also gave me the Orville Redenbacher's Pop Crunch with Brown Sugar and Cinnamon to try as it's gluten free.  Dear lord this was like crack.  I almost ate the whole bag it was that good.   Dangerously good.   Then I felt like making something sweet and made the Betty Crocker Chocolate cake mix and took some butter cream icing and threw some unsweetened cocoa powder in it.  Another home run.  Both Ken and I enjoyed those immensely. 

 

Now I also finally tried Wild Tomato's Margheita pizza.  It was better than I had expected.  I had to fight to not eat it all.  Another yummy find there.  Granted it arrived a little disgruntled...

 

My bestie and I are beach bound this weekend, and I am thinking of trying some new things down there as she is a seafood lover like I am.   I am excited to get to spend time with her since she lives on the other side of the country and to get to enjoy some beach time.   Woo hoo!!!

Giotti's and Zinco

I finally tried Giotti's in Harrisburg.  I got my standard, pizza.  It was OK.  I am not rushing back for it but the pasta dishes looked amazing so I believe I will be going back to give those a try.  

I also have been testing out some coconut waters and this chocolate one from Zinco is like

yohoo!  I liked it, willget  again :-)0

Chicken and Pizza

Ok, so tried a new recipe this week.  The Hellman's Parmesan Crusted Chicken.  Oh my god, this was good!  I was skeptical, as I am not a big fan of mayo, but this was a dish both Ken and I loved.  There are no pictures as it was consumed almost instantly.  This is by far the easiest recipe, I mean, 4 ingredients! I did alter it just a bit, as that is what I do.   I added a little parmesan cheese to the breadcrumbs and some garlic powder.  I used Ian's Italian Panko flakes for the bread crumbs.   Here is the recipe from the Hellman's site:

PARMESAN CRUSTED CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/4 lbs.)
• 4 tsp. Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Combine Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise with cheese in medium bowl. Arrange chicken on baking sheet. Evenly top with Mayonnaise mixture, then sprinkle with bread crumbs.
3. Bake until chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 20 minutes.

http://www.hellmanns.com/recipes/detail/32658/1/parmesan-crusted-chicken

Also of note, it seems more of the Giant stores are carrying the Better Bread pizza's and pizza dough.  I am totally stoked over this.  I don't have to alternate my grocery destinations any more to buy it :-)  I am still getting the hang of the dough ball though.   It has no suggested baking times or recipe's etc.   It's been hit or miss with using it for bread sticks and garlic knots.  I think it does need to be baked a bit before doing any toppings, etc.   past that, it's still in the testing phase for me.  Their website is being serviced so I plan to check there after it's back up and running to see if anyone has commented on using it.    

http://www.betterbreadcompany.com/

Frozen food finds

So, I know I reported on this company before, the  Better Bread company is just yummy for frozen pizza.   http://betterbreadcompany.com/ Now, only one of the Giant Food Stores carries these around here so far, and apparently they carry the dough ball, which is out of stock every time I try to get it.  A good sign I say.  But I tried their pepperoni pizza and the margherita pizza.  They were delicious.  Normally with the Gluten Free pizza's, they are small, but large enough that I typically split it into two meals.  The margherita pizza was hoovered.  Completely.  I inhaled that pizza. It was delicious.

Also on the pizza front, I was looking for things to take to work that were microwavable for when I don't have left overs to take for lunch.  I decided to give Ian's French Bread Pizza a try.  Now, I have a friend who recently became dairy free, and the way I described it to her, as it's dairy free too, "Hey Corie, this didn't suck".  LOL.   it didn't.  In fact, I bought it again.  The dairy free cheese is a little weird to me, but it's nice to have a microwave pizza for lunch in a pinch. I also tried Ian's Fish Sticks.  Totally love them.  Sometimes "kids foods" are perfect for dinner.  I am a large child after all.  I really enjoyed these.    

Lazzaro's Italian Bistro

My mother passed on a gift card that was given to her to us as the menu had a lot of gluten free items listed, and well, no matter how old you get, your mom still likes to take care of you.   So we decided to go for lunch today. First, I know this used to be a flower shop and apartment building.   I had been in the one of the apartments before and got to tell my friend who has moved away that I had lunch today in her old kitchen.   The place is very cozy and cute.  The menu is great, they offer a lot of gluten free options, including as I was told when we were leaving, a gluten free cupcake with canoli cream topping with cocoa dusting.  Oh .... My......God!!!!  I can't wait to go back and try that alone.  My litmus test, as always, is the pizza.   The crust didn't have much flavor per say, but the texture was great.  And finally, I got a pizza margherita with sauce instead of tomato slices.  I was very happy.  I would get it again.  Ken got a turkey and bacon panini.  He said it was good, could have used a little bit more meat in it, but over all we agreed we will be back and we are planning a family gathering there to introduce more people to it.  

<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/160/1721453/restaurant/Harrisburg/Lazzaros-Italian-Bistro-Palmyra"><img alt="Lazzaro's Italian Bistro on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1721453/biglink.gif" style="border:none;padding:0px;width:200px;height:146px" /></a>

Thanksgiving and more pizza!!!

So of course this being my first Gluten Free Thanksgiving I was excited to see how well things could be adapted.   First we had two different stuffing's, as I wasn't sure how mine would turn out, I had mom make hers for the rest of the folks in case mine bombed.   But luckily, my stuffing creation was actually yummy.   I made the Three Bakers Herb Seasoned Stuffing (http://www.celiac.com/glutenfreemall/three-bakers-herb-seasoned-whole-grain-glutenfree-stuffing-cubes-p-1853.html), which I had made once before on the stove top, and it kinda disintegrated, but did it this time in the oven and for much longer then suggested to get a nice crisped edged yet tender centered stuffing.   Then I took a loaf of gluten free bread and cubed it, let it air out all day and then did our traditional stuffing preparations with it and baked it.   I then mixed the two stuffings together.  Not a bad combo!   For the gravy I used potato flour to thicken it and it was spot on.   I asked my mother to use the Gluten Free Graham Cracker Crumbs (http://www.glutenfreepalace.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=KN4495&cse=googleproductsearch&utm_source=google_product_search&utm_medium=CSEs&utm_campaign=Kinnikinnick%20Gluten%20Free%20Graham%20Style%20Crumbs&gclid=CKSUopHu8rMCFdKd4Aod4U0AlQ)  she had found for me and make the pumpkin pie.  It was delicious!  One of the best I have ever had!  It was a nice time, as my parents, brother, Ken, and two of my uncles were here.   I wish we had a bigger place, I would invite more family to these events!  
We always split Thanksgiving between the morning with my family then up to Ken's for the rest of the day/weekend.   With his birthday at the end of the month we always have a birthday dinner up there and a nice time visiting.  We made it up there in time for dinner and more turkey and good stuff!  
Now, I had a goal to make it to Sabatini's (http://www.sabatinis.com/)   to try their gluten free pizza.  The crust was decent, but what won me over was they proper use of sauce! and their yummy cheese/sauce combo.  So many place skimp on the sauce on the gluten free pizza's (sorry Grotto, this is you I am talking about).  I would sooo get that again, and it took all I had not to eat the whole dang thing.   \
Next time we are up I hope to get more and to hit the Gluten Free Pantry and get some of their goodies!

Such a slacker!

With vacation, me being sick, Ken being sick, dad falling and having to go to the ER, work and a few other incidents, I have fallen way behind on my posts!  I will have to sit down and organize myself a bit, but I will say I have continued to find new and delicious gluten free restaurants and food!   

I also stumbled across a gluten free discount card.  It cost $10 and has some discounts for a few places, so I figured, why not!  It arrived this week and I am anxious to give it a try.  They have two separate ones, one for Dauphin county and one for Cumberland.  I bought both since I live in one and work in the other.

http://www.glutenfreebeescard.com/

I finally decided to try something else off the gluten free menu at Piazza Sorrento, as I figured, if they are nice enough to have such a full menu, I should give more than pizza a try.  I had their chicken Marsala over risotto.  It was delicious!   So glad I gave it a shot.   

In Massachusetts, many places were able to accommodate me, and I appreciate the efforts they made.   We hit Guiseppe's Ristorante and Piano Bar, and they had a wonderful gluten free pizza and just a nice atmosphere.  I would so love to go back there.   http://www.giuseppesma.com/

I recently purchased Three Bakers gluten free stuffing and am looking forward to seeing how it tastes.  My hope is that it is close to Stove Tops.  That, would be awesome.   

That is about all for now, until I sit down and organize the things I have been accumulating to add.

frozen pizzas and pizza puffs

I tried two new gluten free pizza's I ordered from the gluten free mall.  Udi's and Contes Margherita pizzas.   Now I LOVE Udi's breads, so I was certain I would love their pizza.  I didn't.  It really didn't have much flavor, which was a let down.   I may give their pepperoni pizza a try, as sometimes, that's enough to spice up a bland pizza.   The Contes was good.  I might still add a little extra flavor to it, but overall, a good frozen pizza.  Nice crust, lots of toppings, and it smelled and looked like a real pizza.  

I did try a new pinterest recipee out last week, for pizza puffs.  It wasn't bad.  I would make it again.   I think though, that I need to find a better pepperoni to put in it, as mine was a little extra greasy.  I know pepperoni is greasy, but this had a little extra which can hurt the tummy.

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup cubed pepperoni
• 1/2 cup store-bought pizza sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, Italian seasoning; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella, Parmesan and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.

2. Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.

Flinchy's

I met up with some coworkers to try a new place that lists gluten free items, Flinchy's. I tried their GF Pizza, as I try all pizza J it wasn't bad. It was not a frozen crust so I was happy, and it wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. I think it just needed some more flavor. Maybe a little less cheese too. I think Wild Tomato is still my fave gluten free pizza J they got it right!! I could actually go for some right now…..
I will go back to Flinchy's though, as they actually have several items available that are gluten free. A large chunk of their menu actually. So there is plenty for me to keep trying J
http://www.flinchys.com/menus
http://www.flinchys.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/menu-pizza-2010.pdf

Glutino

So far I am pretty pleased with Glutino. Their delicious, although horribly small, cheese pizza has the best gluten free crust I have had yet. It's actually so close to regular dough I didn't think of it as a gluten free pizza. So happy! Also tried their chocolate covered pretzels. YUM!!!!' I am looking forward to trying more of their peoducts. I bought their frozen chicken pad Thai meal for lunch at work next week. Here's to hoping it's as good as the other items I have tried :-)