Cheerios!; Product Review of Great Value GF Granola Bars; The Rusty, Dusty Wagon Wheels Are Rolling Again

Before I arrived in South Carolina in September to see my new granddaughter, my son bought some gluten-free cereal so that I would have something to eat for breakfast while I was there. I was delighted to find out that one of the cereals was Honey Nut Cheerios, and it was gluten free! When I got home, I purchased Frosted Cheerios and Multi-grain Cheerios as well.  I love these cereals! I enjoy mixing plain Cheerios with Honey Nut Cheerios, to lesson the sugar load. 

I was fascinated as I read the back of the cereal box about the person (Phil) who works for Cheerios and made changes to the process to make these cereals gluten-free for his daughter-in-law and others. Amazing!  

I am glad that General Mills weathered the storm and stayed with gluten-free production, even though they had an unfortunate, one-time incident in July at their Lodi, California facility.  The rail system was down, and the gluten-free oat flour was being off-loaded from rail cars to trucks.  Due to human error, wheat flour ended up in the gluten-free line, and Cheerios cereal was cross contaminated.  They had to recall boxes to prevent more people from getting sick.  A huge thank you to General Mills, and to Phil Zietlow, for removing gluten from the entire process and for making sure that the oats are sorted out and separated from the wheat and barley grains. Phil invented Honey Nut Cheerios as well. :)  

Click on this link to watch a touching video about Phil and how he surprised his daughter-in-law after five years of hard work in figuring out how to make gluten-free Cheerios.

https://youtu.be/WEQbGcMVqR4

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We recently tried three varieties of Great Value Gluten-Free Granola Bars.  Way to go, Wal-Mart, for working on more gluten-free products for us!

I am rating the Peanut Butter flavor at 2 out of 10 (none of us liked it very much), Fruit Mix at 6 out of 10, and Dark Chocolate at 8 out of 10 (though these are a bit too sweet for me).

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"Rusty, dusty wagon wheels" is included in the title because I haven't written a blog post since September.  I must admit I have been consumed by several projects, but mostly I have loved spending time with family (particularly two new grandbabies, along with a visit to my 4-year-old granddaughter).  How can I resist?  They are all too cute and lovable!

I feel you would agree that we will gain more satisfaction and joy in life by nourishing our relationships and serving others than by any other way.  So please give a child, a parent, a sibling, or a friend a hug today and perform a good deed for them.  You will be glad you did!  :)

Product Review of Perfect Bar; The Joys of Being a Grandma!

Summer is fleeting away and I have been busy with family reunions, trips, and family events.  It is amazing how time flies in the summer and it always does.

Last spring, my husband presented a seminar for some employees, and the owner of the company and his wife were truly kind and giving.  She took note that I had to eat gluten-free food, and provided me with a box of Perfect Bar gluten-free snack bars in place of the granola bars they served to the others for a snack.  So thoughtful!

(Photo Source:  www.perfectbar.com)

These Perfect Bars were pretty tasty.  I am rating them at 7 out of 10 because the texture was thick and pasty.  These bars are more like a cereal bar than a light granola bar, and that may be the reason the texture is heavy.

Isn't it wonderful that there are now several gluten-free granola bars on the market?  Great Value Granola Bars are delicious, along with several Nature Valley Granola Bars, like Peanut Almond & Dark Chocolate, Salted Caramel Nut, and Coconut Almond.

I can't close this post without stating how joyful it is to be a Grandma!  We have one granddaughter who is four years old and has brought so much happiness to our family, and now we have another granddaughter who is three days old!  Isn't she darling?  I feel that family can bring the greatest joy we can experience in this life.

"Bernadine Healy, in a commencement address, gave this counsel: “As a physician, who has been deeply privileged to share the most profound moments of people’s lives including their final moments, let me tell you a secret. People facing death don’t think about what degrees they have earned, what positions they have held, or how much wealth they have accumulated. At the end, what really matters is who you loved and who loved you. That circle of love is everything, and is a great measure of a past life. It is the gift of greatest worth.” ¹¹

"Near the end of his life, one father looked back on how he had spent his time on earth. An acclaimed, respected author of numerous scholarly works, he said, “I wish I had written one less book and taken my children fishing more often.”

"Time passes quickly. Many parents say that it seems like yesterday that their children were born. Now those children are grown, perhaps with children of their own. “Where did the years go?” they ask. We cannot call back time that is past, we cannot stop time that now is, and we cannot experience the future in our present state. Time is a gift, a treasure not to be put aside for the future but to be used wisely in the present."

Thomas S. Monson, https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2000/10/dedication-day?lang=eng

Product Review of Mom's Place Gluten-Free Corndog Mix

I know hot dogs aren't the most nutritious food in the world, but every once in a long while it is fun to have one.  I always spend the extra money and get all-beef hot dogs.  They are worth the money.  My daughter and son love corn dogs, so it was fun to find this mix.  We loved the taste and I am rating the mix at 9.5.

Preparing these corn dogs was difficult for me, however.  I couldn't get the batter consistency correct.  It wouldn't stick to the hot dogs properly, and I had to press it around the hot dog.  Then I tried adding more water with the hope that it would work better, but it didn't help and made it worse since it wouldn't adhere at all.  It was worth the struggle though, and even though the corn dogs aren't as pretty as the gluten kind, we didn't care. :)

Product Review of Chebe Cinnamon Roll Mix...and My Cinnamon Roll Recipe

It was fun to try a gluten-free cinnamon roll mix.  My daughter made these and did a great job. Maybe it was so much fun because she made the rolls and I didn't have to do it. :) The rolls are tiny (about 3 inches in diameter) and the texture is quite dense, but they have good flavor.  I am rating them at 7. We added a glaze and it improved the flavor greatly (to 8.5).

Click on the link to a blog post from one of the authors of  the "Our Best Bites" cookbook, who tried out my cinnamon roll recipe and posted it on their blog back in 2011.  We love this recipe and hope you will enjoy it as well (enough to buy my cookbook). :)

http://ourbestbites.com/2011/08/gluten-free-rolls-gf-cinnamon-cream-cheese-rolls/

Also, go to this link to check out my ebook:

http://www.amazon.com/Gluten-Free-Cooking-Delicious-Breakfasts-Breads-ebook/dp/B00MFXXZG6/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1431981843&sr=1-1&keywords=ebook+susan+bell+gluten+free+breads+and+breakfast

Comparison of Gluten-Free Pizza

Pizza!  Our family loves pizza!  I enjoy and frequently make my pizza recipe in my cookbook. However, I am happy that there are several brands of gluten-free pizza in my grocery store now and at Papa Murphy's Take and Bake Restaurant, which comes in handy if I am going out of town and need a quick meal for our kids.  It doesn't come without a price, though.  The average price for these pizzas was around $8-10, and the pizzas are quite small.

Here are the pizzas we tried:

Chef Anthony Russo's:  Rating 6.5

Papa Murphy's Take and Bake Gluten-Free Pizza:  Rating 8.5

Amy's:  Rating 7

Udi's:  Rating 7

Freschetta:  Rating 9.5

In our opinion, Freschetta is the winner for sure!  It has a great flavor, though the crust is slightly chewy.  In addition, I need to clarify that I am pretty sure this pizza compares very well with a Little Caesar's pizza, but not with my distant memory of what Pizza Hut pizza tastes like.  For a gluten-free pizza, it is quite tasty.  My daughter (who can eat gluten) commented that it tasted as good as a gluten pizza.  As you may guess, I am still partial to my homemade pizza recipe, found in my cookbook on page 164 and in my blog post of 9-24-14. :)

Product Review of Glutenfreeda Gluten Free Pizza Wraps; Recipe for Pizza Tortillas

These little pizza wrap is high in price and not worth the money.  I am rating it at 6.  The flavor wasn't great.

I love the convenience of the ever-increasing variety of products in the freezer of many grocery stores that are gluten free. However, I think I will stick with Tortilla Pizza made at home.  These are quick and easy to make, and our kids love them! :)  See the recipe below, which is from page 162 in my cookbook, along with some other great tortilla wraps.

I hope you enjoy it!

TORTILLA PIZZA

Top a corn tortilla with spaghetti sauce, pepperoni or bacon pieces, cheese, and other desired toppings. Put another tortilla on top and fry in small amount of olive oil on both sides until lightly browned and cheese is melted. Cut into pie-shaped pieces and serve warm.

Product Review of Mission Gluten-Free Tortillas

"This quesadilla is the best thing ever! It's something I could walk around in public with...and not be ashamed." :) 

These are the words of our college-age son about a quesadilla he made with Mission Gluten-Free Tortillas.  We were giddy when we tasted these since they look so much like flour tortillas made with gluten.  These tortillas may not be as flavorful as corn tortillas for some recipes, like Quick Chicken Tortillas in my cookbook, but they are great with cheese melted in them.  The texture is good, though slightly gummy (consequently you may want to separate these with paper towels when microwaving since ours stuck together when we microwaved three of them at a time).  The flavor is great, but there is a slight aftertaste. 

I am rating them at 8.5 out of 10.  It is fun to have these tortillas as another option for occasional snacks, even though these tortillas aren't a powerhouse when it comes to nutrients.