Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

So I had originally planned a very different review of Betty Crocker's new gluten free chocolate chip cookies.

I was going to tell you that I was disappointed by this mix. I was going to tell you that I probably would not make these cookies again. I was going to tell you that I've never had good gluten free cookies and that these were only slightly better than the dozens of cookies that have met my garbage can.

So what changed?

Well, I guess I'll start from the beginning.

Since going gluten free, I have attempted chocolate chip cookies several times, every time ending in complete FAIL. Almost everytime, my cookies tasted like I dumped sand into the batter. The flavor, texture, everything was not right. Some just fell apart. Some spread out so thin on the baking sheet, that you could even remove them without your cookies becoming nothing but crumbs. Some stayed together but were inedible. Needless to say, I gave up on cookies and resigned myself to the fact that I would never enjoy home-baked cookies again. Was I sad? Maybe a little. But I had cakes and brownies to occupy my time..

Until a few days ago. I tried the new gluten free chocolate chip cookies from a local bakery in Tempe, AZ by the name of Cookies From Home. These cookies, literally, made both my husband and I stop and say, "Wait, are we sure these are gluten free?" You could NOT tell the difference. They were soft and chewy, tasted perfect, and had no trace of the tell-tale gluten free gritty, starchy texture. They were delightful and I ate a lot (two dozen-ish) in a matter of a few days (like...two. Okay, maybe three, but does that really make it any better?)

Now I am a cookie-aholic. The Betty Crocker GF cookie mix was, by far, the mix that I was the MOST excited about trying. I eagerly baked them up this weekend.

I felt positive about the results as I was mixing it up. How could Betty Crocker be wrong? The dough seemed dry and crumbly, but the box said it would. And it wasn't nearly as bad as some other doughs I've worked with. I followed the direction perfectly--I used a cool baking sheet for every batch and let the cookies cool for at least 2 minutes before removing them from the pan.

The cookies baked out to be very thin. So thin that if you held the cookie up to the light, you could see through it in some spots. They were also very delicate; a few fell apart. But, on the flip side, some held together perfectly.

Here's why I was going to give these a so-so review: these cookies just aren't the real thing. Shocking, I know. They taste gluten free. The texture is off and despite my best efforts, I couldn't ignore at first that underlying funky taste (what was that?). When you bit into a cookie, it almost felt to your month like you were eating a bunch of crumbs that were just haphazardly stuck together--if that makes sense. To be simple--these weren't even in the same ball park of awesomeness that Cookies From Home was.

So why the change of heart, you ask? Because I ate these cookies for breakfast for two days in a row. These cookies were demolished in our house before the weekend was over. They grew on me, and frankly, they weren't bad enough not to eat. I said I wouldn't make these again, but I would. Because when it comes down to it, I LOVE cookies. Just don't expect to take these to a company picnic and have people rave over them and go back for round two or three.

Odds are, you'll like these enough as well to make in your own home. I'm just warning you beforehand, make sure your expectations aren't too high. They aren't Mom's homemade Tollhouse deliciousness. Didn't stop me from devouring them though, or from going to pick up another box....

Betty Crocker's Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix

If there is ever a reason to eat a slice of cake before dinner, it is Betty Crocker's gluten free yellow cake.

It is no secret to the gluten free community that Betty Crocker, as of June 1st, has unleashed it's new line of gluten free mixes. There are 4 total: yellow cake, devil's food cake, chocolate chip cookies, and brownies. I have scoured the shelves for what felt like ages (what do you mean, it's only been a week??) and last night we found them at Fry's!

My local store only carried the yellow cake and brownies. So, of course, I snatched them up. They sell for $4.49 each. Today, while on my lunch break, I found the chocolate chip cookies at the Fry's across the street. Apparently Fry's does not like devil's food cake, but 3 of the 4 mixes still makes me enthusiastically happy.

Never one to have a lot of patience, I baked up the gluten free yellow cake last night.

I couldn't even wait 15 minutes after it was done before I was slathering on the frosting! We chose lemon frosting.

Here is the slice that I am eating as we speak, thus spoiling my dinner (I don't care!) :

Straight from the oven, this cake is heavenly. It is light, fluffy, and moist, with no gritty texture. The edges of the cake are slightly dry, however. But trust me, it won't stop you from devouring every last crumb. The taste is better than you can even hope for. I've had some really bad gluten free yellow cake before, so bad that I've sworn off of even trying to bake any more. But, Betty Crocker's gluten free yellow cake mix did not leave me (or my husband) disappointed.

The next day, the cake is significantly more dense. But the density doesn't ruin the cake in the slightest. The flavor is fantastic (have I mentioned that?), and exactly how I remember yellow cake to taste. This cake paired with the lemon frosting is delicious; I highly recommend it.

I am so excited to have these new Betty Crocker gluten free mixes available. I know that whenever someone in my family wants to make a gluten free dessert that I can eat at family gatherings, seeing the familiar Betty Crocker name will greatly ease their worries. I can tell you that this yellow cake will be a staple in my pantry and my first choice for birthday cakes (or even whenever cakes). :)

Can't wait to hear what everyone else thinks! I'll update on the cookies and brownies as SOON as I make them--which probably won't be long from now!

Gluten Free Creations Honey Oat Bread

For those of you who have not heard of it, Gluten Free Creations is a 100% gluten free bakery in Phoenix, AZ. I frequently complain that people on the East Coast have access to WAAAYYY more gluten free goodies than us West Coast-ers, but here I am, a gluten free bakery within driving distance that I have known existed for at least a year, and this is my first time trying ANY of their products. LOL. I finally decided that I would probably never, ever remember to find the time to drive down there, so cravings for bagels and donuts led me to their website.

Their website requires a minimum order of $30.00, but luckily shipping was not expensive at all because I live in the same state. One of my major grievances is that I can't try gluten free food from East Coast based companies because I REFUSE to pay upwards of $40.00 to ship it to me (Ahem...JOAN'S). So, I ordered up a few extra goodies to try.

I decided to try a pre-made gluten free bread (which goes against almost all of my principles...they seem to always turn out terrible) for a couple of reasons:

1. I hate spending HOURS baking gluten free bread just so I can eat a damn sandwich. I thought sandwiches are supposed to be easy?!?

2. I can never ever cut my bread slices evenly. It's so bad. The top of the slice is like an inch and a half thick, while the bottom is paper thin. Makes for a lopsided (and thus, not so tasty) sandwich.

3. I have never once finished a loaf of bread that I have slaved away making. I don't slice ahead and freeze due to my lack of slicing skills, so it goes bad in the fridge within days. And then my heart cries when I throw it in the garbage.

I ordered their honey oat bread, which for a smaller-than-average-but-average-for-gluten-free loaf cost $8.55:


Along with being gluten free, this bread also contains no dairy, nuts, or soy ingredients. It says right on the front that the oats are certified gluten free.


Here is the loaf, to show you texture, because we all know that texture is make or break for gluten free bread.

In fact, I won't even buy/make a gluten free bread if I can't see the texture of the finished product beforehand. All those nooks and crannies are key!

Oh...you wanna know how it tasted? Hmm, let me think, it was...

FREAKIN' AMAZING!!

I have every intention of ordering loaf upon loaf of this bread and freezing it so I never ever ever have to bake bread again. This is light, fluffy, doesn't crumble at all, and has a lightly sweet flavor. Once toasted, it really doesn't taste that gluten free. I say it that way because to you or I, this is wins a gold freaking star for most amazing bread ever, but you could not substitute it to a "regular" person without them knowing something's up. However, I have no doubt that my (super amazing, incredible, uber supportive) husband would willingly eat this every day for the rest of his life if I really asked him too.

Here is my panini that I made using the bread last night:

Delicious bread without all the work! It doesn't get any better than that!

Mixteca Mexican Food

If Brandon is ever in Glendale (which is fairly frequently), I don't even have to guess what he is getting for lunch. He swears by this Mexican food restaurant called Mixteca. I've heard him tell me countless times about their super soft corn tortillas and their shredded chicken meat that comprises their sinfully delicious chicken tacos.

Two days ago while in Glendale for work, Brandon inquired about whether or not their tacos were gluten free. The owner said that he could very easily make sure they were gluten free. All he had to do was really scrub down the grill, and if Brandon gave him some time, it would be no problem at all.

So that's what Brandon did. He returned to Mixteca after work to pick up 4 chicken tacos to bring home for dinner so I could try the now infamous Mixteca chicken tacos. And you know what this frugal wife loves? It only cost 10 bucks.

My first thought upon seeing these tacos was, Oh my gosh, that's a HUGE taco. They do not skimp on anything! I was so hungry that I literally INHALED my first (enormous) taco before even considering taking a photo! HA!


They are double wrapped in two of the softest corn tortillas that you will ever encounter. How do they do that? Because I would surely enjoy corn tortillas a LOT more if I could always get them that soft and pliable. It didn't even bother me that there were two of them...normally that would be corn tortilla overload for me, as I'm not that wild about them.

These pictures really don't do them justice. This was my second taco after I had already taken 2 bites out of it, lol. That's not easy to work around. :)

The chicken meat is SO GOOD. Its tender, with peppers mixed throughout. And my favorite ingredient? CINNAMON! It's not overwhelmed by cinnamon, but its just enough to grab your taste buds and make you say, wow! They also come with salsa on the side that is fantastic.

All in all, these tacos started a party in my mouth and I loved every second. I might even need to find an excuse to drive through Glendale (which is like, an hour and a half from my house) on a weekly basis...

They don't have a website that I can find, so here is their information. I definitely recommend checking them out if you are ever in the area!

Mixteca

6731 W Bell Rd

Glendale, AZ 85308

623-776-3511

I love it when we find somewhere that is more than willing to accomodate a gluten free diet! And finally, a place to eat Mexican food that ISN'T Chipotle! Hooray for having choices!

My Gluten Free Wedding! (Lots of pics!)

So, as you probably already know (because it's OLD NEWS by now...lol!), Brandon and I got married on April 4th!

It turned out EXACTLY like we wanted: small, simplistic, and FUN! Oh, and for the most part, it was gluten free!!

There were only like 60 people there, which was great. At first we were concerned that the wedding kept growing and growing, but in the end, the amount of people there was perfect. The weather was not as good as we had hoped, but it was better than every other day that week! Apparently in Arizona, we don't get rain in the Spring, just lots of wind and dust! The whole week (and particularly the day before the wedding--it was the worst) had winds of 35 mph with gusts up to 50! There was dust everywhere. Did I forget to mention that our entire wedding and reception was outdoors in a park? Yeah. Fortunately, the wind died down on our wedding day to about 10 mph and eventually stopped in the evening. It was only about 75 that day (it was 85-ish the rest of the week!) so it got COLD at night. Luckily the rental place (Affordable Rentals in Tempe) were AWESOME. We managed to get ahold of them, AFTER HOURS, and they rushed like 6 or 8 heaters out to us. It made a WORLD of difference, and everyone could get their dance on without shivering!

I made my grand entrance on our Arctic Cat, driven by my dad. It was definitely an original idea and reflected our life/personalities perfectly! It was even decorated by the groom himself with tulle (you'll see it in the pictures!) It was definitely a conversation piece!

We had John Ore, a Justice of the Peace from Chandler, as our officiant. Let me tell you, if you are in Arizona and are getting married, we HIGHLY recommend him! He brought a little humor to the ceremony, which all our guests loved (and so did we!).

And now, to the important stuff. Gluten free food!

As I mentioned before, we had our wedding cake done by Sugarlips Cakery. The cake was absolutely beautiful. It was 3 tiers, with the top tier being gluten free. It was a vanilla or white gluten free cake with strawberry and buttercream filling. It was so good. Then the bottom two tiers were regular vanilla cake and raspberry filling. The groom said it was amazing. AND the best part is, they separated the top tier from the others with TWO plate-thingys (I can't for the life of me think of what they're called right now, lol), one the exact size of the cake, and the other a little bigger to make sure none of it touched! HOORAY!

The catering was done by Crackers and Company Cafe. I will never, ever, EVER be able to sing enough praises for Crackers and Company. Seriously. They were absolutely AMAZING!! From the moment we contacted them, they were completely on board for preparing the meal gluten free. They were so helpful and so detailed in the menu. We ended up having:

Pork loin (which had some sort of apple glaze or something...incredible)
A carving station of turkey breast (with cranberry sauce on the side)
Roasted red potatoes (that had peppers in it..everyone LOVED them)
A vegetable medley
Salad topped with all kinds of goodies: mushrooms, peppers, etc (croutons and dressings on the side)

They had a bread display, away from everything. They had servers at the buffet table and totally understood the importance of making sure that spoons did not travel. These people blew my mind. We spoke with the owner directly (she was even at our wedding) and they went over EVERY single thing that was going into the food. They sent me a fax of photocopies of ingredient labels for everything, even the meats. They faxed me copies of emails they sent with their providers, ensuring everything's gluten free status. They even told me that if the meat was not gluten free they would go down to AJ's the day of the wedding and buy me my own pork loin! Oh, and I had originally wanted lemon herb chicken for the menu, but picky eaters created a problem (read: my DAD), so the chef offered to make my maid of honor and I our own lemon herb chicken breasts, aside from everything. They were so accomodating! The chef called me the day before the wedding to read me the ingredient label of something before he made the apple glaze. The owner went to back and grabbed the ranch dressing container they use at the restaurant and let Brandon read the label himself. And to top everything off, they said if it ended up raining on our wedding day, that we could move our reception to their restaurant (not even 5 minutes down the street) and have it all to ourselves at no cost!! OMG, right? I could not have wished, hoped, or DREAMED for a better wedding catering experience. They are incredible, friendly, helpful people at Crackers and Company, and seriously, if you are in Arizona, stop by their restaurant--they have a few locations. (And no I'm not getting paid to say all this, LOL! They just did a phenominal job and really went above and beyond; they deserve all the business they get! I've never been to a single restaurant where I've gotten such great service.)

And now...to the pictures. Our photography was done by Cayla Rynerson Photography...she did such a great job on these photos! She was also a lot of fun and VERY affordable!

These are in no particular order..they uploaded all funny. But there's too many to go back and rearrange :)

Our first kiss as husband and wife!

The gluten free cake! Neither of us trusting the other to not smash it in our face :)

The Arctic Cat!

I now pronounce you Mr and Mrs Brandon S.

The ceremony. It was beautiful! Everything we wanted!

My maid of honor, Michelle, and I!

I love this picture!

The wedding cake! Top tier was gluten free!

A friend of mine called this photo, "erotic." LOL!

My incredible sexy groom! My favorite pics of him.

The boys!

This is very close to being my favorite picture! It's hard to decide, but I LOVE it. Cayla Rynerson Photography...for real, she's awesome.

Husband and wife!

LOVE IT!

So there you go, now I'm a gluten free newlywed!

My Gluten Free Bachelorette Party!

My bachelorette party was on March 28th -- the weekend before my wedding! I have NO pictures pretty much...I was too intoxicated to photograph! LOL!

It started with Misty (Brandon's brother's girlfriend...got that? Lol) making me gluten free cheese danishes, a fruit salad, and a mimosa for breakfast! It turned out great! Then it was off to a full body massage, which I was a little nervous about at first! I've had massage therapy in the past that left me feeling sore and like my muscles were bruised. I enjoyed the massage though and it was definitely what I needed after all the stress that I was under! Turns out my shoulders were incredibly tense and so was my right arm, which explained the numbness that I'd occassionally have in my right hand! The nerves in my fingers felt like they were dancing in jubilee after the arm/hand massage.

After the full body massage, Misty took me for a facial. I have never had a facial before. It was very relaxing, and included a hand/foot massage. I do have to say that it is very weird to have some stranger squeezing gunk out of your pores, lol. She did tell me that I had very nice skin though, so I got over it quickly. I've discovered that I don't really like my feet being massaged...she would rub my feet then rub my legs and I just felt like I was covered in foot-ness. Yes, I am aware that I am weird. The facial was very nice and relaxing, but the moisturizer she put on me last left me feeling greasy and oily. Yuck. It soaked in though, and was eventually fine. It was a day of pampering!

After the facial, Misty and I went to Dos Gringos for lunch and this is where the boozing officially began. We had 2 tequila shots, and on top of that I probably had 4 margaritas (and I think my straw may have found its way into Misty's margarita at some point too). I was HAMMERED. Lol. Chris came over to hang out for a bit after he got done playing softball, so I convinced Brandon to come by too. He was cracking up at my drunk antics. Then, the boys drove Misty and I to the mall to do some shopping! Brandon gave Misty $100 to give me for shopping money! Isn't he the best?!? We were not at the mall long, though, because we had to get home to get ready for our evening! All I ended up buying at the mall was candy, everything else was blurry! HA!

So I went home and threw myself together and Misty picked me up. She had a very STRONG peach belini waiting for me! Oh man.

We met up with everyone at Picazzo's, my favorite gluten free friendly restaurant! My maid of honor Michelle (whom I have sung many praises about before) put together a great bachelorette party/dinner!

She had fun pink Girls Night Out leis for everyone and shot glass favors on the tables! She gave me a Bachelorette sash and a Bride To Be hat, complete with a veil attached to it! I arrived to dinner still drunk, so I was game for anything!

I even started wearing the bows from the presents on my head!


I had a delicious lemon drop martini, which is MY FAVE (and according to other pictures I've seen, I drank Misty's too...what is up with that! HA) We ordered gluten free pizza for everyone, which everyone LOVED. We ordered Ulimate Pepperoni and the Chicken and Applewood Smoked Bacon (my personal favorite). Picazzo's NEVER disappoints!

We opened presents, which I will not be posting pictures of, because, well, it was a bachelorette party and the pictures aren't for kids. :)

The bartender mixed us up some sort of shot, for all of us, on the house! They were TERRIBLE, but that didn't stop me from drinking two!

Michelle did a great job putting everything together, and I had a blast!! After Picazzo's, we had a bit of a house party, where I never saw my mimosa glass empty, so I couldn't even tell you how much I drank. I think there were some shots in there too, that were awful. Bleh. I had so much fun. Michelle, though sober, danced crazy with me to Lady GaGa!

Looking back, the party should have ended there because I was going downhill fast, but the night was still young. We went to a club in Scottsdale named Jackrabbit. It wasn't long before I was puking in the bathroom! Yuck. We did hang out there for a bit, but I got overheated and had to leave. The night was pretty much unsalvagable at that point; I threw up in the bathroom at the club, in a gift bag in the car, and in a trash can at a gas station. All of which got some small amount of puke on my person. If it wasn't my Bachelorette party, I would be horribly embarrassed about getting that drunk. But I hardly ever drink, and that's just what you do, right? Lol.

At least we didn't get arrested or anything, I mean, THAT, would be CRAZY!! :)

For more stories and pictures from the evening, check out the post Michelle wrote here. She remembers a lot more than I do :)

Stephanie's 5 Things

I was tagged by Kortnei!

5 Things I was doing 5 years ago:

1. I was working as a cashier at Ashley furniture and barely making it through school
2. I was going to punk rock shows and Warped Tour
3. Got waay too many body piercings and a few tattoos too (wreckless youth, sheesh)
4. I moved out for the first time and ate too much fast food
5. Just found out I had celiac and was trying to figure out what that meant and how to cope

5 Things on my list to do today:

Super exciting stuff..
1. Write thank you notes
2. Do laundry
3. Go to bed early (I still haven't recovered from traveling!)
4. Blog
5. Clean up

5 Things I would do with a million dollars:

1. I'd like to say that I'd pay off this house (because I LOVE it), but I know Brandon would want to buy a bigger one.
2. Invest so we could both quit our jobs and live off the money for the rest of our lives
3. Start a chihuahua rescue (not many know that this is such a dream of mine!) and have like 6 chihuahuas of my own
4. Put myself through school and go more than part time! (Maybe actually chase that dream that I've been too scared/held back by real life to do...med school anyone?)
5. Have a Duggar sized family (HAHAHA! jk...or am I? Brandon's probably sweating right now reading that)

5 Places I've lived:

1. Tucson, AZ
2. Schaumburg, IL
3. Gilbert, AZ
4. Mesa, AZ
5. Maricopa, AZ

5 Jobs I've held:

1. Cashier/Office manager at Ashley Furniture.
2. Office Assistant at Center for Athletic Performance and Physical Therapy. And yes, I had to say that whole title when I answered the phone
3. Customer Service Rep at Global Trans
4. Auditor at company that will remain unnamed (current)
5. That's it!

5 Things I want to be doing in 5 years:

1. Making babies (eyebrow wriggle)
2. Have a career in something that I am passionate about
3. Traveling (actually take the time to have REAL vacations)
4. Try to be more crafty/domestic
5. Create my own recipes

5 People I tag:

Everyone I would tag has already done this. Lol.