2 posts tagged “reviews”
meet my new favorite gluten-free product. these brownies are to die for -- the best brownies i've EVER had, gluten-free or no.
then again, if a recipe starts with "melt a stick of butter. . ." you know you are in for amazing.
and talk about easy to make -- two eggs, beaten well, blend with mix to moisten, pour in 7 Tb melted butter and stir and put in a greased 8" pan. 25 minutes later and you are in chocolate treat heaven.
i am going to do some serious stocking up of these on amazon.com, and their other mixes.
did some baking and eating this weekend and have some grocery items that need to be reviewed.
Comfy Cuisine Cheese Pizza
I was hungry and craving pizza when i was at the market, so i decided to pick up a ridiculously expensive prepared pizza, instead of a ball of frozen dough and going back for more fresh veggies.
though i pondered of the selection on GF pizzas (3 in total, plus one "wheat free"), this looked the most promising as far as crust. boy, was i wrong.
this was nothing more than a crepe with some sauce and too much cheese on it. despite following the box directions of cooking in a skillet on the stove top (oven cooking is not recomended), cripness was no where near achived, and i ended up with a sticky, icky mess in the pan. i would have done better to just put sauce and cheese on a plate and nuke in the microwave because the crust was nonexistent.
never again.
Whole Food Gluten-Free Bakehouse: Sandwich Bread
second craving this week has been a BLT. perfect timing with the GF change. instead of trying to break the bread machine and trying a mix or recipe, i figured i'd give the WF bakehouse a go. there was a selection of about 5 different types of bread. all seemed to have the same problem i found with my zucchini bread -- they don't rise that high, so you end up with a "stubby" slice. i went for the classic Sandwich Bread even though i am not a fan of white bread. it seemed the best option for the BLT, as the whole grain Prairie Bread they offered looked to overpower the guts of the sandwich.
the bread comes frozen which is super since preservatives in GF foods are nearly nil. taking out two slices and defrosting in the microwave was no problem, and the bread toasted nicely. it is not your regular 'white' bread -- more of an ivory, with the taste and texture of a "country white" or country french. it had bite, good texture, and a nice chewiness i didn't expect to find.
two thumbs up. and actually, two sandwiches down in one sitting. . .
Mi-Del Gingersnaps
cookies. my pantry was calling for cookies! and these were on sale, so i figured what the heck.
"the heck?" is what i uttered after biting into my first one. wow. it tastes like a backing experience gone wrong. the cookies are very soft and loose (not just crumby), which is not good in a ginger snap. the texture is odd to say the least, even though i expected it to be. after a couple bites, the overpowering ginger taste does take over so you notice the bad texture and background taste. but they are too sweet for my tastes for a ginger snap, and distinctly lacking in "snap" when you bite into them.
verdict? maybe in a pinch. with a desperate craving. and only on sale. a big "meh" in my book.
Bob's Red Mill GF Pancake Mix
this was my biggest risk taker -- i ordered it from amazon in bulk of four bags. but it had good reviews, and i like the Bob's Red Mill i've encountered so far, and i needed to get over $49 to use my $10 coupon. besides, having a quick and ready breakfast in the freezer was key.
i've been a bisquick pancake girl for as long as i can remember, with a couple of modifications in the recipe. one, always add some sugar. two, always add a couple dollops of sour cream for a smoother, tangier buttermilk pancake.
i mixed up Bob's pancake according to directions, with 1 egg and opted for the 3/4 c of soy milk since i had an unflavored quart in the fridge that was not working for my peanut butter smoothies. once the basic were blended, i gave it a taste, noting the whole grain texture of the mix. i added the sugar and sour cream at this point until i felt the batter was close to what i liked and gave them a spin on the griddle.
the batter was a bit thiner than i expected or normally like, but they quickly puffed up to thick, hearty cakes with lots of bubbles. even without syrup, these were tasty, but very much with a "whole grain healthy" feel to them. not the cake-like pancakes i was used to making, and i have to say, i like the change. they can be a bit chewy if left to sit too long. on the second batch i mixed up, i tried to fix the thin batter caused by the sour cream addition with more mix. those cooked fine, but where far too chewy for my tastes. next time i won't alter the amount of mix, despite my additions.
i can report the reheated from the freezer, they are just fine, and go great with soy butter and maple syrup. a winner!
