Pamela's new cornbread mix is a hit!

Pamela's, which has long been one of my favorite companies because of their consistently good products, has done it again with a brilliant cornbread mix.  At first, I was worried because the mix looked very soupy, but it baked up into a marvelous cake-like cornbread.  I used their basic recipe and substituted agave syrup for sugar.

I served it to gluten-eaters and they liked it too.  In fact, we ended up using it as cake under some panna cotta that my friend had made with a strawberry syrup.  If you want a more savory version, there are suggestions on the package for adding jalapenos or cheese.  

This is another must-have for the pantry. I can't wait until it's available in stores.

Gluten-free pancakes over the campfire

In my experience, cooking over a campfire is a challenge any way you slice it, but when you throw gluten-free products into the mix, watch out. Anyway, a dear new friend of mine wanted to try it.  So, she pre-mixed Pamela's gluten-free pancake mix and brought it camping with us in a cooler.  Then, she tried using a dutch oven to cook the pancakes.  The mix needed a little thinning and the finished product was more biscuity than pancakey.  It was definitely edible, though.  I guess the point of this is that with a little pre-planning and generous friends you can do just about anything you used to before going GF.  

I still prefer an easy morning of GF cereal and a banana when I'm camping, but that's mainly out of laziness.  If someone else wants to do the cooking.... I'm all for it!

Gluten-Free Halloween party

This is third GF Halloween and I've learned a few tricks for Gluten-Free entertaining.  These are pictures of the sugar cookies I mentioned a couple of posts ago -you can see how they turned out!  Also, the cupcakes and brownies are from Pamela's mixes.  

I think Pamela's products are the most consistently good GF baked goods and mixes I've found.  They taste the most like the "real" thing.  My friends, who are not shy about telling me if I've missed the mark, all thought these cupcakes were an improvement over previous mixes I've tried.  Also, they said these sugar cookies tasted like plain old normal sugar cookies (not like potatoes like last time.)  There were high-fives all around.

Of course, I own 20 gluten-free cookbooks, but if I want to save time for things like decorating sugar cookies, then a good-quality mix helps me get there with less stress and more fun.

Sometimes people ask why I don't just buy stuff with gluten in it and serve it alongside my food. Although, I don't expect the world to change for me, my house is a "safe" place for me to eat.  

Trying to police dips, cheese or other spread that could become cross-contaminated would take the fun out of it for me.  One time I brought a risotto to a potluck. I stepped away from the table and out of the corner of my eye saw someone dipping crackers into it. 

If I have the choice, I'd like to avoid even the possibility of cross-contamination.  So, sometimes it means going the extra mile food-wise to make sure that everyone can enjoy the party.