Mills’ Marvelous Flour Mix

If you’ve even seen any gluten free flour mixes, you’ll notice there are usually quite a few flours in the mixture to get the right consistency.  Well, quite a few of these can be cost prohibitive for some families (such as mine).  As they say, necessity is the mother of invention.  After some trial and error, our family came up with this recipe for a flour mix:

·         1 part white rice flour

·         ½ part tapioca flour

·         ¼ part potato flour (not starch)

·         1 tsp Xanthan gum or Guar gum per 1 cup of mix (this replaces the gluten in the flour. Gluten is a natural glue).

We use this mix cup for cup like white flour.   In most recipes, we add 1/3 powdered milk to help it stick together better.   Give it a try!

Stuffed Chicken Breast

You know how it is when you're tired of the same old thing.  Well, I was looking for something new on-line one night and stuffed chicken breast came to mind.  None of the recipes I found could be easily modified to become gluten free (they all had bread crumbs), so I came up with my own.  Here's reh recipe:

Stuffed Italian Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

½ green pepper, chopped

½ medium onion, chopped

1 small can mushrooms, chopped

1 Tbsp garlic, minced

2 tsp Thyme

¼ tsp ground black pepper

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 small cans tomato sauce

¼ cup red wine (optional)

4 cups cooked rice

1.      In a small bowl, add green pepper, onion, mushrooms, garlic, black pepper, 1 tsp thyme.  Mix well.

2.      Place chicken breasts between wax paper and flatten to ¼ inch thick with rolling pin.

3.      Add small amount of veggie mix to the middle of the chicken breast.

4.      Add small amount of cheese to chicken breast.

5.      Fold and place in glass baking dish.

6.      Cover with tomato sauce and remaining Thyme.

7.      Add wine (optional)

8.      Cook at 350^o for 30 minutes or until done

9.      5 minutes prior to removing from oven, cover top with more shredded cheddar.

10.  Remove breasts from pan

11.  Pour remaining liquid over rice and serve.

Why I started this blog

Hello everyone.  I thought I'd take this opportunity to introduce myself and provide a little background about my blog.  I think it's expected that a blogger provide this type of intro. I dunno, this is my first real attempt at a blog.

Anyway, I'm putting together a gluten free cookbook and this blog is actually the first stop on the Tour.  I figure if I can get the stuff into writing this way, it *should* make it easier when I go to actually make my book.  
But I bet you're wondering why I decided to start this and a book at all?  Well, I have family members with celiac and I like to cook.  As we adjusted to their new "condition" we went through all the regular trials and tribulations that almost everyone goes through.

And if I can help Farmer Jim with this and my book, I will.  What, you don't know Farmer Jim?  Let me tell you about him.  Farmer Jim is a farmer (obviously).  It's a life he loves almost as much as he loves his down home cookin'.  Biscuits and gravy for dinner, eggs and toast for breakfast, and of course hamburgers and hotdogs during those summer bar-b-ques he holds.  One day Farmer Jim developed some serious intestinal distress.  After about a month, his wife persuaded him to go to the doctor.  Well, turns out he's developed this thing called ceilac and now he can't eat all those yummy things he's grown used to over the last 40 years.

Needless to say, he's not thrilled.  Then he finds out that most of the gluten free stuff isn't sold at the local grocery store, but at the local health food store.  Well, he goes and tries to find things he'll like to eat.  Well first off, these things are expensive for a man of limited means, no matter where you buy them.  Second, it's not what he's used to, so that's working against him.

So, to make this a bit shorter, my purpose is to help folks like Farmer Jim who develop a gluten problem, but don't want to jump into the health food lifestyle whole hog.  If you love your chocolate chip cookies for Christmas, sweet breads for breakfast, or  pizza for dinner, I'm here to tell you, it IS possible. It doesn't have to break the bank and it doesn't have to ruin your life.

But it will take patience on your part.  Living gluten free will take a lifestyle change.  The foods won't taste exactly the same.  It will  take trial and error on your part. But it will be OK.