My Grandmother's Crème Caramel Recipe

Do you remember your grandmother's recipes? Believe it or not, many of those recipes are actually naturally gluten-free, and might I add, QUITE delicious. This is by far one of my favorite desserts, so I decided to share my grandmother's recipe for Creme Caramel so that you can enjoy it just as much as I do!

Ingredients
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 and a 1/2 cup of sugar
Teaspoon of vanilla extract
6 eggs
1 tablespoons water

Procedure
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Melt the sugar in a pan that has about one tablespoon of water.

Bring it to a boil.

This will brown the sugar.

Pour it into a bread pan, covering all of the sides in an even layer.

Beat the eggs to a fluffy consistency in a bowl. In a pan, bring the cream to a boil, stirring it occasionally. Add the vanilla extract the fluffy eggs to the cream.

Strain the custard into a bread pan.

Put it into a larger tray that has about an inch of water in it.

After half an hour, check the mix. If it has turned a light brown color on top, you are fine. If not, keep it in for another 5-10 minutes. Let it cool for about 5 hours before taking it out of the tray.

Add a touch of whipped cream and voila, you have your creme caramel!
Enjoy!
-Sema

Are You Up For The Challenge?

 How much do you know about Celiac Disease? The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness has a quiz you can take to determine it! By taking this quiz, you are raising awareness of Celiac Disease, and I'm sure you will be surprised by some of the answers! I'm proud to say I passed, but I'll admit I could have done a bit better :) I was surprised by the answer to number 10!
Enjoy!
-Sema

Click here to take the quiz.

Betty Crocker's Gluten-free Sugar Cookies

It's still kind of cold where I am, so I can justify making cookies! (Although I think eating cookies is justifiable on its own.) I was looking in my pantry for snacks to munch on while I did hours and hours and hours of homework, and then I thought, why not just make cookies? It was nice to get my mind off the endless stress of school by making wondrous little pieces of goodness.

Ingredients:

1 pack of Betty Crocker's Gluten-free Sugar Cookie Mix

1 egg

1 stick of softened butter

2 tablespoons of water (the recipe called for one, but I found I needed two)

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Sprinkles, dark MMS (or milk chocolate), cinnamon

Procedure:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Add the butter, water, vanilla, egg, and mix into a bowl.

Stir it like crazy! At first, I found that it was all clumpy and gross, but I just kept mixing and kneading and pounding until I finally achieved a great consistency! (I was pretty skeptical at first.)

Now, I used an ice-cream scoop to scoop out little balls of cookie dough, and I did not flatten them out for the first batch. I added dark chocolate MMS and pressed them carefully into some of the cookies. I also tried adding cinnamon and sprinkles as well.

Look at these little beauties!

Now, like I said for the first batch, I didn't flatten them out. They were smaller but thicker, and took a little longer to bake. (Bake the cookies until their edges turn a golden brown color, about ten minutes.) I flattened the second batch with the bottom of a cup, and even used a cookie-cutter to make shapes! (A fun activity for younger kids, but just as fun for "older" kids as well.)

Yum~ I have to admit I was munching on some of the dark MMS while I was baking (they are quite spectacular!)

Enjoy!

-Sema

19 Things Only People With Celiac Disease Will Understand

Hey guys! Sorry for the late blog post, I have school to blame for that!! I just wanted to share something I found extremely amusing on buzzfeed:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/antiwheatgirl/19-things-only-people-with-celiac-disease-will-und-l3lz

Notice: 19. Despite everything, finding an amazing and supportive Celiac community. :') I hope you all know that we are all in this together (by all I mean my fellow gluten-free people.) *cue Highschool Musical music* If you are new to the diet, just know that if I can do it so can you! If you are a seasoned Celiac like me, then you know that nothing feels better than knowing that other people are going through the exact same food situation like you.

:)

-Sema

p.s. seasoned Celiac-it's kind of like a joke, like food ;) 

p.p.s I will have a recipe out later this week, don't worry! 

Nugo Bars

My favorite bars are these Nugo Dark Chocolate Pretzel Bars with Sea Salt. They are salty, sweet, and VERY filling :). I usually keep one of these in my backpack or purse, because you never know when you'll get hungry and won't find anything to eat!
Enjoy!
-Sema

There are other Nugo Bars out there, but not all of them are gluten-free, so if you want to try the other ones, make sure you check the ingredients first!

Labeling Jars

One thing I have become semi-obsessed with lately is labeling things. I found these great jars that have chalkboard labels on them. So now I can label them to let everyone know what's inside them (even though they are clear). Not only does this serve to make it look awesome, but it also keeps the food fresh and enticing. Yep, I said it. Putting your GF food in cool containers makes you want to eat what's inside! The same goes for lunches. I always feel like my food will taste better if it is in a legitimate cool lunchbox, instead of just a paper bag. (Plus it keeps your food fresh.)
-Sema

My Sick Day Routine

Looking around, I noticed how everyone was sneezing and coughing. Unfortunately I got that terrible cold, and decided to show you all how I deal with my sick days :)!

Enjoy!
-Sema

Gluten-free Athletes in the 2014 Sochi Olympics!

The Winter Olympics are here, and did you know that many of the athletes are on a gluten-free diet?

"Here are a few from the United States:

• Chris Creveling, Speed Skater - follows a gluten-free diet to reduce inflammation

• Jazmine Fenlator, Bobsled - follows a gluten-free diet.

• Todd Lodwick, Nordic Combined Skier - follows a gluten-free diet to help with inflammation of the lungs.

• Elana Meyers, Bobsled - follows a gluten-free diet.

• Sara Studebaker, Biathlon - follows a gluten-free diet. Sara's fiance, Zachary Hall, a fellow US Biathlon National Team member 2007-2011, is gluten intolerant, so it's easier if both of them eat gluten free. Sara says she "..feels better training and competing!"."

For more information, visit:

http://www.examiner.com/article/2014-winter-olympics-athletes-following-a-gluten-free-diet-sochi

Pasta Alfredo

Ingredients
1 jar of Prego Artisan Three Cheese GF Alfredo Sauce
1 lb of the Sam Mills GF Pasta D'oro
1 lb lean ground beaf
1 medium onion
1 yellow, 1 red, and 1 green pepper
 8 oz of sliced mushrooms
A dash of salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Chopped parsley for garnish

Procedure
Brown the ground beaf in one tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onions and sautee them for 3 minutes. Next, add the chopped peppers, mushrooms, salt and pepper, and sautee them together for 5 minutes.

Add the Alfredo sauce and mix it. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.

Cook the pasta al dente (meaning don't overcook).

Drain it, adding a dash of olive oil to separate the pasta pieces. You can also add a bit of chopped parsley if you'd like.

 Mix the two together, and garnish with parsley. It was so good that it was gone in seconds!

Enjoy!

-Sema

Take the Pledge!

"NFCA encourages you to Take the Pledge!

When you fill out the Pledge form below, you promise to:

Educate:

• The gluten-free diet is not a fad.  We know this, you know this - it's a treatment that's here to stay.
• Celiac disease is not a food allergy. Let's take this opportunity to set the record straight!

Be Empowered:

• We can work together to amplify our voice to raise awareness of gluten-related disorders.
• We are in the driver's seat when it comes to managing our own health.

Advocate:

• You play a key role in helping family members understand their risk for this genetic autoimmune disease.
• 83% of people with celiac disease remain undiagnosed. We have the power to change that by sharing our personal stories and raising awareness of the signs and symptoms."

Click here to Take the Pledge now.

Why did I take the pledge?

I took the pledge, because I want to continue to be a positive voice for the gluten-free lifestyle through my blog. I plan to fulfill my pledge by informing others of the many great gluten-free options out there, and how to best handle the gluten-free lifestyle. I am a strong supporter of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, because it helps to educate, advocate, and empower people with Celiac Disease. 

Chex Muddy Buddies

Ingredients

9 cups Rice Chex

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup butter

1 tspn vanilla

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Procedure

Put the 9 cups of Rice Chex into a large bowl.

Put the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter into a microwavable bowl, and microwave it on high for one minute, or until melted. Stir in the vanilla.

Now, sprinkle the mixture over the Rice Chex, evenly stirring it in.

Now, put the mix into a large ziplock bag.

Add the powdered sugar.

Now, shake it until it's evenly distributed (you can dance while doing so.)

Lay the muddy buddies out on a strip of wax paper.

Let it sit for an hour or so, or until they dry completely.
Voila, you have a fancy looking snack that will entice your guests!

Enjoy!

-Sema

Gluten-Free Banana Nut Bread

I have been in the baking mood recently! This bread is so soft and delicious that I couldn't get enough of it!

Ingredients
4 tbspn melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 beaten eggs
1 mashed banana
1 cup pancake mix (I used Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix.)
1/4 tspn salt
1/2 tspn vanilla
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix the butter, sugar, eggs and banana.

Add the pancake mix, salt, vanilla and nuts.

Pour the mixture into a large greased loaf pan.

Bake for an hour, or until finished. I only had to bake it for half an hour for the toothpick to come out clean.

This banana bread was so moist and not crumbly at ALL. It tasted just as though it was made of wheat :)

Enjoy!
-Sema

If you missed it, here's my Draw My Life video from last week:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEtbPuOK410
In it, I talk about how I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, and how I learned to deal with it :)

Draw My Life- My Gluten-Free Experience

In this 'Draw My Life' video, I talk about how I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, and how I learned to deal with it.

Enjoy!
-Sema

Be sure to subscribe to my channel!

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

The holidays are a great time to eat good desserts and relax! This recipe is simple, requiring minimal ingredients and will allow you to enjoy a great dessert without having to spend the entire day in the kitchen.

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 large egg
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Procedure
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl.













Roll the dough into balls.














Use the bottom of a glass to flatten them out.















Bake for 9-14 minutes (depending on your oven). When you take the cookies out, allow them to cool for a few minutes before you take your first bite.

Enjoy!
-Sema

A special thanks to Natasha for helping me out!

Gluten-Free Layer Bars

Ingredients
7 oz of sweetened coconut
1 cup butterscotch chips
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
8 oz unsalted walnuts
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. 

Grease a 13x9 inch baking pan

Spread 2/3 of the coconut flakes on the bottom of the pan evenly.

Then, spread the butterscotch chips in an even layer.

Spread the chocolate chips

Spread the walnuts 

Now, pour the condensed milk evenly over the entire pan.

You are almost done. Just spread the sliced almonds on top and add the remaining coconut flakes.

Bake for 20 mins, or until it's at the desired consistency.
Cut into desired pieces and enjoy these lovely bars together with a cup of Earl Grey Tea.

Enjoy!
-Sema

A special thanks to my mom's best friend for the recipe!