No bake drop cookies

Both of these cookie recipes are super simple because they are done over the stove top in a saucepan.  

No Bake Chocolate Drops

2 cups sugar

2 Tbsp cocoa

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup milk

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup peanut butter

2 cups certified gluten free oats

Mix sugar, cocoa, butter and milk in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and add salt, vanilla and peanut butter.  Stir until melted, then add oats.  Mix well.  Drop from spoon onto waxed paper.  Let cool.

Peanut Butter Clusters

2 cups Sugar
1/2 c milk
1/2 c butter
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup peanut butter
3 cups certified gluten free oats

Combine sugar, milk, butter, and salt in medium pan. Bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla, peanut butter, and oats. Stir until mixture begins to stiffen a little. Drop onto wax paper and let cool.

Be sure to use certified gluten free oats.  I recently bought some in bulk on line from Amazon.  I paid $22.28 for a pack of 4, 32-ounce bags of  Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Whole Grain, Rolled Oats. And it qualified for free shipping!  It was a great price and no hassle since it showed up on my doorstep. 

Lip Smackers - NOT gluten-free!

Brittany has enjoyed these chapsticks for years and yet, I am just now realizing that they are not okay.  She has always had a stash of about a dozen lip smackers at any time.  So I contacted the company directly and this was their response:

 

Dear Jenny:

Thank you for your recent inquiry to Aspire Brands/The Bonne Bell Company. We are always glad to hear from our customers, and we want to help you in any way possible.

The following Aspire Brands/The Bonne Bell Company, products can be used by people afflicted with Celiac disease. They do not contain any gluten containting grains: wheat, barley, rye, oats, amaranth, teff, millet, spelt, and quinoa.

 10-0-6 Lotions
 All Colognes
 Lip Lites Sponge On
 Sponge-On Sparklers
 Shower 2000
 Eye Shades
 Nail Lacquers
 Cosmic Cheeks
 Lash Tints
 Glimmer Gels
 Glitz N Glo

 Liquid Lines
 Pressed Powders
 Lip Burst
 Lip Frosting
 Lip Shake
 All Mascara
 Gel Bronze
 Glimmer Bronze
 Lip Glam
 Face and Body Sparkle
 Liquid Lip Smackers
 Skittles Liquid Lip Smackers
 Eye Pencils and Definers
 Sponge on Glitter Gloss
 Lip D’Votions
 All Clic It Colors
 Glimmer Lights
 Liquid Star Shine
 Lip Definer
 All Vita Gloss Balms and Sponge On
 Blushing Gels
 All Loose Powders
 Cream Concealer
 Jello Lip Balms
 Kiss This Gloss
 All Squeezy Lip Smackers (Clears and Shimmers)
 All Rolly Smackers
 F’Lip Juicees
 Get Glowin’ Eye and Face
 Ice Creamies Sponge On
 Dazzle Dust
 Kiss of Color
 S’ Whirly Shimmer Gloss
 All Vitamin Water Lip Balms and Rolly’s

*************************************************************
THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS DO CONTAIN GLUTEN

*************************************************************

Original Lip Smackers
Sun Smackers (Including Clip N Go)
Megastar Lip Smackers
Kool Aid Lip Smackers
F’lip Styles
F’lip Glosses
Lip Lites Glossy Tints Balms
M&M Lip Smacker Balms (New Formula with Castor Oil)
Dasani Balms
Pinky Lip Smackers Balms
Skittles Lip Balms (New Formula with Castor Oil)
DPSU Lip Smackers
All Starburst Lip Balms
Color Kiss Lip Balms
Lip Smackers w/SPF

We are always interested in trying to please our customers. We hope that you will continue to enjoy all of our products and again thank you for contacting us.
Paul J Breha
R&D Chemist
Aspire Brands/The Bonne Bell Company

What a bummer!  So I think we will just be sticking to a new favorite that I love...

Nature Valley Roasted Nut Crunch Bars

Check out this sweet find at my Target store!

And I love the way they put the Gluten free label right on the front of the box.  I paid $2.39 for this box.  It also comes in a Peanut Crunch flavor.  I am so happy to find more regular grocery store products going gluten free. I love to coupon shop and it gives me a little thrill to be able to spend less on these items. 

Gluten Free Bisquick

I was almost giddy when I found this box at my Smith's grocery store.  I've been keeping my eye out for this one and while shopping for our camping trip I spotted it.  It was next to the flour at my store (ironic huh?)

It did make great pancakes and there are a couple other recipes to try on the box.  I paid $4.99 and the box is about the size of a cake mix.  The cost seemed about the same for other gluten free mixes we buy. 

Potato Rounds

Preheat oven to 400.  Line a cookie sheet with foil for easy clean up.  Wash and dry desired amount of potatoes.  Slice each potato without cutting all the way through.   Mix equal amounts of melted butter and olive oil. Brush on to potatoes.  Sprinkle on your favorite seasoning.  I love to use Emeril's Original Essence.  Bake for 30-40 minutes.  We love to pull apart the rounds and dip them in fry sauce. 

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup cornstarch

3/4 cup rice flour

3/4 cup tapioca flour

1 Tbsp xantham gum

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1tsp baking soda

2 cups shredded zucchini

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease 2 loaf pans.  Beat eggs and add sugar, oil, vanilla and applesauce.  In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients and blend together.  Then add the dry mix with the wet ingredients.  Beat for 3 minutes.  Add zucchini and mix until blended.  Pour batter into 2 loaf pans.  Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Creamy Mushroom soup

I cannot resist posting more about Progresso soups after seeing this one today.  I can think of a lot of uses for this Creamy Mushroom soup.  I am thinking of making Hobo dinners with this soup poured on top of a hamburger patty, sliced potatoes, sliced onions and a few carrots.  Wrap it all up in a foil and bake at 425 for 30 minutes.  It is one of those dinners that makes your house smell so yummy.  My go-to for cream of mushroom or chicken soup have been the Health Valley brand, but it is not comparable to the Campbell's brand that I used to use before going gluten free.  I will definitely be keeping my eye out for this soup at the grocery store.  And how good does Progresso's  Chicken Cheese Enchilada soup sound? 

Progresso Soup

Garden Vegetable is by far Brittany's favorite choice of a gluten free soup.  Since we are careful to eat things in portion control to be able to count carbs, I will share a can with her and find it quite delicious myself.  Our second favorite is the New England Clam Chowder.  You can click here and then click on the Progresso tab to see the full list of Progresso's gluten free soups.