DownloadSummer 2011 Gluten-Free Newsletter | Archived Newsletters
Summer Fun Starts In The Kitchen
By Alissa Malerman
Summer “vacation” can seem like anything when you have little ones around. After all, without the structure of school or its activities, it’s hard to think of ways to keep them busy. How does a busy mom find ways to keep them active, learning and enjoying our time together?
Naturally, I have found myself in the kitchen. To keep my little beach bums happy when they’re stuck indoors or between summer gigs, or when they’ve run out of outdoor activities, we have been dipping strawberries, creating kid-friendly meals and rolling out some gluten-free dough.
My oldest picky eater created his famous “Smiley Pizzas” on such a day. In a rare instance I was without a gluten-free frozen pizza, dough or the ingredients to make dough, he pointed to a bag of McCain’s frozen Smiles. Happy he was getting creative with me, I popped five of them in the microwave for a minute and flipped them over. We spread some tomato sauce on them and topped them with Tofutti cheese slices (Kraft is gluten-free if your kiddos can tolerate dairy). We put them in the microwave together for another minute and, voila, Smiley Pizzas.
No one likes to wake up only to see a sheet of rain drowning out all thoughts of outdoor fun during summer vacation, especially one with two small and very active boys. I found myself confronted with this exact scenario not so long ago. After watching a video, setting up every train set in the house and having more than a few pillow fights, I turned toward the kitchen and found this handy recipe:
Gluten-free Play-Doh
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon cooking oil
Food coloring, if desired
Mix ingredients in small saucepan. Add food coloring if desired. Cook and stir on low heat for 3-5 minutes or until it forms and begins to look slightly dry. I like to scrape the bottom and flip a few times so it doesn’t burn during cooking. Place on wax paper and cool. Knead until soft and pliable. Store in plastic containers. Will make 2 cups (I like to split into two pans and make two, 1 cup balls of dough -- like the one at right).
Then, there are days when we have found ourselves outside enjoying the best of the season. We meet friends at the park, ride our bikes down the street, kick the soccer ball around the back yard, and sometimes I even get to fiddle in my garden.
It seems in these moments when everyone is busy and content something usually happens to disrupt it, such as the dreaded noise a mom feeding a family on a special diet hates to hear: The ice cream truck. I know from experience that there may be a gluten-free treat on the menu that my son can eat without getting sick. But chances are he will want something the other kids are having. And that’s not fair. So, sorry ice cream man. We will head back into our kitchen.
Luckily, stocking up on summer treats is easy at Hiller’s. Among the quarts and pints of ice cream are a slew of “regular” brands that contain gluten-free ingredients. Look for Dole Fruit N Juice bars, as well as Edy’s, Dreyers, Popsicle, Good Humor, Minute Maid, Philly Swirl, Fla-Vor-Ice, Ben & Jerry’s, Blue Bell and Turtle Mountain varieties. Hiller’s marks its gluten-free items so these items are easy to seek out. No one has to miss out on the summer fun.
And speaking of summer fun, if you want the little ones to stay busy with more activities, put them to work making ice cream with some ice and a few plastic bags.
That should keep them busy!
Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
1 tbspn. sugar
1/2 c. milk or vegan milk (I used chocolate Almond Breeze)
1/4 tspn. vanilla
6 tbspns. kosher salt
1 pint-size plastic food storage bag
1 gallon-size plastic food storage bag
1/8 c. chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life chocolate chips)
Ice cubes
Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the salt. Seal the bag. Whisk together milk, vanilla and sugar in bowl then add chocolate chips. Pour into small bag and seal. Place the small bag inside the large one, and seal it again carefully. Shake until the mixture is ice cream, which takes about 5 minutes. Rinse off bag before opening, and drop ice cream into serving dish. Makes one scoop. Enjoy!
Alissa Malerman is the mother of two boys, one of whom follows a gluten-free, casein-free diet. Alissa lives in Berkley and writes for BerkleyPatch.com, an online community newspaper that covers Berkley and Huntington Woods. She is the former food editor at The Oakland Press and has written articles addressing the needs of those cooking for special diets at The Oakland Press, her blog “Suddenly Gluten Free,” and currently in her weekly column, “Cooking For Special Diets” every Saturday at BerkleyPatch.com and FerndalePatch.com.
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lynn.lederman@hillers.com
(248)798-5442
Product Profile
Mrs. Glee’s Gluten-Free Foods
Mrs. Glee’s Gluten Free Foods are prepared in a dedicated 7,800 sq. ft. gluten-free facility in Hillman, Michigan. From milling the beans using our unique process, to blending the flours and making the pasta, the work is done by employees that understand the importance of maintaining an allergen free worksite.
Michigan grown navy beans form the base for our products - providing the excellent fiber and protein so sought after by those on a gluten-free diet. The net carbohydrates are good for diabetics, and our products are enriched to provide additional vitamins, thiamine, folic acid and iron.
The owners are committed to bringing you the best tasting foods with high quality and good nutrition.
Mrs. Glee's Navy Bean Flour
The whole bean flour is milled from the best Michigan grown beans sourced from a facility that only processes dry beans (i.e. no soybeans) They are milled using a unique process to minimize the bean flavor and effects.
The whole navy bean flour can be used to replace up to 50% of wheat flour or any gluten free blend to provide more nutrition.
Mrs. Glee's All Purpose Performance Blend
The all-purpose enriched Performance Blend Flour easily adapts itself to your recipes on a one-for-one replacement rate. The superior flavor, the ease of blending and the ability to use the Performance Blend in a variety of baked goods from cookies to cakes to breads to brownies. Expandex, a modified tapioca starch, is included in the blend, making breads, rolls and other baked goods rise better.
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