Month: July 2025

Update on my GF Journey and Life In General

Hi, it’s been 13.5 years since I went GF. I have never regretted that decision. It is very challenging at times to be gf but I actually thrive on challenge so I’m still learning a lot and eating great healthy food! I don’t really feel deprived, and I have grown decently skilled at gf baking. We eat good around here!

The last 18 plus months I have been making a lot of gf sourdough breads, rolls, bagels and scones. Maybe obsessed is a better word. I just made yet more bagels; been a while and this time I swapped some of the sorghum flour for oat flour and they were wonderful in the texture and flavor department. You might want to try gf sourdough; definitely a game changer in the bread/roll department. Great flavor and texture. I still make a Japanese milk bread regularly; it is awesome fresh and makes great grilled sandwiches.

I had shoulder surgery in mid-June so I haven’t been baking or cooking anything complex. I did do those bagels, and I am planning a press in crust blueberry pie Saturday morning. Rolling out dough is very challenging; I did make a few pita breads and rolled out 3 of them one handed; pretty awesome with hummus or Aldi’s feta dip. Before my surgery I made gingersnaps, rhubarb custard pie and beautiful hot cross buns that were the best I’ve ever had. I haven’t been posting much as for a few weeks it was pretty hard to type. FYI: I often add something interesting to my posts after I send it out so if you follow my blog, I recommend that you look at the actual post a few hours later for the updated version! I generally try to get everything in, but I can’t resist adding more to each post.

We were to a gf restaurant a few weeks ago in Quakertown and loved it; Yo Mama’s Kitchen in the Qmart. Definitely worth the time to go and try a meal there. Freaking amazing to find a place with a totally gf menu. Kinda surreal actually! You won’t be disappointed by their casual menu, big servings and delish! I just did a review of this place. Look on fb for their page, menu and hours there as well as mouthwatering pictures of the food. I only wish there were more restaurants like this place!

Finding more gf offerings in stores; Wegmans in particular has expanded their gf selection greatly in the past 10 plus years; seems to be the best and biggest selection around my neck of Pennsylvania (Lehigh Valley).

I’m debating probiotics for better gut health. Debating making fermented foods once the summer heat abates.

Hopefully by late summer I can roll out a pie crust again… Enjoy your summer my friends and eat safely!

Yo Mama’s Kitchen is da Bomb!

A few weeks ago, we drove down to Quakertown to the QMart. One of my friends saw this place while shopping there and instantly knew I should visit it. They don’t have a website yet but on fb type in Yo Mama’s Kitchen and it should come up. The entire menu is gluten free, the Entire thing!! It was somewhat surreal to know that everything on the menu was available to me, and all items were safe from cross contamination. It’s down in the west 540’s section of the QMart which is a large indoor farmers market of many booths. We sat down and perused the menu. I had my eye on the crabcake sandwich as I never ever can order that. Joe decided on a cheese steak. He had his with 3 addons, onions, peppers and wild shitake mushrooms. Both came with a mountain of fresh French fries. The wait was not too long; the server was very friendly and there were a few tables of patrons happily chowing down. The food is homestyle and casual; burgers, steaks, pizza, breakfast items plus a number of entrees like chicken parm and fried chicken. So, lots to choose from.

My sandwich was tasty and soon devoured. The fries were hot and good. Joe’s steak sandwich was exceptional. Those wild mushrooms took it to a whole new level of yumminess. We were stuffed. I forgot to take any pictures; took just one of the fries. Next time I will try that cheesesteak!

We took home 2 cannoli and ate them later that evening; really well done; the chocolate chip filling was great, and the canola shell was spot on perfect!

I highly recommend this small restaurant to the gluten free community. It was sublime to eat safely from the entire menu. Come and get it! The hours they are open are on their fb page. They also have daily/weekly specials that look excellent. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569957491484

I have just one recommendation; we both are not supposed to eat French fries more than a small serving. I think a dish of coleslaw as a substitute and maybe a small size of fries would be so helpful for those of us who just shouldn’t dive into a huge serving. So temping you gotta eat them but honestly, I would love some fresh coleslaw, so I feel healthy about the meal I just gobbled up. I am hoping they give that a try sometime soon!

Blueberry Ricotta Tart 2.2

I have made this tart many times. This time I used a simple, sweet, press in, gf pie crust. It adds a bit of sweetness and is super easy; no rolling out the pie dough. In the past I always had leftover filling that I baked in a separate pan. This version endeavors to end that practice; I reduced the volume to make just enough to fill the tart pan, success!

Notes; you can leave out the lemon ingredients if you don’t want that flavor. I use King Arthur’s basic gf flour blend when I make a homemade crust, the one that is just flours, no xanthan in it. I used blueberries but I am sure you could make this with raspberries or a mixture of the two.

The ricotta adds a delicate texture and crumb. These were definitely end of season blueberries but tasty none the less. I used a little of the rind and juice of a lemon but even better is the Meyer lemon which has a delicate flavor compared to regular lemons. Do let the ricotta cheese and eggs warm up to room temp before using them, always good advice with gf baking.

Ricotta Blueberry Tart

Cookie crust:

1 cup brown rice blend; King Arthur Basic GF Blend

1 tsp. xanthan gum

¼ cup sugar

5 Tbsp. cold butter cut into 10 pieces

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix the dry ingredients in stand mixer bowl.  Add the butter, mix until fine like sand.  Add extract. Blend briefly.  Spray pan with cooking spray.  Sprinkle in the mixture into the pan and spread evenly. Press lightly in with your hands. DO not press too hard or it becomes way too firm.

Or, roll out that premade pie crust and fit into your pan; trim off extra crust. Fill.

Filling:

1 cup ricotta cheese, whole milk is best but any will do.

2 lg eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

½ tsp. lemon extract

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon rind grated

1 Tbsp. plus 1 Tsp. tapioca starch or corn starch

Pinch sea salt

1 heaping cup fresh or frozen blueberries

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350 degrees/ Mix ricotta with eggs in the mixer bowl you just made the crust in and then add the rest of ingredients except the blueberries.  Carefully pour into the tart crust. Top with the berries.

Bake tart 40-45 min at 350 degrees. It should be fairly firm in the center.  Let cool before slicing.  You can sprinkle it with powdered sugar if desired. I am always so eager to try it I totally forget to do this! Enjoy.

GF Flour blend (if you want to make it yourself)

2 cups brown rice flour

2/3 cup potato starch

1/3 cup tapioca starch

Strawberry Glace Pie…Simple Pie Perfection

It is passed the height of local strawberry season; but, there is time to make this pie; no baking a filling, no top crust, just ripe sweet berries in a coating of sweet berry goop and real whipped cream!   This dessert is so lick-your-fingers yummy that I don’t want you to miss it and have to wait until next June to enjoy this strawberry classic.  The local orchard, Bechdolt’s Orchard has some, there are pick your own like Phillips Farm Market or one in Effort or near Summit Hill. Or try a farmer’s market for fresh flavorful local berries. If you can make a crust and stir the strawberry goop you can make this.

If you are one of my wheat loving friends; make whatever basic crust you like.  The filling is naturally gluten free.

My mom loved this pie and frankly so does our entire family.  Mom never put the cream cheese on the bottom but I like it as it keeps the crust from getting soggy and adds a delicate counter point to the sweetness of the filling.

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It is not a great summer if you don’t indulge in this dessert at least once!

Angie’s GF Strawberry Glace Pie

Crust:

1 c plus 2 tbsp brown rice flour mix (at bottom of recipe)

2 tbsp sweet rice flour

1 Tbsp. granulated sugar

½ tsp xanthan gum

¼ tsp salt

6 Tbsp. cold butter cut into 6 chunks

1 lg egg

2 tsp fresh orange or lemon juice

Directions:

Spray 9 inch metal pie pan with cooking spray, dust with white rice flour. (I forget this step a LOT!)

Mix dry ingredients in bowl of stand electric mixer.  Add butter and mix until crumbly and resembling coarse meal.  Add egg and juice.  Mix until it comes together into big chunks.  Shape into a ball with your hands. Put it on a crust sized piece of wax paper (14 x 14 inches more or less), flatten the crust ball some; put on top of it another piece of wax paper and chill it all in your fridge 15-20 minutes.

Roll out pie crust in a pie bag or between the two sheets of wax paper, try to get the thickness even, no thick middle! Peel off one side of paper and place in pie pan, centered.  Remove other slice of wax paper.  Crimp edges all around.  Prick it in a dozen places with a fork to keep it from blowing up bubbles. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15-18 minutes until the crust is light brown.  Cool at least 30 minutes before filling.

Glaze:

1 cup mashed very ripe strawberries (I sort through the berries and use only the ripest ones for this part.)

2/3-3/4 cup sugar

3 tbsp cornstarch

½ cup water

Mix sugar and cornstarch in 1 qt heavy bottomed sauce pan, stir in water and mashed strawberries.  Cook on medium heat until it boils, stirring constantly.  If it seems too thick, add up to half a cup more water.  It needs to be thin enough to cling to your berries.  Boil and stir one minute.  Let cool at least 20-30 minutes or until close to room temperature.

Filling:

3-4 ounces of light cream cheese, room temperature

4-5 cups fresh strawberries, hulled

Line the bottom of the cooled pie shell with the cream cheese, spread it as evenly as possible. I use ½ an 8 ounce package.  Place berries in a big bowl.  Pour the glaze over top and gently mix.  Pour the goopy berries into the pie shell.  I like to pick the nicest ones for the top of it.

Chill 2-3 hours before serving.  Make some real whipped cream, the fake stuff will not do for this pie; 1 cup heavy cream whipped with an electric mixer or a whisk until soft peaks, I like to chill the bowl and beaters for a few minutes as it helps the cream whip faster.  Then add 2-3 tbsp powdered sugar and ½ to 1 tsp. vanilla.  Beat just a bit longer, until nearly stiff peaks.  Slice the pie and top each piece with the whipped cream.  Dive in!  You won’t be disappointed.

Brown Rice Flour Mix– for crust
2 c brown rice flour

2/3 c potato starch

1/3 c tapioca flour