What a cool website

I just stumbled across this website and thought it was worth sharing with everyone.

It's called Wish Upon a Hero.

From their website: No wish too large. No hero too small.Wish Upon A Hero was first conceived by founder Dave Girgenti shortly after the September 11th attacks on New York City. From his home in NJ, Girgenti watched as thousands of people posted pictures of missing loved ones throughout the city. He thought there had to be a faster, more organized way to connect people in need. That was the moment in which the idea was born.

Cast a wish
Wish Upon A Hero is completely free to its users, allowing everyone who registers the opportunity to cast up to three wishes at a time. Because Wish Upon A Hero is designed to help everyone, wishes can be big or small, elaborate or simple, based on financial need or just asking for a simple favor.

Be a hero
Wish Upon A Hero is a unique venue for any individual, organization, or company looking to make a difference in someone’s life, or the lives of countless people. Heroes come in all ages and from all walks of life. All of us, from our nation’s most powerful corporations to individual philanthropists, and those with limited financial means, can be someone’s hero:
A man who buys uniforms for his town’s little league team.
A plastic surgeon brings his skill to the aid of an uninsured breast cancer survivor.
A national appliance retailer that donates a refrigerator to a single mom with a newborn.
A groundskeeper at Yankee stadium who helps a woman fulfill her father’s lifelong dream of throwing a single pitch across home plate.
A group of 8th graders that rally behind a fellow student whose home was lost in a fire.
A woman who writes to a man in Seattle to say, “I think I’m the sister you’ve been looking for since we were separated 21 years ago.”
A female soldier stationed in Iraq who says, “yes, I will.”
Once a wish is granted, the hero can choose to remain anonymous, or be formally recognized on the Wish Upon A Hero website

So - if there is something you need - go and post a wish. Or, grant a wish and be someone's hero. What a great concept!

GFCF Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

I made a GFCF Strawberry Rhubarb Pie twice recently. It got eaten before I could get a pic of it - it was that good!

It was one of those funny kitchen times - you know the kind - where it is funny and you laugh because if you actually think about it you will cry.

I had just picked strawberries from the garden and there wasn't quite enough for a pie by themselves so I had the inspiration to make a strawberry rhubarb one. So I go out and get the rhubarb and have everything washed up and sliced up and then I start to make the crust.

I was using my last GF Pie Crust Mix from Miss Robens. I was cutting in the margarine using my pastry cutter and it broke (the pastry cutter) - not only did it break but as it broke apart it caused the bowl to propel itself across the kitchen and landed upside down on the kitchen floor. I just stared at the mess in disbelief. I wanted a pie damn it! And that was my last mix. While I make most things from scratch, my pie crusts just haven't turned out well without a mix.

Frantically I tore the pantry apart hoping beyond reason that I was wrong and there was another pie crust mix in there but no dice. But I came across a Graham Cracker Mix from Miss Robens. Hmmmm - graham cracker crust with strawberry rhubarb......why not? So I made the pie using a graham cracker crust instead and it turned out super yummy.

So - use the crust of your liking and here is the rest of the recipe.

GFCF Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
2 cups sliced rhubarb
2 cups sliced strawberries
1 1/4 cups organic raw sugar (I'm sure you could probably use plain white sugar - but I'm on this health kick you know)
1/4 Minute tapioca
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix the ingredients all together in a large bowl and let sit for at least 15 minutes before pouring into crust. I mix it up first and then make the crust. Fill the crust as desired and bake at 425 degrees F for 45 minutes or until the juices bubble up.

GFCF Rhubarb Cake

Andy asked me yesterday if I could make a rhubarb cake. What a wonderful idea. Rhubarb is in season right now. I've never made a rhubarb cake before so I started tinkering and it came out so delicious!




GFCF Rhubarb Cake

Ingredients:
½ cup Margarine (I used Earth Balance Buttery Spread)
1 ½ cups Organic Raw Sugar (you could use brown sugar)
1 Egg, Beaten1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt1 cup milk substitute (I used Dari Free)
2 cups GF Flour Blend (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF Mix)
½ teaspoon Xanthan Gum1 teaspoon Baking Soda
3 cups Rhubarb
½ cup Organic Raw Sugar
½ teaspoon Cinnamon

Procedure:
Slice the rhubarb into 1/4" slices. Cream the margarine and 1 ½ cups sugar; add the egg, vanilla and salt; mix well. Add the milk substitute, flour, xanthan gum and soda; mix well. Stir in the rhubarb. Pour the batter into a well-greased "9x13" cake pan. Mix together ½ cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; distribute this mixture evenly over the unbaked cake batter. Bake for about 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Madwoman Foods

Andy has a pizza party on Wednesday for his last full day of school. The only gfcf pizza that he will eat is made by Madwoman Foods.

We had previously bought the pizzas at Fresh and Natural in Shoreview, but decided to go straight to the source today and visit their bakery in Minneapolis. When we got there we discovered that this was a smart decision since the gentleman that waited on us (who identified himself as the owner) informed us that they have stopped selling wholesale to the stores. The retailers were marking up the products so much and they didn't want to become known for such expensive products.

The bakery was very easy to find - it is located at 4747 Nicollet Avenue South in South Minneapolis. If you are not local, you can still enjoy their wonderful products by ordering off of their website. All of their products are gluten free. Most are also casein free and most are low on the glycemic index (GI).

After we got the frozen pizzas, we let Andy pick a snack from the bakery case and he had a real hard time deciding. All of their baked goods looked so scrumptious. Andy finally settled on a piece of lemon cake and I got myself a chocolate muffin with vanilla frosting. Andy's lemon cake was really, really, really good - I would never have known it was GFCF - it was moist and delcious. My cupcake was very good also - just not as outstanding as the cake.

Madwoman Foods gets three thumbs up from us!

We are so fortunate here in the Twin Cities to have three gluten free bakeries and since I have now been to all 3 - I can tell you that all 3 are outstanding.

We got our first box from the CSA this week!

Look at all of those great veggies! We eat a lot of veggies around here and I am really hoping that between the garden and the CSA we won't have to buy any veggies from the store this summer. That will help the grocery bill!

GFCF Animal Crackers

We recently tried these Kinni Kritters from kinnikinnick foods. They were really good - it is nice to have an animal cracker that looks like regular ones. The box says Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Dairy/Casein Free, Egg Free and Trans Fat Free.

Rice Chex is now Gluten Free!

Hooray for General Mills for making another mainstream cereal gluten free.

From their website: Without changing the crunchy, oven-toasted flavor of Rice Chex, General Mills has replaced barley malt with molasses resulting in a Gluten Free Cereal. General Mills has taken the requisite steps to prevent cross contamination and has tested the formula based on the proposed FDA standards. Questions & comments are welcome at 1-800-328-1144.

Here is a link to their website with some gluten free recipes and more information.

http://www.chex.com/Recipes/CategoryView.aspx?CategoryId=447&t=5