Review Aldi LiveGFree Gluten Free Sweet Chili Crisps

Sometimes I get tired of eating the same gluten free snacks. I am always waiting for something new to add to my daily cravings. Today I decided to head out to Aldi to see if they had anything I haven't yet tasted. I picked up several bags of chips to try and these Chili Crisps caught my eye right away....

After doing some much needed yard work, I was ready for something to snack on and opened up the bag. They looked really good. The first bite was spicy and crispy. Wow!! I liked these so much I had to let my hubby and my granddaughter give them a try. They both gave them a thumbs up!! I could easily eat to many of these and those calories can add up quickly.

I will make these chips a regular item in my pantry. If you pick up a bag let me know what you think and leave a reply in the comments!

Gluten Free Chicken Enchilada with Red Sauce Recipe

I can't tell everyone enough how much I miss Mexican food! Enchiladas were my favorite and now I that I have found a tasty gluten free flour tortilla shell I can make my own.

Ingredients:
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (purchased a broasted chicken from the store)
Mission gluten free tortillas
Small can diced green chiles
19 oz can of Old Elpaso Red Enchilada Sauce
1/2 package of cream cheese
1-2 cups of shredded cheese (your favorite)

Preheat oven to 350. In a large deep skillet, mix shredded chicken with 1/2 cup of red sauce. Stir in half of a package cream cheese and the can of green chiles. Remove from heat once the cream cheese has melted and everything is blended and heated through.

Heat tortilla shells (this recipe made 5) in microwave until warm. Spread a small amount of red sauce on each shell then add meat mixture in a straight line in the center of each one. Sprinkle each with shredded cheese before rolling up.

Place rolled tortillas in a greased casserole dish and pour remaining sauce over the top. Sprinkle more cheese to your taste. Place in oven for 25-30 mins.

I really enjoyed these! My granddaughter topped hers with taco sauce. I chose sour cream. My husband even ate one so I guess they passed the taste test...

Review Krusteaz Blueberry Muffin Mix

I recently reviewed Krusteaz Brownie mix, this is their Blueberry muffin mix that I also picked up at Big Lots....

I get tired of eating the same thing for breakfast everyday and I enjoy a good muffin occasionally. These muffins come with a can of real wild blueberries so I couldn't wait to give them a try!

Add some oil, water and 3 eggs and they are ready to cook. Since some the products I have recently reviewed came out a little dry, I decided to cook these at 375 instead of the 400 degree on the directions. I cooked until done in the center.

Now for the taste test. Cut one of the beauties open and added a little real butter on top.  Was happy to see the muffins were not overly dry. Not to be greedy I shared with my granddaughter and gave a tiny chunk to the dog. I was happy with the taste. Moist but not overly sugary. Not the best blueberry muffins I have eaten but they were good! We both ate more than one and I put the rest in the freezer to indulge in on another day!!

Gluten Free Taco Casserole Recipe

Our granddaughter wanted to make us dinner tonight and she chose her favorite recipe out of my cookbook. Thank you Ashley you did a great job and it was delish!! Since there were only 3 of us, she cut this recipe in half. A 8x8 pan will be plenty...

Taco Casserole

2 lbs lean ground beef
bag of tostitos
pkg taco seasoning
16 oz can tomato sauce
1 cup shredded cheese (I like Colby jack)

Toppings
1 can rotel tomatoes
sour cream
shredded lettuce

Brown ground beef in skillet and drain.

 Add taco seasoning and tomato sauce then stir together. Crush up half a bag of tostitos and add to beef mixture. Pour into greased 9x13 pan and cover with shredded cheese.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 mins.

Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

 

Review Simple Truth Organic Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix

Happy birthday to me!! Yes, I was born on Valentine's day and so my mother named me Valerie. When I was young I had A german chocolate cake at a birthday party and every year since, it was the only cake I wanted for my birthday. Most little girls want pretty decorated cakes, lol not me. I wanted my favorite and my parents always made sure I had one.

Fast forward to adulthood. When you're a grown-up no one cares if you have a birthday cake! I would buy the German chocolate cake mix and coconut pecan frosting and make my own...until 6 years ago when I became gluten free. Back then I had to make my gluten free cake from scratch, and it would just be a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Alot of work to do on your own birthday... :(

Then a miracle Happened! Companies started making gluten free cake mixes!!

You cant be to picky because you are limited to chocolate or yellow, but this was much easier than scratch. 

In 6 years of being gluten free, not one person has offered to bake me a gluten free cake (sad face) Even if they did, people who are not gluten free don't seem to understand the cross contamination factor. This year I decided to bake a chocolate cake with the coconut pecan frosting for my birthday. My husband ran to Kroger and was disappointed to learn they were out of the Betty Crocker cake mix...so he found this instead. 

It is chocolate and organic, that's a plus. To late to look for something else, may as well review it. 

The batter looked a little on the runny side. Baked it until it was done in the center and let it cool. 

Turned the cake over to remove it from the pan and it literally fell apart! Oh my gosh, my birthday cakes is just a pile of lumpy chocolate and crumbs!! Picked up a big lump and tasted it. The flavor was good, the cake was really dry, probably the reason it didn't stay together.

I wasn't going to let this ruin my birthday and opened up a can of the frosting. I picked the larger pieces and proceeded to frost them. It tasted much better this way but still dry and needed something to wash it down with.  My husband and granddaughter came to share in the fun. We had a good laugh and some birthday cake crumbs!

Ok, this cake mix may be organic but made according to directions it is very dry. I did not over bake, maybe my oven temp is off a few degrees?   If you are wanting a cake that you can remove from the pan to decorate, this is not a good choice.  I will stay with my favorite Betty Crocker mix until then....

Hope everyone had a fun Valentine's Day! 

Review Lance Gluten Free Sandwich Crackers

I can't say again how pleased I am knowing that more stores are selling Gluten free products. I came across these sandwich crackers at Target and couldn't wait to get home and try them. Sometimes when I am hungry in between meals it seems like there isn't anything gluten free to snack on. These crackers are just what I had hoped for.

Lances Gluten free Real Cheddar Cheese bite size sandwich crackers

They have the appearance of those little Ritz snack crackers but how will they taste?

Omg...these are so good! Every bit as good as the Ritz I remember from way back when. Now I have some snacks to keep in the pantry. Target carries these in cheddar and they also have peanut butter filled! I haven't located them any place else nearby but I have seen them online. My suggestion is to get several boxes because you won't be able to stop eating them....

Review Krusteaz Gluten Free Double Chocolate Brownie Mix

It's been awhile since my last review. We had a loss in our family and it took a toll on all of us. Hopefully this year will be better and I have many more items to review so let's get started today with one of my favorite snacks ~ Brownies!

I happened to find this product at our local Big Lot store.

I was excited to find these and grabbed a box and a box of their gluten free blueberry muffin mix as well.  These brownies were easy to make but found they took a little longer to bake than the other brands I have tried, by at least 15 mins. If you are a chocolate lover like me, you want these to bake as quickly as possible.

Here is the finished result...a nice looking brownie with melted chips!

As far as taste, they had a really good flavor. A bit on the dry side, but I may have cooked them a little long. They did not go to waste, my family finished every last piece. Although they are good, they are still not my #1 choice for brownies.. you will have to wait for that review! I will try these again and maybe under-cook them a little ( I prefer mine on the moist side).

So pick up a box and give them a try, let me know what you think.