Gluten Free Potpourri

Country Crafts and Candies Review

2011-09-05T10:58:00.000-05:00

Ok, so...I have another candle/craft shop that I'm absolutely ga ga over... Country Crafts and Candies.
I found this etsy shop one hot summer day in June, when I was daydreaming of cooler weather. First off, let me say that this shop has THE CUTEST stuff EVAH. From candles, to faux bakery items... everything looks so yummy. And the shop owner, Wendy... is a dream to work with. Communication is top notch. All questions I have ever had, were always answered in a timely manner. Not just questions. Even all my ramblings have been answered. And I ramble a lot y'all. So, let's talk about this adorable etsy shop and the loot I bought...

The first thing that caught my eye was reading in her shop announcements that she will make your candles/faux bakery items custom made. To EXACTLY like you want. I thought... hmmm.... I like that! I love the fact that I can get something made my way. The look I want. The scent I want. Isn't that great, or what?! After stalking this etsy shop for weeks, I placed my first order in June. Here's what I envisioned... Gingerbread Nog Candle. I wanted the candle layered. First layer, gingerbread. Second layer, egg nog. Then I wanted it topped with buttercream whipped icing, marshmallows, topped with a gingerbread man, and drizzled with egg nog and gingerbread gooey drizzle. I sent my crazy idea instructions to Wendy, and this is what she created for me:

Isn't it da bomb.com!!!???? I was so stoked when I got it in the mail. I lurve it. And this is what sold me on this etsy shop. Wendy took extra care to listen to the ideas I had, and she brought them to life. Let me explain how this smells... it smells like... Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled into one. I have burned this one already a few times...and the hot throw is amazing! First time, I had it in my kitchen. Everytime I would walk through the kitchen, I'd catch whiffs of this amazing scent combo. The second time I burned it, I had it in the living room. Each time I would come inside the house from being outside, the fragrance of buttery gingerbread and spicy egg nog would welcome me. This one turned out to be a really amazing candle, and I can't wait to burn it more as soon as that first cool snap hits us down here in the South.

Fast forward to August...
I bought a Heartsy voucher for this shop, and got a really good deal for my second purchase. A little birdie told me about Heartsy.me (Thank you so much little birdie!) and I was stoked, yet again.... It took me weeks to plot and plan my order. Knowing I wanted my items custom made again...I took extra care to really think things through. I know... it's just candles for Pete's Sake... but the way I look at it... it's MY ideas and creations that come to life through Wendy's creative hands.

So... for my second order... this is what my little brain thought up!!!! First, I wanted a cupcake candle. Not just any cupcake candle... I wanted a Death By Chocolate cupcake candle. I wanted the cupcake base scented in Fudge Brownie, the whipped frosting scented in Chocolate Fudge, with gooey Chocolate Fudge scented drizzle, and for decoration, a chocolate square and pecan. And this is what I got:

And it smells out of this world. A lot of chocolate scented candles smell like fake chocolate. The only way I know how to describe it is that some chocolate scented candles smell like.... Tootsie Rolls. And I cannot stand that. This one.... oh boy... this one smells like REAL CHOCOLATE. No fake tootsie roll smell here. I was really happy with this one. And the hot throw... this one is not blow you out the house strong, but it's definitely a good thrower. It scents up my whole kitchen (and into my living room) in this subtle, beautiful chocolate fragrance. Honestly, I don't think I would have really liked it if the throw was super duper strong. It would have probably made me nauseated with the sweet chocolate smell. So yeah, I really love my little Death By Chocolate Cupcake Candle. It's just perfect in each and every way. It's just what I wanted. I've been burning it everyday since I got it in. It makes my kitchen feel all warm and cozy when I burn it.
On to the next candle.......
I wanted a Christmas candle. Something I could display in my living room, but at the same time, something that would leave my little living room smelling gorgeous and holiday-ish. So this is what I came up with.....
I decided I wanted a cookie dough bowl candle. These candles come in the cutest bowls... she has different colors to choose from. The wax is whipped, and filled with embeds as decorations to coordinate with the scent. I wanted a red bowl for Christmas. I then decided on Christmas Cookie scented whipped wax, topped with Cookie Jar scented sugar cookie embeds, drizzled with Hansel & Gretel's House gooey drizzle colored in caramel, sprinkled with red and green cookie sprinkles, and silver pearl sprinkles. After coming up with this one, I really thought I was pushing it, and asking for WAYYYYY too much. But apparently, Wendy loves a challenge, so she took it on! And this is how my idea came out... I call it Christmas Bake Shop Cookie Dough Bowl....

Ahhhh! Isn't it gorgeous?!! And let me tell you how it smells... it smells like COOKIE HEAVEN. It's sweet, with all these cookie smells mingling together.... it really smells good enough to eat. I have not burned this one yet, because I'm waiting for the Holidays. It's so hard though! I want to burn it SO BAD. But I'm fighting temptation! But look at it! Isn't it divine? And I love the fact that I got this like I wanted it. In the scents I wanted!
Ok, so let's move on to the faux bakery items. Wendy makes these faux bakery items that look REAL. I mean, really.... REAL. When I look at her pictures in her etsy shop, I get hungry. And you know being gluten free... it's hard looking at all those goodies! Let me show you a few of my favorites....

Faux Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookies

Faux Strawberry Donuts

Faux Gingerbread Men

Aren't those the cutest things evah???? I have been really debating with myself over getting a few of these. I really think these would make great ornaments for my tree. I have a Gingerbread/Candyland theme going on in my house every Christmas. My tree has nothing but gingerbread houses, gingerbread men, gingerbread angels, lollipops, cookies, gumdrops....so I'm really thinking of adding a few of these to my Christmas collection. Oh... and with Halloween coming up... look at these cute little primitive ghosts....

Primitive Halloween Ghosts

When I seen these ghosts... my heart melted. I mean come on... you can't get any cuter than this for Halloween. I want one. No. I want three. Argh. I'll need to find me a job soon.

Ok, so to show off my last two items.... I got two faux bakery candle lids. The lid fits on a mini jelly jar, regular sized jelly jar, or a mason jar. Again, I used my imagination and came up with these:

This is my Fall faux cupcake lid. I used it to top a candle I had already purchased. I think the colors tie in very well together! You really can't tell from the picture, but I wanted a pastel orange shimmering frosting sprinkled with chocolate sprinkles and topped with a candy corn. And that's exactly what I got!

This is another one! White frosting sprinkled with rainbow sprinkles, and topped with a blackberry. I used this one too, to top another candle I had. I think these came out so adorable. And they look real!

So there you go. I really wanted to review these candles and chit chat a bit about them, because I love this little etsy shop. It's like I can make up and create anything my little heart desires. Of course, there are lots of other candles in her shop that I would love to try... but I wanted candles custom made for ME. And that's exactly what I got.

So go stop by Country Crafts and Candies and show it some love. And she has lots of scents to choose from. Go stalk this shop and let your imagination wander off! I promise you won't be sorry.

Gluten Free Southern Cornbread

2011-09-01T16:42:00.000-05:00

Another thing I miss about going gluten free.... CORNBREAD. Piping hot, from the oven... cornbread. Slathered with butter. Or fig preserves. Or peach preserves. Or just plain old cornbread and milk. Mmmm. I've tried countless versions of GF cornbread, with bad results. Either it was just too dry... or it was just plain nasty. Don't get me wrong, I bet a good GF cornbread can be made with cornmeal and any type of GF flours, but I wanted a simple, plain cornbread with no other GF flours. Or any gums for that matter. Those gums mess with my tummy, so I steer clear away from them. After numerous attempts at trying, I finally have made a very drool-worthy Gluten Free Cornbread. Mmmmm. And I'm ready to share the cornbread-love with you peeps. It's a dense cornbread, but not so heavy and gritty that it will feel like a brick in your stomach (like some other recipes I tried.) It also has a crumbly texture that I love. Mmmm. It's also not a sweet cornbread. If you prefer sweet, add more sugar. If you don't like your cornbread sweet, follow the recipe to the T. So here ya go. Gluten Free Cornbread. Mmmmmm. Go ahead, make it. You'll be very surprised at the texture of this one.

Gluten Free Cornbread

2 cups Gluten Free yellow cornmeal (I use Bob's Red Mill)

1/2 cup boiling water

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 large egg

1 1/4 cup milk (you can use any type of milk here: soy, almond, buttermilk, etc)

1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small pot, boil 1/2 cup water. Add 1/2 cup cornmeal to this boiling water and stir. It will have the consistency of thick grits. Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together remaining cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a wire whisk to break up any lumps of baking powder and baking soda.

Go back to your pot of thick grits. Add your milk to the thick grits, whisking with a fork to break up any lumps. Add your egg. Whisk again until everything is incorporated. Make sure there are no big lumps left in this liquid batter. When you are done whisking and stirring, pour liquid batter into dry ingredients. Stir with a whisk to blend well. Pour into a greased (or sprayed with Pam) 9 inch round cake pan. Bake for 25-40 minutes, until top of cornbread is firm, the sides are golden, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting, or it will crumble and make a mess. But believe me, it's still very edible.

Gluten Free Sweet and Sour Meatballs

2011-08-11T06:42:00.001-05:00

Ever had those little appetizer meatballs in the tangy sauce at shower parties or weddings? Yeah, those little things are delish aren't they? Here's my gluten free version. Without the grape jelly crap (all that high fructose corn syrup is really not good for ya). I would say this is a cross between "sweet and sour" and "sweet BBQ". You be the judge after trying this. All I can say is that these little meatballs are Mmmm good. You can use the pre-made/pre-cooked frozen meatballs for this dish, but why would you wanna go mess it up with that? Make your own meatballs. It's not hard, super easy, and believe me, the results will taste outstanding. For a different taste, try sliced smoked sausage (I like Butterball Smoked Turkey Sausage... it's gluten free too!) or lil' smokies instead of meatballs. Or if you like to live on the edge...go for the gusto and use sausage AND meatballs.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

For the meatballs:

2 lbs lean ground beef (I used lean ground chuck)

1/4 cup gluten free quick cooking oats

(if you're not gluten free, you can use breadcrumbs)

1 egg, slightly beaten

salt and pepper, to taste (I use McCormick's salt free Original All Purpose Herb Seasoning)

onion powder

(I didn't measure. I just sprinkled generously)

garlic powder

(again, I didn't measure. Just sprinkle generously. Don't be scurred.)

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, cut up

1 medium sized bell pepper, cut up

2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)

1 cup ketchup (I use Hunt's 100% all natural- there's no high fructose corn syrup in this one)

1 tablespoon soy sauce (La Choy is gluten free)

2 cups water

For meatballs: Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix all ingredients together. Form into little bite sized balls. Place meatballs on a foil lined pan with sides. Bake for 30 minutes.

For sauce: In a good size pot, cook onions and bell peppers in olive oil until tender. Add all other ingredients plus 1 cup of water. Let this simmer on super low heat while meatballs are baking.

Add meatballs to sauce. Add last cup of water, and let cook for 1 hour on medium/low heat. Add a little more water if needed to cover meatballs (I did have to add a little bit more water during the hour of cooking because I had lots and lots of meatballs!). After an hour, the majority of the water should have evaporated, and your left with this thick, beautiful, reddish-brown sauce.

Eat alone, serve with rice, or if you're not gluten free, make meatball sammiches!

Dog Days of Summer

2011-08-10T17:00:00.000-05:00

It's been HOT ya'll. I mean like... REALLY HOT. I cried all Winter, because I was cold all the time. I was always bundled up, and chilled to the bone. Now that Summer is here, I'm crying for cooler weather. I'm so ready for Fall.
Fall is my favorite season. Cooler breezes... opening up all the windows to air out the house and let the cool air in. Halloween. Oh Gawd! I LOVE Halloween! It's my favorite holiday. I'm a big kid at heart.   We dress up every year, and hand out candy to the little kiddies (while they cry and hit their mama's with their flip flops they took off trying to run from us because we look too scary. No joke. That really happened last year.)
And Fall also means... FOOTBALL! Whoohoooo! Yes, I'm a big football fan. Well... I should say I'm a big Saints Fan! Who Dat!?!   Yes. I get all pimped out in my Who Dat gear come Fall. I will holler and scream at the t.v. like my Bayou Boys can hear me! I will curse, jump up and down, yell, and whoomp it up when it's TD time. Yep. I get kinda crazy.

Fall.... ah... I'm dreaming of it. Pumpkins, caramel apples.... and I already found a recipe for pie crust using almond flour, so I'll be set and ready to go to make Pumpkin Pies. And can't forget the Sweet Potato Pies! Yum.

As I type this, the heat index outside is 110 degrees.    Good Lawd! That's hot, ya'll.
And it looks like no relief in sight. We haven't had rain in weeks. Before that, we had so much rain, I was praying for sunshine. And now, it's just so hot. Too hot. The kind of heat that makes you want to hide in your air-conditioned house all summer long. Even my child does not want to go play outside because of the heat. He said the other day... "I'll go play outside this winter."
The only time we can enjoy being outside is either early morning or late evening. And late evening... you have to watch out so the mosquitoes don't carry you away and eat you alive.   Should we talk about the size of our mosquitoes down here in the Deep South? Huge! And when they bite...it BURNS like hell.

So yeah, all this whining.... I'm ready for Fall. I'm tired of these Dog Days of Summer. I'm ready for that revitalizing and awakening feeling I get when we get that first cool front. That feeling of feeling alive. Hopefully, come September, it will start cooling off. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.   Until then, I'll just keep daydreaming and wishing for Magical Autumn to hurry up it's ass and get here.

There's gluten in that?!!?

2011-07-16T09:23:00.000-05:00

You would be very surprised at the hidden gluten found in bath and body products. Lotions, shampoos, body washes and soap, toothpaste, makeup, hairspray, nail polish, hair dye, shaving cream, deodorant, lip balms... and I could go on and on. When I first went gluten free, and found out the possibilities of hidden gluten in my make up, shampoo, and lotions, I almost keeled over. I'm the "girly girl" type girl. I love makeup. I love body scrubs and lotions. I love different handmade soaps and body washes. When I realized that over half of my pamper stash had gluten in it, I freaked. And when I realized my favorite lipstick that I've been wearing had gluten in it, I cried. Yep. I cried over frickin' lipstick, y'all.
But you do what you gotta do, to avoid feeling sick all the time. So I put on my big girl panties and dealt with it.

When I first went to the drugstore to replenish my addiction to makeup, I looked like a mad woman reading the labels on makeup. I could feel the stares of the normal people around me. I swear I heard a little girl say to her mama at one point... Mommy, why is that crazy lady talking to the makeup? I turned around and growled at her. Yep. I sure did. I stood in the makeup aisle for what seemed like hours (two hours to be exact), reading the backs of the products, and huffing and puffing each time I had to put something I found that I liked back on the shelf after realizing it had wheat or wheat derivatives in it. After two hours of moaning and groaning, I finally found a decent brand of face powder, with no gluten in it. But I still needed mascara, eyeliner, lipstick, foundation, blush, lip gloss, etc. Two hours... and only one product.
To this date, I have finally found everything I need to complete my beauty pageant queen makeup stash. It was hard and time consuming, but I did it. I can tell you, that it does suck to have to read every frickin' ingredient on the label before purchasing. But better safe than sorry right?
Here's a list of things to look out for, and to avoid if you choose a gluten free lifestyle:

Amino Peptide Complex
Amp-isostearoyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Avena sativa (oat) flour
Avena sativa (oat) flour kernel
Barley Derived
Barley Extract
Disodium wheatgermamido PEG-2 sulfosuccinate
Hordeum vulgare (barley) extract
Hydrolyzed Wheat gluten
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein PG-propyl silanetriol
Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch
Hydroxpropyltrimonium hydrolyzed wheat protein
Oat (avena sativa) extract
Oat beta glucan
Oat Derived
Oat Extract
Oat Flour
Phytophingosine extract
Rye Derived
Sodium lauroyl oat amino acids
Triticum vulgare (wheat) flour lipids
Triticum vulgare (wheat) germ extract
Triticum vulgare (wheat) germ oil
Tocopherol
Tocopheryl Acetate
Vitamin E- Vitamin E can be derived from wheat, soy, or corn. Always check with the manufacturer to make sure.
Wheat (triticum vulgare) bran extract
Wheat Amino Acids
Wheat Bran Extract
Wheat Derived
Wheat Germ Extracts
Wheat Germ Glycerides
Wheat Germ Oil
Wheat germamidopropyldimonium hydroxypropyl hydrolyzed wheat protein

Yeah, that's a long list. Just to give you a little edumacation on ingredient listings....
Companies are "supposed" to list the Latin name of certain ingredients on their ingredients label. For example:
Triticum vulgare is the Latin name for Wheat. Avena sativa is the Latin word for Oat. Hordeum vulgare is the Latin word for Barley. So, if you go to the store, and you are looking at the ingredient list for let's say... a body lotion. I have St. Ives Intensive Healing Advanced Body Moisturizer in my possession, so I'll use that. The ingredients are listed as follows:
Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Alcohol, Mineral Oil, Stearic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) seed oil, Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry) seed oil, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Theobroma Cacao (cocoa) butter, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) seed oil, Olive Oil PEG-7 Esters, Olea Europaea (olive) Leaf Extract, Urea, Cetearyl Glucoside, Ceteth-10 Phosphate, Dicetyl Phosphate, Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol.

All words in italics are the latin name for the word followed in parenthesis. So Vitis Vinifera is the latin word for Grape, Mangifera Indica is the latin name for Mango, and so on. What I'm trying to get at... is that reading ingredients on a label can be intimidating, but it really is easy peasy. So if you are deciding to take on a gluten free lifestyle, it's important that you know how to read ingredient lists, to weed out all hidden gluten in products. Of course, if you would have any concerns about whether or not a product contains gluten, please contact the manufacturer to make absolute sure. And FYI, St. Ives Intensive Healing Advanced Body Moisturizer IS gluten free. I love this stuff. It's unscented (so it doesn't clash with my perfume), and leaves my skin soft. No greasy stuff here. Yes, it does contain mineral oil, but people... let me tell you....mineral oil is not bad for the skin. It's an excellent moisturizer. So don't be scurred. Go ahead and slather it on. Feels good doesn't it?

Granola 2.0

2011-07-14T13:48:00.001-05:00

So... I blogged about Granola Version #1 yesterday morning, so I figured it's time for Version #2. Version #2 has a different texture. It's more of a cluster type granola and more crunchier, depending on how long you decide to bake it. The longer you bake it (until dark golden brown), the crunchier it will be. This one is more sweeter than the first version, and the addition of peanut butter gives it a slight "roasted" flavor more so than a peanut butter flavor. This one is da hubby's favorite. My most recent batch I made is already gone, and I'm already hearing whines for more.

Roasted Granola

1 1/2 cups GF old fashioned rolled oats

2 cups GF Rice Krispes

1 cup chopped nuts (use any type of nut.. or a mixture of nuts, whatevah floats ya boat)

1 cup dried fruit (again, use whatever you would prefer-cranberries, raisins, blueberries, pineapple, mango, cherries, apricots, apples, etc)

1/2 cup sweetened coconut

1 tsp. cinnamon (use more if you really want the cinnamon taste to pop out. I used 1 tsp because I just wanted to enhance the taste, not overpower it.)

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (if you don't have mini chips, throw regular sized choco chips in your chopper or food processor and whiz it up a couple of times to break into mini-sized pieces, you want them to melt during baking)

Blend the above ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.

1/3 cup extra virgin light olive oil

1/2 cup honey

1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar (I used dark)

1 heaping tablespoon Peanut Butter

Combine these four ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer until sugar and peanut butter melts. Pour liquid mixture over granola mixture and toss/stir until everything is well blended.

Spread in a large foil lined pan (with sides). Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-30 minutes, depending on how crunchy you like it. Stir every so often while baking. I usually leave mine in the oven until it starts getting REALLY BROWN. Just be careful not to burn it! Granola burns easily if you don't keep your eyes on it.

When done, take out of oven and let completely cool. Store in ziploc bags. You can keep this in the fridge to preserve freshness, but ours doesn't usually last that long!

Candle Freak- Candles By Victoria

2011-07-14T09:29:00.000-05:00

In my first blog post, I mentioned how I was going to do a few product reviews. These reviews are my opinion on things I have purchased, and love. So why not share the love with all you peeps?
Ok. So are you ready? My first review will be on Candles By Victoria.
I have ALOT to say about Candles By Victoria. If you have never heard of CBV, then you must be living under a rock. Fo Sho.
I found CBV by accident one day via Google, a little over a year ago. I made my first purchase, got my package in, and after ooohing and ahhhing and sniffing away, I was sold. With over 600 scents to choose from, you can't go wrong. There's a scent for everyone.
I'm embarrassed to say that if you would see the stash of candles and scent shots I have, you would cut flips. No, really. I ran out of hiding places to stash these crack candles (and I say crack candles in a very loving way), and I really need to slow my roll on buying more. But I just can't help myself. I. Have. No. Self. Control. Ok, enough about me and my candle hoarding problem... Let's talk about CBV.

First off, Victoria is a dahling (do you hear my southern drawl coming out?). Every time I have a question, or had a problem, or even to just drop a little comment through email, I've always gotten a response. Always. And Victoria's email replies are so darn sweet, she makes me wanna be her sista from another mista or something. She's really down to earth. I feel like I wanna sit down with this woman and drink margaritas while we paint our toenails and listen to 80's music. Yeah. I told you she was a dahling.
How's that for customer service?? Ok.. let's move on...

How about da goods, you ask? Well, let me tell you. Every candle I have purchased from CBV has a scent throw. There's a few that are on the light side in throw, but believe me when I tell you this.... Let that baby sit for a few weeks (or longer if you can do that sort of thing... me.. I have no self control, remember?), then fire that wick up and see what you get. Yes. The scent throw will blow you out of the house.
Even the little 4 oz candles are powerhouses. And the scent shots! Can we talk about the scent shots, y'all? They are HUGE. I usually cut mine into four pieces, because I find the scent shots are so strong, I can only handle small pieces at a time in the tart warmer. I have a knife especially set aside for cutting my ~~husband~~... uh.. um... scent shots. I cut them on a piece of foil, because it can get a wee bit messy. Here's a shot of my scent shots...

That's just a few. I was too ashamed to take a picture of the TWO gallon ziploc bags FULL of scent shots I have hiding in the back of the curio cabinet.
Here's a few of my favorite scents just to give you an idea on how much I like CBV.

From Left To Right: Chocolate Chip Cookie... when you light this one up, it smells like REAL choco chip cookies baking in the oven. And I ain't lyin'.
Mango Peach Salsa... one of my new favorites. If you like peach scents, then add this one to your next order
Starfruit & Mango... one of my go-to candles to light when I want everyone to believe that I've been cleaning house.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Sweet Treat Candle.... Look at this. Go ahead. I'll wait.

Isn't it the cutest thing everrrrrrrr? Look at that little pumpkin on the top. Just look! I want to light this one up SO BAD. But I've kept it hidden from my view, to fight temptation. Let me tell you how it smells. It smells like HEAVEN, if Heaven had a smell. This smells like creamy pumpkin pie, with a slight vanilla note. Not heavy on the spice at all, just a creamy, dreamy pumpkin. And Victoria sprinkles it with either nutmeg or cinnamon. I dunno. Whatever it is... I sniffed it all up off the candle the first day I got it in.
Wise Words of Wisdom: Do not sniff decorative spices off of the candles like a freak.

Do you want to know the coolest thing evah about CBV? The Create-A-Scent candles you can make.
I know... I know... I can hear some of you sayin' right now....
"What you talkin' 'bout Willis?"
Let me explain what Create-A-Scent candles are: You can combine any two scents out of their gigantic scent list to make your own unique scent. And hold the phone. That's not the best part... listen to this.
You can name your own scent that you created. Really...how cool is that? Super cool.
Making a Create-A-Scent candle is my favorite thing to do when I have money to ~~blow~~... uh... spare. Money to spare. Here's a few Create-A-Scent candles that I have made.

From Left To Right: Pumpkin Nog Cookies (mixture of Pumpkin Egg Nog & Sugar Cookie)
Gingerbread Apple Cobbler (mixture of Buttery Gingerbread & Dutch Apple Crunch)
I think Victoria liked this one, because now it's included in her scent list as Apple Gingerbread Spice.
Citrus & Evergreen (mixture of Fresh Squeezed Oranges & Christmas Tree)

From Left to Right: Oatmeal Apple Craisin Cookie (mixture of Oatmeal Raisin Cookie & CranApple)
Black Coconut & Vanilla Sands (mixture of Exotic Coconut & Vanilla After Dark)
Pumpkin Banana Nut Swirl (mixture of Pumpkin Pickin' & Banana Walnut)

So that's only a few of my favorite scents and scent combos that I have created. You'd be here reading all day if I listed everything I have purchased from CBV in the last year. The point I'm trying to make is....
I heart CBV. I really do. I'm in the process of plotting my next order, which will be somewhere around Fall. The only thing I have to do is find more space to hide my stash. If da hubby would know about all the candles I have, he would blow a gasket... but Lord help the fool that gets between me and my CBV.
So go. Scadaddle. Shoo-fly. Go visit Candles By Victoria and see for yourself what I'm talking about. And when you finally ~~tackle~~, um... see... when you finally see the UPS man at your front door with your new package of candles, you'll feel like a kid on Christmas morning all over again.

Gluten Free Granola

2011-07-13T08:09:00.000-05:00

Granola... Yum. I love's me some granola! When I went Gluten Free, I thought I had to give up oatmeal. That was until I found this. These oats are grown on dedicated oat-growing fields (meaning, grown no where around wheat), and are packaged in a gluten free facility. If you can tolerate oats, I highly recommend Bob's Red Mill Old Fashioned Rolled Oats and Quick Rolled Oats.

Granola... lots of different versions out there, but I found TWO that I love to make and love even more to eat. Even my picky 11 year old asks me... "Mom... when are you going to make more granola??" We eat it by the handfuls as a snack, or sprinkle it on top of yogurt or ice cream... or even sprinkle it over cereal. It's filling, healthy, and yummo. Did I mention I LOVE granola?

This version of granola is my favorite.... it's light in taste, not too crispy, and not too sweet. It's just right.

You can sub the dried fruits and almonds for any other dried fruits or nuts that suit your taste.

Honey-Nut & Fruit Granola

2 1/2 cups GF Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

1/2 cup Coconut Flakes (I use sweetened)

1 cup sliced Almonds

4 Tablespoons Honey

3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Light Olive Oil

1/2 cup Raisins

1/2 cup Dried Cranberries

1-2 Teaspoons Brown Sugar (optional- I add this to give it a tiny bit of sugary sweetness)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

In a large bowl mix together oats, coconut, and almonds. In a cup, mix honey and oil. The oil will stay mostly separated from the honey, and that's normal... just stir very well with a fork until it looks blended. Pour the honey mixture over the oat mixture and stir until it looks evenly coated. Divide the granola onto TWO foil lined baking sheets with sides and spread to cover evenly. Bake for 30 minutes, stir, bake another 5-10 minutes depending on preferred doneness. If you prefer your granola more brown (like I do)... leave it in another 5-10 minutes, but just keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn. Let completely cool. At this point, I pour both pans of granola in a large bowl. Add raisins, dried cranberries, and brown sugar (if using). Toss well to distribute brown sugar. Make sure there are no lumps in your brown sugar. Break apart any lumps with your fingers before adding to the granola.
Store in an airtight container or ziploc bag. You can also store this in the fridge, to extend freshness.

Six Month Mark! Gluten Free!

2011-07-12T07:51:00.000-05:00

Yes. Six months. Six WHOLE months. It was very hard to do it, but I did it...being GLUTEN FREE.
My gluten free journey started in Feb 2011, after four long years of feeling sick every day. After the encouragement of a friend who has Celiac Disease, I decided to take the plunge and eliminate wheat, rye, and barley from my diet. And I don't. Regret. It. At. All.

Every day was a struggle for me, before going gluten free. Didn't know when I would be sick. It would hit me out of the blue. Some days, I couldn't even leave my house because I was chained to the bathroom toilet (not really, but you get my drift). Other days, I still wouldn't leave the house because of developing a fear. Will I get sick at the store? Will I be stuck in the bathroom? Not only did my sickness affect my body... it affected my mind. For four years, I was told by a gastro doctor that I had an ulcer, plus IBS. The weight loss was another issue. I've always been "the big girl". My highest weight was 303 lbs. That all changed when I got sick. Over the course of four years, I have lost 150 lbs., without even trying. The weight just melted off of me. I kept asking myself... how can this be???   All my life, I was on diets. Never lost a damn pound. And to have the weight just slide off of me... really scared the living daylights out of me.
Another problem I had was eating. It didn't matter what I ate... I just couldn't eat a lot. I would literally (and I mean literally) eat two bites of food, and felt like I ate 10 plates of food. People around me thought I was starving myself at first (on purpose). In all reality, I was starving myself, but not on my own accord. I was HUNGRY. All the time. But just couldn't eat.   My doctor at the time blamed it on my "ulcer". I was given a script of Nexium and sent home.

After being on the Nexium for a few weeks, I started feeling somewhat better. I always had trouble with "IBS", days or sometimes weeks of excruciating stomach pain in the mornings, (and sometimes at night). Stomach cramps so bad, that sometimes I thought I was going to pass out. The combo of constipation/diarrhea almost everyday. Feeling sick to your stomach, nauseated 24/7... and let me mention the zombie like brain fog. Oh man. Some days, I was such a zombie, I didn't know if I was coming or going. Itchy skin... I remember scratching my scalp so hard one day with the brush, I made myself bleed. Every shampoo I tried (even medicated) did not work to help relieve the itching. Body Lotions... never helped my itchy dried skin. I thought I was just doomed to suffer for the rest of my life with all the ailments I was experiencing.
Now let's get back to the eating part..... I was afraid to eat. I just knew, if I ate something, I would be sick for days. At this point, I only ate to survive. And let me tell you... that SUCKS.   Especially at family get-togethers. When everyone is munching on potato chips and stuffing their face with chocolate frosted brownies... there I was in the corner, sipping my bottle of water. I was so pathetic.

In Feb 2011, I had the most vile "attack/episode" I had ever experienced. That night for supper, I decided to eat a bowl of Choco Dyno Bites Cereal (the kind from Malt-O-Meal). After 30 minutes of eating, I got sick. I mean... REALLY SICK. I thought I was dying. Warning: I'm going to get graphic here.
Kick-Ass Stomach cramps... diarrhea... nausea... I felt like I had the bubonic plaque. I would liken the pain to... a really bad stomach bug or virus. Ya know, the kind where you throw up your guts, shit out your intestines, and just want to be put out of your misery. That kind of pain. After using the bathroom seven times in two hours, I was exhausted. I finally passed out on the couch and slept through the night.
The next morning I woke up, and I decided... I have to do SOMETHING. I can't live like this anymore. I have no life. My life is misery. I mean, come on... being sick like this all the time really takes a toll on you.
After talking to my Celiac friend, and listening to her tell me that all the symptoms I was having, was what she experienced... I decided to eliminate gluten from my diet. I researched and read until I thought my eyes would bleed.   Going gluten free wasn't going to kill me. So I took the plunge. And today marks six months I've been gluten free! I have not had a kick ass episode/attack since going gluten free. That says something, right?! About the itchy skin... since changing my body wash/soap, and shampoo, I no longer suffer with itchiness! My shampoo had wheat in it! No wonder I was scratching until I bled. Go figure.

To finish off this story... I found another gastro doc. Two months ago, I took countless tests, including an upper endoscopy, colonoscopy, blood work, stool tests.... and I go back today for my results.
I do know that the doc found no polyps, and no signs of damage that he could see in the intestines (remember, I've been gluten free since Feb). I doubt that anything will come back positive for Celiac Disease (again, since I've been gluten free since Feb), but he did mention that the only reason for my massive weight loss would be Celiac Disease or possibly Gluten Intolerant. I pray that I am just Gluten Intolerant. When you take the plunge and go gluten free before getting diagnosed, tests usually come back negative for Celiac Disease. To get a proper diagnosis, I would have to start eating gluten again for six weeks. Looking back on how much I suffered before this gluten free journey, I don't think I can go that route again.

That's my story in a nutshell. The purpose of this blog is to share my experience with other people who are suffering from a "mystery sickness" like I was suffering for four years. To let them know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I am also a bath and body and candle junkie, so every now and then, I'll post my reviews and take on things I use/purchase/come across. I'll also be sharing gluten free recipes and gluten free tips, because I know how hard it is to change to a gluten free lifestyle, and maybe my little mindless wanderings will help some soul out there who is looking for guidance.