How did I not see this before?  I’m at Target three times a week sometimes!  At least once per week I look at the ice creams/gelato selections and rarely purchase anything since it’s either not good or not even close to natural.  Today, I stumbled upon Archer Farms Imported From Italy Gelato.  Yes.  Seriously.  Ok – I know there are a couple of frozen gelato brands already- but I don’t like either one of them.  The flavors and the textures just aren’t right.  One by one Omaha’s not very good and not authentic gelato places have shut down.  Even though they weren’t that great- they were still fun places to go and bring your kids sometimes.  At gelato places, the serving size is reasonable – not monstrous.  Plus, you get those adorable little spoons.  I freaking love those cute little spoons.

Anyway – on my second trip to Target in two days, today I finally noticed the gelato!  The clouds parted, I heard the angels sing.  Do you hear it?  Wait a second – you’re probably in your car right now driving to Target.  $4.99 a pop, and we tried three kinds.  I bought the coconut – where half is coconut gelato, the other half pineapple, with coconut on top.  I also got the tiramisu kind – the top of it is dusted heavily with ground up espresso beans – pretty presentations.  My mom bought the pistachio flavor- the top is covered in chopped pistachios.  I really wanted to try cherry amaretto as well, but $15 on gelato in one day – if the stuff is gross, would’ve felt like such a waste.  It would not have been a waste though- I’ll wager on that.  The tiramisu gelato is to die for.  AWESOME!  Seriously.  I’m pretty sure the folks over at Target must’ve read my blog post about being disappointed in the change to the imported from Italy four cheese pizza – so they made it up to me with some awesome gelato.  Thanks guys:)  The tiramisu flavored gelato is right-on.  Just the perfect balance of flavors for the frozen variation of this treat.

The Coconut is very yummy- I really liked the pineapple flavor side of it mixed with the coconut on top.  It doesn’t taste like a pina colada – but like pineapple gelato with coconut…what it is.  The Italians are pretty good with the purity of their flavors and not messing it up like we do half the time.  Why didn’t I go to college in Italy when my Dad was pushing me to go there?  Kicking myself…for the millionth time.

The Pistachio flavor is also good – maybe a little too creamy for me – but maybe not.  We tried all three at the same time and I may have ruined my experience with the intense espresso flavor of the Tiramisu.  My 4 year old actually preferred the Tiramisu one as well.  At first he though the ground espresso beans was chocolate – and took a huge bite.  But he’s my son so he actually liked it of course.  So after that I made him eat only the gelato/lady finger portion – which he loved as well.  He’s sleeping now while I’m a little wired.  I think I ate too much espresso.

What an excellent gift for Father’s Day!  I received an awesome steak knife set- Wusthof’s Grand Prix II Four Piece Steak Knife Set in red!  If you know much about American Football- you’d know the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ color is red.  Half the people I know have Husker basements or garages.  The ladies usually put a restriction on where the man can decorate with Husker stuff.   I limit Husker stuff to the garage.  Sorry- not having a huge stadium picture in my basement, excuse me, lower level.  To be somewhat PC, some women like decorating their houses with sports crap.  Anyway – I still like accenting my kitchen with the color red and so red is the color of my accessories that aren’t stainless.  Perfect.

Only filets were worthy of trying out our new knives – so I put my husband to the task of actually grilling the steak.  A man that cooks is a total turn on.  Buuuuut… not my husband- he flips out over every little thing.  “Where is everything?!” “What do I do!?”  “How do I handle the pressure!?”  Of course my handy meat thermometer, which I’ve had over 10 years and has never failed me, had to die while he was grilling the filets.  He was so nervous about over-cooking them, he panicked and needed me to check the thermometer right this second!  In a flustered rush of annoyance, I grabbed the thermometer to pull it out.  I usually just put it in periodically and never actually leave it in.  Oops.  The grill was 400 degrees.  You could hear the quick sizzle of my left thumb and pointer finger.  I ran inside and put ice in it right away and internally scolded my husband and myself for the next few hours.  But miraculously, the steaks turned out perfectly medium rare!  It is possible to properly cook a steak without thermometers.  I only use them for pork and hamburgers actually.  If you’re a man reading this, NOTE: to turn a woman on by cooking – take it all in stride and uh, with a grain of salt.  Do not freak out or you have ruined the whole point.  If you cannot do this, instruct significant other to leave the room so you still seem cool.

The burns were kind of a blessing in disguise for trying out the new knives.  I only had to hold my fork in my left hand for a second while I sliced right through the filet like it was the most tender filet in the world – or like ”hot butter,” in my husband’s words.   I was actually about to buy a nice set of steak knives but opted to get our cheaper ones from 10 years ago professionally sharpened.  Those work much better than they did before- but nothing like these red Wustof’s.  However, I really wouldn’t recommend burning yourself just to check the validity of a knife.

With the whole thermometer fiasco – I knew exactly what to get the husband for Father’s Day!  Shhhhh

If you want to read more on the quality of the knives, click here.  I don’t go into much detail since everyone already knows the quality the Wusthof name brings.  These red steak knives are sold exclusively at Williams Sonoma.  Love that store.  Love love love.

Disclosure: I received free product from Wusthof.  However, if I don’t like a product, I just don’t review it.  I’m the worst liar in the world.

And it comes full circle!  Back in the day, I used to have a huge crush on Tyler Florence.  When he used to do the show Food 911- he may actually still do it but I haven’t watched in over 6 years so I couldn’t tell you!  My crush faded eventually when he did too many blue cheese dishes and fatty steaks.  I was so disappointed when my family and I went to Italy to visit relatives, see the historical sites, and eat the food:  my husband and I were taking  a tour of the Vatican while my brother walked the streets and took pictures with his sweet new camera.  Who stopped him?  Tyler Florence!  Of course my brother didn’t have any clue who he was (doesn’t really cook) but Tyler was interested in his camera and they chatted awhile.  Tony said Tyler was a nice, normal guy- so all these years later I’m happy to help support he and his family by buying his baby food!  Well, my one baby will not actually help support much- but I wanted to get the word out!

About the baby food.  It’s called Sprout and their website is www.sproutbabyfood.com.  They go above and beyond what competitors do by actually making the food tasty.  Okay- I haven’t tried that many combos since E is only 6 months old - but we’re getting there.  There is a noticeable difference when eating the Sprout food vs the other brands.  With my son three years ago,  I always tasted all of his baby food- and I still do.  At the time, between Gerber Organic and Earth’s Best, the majority of the better tasting food was Earth’s Best, plus I preferred that Earth’s Best was in glass.  But now – we are LOVING the Sprout!   It comes in little BPA free plastic/foil pouch that you can run under warm water, ie. NO MICROWAVING!  The pouch is re-sealable and it’s so easy to squeeze all the good stuff out of them.  There are similar competitors but in my opinion, and my baby’s opinion, the flavor of this brand beats the others – although I love the healthy choices of the other brands as well.

On their website, they recommend the Stage 1 for 6 months and the Stage 2 for 7 months+, but it’s basically like the other brand’s Stage 1 at 4-6 months and Stage 2 at 6+ months.  So, I will have to ignore their suggested age since E was eating Stage 1 just fine before 6 months and is happily eating their Stage 2 food at 6 months.  There is no reason I can figure to follow that guideline.  We’ve only had a few of the Stage 2 mixes so far since it takes forever to introduce one food at a time to test for allergies, but from the few things we’ve tried, the small differences in preparation make for a huge difference in flavor, a happy baby, and they seem to upset her tummy less than the dried oatmeal/rice that you mix with formula.  I’m excited for my baby to try the whole spectrum of these foods!!!  Since – I do not see a day any time soon where I will have enough sleep to have the energy to roast bananas first, then puree them, freeze them into cubes, do the dishes and clean up my mess.  These are foods with small touches that I would’ve made myself, but sleep deprived me hasn’t gotten around to it, so I’m thankful that Sprout baby food is available for my baby until I get some sleep…if ever!  After all, I can’t quite grind our recent quick meals of PB&J on whole wheat or gluten free pasta and meatballs:) 

Oh!  If you’re wondering where to buy these for your baby, I got them at Whole Foods.  I also see it’s available on Amazon.com and I can use my Amazon Mom membership and get free Prime shipping in two days for a case.  Woohooo!

My dad loves literally throwing everything from his fridge into his soups.  Seriously.  Strangely, he starts off with canned soup as a base.  I think he must’ve bought a case of healthy Chicken and Rice soup from Costco, since his last two soups were started with canned Chicken and Rice soup.  So, of the two most recent concoctions, he actually threw in a bag of broccoli slaw.  Sounds weird – but the slaw cooked to a nice consistency – noodle-like.  My son was really excited about it.  First off, Opa made it, and second, they were cool noodles.  I actually told O they were broccoli, but since it was a cool noodle, he ignored me and concentrated on this delicious soup!  I’ve tried calling broccoli little trees- like other people suggest; I could call them candy and it wouldn’t make a difference.  Who would’ve thought -broccoli slaw in soup!  Anyway, I want to figure out a recipe for this and post it someday.  In the meantime, I wanted to give all you moms a heads-up for something new and possibly successful to try.

On to the CSN reviews of the two things I ended up receiving.  First of all, this Cuisinart 7 Speed Hand Mixer  is a hog.  I love it!  It’s just so amazing.  My old mixer went out on me right before Christmas.  I ended up ordering this beauty not realizing how bad my old one was.  I had an old cheapie from college still but you know…if it aint’ broke.  So I’m very happy it broke since I had no idea what I was missing.  It’s a smart blender, it starts slowly and works its way into your food.  Kinda reminds me of being at the dentist and moving your tongue around in tandem with the dentist like a well choreographed dance.  Okay, maybe not exactly like that…bad analogy? - but it just knows, and it’s so strong and it even feels nice in your hands.  I’m a hand mixer person- I have a stand mixer but it’s so heavy I hate hauling it out of the pantry, so this is extra exciting for me.

This may seem a little silly, but potty training leads you to do all sorts of crazy things.  Throwing cheerios in the toilet for an aim, dancing and singing after potty success – but I always feel bad for O’s tiny little butt.  He has a little potty in one of our bathrooms – and he prefers to use that because it’s easier.  This is annoying since I have to dump it and clean it all the time.  Since he can get up on a normal one himself, I should toss it, but I don’t since he’s going by himself and that makes me happy!  However, in his bathroom, I wanted to make it easy on him.  It’s easy to use the cheap little potty seats you set on the toilet seat, but getting on and off is a challenge.  Those seats aren’t attached and you always have to be there to get them on and off.  Very annoying!  So, I got this Beneke Magnola Adult/Toddler Progressions toilet seat with gentle close.  Ahhh, I no longer have to be there to help if it happens to be a moment that I’m feeding my baby or something.  He thinks the seat is really cool and I love the fact that I can just lift up his little seat for an adult seat.  Very nice.  The only thing about it is – although it’s a gentle close, the little lid on top of the little part of the potty isn’t – and that’s the one they actually use!  But no big deal really – I love this toilet seat:)

Disclosure: I received some free product from CSN…and paid for some too.

I’m so excited!  Today, Trader Joe’s has finally opened its doors in Omaha.  Yippeee!!!  But…I’m not there.  Yep, it’s a crappy day, I’m home with my baby waiting for a friend from out of town to come visit.  TJ’s will be there tomorrow and the next day and the next.  A friend just asked me if I was one of the crazy ladies in line at 6:00 this morning:)  I stay home on Black Friday too- I’m guessing this is similar.  But you can bet when I finally get more time to cook and get my creative juices flowing- I will be shopping there…on weekday mornings…maybe every other day.  Actually, if you live in the area – why don’t you come to Trader Joe’s and say hi.  Pretty much any time- there’s a good chance I’ll be there:)

Anyway, I feel a bit nerdish to tell you how flipping excited I was to open up this box of goodies from EO Products.  I mean, Christmas came early at my house!  It’s cold and flu season- and we’re all trying to keep our hands as clean as possible.  And then I have a three year old in preschool who literally brings home a new cold/virus every two weeks, basically once he’s getting better from the last one.  Agh!  What is a mom to do with a new baby at home?  Well, not much really when you have this preschooler coughing directly in your face no matter how many times you tell him not to.  I’ve tried various parenting techniques to get this to stop – but I’m pretty sure it’s hopeless. 

When I don’t have a newborn baby at home.  I just wash my hands a lot and don’t use a lot of hand sanitizers.  But when I’m around a baby, it’s sanitize time!  So check out this variety of products EO sent me.  Soap and sanitize jackpot!  If you like the smell of lavender – muted lavender, not in-your-face lavender, then you’ll probably love this stuff.  Since I’ve put lavender soaps now at most of our sinks - the aromatherapy effect has made my family very calm and relaxed.  Okay, not really, but I do constantly smell my hands after washing!  I’ve got the sanitizers in my diaper bag, bedside, kitchen and purse.  They’ve not overly feminine so men will use them too in my kitchen without a complaint. 

I’d like to tell you that my son hasn’t brought home a cold since, but that’s not true.  I think that if all the kids wore masks at school and then I ran around after my son sanitizing him every second, and then I also petitioned the school to get a better air filtration system at his school, then he wouldn’t get sick.   But…I’d probably get kicked out of the school for being a nutcase.  However, I do fantasize about it at times with this neverending story of new colds and coughs.  Instead, we are going through the “building the immunity” stage.  I often wonder if that’s just BS - because you get the parents bragging that their kid never got sick while you’re exhaustedly wiping another snotty nose. 

Moving on!  Thanks to the people at EO Products.  I’m a fan and when I run out – which will surprisingly be sooner than later, I will run my butt over to Target and pick up some more!

Through Foodbuzz’s Tastemaker program, I got to try new Ghiradelli new all natural LUXE chocolates and Special K’s new recipe with fiber.  I love getting food in the mail!!!  Since everything takes me awhile nowadays, I decided to write this with a baby on my lap – try something new.  She keeps pitching herself headfirst into the boppy I have on my lap as a “seatbelt.”  Safety first!  It’s okay, she has her head to the side each time so it’s like she’s using the airplane pull-out tray as a pillow- except the boppy really is a big soft pillow.  She likes it.

Anyway- I love love love chocolate.  I do prefer dark chocolate though and come to find that this Ghiradelli is super super milky.  It’s a mild chocolate.  It comes in three flavors: almond, hazelnut and plain.  The added nuts are also pretty mild in these chocolates. They’re not the uber-crunchy nutty types, but the mild, bit of texture amount added.  If you’re a milk chocolate lover and not a big dark chocolate fan, you’d probably love these.  I love that they’re all natural. 

I go through cereal phases.  One of those cereals I’ve had a phase with is Special K with red berries.  However, I don’t like to buy it because there is practically zero fiber in it.  Well, that has changed now!  They even have a taste guarantee.  I’d say the light sugary sweet flavor is similar – but you just can’t get rid of the nutty wheat flavor inside the cereal now that wasn’t there before.  Also, it’s a little crunchier and not as delicate.  Honestly, I did like it better before, but I’d be more likely to buy it now knowing that there’s fiber in there to keep me satisfied for a little while longer.  Heck, I’ve already gone through one box and am ready to open another (lucky me got TWO boxes:).  Also, I have a pretty picky palate I think, so if you’re a Special K fanatic, you may not even notice.  If you do, don’t worry, they have that guarantee!

Disclosure: I received free product via Ghiradelli and Kellogg’s

Picture courtesy of ghiradelli.com

I started writing this the day after The Next Food Network Star finale…so the following sentence is a little dated:)  I thought it was very fitting that the other night while watching The Next Food Network Star- Aarti won after doing her mock show making, of all things, Naan pizza!  I loved watching Tom but I hear he’s getting a show too- which is fantastic!  I normally don’t watch the show but got caught up the last couple of weeks while sitting on my butt:)  Tandoor Chef has come out with their own frozen pre-made Naan pizzas for us to buy- you should be able to get them at Whole Foods now or soon.  They come in four varieties: Roasted Eggplant, Cilantro Pesto, Margherita, and Spinach and Paneer.  I have tested all four varieties and am excited to share with you!  Since having a baby- it has been really really hot and humid in Omaha, so if you fire up the oven the AC starts to over-work.  Also, she seems to react to either cheese or tomatoes- and so I have been pretty cautious on what I’m eating.  I can’t figure it out though so after going awhile without these things, I slowly add them back in and her gassy fits still seem random. 

The first kind I tried was the Roasted Eggplant Naan Pizza.  It was exactly what I was in the mood for!  It has a little bit of sweetness from the roasted eggplant and just the right mix of spices.  This is the most different and my favorite of the three that I tried.  In fact, I wish they would just sell a huge tray of roasted eggplant since the flavor from the topping was so yummy!  When my Whole Foods gets these in, I’m buying a bunch!  The next one I tried was the Margherita pizza – I shared this with my mom.  She loved it but I thought it was a bit too garlicky for me- though it was good and tasty (remember, I am a bit of an Italian food snob, which includes pizza).  I tried this while still pregnant and so my stomach had been a bit more sensitive.  Great flavor, but for me, less garlic would be perfect.  Then another night I made the Cilantro one for my husband and me for dinner. It was awesome!  Not too garlicky, and actually, the cilantro was pretty mild.  I think if you are one of those cilantro-haters, you would still like this pizza.   The last variety I tried was the Spinach and Paneer.  I loved the paneer on there but like the margherita variety, this was too garlicky for me.  But the flavor was awesome!  If it had less garlic – I’d be eating this often since the paneer has a fantastic flavor and consistency for pizza.  I loved how it is just different enough but works.

I like the fact that these pizzas are small, all-natural and unique.  They’re the perfect meal for two leaving plenty of room for sides and a dessert.

Disclosure: I received free product from Tandoor Chef

Through Buitoni’s parternership with Foodbuzz and their Tastemaker Program, I received a coupon for a free Buitoni frozen meal.  See, I kinda cheated since I’ve already tried their frozen lasagna.   A couple of weeks ago, my husband had a major craving for lasagna (no, he’s not the pregnant one, I am).   So since he asked for it one night when it was way too late to start making one myself and I had that day coincidentally read a list of reviews of the best frozen lasagnas, I thought I’d take my list of the best ones and go get one for him and try it out for myself!

However, once I got to the store, they of course did not have one of these “best” lasagnas, but I stumbled upon this Buitoni frozen lasagna (not on the list because the testers did not try this kind), which looked very promising.  I figured since Foodbuzz has such a great relationship with Buitoni, and lots of foodie bloggers were raving about various Buitoni products, it couldn’t be too bad.  See, I’m a total Italian food snob.  Unless it comes from an authentic Italian restaurant, my family, myself, or imported, I typically do not like American Italian food.  It’s totally different.  I haven’t tried the Buitoni brand before due to this snobishness.  I’ve turned down other Buitoni Tastemaker opportunities for this reason.  Anyway, the frozen lasagna is all natural and Southern style – which I appreciated the clarification.  My family is from Northern Italy and the lasagna/food styles are totally different.  I do like them all though, just depends on the mood I’m in.  I’ve turned my husband and son into Italian food snobs as well.  I can’t believe my toddler son for the past year will turn up his nose to so-so lasagna but will snarf down the good stuff.  Seriously.  Are kids supposed to be that sensitive?  If we go to a non-Italian restaurant where spaghetti is on the menu, he usually hates it after one bite, and then I try it and he’s always right. 

So, we get home and stick the lasagna in the oven and I get my son ready for bed, because it’s late.  We had already eaten a light dinner a few hours before when my husband wasn’t hungry.  Around 8:30 the lasagna is finally ready!  I take a sliver of it up to bed to watch the one 20some minute ”educational:)” cartoon O watches before bedtime, as part of the nighttime routine.   After taking a teeny bite, he can tell if it’s bad with a little taste, he wanted another bite.  He stole my whole sliver of lasagna.  I had to run down and get a little bigger slice and come back up to shar with him.  Again, he ate almost all of it.  This happened another couple of times and we ended up eating half of it together while my husband ate the other half!  Okay, so it isn’t the best authentic Italian lasagna I’ve ever had, but you know what?  For frozen lasagna, it’s darn good and the flavors are great and not too over or under-whelming.  A nice balance that many American lasagnas can’t ever seem to get right.  I think it’s an excellent staple to have in the freezer when you get that craving but may not have the ingredients on hand or the energy to make it.  I have a feeling this would’ve been somewhere on the top of the best frozen lasagna list, had those testers tried this kind.  My husband was also impressed and his craving was definitely satisfied.

So, when I got the invitation from Foodbuzz to try out a new Buitoni frozen meal for two, I just got another one of  these.  It’s in the freezer now and it’ll be a perfect frozen lasagna to have when my family is home with me with a new baby.  I already know they’ll like it!  Plus, we’re not much of a cream sauce type of family and some of the other options have creamy sauces and/or seemed like too big of a leap to attempt Italian food right – but that’s just my Italian food snob behavior coming out… maybe they’re as good as the lasagna?

Disclosure, I received free product from Buitoni/Foodbuzz

This guest review comes from my friend Megan, who is also pregnant and has Celiac Disease (if you’re new to this blog, I do not have celiac disease but my husband is allergic to wheat so I like to have a variety of foods at my house).  Schar was nice enough to send me a fantastic variety of their products – and I thought it would be fun if Megan, coming from a different perspective than myself, could share her experience with us as well!   I love it!  I think it’s an entertaining review and her personal experiences with the gluten-free products out there may help some of you from wasting your money on certain products!  I’ll give my two cents on the bottom of some of the same products that I have tried.  Oh!  This is Part 1 of the review, more to come with Schar:)

Chocolate Sandwich Cremes

I have never been a huge fan of packaged chocolate cookies so this one probably isn’t the fairest review. I felt a little devoid of chocolate flavor. The chocolate crème center was rich and added another level of yumminess but I have to say that there probably wasn’t enough crème to make me feel like this was a treat. Probably not what I would grab if looking for a chocolate fix. I like that they come two to a package though. I never get through packaged gluten free treats before they go stale. This way if you grab one once a week or so you won’t compromise the whole box.

Hamburger Buns

Okay so me and hamburger buns haven’t gotten along since I went gluten free last year. I’ve tried two store bought varieties – Whole Foods GF Bakehouse and Kinnickinick.  Kinnickinick was terrible – fell apart all over the place, terrible texture – overall very disappointing. Especially when you shell out almost $6 for 4. Whole Foods makes a great product but I think I just about fell over when I read the nutrition panel. At 330 calories and 10 grams of fat, with butter as the 4^th ingredient, I knew I had not met my match made in sandwich heaven. Really? 330 calories for a bun? Really?! The gluten free world is sometimes so deceiving.

I’ve also tried making buns with my gluten free bread recipe (an adaptation of Cinnamon Quill’s vegan bread) with moderate success but without a great baking pan/ring it is tough to get a uniform shape and I don’t always have time to make a batch of bread and buns every few weeks so I need something with a convenience factor.

That brings me to the Schar buns. The bun – at an acceptable 150 calories – that toasts nicely (I’ve yet to meet a gluten free bread, bun or wrap that doesn’t need a torch of heat to make it edible – okay Udi’s bread is close, but still not perfect) and gives me exactly what I am looking for – a sensible, moderately nutritious, convenient alternative for a hamburger, salmon burger, grilled chicken, etc. I am also going to try bringing it to a restaurant so that I can (gasp) actually eat a something with carbs at a meal other than my home! For my family that loves to grill out for all occasions a suitable bun is a must and this one fits the bill!

Pasta

I used the pasta in a new pasta salad recipe and was very pleased with how it turns out. This may be the closest to white, wheat based pasta that I have tried yet. I was glad to see that I didn’t need to add extra salt, something that I have had to do to some of the brown rice pasta dishes I have done. Who would’ve thought that wheat pasta was really that flavorful? The texture was tender and held up well –it didn’t fall apart when tossed with the veggies and dressing! I can’t say I would use it to replace my brown rice tinkayda pasta, because it doesn’t have quite the nutrient value that I am looking for in a pasta, but for a pot luck or for a dinner gathering I wouldn’t hesitate to use the Schar pasta brand again.

Table Crackers

So on a whim the other night I was searching my house for protein, after arriving at a pot luck 4^thof July dinner only to find they weren’t grilling as I assumed but instead bought fried chicken. Bummer. My dinner consisted of the pasta salad I brought and fruit (okay let’s ignore the fact that I stopped at the local ice cream joint on the way home). Let’s also ignore the flip my stomach did when I noticed that my serving spoon (for my adequately marked “Gluten Free Pasta Salad” – there was the possibility of two other Celiacs being there also) had unfortunately found its way into the glutenful pasta salad that was right next to it. Dang! The spoon now residing in my salad bowl was contaminated. I learned my lesson – set the gluten free dish away from other similar dishes when in a pot luck setting. I scooped my salad with a clean spoon and hoped that I wouldn’t feel the effects of that move the following day.

So needless to say, by 9 pm I was in serious need of some protein – being prego will do that to a person. I grabbed a can of tuna and whipped up a tuna salad with egg, celery and capers (with Penzey’s Florida Pepper – my new fave). I was planning on just digging in because I wasn’t in the mood for bread. But then I remembered I hadn’t tried the Schar Table crackers that Ann so graciously shared with me. Perfect! Ignoring the fact that they were completely broken when shipped, I took some pieces and scooped up the tuna salad. I was extremely pleased with the crunch – just enough without being stale tasting. While they on their own didn’t have much outstanding flavor – a little buttery finish, they were a perfect complement to the tuna salad. I could picture pairing well with a variety of cheeses – not sure if a 2 x 4 inch cracker is really ideal for cheese pairing, but considering the alternatives I’ve tried (Mary’s Gone Crackers, Nut Thins & Glutino) I would definitely choose the Schar cracker as the most versatile. I loved Mary’s before I got pregnant and then in the first trimester – desperate for a portable carb that could cure a queasy stomach – I picked up the Herb variety. The flavor just about sent me over the edge with nausea. Since then I haven’t had the courage to try them again! Overall I was very happy with the cracker. Packaging into smaller portions would be nice for traveling, dinner parties etc, but overall a great choice.

Chocolate Sandwich Crèmes (with white filling)

In the summer I love to make an ooey gooey Peanut Buster Bar dessert with an Oreo crust, ice cream, fudge , caramel and peanut topping. Okay so the nuts are good for you right? It’s delicious – quite the treat once or twice a summer! Since I went gluten free last July I haven’t made this so when I noticed the box of Schar Sandwich Cremes in my stash I immediately thought of this dessert – perfect! We had a dinner party to go to – I was assigned dessert – which always works because that way I can make sure I can eat it! I opened the cookies and decided I better try one on its own first to get a proper review. It was okay – again – not a packaged cookie fan. The thing I noted immediately was the smooth texture – as a straight up sub for oreos this doesn’t quite cut it. It didn’t have that crumb that one associates with an oreo. I missed the bumpy exterior and overall wasn’t really satisfied. As I crushed the remaining cookies, I was reminiscing about the quantity. It’s bad enough to note the pricing on some gluten free items, but worse when you really evaluate what you are getting for that $5 box of cookies. My recipe called for an entire package of oreos – I compared the ounces and I was well over half short because of the small quantity in the Schar package. Looks like I would be halving the dessert recipe! In a pinch this cookie worked as a sub for the oreo crust. However, the lack of a tender crumb did affect the ease that one could use a fork and break off a piece of the crust. The butter, combined with the Schar cookies created quite the solid piece of crust – very difficult to break apart with a fork. Probably nearly impossible with a plastic fork in a picnic setting. So that was a little disappointing. I used the correct ratio of oreo to butter in the original recipe crust but I think next time I would opt for less butter in hopes the crust wouldn’t take such a solid form.

Fantastic information!  My comments on the products?  I typically don’t buy pre-packaged cookies either, so the Chocolate Sandwich Cookies aren’t my thing – maybe they tasted a little bitter?  Not sure, but I’m pretty sure it has to do with the fact I just wouldn’t buy them normally anyway.  However, I have bought the Hazelnut Wafers, which is the type of thing that I do typically buy and then gorge on.  The Schar brand ones had a similar effect so I haven’t bought them in awhile since I know I won’t be able to stop!  I have yet to try the Schar pasta and I didn’t keep any hamburger buns to myself, so I couldn’t comment, however, the pasta is made in Italy.  This means it has to be good or I’m pretty sure the Italians would have laughed them out of business- since Schar is the #1 selling gluten free brand in Europe.  I’m excited to try this pasta at some point!  I have tried the Table Crackers, and yes, they had broken up, but the smooth taste and cracker crunch were still there.  I ate them one day when my stomach felt queasy and they helped tremendously!  I’m also going to agree with Megan on the different gluten free crackers I’ve tried – these are by far the most versatile and the ones I’d bring to a party (and my favorite) - but it would be nice if they had them in smaller sizes for cheese trays.  You could serve them and nobody would even know they are gluten free.  Mary’s Gone Crackers has a distinct flavor and are meant to be healthy- but one time I bought them they were totally burnt so I haven’t gotten the nerve to buy any more either.  The nutrition in them is great but they’re not near as versatile as the Schar ones.  Then there’s the Chocolate Sandwich Cremes with white filling, or the oreo replacements.  I don’t typically buy oreos or the natural counterparts (I’ve tried a gross natural substitute once)- and these really weren’t bad!  I would eat them in ice cream!  But, since I don’t typically eat this type of cookie anyway, I keep forgetting to put them in ice cream since it’s not something I normally do – though first trimester it would’ve been nice to have since I craved this type of cookie in soft serve.  I wish I would’ve known Megan needed more for her baking and I would’ve given her the rest!  Then maybe the recipe may have turned out better. 

Well, there’s lots more to say and more yummy products to tell you about, but for now, I think Megan’s review is fantastic and I dont’ want to make this too long- her opinion counts more than mine anyway since she is the target market.  If you haven’t already, you can check out the Schar website for a great source of information on Celiac Disease and to see the fantastic product selection.  Overall, so far, I’ve been very impressed with the quality of this brand.  Actually, as I finish writing this first part of the Schar review, I’m dipping my Table Cracker bits into my crab salad for lunch – perfect!

Disclosure: I received free product from Schar. 

Oops!  In the time it took me to decide between the two diaper bags (open up yesterday’s post if you don’t know what I’m talking about), CSN sold out of the Mrs. Smith flowery one I ultimately decided on!  Instead, I’ll be getting this awesome Okkatots Travel Baby Depot Bag!  See, I could not decide between the two because they both seem extremely functional and easy to organize and I’m done with too-small bags.  This one was more expensive so I am getting the difference on this one- which I’m very happy to do!  I ended up going with Mrs. Smith originally because it’s flowery and since I’m pregnant with a girl this time, I figured it’s time for me to be all girly.  With my boy everything was black or tan. 

This Okkatots bag got fantastic reviews and I guess my husband will be more likely to carry it when I need help!  Although- I recall the last time my shoulder just about falling off every time I carried my diaper bags, so this time, getting a backpack will be a delightful change of pace:)   Maybe I can give up on my over-sized purse for awhile since I seem to pack my son tons of snacks and toys everywhere I go and my shoulder still gets overwhelmed and sometimes it looks as though I’ve been squatting heavy weights but instead it’s just the mark from my bag.  Know what I mean?    With my first, it was all about finding the cutest bag with good reviews.  But then I realized I was only paying attention to the good reviews and ignoring the bad, ie…too small!  So, this time, true functionality and space are my major goals.  Like I said in the last post, I cannot wait to review this!