The Adventuresome Kitchen™

Pasta- Tinkyada (my favorite pasta by far, a real al-dente consistency)

Crackers- Mary’s Gone Crackers (delicious multi grain cracker, great with cheese), Ener-G (we use this when making s’mores- this is not a graham cracker, but I like that it’s not sweet), Schaar (products are great, albeit a little pricey- we get these for a special treat or party)

Bread-Canyon Bakehouse Bread (by FAR the best bread, and most like real bread I’ve discovered. Also the most cost-effective. You don’t even have to toast this to enjoy it!),Udi’s bread, Kinnikinnick Cheese-Tapioca Bread (best toasted, makes AWESOME grilled cheese sandwiches)

Mixes- Pamela’s Brownie, Pancake and Baking, Bread (Pamela’s has the best brownie mix- hands down. I like their pancake mix because it has a multi-grain feel, and a challenge of gluten-free baking it the lack of fiber. The bread mix has a great texture and feels a little like wheat bread as opposed to white.) For Pie Crust, I prefer my own recipe, but if you’d rather use a mix, the only one available is from The Gluten-Free Pantry. It tastes ok, but is very, very crumbly, which is why I developed my own.

Cheebe Bread Mixes There are several versions of these lovely little bags. Some are for pizza crust, others have herbs added. I discovered quite by accident that they make great tortillas. We also use the mix for bread sticks, pizza crust and focaccia. Fast and delicious!

My Go-to Flours- While my cupboard is filled with nearly every available GF flour, I’ve found that there are a few I use all the time. Tapioca Starch (also called Tapioca flour) Sweet Rice Flour, Sorghum Flour, Millet Flour, and Corn Starch. You can make virtually anything with some combination of the first 4. As long as you use appropriate amounts of Xanthan Gum. Xanthan gum is a binder and must be added to any baking from scratch to help keep stuff together. For less than 2 cups of flour use 1 tsp xanthan gum. For more than 2 cups, use 2 tsp xanthan gum.

Beer- Not exactly in the pantry, but a staple nonetheless. Bard’s Tale Beer is my absolute favorite. Made with malted sorghum it’s got a great full-bodied flavor- comparable to a light ale. St. Peter’s Sorghum Beer- is my next favorite. This is a very light beer, more like a pilsner. But again, because they use malted sorghum it tastes like a beer should taste. And, St. Peter’s wins in the cutest bottle category. The bottle is modeled after one from the 17oo’s, and I like buying it just to hold the bottle!

Speaking of beer…….I Miss Guinness!!!!! Does anyone know an adventurous beer meister who will take on the challenge of creating  a gluten-free oatmeal stout using malted sorghum and certified gluten-free oats? Someday I’m going to have to figure out how to make my own- a kitchen adventure if there ever was one…..