The BEST tomato soup around

A few of us started a "craft night" that will happen once a week (or we will atleast try!) where we come together to eat, chat & work on whatever project it is we need workin on! Some of us actually do work on stuff ;) while others come just to be with friends. Which I love. Sometimes we are too busy chasing kids around at the beach we don't actually get talkin time in.

Last night I made a tomato soup that I've eaten at my mother-in-law's home plenty of times to know that I need to make this ASAP. I'm kicking myself for not making it a lot sooner. You are literally licking the bowl afterwards and having your third bowl- even if your stomach can't handle it. So here is the recipe! Super simple in my book.

Creamy Tomato Soup
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 tbs butter (I used salted)
1 Onion
1-2 Garlic Cloves 
(1) 28 oz can of tomatoes (I used Trader Joes' PLUM Tomatoes. Yum)
1.5 cups of stock (I used chicken flavoring from TJs)
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt & Pepper

Prepare:
Peel garlic (even though it's the biggest pain in the behind) & put in a bowl with cut the cut onions. The onion cuts don't need to be small at all because you end up blending it later. 

Method:
Melt butter in medium-large stockpot over med. heat. Add & cook onion & garlic. Add can of tomatoes  & stock. Simmer for 10 minutes. Puree (to where you see chunks but not HUGE chunks) & add the heavy cream, salt & pepper. Serve right away!

(I made the soup before everyone came over so just heated it up in the same pot right before I served. And I was surprised I actually pulled it off! Go me!)

have you heard about KNEADBE???

All of us celiacs know how hard it is to find GREAT tasting gluten free food in one place. I always end up driving to one store for my flour and another for my bread. Its so hard! Drew makes websites (you may have already known) and he has teamed up with our marketing friend Asher and they are launching a new website called Kneadbe to bring together small bakeries and people who make gluten free food in their homes. Its like etsy for food allergies! ITS AMAZING. They are doing a kickstarter to get their project underway and we should all donate. This really would be so cool to be able to have ONE website that had all my favorite gluten free stuff! I don't have to go on amazon, then drive to the market, then go to the local market to get everything I want. I can order it all on one episode! I can't wait. Check out this video, and visit their campaign!!!!!

p.s. they are selling other allergy free foods on their site too, so tell your friends who have other food sensitivities!

Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies EVER!

While at home over Christmas break, my sis Bree made the yummiest, easiest cookies ever. See below if you want in on the secrets.

Recipe: 

1 cup Brown Sugar

1 cup PB (not crunchy, duh)

1 large egg

Small bag of mini Reese's PB cups (cut in half)

Makes about 20 cookies.

The smaller the cookie, the better. You'll realize that later when you eat a big one that it is so rich, it will take you forever to finish just one! So small is best. Oh and don't grease the pan unless you have to.

 Heat in oven for 6-9 minutes at 350. I cut the Reeses in half before I started to cook because you want to be prepared to stick them on the cookie while they're still warm.

Let cool with tin foil over them (not in fridge) and serve when the Reese's are hardened again. I like to eat them the day after because they're not as rich. The first day, it's sorta overwhelming. But the second day is just right and they become very addicting.

We made these the other day while waiting to head up to the airport to take Drew's parents back to Swiss land. We gave them a box to take home so hopefully they ate them up. I made two batches, with the idea of dropping them off on people's doorsteps, but it started raining big time, and snow the next day, so we just enjoyed them for ourselves. Whoops!

So far, this is what I Crave...

If I were to just cheat my gluten free diet and thirty minutes later, get really sick, it'd be:

Sweet Potato Fries from Gurus. (I'm going to start making them myself)
Fried Chicken Taco from Pedros.
Cookie Dough Ice Cream (which is strange b/c I never really ate this before my diet)
Homemade- Better Than (you know what) Cake.

MMMMM. Writing this short list of things I'd love to shove my face in makes me realize how healthy I have to eat. But trust me, I'm slowly finding the junk food and ways to substitute. Coming up on 5 months of living totally gluten free feels really great. I never before had attempted a diet, besides going without soda or carbonated drinks (which I did for 4 years straight until I met Drew & his family).

What inspired this post? I'm watching TLC's "Best Food Ever". They've picked the top 10 bakeries in America and showing us why they're so famous. All of them, every single thing I've seen them make that makes them so popular, contains wheat flour. All of em. Someone start a GF Bakery! PLEASE!

Celiac Blog Names? VOTE PLEASE!

I'm struggling. I really want to do a celiac blog, but need help figuring out a catchy name so I can start making the blog and soon make it public. Below are some that Drew & I have brainstormed (in less than 20 minutes so don't judge).

1. Me Celiac 

2. Better Be Gluten-Free

3.Your Celiac

4. Celiac Smack

5. Celiac Anonymous

6. You (and) Me, Gluten-Free

VOTE! Please please for me. I know you guys look at my blog, but don't comment. This is the time to comment. Thanks! And if you think of a clever one, tell me!

Just imagine (.blogspot.com) at the end of them, with no spaces or caps. I have saved these all by the way so they are available.

You cannot eat ANYTHING!

I am deciding whether or not I want to start a "celiac blog". I have a little book that I write all my notes in, like: 

1. gluten-free recipes

2. gluten-free restaurants in provo, salt lake, orange county

3. what places NOT to go, thinking it would be gluten-free, but they really could care less about accommodating you.

4. when support groups are

5. blogs/websites for people like us.

What do you guys think? I could just put all this info on THIS blog, since it's already an up & going blog... but i want your advice. I think it would be helpful because when I find blogs or websites, I go to it for a lot of help, especially people that are just diagnosed, and the new tricks they are learning.

(i took this photo when in key west, at a little "key lime" place and thought it was funny because all of these products, except the peanut butter, i can't eat. maybe the cocoa powder i can).