Here are a few ideas for you if you are still considering your options – they include buying and making – or rather – baking home made gifts!

If you are looking for a special Gift Basket we can help you!  We have a selection of beautiful gift baskets on our new website at http://www.gilbertsgourmetgoodies.com/gift-baskets.html#sampler

Since I have so many food allergies, and I want fresh, healthy food, I prefer to eat at home.  Buying a cake and ice cream does not work either.   So for this Mother’s Day we will have a barbeque and fresh, grilled veggies.  For dessert we will make one or several treats:

1) A cake using a tub of the Sugar Cookie Dough which we will roll out into a cake pan and bake.  We will top it with fruit, berries and sorbet for me, and ice cream for the rest of my family.

2) Raspberry filled sugar cookies.  Check out my recipes in my blog – we will roll out the Sugar Cookie Dough and cut out and bake cookies, and then fill them with raspberry jam and/or dark chocolate.

3) We might make chocolate chip bars (like brownies) using the Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and/or brownies using the Brownie Cookie Dough.  We will top them with sorbet for me, and/or ice cream and whipped cream for the rest of my family.

SInce it is Mother’s Day we will make these goodies together as a family. You can also create and bake your favorite cookies or brownies with our cookie dough!

Everything on our website is on sale for a 20% discount this month in honor of Mom, Grads, Celiac Awareness Month & more so check it out at www.gilbertsgourmetgoodies.com!

Sensational Sugar -  make sugar cookies and holiday cookies, and/or as a base for many different types of cookies including snickerdoodles, thumbprint cookies, sandwich cookies, and cut out cookies.  Our customers love it because it’s not too sweet.  Create your own special cookies with this very versatile cookie dough!

Chewy Chocolate Chip – packed with dark chocolate chips this dough makes super delicious chocolate chip cookies and is a favorite among our customers.    So yummy – whether you make your cookies tiny, small, medium or large they will be a hit!  During the summer we like to make chocolate chip cookies and fill them with ice cream (or ice dream) for a special ice cream treat.  It’s fun, easy, yummy and another great activity to do with your friends and family!

Chocolate Brownie – this is our newest cookie dough.  You can use it to make chocolate cookies.  You can add chocolate or vanilla chips or another type of candy for a special surprise cookie.  Make these cookies and fill with ice cream for a really special ice cream sandwich treat!  Want brownies?  Just spread in a pan and bake and voila!  Cut the brownies, add ice cream and have a brownie ice cream sundae treat.  Yummy!

I’ve been asked how many cookies you can make with one tub of cookie dough.  It depends on the size of your cookie.  We can bake 40 bite-sized cookies out of one tub (check our website for a picture of these if you’ve never had one ).  We’ve made over 100 tiny cookies and more than 90 small cookie stars and heart cookies with one tub.

You can also make wonderful cookie cakes with one tub of cookie dough.  Just roll the dough out into a cake pan that you’ve sprayed with cooking spray.  Use a spatula to even out the dough and bake – and you’ve got yourself a delicious cookie cake!

You’ve been asking where you can purchase the cookie dough.  There are 5 stores in Connecticut that carry the cookie dough year round.  All of them have the dough in their freezer section, sometimes in the frozen gluten-free freezer, sometimes with the ice cream.  If you don’t see it, please ask someone in the store to help you find it.

• New Morning Natural Market in Woodbury
• Shoprite of Enfield
• Wishing Well in Sandy Hook
• Nature’s Temptations in Ridgefield
• Whole Foods in Darien

Some Whole Foods in the Northeast carry the cookie dough year round.  Others carry the dough during the holidays.  It depends on their freezer space, gluten-free customer base and how quickly the dough sells.  This includes: Tribeca & Union Square in NYC;  White Plains, NY;  Darien, CT; Edgewater & Paramus, NJ; Portland, Maine;  Woburn, MA.

If you’d like to see our cookie dough (or other products) in your local store please ask the store manager to order them;  local retailers listen to your requests and want to meet their customer needs.   Please send us an email with the store information so we can contact them too.

You can always order the cookie dough on line.  We ship via fedex ground, which is a one day shipment time in the NY Metro and New England region.  Outside of this region you would need to ship via overnight service, which can be expensive.

We hope you enjoy our recipes and ideas for how you can use our cookie dough to make your own special cookies and treats.  Please check out our recipes in our blog archive and on our website.  Send us your favorite cookie dough recipes and pictures and we will post them on our facebook page!

In order to be endorsed by The Feingold Association, a product must be all natural without any preservatives, chemicals or dyes.  I am very pleased and thank my customers for referring my products to Feingold Association for review and approval.  To be approved a company must  go through a thorough and rigorous review of it’s products.

Gilbert’s Gourmet Goodies Cookies, Brownies and Cookie Doughs are now on the official list of Feingold approved products and we were featured in their latest newsletter.  To learn more about The Feingold Association please go to their website at http://www.feingold.org/overview.php.

Even when I do purchase gluten-free matzoh I still like to make my own.  I think it’s original and more like what our ancestors ate .  But that doesn’t mean it looks or tastes good. . . . Until this year!

I found a bunch of recipes that I could not use due to the ingredients, so I tailored them and came up with a matzoh recipe this year that we like!  I made small, individual cracker-like matzohs instead of sheet matzohs.  We love the taste and the size!

Recipe:

1/3 cup of Potato Starch

1/3 cup of  Brown Rice Flour

1 Tablespoon of Flaxseed Meal

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

3-4 Tablespoons of Water

Salt to taste (1/4-1/2 teaspoon)

Mix the potato starch, brown rice flour and flaxseed meal together.  Add in the olive oil and mix.  Add in one tablespoon of water at a time until the mixture is soft enough to handle and roll into balls. Add the salt to the mixture to taste.  You might need to add in a little more or less oil and water until you get it to the right consistency. Don’t be afraid to experiment!  If you add to much liquid you can always add in a little more flour.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.  Take a heaping tablespoon full of the mixture and press down into a flat circle.  Repeat until all of the mixture is used.  Prick the mini matzohs with a fork.   Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 8-10 minutes.  Cool and enjoy!

Tips:

For the first batch  I sprinkled salt onto the matzohs.  The result was a bland matzoh cracker that I did not like.  For the next batch I added the salt into the mixture before baking.  We liked it much better.

Ingredients: I love olive oil! Note that it does give the matzoh a little olive green twinge.  You can use another oil if you prefer.  If you don’t have  or can’t find potato starch then try tapioca starch.  I’m going to try the next batch with tapioca and see how that turns out.

Baking Time:  Bake less time for a softer matzoh, longer for a crispier matzoh

My recipe made 9 matzoh crackers.

Gluten-Free Matzoh

Jason Castonguay, CT

Diane Hook, OH

Jennifer Landgraf, CT

Julianne Reiner, PA

Erin Smith, NY

They will each receive a custom gift basket full of Gilbert’s Gourmet Goodies!

Thanks for making our Facebook Free Cookie Giveaway promotion a success and thank you for your wonderful pictures.  If you haven’t sent in your photos yet, please feel free to post them to facebook or send them to me at any time.  Everyone who requested cookies received 2 free cookies.  In total, 105 people requested cookies, and 210 cookies were sent out across the country.

We sent out 51 Chew Chocolate Chip Cookies, 48 Super Dooper Snickerdoodles, 45 Double Chocolate Brownie Cookies, 41 Sensational Sugar Cookies and 25 Simply Chocolate Cookies.  The cookies went to people in Connecticut, New Jersey, NYC, upstate NY, Massachussetts, New Hampshire, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, California and Washington!

Stay tuned for our treasure hunt and next free cookie giveaway!

To receive your free cookie, here’s what we need from you and what we’re asking you to do:

• Send an email to liz@gilbertsgourmetgoodies.com with the words FREE COOKIE in the subject line.
  
• Tell us your top 3 cookie choices.  Check out our website to review our 5 cookie flavors at http://www.gilbertsgourmetgoodies.com/giant-cookie.html.  We’ll do our best to send you your first choice; we can’t guarantee the flavor, but we can guarantee that whichever cookie you receive will taste great!   
  
• In your email give us your full name and address.  Make sure your email will accept messages from us as we will send you an email confirmation within 3 business days.  If you don’t receive our message please check your spam box filter. If you still don’t see an email from us please send us another email.
  
• When you receive your free cookie, take a picture of yourself and/or your friends and family with your cookie. It can be a serious picture or a goofy picture – you decide!
• Post the picture on Gilbert’s Gourmet Goodies’ Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gilberts-Gourmet-Goodies/256503803991?ref=tn_tnmn telling us which is your favorite cookie flavor(s).  We’d also love to know where you buy them (retailer name and location, internet, gift basket, stadium, conference center etc.).
  
• We hope you’ll post the pictures on your Facebook page too and tag Gilbert’s Gourmet Goodies!
  
• If you can’t post your picture on Facebook, send us an email with the picture and your comments and we will post it for you.

We plan to send out the cookies in early March.  Why in March?  Because we at Gilbert’s Gourmet Goodies have been working hard on a brand new look.  One that portrays how yummy our cookies are in bright and memorable packaging with our special qualities.  We’re currently sold out of most of our cookies, so we are waiting for our new labels before we bake more of our goodies.

If we reach 500 fans before early March we will send everyone who requested a free cookie 2 FREE COOKIES.  And we’ll RAFFLE off a GIFT BASKET full of cookies and brownies to someone who has requested a free cookie. 

So PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD about Gilbert’s Gourmet Goodies and our Facebook page and help us reach 500 fans.  We know we can do it with your support!

Thank you!

Liz

We had a scrumptious Valentine’s Day Dinner last night.  We had Cornish Game Hens, Asparagus and Brown Rice.  Here is the recipe for anyone who is interested.

Cornish Game Hens

I prefer to buy fresh cornish game hens.  I had to ask the meat department of our grocery store for them as they were not out on the shelves, and I did not want to buy frozen hens.

• Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray and put the hens in the dish on their breasts, with backs facing up.
• Rub the hens with olive oil
• Place hens on breasts and season with your favorite herbs.
• Turn hens onto their backs and do the same.  Make sure you spread the seasoning onto the sides of the bird’s so that you cover their wings and legs with seasoning.
• For seasoning I used: a little seasoned salt, a little paprika and herbes de provence (which is a mixture of herbs that includes rosemary, oregano, basil and thyme).
• Cut up an onion and fill the cavities of the birds with the onion
• Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes depending on your oven and the size of the hens.

Brown Rice – When the hens have approximately 45 minutes to go, start on the brown rice.

• Put a cup of rice into a pot
• Add in water to cover the rice approximately 1/2 inch.
• Boil the water, then set the stovetop to simmer.
• Cover the rice and simmer for about 40 minutes.
• Check frequently and add enough water if needed to prevent burning.

Asparagus

Start the asparagus approximately 10 minutes before the meal is ready.

• Wash and cut off ends of the asparagus.
• Fill a pan with enough water to cover the asparagus.
• Bring water to a boil and put the asparagus into the water.
• Cover the pan and cook on medium heat for approximately 5 minutes.  Cook less for a more crunchy asparagus.
• Drain and serve plain or with a little butter or margarine to taste.

You can spoon the drippings from the juice of the hens and the olive oil onto the birds, the rice and the asparagus.  So so delicious! I never eat the whole bird, so I am having the rest of it for lunch today.  Can’t wait!

Valentine's Day Dinner

What you’ll need:  Sensational Sugar Cookie Dough, gluten-free flour (I use rice flour), rolling pin, heart shaped cookie cutters, parchment paper, baking pan.

Step 1 – Thaw the cookie dough by taking it out of the freezer and putting it in the refrigerator for several hours, or putting it on the counter until soft enough to handle (generally about an hour).

Step 2 – Spread some rice flour onto a flat surface and roll the cookie dough in the flour.  I use a large cutting board.  Add a little more flour at a time as needed to prevent sticking. Don’t overdo the flour or the cookie dough will become too dry and hard to handle.

Step 3 – Roll out the cookie dough to your desired thickness.  I usually make it about 1/4 or 1/2 inch thick.

Step 4 – Take your cookie cutters and cut out your favorite shapes.

Step 5 – Place the cut out cookie dough onto a parchment-lined baking pan.

Step 6 – Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10-15 minutes depending on the size of the cookies and how soft or crispy you would like them to be.  Less cooking time will result in softer cookies.

Step 7 – Let the cookies cool on a cooling rack.  Eat them plain for a delicious shortbread taste or decorate with your favorite (homemade) frosting and other edible decorations.

Notes:  There are so many creative ways to make your own cookies.  Here are a few ideas:

• add food coloring to the dough itself before baking or to the frosting.
• frost and decorate with sprinkles, colored sugar, etc.
• melt chocolate and dip the cookies in chocolate.  refrigerate and eat.
• make sandwich cookies – just put frosting on one cookie and top it with another cookie.  refrigerate and eat.
• make ice cream sandwich cookies – scoop ice cream on one cookie and top it with another cookie. freeze and eat.

Create your own special cookies and send us your recipes so that we can share them with others!

Sensational Sugar Cookie Dough

Baked Heart Shaped Sugar Cookies

The restaurant is deceivingly long with a front room and a back room, a counter and a sitting area for people who order take out, of which there were many.  They have a sign up that says that due to the number of people who come for lunch that laptops are not allowed b/w the hours of 12:00 – 3:00.  Apparently people come and hang out for long periods of time with their laptops, and it’s easy to see why.  It’s a bright and open and welcoming space.

When you walk in there is a nice round table in the corner by the window which we grabbed. It can comfortably sit 4 people and being by the window had great sun.  Unfortunately it go so hot between the sun and the heat in the restaurant that eventually we had to move to the back of the restaurant.

Overall my experience was great with one little glitch that I will get to later.  We started with fried chickpea “fries” which looked more like little rectangle potato cakes than fries.  They are fried in canola oil so I was able to eat them.  They have a little tang and a little punch to them. Very yummy.

Then we moved on to butternut squash soup, which is one of my favorites.  It also had sweet potato and a few other veggies in it, and thankfully no dairy or gluten in it as most soups do, so I could eat it.  We all agreed it was delicious.  We also got fruit smoothies (again no dairy) made with green vegies and fruit.  After the hot soup in the hot sun and the hot radiator we were melting and moved to the back of the restaurant.

Once we cooled down we realized we were too full to eat a meal, so we ordered desserts.  That’s when the fun started for me.  The waitress we had at the front of the restaurant was very attentive and very tuned in to food allergies.  She checked all of the ingredients for everything I ordered and was able to tell me what was in all of the dishes, what I could and could not eat.  Really extraordinary.

The waitress in the back of the restaurant was not so tuned in nor did she seem to understand the seriousness of food allergies.  To her credit, each time I asked her to tell me what was in a dish she did go back to check, which was great, but she would come back and tell me only that ‘it was safe for me to eat’.   Although I explained that and why I needed to know what all of the ingredients were,  each time she would come back with the same answer, ‘it’s safe for you to eat’.  She assured me that there was no gluten, soy, nuts or peanuts in the  gluten-free pumpkin spice cake and that is what I ordered.

It arrived looking like a thick, moist slice of a pumpkin tea bread with a frosting on it.  When I asked her what was in the frosting she seemed annoyed, said she did not know and she would check after she took care of other tables.  Ok, so now I was getting frustrated.  I decided to start eating the cake and avoid the frosting until she returned.  After a couple of bites the owner came by and told me he wasn’t sure what was in the cake, but he was pretty sure there were walnuts.  Ok, then . . . so I had to literally spit out the cake in my mouth and decide what to do . . . b/c if there were walnuts in it I was in trouble.  He said he would check and I told him that I had specifically asked for, and not received, the ingredients.  A few minutes later he came back with the recipe and showed it to me.  Phew . . . no walnuts thank goodness!  But he did not check on the frosting and had to go back yet again.  It turns out that it was fine and I could finish the piece of cake, which, by the way, was delicious.

So overall it was a  good experience.  The food and drinks are really good.  The waitress in the front really “got it” and the owner (Jeff) was helpful although he did not know the ingredients.  The waitress in the back did not get it.  She was ultimately right about the food, but she was annoyed at having to deal with my questions, and frankly I don’t have the patience or the comfort to deal with this type of server.

Would I go back?  Yes, absolutely, and next time I will sit in the front section but not by the window.