Gluten Free Cheri

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cookies

Over the past weekend I decided to experiment. My enormously large kitchen island was completely covered with various bags of flour, starches, doughs, cutting boards, cheeses, pumpkin, would I, could I, ever make it as a gastronomist…? I have to say that after trying endlessly to come up with a beautiful homemade gluten free pasta recipe, I surrendered…oh and fluffy gorgeous pumpkin cookies, not gonna happen..not this time anyways. But I won’t give up, I’m learning patience..

One of the joys of eating GF is that it has completely encouraged me to cook. Really cook. I would have never learned some of the things I have otherwise. It forces you to do research, search for ingredients, really slow down in the kitchen, turn on smooth jazz, enjoy the process.

For days that I just can’t seem to make something worthy to feed to my Joel, I revert back to simple classics, until I get my nerve back up to try again, (GF croissants: ‘I will be back’) Peanut Butter Cookies should be the first thing any new Celiac should make. They are so simple, naturally gluten free, and taste even better frozen. Here, I have added just a little pumpkin for a subtle hint.

Here’s my little spin on a classic:

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup peanut butter
¼ cup pure canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
Pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 large egg
About 8 squares dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Stir everything but the chocolate together thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. Grease a baking sheet. Form cookies into small balls and bake for about 10-13 minutes. While baking the cookies, microwave the chocolate in a bowl for 30 seconds at a time stirring after each 30 second increment until melted. When cookies are done baking, they will just start to turn brown on the edges. It’s better to undercook then overcook these. Use a tablespoon to pour the chocolate over the cookies in whatever design you like. Leave them on the pan and put the pan in the fridge for the cookies and chocolate to harden up. I think these are even better frozen:) Enjoy with a latte!

 I could not have been more happy last month, when I ventured across the American border in search of E.L.F. cosmetics. The entire line is supposedly free of gluten ingredients, plus the sheer joy of seeing prices that make you feel you must have travelled back in time a few decades! Brushes for $3, Primer for $6, bronzer for $1! My poor husband probably looked quite bewildered as I crazily grabbed everything and threw into my basket.

(Note: As I discovered last month however, E.L.F. cannot be labelled gluten free since they do not make their products in a dedicated gluten free facility. For more info please check out my original post on E.L.F.)

I looove trying new makeup products, so I purchased almost every product available at Target. Which in reality came to about the same price as one and a half products at Sephora.

Here’s what I found after using these products for a month:

I have not have a bad reaction to any of the products so far. My favorite product is probably the $6 face primer, it feels similar to the highly coveted Smashbox primers, which, by the way retail at $44. It smoothed out my pores and fine lines pretty well, creating that perfect canvas for your foundation. Saved $38. Soo worth it.

Next up, I love the Flawless Finish Foundation SPF 15 in Porcelain. It has a similar consistency to Laura Mercier foundations, very creamy and thick, with a semi-matte finish, it’s a high coverage foundation I would say. The downside is that there is very very limited color selection. Thankfully it was pretty darn close to my skin color. But it does have that pesky pink undertone that I’m always trying to avoid. If I mix it with Make Up Forever’s HD foundation no.117 it’s perfect. (MUFE has informed me that there are no gluten ingredients in this foundation, except for the slim possibility of cross contamination) The e.l.f. Foundation doesn’t have as much product as most foundations at 0.8 oz.per bottle.

Another favorite product of theirs would be the Eye Primer, it comes with Line Sealer on one end as well, which I haven’t tried yet, maybe you know something about Line Sealer that I don’t?? (Before I had to avoid gluten, I used to love Urban Decay’s Lid Primer, but was informed that it does in fact contain gluten) The E.L.F. Eye Primer does a great job of keeping eyeshadow in place, and it doesn’t seem to bother my sensitive eyelids. Worth it. All $3 of it.

The E.L.F. mascaras that I tried are the e.l.f. Studio Volume Plumping Mascara, and the white colored e.l.f. Essential Volumizing Mascara  the later of which I threw out quite quickly as it was horrible, however the Studio Volume Plumping Mascara, was comparable to Maybelline’s Great Lash Mascara. An ok mascara overall.

I have really liked most of what I have tried so far. Makeup can be so expensive and it’s nice to save a dollar where you can, of course, I still have a couple department store favorites, that I haven’t found a cheap replacment for..yet…

Hope that helps you know what products would work for you.

Stay tuned for Part ll of Best of E.L.F.!