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Udi’s Gluten Free Cookies: Review & Giveaway

I thought maybe we could make ginger bread houses,

and eat cookie dough, and go ice skating,

and maybe even hold hands.

-Will Ferrell as Buddy the elf

Cookies are the best things ever.

Once upon a time in a land not so terribly far away, I used to bake cookies. All. the. time.

I don’t have as much free time as I used to, which makes me feel sort of sad. But not nearly as sad as the other members of my household pretend to be while lamenting the shortage of fresh-from-the-oven baked goods.

To be fair, packaged cookies generally aren’t as good as my cookies. I’m not being boastful, those are the cold hard facts of preservatives affecting flavor and texture. It’s rare that I find any that everybody likes, with the exception of Oreos, which aren’t really pretending to be real cookies, and are pretty much the worst thing in the world for you after maybe eating straight up Crisco from a can.

But we recently got to try Udi’s cookies, and you know what? Those are some mighty fine cookies, y’all. They’re nice and soft and perfectly chewy and tasty, and even Jeff, our pickiest eater, ate them without any drama.

Udi’s carries chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and Snickerdoodles. The boys collectively fought over the Snickerdoodles (I only got a tasting bite and then they were gone). Cass favored the chocolate chip, and I got the lion’s share of the oatmeal raisin. I think if I hadn’t reined everyone in all the cookies would have disappeared in one snack session, but Mom-induced restraint managed to spread the love over a couple of desserts.

They’re gluten free, which isn’t really a concern for our family, but I know plenty of kids (and adults, now I stop to think about it) who adhere to gluten free diets. It’s nice to know I can serve this as a treat when they come over.

It’s worth noting that even though the package was clearly labeled gluten free, Jeff declared them “pretty good!” Usually when anything organic, vegan, gluten free or equally “suspicious” arrives at our door Jeff is ready and happy to point out its gastronomic deficiencies. In particular, we have issues with sugar substitutes; they tend to leave an aftertaste we don’t care for (but Jeff is especially vocal about). Not so with Udi’s. In fact, I think he ate the majority of the Snickerdoodles.

Udi’s also follows my new favorite company trend, clearly displaying the nutritional info and ingredient list on each product page. (Can I get a what what for transparency in food labeling?) Now, these are cookies, so I’m not going to pretend they’re chock full of healthy goodness. They’re indulgences and that’s fine.

As a for instance, the ingredients in Udi’s oatmeal raisin cookies: certified gluten free oats, butter, evaporated cane juice, raisin, whole eggs, oat flour, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, sugar, potato starch, molasses, salt, cinnamon, sodium bicarbonate, xanthan gum. Aside from the assortment of flours, this is pretty much the way I would make the cookies from scratch (sodium bicarbonate = baking soda, the cane juice subs for more sugar or an addition of honey. Xanthan gum being a natural thickener to make up for the lack of gluten). It’s a short list of ingredients and I know what all those ingredients are, a refreshing departure from most packaged treats.

Udi’s also carries gluten free bagels, breads, burger & hot dog buns, granola, muffins, and pizza crusts, which I can only imagine are as tasty as their cookies.

Hey!

Guess what?

I’ve got some cookies to give away!

One reader gets a sampler of chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and Snickerdoodle cookies from Udi’s to destroy in one sitting or dole out over several desserts, depending on how much nicer a mom you are than me. Just follow the directions below (subscribers will have to click through. Sorry!).

Maybe I’ll be inspired to bake some cookies now, now that our Udi’s are all gone 🙂

(more…)

November 4, 2011
Thwarting Old Man Winter: Preventing Pipes from Freezing
“It’s snowing still,” said Eeyore gloomily.
“So it is.”
“And freezing.”
“Is it?”
“Yes,” said Eeyore.

“However,” he said, brightening up a little, “we haven’t had an earthquake lately.”

-A. A. Milne, The House at Pooh Corner

It’s only the first week of November and here in PA we’ve already had our first snow of the season. Much as I like to pretend it’s not happening, winter is coming, and with it cold temperatures, high winds and more chances to play Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Since we tend to lose power a LOT here in our little farmhouse at the edge of suburbia (doesn’t quite have the same ring as little house on the prairie, does it?) one of our more pressing concerns is making sure the pipes don’t freeze and burst, making for a messy business when the cold snap breaks or the heat turns back on. I’m assuming we’re not the only ones with this problem, so here are some tips courtesy of my plumber husband and my BFF, Google search.

How to Prevent Pipes from Freezing

DO:
- Reroute any pipes that are of particular concern (outdoor or exposed in an uninsulated space). Don’t have the cash for that right now? Yeah, me neither.
- Insulate your pipes. You should do this anyway, to reduce heat loss, thereby saving you cash money on your power bill. (Yes, you should insulate BOTH your cold water and hot water pipes. Either one can freeze.) Insulation is a pretty easy DIY measure and all your supplies readily available at your local hardware store.
- Seal your cracks. Another thing you should be doing anyway to save on energy bills. Go nuts with a caulk gun and fill any gaps and spaces in your walls and foundations, to keep cold air out and warm air in.
- Keep your garage doors closed if you have water pipes out there.
- Consider allowing certain faucets to drip (only ones that run through unheated or exposed space). First see DON’T #1.
- Drain your pipes. Shut off your main valve, and then open up every blessed water fixture you have— don’t forget your outside hose and laundry tub. Let all the water run out. Now you have pipes full of air and not water, so no fear of expansion –> pressure –> bursting. When you’re ready, you can reopen the main valve and let all the faucets run until the pipes are full again.
- There is something called heat tape that will actively warm your pipes. This to me sounds like something you’d want to hire a professional to apply unless you are particularly handy, in which case you are probably not reading this blog post.
If you are traveling:
- Leave your heat on, programmed to 55°.
- If you have any sinks that are up against exterior walls, leave your cabinets open so the pipes are exposed to the warmer indoor air. (I know y’all have already switched to non-toxic cleansers, right? So no need for me to say make sure you’re not leaving anything dangerous exposed by leaving the cabinets open?)
- Drain your pipes as outlined above. But you can close all the fixtures after the water has been flushed out.
- Does this seem excessive? I don’t care. TRUST ME, nothing bites more than coming home after vacay and finding out the power has been out the whole time. After you deal with the mess that’s in your fridge, you are NOT going to want to discover a basement full of water.
DON’T:
- allow dripping pipes to be any more than an intermittent drip. First of all, that’s wasting water. But also, you’re potentially setting yourself up for a fall (literally). Beware of ice formation.
- aggressively try to thaw pipes yourself. Ideally, you want to just leave them alone and let them thaw naturally. You can use a hair dryer on warm or a heating pad. Be especially cautious with copper, which is more likely to burst.
- But seriously DON’T take a blow torch to frozen areas. Remember, what you’re doing is unblocking pressure. And according to Jeff, blow torching will (again, literally) only blow up in your face. (I know, I wouldn’t try that either but apparently it needs to be said.)
Got cracks or other pipe problems in spite of it all? Unless you’ve got a plumber for a husband or are a really top-notch DIYer I’d probably call a professional to take care of your frozen pipes. Water damage is no joke and not something worth chancing, especially in freezing temps.

That’s all I’ve got. Any other tips or tricks for keeping pipes from freezing? Let me know in the comments.

And here’s to a hopefully unseasonably warm, mild winter! 🙂

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Disclosure: I’m participating in a blogger campaign for Bucks2Blog about plumbing repair and was compensated for my time. However, all views and opinions are my own (or dictated to me by my more knowledgeable husband).
November 4, 2011
Are You Listening? Do You Hear What I Hear? (Wordless Wednesday)

There is a way that nature speaks, that land speaks.

Most of the time we are simply not patient enough, quiet enough

to pay attention to the story.

-Linda Hogan

November 2, 2011