t"The book is fresh, easy to follow and, most importantly, Connie approaches it with humor. The feeling that you experience going through her recipes is that cooking gluten-free is really easy-- so much so that you ask yourself: "That's it?" Dr. Alessio Fasano, Center for Celiac Research, University of Maryland
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t" I enjoyed reading your book. It is easy to read and follow, Your book is very well done and a major contribution. " Dr. Peter Green, Celiac Disease Center, Columbia University
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t"Connie Sarros's Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free Cookbook for Kids and Busy Adults offers a fresh, optimistic approach to wheat-free/gluten-free cooking. With an emphasis on simplicity and convenience, this exceptional collection of recipes lives up to the high standards that Ms. Sarros has set for all of her recipes. The first sentence of the book, "Eating gluten-free means that you may eat almost everything...." exemplifies the positive attitudes found throughout. Complete nutritional breakdowns are helpful for those with special nutritional needs; and the detailed definitions, helpful hints, and explanations of terminology are helpful for anyone with or without experience in the kitchen. But "Wheat-Free Gluten-Free Cookbook for Kids and Busy Adults" is more than just a cookbook. With special projects, meal-planning suggestions, and kitchen crafts, it's a workbook for having fun AND cooking well in the kitchen. Whether the chef in your house is 5 or 105, this book will prove to be an inspiration for enjoying time in the kitchen -- even if yours is limited -- as well as for making nutritious, delicious wheat-free/gluten-free concoctions! I'm sincerely impressed with the book and love the optimistic approach!" Danna Korn, Founder of R.O.C.K. (Raising Our Celiac Kids)
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t"Your cookbook for kids and working adults is great. We had the Mexican Toss Casserole for dinner tonight and everyone LOVED it!!" Katie W., Gluten-free Fun Camp, Cannon Falls, MN
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t"I read your entire "Kids and Busy Adults" book last night and was impressed and delighted with the imagination and creativity that went into it. I made your cornmeal pancakes for breakfast this morning and they were delicious. The texture of the pancakes was excellent." Betty W., Madison, WI
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t"Connie-I have bought 3 of your cookbooks and they are wonderful! I was diagnosed 5 years ago and have gone through periods where it was just too much work to cook 2 meals (my husband and children did not need to eat gluten free). Then I purchased your book for 'Kids and Busy Adults' and my daughter, Emily, loved everything that I made. (She is pickiest eater that I know.) Thank you for making eating and cooking so fun again!: Jennifer P.
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t"I can't believe you made this book so easy to use! The section in the front of the book where you list the recipes by ease--"Cook with Few Ingredients", "Cook At The Last Minute", "Cook Ahead", and "No-Help Recipes"--this is such a helpful guide. My daughter's favorite food now is your recipe for "Almost Cheeseburger". Thank you for writing this book!" Sherri A., Wadsworth, OH
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t"I work and have little or no time to spend in the kitchen. Most gluten-free cookbooks have ingredients that I've never heard of and require me to spend hours I don't have preparing a recipe. Your book has been a life-saver. I can get most of the ingredients at my neighborhood grocery store and in 10 or 15 minutes I have dinner in the oven. Thank you. Thank you." Stacey S., Atlanta, GA
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"Dear Connie, I came to see you in Denville, NJ a few weeks ago and I purchased 2 of your cookbooks. Well, last night I tried the tortilla tower which is on page 91 of your Cookbook for Kids and Busy Adults. It was DELICIOUS! My whole family gobbled it up and was looking for more. I made 2 recipes of it and it still wasn't enough. I just wanted to tell you to keep up the good work! Thanks again." Mary Beth G.,NJ
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t"Your cheerful recipes and easy directions have opened up a new vista for me." Rose Mary M., Paducah, KY
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t"Your cookbook Cookbook for Kids and Busy Adults has been important to us because we like a lot of the recipes and they are easy. I plan for my son to learn how to make most of them so he can more easily take care of himself away from home later. THANKS.". Connie H.
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t"We just got the Wheat-Free Gluten-Free Cookbook for Kids & Busy Adults by Connie Sarros and we love it! My husband, pre-diagnosis, use to make his home made chili. When he found out he had CD he was so bummed because the beans he used to make his chili were not gluten free, so he didn’t even try to make any. Saturday my 10 year old and I made chili out of Connie's cookbook for him. I told him he wouldn’t hurt our feelings if it didn’t measure up to his old chili, but we wanted to try it. He called after we had left the house and was in seventh heaven. He said it was the best chili he’s had and was so excited that we made it for him! We’ve also had great luck with the over night French toast, my non-celiac even loves it! I would highly recommend this book. It has a great variety of recipes!" Tena J.
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t"Being new to the gluten-free diet I have been very disappointed in the majority of the GF cookbooks. The ingredients are often a challenge to find, are expensive, and frankly just taste gross or have a funky texture. The more ingredients that are different from what we "used to eat" the more disappointing the outcome. Of all the cookbooks I've tried so far (8 of the "mainstream" ones) this one has the most familiar ingredients and "normal" foods. My 5 year old has enjoyed everything I have made from this Kids cookbook so far and has been excited to eat something GF that actually tastes like what he used to eat. The recipes are simple, fast, affordable, and best of all we actually enjoy food again! THANK YOU CONNIE SARROS!" Jeannie F.
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t"First of all, thank you soooo much for your wonderful cookbooks!! When my son was diagnosed with celiac disease, I was very at a loss at first, wondering how in the world I could replace wheat. I started checking cookbooks out of the library and your book for kids/adults and also the dessert cookbook were some of the first I checked out--and the best! I love the GF flour mixture and have found I can just use the same amount of that in a lot of my normal recipes for pancakes, muffins, biscuits, etc. The recipes are so wonderful--thank you for providing such a valuable resource! My son would be skin and bones without this book! Since using your recipes, he's gained more weight and is a lot happier to still have his favorite foods." Kiirsi H.
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t04/01/06-- April issue of Gluten Free Living (Ann Whelan)
"Not for kids only. Under the assumption that recipes for kids would be quick and easy, I took a look through Wheat-free Gluten-Free Cookbook for Kids and Busy Adults by Connie Sarros. I was blown away by the number of desserts that met my criteria, albeit with a fair amount of sugar. (But this is dessert!)
Connie makes baked apple with peanut butter then sprinkles chocolate chips and miniature marshmallows on top. She says you can do the same thing with pears. Want a quick dip for fruit? Connie’s suggestion: Mix a 16 oz. can of prepared chocolate frosting with 6 ounces of raspberry jam to create a dipping sauce for fruit. Simply heat the frosting over medium heat until it is hot and thinned and then stir in the raspberry jam. Chill, covered, for three hours in the refrigerator before serving. Here’s another quick dip: Mix an eight-ounce package of cream cheese, softened, one cup semisweet chocolate chips, and ½ cup chopped walnuts. Spread the cream cheese on the bottom of a nine-inch glass pie plate. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the cream cheese and then add the nuts. Microwave on medium power for 3-4 minutes or until warm. Then dip away.
Connie has written cookbooks that are filled with practical and inventive ideas. She also sells specialized menus."
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tBook Review by Gluten-Free Living Magazine
"Any successful cookbook first has to whet your appetite to know more about what's inside. Does the cover make you curious about the recipes? Does the list of recipes sound intriguing enough to make you investigate the ingredients? This task is more challenging when the cookbook is targeted at an audience that has little experience cooking. In fact, the cooks Connie Sarros set out to attract with her book, Wheat-Free Gluten-Free Cookbook for Kids and Busy Adults, often can't even reach the kitchen counter without standing on a chair.
She begins with a whimsical cover that is enough to get kids (and adults!) to look inside. There they'll find a simple table of contents with eight topics including all important snacks, breads, breakfast, main and side dishes and kitchen craft projects.
Some of the best reading in the book is the first chapter, "Hints for Successful Gluten-Free Cooking." Sarros is mindful that most children probably haven't cooked much, so she gives them practical advice like reading the whole recipe to make sure you have all the ingredients, as well as enough time to make it. You know she has kids in mind when she points out that you should always put the lid on the blender before turning it on.
None of the 180 recipes require use of an electric mixer in deference to safety for young chefs. Some use only three ingredients, plus a bowl and spoon. Kids can find all the simplest recipes in one list, "Cooking with Few Ingredients." "Cooking at the Last Minute" and "Cooking Ahead" are two other helpful indexes. Finally, kids who want to surprise Mom or Dad by making something by themselves can turn to "No-Help Recipes." In addition to being simple, these are made without the use of any electric appliance, so even fairly young children can handle them alone.
While it can also be used by adults looking for easy recipes, one of the best things about this child-directed cookbook is the way it acknowledges that cooking is a necessary life skill for celiac children. It's like a child who lives near a lake learning to swim so he can fully participate in the world where he lives. Certainly, a celiac child who gets comfortable in the kitchen at an early age will be able to negotiate the waters of celiac adulthood that much more easily." Reviewed by Amy Ratner, associate editor of Gluten Free Living
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t"10 out of 10 -- Let me start out by saying that I liked this book. The front section was informative, the recipes were easy to prepare, and this was not an “I miss bread” cookbook.
Layout-- There are several things to like about this cookbook. So many of the gluten free cookbooks that I have looked at recently have nothing more that various bread recipes, as if that were the only worthy part of the meal. I liked this book because you could actually plan a meal from it. Yes there is a breads section, but it follows snacks and drinks. Additionally there are sections on main dishes, sides, breakfast, desserts, and a fun little section called kitchen projects.
Preparatory information-- The writer, Connie Sarros, assumed that a child will be using this book. The opening section, “Hints for Successful Gluten-Free Cooking”, briefly explains what gluten free cooking is without going heavily into the details. She explains which are good and bad flours, gives a basic gluten free flour mixture, and then goes into how to plan a meal. Then she divides the recipes in this cookbook into lists like: “Cooking at the Last Minute,” “Cooking with Few Ingredients,” “Cooking Ahead,” and “No-Help Recipes.”
The next section, “Cooking Basics,” is just that. There's the standard measurement chart (English units only, no Metrics), a listing of emergency substitutions (which includes how to make your own ketchup), and listing of cooking techniques and helpful hints (which includes those things that are never obvious to the new cook). All very useful information to a new cook that is still learning how not to destroy the kitchen. I even got a couple of tips so regular cooks might want to look through this section as well.
The Recipes-- The author really understood her intended audience. Most of these recipes are fun and simple to make. We tested the recipes by selecting our normal groceries based on the recipes in the book. One of the favorites was the “Meat Loaf Muffins.” My wife, who does not like to cook, was the first to try the recipe, and I made them again later. As the name implies, these are meat loaves made in muffin trays. We used some silicon cupcake cups that we recently purchased. This made them look even more like dessert when they were sitting in their bright little pink and yellow cupcake holders. The kids then added a touch that was not in the cookbook. They took mashed potatoes and spread them over the muffins like icing. Then they sprinkled peas on top. It tasted really good, and the kids loved them.
The kids also loved the “Mashed Breakfast”. It was a simple recipe where you took several ingredients, tossed them into a bag, and squashed them into a paste. If your kids are as young as mine, you will quickly find out that this is not a quick breakfast meal. Charlotte and Grace enjoyed squashing the paste so much that I had to tell them to stop after thirty minutes. After all, it was breakfast, not play-doh.
Not all of the dishes were so child based. I personally enjoyed the “Parmesan Fish.” The directions showed you how to put together a simple crunchy crust on top of a white fish. Even my wife, who doesn't like fish, enjoyed this dish. Another adult dish was “Cheesy Chicken.” This dish is very similar to Chicken Parmesan without the bed of noodles. It also has a little bit of heat that made it really taste nice.
At the end of each of these recipes, there was severing information. If it is important to you, you can determine the calories, sodium, or fat contents per serving. Additionally, for some of the recipes there were substitutions for diabetic or casein-free diets. I did not experiment with these variations, and not all of the recipes have these substitutions. However, these variations are available for those that are interested.
Kitchen Projects-- Unlike most cookbooks, there is a section called “Kitchen Projects.” This is a series of recipes that are not meant to be eaten. It includes things like “Potpourri,” “Milk Painting,” and “Kitchen Garden.” These are all nice little projects that you can do with your kids in the kitchen. In my personal opinion, this is a very nice little touch.
Conclusion-- I liked this book. The recipes ranged from those the kids would like to those that can be enjoyed by adults. The instructions were simple to follow, and did not require many techniques. I recommend this book highly. If you are a new cook, this might be one of the easiest books to start a gluten free diet."
GlutenFree. by JeBas on Fri, 09/28/2007
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"If you are familiar at all with gluten free cookbooks then you know way too many of them use strange ingredients or have a long list of ingredients per recipe. If you are not an expert cook and/or have lots of time on your hands you end up being disappointed.
That is not the case with this cookbook. Connie Sarros has created recipes using ordinary items that any one can recognize. Her recipes are easy to understand and a novice cook would be able to recreate any of the recipes. She has recipes for every meal; main dishes, side dishes, desserts, beverages, breads, and snacks.
The best recipe I have found for muffins is Harvest Muffins. My friends who are not on a gluten-free diet love these also. This particular recipe has more ingredients than most, but it is worth the effort; it has chopped prunes & dates, raisins, water, margarine, applesauce, orange juice, olive oil, eggs, vanilla, almond extract chopped nuts, gluten-free flour mixture, baking soda and cinnamon. It is a moist fulfilling muffin that tastes heavenly. I think it would make a wonderful birthday cake with cream cheese frosting.
Sarros has included a gluten free flour mixture that can be used to convert your old recipes to gluten free. I like her sections on emergency substitutions and cooking techniques. She also includes tips for how to organize your kitchen and has suggestions for cooking different types of vegetables."
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t"I purchased this cookbook as a birthday gift for our 9 year old granddaugter who has Celiac's disease. After looking through it I found it to be full of helpful recipes for kids which is often hard to come up with different things. She was excited when she opened her gift of her own baking set with cookbook I ordered inside. She could hardly wait to try the recipes." G. Strickler
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