The Baking Beauties » The Baking Beauties in the Media

Diagnosis: Delicious – Living Gluten-free to Treat Celiac Disease

Jeanine Friesen — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:05:13 +0000

“Sufferer” – I wouldn’t really say I’m suffering, would you?

May is Celiac Awareness Month and to help put emphasis on this, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Alison Gillmor of The Winnipeg Free Press, which is on new stands today (May 15, 2013). We talked about being diagnosed, what it was like to transition to a gluten-free life, and of course, food. I love the title she chose for the article, “Diagnosis: Delicious”, now only is it catchy, it’s true. When diagnosed with celiac disease, and autoimmune disease, eating gluten-free is our prescription, our way of treating celiac disease. And it can be a gratifying one too – it’s not all about dry, flavourless (and expensive) food. I’ve managed to live a pretty tasty life the last five years, and you can too!

If you have a chance, take a few minutes to read the article, I really appreciate how she put it together. You can find the article online, or in Section C of The Winnipeg Free Press. If you are new on this journey, you may appreciate the book referenced in the article, The Everything Guide to Living Gluten-free. The first 10 chapters of the book are directed at helping you transition to living gluten-free, how to remove all the gluten from your diet (and kitchen), and how to move forward from there. It contains all the things I learned through trial and error on my journey to living gluten-free. The second half of the book contains over 120 easy-to-follow recipes that will help you to begin that gratifying journey.

Another cookie for you, Mr. MP

Jeanine Friesen — Fri, 03 May 2013 17:50:04 +0000

Take a look at what I received in the mail yesterday – it is a letter from my local Member of Parliament, Mr. Vic Toews, congratulating me on winning the “My Cookies are the Best” contest, hosted by Manitoba Canola Growers! Although I’m sure he’s busy with other more pressing matters, it is kind of neat (in a funny way) to get recognition from your government.

I think that’s a nice little boost during Celiac Awareness Month. Now if only we could get a law passed that would require all chefs and wait-staff to be educated on the seriousness of what “gluten-free” means to those of us that require a gluten-free diet, possibly by making it a larger part of the Food Handlers Certificate courses that are taught by the government. Unfortunately, “Minister of Public Safety” doesn’t cover what the public eats.

April 2, 2013 ~ Update

Jeanine Friesen — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:35:20 +0000

Hello, everyone!

I’ve been doing quick updates on Facebook, but realized that I never did update the blog with all the happenings lately, so this morning I will take a few minutes to update you with what is all going on in the Baking Beauties kitchen.

“The Everything Guide to Living Gluten-Free“

I’m not sure I ever mentioned it here, but my book, “The Everything Guide to Living Gluten-Free” is out and readily available! You can find it on Amazon, or anywhere books are sold. I found a few copies at my local Shoppers Drug Mart. To everyone that has already bought their copies – THANK YOU! And to those that have been kind enough to take a few minutes to leave a review on Amazon – I give you a virtual shiny star sticker. Thank you! More reviews will help bump the book sales – so if you haven’t left a review yet, please consider it (the good, bad & ugly, any review will do).

Gluten-free Cinnamon Bun Baking Class

For those that live in south-east Manitoba, you have the opportunity to sign up for a fun gluten-free baking class with ME! The class will run for about 2 hours, and in addition to learning how to bake the best gluten-free cinnamon buns, you will also have the opportunity to ask questions and sample some of my other gluten-free baking. Contact Stony Brook Pantry if you are interested in signing up for the class.

Food Bloggers of Canada 2013 Conference

Late last year, I entered a contest sponsored by Manitoba Canola Growers. It was a “My Cookies are the Best” contest, where you were to submit a cookie recipe that uses canola oil. I developed a few recipes, one being a recipe that I thought would remind my husband of his Grandma, Gluten-free Sour Cream Sugar Cookies. Every Christmas his Grandma used to make a soft white sugar cookie topped with pink frosting. The recipe I submitted WON, and next week I will be heading to Canada’s first ever food bloggers convention in Hockley Valley! The speakers that they have lined up sound amazing, and I really look forward to connecting with other bloggers and brands, and learn how to improve my blog writing, recipe development, and photography skills.

“Be Well!” Shared My Story

“Be Well!”, the blog by Manitoba Canola Growers, shared the story about my WINNING Gluten-free Sour Cream Sugar Cookies! You can read the entire article, and find the recipe on their site. Thank you very much, Wendy, for taking the time to interview & write the article, I appreciate it!

CTV Morning Live

Tomorrow morning, April 4th, at about 8:45 CDT, I will be on CTV Morning Live! I don’t believe you can watch online, but for those that aren’t local, but still in Canada, you may be able to catch it on satellite TV (CTV Winnipeg). I will try to post a video clip of the segment after it has aired. Since it is a live show, hopefully I can share it tomorrow already. I will have an opportunity to talk about the gluten-free Sour Cream Cookies that won me a trip to the food bloggers convention, the Everything Guide to Living Gluten-Free, and just gluten-free in general. See how much I can talk about in just a few short minutes.

Well, I think that’s about it. I think you’re not up to date on what’s going on. Time to hit the kitchen to bake some of my gluten-free Sour Cream Sugar cookies to take along to CTV tomorrow! I hope you all have a blessed day!

Baking on the Radio!

Jeanine Friesen — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 18:56:58 +0000

A few weeks back, the local radio station, Mix 96.7 FM found out about my winning Redpath Sugar’s “Créme de la Créme” contest with my Gluten-free Pumpkin Cheesecake.The morning host, Corny, decided to try something new and moved the morning show to my kitchen! We baked my winning cheesecake on the air! It was a fantastic experience for me, and I loved it! Great fun!

For those that missed it, you can watch the video of it here. Thanks again for having me, Corny! You’re welcome in my kitchen anytime!

You can go HERE for the full, printable recipe. This dessert is great for Thanksgiving!! (Canadians..that’s THIS coming weekend!)

Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook

Jeanine Friesen — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 14:19:00 +0000

Way back when…last year, as a matter of fact, Foodista.com was running a contest. They were asking food bloggers to submit their original recipes, and from all the entries they would pick 100 winners, to be published in the first cookbook of it’s kind – Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook. A cookbook comprised of recipes from around the globe. Recipes that were all posted on food blogs, by your average food bloggers. We are not chefs. We are not celebrities. We are not cookbook authors. Oh wait…we are now!

Foodista received over 1,500 entries, and they whittled it down to a mere 100 recipes. My recipe for Gluten Free Onion Rings made the book (I can be found on page 111).

I am honoured to be included with the other 99 recipes, as they all look fabulous! There are lots of interesting stories and blogs represented in this book, from all over the globe (I am, however, the only one on the prairies, woohoo!).