Aleia's supports Gluten Intolerance Group of Harrisburg, PA

Aleia's WANTS to move West in 2010! I recently connected with a fantastic woman in PA. Her name is Kristin Crump and she is an active member of the GIG in Harrisburg PA. After tweeting and e-mailing for a few weeks I offered Kristin a sample kit for her to taste, try, and give her feedback on our products. Kristin was just the woman for the job; she began networking with me and connecting me with the GIG group in Harrisburg. In the "Gluten Free For Life" Winter 2010, Volume 9 No. 1 edition Kristin wrote a product review for our Snickerdoodles! Here is what she wrote:

HMMMmmm...I thought this scanned image of the newsletter would come out better. Let me do Kristin's article justice by re-typing it for you all to see and read.

"While visiting New York, I came across Aleia's Snickerdoodle Cookies in Whole Foods. So far, I've found them to the best gluten-free snickerdoodle I have tried. They are crisp but not hard and have a slight chewiness to them. They taste just like a regular snickerdoodle and go well with a nice cup of tea. There are 18 medium-large sized cookies in a bag for about $9.95 and they can be found online through Simpson & Vail at http://www.svtea.com/New-Food/products/139. There are other flavors available as well such as: Chocolate Chip, Almond Horn, Chocolate Coconut Macaroon, Ginger Snap, Peanut Butter and Coconut Macaroons.

Aleia's is expanding their distribution and is currently in talks with Garden Spot Distributors so hopefully they products will be available through the GIG gluten-free co-op soon! They have an amazing Italian bread crumbs product not yet available online that I hope will be online or available to us in Pennsylvania soon!

Aleia's is a gluten-free bakery based in Connecticut and all items are gluten-free, all natural, kosher certified and are manufactured in a gluten-free environment. There are no preservatives either, and they last seven months!

If you are traveling, you can also visit their website (www.aleias.com) to find locations of stores who offer their products."

-Kristin Crump

Kristin earlier this month, helped host a Celiac 101 meeting at a Giant Supermarket location in PA. The group, GIG of Harrisburg PA, meets every month or so for different events and at this event they (all attendees) were all able to taste and try our Chocolate Chip cookies and Almond Horns! One woman even stated that the taste and texture of our Almond Horns was addicting, like a drug!! Thank you Kristin, GIG of Harrisburg, Giant Supermarkets and all those celiacs out there eating Aleia's FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

~NEVER FORGET HOW SWEET LIFE CAN BE WITHOUT WHEAT!~

A 6th Grader's Perspective

We always enjoy taste testing our products.

This is the best way to find out the real scoop! So, I took the time to reach out to one of our toughest judges, FAMILY!

My cousin, Sara Stanton, age 11, is an aspiring writer and I wanted to support her dreams while getting a 6th grader's opinion.

Her mission: to take her know-how of gluten and everything she knows to be delicious and yummy and give me her honest opinions on an assortment of Aleia's Gluten Free Foods.

ITEMS FOR REVIEW:

Plain Bread Crumbs

Parmesan Croutons

Peanut Butter Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Almond Horn Cookies

THE RATING SYSTEM:

1=Bad 2=Better 3=Good 4=Very Good 5=Amazing

Plain Bread Crumbs: The breadcrumbs were a delight to try. They would make a very good topping for chicken, salad, pork chops, and even more probably. They even would taste good on their own, but I don't recommend doing that. So I have given these remarkable breadcrumbs a 4.

Parmesan Croutons: The Parmesan Croutons would tie a good salad together with a taste that will spark your tongue. This would be a good choice with anyone with a love for Parmesan and croutons. The rating that I have given these a 4.

Peanut Butter Cookies: The Peanut Butter Cookies have a strong peanut buttery taste to them, with a good stream of sugar on it. It will make the day of someone who loves peanut butter, as for me it wasn't my favorite. Also I'm really not a the peanut butter type anyway. So I give it a 3.

Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Chocolate Chip Cookie is a good crunchy, enjoyable cookie. The chocolate will melt away in your mouth as you chew in delight. That is the very reason I award this cookie with a 4.

Snickerdoodle Cookies: The Snickerdoodles have a strong, sweet taste. A couple pinches of cinnamon make the Snickerdoodles come together to make the perfect combination for anyone that loves cinnamon and sugar. This is why I have given the wonderful cookie a 5.

Almond Horn Cookies: The Almond Horn cookie was a good, but very sweet cookie. The crunchiest almonds are found near the top. The almonds themselves have a sweet affect on people. I think anyone who loves sweet, crunchy, with almonds on top will defiantly enjoy the one of-a-kind Almond Horns. This is exactly why I have given them a perfect 4.

Thank you Sara for your detailed descriptions, opinions, and scores on Aleia's Gluten Free Foods. We are so happy that you felt our Snickerdoodles deserved a 5 = Amazing! We may need your taste buds again someday soon! New products to come in 2010.

SUPERB GF STUFFING MIX!!!

It is that time of the year again. Sales reports on last years numbers floating around the bakery's production floor. Increased ordering of raw materials. Extra recipe cards and labels stacked high in anticipation.

All of this means one thing..........IT'S STUFFING SEASON AT ALEIA'S

I had the pleasure of joining the Aleia's team this time last year. So, with a year of wisdom and experience under my belt I am ready to spread the word on the only gf stuffing mix on the market today! The orders have already started to be delivered! Look for both varieties our plain stuffing mix and our savory stuffing mix in a store near you! http://www.aleias.com/ - check out our website for locations.

EVERY BAG OF ALEIA'S GF STUFFING MIX COMES WITH A RECIPE!

Gluten Free Savory Stuffing

Directions for oven baked stuffing

Ingredients:
1 bag (12oz) Aleia’s Gluten Free Savory Stuffing
½ onion medium dice (about ½ cup)
2 ribs celery medium dice (about 1 cup)
1 large carrot medium dice (about ½ cup)
6 tablespoons of butter
2 cups gluten free chicken stock

Heat oven to 350˚F. In a large skillet pan, medium
heat, melt butter, add onions, celery and carrots.
Sauté until vegetables are tender. Add stock, bring
to a boil then remove the pan from the heat. Place
stuffing mix into a large bowl, pour mixture from
pan over stuffing. Toss lightly until well mixed. Spoon
the mixture into a greased casserole dish. Cover
with foil and bake for 20 minutes or until hot. For a crispy
top, remove foil and bake uncovered for an additional
10 minutes. Serves 6



Gluten Free Plain Stuffing

Directions for oven baked stuffing

Ingredients:
1 bag (12oz) Aleia’s Gluten Free Plain Stuffing
½ onion medium dice (about ½ cup)
2 ribs celery medium dice (about 1 cup)
1 large carrot medium dice (about ½ cup)
6 tablespoons of butter
2 cups gluten free chicken stock
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350˚F. In a large skillet pan, medium
heat, melt butter, add onions, celery, carrots, salt
& Pepper. Sauté until vegetables are tender. Add stock,
bring to a boil then remove the pan from the heat. Place
stuffing mix into a large bowl, pour mixture from
pan over stuffing. Toss lightly until well mixed. Spoon
the mixture into a greased casserole dish. Cover
with foil and bake for 20 minutes or until hot. For a crispy
top, remove foil and bake uncovered for an additional
10 minutes. Serves 6

TIPS FOR SOME EXTRA PAZAZ

Tip: Savory herb stuffing: add 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Leaves and 1 teaspoon dried sage leaves

Tip: Sausage & Mushroom stuffing: add 1 cup sliced mushrooms to the vegetables during cooking. Stir ½ pound cooked and crumbled GF sausage into the mixture

Tip: Cranberry & Pecan stuffing: Stir 1/2 cup each of dried cranberries and chopped pecans into the mixture

Life is sweet without wheat, online!!!!

BREAKING NEWS

You can NOW buy our cookies on-line!

http://www.svtea.com/New-Food/products/139/

Aleia's and Simspon & Vail have partnered to bring delicious, all natural, gluten-free cookies to our customers!


How to contact Simpson & Vail

http://www.svtea.com/contactus.asp

Labor Day Weekend!

This weekend I travled to Tiverton, RI to visit one of our fantastic customers and help her celebrate her 2nd year anniversary! Congrats Kathi, you rock! The name of this store is Healthy Haven, and it is just that a haven of specialty foods for every allergy.

Although it was a small celebration, we had about 60 visitors throughout the day and it was a blast!! I truely enjoy talking with my customers and then particulary with the end users that have either never tried our products or are loyal customers that can

now put a face and personality to Aleia's. Some other vendors that I met there were the creators of Little Bay Baking Co. I purchased two of their mixes and can not wait to bake them up with a few friends that are gluten free and casein free. I also had the pleasure of meeting the Nut Lady. She makes fantastic gourmet almonds, walnuts and peacan that are baked to perfection! A great treat on a salad.

Thank you Kathy for hosting this great event. I also had an opportunity to check out Alice's - Located in Fall River, MA @ 2663 South Main St. She does breakfast and lunch and has a surprising gluten free menu. You can get gf pancakes for breakfast or gf fish and chips for lunch! She also has gf fried clams!!Kathi treated us all to lunch. Thank you Kathi. I had the fish and chips and they were delicious!

I like to eat Aleia's Gluten Free Classic Croutons at my desk!

Aleia's Gluten Free Stuffed Artichokes

4 large artichokes, stems removed
¼ cup ripe pitted Calamata olives, chopped
¼ cup chopped parsley
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1 cup Aleia’s plain bread crumbs or 1 cup Aleia’s Italian bread crumbs (eliminate garlic if using the Italian bread crumbs)
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
Olive oil to drizzle

Directions:

With a serrated knife cut tops of artichokes approximately 1/4 inch below the top. Using sharp scissors snip off pointed tips of each artichoke petal. In a 5 quart pan place approximately two inches of water and set on stove top. In a bowl combine, olives, parsley, garlic, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese salt and pepper. Spread each petal as wide as allowed and stuff artichokes. Place in pan, drizzle olive oil over each artichoke. Cover and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook 55-60 minutes until tender and leaves pull freely from the artichoke.

Yummmmmmmmy!