My top 5 gluten free products

While I'm a cheapskate who likes to make most things from scratch, there are certain products it's well worth the cost to keep in my pantry at all times. Here are the top 5 that I can't live without:

5. Trader Joe's granola. I think this is too sweet for breakfast cereal but it's great mixed into a little plain or vanilla yogurt.

4. Trader Joe's corn pasta. Okay, I admit I have a thing for Trader Joe's. At my store, spaghetti and penne are only pennies more per package than regular old wheat spaghetti. Plus, with a good sauce I can't tell the difference. The rice is okay but it gets slimy quickly if you get distracted, say by your 4 year old and 7 month old at dinner time. Not that that ever happens at my house.

3. Okay, one more Trader Joe's post then I'll call it quits. It's a tie between these:

 and these:

I know cookies aren't a necessity of life but these sure beat making your own or doing without and watching everyone else at a potluck gobbling delicious treats. What makes the snickerdoodles even better is they are free of the top 8 allergens. When we get together with a certain group of friends, we represent five different allergies between us. It's almost like planning a military campaign to make sure the wrong people don't end up with the wrong food. These are a no-brainer.

2. This one's a little strange. Most other products I like because I can't tell the difference between regular and gluten free. This just tastes unique. Sort of chewy, full of spices, it might not be everyone's cup of tea. It doesn't taste like pizza crust as most people know it. It's an original and doesn't try to be a sub-par copycat.

And finally...

1. Pamela's baking mix. I don't know if Pamela is a real person or a fictional character like Betty Crocker but she deserves the Nobel Prize. This obviously helps Sunday night pancake dinner make a comeback in our house but it also makes great biscuits and is a good flour mix to use for those recipes that call for something like two tablespoons of flour for thickening.

There you have the five products I'm willing to pay someone else to make for me.

All photos from amazon.com and ebay.com