tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15807291488442569892024-02-20T20:50:53.789-05:00Gluten-free PromotionsHelping to sort out the good from the bad in the gluten-free food world.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger298125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-79422944377147464812020-10-20T17:05:00.000-04:002020-10-20T17:07:08.430-04:00Gluten-free in a pandemic? No problem!<p>Not to make light of the current situation the world finds itself in, but I'm so thankful that I learned to self isolate when I was diagnosed with celiac in 2006. It took me a good month just to figure out what and was not gluten-free. Once I felt like I could feed myself safely at home, I started researching how to dine out safely. The latter task was much harder than the former, but eventually I found others to help me learn the gluten-free ropes. In the end, it would be more than a year before I got the hang of how to live my new gluten-free life. From attending weddings to funerals and most everything in between, my new normal was finally set. </p><p>So when the world started to seem like it was spinning out of control, due to some strange new virus, I immediately had a sense of familiarity. Once again, things were not as I'd always known them. Once again things were confusing. Once again, I felt somewhat like an alien who'd landed on a very strange planet. And most importantly, once again, I knew there was much work to do. </p><p>In the coming weeks, my goal is to help people enjoy the holidays as safely as possible. This isn't going to be a great holiday season for many families. In fact, it's going to be overwhelmingly sad. But there is hope for a better tomorrow. I can't allow myself to think otherwise. </p><p>Please stay safe and follow the science on this one - your life might literally depend on it. </p><p><br /></p><p>#wearamask</p><p>#washyourhands</p><p>#watchyourdistance</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-1201125792602283912019-11-11T14:55:00.000-05:002019-11-26T14:56:43.179-05:00Being gluten-free can still be challenging at times After being gluten-free for over a decade, one would think there's nothing that would throw me. From weddings to funerals to holiday parties to business functions and non-celiac in-law holidays...I've done it all gluten-free. For the most part, I've done well when not in charge of where we're eating out. I do my due diligence, as always, so I pretty much know what to expect on arrival to a restaurant I didn't have the option to choose myself. <br />
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On a recent trip to celebrate an in-laws milestone birthday, I had one of the worst experiences I've had in years. After contacting the chosen b-day dinner restaurant about what I could safely order, I felt good about the options. While the email message I got from some manager at the place was rather curt, I chalked it up to them being from New York and didn't think much more of it.<br />
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We arrived with a group of 9 to an overly crowded and noisy place...the latter being a blessing in the end. After I asked the server if they had a gluten-free menu, his demeanor changed in a bad way. A minute later, some woman who claimed to be the owner of the place was quickly shoving a gluten-free menu in my face and rambling - quite rudely - that they "knew what they were doing and I could ask her if I had any questions". My husband and I were stunned at the behavior, tone and comments and had no idea why this happened. I review the limited gf menu and quickly decide that I just want to order seafood (we are at the beach after all) instead of gf pasta or anything else that is considered a replacement item.<br />
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When I try to order one of the shrimp entrees, I'm told I can't have it. That's okay...I'm ready with a back up option, as anyone ordering a at new place better be. Garlic butter shrimp was said to be fine - no modifications were mentioned. I was told I could not have the whipped potatoes and would get a baked potato instead. No question about what the other options might be... It's right about this point, that in any other situation, we're out of the chairs and headed for the door. I wouldn't initiate this decision to leave...my husband would have. But we are not in the position to get up and leave, of course.<br />
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When our food comes, I'm given whipped potatoes...which I'd earlier been told - rather rudely - that I could not have. Then my entree is put down and it looks like plain shrimp with a lemon wedge. It doesn't look like it's sauteed - nor is any garlic butter sauce to be found. My husband waives over the server and we ask about the garlic butter. He snaps that the sauce isn't gluten-free and quickly disappears from the table. In any other situation, we're asking for my entree to be removed from the check, as I would not want to overpay that much for a bland meal. But again, we don't have that option.<br />
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It turned out that the shrimp had been steamed. There was no seasoning...no salt or pepper. I was in a state of shock and my husband was concerned that the potatoes might not be safe. I was so hungry that I could have eaten the tablecloth so if I threw up later, oh well. The decent tasting potatoes were in fact, gluten-free. The unimaginably bland shrimp were also fine - not good - just gluten-free fine. The place did have good gf crackers so I slathered too many of them with butter in order to get full.<br />
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In the end, I didn't get sick and I also didn't have a nice meal. My husband ordered poorly - that was on him since he can order anything - and didn't enjoy his meal either. We obviously won't ever go back to the Beachcomber in southwest FL. At least that's something positive that came from this shockingly disappointing experience :)<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-50766015493349887512019-09-26T19:59:00.000-04:002019-11-26T13:51:38.452-05:00Citizen Soul = GF Fried Chicken<a href="http://www.citizensoul.com/" target="_blank">Citizen Soul</a> in downtown Alpharetta, GA has amazing gluten-free fried chicken. In fact, most of the menu is naturally gluten-free, or can be prepared as such. They don't make anything with gluten in the fryer. This place is the BEST for gf fare of the new eateries downtown. <br />
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They also have many gf desserts, though I'm uber partial to the chocolate cake! Reservations recommended. Free parking in the garage near the downtown library. <br />
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Apologies that my photos turned out much too blurry to post. Maybe it was the amazing cocktail I enjoyed there ;)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-30871747512898001332019-07-22T09:30:00.000-04:002019-07-22T09:30:01.859-04:00Fresh crust (from pre-made dough) at Hearth Pizza Tavern Ever since something changed with the Blue Moon gf crust (at least at the Sandy Springs location) and the same thing happened at Crust in Alpharetta, I've been avoiding pizza places. I'm not paying an upcharge for something that's not as good as a frozen gf pizza I can make at home. Duh.<br />
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However, I keep the faith that someone will start offering a gluten-free pizza worth eating out in the ATL. While doing my normal gluten-free pizza in Atlanta web search, which I do every month or so, I came upon rave reviews for the option at <a href="http://hearthpizzatavern.com/" target="_blank">Hearth Pizza Tavern</a> in Sandy Springs. After confirming they have a process in place to keep the pizza crust as safe as possible in a gluten kitchen, we made a date to try it. The crust comes from a company in Colorado, but it's stretched at the restaurant. Therefore, it tastes more fresh than the typical frozen crusts that abound in the area.<br />
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We arrived to the cool space that is Hearth on a bustling Saturday night. Even though it was early...around 6 pm, it was so busy there was a wait. We put our name on the list and headed to the Whole Foods in the same complex. When we got back less than 15 minutes later, our table was ready. The server didn't seem to understand much about what gluten-free meant so that was unsettling. However, the manager on duty (who seemed knowledgeable) oversaw the order. For reference, the salad we ordered didn't seem to come with any croutons or bread, but you ALWAYS have to order EVERYTHING gluten-free, even salads, so you don't end up with a lovely gluten garnish on your food! Sure enough, as the server was walking away she said "oh, so you don't want the bread on your salad?". Mmmmm.....NO I don't want bread unless it's gluten-free. The look on her face indicated she might not know such a thing exists (LOL!), but at least she got the order in correctly.<br />
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The pizza was quite good and most definitely worth having again. It's no Don Antonio, but let's be real.....we're not in NYC. I likely would not risk eating at Hearth with a wheat allergy since there's always going to be gluten flour in the air, and the server knowledge (or lack thereof). My guess is that way more people who order the gluten-free pizza at Hearth have no clue what gluten is in, than people who actually can't eat it ;)<br />
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Also, when we called to check on gluten-free ingredients for the pizza, beyond the crust, I also asked if there were any gluten-free ciders. The answer was "no, I'm sorry we don't have cider" so it was a nice surprise when two were listed on the menu. I think I had one with blackberry and ginger in it and it was very refreshing!<br />
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After taking half my pizza to go, we stopped into WF again and bought the amazing JB's Carrot Cake and another treat from that line we'd not had before - Blueberry Cheesecake - for dessert.<br />
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The restaurant group that owns Hearth, MooCoo Group, also offers the "fresh from prepared dough" at Atwood Pizza in the city and some other location in Marietta, which I can't recall the name of....or find online. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-63341705171556659832019-07-15T12:00:00.000-04:002019-07-15T13:14:25.088-04:00Schar croissants....finally!OK - if you're someone who isn't able, or interested, in eating something made from gluten-free wheat starch (yes, it's a real thing), then you might want to skip this review. For reference, Micky D's still lists hydrolyzed wheat as an ingredient (in fryer oil) and I don't know anyone personally that has celiac and can't eat their fries or hash browns.<br />
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First a little background....back in 2006, fresh off my celiac dx, we went to London and Paris. It was one of the most amazing vacations we've taken, even though I had to pass up the amazing treats in Paris patisseries. In London, at Sainsbury's, I bought all kinds of shelf-stable mini loaves and muffins to supplement my breakfasts in both countries. I found out much later that the items were made with highly processed gluten-free wheat starch, as was common in Europe at the time. They were also not made to the US standard of 20ppm, but a much more generous 200ppm. The EU has changed it's definition to match that of the US, so don't worry if you're traveling there present day. In any case, the shelf stable goodies were amazing and certainly didn't make me sick. I likely have a higher threshold than some regarding the amount of gluten that makes me sick. Sorry - if you think everyone can and will get sick from anything over 20ppm - that's also incorrect. I cleared this up when interviewing an internationally renowned celiac expert. As they explained it to me in layman's terms, you have to choose the lowest common denominator when it comes to a gluten-free label standard. That means some people can't safely take in more than 20ppm of gluten, while others might be able to handle more. As with all Schar products, they pass the 20ppm standard in every country they're sold in.<br />
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So, back to the <a href="https://www.schaer.com/en-us/p/plain-croissant" target="_blank">Schar</a> croissants. After looking for this item for more than three years, I finally gave up. I knew the company would run into issues in the US, considering the ingredient label clearly states wheat starch (first ingredient, in fact). You can't make people understand science and no one should eat anything they don't want to regardless of what science proves. I assumed the item was no longer sold in the US and didn't think about it again...until I saw the bag of Schar croissants at Earthfare! Needless to say, I threw the bag in the cart and went on my overly-merry way!<br />
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Three days later, I thawed one lone croissant (on the counter) for just over and hour, and baked it for 8 minutes as directed. It was golden brown...it was pretty flaky...and it was DELICIOUS! I slathered it with butter and savored every amazing bite. Now, it's not like a fresh baked croissant from Whole Foods, but it's probably as good as anything you'd find frozen - even with gluten in it! Yes - it's really that tasty, people.<br />
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And so I say to Schar - thank you, thank you, thank you! This is my gluten-free find of the year to date ;) <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MhplW5cIGBPwrW0dZeUyinl1xRYJqckapmz45p0mPYY2arySTIoLbZEkA-LVGhwObTYRwJHhEe01mjKOCK0I5Bd6C8laeYZ1X_fGRdEW8BEl-XSLHhHHIlAw0QZqafKJwKrG5vIS2OkO/s1600/HeaderProducts_Plain+Croissants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="802" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MhplW5cIGBPwrW0dZeUyinl1xRYJqckapmz45p0mPYY2arySTIoLbZEkA-LVGhwObTYRwJHhEe01mjKOCK0I5Bd6C8laeYZ1X_fGRdEW8BEl-XSLHhHHIlAw0QZqafKJwKrG5vIS2OkO/s640/HeaderProducts_Plain+Croissants.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Image courtesy of Schar</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-62338256561887519772019-07-10T09:30:00.000-04:002019-07-10T09:30:04.979-04:00Andean Dream pasta available at Whole Foods BuckheadMany moons ago, I found Andean Dream pasta. It's a quinoa/rice blend which is not only edible - but delicious - COLD. I don't like mayo-based pasta salads so none of the gluten-free pastas I tried worked for my favorite summertime pasta. I went without cold pasta for a few years since most gluten-free pasta (at that time) was pretty much like a brick when cold.<br />
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Anyway, after finding, and faithfully using, Andean Dream pasta for years, I started having a hard time finding it locally. Then I couldn't find it anywhere. And so for another year or so, I did without pasta salad. Then, several weeks ago, my husband spotted the Andean Dream macaroni pasta on the bottom shelf at the Whole Foods in Buckhead. I was so excited that I bought four boxes, leaving one on the shelf. Maybe this brand is back at the WF near us, but at last check it wasn't. And this pasta is definitely good enough to swing by WF, when in town, to stock up!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxHgBPMRI9AMhHOJh3mRJFUzjdu9Bhck-zutgLoPsqUkCFpJPQdbwEv-CkXqrgxfKuddI50D-QWF13BFGrpGujfqNUiuuBNUKRzOfI1ltV5bGfjdET8y9BQB2i-ySTUPk-TqBDfNH0mvJ/s1600/andean+dream.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="326" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxHgBPMRI9AMhHOJh3mRJFUzjdu9Bhck-zutgLoPsqUkCFpJPQdbwEv-CkXqrgxfKuddI50D-QWF13BFGrpGujfqNUiuuBNUKRzOfI1ltV5bGfjdET8y9BQB2i-ySTUPk-TqBDfNH0mvJ/s640/andean+dream.webp" width="434" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><b><i>This pasta is vegan, corn free and Kosher, and made with non-GMO ingredients </i></b></span></div>
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Below is my favorite cold pasta recipe...please make it your own - and enjoy!<br />
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Mediterranean Pasta Salad<br />
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<i>INGREDIENTS:</i><br />
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Cooked gluten-free pasta (that is EDIBLE when cold)<br />
EVOO<br />
green scallions<br />
crumbled feta cheese<br />
minced roasted red peppers<br />
sliced kalamata olives<br />
sea salt<br />
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<i>DIRECTIONS:</i><br />
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Coat cooked, drained pasta with olive oil (to taste)<br />
Toss in all other ingredients (change them up to suit your personal taste!)<br />
sprinkle with sea salt (to taste)<br />
Cover and refrigerate for two hours or more (to let flavors percolate)<br />
Remove from fridge and uncover about an hour prior to serving (it's very good straight out of fridge, but I like it less chilly)<br />
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**To make this pasta into a meal, add cooked chicken or shrimp, or even canned tuna fish. Just don't set it out for an hour with any meat in it.<br />
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ENJOY! <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-22801938078547225592019-06-28T09:30:00.000-04:002019-07-10T13:19:21.974-04:00Souper Jenny Atlanta - super disappointingWe recently went to the Atlanta History Center to view the once again, refurbished Cyclorama exhibit. Since we needed lunch beforehand, we chose to meet friends at Souper Jenny, which moved from Buckhead to this most prestigious location...how swanky! In case you don't know, <a href="http://souperjennyatl.com/" target="_blank">Souper Jenny</a> has been one of the best places to find fresh gluten-free soups and interesting salads in the Atlanta area for years. And best of all, to me anyway, they always had amazing gluten-free desserts which most people didn't know were gluten-free. Lemon ice box cake...yes, please!<br />
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Well, we arrived at the counter and I didn't see any gluten-free desserts noted, or any in the case that housed the treats. To add insult to injury, I'd checked the daily menu right before we left home that morning, and it had the prior day's menu listed..noting the current date. So now I can't get anything I wanted to eat as my meal or a dessert.... I was able to get some edible rice crackers to go with my soup, instead of a gluten roll. Since the coffee shop adjacent to Souper Jenny sells bagels, I asked to buy a bit of cream cheese and they gave it to me for free. I tipped them for the gesture, of course ;)<br />
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I ate my crackers with cream cheese, some of my too-spicy soup and black-eyed-pea salad. We ended up having a lovely time with our friends, but I didn't have a nice lunch. Had I known of the horrid changes at this location regarding desserts, I certainly would have chosen a much better place to eat! With all the amazing gluten-free bakeries in the area, how in the world could Souper Jenny not find something suitable to offer gluten-free customers? #souperjennyfail<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-74946684460206204712019-06-24T09:30:00.000-04:002019-06-24T09:30:03.261-04:00Lemon cupcakes from KatzFor some reason, I've not been able to find the <a href="http://katzglutenfree.com/" target="_blank">Katz</a> gluten-free apple fritters at Sprouts. I haven't looked elsewhere for them yet, but plan to eventually. Anyway, with graduation season upon us, I picked up a box of Katz gluten-free lemon cupcakes so I'd have something handy to throw in a cooler for short road trips to family graduations. My fave lemon cupcakes from lucky Spoon have also been MIA at Sprouts of late. Since the Katz option is individually packaged, they're better for travel anyway. <br />
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I ended up not using the Katz treats for my travels as I found some other tasty things to take instead. But the lemon cupcakes from Katz were pretty good. I really like the icing and prefer to eat the cake when it's not fully thawed out...it reminds me of a lemon icebox cake..though a gf version of one, for sure. Please note that the amount of filling IRL is in no way, shape or form indicated in the image on the box. That is almost always the case for anything filled, for some reason. And the filling that is there hardly has any lemon flavor to it at all. <br />
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There are four units per box. For the price of approximately $1.25 per cupcake, it's a decent value in the gf world. My favorite ready-made treat, which I finally found here, runs $5.99 for one piece so not a good value at all. More about that irresistible treat later. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-8114607512304696072019-06-19T16:55:00.000-04:002019-06-19T16:58:20.434-04:00Notable cheesy cracker from Three BakersThe only "real" tasting gluten-free Cheez-It type cracker I've had in a dozen years was from a bakery in Washington state. And that company no longer makes what I considered their best item. Over the years, I've tried most every cheesy crackers I've run across, and while I love Marilyn's Gourmet cheese sticks, I haven't found a Cheez-It replacement worth buying twice. I was pretty excited by the Lance option, but those ended up having an odd smell to me. The smell makes them inedible a day or so after the bag is opened.<br />
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When I spotted the Three Bakers "Snackers" at Earthfare recently, I knew I had to try them. And, they weren't even that expensive for a gf cracker! Up front, I should note that I don't really care for air filled snacks, which is what the Snackers are. They are puffed up and empty inside. That's clear from the image on the bag, but I had to try them while available. You never know when your favorite item will be taken off the market by a store, or discontinued by the manufacturer. So annoying!<br />
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So...what do I think about the cheese flavored Snackers from Three Bakers? I actually like them a lot! Not enough to keep them on hand on the regular - due to aforementioned puffy factor - but the taste and texture is really good! <br />
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Find out where you can buy these snacks near you on the 'where to buy' page on the <a href="https://threebakers.com/product-category/snackers/" target="_blank">Three Bakers website</a>. There are three other flavors available including chocolate chip, chocolate chocolate chip and honey graham. Now that I think about it, the latter might be worth using for a pie crust! </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-70733582085556384332019-05-31T09:00:00.000-04:002019-05-31T09:00:10.936-04:00Chattanooga ups it's gluten-free game!Just before the Avalon location of <a href="http://bantamandbiddy.com/" target="_blank">Bantam+Biddy</a> closed in 2018, one of the partners informed us that there was a location opening in July in Chattanooga. Since our in-laws live there, for the last 16 years we've been regular visitors to the area. There have been VERY few times when I encountered exciting gluten-free options. Tony's Trattoria is heads above the rest in terms of gluten-free menus/delicious gluten-free food, but they are the exception. Terra Nostra was pretty impressive, but they are closing for good this summer. So yeah...Chattanooga isn't on anyone's list to visit for the gluten-free options. It's the opposite of say...Asheville, NC.<br />
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When we were in Chattanooga last September, Bantam+Biddy wasn't open, but it opened soon thereafter. Upon our return, a couple of weeks ago, B+B was open and we finally got to try it. The menu was either the same, or very similar to the Ansley Mall location here. We started with the fried green tomatoes (with VERY spicy goat cheese spread), and I had fried chicken tenders and Brussels sprouts. My husband had some biscuit sandwich (not gluten-free) that he really enjoyed. We were so stuffed (we usually don't order an appetizer at lunch!) so we had to skip dessert. I'd hoped we could pop back in for dessert during the visit, but the Ironman competition was that weekend and it was TOO crowded in town. It's so exciting to have such an amazing place to enjoy when in Chattanooga!<br />
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Also, most people there don't know all the chicken fingers at B+B are gluten-free. If you're going with a gluten eater, don't mention it until they tell you how amazing they are...lol! Even then, you might have a hard time convincing them they just had gluten-free chicken fingers. Not sure why it's such a hard concept to grasp, but apparently for some people, it most definitely is ;)<br />
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You can read more about the wonderful addition to downtown Chattanooga - location, etc. - <a href="https://www.chattanoogan.com/2017/9/15/354961/Atlanta-Based-Bantam--Biddy-Expands.aspx" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-40034948338920946202019-05-29T10:30:00.000-04:002019-05-29T10:30:00.569-04:00Dollar Tree offers gluten-free travel friendly snacksThe last time we took an int'l Delta flight, in 2017, my gluten-free meal was mostly inedible. So for a recent international trip, I packed enough food to get through the 8+ hour long flight. There was a snack, dinner and breakfast being served and I was given all but the snack. The flight attendant actually apologized for that, and mentioned that her own daughter has celiac. She was the most thoughtful such employee I've encountered on the subject in over a decade.<br />
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When you have to make a meal out of snacks (assuming you won't have access to a microwave), it's a good idea to include some protein, fat and limited carbs. Crackers and pretzels don't really satisfy if you're in need of a proper meal. While I packed some items I got at Trader Joe's (trail mix snack bags, for instance), I also found some worthwhile items at the Dollar Tree store. You know...the place where everything is literally a dollar. Who knew such a place would offer some interesting gluten-free snacks which are perfect for traveling?!<br />
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Even though I had a bag of bacon jerky (you can find many gluten-free jerky options these days), I also picked up a mini pack of pepperoni. It was real pepperoni, not turkey, so it's fairly greasy. However, it will provide some much needed protein in a pinch.<br />
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Lay's Stax chips, which are labeled gluten-free, are also a good option. You can remove some of the chips from the can, and put baggies of other things inside, under the chips, if need be. My husband isn't a fan of Stax chips so a whole canister is a bit much to pack for just me.<br />
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Jiff peanut butter 3-pack is a great value for only a buck and I still have two containers left over for future adventures.<br />
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The only gourmet type item I found at Dollar Tree were seasoned olives. I'd first discovered GAEA olives in Montreal or Victoria, Canada...I really can't recall for sure...but the pack didn't cost anywhere near a $1 at the airport...lol! There were just two flavors of the GAEA brand olives at the discount store, including my favorite - Lemon & Oregano. As always, the olives were delicious!<br />
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There are some nuts, seeds and such available at the Dollar Tree as well. There are obviously many items that travel well, but not many I've found in regular grocery stores are a good value. They're convenience items and you pay for said convenience. But not at Dollar Tree...everything's a dollar...convenience item or not ;)<br />
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Safe and happy summer travels to all!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-17776168959278002602019-05-24T09:00:00.000-04:002019-05-24T09:00:04.480-04:00Genius bread comes to the ATL!The "real" Genius gluten-free bread hits the ATL! Well, it's great news in a way, but like many things, it's not as great in the US as in other countries. The Genius bread (not the Glutino version which was previously available here) is now sold at Earthfare stores. I only found this out because I wanted to buy the bread in Spain. It's not sold there, according to the store finder on the Genius site. Anyway, sure enough, the bread is in the bakery (ships/stored frozen, before being put out) at Earthfare. I bought the multi-grain and white versions and though they were quite tasty, they are NOT the same as in Scotland. I'm not sure if the ingredients are the same, but the loaf is at least 50% smaller. That might be related to why the crust is "tough"... Also, the slices are about 1/3 thinner which could also be affecting the taste. I still like the bread, but it's not mind-blowingly delicious like the first version I had. It's definitely not worth the drive to Earthfare for it, when I can buy Canyon Bakehouse bread, that's almost as good, at Sprouts. <br />
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The version of Genius bread I found in Scotland is still the best gluten-free bread I've had in over 12 years. If you missed my post about it, you can find it <a href="http://gladtobeglutenfree.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-best-gluten-free-bread-on-market-is.html" target="_blank">here.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-34408409364026628202019-05-22T15:50:00.001-04:002019-05-22T15:50:18.732-04:00King BBQ closes at AvalonOn our last visit to Bantam+Biddy Avalon, we found out they were closing that location and rebranding the place as a BBQ joint. The same owners would be in charge so I'd hoped there would be decent gluten-free menu options. And after a brief stint without chicken fingers, continued complaints of that fact online helped to bring them back to the menu. That's why we went in to try the place months after it reopened as King BBQ. My husband really liked the BBQ he ordered and I loved the chicken fingers and cornbread as usual. Two months later, in December 2018, we stopped by for an early dinner only to find that King BBQ had closed down.<br />
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Though the closing is disappointing for those of us who like to order gluten-free chicken fingers every so often, we can't say we were surprised. Like Yeah! Burger, King had the order-at-the-counter set up. Unlike Yeah! Burger, there wasn't a place for people to stand in line while they ordered. My husband even mentioned on our only visit there that he couldn't imagine they would be able to keep the order-at the counter process at King. At least it wouldn't be feasible without them moving some tables and other things around to accommodate that set up.<br />
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*<i>Apologies for the tardiness of this post - I literally thought it posted a while ago!</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-5632127922557054232019-05-13T14:54:00.000-04:002019-05-13T14:54:42.818-04:00Citizen Soul makes the gluten-free grade!After coming home from France and Spain recently, I sadly settled back into the reality that gluten-free specialty items such as bread, pastries, etc. are all MUCH better in other countries (including Canada!) than here at home. I'm not sure why that is...but store bought and bakery stuff is just not anywhere near as good here as in several countries we've visited in the 12 years since my celiac dx.<br />
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Please don't misunderstand - the new hip eatery in downtown Alpharetta, Citizen Soul, doesn't currently offer gluten-free bread. But...they offer something even more exciting - gluten-free fried chicken! It's amazing...flavorful and tender! The sides with it (currently grits and green beans) are also wonderful! We shared the stonefruit salad which was so fresh and flavorful we thought we might be back in Barcelona ;) The chocolate cake is huge and scrumptious...enough for 2 or three to share...for reals...lol! <br />
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Service was lovely and not rushed even though the place is usually packed. Parking is easy in the close by free parking deck. Great cocktails as well....Citizen Soul is a wonderful addition to downtown eateries. In fact, as of now, it's THE best place down there for my money! <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-18204480051771206462019-01-21T15:20:00.000-05:002019-01-21T15:20:21.690-05:00Gluten-free fried onions This post should have gone up in December, but I found myself overwhelmed during the holidays. Everyone probably feels this way, but a kitchen remodel thrown into the mix really took it's toll on my holiday spirit and energy level ;)<br />
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For many years, I made homemade fried onions for my traditional green casserole. I'd found a few gf brands of onions, but none were good enough to buy twice. Last year I finally found a decent tasting shelf stable fried onion - Loeb's - at Publix. They were packaged in a bag and are now in a plastic jar. Either way, the onions were a suitable substitute for the French's brand of fried onions many of us grew up with.<br />
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Then, last month, an email from <a href="http://www.findmeglutenfree.com/" target="_blank">findmeglutenfree</a> announced the availability of several brands of fried onions just in time for the holidays! I noticed that the Sprouts brand was listed so that's the product I decided to try. They are possibly the exact product from Loeb's as the ingredients are exactly the same (onion, buckwheat, vegetable oil and salt). However, for some reason I can't pin down, I prefer the taste of the Sprouts product. Aldi has a similar product which I'll probably try eventually. So far, nothing tastes just like the French's brand, but that's okay. That product has a form of sugar in it which, like many people, I can do without.<br />
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<i>PRODUCT NOTE: buckwheat is in fact, not related to wheat - nor is it a grain. It's plant based and is completely gluten-free. </i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-88507158180403433702019-01-17T14:40:00.003-05:002019-01-17T14:40:55.083-05:00Best gluten-free "Ritz" style cracker!I'm a cracker person....always loved Saltines and Ritz crackers with cheese, or spread or even plain old butter! So when I had to give up gluten crackers, I went on the hunt for "real" tasting crackers. Twelve years later, I'm still on said hunt. There are many really tasty crackers available today. Absolutely Gluten-Free, Crunchmaster and Schar all offer some really good options that gluten eaters can also enjoy. However, until recently the Ritz style cracker has eluded me. <br />
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In the past, I've often ended up with six or seven boxes of crackers in my pantry at one time. Clearly, no one needs that many crackers so I took a break from trying new brands for a while for a couple of years. That break ended two weeks ago when I decided to check out the tiny GF section in a Publix that is not our normal store. Low and behold, there was a product from Lance (you know - the company that makes the silly-small peanut butter and cheese sandwich style gf crackers) marked "NEW" and the photo on the box look exactly like a Ritz cracker. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try them so into my basket they went! I ended up getting to try them for almost nothing due to a random act of kindness. The person in front of me in line gave me a gift card worth over $3 (what was left after they checked out) and the crackers were maybe $3.59.<br />
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Unfortunately, when I opened the bag of crackers, the small size of the round disks was a shock. I shouldn't have been surprised since the above mentioned sandwich crackers are also way too small. The good news is that this new plain cracker pretty much taste like a Ritz cracker! There is a very slight sandy mouth feel which is the only sign they're not a "regular" cracker. Due to the buttery flavor and perfect crunch, I can get past that sandy feature. I would prefer they cost twice and much and be twice the size they are...but I'm probably alone in that wish ;)<br />
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If you like Ritz crackers, but can't have the real thing anymore, the Lance brand is definitely worth trying. I've only seen them at Publix, but they're apparently sold at <a href="https://www.target.com/p/lance-original-gluten-free-crackers-5oz/-/A-52488255?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&CPNG=PLA_Grocery%2BEssentials%2BShopping_Local&adgroup=SC_Grocery&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9052206&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1247077&ds_rl=1246978&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7IDiBRCLARIsABIPohgwLmcl88hOR3avDSRe56aBA2oZGuCehF_GNKOxZ9Zbf8uf2MA-uq4aAu9oEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank">Target</a> as well. <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-57658140223956371222018-09-05T09:00:00.000-04:002018-09-05T09:00:09.988-04:00No omelet for brunch...seriously?!When visiting in-laws recently, we went to brunch in Chattanooga, TN. Since brunch is typically pretty easy to manage gluten-free (I've always been able to order an omelet and grits, hashbrowns or fruit), I wasn't concerned about the place we were going. And, for the record, it came up on the list of gf friendly places on Trip Advisor anyway.<br />
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We arrived to a bustling restaurant and had to wait about an hour to be seated. Since we had time to kill, I asked the hostess about gf options. She was nice enough, but clearly knew nothing about what I could and could not order. She said she'd get back to me and after asking her again later, I was finally told they can't do an omelet (yes - they serve eggs). OK - I'll have to order scrambled eggs and I'll just ask for cheese and bacon in it. At least I won't starve to death.<br />
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The server takes my order and he's pretty knowledgeable. He knows I can't have b'fast potatoes and isn't sure about the grits. I tell him I'll have scrambled, well done eggs with bacon and cheese mixed in. And, if I can't have grits - I'll have fruit. Nope - they don't have fruit. The poor server looked so concerned as he continued to try to help me find something suitable to eat. By now, everyone in our party of six was on the verge of being "hangry"...lol!<br />
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I'm told before the food comes out I can have the grits. Well, that's good news, at least. Then the food is delivered and my plate looks fine (no unwanted toast on it). For reasons not explained, the bacon is on the side - not in the eggs. And the scrambled eggs are very runny...and have to go back for more cooking. I ate the grits (very good) and bacon and eventually my eggs. <br />
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My food was fine, if nothing special. Being spoiled in the ATL is great as long as you're in the ATL! I wasn't expecting to order gluten-free pancakes or a cinnamon bun, like we can easily do here, after all. The rest of the party really enjoyed their food, though my husband thought his sandwich was small for the price. If you're wondering where we went - it was the Flying Squirrel. In their defense, they have pretty decent gf reviws for dinner - not brunch. My bad.<br />
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The good news is that if you want an omelet for brunch or lunch when in Chat, you can have an amazing option at <a href="http://frothymonkey.com/" target="_blank">Frothy Monkey</a> (the same chain as in Nashville). The gf bread and muffins there are nothing to get excited about, but they're decent enough. They do bake those in house so please keep that in mind before ordering. Either way, the omelets are amazing there!<br />
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GF food for thought: don't assume you can order an omelet at brunch...apparently, not everyone can make one ;)<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-75453624761574271162018-08-24T09:00:00.000-04:002018-08-24T10:20:51.529-04:00The best gluten-free bread on the market is not sold in USA <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Anyone who loved bread when they could have gluten might still be looking for that perfect, normal tasting, I-can't-believe-it's-gluten-free-bread...and hoping the next brand they try will be it. Over the years, I'd pretty much given up ever finding the all-elusive perfect gluten-free bread. Carbs are really not my friend these days so I didn't feel I was missing anything. Recently, with the discovery of Jersey Mike's amazing sandwiches and my favorite freshly baked scones from Seven Sisters, I've enjoyed bread items more than in recent years. However, I still find myself letting sliced bread sit in the fridge too long....until it's almost petrified and has to be thrown out. Throwing out food of any kind is terrible and I try very hard not to ever do it. So, I rarely buy bread, but do splurge on bagels every now and then. Those freeze well and can be taken out the night before you need one and for me, that means much less waste than sliced bread.<br />
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For my birthday last year, we went to Scotland for the first time. To say the trip was amazing is an extreme understatement. We went in the warm season - July - making sure to pack like it was winter in the ATL. Yes, we needed gloves, hats, coats, scarves and of course - heavy duty umbrellas! More about the trip later. The point of this post, which is dragging on unnecessarily, is to share the best gluten-free find I've had - EVER!<br />
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Rumors about <a href="http://www.geniusglutenfree.com/" target="_blank">Genius bread </a>surfaced many years ago, but it was the brand of the bread sold in many parts of Europe. What I didn't realize at the time, is when it was introduced in the US, it was not (in any way shape or form) the bread that everyone who'd had it in Europe had raved about. In fact, I could not believe anyone would think the bread was any different than your standard, oddly textured, frozen bread we've all become accustomed to. Eventually, I found out all Genius bread is not created equal - to say the least!<br />
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Fast forward several years when I walked into a <a href="https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/" target="_blank">Sainsbury's</a> in Edinburgh and found Genius bread sitting on the shelf - NOT in the freezer, mind you - in the 'free from' section. Strangely enough, because the bread was as light as a feather AND it was a huge loaf, I immediately assumed that it was regular, gluten containing bread. Seriously - that went though my mind even though the bread was in the 'free from' section. That's where allergen-free products are found in many countries in Europe. They don't mix everything up like so many stores here do.<br />
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OK - so there is a light loaf of bread that is labelled gluten-free. The size of the slices is "normal" making it all the more confusing. It's hard to wrap your brain around something you didn't know could, or did, exist. It was...well, it was a gluten-free miracle of sorts. We picked up some basics like eggs, cereal, fruit, cheese, wine, milk and various 'free from' snacks like mini tarts (yum!) and made our way back to our fantastic Home Away apartment. Our plane had arrived just a few hours before so it was time for lunch. Naturally, I decided to have a piece of bread with butter on it along with a grilled chicken salad.<br />
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It was love at fist bite for the REAL Genius bread. Even still - I literally ran into the kitchen to read the label on the bread bag again! At this point, you feel as though you're losing your grip on reality. How many times do I have to read a label to believe the bread, as inconceivably delcious as it is, is in fact, GLUTEN-FREE? Enough already - get over it and enjoy it! And that is what I did for the entire trip, even savoring the last slice at the Edinburgh airport, before heading home. It wasn't until after I got back to reality - the one where no amazing gluten-free bread is on the shelf at my local grocery store - that I began to question why that was. More on that another day.<br />
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For now, please know that if you are anywhere outside the U.S. that sells Genius bread - BUY IT!!! You won't like it - you'll love it and then you'll be dissappointed that you can't find it anywhere in this country. The only upside is that if this bread was at the store around the corner, I would have a very hard time sticking to my self-imposed low carb diet...lol!<br />
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At the time of this post, the original Genius gluten-free products are NOT sold in the U.S. Maybe if we all request they sell the REAL Genius bread in the U.S. - by <a href="https://geniusglutenfree.com/en_gb/contact" target="_blank">contacting the compan</a>y, we'll get it here eventually ;)<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-16492109717788144792018-08-09T09:00:00.000-04:002019-08-09T11:11:44.601-04:00What happened to Burger 21?Over a year ago, we started picking up take-out from Burger 21. They have gluten-free buns as well as gluten-free fries (regular and sweet potato) made in a dedicated fryer. And if you dine in, they have a nice gluten-free cider. Since the bright indoor lighting is rather jarring if you're sensitive to light, we went from dining in to picking up take-out fairly quickly.<br />
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However, over the last six months or so, our orders often haven't been made right. Thankfully, my meal was still gluten-free, but the bacon we paid for was not on the burger. This happened three consecutive times. Finally, we complained (via phone) and the next time my husband went in, they gave him a free burger on our take-out order. Unfortunately, even though my burger had the bacon ordered on it, it also had lots of condiments and other stuff I do not eat on burgers. It was completely gross so we had to go back and exchange it for another burger. We got more coupons for that mistake, but by then I was thinking I don't really care about saving on an order if the restaurant can't seem to prepare it correctly...over and over again.<br />
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Finally, another take-out order and again, it was prepared incorrectly. But this time my husband knew to check the order BEFORE he left and sure enough, there was stuff on my burger which was not supposed to be on it...and the order taker definitely confirmed the other back correctly before sending details to the kitchen. So, now we assume someone in the kitchen can't read the tickets....or they're snap chatting with someone or taking selfies...whatever kids do these days...lol! Whatever the issue, they're absolutely not concentrating on getting orders prepared correctly.<br />
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Now my husband won't go back and since he's the official take-out guy at our house, I'm kind of out of luck. By the way, Burger 21 burgers are fine and the fries are very tasty. But the gluten-free buns and burgers at <a href="http://cheeseburgerbobbys.com/" target="_blank">Cheeseburger Bobby's </a>are better. I can't have fries there due to no dedicated fryer..hence our past tendency to get burgers from Burger 21, unless I'm not in the mood for fries. <br />
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<b>#burger21fail</b><br />
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<b>AUGUST 2019: Just wanted to update how this location of Burger 21 is doing. They have now been preparing our orders correctly about 75% of the time. My husband's order has been wrong for the most part, but he can eat anything so he just deals with it. We've almost stopped going there completely, as I'll make baked fries at home to go with Cheeseburger Bobby's burgers - they have the better burger and gf bun anyway! </b><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-4220665542624542102018-08-03T09:00:00.000-04:002018-08-03T09:00:04.649-04:00Want a gluten-free Twinkie? <br />
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I didn't grow up eating Twinkies (thank goodness), but I know many people love them and for those that get diagnosed with celiac or a wheat allergy, it's bye-bye to this nostalgic ooey gooey treat. Since I've had so few twinkies, I could not tell a real one from an imposter even if I could eat one.<br />
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Even though I don't care anything about having a Twinkie type treat, I coudn't resist the version offered by <a href="http://www.katzglutenfree.com/" target="_blank">Katz Gluten-Free</a>. There was a vanilla creme filled cake and a chocolate creme filled cake from this line in the freezer at Sprouts. They were on sale so I could not pass the oportunity to try at least one version up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkhhEIo4rLDtX78ubNTPHjKlz6ahExXypRmkHM5C2E6DOT8tzsUQHTzLFFwYcBwlRaU46bLGtqHKinkddPrkw91OD4GWK5zfKDeWrMzXtu2QqAhZWpgUaqWAFktYloVGZT-77Ji3j6j3d/s1600/katz-gluten-free-vanilla-creme-cakes-2891464376368_grande.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkhhEIo4rLDtX78ubNTPHjKlz6ahExXypRmkHM5C2E6DOT8tzsUQHTzLFFwYcBwlRaU46bLGtqHKinkddPrkw91OD4GWK5zfKDeWrMzXtu2QqAhZWpgUaqWAFktYloVGZT-77Ji3j6j3d/s320/katz-gluten-free-vanilla-creme-cakes-2891464376368_grande.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
The first thing I noticed was how small the little cakes were...I think they're smaller than Twinkies, but I could be wrong about that. Then you have to let it defrost on the counter before eating it. So right off the bat, this is a miss for me. I don't want to have to think two hours ahead of time "I think I'll have a gf Twinkie like treat today".<br />
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Eventually, the cake was ready to try. I'm a huge fan of Katz so it was a bit surprising that this cake didn't taste very good to me. The cake and the creme filling (of which there was very little of) were a total miss for me. Even my husband who enjoys pretty much anything baked, including things I think are super horrid, didn't care for it. <br />
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We'll stick to the amazing <a href="https://gladtobeglutenfree.blogspot.com/2018/06/lets-talk-about-gluten-free-fritters.html" target="_blank">apple fritters</a> and small apple pie (not the mini pies) from Katz from now on ;)<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-14389281945130661172018-07-31T09:00:00.000-04:002018-07-31T09:00:00.837-04:00Beware of gluten-free menus - even more than before!The amount of restaurants that now have gluten-free menus is staggering and many offer incredible options that are safely prepared (as much as is possible in a mixed kitchen). But the number of menus that list fried items that are not made in a dedicated gluten-free fryer seems to be on the rise. Forget chips and fries - I'm talking about even gluten-free breaded items in some cases.<br />
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The good news is that many places will denote on the menu that the items are cooked/fried in a regular gluten fryer. The bad news is that most of us can't take the risk of getting sick, and therefore must avoid those items. In some instances, avoiding those items will leave you with few safe choices on the menu. And at least in my case, that's not a place I'd bother patronizing.<br />
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So when you're doing your homework, looking for gluten-free options at your neighborhood or on your dream vacation, pay great attention to the little things regarding food prep, etc. It's not only about the ingredients. It's not even about those and the preparation methods. It's about the plating after everything has been done to prepare the meal correctly. One line cook tossing a piece of bread ruins the whole darn thing.<br />
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Years ago, I watched someone throw a roll on my plate at Ted's Montana Grill. Someone yelled "no bread gluten-free" quite loudly. The roll was quickly removed and they brought out the plate as though nothing happened. They had no idea I'd seen the whole thing from our table. I explained that I could not eat anything on the plate now and I'd take just a baked potato. We didn't have the time to wait on another steak...and I really had no trust in the place at that moment. I think Ted's has improved greatly since then, but it's not a favorite because of the incident years ago.<br />
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What many companies don't understand is that it's hard to forget simple mistakes, because those mistakes can take us down for the count. If you get the feeling a place doesn't take gluten-free orders, or food allergies, seriously, it's hard to shake that feeling no matter how much you'd like to.<br />
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Restaurants that don't understand how to feed us safely would be better served to do away with their gluten-free menus altogether. And the places that do get it, and care about our business, are the places we all need to support as often as possible!. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-67397071290084355102018-07-23T13:14:00.000-04:002019-01-17T13:15:44.595-05:00Best fresh gluten-free bagels ever!OK - I'll admit that I've had VERY few fresh gluten-free bagels, period. Even so, I'm reviewing what I think is the best gluten-free bagel, of any type, I've ever had. It was the kind of amazing experience that makes you say "I can't believe it's gluten-free!" and "I think I might cry" when you taste a chewy, real-tasting bagel the first time.<br />
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I was recently in the Washington, DC area for work so I got to sample some amazing gluten-free things specific to that area. While pretty much everything I tried was astonishingly delicious, the Everything Bagel from <a href="http://www.riseglutenfree.com/" target="_blank">Rise Bakery</a> was good enough to be fearful that it was not gluten-free at first bite! Of course, everything at RISE is in fact, gluten-free. Therefore, there was nothing to worry about.<br />
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Rise offers many wonderful things (like eclairs and croissants!), most of which I was not able to sample this time around. This gluten-free gem will be my first stop on my next visit to DC...but I'll likely be ordering some of their amazing bagels well before then! <br />
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<i>Rise Bakery gladly <a href="http://www.riseglutenfree.com/shipping" target="_blank">ships </a>to all 50 states in the USA!</i><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-46726856551745458372018-07-23T09:00:00.000-04:002018-07-23T09:00:01.848-04:00Gluten-free and the living is easy....not so fastEveryone who has to follow a gluten-free diet has someone (or multiple people) in their life that is under the impression that doing so these days is super simple...or at least, it's not that hard. Why would anyone think such a thing? To understand, all you need to do is take a look around your basic grocery store and it will become clear. Companies have slapped gluten-free on pretty much everything they can think of - canned pineapple, salt, cornstarch - you get the drift.<br />
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Let's go back a decade (yikes! no one knew what gluten-free meant back then in the USA) and think about how much has changed. From dressings to marinades to spice packets - it seemed everything contained gluten in the form of wheat. Nowadays, many such items are not only gluten-free, many are labeled as such. You can't get too far down the shopping isle without seeing a gluten-free product - or ten. Even mayo has fallen into the ridiculous items that are marked gluten-free, when the exact product I'm referring to in fact, never ever contained gluten. I even had a friend remark years ago that since X brand of mayo was now gluten-free, she was going to switch brands. Yes - that really happened...lol!<br />
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While there are many more gluten-free replacement items available, that doesn't mean we have many delicious choices for any of them. Have any decent, soft, flavorful, fresh (not frozen) gluten-free bread lately? Not if you didn't get it from your local gluten-free bakery. Think that bread you found on the shelf was not previously frozen? More often than not, if you're in the USA, you'd be wrong about that. The same goes for the cupcakes, brownies or anything else you might find in a "traditional" bakery area of a store. Just ask the staff and they'll tell you those items come in frozen. There are a few things you might find that are fresh like fudge made in-store. But most people are too sensitive to eat fudge made in a bakery with gluten flour flying around. Even the items in the refrigerated bakery section were sent in frozen. <br />
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People are always telling me about some place that has gluten-free pizza. They're usually excited to share this news, but not once has the place shared had decent gluten-free pizza. Who wants to eat pizza that tastes like cardboard? Same goes for pasta. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate friends (or acquaintances) that are thoughtful enough to tell me about a gluten-free menu they found out about, etc. It's great that people are kind enough to do it. And of course, they have no idea that said place possibly has terrible food and/or service regarding gluten-free options.<br />
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We decided to grill hot dogs recently and I had to go to THREE stores to find gluten-free hot dog buns. And, I had to buy a brand that was not my first choice at that. Starbucks just dropped their gluten-free breakfast sandwich and we were all in tizzy over it. It wasn't any good to start with so this was understandable. We were likely upset because we always feel like we're being dissed for having to be gluten-free because...well...we are. <br />
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It's just not true that being gluten-free is as easy as pie...at least, not in this country. And if anyone you know thinks that's the case, you might do well to inform them that they are quite mistaken. Many companies churn out gluten-free replacement products that are not good (some are literally inedible) on a regular basis, and think we should be happy to have them. Additionally, we live in a country where food allergies and intolerances are made fun of on a daily basis and it's simply disgusting. Let's all do our part to set the record straight. <br />
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We can all appreciate how far we've come in the last decade, of course, but we're far behind many other countries on this issue. And as far as I can tell, history tells us that will continue possibly forever. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-15303179357043151152018-07-16T09:00:00.000-04:002018-07-20T20:41:42.849-04:00CPK's gluten-free pizza - third time's a charm! Once upon a time, <a href="http://www.cpk.com/" target="_blank">California Pizza Kitchen</a> (aka CPK) introduced a gluten-free crust. And, it was the worst I've ever had in a restaurant. Eventually, it became evident that the crust was a HUGE miss for the company and they made the smart decision to 86 it....offering an excuse about retraining the staff, etc. But my guess is that the gluten-free consumer's disgust over the taste of the rock hard crust was the real reason behind the dismissal of it. The fact that no one went to the ER due to cutting themselves while trying to cut this horrid crust is honestly shocking.<br />
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Moving on...at some point, CPK introduced a "new and improved" gluten-free crust. It might have been new, but it wasn't exactly improved...it was just different. The second crust was almost the complete opposite of the first offering. Still with NO flavor whatsover, this crust was like soggy bread and nothing like a pizza crust. As far as I know, that crust is still available and for those who enjoy it, that's great. I would not eat it if it was free since to me, it's nothing like pizza should be.<br />
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Finally, due to a lunch outing with a non gf friend, I had to find out what I could order at CPK. I was not planning on ordering a pizza, of course, but the salads at the place are usually quite delicious. To my great surprise, I came across this <b><a href="https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2045314408819601&id=137003946317333&refsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch&_rdr" target="_blank">review</a></b> of the new gf cauliflower crust at CPK. It peaked my interest enough to check out the pizza before the lunch outing with my friend. That way, if I didn't care for the new crust, my husband would eat it. He'll eat pretty much anything and is not a super taster (food snob) like me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUeWZh73J8waGo6tGmZ1xZ3fLJpoetu4e7o4VLs3WI_HWW73qunnNwkTRtag9oJe2RmeTRY92ujs5JvGZuSe8ys-ORR02kx-_-wUn3xRVj0MESKrLYzUemvOBpidKOTN8uMjbUkvVzFVO/s1600/20180626_121346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUeWZh73J8waGo6tGmZ1xZ3fLJpoetu4e7o4VLs3WI_HWW73qunnNwkTRtag9oJe2RmeTRY92ujs5JvGZuSe8ys-ORR02kx-_-wUn3xRVj0MESKrLYzUemvOBpidKOTN8uMjbUkvVzFVO/s640/20180626_121346.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We ordered the BBQ chicken pizza on the cauliflower crust (you must specify if you want that crust since there are two gf options now) to-go and it was ready when we got to the restaurant. It's a smallish pizza, like all gluten-free options in the ATL, but with a salad, it's plenty for two people. The crust was thin and looked different than the gluten crusts at CPK, and different than the last gluten-free crust I'd had there. <br />
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Well, shut the front door - the pizza was delicious! The crust was like a regular thin crust pizza. Seriously, I think you could serve it to your pickiest "gluten-free food is yucky" friend and they'd never know the difference! My husband started wondering if the pizza we'd picked up and were eating was in fact, gluten-free - it was that good!<br />
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Please don't misunderstand - CPK's cauliflower crust pizza is in no way shape or form, the best gluten-free pizza I've had. It's not as good as Blue Moon Pizza's gluten-free crust before they changed it (or the way they bake it). And it can't hold a candle to the wood fired option at Don Antonio (Atlanta location closed, sadly). But the new gluten-free pizza at CPK is not only edible - something neither of the first two options offered there were - it's actually worth eating!<br />
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The only complaint I have about the pizzas are the limited offerings on the gluten-free crust. There are only four options, presumably due to cross contamination and/or ingredients used in the many other pizzas available to customers who can enjoy the regular crust. That's annoying, but I must admit, CPK's third gluten-free crust is definitely a charm!<br />
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<i>Photo above is the pepperoni gluten-free cauliflower crust pizza my non gf friend ordered. She really liked it, and thought it might have been the regular gluten crust, by mistake...told you it was wondeful...lol! </i><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1580729148844256989.post-3007559733564755412018-07-09T09:00:00.000-04:002018-07-22T19:33:33.788-04:00Top 10 favorite gluten-free things 2018As gluten-free products in the U.S. change and improve, the list of my favorite finds does the same. Many of my past favorite things are no more - Glutenfreeda cookies and Amy's Potato Leek soup, for examples - but at least new and amazing items continue to roll down the gluten-free pipeline. Please note this list is comprised only of items I can buy locally, though many fantastic products are sold online that are not available in the ATL. The * denotes where I've found listed items. Most are available are more than one place so be sure to find which store near you carries them, on the individual manufacturers' websites. If something says one particular flavor "only", it just means that is the only flavor (or flavors) I personally care for. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpv-pIajhyKQqg88BZSb_F5WThyphenhyphenyy-HUvScVPs3o5UuchhOTqvejolwtQYkLhLe1otied5DWhNlQM6wdEHeL6MOPkdWD5TdUGowe_-rgpIz04nr9UPdcHm0Yc-kdn-gmtaU90phPbKU3h/s1600/Tj%2527s+pasta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="500" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpv-pIajhyKQqg88BZSb_F5WThyphenhyphenyy-HUvScVPs3o5UuchhOTqvejolwtQYkLhLe1otied5DWhNlQM6wdEHeL6MOPkdWD5TdUGowe_-rgpIz04nr9UPdcHm0Yc-kdn-gmtaU90phPbKU3h/s640/Tj%2527s+pasta.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Image courtesy of Trader Joe's </i></td></tr>
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Best Bagel - <b><a href="https://canyonglutenfree.com/buy-gluten-free-bread-products/" target="_blank">Canyon Bakehouse Everything</a></b> *Sprouts</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Best ready-made cupcakes - <b><a href="https://luckyspoon.com/" target="_blank">Lucky Spoon - lemon and zucchini only</a></b> *Sprouts</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Best whole grain bread - <b><a href="https://www.schaer.com/" target="_blank">Schar Artisan Baker 10 Grains and Seeds</a></b> *Earthfare</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Best egg fettuccini - <b><a href="http://www.traderjoes.com/" target="_blank">Trader Joe's</a></b> *TJ's (possibly made by RP's)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Best fresh pasta - various types - <b><a href="http://www.rpspasta.com/" target="_blank">RP's Pasta (now Taste Republic)</a></b> *Whole Foods</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Best fritters - <b><a href="http://www.katzglutenfree.com/" target="_blank">Katz Gluten Free - apple only</a></b> *Sprouts</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Best cookie - <b><a href="https://www.tatesbakeshop.com/cookies.html" target="_blank">Tate's Bakeshop Ginger Zinger (gf)</a></b> *Bed, Bath & Beyond</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Best cookie mix - <b><a href="http://www.freshmarket.com/" target="_blank">Fresh Market Chocolate Chip</a></b> *Fresh Market</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Best frozen meal - <a href="https://www.amys.com/our-foods?gluten-free=1" target="_blank"><b>Amy's Cheese Enchiladas</b> </a> *Kroger </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Best frozen pizza -<a href="http://www.kroger.com/" target="_blank"> <b>Kroger Four Cheese</b></a> *Kroger</span></li>
</ol>
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To find the above items (if you haven't yet, but would like to), there are a few things to keep in mind. The Lucky Spoon cupcakes are shipped frozen, but put out in the "fresh" bakery section on a special dietary needs display in Sprouts. Tate's cookies have their own display at BB&B, but you must pay attention not to grab the green (gluten) bag. The gluten-free cookies come in a white bag. Also, the chocolate chip version of these cookies are absolutely horrible to me...odd to say the least. Sprouts stocks all Canyon Bakehouse goods in the refrigerated cooler in the bakery - not in the freezer. </div>
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Lastly, the Trader Joe's Egg Fettuccine is stocked in the strangest place imaginable. It's above the produce...yes, I said produce. And due to the way it's laid flat, you can't even see the label. At least, it's that way at our TJ's. It's unbelievable how my friend, Jamie, ever found it and was able to tell me about it. But, I'm really grateful that she did! This pasta is also offers the most value since it's $3.99/pk for FRESH gluten-free pasta. </div>
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