{Friday Photos — a girl. her mamasita. both love food. today will travel.}

Today is a good day, isn’t it?

The countdown is on … I leave for Denver on Tuesday! And you guys know how much I heart D-town. This is a super-special trip because my BFF just had a sweet little baby girl — and already has a little “bee” that I just adore, and we just so happen to be celebrating her 2nd birthday while I’m there. T-minus four days!

But before I jet out to the Rockies, the countdown (in hours) is going for a long weekend up north.

I can already hear Jungle Jim’s calling my name — you really should stop in and visit next time you’re in the northwoods.

But before I go, let me recap the week.

You know that smiling face — it’s my Mamasita!

That little trickster showed up at our Team Gluten-Free 5k on Saturday to SURPRISE me. And surprise me she did. (she had been scheming with the husband and my bestie Liesel for quite some time) They were like ninjas and showed up right before the race started — out of no where.

The icing on the cake? My mama got to stay until Tuesday.

She loves food as much as this girl, so we filled up on all kinds of GF goodness while she was here.

A couple smoothie breakfasts, lunch in Cedarburg at Vintage Cafe, and a night of grilling on the balcony — my guy can make a mean steak.

While we were out and about last week, we spotted the new Fresh Market in Fox Point. They stock some GF treats I have never even seen before. And they carry Jovial GF pasta. Get in there and check it out!

Before I sent my mama on her way, I introduced her to one of my all time favorite restaurants, Bunky’s Cafe in Madison. 

We shared the hummus plate, meat lasagna, and chocolate-caramel cheesecake. Go there. As soon as you possibly can.

Oh, and after the 5k last week, we fueled up on some Luna Protein Bars — the folks at Luna were kind enough to send some of every flavor for the group to try. I’ve gotten nothing but rave reviews this week, from those who tried them. (although I wish the ingredient list was just a tad shorter, I love that they pack in the protein — 12g — for each bar, and they keep me full longer)

Like days like today, when I’m camped out at Alterra on the lake for a meeting, catching up on emails, and popping in here before I unplug for the weekend.

(Chocolate Cherry Almond is my new fave) 

But before I go, here are some recipes you could be making this weekend for your Memorial Day picnic.

• Easy-Peasy Taco Dip
• Russian Mudslides
• Any one of these salads
• These lemon bars would be lovely
• How about this FOUR ingredient artichoke dip? 
• My one ingredient peach sorbet would be perfect for Sunday, it’s supposed to be HOT!
• The kiddos will love these s’more bites!

What are you up to on this long, holiday weekend? Any road trips planned? Or chilling at home?

Friday Photos: playing catch up

Welcome to Friday Photos, a weekly feature here on Celiac in the City — you can read how it all started by clicking HERE.

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So I may have missed a week (or two) of Friday Photos. But instead of freaking out about it, I’m catching up with a little of everything from the past two weeks.

Hold on tight, it’s been a wild ride.

Recipe testing for Hallie over at Daily Bites…

PB&J Cookies

Chocolate Covered Mint Patties (husband’s favorite)

Mixed things up a little — added some coconut.

Both recipes were outstanding. As in, we’re already making them again. And I not only tested them out at home, but I took some to my co-workers — well trained GF baked goods testers — to get their opinions too. Every single person that tried the Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies said, “they taste JUST like PB&J.”

And that’s a good thing, because that’s exactly what’s in them. There were some new-to-me ingredients like coconut sugar, coconut oil, (had never experimented with it, can you believe it?) and buckwheat flour. All things that I had not used before.

The little mint patties were Mark’s top pick. He used the word addicting. More than once.

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But we’re not just snacking on special treats, my friends. We’re also whipping up things like this spring risotto with asparagus, lemon and tomatoes. I’m still talking about it. (and wishing we had some left)

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A couple of other things I am still talking about…

Meet Cooper and Graham — my new nephews. Perfect little peanuts huh? They were the reason we got to be home for Mother’s Day this year.

But don’t forget about their big brothers…

Chef Carter, who you have all met before — now a gluten-free chef, helped run the kitchen for an afternoon of homemade pizza making.

His big brother Tayden was a pro!

“The Works” pizza using Bob’s Red Mill pizza mix.

I would eat pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Anyone else with me?

These chopsticks were the best buy of the weekend — I grabbed them from Beans and Barley, on a whim, shortly before going home to see them. Thought they would be fun.

Let’s just say that every meal of the weekend involved these fun little gadgets.

Shark or whale, either way. Big fun with food!

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We needed a crowd pleasing appetizer for Saturday afternoon — took a vote and it was taco dip for the win.

Easy-Peasy Taco Dip

1 package cream cheese 

1 16oz container of sour cream 

1 packet taco seasoning 

Toppings of your choice, we used: lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, black olives, green pepper

The boys would use the KitchenAid to mix ANYTHING, and the higher the speed the better, in their eyes. We like to mix the cream cheese, sour cream, and taco seasoning together so it’s nice and creamy. (no lumps)

Spread the mixture into a serving plate and top with your desired goodies — and you can leave a little space for the picky eaters.

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Instead of cake, to celebrate Mother’s Day and their mama’s birthday, we decided to splurge and make homemade ice cream.

Then things got crazy and we decided it should be an ice cream sundae buffet.

I wish you all could have seen Carter’s face when I brought out the tray of toppings.

CT: “Wait… all of this is gluten-fwee?”

Auntie Sawah: “Yep, ALL of it.”

CT: “You have got to be kidding me — that is so cool!”

Big brother doesn’t mind eating gluten-free, not one bit. (it all tastes the same to him)

We put no restrictions on the fun, which kind of turned into a free for all, ending with me questioning if there was even any ice cream in the bowl. But they both assured me there was.

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The kids had their fun with ice cream — and then we had ours, after bedtime.

Mudslide meets White Russian — a Russian Mudslide.

We had made coffee cubes for an iced coffee concoction, but the night before seemed as good a time as any to try them out (and the ice cube trays that we wanted to make ice in for mojitos, was being used for said cubes, so we worked with what we had — coffee cubes and ice cream)

Russian Mudslide 

(there was no measuring whatsoever, just go with the flow here)

• coffee cubes – made with double strength coffee
• leftover homemade ice cream
• vodka
• splash of milk
• chocolate syrup

Blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy.

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IF you have coffee cubes left in the morning, fill your cup with them. Add milk of your choice. A little sweetener perhaps.

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Being as rad as ever, my co-workers never let me go without. One of them went ahead and rocked an egg-bake dish. She just did it with GF bread. (and people had no clue, they loved it!) And another thoughtful friend was sure to include GF crackers for the cheese-cracker spread.

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Whoa. I’m beat. Aren’t you?

Catch up was a little harder than I thought — maybe I’ll just play it safe and be on time next week.

Until then … have a wonderful weekend!

Tomorrow morning is our Team Gluten-Free 5k, followed by pizza at Transfer — probably should have done the pizza and then the workout, yes?

Oh, and thanks to some extremely generous friends and family, I was able to raise over $1400 for the Celiac Disease Foundation. My goal was $1000.

You guys rock.

Good night!

Overnight Oatmeal Delight

We spent Mother’s Day in Minnesota this year — first time we have celebrated on the actual day with my mamasita in years!

And boy was she happy we were there. (it filled my heart with joy)

I helped in the garden, bounced on the trampoline with the nephews until my legs begged me to stop, planted marigolds to honor my grandpa, and tried with all my might to keep us there as late as I could.

Eventually we had to pack up the car and go — it’s over eight hours back to Milwaukee, but she was sure to fill us up before we left.

She had been talking about this overnight oatmeal-in-a-jar thing for a while, and asked me to bring home some gluten-free oats so my sister and I could try it out. Of course she got the idea for it on Pinterest. (you can follow my food obsessions here) And she doesn’t joke around when she pins things, she actually makes them. I know, impressive huh?

There are variations galore that can go into this yogurt-oatmeal dish — anything you can imagine putting in a smoothie or your bowl of oatmeal, you could add into this breakfast.

And if you’re like me, as summer shows her sunshiney smile, I tire of hot oats in the morning. This cool and creamy morning (or anytime) delight will keep you on the oats train all summer long.

Overnight Oatmeal Delight

¼ cup certified gluten-free oats (I use GF Harvest oats)

¼ cup Greek yogurt (plain, honey or any flavor that compliments your tastes)

¼ cup milk of your choice

¼ cup fruit (or just fill the jar to the top like I do)

sprinkle of ground flax seed (optional)

In a small canning jar (6oz works well) add oats, Greek yogurt and milk. Tighten the lid and shake to combine ingredients. Remove lid and add fruit to fill jar, stir to combine and replace lid and stick it in the fridge overnight.

Wake up hungry. Breakfast is served.

Other add in ideas:

• peanut butter, banana and chocolate chips

• applesauce, cinnamon and raisins

• peach puree (leftover from your one ingredient sorbet) and strawberries

• pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice and raisins

• frozen strawberries, bananas and flax

• top with GF granola for a crunch

*Note: You may prefer less liquid in yours, and that’s okay too. I did not add sweetener to mine, but if you use plain Greek yogurt, you may want a little honey or agave. If you use flavored yogurt, you probably won’t need the extra sweetness. After you make it a few times, you can get into the overnight oatmeal groove and modify it to fit your tastes. Play around with it to make it yours — as with any recipe on the site, use it as a guide and then find what works for you!

it’s easy being green — satisfying gluten free salads

Growing up, if we talked about salad it meant some kind of pasta salad or cranberry salad at Thanksgiving. When we had a “salad” of lettuce and toppings with dressing, we called it lettuce.

Interesting, yes?

These satisfying salads are kind of a combo of both — greens mixed with toppings, some served up traditional style, and others deconstructed.

Either way, they will keep you full for longer then just lettuce.

I don’t know about you, but when the weather gets warmer, the last thing I want to do when I get home is heat up the kitchen. I prefer to throw something on the grill, or go with a no-cooking-required meal like a hearty salad or a smoothie.

Most of these salads were thrown together with what was in the fridge at the time, so don’t go getting worried about the ingredients or following a strict recipe. Instead, I’ll give you the rundown on what’s in the mix for each one, and you can substitute to fit your dietary needs (or your kids’ preferences) or toss in additions that you are craving. Then come back and tell me what you tried!

Mediterranean Spring Greens Salad

• tuna
•  tomatoes
• kalamata olives
• feta cheese 
• Green Goddess Dressing

Black Bean Quinoa Salad

• quinoa
• tomatoes
• black beans
• scallions
• cilantro
• dressed with a drizzle of olive oil and freshly squeezed lime juice 

Taco Salad

• mixed greens
• taco meat – beef, chicken, or pork
• refried beans 
• tomatoes
• salsa
• Cotija cheese 
• sour cream

Fennel & Orange Sesame Salad

• romaine lettuce
• shaved fennel
• orange segments
• kalamata olives 
• feta cheese
• sesame seeds 
• dressed with: remaining juice from orange, splash of champagne vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper

Roasted Beet & Walnut Salad with Goat Cheese

• mixed greens & spinach (lightly dressed with balsamic vinaigrette)
• roasted or pickled beets
• chopped walnuts
• goat cheese 

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps 

• buffalo chicken pieces (Frank’s Hot Sauce with a bit of butter)
• shaved carrots
• diced celery 
• iceberg lettuce 
• ranch dressing

Caprese Bites

• fresh basil leaves
• cherry tomatoes
• fresh mozzarella (mini mozz balls work well)
• aged balsamic vinegar (not pictured, drizzled on top)
• salt & pepper to taste 

Need another salad dressing idea? How about creamy avocado dressing? In that same post, you’ll find the croutons.

Any of these sound like they could end up in YOUR kitchen this week? What other salad combos are you putting together? 

 

Gluten free in Milwaukee: The Rumpus Room

I’m having a hard time keeping up with all of the gluten-free options in Milwaukee. Can hardly believe I’m saying that, but it’s true.

My “Dining Out” list gets new additions on a regular basis (I wait to list them here until I’ve tried them out myself.) and there are emails, texts and Facebook updates of more gluten-free options popping up in Milwaukee all the time.

Plenty of Milwaukee food friends had been talking up The Rumpus Room, so it was time to get in there and see what all the chatter was about.

The Rumpus Room opened in 2011, a European-inspired gastropub, part of the Bartolotta group. (I’ve always had good gluten-free luck with their restaurants.) The decor alone is reason enough for a visit — each piece fits perfectly and was the talk of our table.

The bar area welcomes you when you arrive, with a trendy atmosphere and choice of a high top table or the bar — our bartender, Micah was outstanding. Their list of beers and cocktails was impressive, and while I stayed with a tried-and-true hard cider, my husband and our friends took advantage of the unique cocktails they had to offer.

Trendy, yet welcoming bar (with a ladder, how cool is that?)

New-to-me cider: Ace Hard Cider, the Joker

Any time there is a new cider, I feel obligated to check it out.(Yes, even if it’s not Crispin.) This one was refreshing and not too sweet, I would order it again.

We started things off with an appetizer that was easily adapted to gluten-free — no major changes, they just put the crackers and breads on a separate plate. Our sever was on the ball and assumed there would be no problem with this appetizer, but made a trip to the kitchen to double check. And he used none of that “I’m sure it’s fine” or “You should be okay with that” business.

Ploughmans Board 

The menu was a meat-lovers paradise, but there are plenty of salad options too. Again, no problem finding an option for me. (and nothing to modify – just real food, prepared fresh, with no fillers or additives needed)

Braised Pork Shoulder with Brussels Sprouts, Sweet Potato Puree, topped with apple shavings

This was the best meal I have had at a restaurant in a long time — it was one of those moments where you take the first bite and then you let out this deep sigh of “oh, my… this is good.” Followed by “Mmm…this.is.amazing.”

The meat just fell apart, it was that tender — big fan of braised anything, especially pork.

My gluten-eating tablemates were just as happy with their selections of Pork Schnitzel, and Strauss Veal Meatloaf. To be honest, I think anything you order from The Rumpus Room would be a win. You can see their whole menu here.

I didn’t save room for dessert, but luckily my buddy Matt did — so I scored a couple bites of his sorbet. (My only regret was that I didn’t get to indulge in the PB & Grape: Peanut Butter Ganache, Chocolate Cookie Crust, Concord Grape Gastrique, but I sure can try to make it at home!)

Strawberry Sorbet

 

Have you ventured out to The Rumpus Room yet? Or do you have other places I just have to check out for my “Dining Out” list?

Pumpkin Spice Cookies with RumChata Cream Cheese Frosting

It doesn’t have to be October for you to enjoy pumpkin spice cookies — but doesn’t it kind of feel like fall in Milwaukee this week? 

I’m doing some recipe testing for a fellow blogger, and was left with some pumpkin puree to use up. These pumpkin spice cookies will leave nothing to waste. And as for the RumChata frosting? You don’t want to waste any of that bottle either, so feel free to add a little RumChata to your cup of hot chocolate, waffle batter, or mix up your next White Russian by adding some RumChata with the cream.

Trust me — a RumChata White Russian. Yes.

So, go forth and use up. Nothing to be wasted here.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies with RumChata Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes approx. 36 cookies

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Unless you bake using a Silpat, (or other baking mat) you will need to grease your baking sheets or use parchment paper

12 oz gluten-free flour blend: 4oz each of sorghum flour, sweet rice flour & tapioca starch

*you can use a mixture of any gluten-free flours/starches: white/brown rice flour, millet flour, potato starch, cornstarch, etc.

*for my non-GF friends, you can substitute 2.5 cups of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon guar gum

1teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼  teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼  teaspoon ground ginger

*you can play with the spices, use nutmeg, allspice, etc. instead of the pumpkin pie spice, or use a mixture of both, as I did here)

½  cup sugar

½  cup brown sugar

1 egg (see egg substitutes here)

½  cup butter softened

1 ½  cup pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine flour mix and xanthan gum with baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Set aside. Cream sugars and butter. Add in pumpkin, egg,  and vanilla. Beat until nice and smooth. Slowly add in flour mix, until well blended. Drop by tablespoons onto baking sheets.

 Bake 15-18 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are firm enough to hold their shape. (I used a 1 ½ tablespoon scoop for mine, so they took around 18 minutes) You might like yours baked a tad longer. Go for it. Let them rest a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to cooling racks. When cooled completely, frost.

RumChata Cream Cheese Frosting

The thing about frosting is that you can make it any way you’d like. So take these measurements as a guide. Throw it all in a bowl and beat ingredients to your desired texture. (note: the RumChata is not required for this frosting to be amazing on its own, just leave it out and carry on with the frosting party.)

2 cups powdered sugar

1 package cream cheese
1/4 cup butter

2 tablespoons real maple syrup

1 oz (or a few, if you’d like) RumChata

1 teaspoon cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice, or skip it if you’d like)

Maybe frosting isn’t your thing (it shocks me when people say this). That’s okay too, you can serve them up with just a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Do you have other ideas for using up pumpkin puree? Or what about RumChata — are you a fan of the “tastes like Cinnamon Toast Crunch milk” craze? I’m very open to new uses for that as well.  

Friday Photos: my week in review.

Welcome to Friday Photos, a weekly feature here on Celiac in the City — you can read how it all started by clicking HERE.

First things first, they are still serving Lakefront New Grist at Miller Park.

That deserves a head tilting laugh, yes?

Gluten-Free beer at Miller Park rules. (even if they serve it in the flimsy cups)

You know what else rules?

Co-workers who go out of their way, every single time there is an event at work, to help a gluten-free girl out. My buddy Jean at UWM is one who never lets me feel like I’m missing out on the fun. And she’s super cool about it too… like no big deal, that whole gluten-free thing? Got it covered.

And not just got it covered like she brought me some fruit, but got it really covered by bringing me my own little Tia’s Strawberry Shortcake. She also donates to our Team Gluten-Free 5k every year — she rocks.

Made with almond flour and coconut too and sweetened with agave, it reminded me of the goodies from Elana’s Pantry. (big fan of both of her books)

And this little nugget of goodness was in my bag from the happy hour party at Nourished, the gluten-free food blogger conference I attended not long ago.

Very few ingredients, which is key as I struggle to keep M&M’s from being a part of my regular diet, and instead grab for something more real food-like. May have to order some from Amazon or get a local store to carry these Simple Squares.

A little friendly fitness-mind-body-wellness challenge is underway with my girl Kristi and a couple of her friends. And I may or may not have told my other sister Laura that I’d stay away from caffeine and cut out the sugar with her for the next 40 days. (40 days is her timing on some habits in her 2012 list) So to keep me on track, I busted out one of my all time favorite treats today.

It just so happens to be in the real food category, with no added sugar. And in case you missed it last time I talked about my one ingredient peach sorbet, here it is again.

It’s as easy as…

1.

2.

3.

What other real food, no-sugar added snacks to you guys like? Help me stay on track here! 

springtime lemon bars

Despite the too-low-for-my-liking temps in Milwaukee the past couple of weeks, there are still signs of spring.

Aren’t those yellow tulips lovely? (one of my favorites) 

I’m a sucker for anything yellow — it’s been my favorite color for as long as I can remember. Have you seen the Pinterest board from our wedding? It’s everywhere these days, yellow is back.

Hello, yellow. 

Maybe that’s why I gravitate towards anything made with lemon. Cakes or cookies, grilled asparagus or beverages. Love me some lemon.

This was my first attempt at lemon bars.

Ever.

I had never made them, even before going gluten-free. Which seems so silly considering how much I like them — Molly’s Gluten-Free Bakery makes some killer lemon squares (they made them for our wedding) that you should get your hands on if at all possible.

But I may have given them a run for their money with these.

 

Gluten-Free Lemon Bars 

Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

What you’ll need…

For the crust

• 1 ¾ cups gluten-free flours – I used C4C, but you can use any pre-made mix, or play around with flours and starches, a little of several different kinds works best
• ⅔ cup powdered sugar, plus a little extra to shake on top

• ¼ cup cornstarch

• ¾ teaspoon table salt

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter(1 ½ sticks), cool room temperature, cut into pieces, plus a bit extra to grease the pan

For the filling…

• 4 eggs, beaten

• 1 ⅓ cups sugar

• 3 tablespoons gluten-free flour

• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
•  ⅔ cup lemon juice, strained (I used 2-3 larger lemons)
• ⅓ cup whole milk

• ⅛ teaspoon table salt

For the crust… Pre-heat oven to 350. (make sure you adjust the rack to the middle) Lightly butter a 9 x 13 pan. Then lay two pieces of parchment paper in the pan — crossed over one another — lay one down lengthwise, then the other widthwise on top. (is that a word?)

In your food processor, pulse the flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add in your butter and blend for a few seconds, then continue to pulse it until mixture is light yellow and looks kind of like corn meal. Sprinkle the meal mixture into the parchment lined pan. Then, using your fingers, press the “dough” out into the pan in a ¼ inch layer, but push it up to about ½ inch on the sides — this is making a nice little crust, and you’ll want the sides a little higher up so when you pour the filling in, it stays put. Put it in the fridge for about a half hour, then bake until golden brown, 20 minutes-ish.

For the filling… While you’re waiting, whisk eggs, sugar, and flour in a bowl, and then stir in your lemon zest, lemon juice, milk, and salt.

And then… Reduce heat in the oven to 325 degrees. Give your filling another stir to combine it all again, and pour it right onto the warm crust. (this is key, you want to pour it on there shortly after taking it out of the oven). Bake it until the filling feels pretty firm when touched, you don’t want it still liquid-like, about 20 minutes or so. When you take it out of the oven, put the pan on a wire rack and cool it down for at least a half hour.When it has cooled, you can pull it out of the pan by grasping the pieces of parchment paper to lift it right out and unto a cutting board where you can cut it into pieces and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Any other lemon bar first timers out there? Or have you been making something like this for years?

 

 

{wish it were} Friday Photos

Welcome to Friday Photos, a weekly feature here on Celiac in the City — you can read how it all started by clicking HERE.

Anyone else tried beets for breakfast? People usually either love beets or hate ‘em. I’m in the “I heart beets” camp. Before you join the other group, try doing a beet and potato hash or adding them to a spring greens salad with goat cheese, walnuts and a balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Trust me.

I found this new-to-me tea from Trader Joe’s this week — unsweetened with just a hint of mint. Right up my alley.

My “other sister Laura” was in town this weekend and we were on the go from the moment her plane touched down on Thursday night — and crazy long days require a good start to them. We finished off the last bit of granola from Ginger Lemon Girl’s recipe and introduced Laura to Jessica’s Natural Foods Gluten-Free Granola. (she is a fan!)

They’re sending some granola for our next GF Get Together THIS Thursday at VIA Downer — care to join us?

We ended up in the 3rd Ward on Saturday evening, wandering around, checking out the shops that closed sooner than we had planned… so we were spontaneous.

And popped into Hinterland for a beverage — two brandy Old Fashioneds please.

Happy Earth Day!

Did you stop and smell the flowers today?

We sure did.

Hope your weekend was filled with whole-hearted living too. Did you get out and take in some sunshine, hug a tree maybe? Or did you relax and spend time with the fam? 

Make it easy Monday: Grilled Asparagus with Lemon

After I posted this picture on Facebook last night…

I thought a disclaimer was in order — I didn’t eat everything on the table.

Although it was tempting, I sent home this tray of goodies with my brother-in-law and niece to enjoy.

And because Mark’s mom made a special GF bunny cake, I nibbled off a little of his ear, to be nice. And it was tasty. (but I was so full of ham, potatoes and asparagus that I was at the point of an over-full-stomach-ache on the way home.

So this morning I got up at 5am, made my way back to the gym — I sort of forgot where it was located since the honeymoon — and got back on the treadmill.

And probably sweat sugar.

But that’s not why we’re here. We’re here to talk easy-peasy Monday meal ideas. And to show you our real contribution to Easter dinner — grilled asparagus with lemon.