Tuesday To Do List: check these off!

Hello, hello!

Summer seems to lend itself to less blogging doesn’t it?

Don’t worry, I’m BACK!

So let’s start check, check, checking things off our list…

In the kitchen:

• It’s back to school for many families out there which means we don’t all have time to have a cookout feast outside every night after sports practices, dance lessons, and homework. This easy-to-throw-together enchilada casserole from Gluten Free Gigi sounds like the comfort food I crave!

• Don’t worry if it’s too hot where you live to turn on the oven quite yet — Johnna has you covered with this no-bake chocolate chip cheesecake. (it’s GF/DF/EF/vegan)

• If you still have zucchini to use up like me, Shirley has THE go-to list for that!

• I made these vegan chocolate chip cookies into gluten-free goodies just by substituting a gluten-free flour mix — they were a hit at our family reunion where we had seven celiacs and some who are also dairy and egg free.

 

Gluten Free in Milwaukee and Beyond — these places have come up recently as having good, gluten-free options. Have you been to any of these?

• D.A.A. Smokehouse in Mukwonago (on my own list to try!)

• La Reve in Tosa — one of the best meals I’ve had out at a restaurant in a very long time. (and there were macarons!)

prosciutto, manchego, pears, oranges, figs, and parsley vinaigrette

stuffed pheasant with manchego risotto and haricot verts

MACARONS!

• The Cheel, Thiensville.  I ate lunch there recently and had a great experience with food flavors I’ve never had before. (NOTE: they do have a shared fryer, so their talk of a gluten-free fish fry isn’t safe for us celiacs.)

• Tofte’s Table, Waukesha. My neighbor’s daughter was recently diagnosed with celiac and attended an opening party with great gluten-free success. (Located in the old Key Westconsin location) Open for regular hours starting TODAY!

• And stop by my DINING OUT page that has recently been updated to include more Milwaukee metro area locations, but also options across the state and country!

 

Travel on. I checked both Boston and DC off my travel bucket list this summer — not a single issue eating safely in either city. I actually had too many options to fit them all in! If you make it to either of these cities, try out:

• Legal Seafood (both DC & Boston locations) they have been leading the way in celiac safe food service for many years. separate fryer, all kinds of fried seafood goodness. fries and slaw. lobster rolls. you name it.

• Boston Public Market – fave find was an allergy friendly warm chocolate chip cookie from Jennifer Lee’s Allergen Free Bakery. (plenty of fresh produce, meats, and cheese too!)

• Pappa Razzi in Boston – THE most amazing Italian I’ve had since being gluten-free. Separate menu, knowledgeable server, manager delivered my food, highly recommend!

• Zaytina in DC – small plates of BIG flavor, inspired by Turkish, Greek and Lebanese cuisines, and creative craft cocktails.

• La Colombe in DC – get a “black & tan” latte

• Rise Bakery in DC – tasty treats, some a little crumbly, but a dedicated place that is 100% gluten-free and also has dairy free, egg free, soy free, nut free options. They had croissants, which I wanted so badly, but they used Bob’s Red Mill oat flour and I’m avoiding any and all oat products except those grown via a purity protocol that are truly gluten-free

• Olivia Macaron in DC – I’ll take macarons over other sweet treats ANY day. These did not disappoint.

• Plan B Burger Bar in DC – wow. just wow. burgers & fries. amazing!

• Oyamel Cocina Mexicana – came recommended by my girl Johnna as THE best margarita she had ever had, so this was for research, of course. 😉 plenty of options and one heck of a margarita.

 

That should keep you busy for at least a week. Until next time…

 

 

Tuesday To Do List — Gluten Free Thanksgiving

Tuesday To Do List is my newest attempt at bringing you tidbits from the gluten-free world each week. This will continue until my mind-that-doesn’t-rest comes up with another way to entertain you guys. You can read my very first to-do list here. Cross your fingers I am back here next Tuesday with another list.

Today we’re talking turkey, pumpkin pie, and everything in between that you might just want to add to your gluten-free Thanksgiving To Do List!

The Gluten-Free Recipe Fix: Thanksgiving Edition is your one-stop-shop for the feast!

We love this stuffing and will make it again this year. (my Trader Joe’s insider says the GF candy cane Joe Joe’s arrive next week at the Glendale, WI location!)

(it’s very stove-top-like, which is celiac sister’s fave. we use less water than called for and it’s pretty perfect.)

Word on the street is that Aldi has gluten-free fried onions for green bean casserole. Mamasita is thrilled about this so I’ll be buying some before heading home to MN for our fabulously gluten-free feast!

Shirley has rounded up FORTY, yes 4-0, pie crust recipes to choose from. (thank you!) I just sent this Best Gluten-Free Flaky Pie Crust recipe to my mama to check out.

Need a quick, easy snack mix? Try this.

Some of our family favorites for you to try — love grandma’s rice!

Want fresh baked bread with your turkey day meal? This recipe is for you.

You know I love a good graphic. (or seventeen) All things Thanksgiving in graphics.

There are always requests for my pumpkin spice cookies with cream cheese frosting.

Shauna and Danny have an app you can download but also a LIST of videos and recipes to try.

Be safe. If you aren’t as lucky as we are to have a fully gluten-free meal, Shirley has tips to remember when visiting the fam. (last weekend the stars aligned during my birthday weekend in Denver and I got to meet up with Shirley and Johnna for drinks and dessert…follow along with both of these lovely, down to earth, gluten-free friends!)

EnJOY the time with your families, my friends. This last week was filled with JOYful memory making, but also tragic events on a global and much closer to home level — I can’t make sense of it all, but in times like these, I gather with my tribe and look for the light.

The week from Instagram…

(follow along: @celiacinthecity)

coffee with my BFF in Denver!

BFF feeds CITC well

 

enchilada chicken stew from PaleOMG

Ophelia’s Denver: doing gluten free right!

Breck with the bees, birthday eve

 

 

 

Mi Casa Breckenridge

street tacos & margaritas at Mi Casa

headtilting laughs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

best friends forever with new arrows of friendship from alex & ani

 

 

 

christopher elbow chocolates & mint chocolate chip birthday treat

 

 

 

 

 

 

our house on the hill (this weather!)

hello, home.

handsomepants

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#prayforparis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As much as I wish I were getting paid big bucks to add these links to my page, I’m not. They are not affiliate links. I’m just sharing to share.

 

 

 

 

Gluten-Free Coffee Cake Muffins (for the mamas!)

I created this recipe for the March Muffin Madness event with Shirley over at Gluten Free Easily — do yourself a favor and pin the final post with ALL of the muffin recipes from the month.

And now I’m sharing it with you here.

Go make them for your mama this Mother’s Day weekend — if she is anything like my Mamasita, I bet you count your blessings daily.

Or if you have a supermama sister like me who has been blessed with a bundle of boys (all of which I somehow gave food related nicknames!), she would love these. Maybe your BFF is the most patient, kind, loving mama to her two bees and she should have them. Have a soul sister who is “Auntie Diva” to more lucky kiddos than you can count and takes care of her own mama every single day without complaint, even though watching her battle a cruel disease can often break her down physically and mentally? I bet she would love them too. What about another bestie who faces the challenges of motherhood with baby boy #2 with determination and the strongest of wills, and knows that sometimes it’s okay to just be human and know that what you’re doing is enough? Take them over to her with coffee and a listening ear. (or let her sneak in a shower!)

And for all those women we know who would give anything to be a mama — the ones who dread Sunday with their whole being but somehow find the strength to get out of bed, face the world, put one brave foot in front of the other and celebrate the mamas in their lives that they look up to, are inspired by, and hope to be just like one day … these muffins, a coffee date with head tilting laughter, and just a little “I’m here. I love you.” message could mean the world.

Happy Mother’s Day — let’s celebrate all of the women in our lives who deserve a little sweetness!

 

Coffee Cake Muffins

INGREDIENTS

for the muffin batter

• 2 cups gluten-free flour mix (see notes)
• ¾ cup Greek yogurt (see notes for dairy-free options)
• ⅓ cup oil of choice
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon guar gum or xanthan gum (optional)

for the streusel topping

• ¼ cup pecans
• ¼ cup gluten-free flour mix (see notes)
• ⅛ cup (2 tbsp) coconut sugar (or cane sugar or brown sugar)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons butter (see notes for dairy-free options)

for the glaze (optional)

• ¼ – ½ cup powdered sugar
• several tablespoons water or milk
• a few drops of vanilla extract
• sprinkle of cinnamon

Let’s make muffins!

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with liners and set aside.
2. For the streusel topping, add all ingredients to food processor and pulse until combined, but small pieces remain. (Don’t turn it into a paste.)
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour mix, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and guar gum. Add Greek yogurt, oil, egg, maple syrup, and vanilla and stir until well combined.
4. Fill liners ⅔ with batter, then top each muffin with a spoonful of topping. There will be enough topping to generously cover the tops of the muffins. Press down lightly on the topping to ensure even coating when they rise while baking.
5. Bake at 350 for 18-21 minutes. Allow to cool a few minutes before removing from pan, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
6. While the muffins are cooling, prepare the glaze if you choose to use it. (You should!) In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and cinnamon, and add a few drops of vanilla. Slowly add a small amount of water/milk at a time to get the consistency of a good glaze. Drizzle glaze over muffin tops.  Makes 12-15 muffins.

 

Sarah’s Notes

• These muffins are perfect warm out of the oven, but give them a little time to cool before adding the glaze. For the next morning you can just warm them slightly to enjoy them coffeehouse style.
• Be sure to check the flour mix you are using – some GF flour mixes have baking soda, baking powder, or xanthan/guar gum included already. If your mix already has those ingredients, you do not need to add them again for the recipe.
• The guar gum is not required if you cannot tolerate gums. I have made these muffins with and without gums and have been happy with both results.
• Baking time may vary depending on the size of muffin liners you use and how full you fill them. I like to use these larger flower liners, which make 12 larger muffins and take a bit longer to bake.
• For those who are dairy free, you can use a dairy-free butter substitute for the streusel topping or coconut oil will work as well. For the Greek yogurt, you could substitute dairy free yogurt, either plain or vanilla.
• For the gluten-free flour mix, I’ve used Pamela’s, Mama’s Almond Flour Blend, and Cup4Cup, as well as a mixture of my own all with success.

EnJOY!

xoxo

Rallying the Gluten Free Community — Support gfJules (formerly Jules Gluten Free)

I recently attended the Gluten Free Living Conference in Orlando — and as much as I want to share all of the fun photos from that weekend, there’s something else we have to talk about first.

If there is one thing I know about the gluten-free community is that when we need each other for support, people come together like I have never seen before. We rally behind those in need, give them a voice, or just allow their voice to be heard loud and clear.

So that’s why we’re here today. To clear the air. To let you know what’s been going with my friend Jules from Jules Gluten Free, now gfJules.

I know some of you are already big fans of her flour mix — it was one of the first flour mixes I experimented with when going gluten free in 2008. She is also one of the founders of the 1 in 133 campaign. Because of her hard work, the gluten-free labeling standard has passed and will go into effect in August! (She has helped everyone who is GF!)   I have had the chance to get to know Jules through her annual GF Cookie Contest and finally got to meet face to face in Orlando just weeks ago.

Here’s a brief history of how Jules started and how we got to where we are today:

• She started her company in 2006 after publishing her first book, set out to learn all things related to running a GF business and started selling her products in 2007.

• Her business was booming and as we all know, “it takes a village” to get things done, so she took on business partners (investors) in 2008 to help run the daily operations — unfortunately in recent years it became quite clear that her vision (as a member of the GF community that she advocates for, educates, and holds near and dear to her heart)  and the vision her business partners had for the company were not the same.

• Things went downhill from there with her partners behaving in a way that makes my blood boil and would take an entire blog post to discuss, (not paying her for her work, preventing her from communicating with OUR community through her business, and canceling the order for flours for her own wedding cake in just a few weeks) but instead of focusing on all of the negative (Jules wouldn’t want that!) I am here to rally our community to focus on the positive…

 

Jules is starting over…

• She has resigned from her old company and is starting a new company, gfJules. 

• Plans are in the works to bring her products back (and much more!) as quickly as possible, but as you know, this will take time and money. (I cannot even imagine the funds she has already put into this legal battle.

• She’s a FIGHTER and is NOT giving up! See that smile on her face in the photo? That’s the one she wears every single day, even when times get tough, even when people she trusted turned into something they should be embarrassed of themselves for, even when it would have been easier to just call it a day and give up — not Jules, she’s more dedicated than ever to the gluten-free community!

• The community was confused as to what exactly happened, which is why we need to rally together and get the word out about her new company, gfJules — and we need to come together to support our friend when she needs it most!

 

How we can help:

• Go check out her new site: www.gfjules.com

• Sign up for email list HERE. 

• While you’re there, read the amazing comments of support and love from our community!

• If you can, give a gift to Jules to help her rebuild her business and continue to do what she does best — GIVE to our community. There are gifts for giving  or maybe something more creative. I’m giving and hope you can too, any amount helps!

• If you are interested in giving as a group, I for one would LOVE to see a recipe for our GF Get Together Group, something Milwaukee-style — I’ve raised over $4,000 in the last four years for the Celiac Disease Foundation, so I KNOW we could get together the $300 for this gift… if you’d like to join in the fun for this gift, let me know!
• SHARE this post. Even if you are unable to give at this time, please considering passing this post along to others who may be able to help.

• Send Jules some gluten-free-style love — your kinds words of support are what is keeping her going!

Not only will I be giving to her fundraising efforts, but I’ll be shouting about it from the rooftops — I can honestly tell you that she is a kind person with the most generous heart. After being on the expert panel at the conference, she made time for each and every person who waited in line to talk with her. I snuck in for a quick hug goodbye before I hopped on my plane, and there she stood, holding the delicate hands of an elderly woman, listening to her tell her stories of learning to bake gluten-free. It was the most touching moment. She’s the real deal, my friends. She loves this community and would do the same for each and every one of us.

Let’s rally!

Honored to be part of this gluten-free world! From left to right: Andrea from Rockin’ Gluten Free, Anna from Gluten Free Jet Set, Chrissy from Glam Without Gluten, (me!) Amie from The Healthy Apple ,(in front) Johnna from In Johnna’s Kitchen, THE lovely Jules from gfJules, Linda from The Gluten-Free Homemaker , and Shirley from gluten free easily.

 

Monday’s list of links to love

Hi.

I’m Sarah. And I’m a list-aholic.

Post-its, magnetic note pads on the fridge, mini notebook in my purse, you name it. Some might not think this is an issue. (but my husband might disagree) Some might see it as a way to be organized.

And you would be right….IF I had an organized way of doing it. But no, I insist on having these lists all over the place. On my desk at work right now, I probably have at least 10 post-it notes going. Those are mini lists. They count too, and they start to pile up after a while.

At any given time, I have about three lists going in my head too: bits for the blog, brunch ideas for a baby shower I’m throwing, fun food ideas I want you all to know about, what to wear on my honeymoon… you know, the everyday stuff. (see, even that was more than three lists, I can’t help myself)

I have even bought notebooks, cute little books with decorative covers, some with the itty bitty pens attached for convenience. All with the intention of keeping my lists in one place.

It’s just not happening. Not today anyway.

So I’m doing what any normal person would do — trying to solve life’s problem on my blog. 🙂

This is the perfect space to share at least some of the the ideas whirling around in this head of mine. I’ll take some time each week to let you know where I’m clicking, what’s in queue in my Google Reader, (did you know you can add this blog to your Google Reader?) recipes I need to find time to make, or any other little thing that I pin over on Pinterest that you just need to know about.

Who’s ready?

• Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, how cute would these be? (converted to GF, of course)
• Remember when I met the Pioneer Woman? Her writing makes me smile, this will too.
• I’m all about eating out of the pantry, and so is Shirley with this lovely soup… mmm, and bread!
• Speaking of lists, Kim over at Gluten Free is Life gives you a menu list every week — go grab some ideas!
• Oh, Tuna Tartare… it’s been so long. Yes, please.
• I’m a big fan of Johnna’s these days… and these Rice Krispie Cupcakes are on one of my lists for sure.
• Do you think my guy (who I love more than cupcakes) would ever make me these cupcakes?
• Have I mentioned I’m going HERE on my honeymoon? In case I didn’t… I’m going HERE!
• This pizza intrigues me, can someone make it for me?
• My nephews would love this popcorn. (there are marshmallows involved)

That’s probably enough for now… you may not be a list person, so this might have been a tad overwhelming.

But don’t worry, I’m going to do this each week, so you’ll get used to it.

Oh, and for the record — there are a couple of lists that do serve a purpose, the things on the list do get done, no matter what. My list for 2011 didn’t let me down, and the 2012 list is underway!

Now I need to crawl into bed. The alarm is set for 5am — a date with the treadmill for Week 5 of the C25k. (and I have a couple of things to jot down in my bedside notepad)

Sleep tight!