Tuesday To Do List — what to buy, spy, and try! (or sometimes cry about)

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. Cross your fingers I am back here next Tuesday with another list…

Three cheers for three weeks in a row! Big summertime commitment.

Speaking of commitments — last week we celebrated our FIVE year anniversary of Gluten Free Get Together events in and around Milwaukee. Each month I organize a dinner, event, or field trip and am joined by other gluten-free friends in the area. This group has become like family, I love them so.

And so do the generous companies who helped me fill GF swag bags for our event. The love they sent this year has left me speechless. (and we know that’s rare.)

Today’s to-do list is a shout out to ALL the companies who made our party such a huge success.

Please go spy, try, or buy ANY of these companies’ products! (some may even make you cry — tears of JOY that is)

 

Red Apple Lipstick — I’ve been singing their praises since I first tried their lip glosses. Now most of my make up bag comes from them. I have converted many friends and family members to their Lash Project Mascara. (read all about it HERE) The ladies were thrilled with the lipsticks and ralleye balms in their bags!

(Isn’t Katiekins just gorgeous!? She’s a Red Apple girl for sure!)
The Gluten Free Bar (the GFB) — Marshall and I have been in touch since he first started his company. Stories like this make me smile. He started with just a couple of bar flavors and has now expanded the business and is making his way across the country into stores. Kudos to him and his team!

Sentry in Delafield — Kerry and her team at the store are all about making our community happy. Their GF aisle and freezer section is impressive and their willingness to order new goods is appreciated. It’s my go-to store in the area!

GF Harvest — Another story that makes me smile every time. Forrest started this company in high school, yes high school, as a school project. I have been ordering their certified gluten-free oats for years and am always on the lookout for their new product lines. (like yummy granola!))

 

 

 

G.H. Cretors popcorn — they sent bags of their “Chicago Mix” and boy am I glad they did. AH.mazing.

Lovely Candy Co. — I’ve had a couple of their licorice products and was just as impressed with their caramels. Melt in your mouth!

Fahlstrom Farms — three cheers for this “Minnesota Nice” company that sent FULL sized bags of cheddar biscuit mix! If I’m going to buy a brownie mix, it will be theirs.

Ciderboys — Thanks to their bottle openers, we’ll be sipping cider all summer!

Cup4Cup — As you know, I’m a long time fan of Cup4Cup. For me, it’s worth the cost to have my family recipes convert over and turn out every single time.

Pamela’s — Game changers in the gluten-free s’mores world! The new mini graham-like crackers are too good. (meaning I could eat the whole box in one sitting!) The crowd gobbled these up for dessert. (my mamasita thinks these  will make excellent dippers for pumpkin dip!)

Jovial — the perfect pasta in gluten-free land! When I can use a pasta in a cold salad, I get excited. And when the husband asks for it, you know it’s good. Someday I hope to take my celiac sista on their GF trip to Italy!

Sweet Ali’s Bakery — we are BIG fans of Sweet Ali’s around here. We even take field trips down to the bakery (it’s not too far) in Illinois to get our fix. The dessert tray was gone in no time!

The Better Chip — my mama found these chips years ago and we have been eating them ever since. Their unique flavors: beets, jalapeno, spinach & kale, corn, and chipotles keep us on our toes. My nephews call the kale ones, “the green chips” and ask for them often. (they’re 3 and already on the kale train!)

Canyon Bakehouse — I just mentioned their deli rye style bread in last week’s post and am still raving about it. LOVE their breads. Period. (and everyone gets to try them now with the coupons they sent!)

Jones Dairy Farm — we love Wisconsin companies! The coupons they sent will be used on our breakfast menu soon.

Freedom Foods — they make a version of GF fruit loop-ish cereal that I eat by the handful. Their coupons will be put to good use!

 

And a special shout out to Marty’s in Delafield!!! (not to be confused with their Brookfield location — this safe, amazing service comes from Delafield only) We had to move the location of the event at the last minute and Duane, Maynard, and our fantastic servers made us feel right at home. (they even went out and got Lakefront New Grist for one of our GF peeps!) The pizzas were perfect, the salads were spot on, and the wings were baked rather than fried, just for us! THAT is the kind of safe service the gluten-free community deserves.

Head over to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and all their websites — give them some Milwaukee gluten-free love and let them know how you liked their products. (also sign up for email lists to be up to date on their latests news and deals!)

Here’s to another five years of fun — thanks for being part of it all!

 

Friday Photos: 10 Days of Real Food – Day 4

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

It’s Day 4 of the 10 Days of Real Food pledge.

And those cookies are the last thing on my mind.

Instead, I’ve actually taken the time for making breakfast.

Nothing fancy this week because (sadly) I am back at work, after a refreshing (but too short) holiday break. The students aren’t back for classes until the end of the month, so my days are a bit less rushed right now — perfect for sitting down and actually enjoying a meal.

And right before we started this pledge, I had one tasty breakfast at Stubby’s — where they have Crispin Cider on tap, my first indicator they were cool. Our server was quick to check with the chef on safe brunch options and I went with the fan favorite, Tenderloin Benedict: two 3-oz. grilled tenderloin medallions served atop grilled portabella mushrooms with poached Yuppie Hill Farm eggs, finished with Sriracha Hollandaise. (sans tater tots — they brought me fresh pineapple) Because everything was made from scratch, this would have fit right in this week. Ok, maybe minus the Crisposa — Crispin and orange juice.

My breakfast of choice the last two days though, was this.

plain yogurt, sweetened with a little honey. banana, figs and a sprinkle of cinnamon. served with Gluten-Free Girl’s graham crackers

I  had to modify the graham cracker recipe to fit into the “real food” category, but it was worth it. I won’t lie, they were a little better with cinnamon and sugar on top, but I’ll take what I can get.

As I said in my last post, Mark is joining me on this 10 day adventure, which has helped tremendously. (that and my daily hourly emails with Kristi, to keep us on the straight and narrow) This has inspired us to get in the kitchen and get creative. Not only are we focusing on eating real foods, but also eating from the pantry and freezer.

acorn squash stuffed with homemade venison andouille sausage, kale, peppers, celery and onions topped with parmesan cheese

You really could stuff any ‘ol vegetable and the “stuffing” ideas are endless. Just pre-cook your meat (or go meatless) then in the same pan, add in your veggies. Pre-roast your squash, fill with your masterpiece of a veggie mix, bake to warm through and melt cheese.

Real food dinner is served.

See? Endless ideas — on the first night we pan seared some shrimp as a topper.

Not everyone is a fan of venison. Truth be told, I turned my nose up at it for years, until I met my husband. He has the magic touch for all things venison. And we’re not just talking throw some venison steaks on the grill — that was the only way I had tried it prior to Mark’s menu of options, and I was not a fan.

I like mine flavored with a marinade, breaded for venison parmesan, spicy for venison tacos, pounded down and rolled around stalks of asparagus and goat cheese, or double ground with pork shoulder to make sausage.

venison bratwurst patties topped with swiss cheese, pickles and spicy brown mustard  & a quick potato gratin

I guarantee you’ve never had venison all the ways Mark has made it — you would be a fan, promise. Because we are eating out of the freezer, there will be more venison recipes to come.

And keep the veggies coming. Need more ways to incorporate them? Check out Daily Bites — Hallie has some ideas and a recipe for you, plus some giveaways you won’t want to miss. And stay tuned each Thursday as she and other bloggers ring in 2012 with “New Year, New You.” Eating habits that you can carry through the entire year.

*****

One thing that doesn’t fit into my 10 Day Real Food pledge, but still deserves a photo, is this fun-filled package that arrived for me this week. As a runner up in the Cup4Cup cookie contest with my Snowflake Cookies recipe, I received a bag of their C4C gluten-free flour mix, a bowl scraper, and a hand written note from Lena Kwak! (she is the mastermind behind C4C, working alongside Thomas Keller) It’s not everyday you get mail from The French Laundry… kind of a big deal.

(they love my website. yes, in the scrapbook it goes.)

Not only do they have this handy new gluten-free flour mix, but they work hard to provide GF options in their restaurants too. I’ve said it before, we really are in the “golden age” of gluten-free.

When a world famous chef is taking note of the gluten-free community, I can move past the little comments like, “well, yes it’s the same fryer, but it’s such a minimal amount, that it’s fine” (shame on you bartender at Cafe Hollander) I’ll just keep bringing in my own fries from Stack’d. 😉

Off to the gym for a nice long walk. (or maybe I should be outside with these nice temps!)

Thanks to sister Laura for this video — can you limit your sleeping and sitting to just 23.5 hours a day? 🙂

video source

How are YOUR new year resolutions going? 

How it all began…

My sister has an amazing memory. She can come up with stories from when we were young that I have long forgotten. There is still no proof that I put her in the deep freeze for a few minutes at one point. (If there is a record, this is for it…I was sure to bundle her up in winter gear first… so she says.)

She has countless other talents as well:

• Super Mom
• Making me laugh. (the kind of laugh where you struggle for another breath and try not to pee)
• Organizing. (let’s just say my nephews tell ME where things go when we clean up)

She’s quick on the computer too. We share the love of “Googling,” which is actually how we diagnosed ourselves with Celiac Disease. She did most of the work. Told me she thought I had it too. Then it was my turn to Google. Before I even went to my doctor, I had equipped myself with more knowledge than he would have about the disease. Sad, I know.

And once I was diagnosed via endoscopy, I was glued to my computer for hours a day, seeking out the best food options, safe/unsafe foods, recipes, etc.

One of my favorite sites in the beginning was Gluten Free Girl from Shauna James Ahern. It is still at the top of my list. It now includes The Chef too, her so-creative and talented husband. Her writing is witty and heart warming. She puts a smile on my face each time a story of “Little Bean” makes the page.

She is grounded and down to earth. I feel like I have known her for the last two years. Taking a peek into her life, in small doses, each week on her page. I even had the honor of testing some recipes for one of her new cookbooks. Her first book has already been posted here on my book list. Read it. Even if you aren’t living gf, she will win you over.

I trust their recipes. They have not failed me yet. I made her Minestrone a couple of weeks ago. My mom will tell you, it was great soup.

Then, in the last few weeks, Shauna has been talking about graham crackers. My ears perked up. Oh, how I’ve missed them so. There are a couple of gf options out there, but they are more cookie-like. Too sweet for me. I was on a mission. I printed the recipe out the day it was posted and made them this morning. I heart them.

Do yourself a favor. Visit her site.

Make her recipe for graham crackers.