Friday Photos: the view from here

*Update 2/9: sorry if you stopped by yesterday when I posted this but the photos weren’t showing up — kind of defeats the purpose of Friday Photos. Here it is again. 🙂

The alarm went off at 4:30am and there has been no coffee, so I can’t really be held responsible for the content of this post. 😉

It’s my annual “bee my valentine” trip to Denver — where we’ll bake sweet treats, spend a crafternoon making valentines, and hopefully sneak out of the hive for a girls’ night with my BFF.

But first, a week in photos…

I joined Vine this week. It’s kind of like Twitter and Instagram got together and had a cool kid named Vine. Short (6 second) videos that show up on your stream. Thinking some quick tutorials could be fun, or just documenting gluten-free goodness around Milwaukee and while traveling.

Check out my debut video of my long time friend of the blog, Quinlin, and his review of Grandma G’s Monster Cookies with ice cream — just click here.

He might just have an ongoing position around here. Little did he know when he showed up for Taco Night that he would be the star of the show.

And while Q devoured dessert…

I think the taco bar stole the show.

Sometimes Sunday afternoons call for a CafeChata. (Or a RumChata Chocolate works too.)

I know I say this often, and I’m not trying to rub it in, but I have THE best friends, family, and co-workers when it comes to being supportive of my gluten-free life style. I’m truly blessed and offer up the praises to them because some folks can’t even get their own parents to get the gluten-free thing, which always saddens me, and I have a whole team of people cheering me on.

Yesterday my supervisors treated our staff to a pizza lunch in appreciation for our work — the beginning of the semester in the post-secondary world can get a little crazy, and they wanted to show their gratitude. Sweet huh? Even sweeter was the fact that they got me my own GF pizza. From a separate pizza place that carries gluten-free crusts, VIA on Downer. (Thanks Amy & Shannon for ALWAYS including me — it means the world to me. From M&M’s and popcorn at every meeting to never forgetting to bring the labels, you’re the best!)

Yesterday looked like someone shook the snow globe all.day.long.

Which meant a warm beverage was needed in order to brave the storm to run errands. (but it also meant time with my guy, which was long overdue, and it was fun to cruise around in his new truck and not worry we won’t make it through the intersection, which is usually the case with Little Civ.)

Time to wrap this up, we’re landing — hello, Denver. Nice to see you again.

Have a JOYful weekend!

xoxo

Sarah

#glutenfreeinMKE

Some of the top searches that bring people to this site are:

• gluten free in Milwaukee
• gluten free restaurants in Milwaukee
• gluten free menu in Milwaukee
• where to eat gluten free in Milwaukee
• gluten free pizza in Milwaukee

You get the picture — and luckily, Milwaukee is full of gluten-free options.

There’s a whole list of places to dine out in and around Milwaukee HERE, or by clicking on the “Dining Out” tab on the homepage.

 

Every month, for the past (almost) THREE years, I have hosted a Gluten-Free Get Together dinner, and there have been very few times we have repeated restaurants.

The exceptions:

• Transfer — THE best gluten-free pizza in Milwaukee. Hands down. Ask for Danielle. She is THE best server. Hands down. 🙂 They host us every year after our Team Gluten-Free 5k in May and for our holiday party with cookie exchange in December. 

• Cocina DeLeon — You can get take and bake enchiladas, and if you join us, you can experience an after-hours private party, thanks to the lovely Linda. She turns the store into a “restaurant” for us each year for a fiesta you won’t forget. They are hosting our 3rd Anniversary Celebration (GFGT3) in February.

Although the husband and I would prefer sipping Old Fashioneds and dancing around our own kitchen, we do get out and about in Milwaukee for food fun too. And I want to share more of those experiences with you.

Plus, I really want my hashtag to take off — do me a favor? When you post pictures to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or anywhere else, add on #glutenfreeinMKE. Spread the good word and support those businesses that feed us well. (hopefully they’ll start using it too, when they post)

This might mean a full out restaurant review like when we went to Rumpus Room, or maybe it will be short and sweet.

Something like…

Check out the sushi at Whole Foods in Milwaukee. Bring it home, whip up some sriracha mayo, and dig in!

Did you know you can get a cake like THIS from Molly’s Gluten Free bakery?  Please tell me you’ve had the chicken salad at Cocina DeLeon!?!

Really, it’s the best gluten-free pizza in Milwaukee — get.to.Transfer.

Odd Duck is lovely. They have gluten-free options. And a patio to boot. (now if it had just stayed light long enough to get photos of the food) Need a java jolt? Head to Roast on Maryland, near UWM. Tell Brice I sent you! 

Simply sharing the gluten-free goodness. More photos. (2013 list — check!) Posting the one photo I snapped at dinner before the lights went down. A new place to find frozen yogurt. My hangouts. Places we should meet up for pizza and a beer. (Transfer. Seriously.)

xoxo

Sarah #glutenfreeinMKE

*Please remember — it goes without saying, but ANY time you are at a restaurant, ask questions, then ask them again the next time. Be your own advocate. Educate (kindly) servers and staff with a smile. Menus change, management turns over — these are places I have been lucky to eat safely at, but re-check things every.single.time.

 

Friday Photos: my week(s) 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.

Summer is coming to an end.

On Monday I head back to my “regular” job at UWM as a sign language interpreter — a job that I still love, going into my ninth year of it. (how many people can say that?)

But I can’t say I’m loving the idea of my summer ending. Not yet anyway.

So I’ve spent the last couple of weeks soaking up my final days of freedom. Getting in as many play dates as possible, staying up too late trying to finish another book, and plenty of mini-celebrations. Just because.

Because there’s nothing like a night of pizza and beer with your GFGFs. (gluten-free girlfriends)

The staff at Transfer is always on their game — they go out of their way to make you feel at home.

The last time we hung out at Transfer for a reunion, we had the pleasure of having Danielle for our server. She’s a peach. We didn’t get her this time, (Mary was lovely) but she stopped over to say hello. And she’s always up for a sweet, gluten-free treat.

Those treats were thanks to a little goodie box I received from my friends at Attune Foods. (A sampling of their cereals that I’ll be telling you about soon.)

She’s all about celebrating too, so she came up with some candles to make it a true celebration. *HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMY*

Speaking of celebrations — our dear friends got married a few weeks ago, and guess who made their cupcakes?

Molly’s Gluten-Free Bakery, of course. Get this… their RSVP cards had an option to select a gluten-free meal. (the meal was pretty plain, but was SO very grateful to have safe food… and no complaints when there are cupcakes for dessert!)

Celebrating local, seasonal produce with Garden Gazpacho from Wisconsin Soup Company.

(a good pair with grilled tilapia and garlic bread on Schar’s baguettes)

Celebrating sweet tastes of summer.

Wisco peaches. Yeah, buddy!

Simple celebration with my soul sister. A night of walking, talking, and good greens.

Celebrating in the kitchen — where I’ve spent most mornings this week — cleaning out the pantry and freezer.

Want a few things to make in your kitchen this week?

How about beets for breakfast?

Beet Potato Hash

2 cups beets, peeled and cubed

2 cups potatoes, cubed

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 tablespoons oil and/or butter – (I used both)

Heat oil/butter in pan to medium-high heat. Start by adding beets to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Then add the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Allow these two ingredients to hang out for about 10 minutes, then add onions and garlic. (you may want to add a bit more oil/butter if needed — and if you’re really feeling fancy, add a lot more butter for some rich flavor) Cover and continuing stirring from time to time, cooking until your desired tenderness. I didn’t want mine mushy, so I took them off the heat after 30 minutes, but you feel free to cook until you’re happy with them.

A poached egg makes the perfect topper.

Or a lazy lunch?

Sometimes a salad just needs something extra — like croutons!

Don’t bother buying them when you can make them yourself in no time. I even used fresh bread. (it was all that I had… bread ends work well too, you can see that recipe here)

But if you’re starting with fresh bread, just cube it up and toast it at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until golden.

Toss with olive oil, salt & pepper, and fresh herbs of your choice.

Then spread them back out on the baking sheet and return to the 350 degree oven for another 10 minutes.

Top your salad and you’re off!

And in case you need a snack later — and because our balcony basil is loving this weather — who wants popcorn?

Cheesy Basil Popcorn

1/4 cup popcorn kernels

splash of oil

Penzey’s brady street cheese sprinkle (as many shakes as you’re feeling)

salt & pepper 

Add oil to medium pot and heat over high heat. Add 1-2 “tester” kernels to the pot and cover with the lid. As soon as the test kernels pop, start shaking the pot over the burner (you can do this right over the burner, or elevate it off the burner an inch or two) keeping it in motion to prevent burning. Yes, you can count this as cardio.

Continue shaking until kernels have stopped popping, then remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. While popcorn is still hot, shake on the Brady Street cheese blend and salt and pepper. Top with fresh basil and server along side your favorite gluten-free beer.

Cheers!

How are you celebrating your final days of summer? Stop back and check out what I whip up with all this fabulous produce from Growing Power today.

Friday Photos: a good vibes kind of week

Honeymoon prep is underway — I can’t believe we are leaving for Puerto Rico this weekend!

In the next 24 hours we will: finish packing, entertain some of our favorite friends who are in town, celebrate our nephew’s 21st birthday with a little “day drinking,” exchange Mark’s sunglasses that showed up last minute WAY too big, bake some of Grandma EdithAnn’s banana bread for the plane, (shame on you, American Airlines for not having a GF option) decide if three pairs of sunglasses is too many for the trip, and figure out parking at O’hare airport.

Not necessarily in that order, but we’ve got a few things going on it seems.

So this will be short and sweet. And full of good vibes.

Like my five year old nephew. I mentioned he recently started the gluten-free diet and has had a few struggles — like the teacher at Kindergarten Round-Up that gave him a regular cookie. (in his defense, he did tell them, “oh, I need a gluten-fwee cookie” when the first teacher came around… so when the other teacher came by and handed him one, he assumed they had taken care of it and gotten him one he could have) 😦

BUT, on a brighter note for little CT…. he is headed to a birthday party this weekend and the little girl’s mom sent my sister this picture from her phone the other day — to let her know that she picked up a few things so he could have the same kind of treats as all the other kids. That sweet little birthday girl even decided to go with cupcakes, instead of the regular cake, so “Carter doesn’t feel left out, and he can have the same thing as us.”

Aren’t kids great? They just get things. Sometimes better than adults.

 

I kicked off spring break with the first chapters of The Hunger Games and some iced coffee. (yes, that is two coffee days for those counting — but it’s spring break week AND honeymoon week, so no rules apply)

 

See? No rules. I participated in Transfer’s “Defeat the Wheat” Monday. I have to support a good cause when I see one. 🙂

 

Have you ever been to Larry’s Market?

It was our go-to lunch place on the weekends, just down the road from Mark’s parent’s place, pre-gluten-free. And we still go there from time to time, but I was really missing the deli sandwiches.

But now, they’re baaaaaaack….

And they require BOTH hands to eat them because Larry’s now carries Udi’s gluten-free jumbo loaf — which is like regular bread. Just wish they would sell them in stores, not just to restaurants. Someday.

*CAUTION* They just received the bread recently and we didn’t get into a discussion on cross-contamination. It was busy, she had it in the freezer, we were on our way out, so now I need to get back over there and talk about some safety concerns to be sure I can keep enjoying them. But for now, to play it safe, you could get them to defrost the bread (wrapped up safe) in the microwave and put the sammie together yourself, like I did.

I may or may not have shed a little tear over that sandwich — my all time Larry’s Market favorite, honey mustard chicken salad. Yep, good vibes.

 

For the record, I was aiming for his cheek, this gives new meaning to “necking,” I guess. 😉

 

So off we go… the much anticipated honeymoon. I feel like we’ll be in good hands — I got an email from Chef Simon today, from the Ritz Carlton and he reassured me that they are ready for me and my gluten-freeness — with two bakers on hand, he said there will be desserts and if I’m not a fan of their frozen bread items, they will make some fresh from a King Arthur mix. (which I’ve been wanting to try)

I may pop in at some point this week, as I lounge by the pool — Mark is bringing the iPad, so I might try to get all techie on there. We’ll see.

Either way, I hope you have the most wonderful week. Full of good vibes. Healthy ones too. (and send some to my Mamasita, she’s home sick with bronchitis… and for my sister, to keep those two little peanuts in there at least a few more weeks, and no more contractions)

For the married crowd — where did you honeymoon? Any tips for me? Or where are you dreaming of going for your honeymoon someday? Or maybe you just fly solo and are planning the trip of your dreams, do tell.