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: 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. You can read my very first to-do list here. Cross your fingers I am back here next Tuesday with another list.

Our Badgers won in the very last second the other night on the court, sending them to the Sweet 16… but the REAL March Madness is March MUFFIN Madness happening right now with “coach” Shirley. 😉 Go check out ALL of the recipes (and oh-so-generous prizes!!!) and then try out my coffee cake muffins I entered in the madness last year.

I spy happy mail from Coors Peak today. They are rolling out a new flavor in their Coors Peak line, the Golden Lager, and I get to try it! (stay tuned for my thoughts on this one, going to try my best to save it until this weekend with the family so the rest of Team GF can try it too!)

I also may try to save a little for these gluten-free onion rings!

We are trying out 225 South/Mia Famiglia’s new location in Waukesha tomorrow night for our GF Get Together dinner — friends on Facebook have been raving about the plentiful options for the GF crowd and their careful handling/separate prep area to avoid cross contamination.

For once in my life, I was thankful for a delay during my layover — it meant sit down dinner at Root Down in the Denver airport!

You must try when you’re passing through Concourse C. (actually ALL of the restaurants in their group: Root Down, Linger, and Ophelia’s have gluten-free options and I’ve eaten at ALL of them safely. Looks like my dear friend Johnna love Root Down as well, read about her experience here.

Another EVERYthing is gluten-free bakery/restaurant find, this time in Tucson, AZ. We are headed back this fall to celebrate my brother’s retirement from the Air Force (SO proud of him!) and will be going back to Gourmet Girls Gluten Free Bakery & Bistro.

 

After being in summer-like weather all week in Arizona, I had a severe vacation hangover returning to chilly Wisconsin weather. Dreaming of real spring temps… maybe these Springtime Lemon Bars would help?

 

Give me all the lemon desserts — next up is this naturally GF meyer lemon creme brûlée !

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.

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. You can read my very first to-do list here. Cross your fingers I am back here next Tuesday with another list.
I want to try…

• The gluten-free fish fry at The Cheel in Thiensville.
• Tom & Chee in Brookfield, anyone been?
• This turmeric latte from Shutterbean — I tried a turmeric smoothie recently and have been looking for other ideas.

On my list to buy…

• My friend Johnna is always on the lookout for fun GF items when she’s out and about and posted about these thin, crispy, gluten-free cookies from Trader Joe’s (she’s says they are like Tate’s) that would be perfect for these two ingredient ice cream sandwiches!
• An Inspiralizer. Yes? No? Do you have one? Tell me everything.

I spy…

• Another recipe from Elizabeth Barbone that I must make — just turned her blondie recipe into bourbon blondies for Mr. CITC last week and we’re still talking about them.

• Two cases of “are you freaking kidding me?!” reported to Gluten Free Watch Dog — I sometimes feel like a crazy person the way I check, double check, and triple check on foods, even those that come in a gluten-free package, to be sure they are safe. I guess I’m not the only one. I won’t lie, I feel more nervous as a celiac eight years in than I ever have before. Shouldn’t things be getting better?

 

I almost cried (tears of JOY!) this weekend when I had fried chicken for the first time since being gluten free. (I just celebrated my EIGHT year GlutenFreeiversary recently!) AND apple fritters! When you are gluten-free in Nashville, be sure to check out AMOT. Their entire menu, minus a couple of beers on their beer menu, (where they distinguish between gluten-free and gluten removed beers, impressive!) is gluten-free! And don’t worry vegetarian friends, that black eyed pea falafel sandwich pictured below is for you! My.kind.of.place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We landed late Sunday night from our adventures celebrating Mr. CITC’s #bigbourbonbirthday… and now I’m leaving on a jet plane to meet my Mamasita in Tucson to visit my brother and soak up some rays! (if you have any Tucson, AZ recommendations, let me know in the comments!)

EnJOY your week.

xoxo

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.

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…

 

• I spy some snickerdoodle bars I need to try! (and maybe even buy the new fall baking cookbook from Simply Gluten Free?!)

• Go check out Elizabeth Barbone’s updated site: glutenfreebaking.com  She has been one of my go-to people since day one of my gluten free adventure and I still use her baking book every year at the holidays. Tip: there are some fun fair foods on her site that you should try before summer slips away!

• You’re buying Lakefront’s New(er) Grist with Ginger, yes? Add a slice of orange or lemon for a treat.

• I’m all about trying new super simple summer drinks to sip — try saying that five times fast after a few of these!

(Add Tito’s vodka to orange or lemon San Pellegrino)

 

• Trying my hand at some canning this year — there seem to be two kinds of canning people: those who do it with ease and never break a sweat, and those who are terrified and usually skip it all together. 😉  (I’m somewhere in the middle, but finding my way!)

(dilly beans from Ball’s Complete Book of Home Preserving)

 

• Gluten Free in Sioux Falls, SD: should you find yourself waaaaaaay over to the west… be sure to try Chevy’s in Sioux Falls. I somehow kidnapped celiac sista for a sisters’ night out and we celebrated with margaritas and mucho queso. They have a separate GF menu and will keep the chips and salsa coming!

• I’ve been buying Califia Farms coconut-almond milk blend lately — have you tried it? I don’t drink milk by the glass, but I do like putting it into my iced coffee. Have also had it over cereal. I had tried their almond milk in the past and wasn’t a big fan, but something about the blend of both gives it good flavor. Next on my list is to try their Horchata!

(I call this “liquid sunshine” — cold brewed coffee, slightly sweet chai from Oregon Chai, and milk of choice. Just trust me on this one.)

• My final hurrah of summer is a trip to the fair — have you been gluten free at the Minnesota State Fair? Do tell. I know the lovely Amy Leger from The Savvy Celiac joins forces with other area organizations to put together a list of treats to try. Let me know if you’ve been and what we should get our hands on first! (and I’ll put up this year’s list as soon as it goes live!)

• Want to try THE best enchiladas in the area with me next week? Join me and other GFFs at Cocina DeLeon in Brookfield for our August Gluten Free Get Together event. RSVP via the Facebook invite and bring your appetite!  #glutenfreeinMKE

 

And stay tuned… I had such a good experience being gluten free in Rochester, MN and I’ll tell you all about it soon!

 

Gluten-Free 4th of July: a random roundup.

HELLO my friends!

I owe you about 23 catch up blog posts — London, Paris, Amsterdam, Prague, Scotland, and Dublin to name just a few. 😉

But for now, we’re unpacking boxes in our NEW HOME and taking a little time out to celebrate this weekend.

Need some ideas to get your celebration started?

A random list of gluten-free 4th of July-ness

• Somehow my girl Johnna has taken s’mores to a new level — let’s make these!
• Red, White, and Blueberry yogurt popsicles? YES!
• Cheers to freedom! Should we have easy-peasy margaritas? (again, YES!) And if you’re feeling fancy — make this frozen watermelon margarita and save one for me.
• Nothing red, white, and blue about these jalapeño poppers, but I have a feeling they are going on our grill this weekend.
• Kick back with your beverage and snacks for some relaxation and reading — how about April’s (from Gluten is My Bitch) new book? I may be a little excited about being listed as a resource IN.THE.BOOK!

• This strawberry beauty may be too pretty to eat. (MAY be… that wouldn’t actually stop me)

• I can guarantee there will be some Tito’s being poured — they just sent over some goodies to kick off summer.

 

This year’s version of “Summer in the City.”

 

Pineapple Strawberry La Croix and fresh mango with some smooth Tito’s vodka. EnJOY!

• Here’s hoping one of our friends brings pie — maybe cherry?

• My GF nephew, Chef Carter made this summery salad over at grandma’s house and luckily she snapped a pic. Any red berries will work, blueberries are perfect for the blue (or maybe mulberries?) and banana slices to finish it off. He was SO proud.

 

Over here, his auntie went with more of an indulgent treat, but it was a ladies’ crafternoon and I couldn’t help myself after seeing it on Pinterest. What should we call them? Firecrackers, Sparklers, Americabobs? Whatever you decide to call them, you have time to make them for the weekend — just whip up a batch of gluten free brownies and skewer them with fresh strawberries, blueberries, and marshmallows.

 

And our crafternoon turned out just fabulous!

 

Happy (gluten-free!) 4th of July!

 

 

NEWS FLASH: finds & photos

 

 

 

 

Hi.

What’s new?

 

A Gluten Free Halloween

Join in on the Teal Pumpkin Project to celebrate an allergy friendly Halloween with non-food treats.

For more non-food Halloween treats from 100 Days of Real Food, click HERE.

Looking for traditional treats? HERE is the gluten free Halloween candy list.

 

Gluten Free in Milwaukee #glutenfreeinMKE

The new BelAir Cantina location is now open on Downer Avenue. (just four blocks from my office at UWM = DANGEROUS!)

Gluten-Free Mondays and Wednesdays at Transfer happen every single week: no up charge for GF pizza or apps and 2 for 1 taps of New Grist. Join us THIS Wednesday for our October GF Get Together at Transfer.

I have told you guys in the past about my love for the minestrone at Sala, (also near UWM) but I may have a new favorite — their Pumpkin Sage soup is my go-to lately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEW to the collection:

Sweet & Simple Gluten-Free Baking Irresistible classics in 10 ingredients or less! by Chrystal Carver, photos by Mary Bernsen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chrystal was kind enough to send two copies of her new book to give away at our monthly GF Get Together events — the GFF (gluten free friend) who won last month was thrilled at the idea of simple recipes with ten ingredients or less. And if you’re joining us this month (RSVP here) you will have the chance to win the second copy!

I know many of you will love Chrystal’s definition of an “easy” recipe: 30 minutes or less to prepare, less than an hour to bake, and has 10 ingredients or less. Sweet and simple, yes? 😉

Any time a new baking book comes out, I head straight to the table of contents to see if there is a chocolate chip recipe. You’ll be happy to know her book does have a chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe and with just nine ingredients! We made them up north when some non-GF friends were visiting, and they gobbled them up — even before I could snap photos, shocking, I know. We also used them for ice cream sandwiches that weekend.

The other recipe I made was the apple crisp. Good news: Chrystal is sharing her apple crisp recipe with all of you!

Before I share the recipe, let me tell you a little “keeping it real” baking story from my kitchen: I forgot the flour. Yes. The entire 1/2 cup of flour that is called for in the apple crisp recipe. I had it out, measured, ready to add into the ingredients, and then I forgot it. I thought the topping seemed kind of off, but figured it was a new recipe, and who was I to judge? I realized my mistake when it was almost done baking and I pulled it out of the oven to find a pretty liquidy situation in the baking pan. Then it dawned on me — I didn’t add the flour!

I was determined to save it though, so I did at a few sprinkles of GF flour mix and kind of mashed it in with a fork, I didn’t want to mix it all together, but it did help soak up some of the extra liquid. I then just cooked it for longer than called for and the apples softened up and the topping came together just fine, it even got a crispy on top — it was delicious!

So there you have it. I mess up in the kitchen all.the.time. But I keep baking. And you should too.

Why not start with this simple recipe for apple crisp?

APPLE CRISP

PREP TIME: 20 minutes

COOK TIME: 30 minutes

SERVINGS: 8

INGREDIENTS

4 medium granny smith apples, cored, peeled and sliced

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour blend*

1/2 cup gluten-free quick oats

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/3 cup butter, softened

METHOD

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Position the oven rack in center of oven. Lightly spray or grease a 8x8x2-inch square pan.

Spread apple slices evenly on the bottom of the pan.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. With a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Evenly sprinkle the topping over the apples.

Bake for 30 minutes or topping is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a fork. If desired, serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Store at room temperature.

*For this recipe, Chrystal uses her all-purpose gluten-free rice flour blend that has been prepared in advance. Rather than making a whole batch, you can scale it down to ¼ cup white rice flour + 2 tablespoons tapioca flour + 2 tablespoons potato starch.

SARAH’S NOTES: After realizing I had forgotten the flour, I did add some Pamela’s GF baking mix on top and mashed it down with a fork and it turned out just fine. I may just omit the flour in the future and just cook longer to absorb liquid. I am going to try it with coconut sugar next time. In her book, Chrystal uses garbanzo bean flour in one of her flour mixes, I am not a fan of the distinct bean flavor it has, so be sure to try out this flour first to see if you like it before making a whole batch of the flour mix.

This book really is sweet and simple — perfect for someone new to GF baking or for kiddos who like to help in the kitchen.

Bake on!

 

NEWS FLASH: finds & photos

 

Hello. Hi. Hola.

Remember me? 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are eeeeeeeeasing into fall over here.

Mostly by eating as much Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake from In Johnna’s Kitchen that our tummies will hold.

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go.make.this.NOW.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin seems to be the theme pretty much everywhere you look. (don’t bother buying your PSLs, make them at home!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And it’s probably time to bust out the Pumpkin Spice Cookies with RumChata Cream Cheese Frosting, yes?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I tired my hand at making pumpkin scones and although I was happy with how they turned out, I’m still working on the recipe.

Here’s a sneak peek…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And after posting those photos on Instagram, my best gal Katie (spreading JOY as she always does) gifted me a fancy scone pan! Now accepting taste tester applications.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Need another excuse to add pumpkin to your routine? Add it in with Greek yogurt, granola and apples in the morning!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe you’re more of a salted caramel in the fall kind of person — you’ll be happy to know you can find Sweet Ali’s Bakery salted caramel cupcakes at all Milwaukee area Metro Markets! (other flavors too, including red velvet)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking for GF events in Milwaukee? (remember to use hashtag #glutenfreeinMKE)

• THIS weekend our friends at Bacchus are hosting a Gluten-Free Cider pairing dinner. Read all about it HERE.

• Empty Bowls Milwaukee is happening NEXT weekend and they contacted me about having more GF options for our community — let me know if you go!

• I have started a private Milwaukee GF Get Together Group on Facebook — if you live in the area and would like to be part of this group, email me celiacinthecity[at]gmail[dot]com and I will add you. That way you won’t miss out when Facebook only allows a small percentage of you see my regular posts. It is a friendly community where you can ask questions, post about new products, share recipes, etc. And to keep seeing my CITC posts there, be sure to like posts, add comments, and interact to keep the status updates and photos coming.

 

Other things I’m snacking on now — these cute little “dunker” minis from Ginny Bakes. Loving the coconut oatmeal combo!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In other news — it’s HONEYCRISP season! I wait for this all year… even more so when you have the cutest best buddies to share. (check out my twin nephews’ first time with a “real,” meaning whole and not cut up, honeycrisp apple.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shine on, my friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

xoxo

 

 

 

 

Gluten-free in MKE: Pairdd

I’ll let you in on a little secret.

Many of our evenings are spent in the kitchen, you guys know that, that’s not the secret — we make a couple cocktails, find our chill Pandora station, apron on, (for me at least, the husband doesn’t wear the one I got him.) and then we do our thing. Find fresh ingredients in the fridge and see what we can come up with.

The secret? I don’t actually like to go get the ingredients at the store.

I sometimes joke to the husband that I wish someone would just drop by with a bag full of everything and we go from there.

That’s where Pairdd comes in.

It’s like my wish came true!

Pairdd is a new company in Milwaukee that is going to make our gluten-free lives easier — and we could use a break sometimes, am I right?

Their concept is simple:

1. YOU select a gluten-free recipe from their website. (this week they are featuring MY recipes, which is beyond exciting!)
2. THEY do all the shopping and measuring and deliver it right to your door! (my favorite part)
3. YOU follow the simple step-by-step recipe in your kitchen and make a gourmet meal.

AND… as my lovely readers, you can use the code CITC50 to save 50% on your order to be delivered on Tuesday! (that is one amazing meal for just $15)

Let me tell you how fun it was to have all of the ingredients to one of our favorite, easy-peasy skillet meals show up at our doorstep to taste test!

(see, wishes DO come true!)

Want to see how it turned out?

SIMPLE SHRIMP SKILLET with SMASHED CHIVE POTATOES

 

Looks good, doesn’t it?

Fresh ingredients. Real food. Delivered to your door. You just have to pick the Pandora station (the Jack Johnson one is perfect for cooking) and the apron and leave the rest to Pairdd.

But I didn’t think the 50% discount was enough. (although please do place an order as well — you won’t regret it, and it is an amazing price for what you’re getting!) I wanted to offer you a FREE PAIRDD MEAL on me!

That’s right, a meal on me — just leave a comment below letting me know which of the two recipe choices from this week you would choose. Stop over at their site: www.pairdd.com to see the recipe options, then come back and leave a comment with your choice.

Want BONUS entries? Your name will be entered again for each item you complete below. Leave a separate comment for each item. (be sure to leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you!)

• LIKE Celiac in the City on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you did.
• LIKE Pairdd on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you did.
• SUBSCRIBE to my posts via email, just use the box on the upper right corner of the blog. (Google Reader is sadly gone and I wouldn’t want you to miss a post!)
• FOLLOW Celiac in the City on Twitter and leave a comment telling me you did.
• FOLLOW Pairdd on Twitter and leave a comment telling me that you did.

Although I’d love to send this to any of my readers near and far, it is limited to the delivery area for Pairdd. Winner will be drawn at random on Monday, July 29th at 10pm CST and delivery will take place on Tuesday, July 30th. 

 

Gluten-Free in MKE: Schroeter’s Gluten Free Bakeshop

This post is part of the #glutenfreeinMKE series where I share my dining out experiences, local products to check out, and just general gluten-free goodness in and around Milwaukee.

The star of today’s show…

Schroeter’s Gluten Free Bakeshop’s pizza crusts.

I was lucky enough to score one at our last GF Get Together — Schroeter’s GF Bake Shop has always been generous in their donations to our group!

I’m a big fan of pre-baking, even when it’s not instructed or required. Do I have other crispy crust fans in the crowd? A pizza stone works wonders for this step. (be sure to put the pizza stone in the oven while you pre-heat, then just slide the crust onto the stone and bake until lightly browned)

You can go wild with toppings — I was working with the limited likings of my two best buddies, they were visiting and this was their “lunch-on-the-road” treat for the trip back to Minnesota. They are big pepperoni fans, so pepperoni it was!

After you pre-bake the crust, smother it in your sauce of choice (We used Mid’s, our new go-to sauce… my Mamasita stocked up at Pick ‘n Save before she left.) Then, cheese of choice.

Insider pizza-extraordinaire tip: a mixture of cheeses is the way to go — last time we made homemade pizzas at my sister’s house, she added some pepper jack, why didn’t I think of that? Gave the pizza a little kick.

Would you look at that perfect crust? Crispy. A little color. (my husband says color = flavor!) Bubbly cheese. YUM!

Insider pauntie tip: (pauntie = parent-like knowledge from having so many kiddos in your life + super cool auntie) Kids love to mix it up — cut things into mini pieces or shapes, serve up snacks in muffin liners, call Potato Leek soup Mashed Potato Soup. Trust me.

Yes, it’s in the window, we needed it to cool fast so we could package it up. 🙂

You’ll notice the mini triangles are missing — Mamasita and I had to make sure it was good. We wouldn’t want to send them off with a not-up-to-par lunch. Right?! 😉  Funny story: I set aside several pieces for us to have after the crew took off on their road trip… and when my mama and I went to dive into the snack after they left? There was one little piece left. (somebody with greedy fingers got away with my secret stash, but I can’t blame them — luckily I was munching on them as I packaged them up!)

This pizza was “the best pizza ever,” as Chef Carter put it. And we all know the opinion of a six year old is what really matters. He’s picky when it comes to his gluten-free top picks, and these pizza crusts made his list.

You can find them locally at: A Gluten Free Frenzy, Metcalfe’s, Gluten Free Trading Company and Greater Grains in Racine. They are hoping to get the crusts into Ned’s Pizza, The Trysting Place and other local restaurants. Not at a store near you? Ask your local store manager to contact Schroeter’s to place an order and check out their site to find all of their other delicious products near you. (try the whoopie pies!)

Anyone else tried these pizza crusts? What did you think?

{my week in photos: the view from here}

#springbreakupnorth

Mark just called and said he’ll be here in ten minutes — so let’s make this short and sweet shall we? We’re headed up north for spring break!

But before I hit the road, here’s what the week looked like.

 

 

My newest breakfast obsession — avocado toast with an egg and drizzled balsamic. Try it!

Siggi’s sent us coupons for free yogurt for the last GF Get Together. (thanks, guys!) Perfect pairing for some “granilla” as Chef Carter calls it. 🙂

After coming to the sad realization that I was out of hot cocoa for a RumChata Chocolate... I took matters into my own hands and made some chai tea. A ChaiChata. Problem solved.

Some of our best creations come from cleaning out the fridge — like these “Pizza Tostadas” we whipped up this week. Just use corn tortillas and a skillet. Get the tortillas heating up, add your favorite pizza sauce (we used Mid’s) and toppings, let the tortilla get crispy and the cheese melt and BOOM. DONE. Dinner is served! Easy-peasy — my kind of weeknight meal.

It was Mark’s birthday this week and he was actually home to celebrate it! Our dear friend made brownies for him — and of course she did them gluten-free style so I could have a taste too. (she used Betty Crocker’s mix — thanks, LT!)

And celebrate we did. I took him to Circa, which ironically is the old Olive Pit, where we had our rehearsal dinner before our wedding. Big changes over there, it’s lovely inside. I’ll be writing more on it later, but I am still talking about the food!

I may sneak away to the little local coffee shop early next week, but until then you’ll find me in front of the fire with a book and a cup of coffee, tea, or a ChaiChata. (bee-ing so relaxed!)

Have a JOYful weekend!

xoxo