Pizza Crust

I decided I had it with store bought gluten free pizza. I had to brave making my own pizza crust from scratch. I got out my handy Gluten Free Gourmet book by Bette Hagman and found, Yeast-Free Rising Crust and voila! For being a gluten free crust I thought this one was pretty good. It was super easy to make and it only took about 40 minutes total, mixing, rolling, and baking. It wasn't too bad as left overs the following day.

Pancakes

We attempted to make gluten free pancakes from scratch yesterday morning. The recipe came from Gluten Free Gourmet by Bette Hagman. We added an extra cup rice flour - we felt the batter was too runny. Here's what we came up with. When I say we, I really mean that my husband made these.

Favorite Pizza

My husband and I visited the Birchwood Cafe last Thursday for dinner. He had the Black Bean Quinoa Burger with chips and salsa, while I had the gluten free Sausage Pizza. To date this is my favorite gluten free pizza in the Twin Cities. The crust is made by Cooqi, who sells their crusts not only to the Birchwood but to Pizza Luce and Galactic Pizza. All three establishmens make fine pizza but this one at the Birchwood outshines them in my mind. The difference is taste is subtly but I know this one is my favorite because I eat the entire thing. 

I Cheated

I had a moment of weakness this morning...I ate a chocolate doughnut. I wish I could taste certain foods and not ingest them. That would solve a lot of my diet problems.

I went to my neighborhood Lund's and the first thing I saw was the case of pastries and within seconds I had taken out an old fashioned chocolate doughnut and set it in my basket. I know this won't be the last time I do it. The devil on my left shoulder is a master with words and I'm weak. It's like The Simpsons when Homer sells his soul to the devil, Ned Flanders, for a doughnut. It was delicious at the time but I can already tell my body hates me. Almost immediately I could tell that my sugar tolerance has decreased, my stomach felt and still feels bloated. Around 3pm I'll probably have a headache. I don't know why I do this to myself. I know what's going to happen but I convince myself that cheating is worth it. And it's never worth it, once I get that headache I kick myself for cheating. It's like I'm a child that doesn't understand the consequences of my actions.

MinnPost - Savvy Celiac: How to eat Gluten-free at the State Fair

MinnPost - Savvy Celiac: How to eat Gluten-free at the State Fair

First day of the Minnesota State Fair and I've been wondering what I'll be able to eat. Check out the link above - it will tell you exactly what you need to know to stay gluten free and still enjoy the fair. None of us have to feel left out in the face stuffing competition.

Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef: Lucini gluten-free chickpea frittata mix

Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef: Lucini gluten-free chickpea frittata mix: "We receive a lot of food via UPS in this house. Companies with good intentions send us their cookies or pancake mixes to make, hoping that..."

Pool and Yacht Club Dinner

Last night I had dinner at the Pool and Yacht Club in St. Paul. We don't go there often but it's one of my father-in-law's favorite places. It appears that you do need to be a member to go there - membership info is on their website. My grandmother-in-law was a member and the membership was passed down when she passed away to my father-in-law. I'm still pretty new to the family but the tradition was to go there for grandma's birthday in December. I used to tell her that I didn't believe there were any pools or yachts - my grandmother-in-law didn't think I was as funny as I thought. It was always dark when we were there and all I ever saw was the dinning room. Turns out there is a pool but I still haven't see yachts just boats. 


Last night we sat on the deck and saw riverboats and barges go down the Mississippi. The barges are huge. The club has outstanding service, my water glass was never empty, every dirty dish was picked up right away and the staff is very polite and knowledgeable. For dinner I had the Canadian Walleye, broiled with steamed veggies and French fries. The fish can also be pan-fried or beer battered - both have breading. The entrees come with soup or salad. I had the Strawberry Salad - it's like eating dessert before your meal. The salad is nice green, strawberries, and a delicious sweet dressing. The best part of my meal is the veggies, sidebar, I hate veggies. The cook steams them to perfection. The asparagus was a perfect shade of green with the right crispness. As for dessert, one scope of vanilla ice cream with chocolate and caramel sauce. Last time I was there earlier in the summer they had a flour-less chocolate cake that was good - not my favorite because of the raspberries. All you raspberry fans would have loved it. 


Good meal on a beautiful night sitting by the river. Nights that I love living in Minnesota.

My On-going Battle with Lunch

Everyday work day I wonder what am I going to do about lunch. I have my gluten free microwave lunches that sometimes taste like the plastic they came in. In my previous life it was super easy. I didn't have to plan ahead at all. I could just say, "I feel like Subway today" or "How about the local greasy burger joint." The problem is the fact that I still don't plan ahead. I just have not devised a good lunch to bring to work that doesn't get cooked in the microwave tasting like plastic or something that tastes like cardboard. Any suggestions?


Today I was lucky. My mom called she needed me to look at some clothes and at the same time I could eat some of her gluten free cinnamon raisin bread from French Meadow Bakery, toasted with peanut butter. That was a close one. For being gluten free bread, it was pretty good. In my world all gluten free bread should be toasted. 


Wish me luck with lunch for tomorrow.

My Awakening

I had been living in denial for about year. I needed to remove gluten from my diet but I didn't want to give any of it up. All my favorite foods have gluten in them, pizza, beer, bread, pasta, cake, you get the idea. This past March I had enough or my body had had enough. I was crippled with debilitating stomach pains to the point of not being to eat regardless of how hungry I was. My hand was forced I had to stop eating gluten. Many close friends said that I wouldn't regret it, I was going to feel so much better that I wouldn't miss gluten. Well, I still miss gluten but I do feel a lot better. My daily headaches are gone, my stomach pains have been reduced significantly, my muscle pain has diminished, but I still miss gluten.


Now my challenge is...how can I continue to do the things I love and hold true to eating gluten free. Translation, how can I eat at restaurants and eat gluten free? I would gladly eat out everyday - no cooking, no dishes, I get to sit back and they take care of me. It's a welcome break from my real life. So here we go...