Easy Gluten Free Living

Archive for the ‘Eating Out Gluten Free’ Category

                                                                                                                                                                         So I got my hot little hands on the current issue of Delight Gluten Free magazine yesterday. 

I almost cancelled my subscription to this magazine about a year ago.  There was always good information in it, I just think the original staff and publisher just weren’t ready for the popularity of the magazine and possibly got overwhelmed by due dates.

The issues came out late, (even as a subscriber I received the fall issue in the following spring).  That being said, I am sooo glad Ididn’t cancel.

The magazine has a new staff and I think a new publisher also, and this issue is totally fantastic.  As you can see Guy Fieri from Food Network is on the cover.  My thoughts were Wow! can’t wait to read this.

As I’m checking out the cover I see that there are several articles that look interesting.  Like WeightWatchers the gluten free way, Italian inspired gluten-free dishes and a Back to School guide.

But I have to tell you the thing that excites me the most is that they have “More than 60 delightful recipes inside”. 

Woo Hoo!  I love to cook and bake and looking at these recipes I just cannot wait to try…the Apple Cobbler Muffins, the Mediterannean Halibut, the Broccoli & Cauliflower with Parmesan Custard and the Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Pancakes.

There are just so many yummy looking recipes in this issue I could go on and on.  There are even tips for making cupcakes.

Guy is introducing his new line of Gluten-Free Barbeque Sauces, but he also has a lot of really good information, from a chef’s point of view, on how to go out to dinner at a restaurant and have a very pleasant gluten-free experience.

Guy also talks about the Cooking With Kids organization he founded in 2011.  The really cool thing is that Delight Gluten Free Magazine will donate a portion of the fall 2011 issue proceeds to the Celiac Disease Program at Children’s National Medical Center to support gluten-free cooking with kids programs.

You can learn more about the CWK Foundation here and the Celiac Disease Program at Children’s National Medical Center here.

If you decide to purchase Delight Gluten Free Magazine, I’m sure you will enjoy reading this issue as much as I did.

I had a question from Sharon about Bards Beer:

I live in Pittsburgh, and my husband has a gluten allergy. I have difficulty finding Bards that is even remotely fresh. At a “Mom and Pop Beer Warehouse” the staff was ecstatic because they were able to locate a case of Bards with a January, 2010 stamp. Unfortunately, it was July, 2010 when they made their discovery. I did buy the case anyway, because it was my husband’s birthday. His only comment was, “this is really hoppy.” I didn’t tell him it was six months old. Read the rest of this entry »

I live in a small town about 50 miles north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, so there’s not much hope of getting pizza from a pizzeria in my town.  However, my daughter and son-in-law live in the heart of the city and on Saturday my husband and I were at their house for the day.  My husband was helping our son-in-law cut a doorway into a wall for their new deck.  

 Our daughter had told me about a pizza shop in her neighborhood Read the rest of this entry »

December is all about the holidays.  Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or something else, there are always parties to attend or host.

At my house we celebrate Christmas, and it’s all about the true meaning of Christmas, family and good food.  Christmas eve is a really good meal then off to Christmas Eve services.

Dinner is a nice Beef Burgandy.  What makes it easy is I make it in the crock pot.  That way it takes minimal watching and I can concentrate on other last minute preparations.

Now, how do you make sure the food is something you can eat?  If the celebration is at your house, you need to decide, is everyone eating Gluten Free or is there going to be gluten filled food? 

If there is going to be a combination of gluten filled food and gluten free food make sure you prepare your gluten free food first to avoid cross contamination.  Think about making little signs to place on your buffet in front of gluten free food to keep your gluten free food, gluten free.

What if the party is at someone else’s house?  How can you be sure that there is food there safe for you to eat?

1. Remember you’re the guest.  You want to have fun but you won’t have fun if you’re spending the whole time in the bathroom.
2. Call the hostess.  If you’re not going to a close friend or relative’s house who knows your condition, call and talk with the hostess.  Offer to bring a dish.  If the affair is going to be catered, ask the hostess if she would mind you calling the caterer.  If the caterer can’t give you a list or label the dishes, arrive a few minutes early to speak with the caterer about ingredients in the dishes.
3. Keep in mind the possibility of hidden glutenous ingredients.  Just because something looks safe, doesn’t mean it is.  If you’re not sure of ingredients, ask.  Better safe than sorry.
4. If you don’t have a spouse or significant other, maybe ask a friend to help you keep informed of potential hazardous foods.  Extra eyes, and ears will help to keep you gluten free.
5. Eat before the party.  If you arrive full instead of hungry, you won’t be tempted to eat something you might not eat, if you weren’t hungry.
6. BYO Food.  Bring your own dish to share.  Let the hostess know that you would like to bring a dish.  Make sure it tastes good and will add to the buffet.
7. Try to be first in line.  If food is being served buffet style be first, to avoid cross contamination.  If that’s not an option, ask your hostess if you can prepare a plate ahead of time.  Then eat your plate when everyone else does.
8. Stick to food you know.  Eat foods that you know to be safe.  Avoid no no’s like bread, and pasta, and be aware of marinades, dips, sauces, casseroles, and desserts, unless you made them.
9. Be Gracious.  Thank your hostess for being accomodating.
10. Have Fun.  Remember this is a party.  Keep the above tips in mind and enjoy yourself.

Mary Blackburn

Living Gluten Free

You would think that after having Celiac Disease for 22 years I would know how to be prepared for being away from home.  Yesterday was not the case.

I spent a large portion of my day yesterday,  hanging out at Armstrong County Memorial Hospital.  My mother-in-law had to have surgery to remove a lesion on her face.  The surgery was done as an outpatient, and as it turns out the lesion was cancerous, but the surgeon feels he got it all, and things should be fine.

Since we had to be up and out the door pretty early, I was really hungry by lunch time.  Usually I would take a couple gluten free snacks to eat just in case there’s no gluten free food available.  I don’t know where my head was yesterday, but I walked out the door with nothing but my notebook so that I could work while we sat waiting, but no food.

At lunch time my husband and I took a stroll down to the hospital cafeteria for lunch.  With all the strides made towards accommodating  gluten free diets, you would think that at a hospital, I would be able to find something gluten free to eat .  Not the case.

All the food looked really good and smelled even better.  There was chicken parmesan served over, what else, spaghetti.  There were wraps, but, made of course, with flour tortillas.  What I finally chose as the lesser of all the evils was the Lean Cuisine chicken & rice, just the rice, steamed broccoli, and french fries.  I’m not sure if there had been any cross contamination, but I’m not feeling any adverse effects today.

Moral of the story, never take for granted that there will be food for you to eat where ever you are going.  Think ahead and be prepared.

Tomarrow I will return to Halloween Treats.

Mary Blackburn

Living Gluten Free