Tag: food

Celiac Awareness Day (was yesterday)

Since I don’t like “awareness” days of any kind, I chose not to celebrate or announce it yesterday. What is the point of an awareness day when most of today’s society is aware of situations and they just don’t care? Or don’t have the means or time to take action?

Instead of a boring list of what does and doesn’t have gluten, and why you should care, here is a fun article for the Day After Celiac Awareness Day:

Gluten-free Celebrities

1. Rachel Weisz – didn’t even know who this was until I googled her. Apparently she was in a lot of movies and married Daniel Craig.

2. Elisabeth Hasselbeck – LOVE her. She’s on The View and wrote an amazing g-free diet book that I highly recommend to anyone, even non-Celiacs (see the lovely quote from the book below.)

3. Ryan Phillippe – hottie actor from my youth. Has he been in anything good recently?

4. Geri Halliwell – Ginger Spice, my 2nd favorite Spice Girl (Posh, Ginger, Sporty, Scary, Baby – in that order).

5. Emmy Rossum – didn’t know who this was either, an actress who sings? She’s in the movie Dare, which just happens to be in my Netflix queue. Maybe I’ll watch it now.

6. Chelsea Clinton – daughter of the former president. She’s not that interesting, probably because she’s a vegan and that’s just weird.

7. Bill Clinton – former prez. He insulted my dad and Italians one time when my dad met him and chatted him up. Slightly more interesting than Chelsea.

8. Zooey Deschanel – LOVE her. Can’t wait for the new series New Girl to start on TV this fall. I loved her mostly in Elf, Weeds and Failure to Launch.

Each meal left me bloated and gassy, with sharp, explosive pains in my abdomen. No matter what I ate, I would soon be doubled over with cramps, awful indigestion, diarrhea – or all of the above simultaneously. I soon became all too familiar with the location of any and all bathrooms.

-The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide, page 5

celiac awareness ribbon — Celiac Awareness ribbon

I didn’t know the Celiac awareness color was light green when I made this blog. How fitting.

Categories gluten-free, Old Posts Tags complaining, famous people, food, gluten-free, The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide

G-Free Review: Joey’s Seafood & Grill

luciana 29August1128February22 0

I love seafood, but I don’t love that it’s expensive. Joey’s is the perfect combination of quality, price and g-free accommodations.

It’s a regular favorite for my husband and me.

Until Joey’s, the Hubs didn’t even like fish and now their fish fry is “the best” and the only one he will eat (without complaining the whole night, that is). That’s fine for me because there are so many things I can have!

My usual dish is the pound of crab legs because it’s affordable and amazing. I’ve also had their shrimp and scallops – both were of excellent quality which I didn’t expect for such a casual restaurant. G-free safe cooking styles for the shrimp and scallops that I’ve had so far have been “blackened” and “sauteed Cajun” – both I would highly recommend (but stay away from the Cajun if you don’t like spicy!). Safe sides I’ve had were the french fries, mashed potatoes and coleslaw. Since I love all three, I rarely venture from those, but someday I’ll see what else they have.

The place is usually empty except for Friday and Saturday nights, the service is as wonderful as the food and they took the time to answer my questions about gluten free seasoning and options. The servers I’ve had were surprisingly willing to substitute glutenous foods for safe options in those “combo” dishes that usually come with an attitude when you want something not listed.

If you have a Joey’s Seafood & Grill near you, try them! See if it’s the best fish fry… and if it isn’t, you didn’t have to spend too much to find out.

G-Free Grade = A

Categories gluten-free, Old Posts Tags food, gluten-free, Joey's Seafood & Grill, seafood, things i like, Wisconsin

G-Free Review: Moondance Cheesecake

luciana 25February1128February22 0

After a stressful morning at work, I decided I would treat myself to the Chocolate Chip Cheesecake cup (from Moondance) waiting for me in the fridge.

This heavenly creation was probably one of the best tasting grocery-store (Whole Foods to be exact) cheesecakes I’ve ever had.

The crust is “pecan shortbread” and I think it’s more pecan than cookie. I normally don’t like pecans but the texture and flavor only made the creamy cheesecake better. The cheese filling is typical, I would say. Nothing extraordinary, but nonetheless delicious.

For someone who is a chocolate fanatic, I initially thought the light sprinkling of chocolate chips was a bit too scarce. However, everything (crust, cake, topping) was in perfect proportion.

This is an excellent dessert – high in calories and high in satisfaction. I would definitely try more flavors… maybe when I’m not on a diet.

Don’t go the website if you’re hungry.

G-Free Grade = A+

In other news: my scarf is coming along beautifully. I kind of wish I would have made something different. A hat maybe? I’m scared to try new shapes though… Knit and Crochet Now! makes everything look so easy!

Categories gluten-free, Old Posts Tags cheesecake, food, gluten-free, Moondance Desserts, new things, things i like, Whole Foods

G-Free Review: Chili Lili’s Chili Bar

luciana 12February1128February22 0

The moment I read that Molly’s G-Free Bakery was teaming up with this fabulous restaurant, I knew amazing things were in store. My regular Friday-night-dinner out was spent at Chili Lili’s Chili Bar a few months ago and it was amazing. They have a great menu of chilies and foods to put chili on and in. Not only that, but they promise to make anything allergy-free by altering their ingredients.

Last visit, I had the traditional Cincinnati chili over waffle fries. It was the best and weirdest chili I’ve ever had- tasted like there was cinnamon in the recipe. (After looking into this chili phenomenon it seems that cinnamon is an ingredient.) I didn’t go out of my way to make sure the meal was g-free, but I didn’t get sick so I think that meal would be safe for anyone else who is a sensitive Celiac. The waiter at my recent visit said the Cincinnati was g-full so I ordered the Spicy Pizza chili over fries. I felt bad doing a review without trying the bread, courtesy of Molly’s, so I cheated even more on my South Beach Diet Phase 1 (no carbs) to be able to honestly say that Molly’s garlic bread at Lilli’s is AMAZING. They also serve rolls to make any of the sandwiches that Lili’s offers.

Spicy pizza chili on fries — spicy pizza chili on fries

Pros:

They know what’s g-free and what ingredients are in their foods.
The chili tastes amazing and is healthy (extras like mac & cheese or fries probably aren’t as healthy).
They serve Molly’s bread.
Prices are very reasonable and affordable.

Notice the bread bending in the picture? That’s because it’s SOFT. If you’ve had any g-free bread, you would know that most are crumbly and disgusting and dry. This bread was soft and delicious, with a perfectly toasted crust.

Cons:

Long wait (at least for this visit): The wait was 45 minutes! For 5 people in a slightly empty place, food should have been up in no time. And one person ordered a burger done medium, so that also should have been fairly quick.
Poor service : When the food came, there was no order of magical garlic bread and the burger was burnt and well-done. (Burger was obviously sent back and later refunded.) The waitstaff never asked how the burger was to make sure it was done the right way… then the bread finally came a bit after… then I had my special “oh my god I am eating delicious g-free bread” moment…. and then after the table was done eating, out came a new burger (another 30 minute wait).

I have never had to wait so long (or witness someone else waiting) for food. There was a small party going on but they were mostly drinking, not really seated to eat. And the other 4 patrons in the place weren’t eating. I don’t know what was wrong with the kitchen that night…

I would recommend going when you aren’t starving. Just in case.

G-Free Grade = B-

Categories gluten-free, Old Posts Tags chili, chili lili's chili bar, food, gluten-free

G-Free Review: Molly’s Gluten-Free Bakery

luciana 28June1028February22 0

Hidden in Pewaukee, WI is the home of the best g-free baked goods I’ve ever had, Molly’s Gluten-Free Bakery. They have an extensive menu from brownies to pita bread to sheet cakes. I’ve only tried a few things so far, but everything I’ve tried hasn’t disappointed.

The most recent purchases were rolls and a cake for my dad’s 50th birthday. Vanilla cake / vanilla frosting (he’s a boring guy, what can I say?) – but it was AMAZING. You couldn’t tell it was g-free. Usually g-free baked goods leave a weird feeling in my mouth. Not Molly’s cake! And those rolls… wow. Plain, they were delicious. Warmed up, they were delicious x500. It’s not easy to bake soft and moist g-free foods, but Molly’s has mastered it.

Previously I’ve had their raspberry dream cakes, which are small cake sandwiches with raspberry cream filling. The cake part tasted like a Twinkie but felt a bit heavier. It was so delicious. I should learn some more adjectives, but really, there are no words for something this yummy.

Dad holding his beautiful cake. Says, "Buon Compleanno, Maurizio". Please note his "Italian" expression.

I can’t wait to try everything on their menu! Has anyone else been to Molly’s? Was it as fabulous as my experience?

Molly’s G-Free Grade = A+

Categories gluten-free, Old Posts Tags food, gluten-free, things i like