The Old Spaghetti Factory: Now Serving Gluten Free Dinners

The birthday love just keeps on comin'. Since last week we were recovering from our little stint in the hospital and two of my kids were gone on a trip, we decided to spend Monday night at The Old Spaghetti Factory with my parents for a belated birthday dinner for me, complete with gluten full cake for everyone else from the best bakery in the world which I sorely miss, Dick's Bakery in Bountiful:

But I got spumoni, so it was not a total loss. I chose The Old Spaghetti Factory because I know they serve gluten free pasta, and just about anyone with kids will tell you if the restaurant serves any kind of noodles, you're good to go for picky eaters.

So the dinners came and I ordered the gluten free pasta with marinara sauce and Italian sausage. The sausage was divine, the sauce was tangy and tomato-ey, and the pasta was...DeBoles. Not my favorite brand by far. I love Tinkyada soooooo much that it is difficult for me to even stomach other brands now. The meal wasn't bad, and the pasta wasn't too terrible, it just wasn't my favorite pasta. I noticed that it was printed on their menus that they proudly serve DeBoles, which makes me think that probably all The Old Spaghetti Factories around the U.S. use it. Which is a shame. Where were the Tinkyada reps when all this went down? Get in there and fight for this account! The gluten free eaters of the world are begging you...pitch your product to The Old Spaghetti Factory! Not that I'm a marketing genius or anything, I'm just saying...

Anyway, this is a great dinner option for all of us who live near an Old Spaghetti Factory. They have a full gluten free menu ready to go, you just have to ask for it when you order. Maybe they will get wind of all of us who want Tinkyada pasta and switch over. Now THAT would be a birthday present to remember!

Happy eating out!

Gluten Free Lemonade: A No-Brainer

This may come as a surprise to some of you, but I've never made lemonade from scratch before. The only lemonade I've ever made either has a picture of a talking pitcher or says "Country Time" on it. And to be honest, I've never liked either one very much. So, I owe it to my son for watching "Max and Ruby" and deciding he was up for teaching me how to make yummy lemonade that takes about three minutes and tastes great. When I was a kid, my dad would always be in charge of the punch for our large family gatherings. He would stir, taste, add, taste, and look like a witch stirring her cauldron every single time. The right balance of sour and sweet was very important to him. One of the ingredients I remember he always used was lemon juice, and to this day, I never make Kool-Aid without adding a few tablespoons to it. It really does make it taste better.

First of all, let me begin by saying I truly love my Pampered Chef Quick Stir pitcher. There. Brazen plug for favorite product? Check. It especially comes in handy when making this lemonade, as it helps to squish the lemons and juice them and also acts as a natural strainer for the lemon pieces and most of the seeds, if some happen to make it into your lemonade. This is not a completely scientific process, and, to be quite honest, everyone likes their drinks a little differently, so this may not suit your taste. But for a non-lemonade lover to make this three times in one week and drink most of it, I think that says something.

Quick Lemonade

1. Fill a pitcher half full with cold, cold water.

2. Add 2/3 cup of sugar

3. Add 1/3 + 2T bottled lemon juice

4. Slice 1 lemon and remove as many seeds as you can. Add to the pitcher.

5. Stir (or plunge, if you have the quick stir pitcher) and try to mash the lemons a little to get the pulp out and release the oils from the lemon's zest for extra flavor.

6. Drink with ice cubes, if desired.

As I said, not too scientific, and you fully have the freedom to add more or less sugar, depending on how tart you like your lemonade. If you are a super tart person I would slice two lemons and add 1/2 cup of lemon juice. But play around with it. You may find a new favorite!

Sam and I actually had a great time together coming up with this little recipe, even though I was skeptical and had a "mercy drink" of our first concoction, it ended up being refreshing and yummy at the same time. These are the best parts of goofing off in the kitchen! You go in to appease your kid and end up loving what you make.

And if you are hosting a party for a crowd, this is an economical option: lemons are only about 50 cents each, sugar and water are usually available in every home, and it's easy to double or triple the recipe if needed. And if you run out? Head to the kitchen and make another quick batch. Your guests won't even know you've gone missing. We are so drinking this at Wyatt's baptism in July this year...

Happy eating!

(Post script: I forgot to mention...take the lemons out when you are going to put it into the fridge after you've gotten it the way you like it. The lemons will continue to leach out their lemony flavor and by tomorrow your lemonade will taste like pure lemon peel. So leave them in for the party, but once you are ready to store it for later, take the lemon slices out and throw them away. MA)

Learning to Cook Gluten Free from an actual Professional...It's a Good Thing

This week I took a gluten free cooking class at the Viking Cooking School in South Salt Lake. I thought I would go in there and there'd be one or two other people and someone who showed us how to substitute rice flour for wheat flour and we'd be done. Wow. Was I ever wrong.

First of all, let me begin by saying you are going to have to put up with photos that I took on my phone, because I completely forgot my camera that day. However, you'll get the gist and also see that chubby people like me STILL look chubby when their pictures are taken with a phone. And when they stand next to slender chefs. Moving on...second of all, it was a dream come true to walk into that fully functioning kitchen and play around with all the great equipment. There were 13 Boos Blocks alone in that room! Five ovens! Pans that were so heavy we really should have tag teamed them when we drained our pasta! Super sharp knives! They even had little glass bowls that you measured a teaspoon of baking powder into before you added it to your bowl! And best of all, they had this little piece of machinery:

This is TJ. He got us all our supplies, watched the ovens, whipped cream, and whisked away all the dirty dishes for us. I really wanted to take him home with me. Only because he's such a hard worker, of course, for all you folks with naughty brains out there.

Our instructor's name was Trish. For anyone out there who wants to learn how to cook and bake gluten free, Trish is your girl. She's a fabulous instructor who really knows her stuff. She is a fellow celiac and is basically a food whisperer. She taught us how to make five (5!) different gluten free dishes: a crusty bread, a chocolate tart, a tomato tart, macaroni and cheese, and banana walnut muffins. By the time I was done tasting everything I was so full I could have popped. It was a good thing. To get any of these great recipes, call the Viking Cooking School and ask them when Trish's next class is and then sign up for it that minute. You will never regret it.

Here's some of the things I learned in the heavenly Viking kitchen:

1. Gluten free flours have a slower rate of absorption than regular flours, which is why sometimes they look like great doughs and turn out completely dry and cracked. To compensate for that you not only need more liquid but you need to let the dough mix or be worked longer, and then you can add more moisture if needed.

2. It's easier to mix a tart dough with your hands rather than a pastry cutter. Trust me on this, get in there and mash it up. Nothing works better.

3. Some people bake bread in pans. Other people put a huge mound of dough onto a hot baking stone in an oven and bake it just like that. And it makes divine bread.

4. The more oily your hands are when working with sticky, gloppy, gluten free flour, the better. Make sure to rub it into the crevices and cracks. You'll be glad you did.

5. A gluten free dough should be totally sticky and gloppy because it is slowly absorbing all that moisture as it bakes. So if you can't get it off your hands or spatula, that means your dough is a good one.

6. It's easier to scoop muffin batter using a large ice cream scoop with one of those little things that flicks it out on the underside of the scoop. No lie, I totally had to go and buy one after the class. I'll never drip batter with the underside of a measuring cup again.

7. Some people can get 4 slices out of a tomato, some can get 20. I'm not going to say which one I was. Not the 20.

I learned other things that don't really matter, too, but that were super fun to learn about anyway. Like, for example, there's a guy named Joe Sargentakis who will taste just about anything while you are making it. And his last name is really fun to say, over and over again. And I learned that Jennifer was not only the mother of a young girl who just found out she has celiac's disease and that she knows my neighbor, but that she is a magnet for hot, boiling, splashing water. Maybe we'd better not talk about that part. I also learned that there are people who not only don't eat wheat, but they also eat Living or Raw Foods, and are totally healthy and happy doing it. Joline runs a very affordable class for people who are interested in how to eat Raw Foods, and she actually has a class coming up on February 3. Check out her website, http://www.healthylivingwithjoline.com/ or call 801-8085966 if you are interested. But the most important thing I learned is that it's always a good thing to learn more about what you eat and how you prepare it, and that it's even more fun when you do it with 12 other people. And one day I hope I win a contest where Viking comes and guts my kitchen and replaces it with one of theirs. I'm just saying.

Happy eating!

Planning to Eat Gluten Free

So often on this blog I have given this advice: Cook as much of your own food as you can, and you'll feel better. I totally agree with my own advice (of course), but I have to admit that sometimes I have a hard time following my own advice. So many nights I am faced with the 5:00 dinner prep hour and still have yet to decide what to eat or if I even have ingredients to make what sounds good to me. What usually ends up happening is that we either eat breakfast food or fast food, and although those are fine once in a while, it can get really old really fast.

The best thing I can do to eat better and be better prepared for the dinnertime rush is perhaps the simplest: make a list. If I take a few minutes before I go to the grocery store on Saturdays and jot down a quick weekly menu, I can make a more prepared grocery list and be sure to have the ingredients for those dinners I have planned for. I also feel a lot better having a plan for meals because I have a habit of letting the day get away from me and I can look at my meal for the day in the morning and sort of give myself a deadline as to when I need to start cooking dinner. I like to plan based on who is going to be home for dinner and what we have going on that night. Sometimes we need to be done eating by 7, sometimes we don't get home until 7, so I usually plan my slow cookers and quick dinners around that.

I also believe in trying to only go to the grocery store once a week. Sometimes I'll have to run back during the week for something, but I really try not to. For one, I don't have time during the week to shop, for another, I'm really trying to trim my expenses this year since I'm saving up for a grand kitchen remodel that may never happen. Nonetheless, shopping smarter is definitely on the horizon for me in 2010. What are your favorite dinnertime time savers?

Happy planning!

Happy Birthday to Me

This is proof that husbands can and do listen to their wives' hints about birthday gifts: the coveted Boos Block is now in my posession! I think it looks nice with my Betty Crocker chocolate cake mix cupcake and Betty Crocker Cream Cheese frosting, don't you think? Hey, at least I added coconut to make it look a little more special...that's what happens when you bake your own birthday cake every year.

Are you wondering what to give your celiac friend for their birthday this year? My friend Amy gave me the all-time classic: Chocolate-Covered Strawberries. You just can't go wrong with that!

Happy eating and happy birthday to everyone throughout the year from Off the Wheaten Path!

Gluten Free Wraps: I feel like I'm living in the now!

I am pretty sure I haven't written about these wraps yet. I've known about them for a while, but haven't really gotten to love them until recently. You see, I had to break the code (Robert Langdon style) of how to make these gluten free wraps work for me, and I'm proud to say I have successfully conquered the lunch wrap scenario.

First of all, these wraps are made with two of my favorite gluten free grains: Millet and Teff. What that means is that they have a soft, smooth texture and have a little more elasticity than some of the other wraps I've used.

Secondly, they come in both ivory teff and dark teff versions, which is great for those of us who are visual types. I like the ivory teff because I always want to feel like I'm eating one of those trendy flatbreads everyone's crazy about, but the dark ones remind me of the whole wheat tortillas and wraps I've seen out there, too.

Lastly, the secret trick to making these just about the best gluten free wraps out there is this: Warm them in the microwave for 30 seconds, and then immediately add a spread to the wrap to keep it moist and tender. The taste works well with any and all lunchmeat, and since I've eaten one almost every day for the last two weeks, I can attest to that. Here are some of the combinations I've been able to put together with these wraps: (Caution: nothing that follows will be of a surprise to anyone who has ever eaten a sandwich.)

Spread hummus on wrap and top with salami and havarti cheese
Spread mayonnaise on wrap and top with roasted turkey, lettuce, and tomato
Spread deli mustard on wrap and top with low sodium ham, baby swiss, and spinach leaves
Spread garlic hummus on wrap and top with horseradish roast beef and wisconsin cheddar
Spread a mixture of tamari sauce, ginger salad dressing and Miracle Whip on a wrap and fill with veggies like cucumber, carrots, lettuce, and bean sprouts for an asian flavor

As you can see, I just went to my deli counter and tried a whole bunch of different meats and cheeses. I even added veggies to some of those wraps, which I must say is an extra stretch of healthiness at lunchtime for me. You probably have some more super gourmet ways you love to eat wraps, and I would love to hear about them. Anyone out there love Reubens? I don't even know what is in a Reuben but I've always wanted to try it. How about a tuna version? Relish or not? Let me know what your favorite way to top a wrap is in the comments section. I found these at my Draper Harmon's store. Can't find these in your local store? You can order them from glutenfree.com and pay a little bit of shipping, they'll come right to your door. There's only six in a package, so order a few and keep them in your refrigerator for maximum shelf life.

Happy eating!

Gluten Free Brownies with Millet Flour

When I wrote this post about all of my favorite Christmas presents, I forgot to mention this one: A gift from my fabulous and generous mother that counts for Christmas, birthday, Easter, Mother's Day, Fourth of July, St. Patrick's Day and Halloween for the whole year. The Nutrimill. What I love about this grain mill is that you can adjust the coarseness of your flour, which makes creative types like me feel like they have control over the final product. That and it's the same mill JoLayna has, and she always picks the best stuff. I haven't used it as much as I wanted to yet, so I got it out the other day and thought I'd try to make up a little something. I decided to grind some millet, which has the most vitamins of any grain, and is a food complete with amino acids and everything. First I put in 1/2 cup of millet grain, and ground it on the finest setting. I ended up with just over 3/4 cup of freshly ground millet flour. Then I went on ahead and made some brownies a la Margo, which means they have a little special extra ingredient.

Gluten Free Brownies

1 stick butter
1/3 cup Hershey baking cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
3/4 cups gluten free flour (try millet, amaranth, or teff for kicks)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 pan with nonstick cooking spray, or line 12 muffin tins with paper liners. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the cocoa. Remove from heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

The white chocolate chips just give the brownies a little extra oomph and crunch inside. They also make it EXTRA chocolatey, which, let's face it, is the reason the brownie was invented. The Bronski's also have a great Brownie recipe in their book, Artisanal Gluten Free Cooking. Check it out if you get the chance.

Happy eating!