Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Gluten-Free MeetUp Anyone?!

I have had some extra time on my hands. This is not usually the norm for me, so I definitely took advantage of it. It has left me moments to think and boy have I been thinking! My thoughts are directing towards an idea:

A meetup, of sorts, at a gluten-free establishment for those of us in the Charlotte area to get together and enjoy a fun night of safe food, drink and lovely conversation.

This idea has been done before, but not many people have ever joined in. I used to love going out and meeting up with others for gluten-free fare when I lived in NYC. Now, I want to translate that to the Charlotte area.

Whose in?! Leave a comment and let me know. Your response matters - knowing you'll attend is a huge part of this idea actually working.

So excited to possibly meet you all:-)

Monday, August 2, 2010

Chelsea Clinton, Fiance, Family & Friends Dine on Gluten-Free Cake

I am not sure if anyone else caught this little tid bit of information, but someone very important and known for her famous parents got married this weekend...and she had a gluten-free cake!

Yes, I swear I am not lying - Chelsea Clinton said her I do's then spent the rest of the night sharing an all vegan menu and gluten-free cake (from La Tulipe Bakery in NYC) with her guests. While she is not gluten-free, nor is her fiance, they are mindful of what they eat.

Check out a write-up about Chelsea's wedding choices here:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38500111/ns/today-today_weddings/

Here is an article more about the all-alternative banquets increasing in request - great news for us gluten-free kids: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38474741/ns/today-foodwine

As many people say, "Any press is good press". In this case, it really is!

Sunday, August 1, 2010

My Udi's "Breakfast of Champions"

Some people eat cereal and others do omelette's, waffles and/or pancakes for Sunday morning breakfast, I on the other hand had Udi's Double Chocolate Muffins and Udi's Cinnamon Rolls. The true breakfast of champions! My mission was not complete and these treats were 2 more out of the 4 items I needed to try. Besides the sugar rush I experienced so early on in the day, the efforts were well worth it.

To begin this "breakfast" of mine, I started with an Udi's Cinnamon Roll. It was straight out of the fridge and still very cold, which made for a slightly harder Roll. To soften it up some, I placed it in the oven on hi broil for a few minutes or just until brown and giving to my touch. While the Roll heated through, I took the very convenient frosting pack which comes with a box of 4 Cinnamon Rolls (2 frosting to every 4 Rolls) and heated that in the microwave so it would spread smooth. The cold frosting is very hard to spread so I recommend heating it. After both were ready, I squeezed the frosting on top of the Roll and spread it all out (I love a ton of frosting so I usually make a pile on the side for dipping as well :-) ) Then I unraveled the whole bun and ate it layer by layer - my favorite!

Overall, the Cinnamon Buns were very good. I think they need a good heating prior to eating for best results, but otherwise leave my taste buds satisfied and sometimes begging for more.

For the second portion of my breakfast, I sank my teeth into Udi's Double Chocolate Muffins. If nothing else, they were choco-tastic! My preference is a heated muffin with gooey chocolate, but I did try it as is and they weren't bad. The muffin is flaky and easy to break apart, a bit dense though. Once I heated them in the oven on hi broil they were at their best. The chocolate was runny, the outside a little toasty (muffin tops anyone?!) and the flavor was spot on. Definitely a winner that I would eat over and over again.

The best part about both of these Udi's treats is they can be eaten as is, microwaved for a quick heated treat and/or toasted in the oven for an anytime tasty delight. Keep in mind as well, another great perk to all of Udi's great foods is they are not just gluten free, but soy free, dairy free and nut free. Seriously allergy friendly, tasty delicious, wonderful treats!