Gluten Free Cupcake Heaven

I love cupcakes. Not cake or cookies. Cupcakes.  I also love watching Cupcake Wars on The Food Network. I'm amazed at the flavor combinations and the gorgeous decorations these chefs turn out. I've searched high and low for a local cupcakery that makes a good gluten free cupcake.

In my quest for the perfect gluten free cupcake, I first found the Olathe-based Small Cakes, largely because my sister bought regular cupcakes, told me they were delicious and learned they made gluten free by special order. I visited the bakery one fine June day and picked up my pre-ordered batch of vanilla cupcakes w/vanilla frosting...the ONLY flavor they offered. They turned out to be horribly expensive, dense, dry and flavorless cakes. A huge disappointment.

So, needless today, when walking through downtown Lawrence, KS, I passed by newly opened Billy Vanilly Cupcakes, I had low hopes of finding something I could eat. You can imagine my surprise when I was told that not only did they have gluten free cupcakes, I had  CHOICES- they had 3 different flavors!

Left to Right:  The Grasshopper, Retro and Peanut Butter cupcakes

 I immediately ordered up a Grasshopper. I devoured it on the spot,  sinking my teeth into a dark chocolate cake with bittersweet ganache dip and mint buttercream frosting that was an inch deep. It melted.. in.. my.. mouth. I immediately went back to the counter and ordered four more cupcakes to-go: another Grasshopper, two Peanut Butter Cups (chocolate cake with peanut butter & vanilla frosting) and a Retro (dark chocolate cake filled with vanilla cream dipped in chocolate and topped with swirls). I'm happy to say that the Peanut Butter Cup was just as mind blowing as the Grasshopper! I can't wait to try the Retro tomorrow!


These affordable ($2.50 each, with no mark up!) gluten free options from the Lawrence location of Billy Vanilly Cupcakes (original location is in Topeka) are worth the scenic 30 minute drive! Stop in after a KU Football or Basketball game. Or just take a drive one day this spring. I promise you won't be disappointed!

You might want to call before you go if you're picky about the flavors:  I noticed, online, that the Topeka location has a schedule for what they refer to as "special diet cupcakes". Given how new the store is, you might want to call ahead or learn more by visiting the website for their Topeka location.

Find them here:

Billy Vanilly Cupcakes

914 Massachusetts St.
Lawrence, KS 66044
(785) 856-3700

Beef & Beer Stew- a Simple Recipe for a Hearty Gluten Free Meal

Ok-so since we're experiencing one of the mildest winters ever in Kansas City, a stew might not be the first choice for dinner for most people right now. That said, I had invited some friends over for dinner and just didn't have a ton of time, or energy, to spend preparing a culinary masterpiece. Instead I opted for a simple meal:  Mango salsa and Tostios for an appetizer, a gluten free Beef and Beer Stew for a main with strawberries and Cool Whip for dessert.

The highlight of the meal was definitely the Beef and Beer Stew.  A crock-pot meal, I was able to prepare the stew earlier in the day which meant I was able  to interact with my guests when they arrived rather than rush around putting finishing touches on a meal.  (I can't remember the last time I was able to do that!).  The recipe below is 100% gluten free if you use Red Bridge beer:


GLUTEN FREE BEEF & BEER STEW

Gluten Free Beef & Beer Stew

• 2 1/2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut in 1-inch cubes
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons of minced garlic
• 2 handfuls of baby carrots cut in half
• 4 medium potatoes, cut into cubes
• 2 bottles of RedBridge Gluten Free beer
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 3 teaspoon pepper
• 4 tablespoons oregano
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 5 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/3 cup gluten free flour

Place all ingredients, except butter and flour in the crock-pot; mix well. Cover and cook on high for 4.5. Mix melted butter with flour; add to the stew and cook an additional 30 minutes to thicken. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. I got about 7 servings out of the recipe.

I found that Udi's Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread was great for mopping up the thick sauce and that a glass or two of Hey Mambo red wine paired well with the stew!

My guests, who are not gluten intolerant, gave the stew rave reviews-hope you enjoy it as well!

Great Gluten Free Chinese Food- Olathe, KS

Finding good gluten free take out is always a challenge for us with Celiac Disease or a Gluten Intolerance. That's why I believe in seeking out locally owned, smaller restaurants who are more likely to be gluten-free-friendly. For those of you in the Kansas City metro area, Asian Pearl Restaurant in Olathe is one such establishment! 

While Asian Pearl does not have a gluten free menu, the owner Shu-wen (I apologize to all for the potential misspelling!) is incredibly Gluten Free friendly. I introduced myself to her on our first visit, skeptical that a Chinese restaurant, with so many recipes based on soy sauce, could accomodate my dietary requirements. Since that first visit in early October, she always has suggestions on which items, new and old, are naturally gluten free or can be adapted. One of my favorite dishes is the Triple Delight in a white sauce. It's chock full of shrimp, beef, chicken and veggies! A new addition to their menu are Vietnamese salad rolls (think unfried spring rolls) which are naturally gluten free-but be sure to skip the dipping sauce which is made with soy sauce. Finally, I branched out to something new- the Young Chow Fried Rice which is made sans soy sauce. It was absolutely delish and was filling as a main course.

Regardless of whether your gluten free or gluten full, Asian Pearl has something for everyone. The upscale and comfortable environment is a great match for their wonderful cuisine. They regularly run coupons in VAL PACK and even offer free delivery within a 10 mile radius of their location at the corner of 119th and Ridgeview.  

Give Asian Pearl a try, you won't be disappointed!

Asian Pearl Restaurant

18138 W. 119th Street
Olathe, KS 66061
ph: 913-541-8885
fax: 913-541-8890
info@asianpearlkc.com

GF Friendly Breakfast in Olathe, KS

On the weekends, the husband and I tend to eat out for breakfast. Lingering over our meal, which includes doing the daily crossword puzzle together, is a ritual we've continued even after the birth of our daughter.

First Watch is our "usual" (favorite) breakfast destination. They offer a broad breakfast and lunch menu which can be customized in anyway, without any up charges -great news for those of us with food allergies.  The First Watch staff are very knowledgeable and allergy-aware. While the restaurant is not gluten free, the staff strives to make the dining experience as enjoyable, and safe, as they can make it. My favorite dish is a Sensational Skillet- the avocado, bacon and tomato to be specific. I always customize it by adding fresh spinach and dropping the tomatoes. First Watch generously substitutes extra fresh fruit for the English muffins that typically come with the meal.  The skillet, the service and the coffee all comes together for a wonderful weekend (or any day) treat!

Breaking from the traditional, we tried a new place today: the Downtown Diner in...wait for it...downtown Olathe. The Diner's been in place for about 5-6 months in what has previously been a liquor store, a Chinese restaurant and a bail bondsman.  The local Olathe experience begins in the entryway when you're greeted by a floor to ceiling pictorial of downtown Olathe. The home town tribute is carried through the restaurant in other photos that take the diner on a trip through Olathe's past.

Before sitting down, I had a chance to talk with one of the owners, Susie, who was acting as hostess and part of the waitstaff. And although it was the Sunday morning rush, Susie took the time to address my dining needs. Once she confirmed with her husband, the chef, that they keep one side of the grill just for eggs, she showed us to our table. Service was a little slow at times, however the staff's friendly approach and a spot-on meal more than made up for it.  My special made home fries (potatoes sauteed with onions) and 2 ingredient omelet was delicious!  While I don't consider myself a coffee snob, the joe was a little weak. All in all, we are very excited to have a new place for breakfast that is only minutes away from the house!

One Pot Meals

My daughter was born in October and I'm getting ready to go back to work in 10 days. Who's counting you might ask? Me. And although I really enjoy my job and my fantastically smart and creative coworkers, I, like most new moms, am apprehensive about going back and being able to balance everything I did before with all of the new adventures that come with having a family.

For example, it's always been important to me to provide me and my husband with fresh, home cooked meals a few times a week, then the rest of the week we eat left overs and limit our eating out to Fridays and Saturdays. Now I'm asking myself how am I going to be able to still accomplish this without becoming so stressed I break out in hives?  I've figured out at least two things that will certainly help, without making my weekends rote and errand-filled. First,  organizing my grocery shopping so that it's becomes a brief outing before picking the kid up from daycare will save some time and not cost me my weekends. Second, the more I can combine protein with vegetable and starch in one pot meals, the less time I'll have to spend prepping a meal.


With the 1 pot meal as my guiding light, I made Jambalaya. Using Stephanie O'Dea's recipe for Big Bayou Jambalaya as a foundation, I made some tweaks to fit what was in my pantry and fridge:

Cooking instructions
Take the below ingredients and toss them all into your medium to large size crock pot. Cook on low for 4 hours, serve over brown or white rice.

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless skinless chicken cut into 1" pieces
1 package of Honeysuckle White Polish Turkey Sausage (gluten free)
1/2 bag of frozen corn
1 small yellow onion peeled and roughly chopped
6 tsp of chopped garlic
1-28oz can of crushed tomatoes (Italian seasoned)
1 quart chicken broth
1.5 c of water
1/2 c of spicy brown mustard
2 TBSP of gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
1-3 "shakes" of red pepper flakes (to taste)
2 pinches of thyme
2 pinches of dried parsley
1/3 of a bag of thawed peeled shrimp (add in the last 30 minutes of cooking,)

This recipe garnered me the two servings for dinner tonight, plus 4 servings as leftovers which will give us at least two more meals. A few more meals like that over the coming weeks and eating semi-fresh will be the least of my worries once I go back to work. Not to mention less time at the sink spent washing dishes.

(Gluten)Free Style Slow Cooking- a cookbook review

As a new mom and working professional, I'm always in search of ways to still cook fresh food that tastes good without breaking the bank or taking too much time to prepare. So, last week, after  one of my sisters introduced me to a crock-pot cookbook by Stephanie O'Dea,  I did two things I rarely do...  1.  I bought the cookbook for Kindle and 2. I actually followed someone else's recipe to a T(BSP).

To my delight, I found O'Dea's recipes were spot-on for easily creating inexpensive and tasty gluten free meals:

 GF COOKING MADE EASY
"More Make it Fast, Cook it Slow" recipes by Stephanie O'Dea is a busy gluten free cook's dream come true. Right from the start, Stephanie eliminates the complexity of cooking GF by assuring the reader that all of her ingredients are GF, noting in the introduction the brands she buys and where to find her ingredients.

BUDGET FRIENDLY RECIPES
We all know that maintaining a GF diet is not an inexpensive proposition and O'Dea does us frugal GF cooks justice by breaking down the cookbook by cost:  $7 and Under, $10 and under and $15 and under. Each section contains recipes from such categories as beverages, soups, mains and desserts, and includes even breakfast.  As O'Dea points out, using a slow cooker to prepare a meal that can provide leftovers or be stretched into another meal is also a huge budget bonus. 

DARN TASTY FOOD
My husband lovingly teases me that gluten free food is taste free food. O'Dea's recipes have further allowed me to prove him wrong. Following her directions, I prepared two of the book's recipes.

I started with Easy Peanut Butter Chicken from the $7 and Under section. Not only did the house smell yummy after 8 hours of slow cooking but the husband ate 3 helpings it was so good! Having leftovers means that I had lunch for today! 

The second recipe I tried was the Peperoncini Beef Sandwiches. Who knew that something that took 2 minutes to prepare would be so delicious?! The peppers alone created so much flavor and when served over Udi's Gluten Free hot dog buns, the  taste was reminiscent of Italian beef sandwiches from Portillos (for all you Chicagoans out there!). 

In all- these recipes and the slow cook method get 4 thumbs up (mine and the husband's). 

Check out O'Dea's blog and recipes! You can't go wrong!

Adventures in Dining

When diagnosed with Celiac Disease 6 years ago the only other person I knew who was also afflicted was over the age of 70 and told me quite definitively, that she "hadn't been out to eat in years, it's too complicated".  I refused to let that statement be my guiding light.. I was in my early 30s-eating out was, and still is, a large part of my social life. Sure, I knew I needed to make a major adjustment to my diet for my well being, which I did and saw an immediate impact on my health, but I made a conscious decision not to allow my CD to rule my world.   Regardless of whether traveling for work, domestically and internationally or just staying around whatever town I was currently living in, I was going to enjoy trying new foods and restaurants. 

After some trial, and uncomfortable error, I learned the key to dining out with a gluten allergy, or any allergy for that matter, is to know the menu and the people at your destination. The internet and smartphones now put a plethora of information at our fingertips. And what you don't find online, a simple call to the restaurant can make your dining out experience that much easier.

A few tips to guarantee a wonderful dining experience:

1. Call ahead to determine if the restaurant can accommodate your allergy. The best times to call are 11-11:30 or from 1:30-4:30.
2.  Ask to speak to a Chef. If the Chef is unavailable, a manager is the next best thing.  Always be sure to make a note of the name of the person with whom you spoke: Its always fun to impress your friends with the name of the chef at the local culinary hot spot.
3. Upon being seated at the restaurant, let your server know of your allergy and that you had already spoken with [insert name]. They'll likely be more than happy to help you enjoy your meal.

Don't forget to leave a BIG tip as well as thank your server AND the manager for accommodating your requests. Your generosity, and courtesy, will pave the way for the next person seeking an adventure in gluten free dining.