Unglutenized Bliss!!

OK, fasten your seat belts because this is really good!! Yesterday I received an incredible box of wonderment from Everybody Eats. Oh be still my heart!! I felt like I was opening a Christmas present and what I found inside was just this side of heaven! Bruce and Pedro the owners of Everybody Eats, told me that their products were delicious and they were not wrong! Let's start with the cinnamon sticky buns.....I have lamented for two years now over the loss of that delicacy and had bid them a fond farewell. No longer! These buns are bursting with gooey sweetness, cinnamon lovliness and a delicate, buttery roll that makes you cry for your mama......I'm not kidding. I fear I could easily become addicted to them. I have tried other gluten-free cinnamon rolls and they can't begin to compare to these!! I don't know how they work their magic, but sign me up for more! Next we have their French Baguettes. Yes, you heard me....French Baguettes!!!! Again something else I had bid a fond farewell to after my diagnosis........and believe me I was particularly fond of baguettes. Well, can I just say that their baguettes are beyond all expectations! Oui, oui, magnifique!! I warmed it in the oven and it was crunchy on the outside and fluffy and wonderful on the inside........add butter and you have the most enjoyable experience.......oh my!! Can this really be true.........there are real bread products that exist that are gluten-free and just phenomenal?? Apparently so.

Next up is their multi-grain, high-fiber bread. Yep, kids multi-grain and high fiber.......something else that I gave up on. I sliced several nice slices of it this morning and made the most unbelieveable toast. It was fantastic! It tasted like a beautiful slice of gluten-laden bread to me. Just devine and so satisfying! Bruce, you were right about the tapioca-cheese loaf........I threw it out........blech!!! And now as if I hadn't eaten enough in the last 24 hours, I made myself a big, piled high sandwich with their deli rolls. Yes, deli rolls! All I can tell you is I enjoyed a REAL SANDWICH, with real bread. How do these two make such mystical bread products? I don't know and frankly I don't care....... I just want them to keep doing it! Oh, and also while I was opening the box of goodies last night I devoured one of their chocolate chip cookies in record time. Reminded me of the ones my Mother used to make which, of course I can no longer eat.

Bread - the staff of life, the bane of a celiac's existence. A constant reminder of what we miss and love and can't have. But, alas there is hope. And it is resides in a bakery in Brooklyn that makes most of the gluten-free bread products out there look like pastey, cardboard imitations. What else can I say......go to their website and order something........anything, just do it!! In the meantime I am going to figure out how to get a U-haul truck to Brooklyn and load up on this beyond belief food! Bruce and Pedro, you are outstanding and if I could I would hug you! Seriously, you have to order something now!! Happy eating, Linda

New Websites

These are some website links that I highly recommend you check out!

Olivias Oven

Everybody Eats

Blue Planet Natural Grill

Mariposa Baking

3 Fellers Bakery

Our Unglutenized World

Picture this.......you walk into any restaurant in Omaha...fast food, family, or elegant and you order anything off the menu without giving it a thought! Sigh....OK, now come back to reality. Even though that is not close to happening, we do have more choices here in Omaha than we did a few years ago. Restaurants are getting more saavy and realize they need to fill a void for people with celiac. I read a statistic today that indicated that 97% of the people with celiac go undiagnosed! Considering the complications that can ensue that is extremely disturbing! So, we need to be more assertive in asking restaurants for their help. And of course we know that doctors need to be more concious of testing for celiac when their patients present with symptoms.

One restaurant in Omaha that is leading the way to gluten-free eating is Blue Planet on 63rd and Center. Now if it bothers you to order your own food you need to adjust your attitude because it is worth it. They do deliver your food to your table so there is that. The first time I went there with my sister I felt like I had gotten a free pass to Disneyland! We had choices and we had a lot of choices. Hamburgers......with real buns. Not tasteless, cardboard buns, but REAL buns! My personal favorite is the California burger. It has bacon, cheese and fresh avocado. The bun is similar to a wheat bun and it is simply fantastic! It tastes like real food......yes, REAL FOOD! They serve a sweet potato fry (it is actually baked and delicious) with a sprinkle of cinnamon.....devine! They have very unique choices for their gluten-free pizzas and they have some interesting rice bowls. And desserts........well they have macaroons that make you want to dance on your hat! Lovely mounds of a moist flavorful cookie that just happens to have the bottom dipped in chocolate! Sweet!! They also have different flavors of dessert bars and they are all moist and delicious. I love this place and you feel so "safe" gluten wise that it is a very enjoyable experience. It is very reasonably priced and you can get it to go too! If you don't live very close to the location......make the trip anyway....it is so worth it! Check out their website:www.blueplanetnaturalgrilll.com.

I am waiting for some products to come from several mail order retailers. Stay tuned for some reviews. There are some really good products out there you just have to take the time to find them. Keep smiling, Linda

Some new products

I'm sure everyone has certain food items that they miss since having to go gluten-free, but there seems to be more and more products on the scene to help us with that longing. First up: I have found a frozen cheese ravioli that is amazingly good and quite similiar to it's gluten-laden counterpart. It is made by a company called Conte's Pasta. They headquarter out of New Jersey. This is the only item of their's I have found so far, but I am checking their website out to see what else they make. I found this product in the Health Market frozen food section of HyVee on 156th and Maple. It is just fantastic and I highly recommend it. It is lovely little pasta puffs filled with creamy ricotta cheese and parsley.......so wonderful! Their website is: www.contespasta.com.

Next, via a recommendation of the dietician at HyVee I tried an angel food cake mix by The Twisted Bakery. Now I have always loved angel food cake and had reluctantly put that on my list of things I will never eat again. However, this is pretty good stuff. It comes with 3 packets in the mix and you have to use almost a dozen egg whites with it. Now it is not as high in height as a regular angel food cake, but the flavor is very nice....hint of almond, and it is surprisingly good. Plus it will freeze well. Which we all know is a pretty good characteristic of gluten-free foods. They also have a website: www.qualityglutenfree.com. If you are a lover of angel food cake, I think you will like this one.

Lastly, but certainly not least, let's talk about Kinnikinnick brands. My personal favorite of their products is their New York Style Bagels. Now I always toast them because I just think they are much improved with toasting and of course my favorite way to eat them is with a nice smattering of cream cheese. They are also very good toasted and buttered and I have even used them to make a sandwich. I also use their frozen hamburger buns occasionally but normally I just eat a burger with no bun. But, sometimes that will just not do! I also toast them a bit since they can become a little "gooey" when you put a hot hamburger on them. As far as their breads go, the only one I like is the tapioca cheese bread.......again, makes pretty good toast. They also have a white cake mix that is pretty good, but I think it could use some "doctoring up" which I will try someday soon. It continues to be my experience that many gluten-free mixes are much improved with your own particular tweaks! Cheers, Linda