Astro Burger

To celebrate my husband's birthday I wanted to take him somewhere where he hadn't been in a while.  I knew he would be upset if I chose a place that I couldn't eat anything, so I sat down and did some research.  Found out that Astro Burger (All three locations) now has Udi's buns.  Not only that, they have a special place to prepare the burgers and the fries are fried in a separate fryer.  It was amazing!  I haven't been there in years and it was divine!  The fry sauce is not gluten free, but they give you mayo and ketchup to mix together and it tastes the same.  And just to make your day even better, all of their burgers are gluten free.  The customer service is amazing and they're very sweet.  So if you want an amazing burger WITH fries, head on over to Astro Burger.  Enjoy!!

Red Robin

While going on a trip with my family to California, we were looking for some place new to eat that was near the hotel we were staying at.  With a little research I found that Red Robin has a wonderful gluten free menu.  They also carry Udi's gluten free hamburger buns, so you can have some hamburgers.  I also found out (make sure the restaurant you go to is the same) that they fry their fries in separate fryers, so I was able to have french fries as well (which I highly enjoy.).  They were very friendly and went to the back to check all my questions out.  I was highly impressed and had an absolutely delicious meal.  If you would like to see their menu go to  Red Robin Gluten-Free.  The beginning does say that the menu only applies to certain restaurants, but if you read the small print, it says "with the exception of the Wheat/Gluten menu, which applies to all Red Robin Restaurants" so don't freak out when you see the state list and your state isn't on it.  So if you feel like having a delicious meal with friendly service, head on over to Red Robin. Enjoy!!

Las Vegas Buffets

So in February I went to Las Vegas to present a paper I wrote at an Anthropological Conference.  While there my husband had gotten great deals on our hotel that included 2 nights of free buffets.  I will admit I was really nervous, but we decided to see what they had to offer.  We went to Le Village Buffet in the Paris casino the first night, and we went to Spice Market Buffet in Planet Hollywood the second night.  On both occasions we went to the cashier and told her my needs, she then called the head chef and he came out and walked us around the buffet telling me what had gluten in it and what did not.  Obviously this was a huge risk because I didn't know how things were handled in the back, but I was reassured that everything was handled properly (take that for what it's worth, obviously your health is your first priority, so if you don't feel comfortable going, don't.).  There was actually a lot to eat at both buffets and I was completely full (rolling out the door really.) and quite happy.  I especially enjoyed the creme brulee, that is made by the same place in both buffets.  I ate way too many of those.  ^-^  All in all I thought it was a very wonderful experience.  It was time consuming to wait to be shown around, and actually I will admit I  was a little embarrassed a few times, but the food was good, and my husband and I had a great time, so I forgot a lot of the embarrassing moments quickly.  I am also pleased to say that I did not get sick from the experience, which made the trip even better.  So if you were wondering if you could enjoy a vegas buffet, now you know.  Go out and enjoy!

Cold Stone

On Saturday night my husband took me to Cold Stone creamery and as I was eating my ice cream I turned to him and asked "have I posted about Cold Stone yet on my blog?"  He told me no.  I feel like such a schmuck!  This is something that everyone should know about!  Yes there are options for ice cream, and a lot of them too!  Right now my favorite is the salted caramel ice cream with snickers in it or some kind of nuts.  If you would like to know what you can have go to Cold Stone Gluten-Free Menu.  I hope you enjoy your wonderful experience going out for some delicious ice cream!  Have fun!!

Balsamic-honey Pork.

Because of the fact that I haven't really gone out to eat at a new place recently, I thought I would write some of my favorite recipes down so that everyone who lives a gluten-free lifestyle can continue to have some flavor in your life. ^-^  This recipe is my husband's favorite Sunday meal.  He practically inhales it.  If you're not into Balsamic Vinegar this is probably not the recipe for you, but I can tell you this, my husband wasn't a fan of it until I made this for him, and now he is converted. ^-^

Pork:
1 to 2 lbs pork tenderloin
Oil for searing
Salt and Pepper

Glaze:
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (if you only have garlic powder, 1/2 tsp of that will work as well.)
1 TBS chopped rosemary
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 TBS honey
2 TBS Olive Oil
1 TBS mustard (I use honey dijon, but I've used others, and it usually works out just fine.)

Directions:
*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
*Mix all the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl.
*Slice the pork into small squares/rectangles (whatever suits your fancy ^-^) about and inch thick.
*Cover the bottom of a skillet with a thin layer of oil and heat until hot.
*Add pork slices in 1 layer and season with salt and pepper and sear for 1 minute.  Turn and sear on the other side for 1 minute (adding salt and pepper to that side as well.) until lightly browned.
*Transfer the pork to a shallow baking dish in one layer.
*Pour the glaze over the pork and turn the pieces to coat.
*Put it in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes until the thermometer reaches your desired doneness.  I usually go for 160 because I'm a little bit of a worry wort, but the FDA says that 145 with a 3 minute resting period is ok for pork.
*Remove from oven and keep warm until ready to serve.
*Serve over rice and spoon the balsamic-honey glaze over the pork.

I hope you really enjoy this recipe.  It is really good.  Enjoy!!

Apple Cobbler

Ok, so here is a recipe that is absolutely amazing!  It doesn't have any "gluten-free" taste at all!  Both my husband and I were totally shocked at how good it was, and how easy it was to make!  I thought it was going to be an all nighter, but it really is quick and easy.  So here ya go, delicious apple cobbler.

Apple Part:
3 medium apples (go for ones that are more tart than others.)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Batter:
1 cup rice flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk

Extra Things:
1 stick of butter

For the Apples use an apple corer (mine cuts apples into 8 pieces) and then cut the pieces twice for thin crescent shaped apple slices.  Cover the apples with the 1/4 cup sugar and 2tsp cinnamon.  (I used a large zip-lock bag and just shook the bag with apples and the sugar/cinnamon mixture.)

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together, then add the milk.  Mix well.

Cut the stick of butter into slices and place in the bottom of a baking dish.  I used a large circular casserole dish.  Place the dish in a 350 preheated oven (not too long, don't scortch the butter, just until it's melted.)  Take the dish out of the oven and pour the batter into the baking dish.  Put the apples on top, and press them into the batter.  Put as many as you would like.  Then pour the remaining cinnamon and sugar over the top.

Put the pan back into the hot oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Check every so often to see if it's done early.  (Start doing it around 45 minutes.)

This is amazing with ice cream, so make sure there's lots of that around as well.  I hope you totally enjoy this amazing recipe!

Cafe Zupas

Wow, it has been way too long since I've posted something on here.  Unfortunately for me, I live in a small town and the options are kind of slim...so when I do get out of this town I try to go to new places that don't kill my bank account.  One such place I got to go to was a place called Cafe Zupas.  I was with friends that loved the place, and not wanting to be rude I went along with them.  I told myself that if there wasn't anything to eat I would run down the street and get something really fast and come back so no one felt obligated to eat where I wanted to eat (or could eat.)  I was shocked to find out that there were options for me, and good ones too!  I got a vermont maple salad, and the tomato bisque.  Both gluten-free and absolutely delicious!  You also get a free chocolate covered strawberry (and they went and checked for me to make sure the chocolate was gluten-free for me).  I did splurge and get a creme brulee when I found out that was gluten-free as well.  (how often do you get to have dessert too??)  Unfortunately they don't have anything posted on their website to give an exact gluten-free menu, but the staff is very willing to go and check on things for you.  I had a wonderful experience and highly recommend it to everyone.  So go out and enjoy!!