Crunchmaster Grammy Crisps

                When someone learns they have a sensitivity to gluten it goes through their mind what they can no longer eat.  This often includes those childhood snacks you ate when you got home from school.  I served graham crackers and milk to my children, which is certainly not gluten free.

                Now I have found Grammy Crisps by Crunchmaster.  They are small square crackers of cinnamon and sugar with a hint of graham.  There is a puffed rice texture and they taste great with milk.

                So far we have only found Crunchmaster Grammy Crisps at Woodman’s.

Cupcakes at Milwaukee Cupcake Company

                It is not easy to make a gluten-free baked good.  We have tried many times, but somehow nothing turns out quite right.  No matter what we do, there is always this gritty texture that can be really unappetizing.  We’re not sure if we need to change the measurements when using gluten-free flour or what is going on.  It is definitely going to take some more time and experimentation to get things just right.

                One place that seems to have mastered gluten-free baking is Milwaukee Cupcake Company.  They make regular, gluten-free, and vegan cupcakes in a variety of flavors.  The cupcakes are available in two sizes, regular and mini.  For us, who were trying two different flavors, the mini was just the right size.  It let us try a flavor and not be too full for the other cupcake that was sitting there waiting.

                We decided to try both a vanilla cupcake and a chocolate.  Both had very good flavor, and there wasn’t any grit!  To be honest, if I did not know I was eating a gluten-free cupcake ahead of time, I don’t know if I would have ever realized it.  The cupcakes were that well done. 

With so many different flavors available, the menu at Milwaukee Cupcake Company would be a great thing to explore.  Wander down to the bakery and give them a try.  If you know someone who is not gluten-free bring them along.  The can try a gluten-free and be surprised at how good it is, or they can enjoy a regular cupcake.  Or they can have a vegan.  There is not a shortage of possibilities at Milwaukee Cupcake Company.  www.milwaukeecupcakecompany.com 

Barilla Gluten Free Pasta

                        One day at Woodman’s we found Barilla has three types of gluten free shaped pastas: rotini, penne, and elbows.  They are made from corn and rice flours.  While looking at the boxes, another shopper stopped and told us her family didn’t notice a difference between the Barilla Gluten Free and the regular pasta.  We tried the pasta ourselves and found it to be lighter than others but not any less filling.

                Investigating the Barilla website (www.barilla.com) we also found gluten free spaghetti is available.  Since pasta, after toaster pastries and pizza, is the most missed food when people find they need to eat gluten free, the Barilla Gluten Free Pasta is a wonderful find.

                While we originally saw this pasta at Woodman’s, we have also found it at Pick ‘n Save.

Tall Guy and a Grill Catering

                    Milwaukee is known for tailgating, especially during baseball season.  With Opening Day coming up soon, I am sure some people are already preparing for their tailgating event.  For those who haven’t started, or are not quite sure what to bring for their gluten-free friend or relative, I have found someone who can help. 

                Tall Guy and a Grill Catering has an entire Tailgate & Picnic Menu.  It contains entrees, side dishes, and a list of extras.  What makes this menu so great is the bratwurst, beef and bleu, and hot dogs are all gluten-free.  They are also nitrate-free and made in Wisconsin.  Gluten-free buns are available upon request.

                Tailgating and picnics are not the only events Tall Guy and a Grill Catering covers.  They also have a Box Lunch Menu, Appetizer Menu, and Main Course Menu for whatever kind of event you may be holding.  Depending on the menu, there are salads, sandwiches, wraps, pasta dishes, and all sorts of other tasty items to choose.  While some things are naturally gluten-free, other items can have substitutions made.  A lot of the pasta dishes can be made with a brown rice pasta instead of the regular, and gluten-free salad dressing is available.

      All the menus I mentioned are available on the Tall Guy and a Grill Catering website, www.tallguyandagrill.com, as well as further information about the different catering services they provide.

Fish Fry at IL MITO East

           Since we have moved into the season of Lent, many people are eating fish in lieu of meat.  There is a gluten-free fish fry option being offered at IL MITO East every Friday in March 2014.  Visit www.ilmitoeast.com for location information and hours of operation.

GoPicnic

                  I came across the GoPicnic meals completely by accident.  At a recent trip to Woodman’s I was walking down the gluten free aisle and I happened to turn my head.  In front of me on the shelf were these little meals in a box.  Each meal was different.  Some had meat, others didn’t.  The side items changed around.  All were ready-to-eat.

                For some reason I did not pick up one of the meals that day but I did a few weeks later.  Of course, unbeknownst to me, that day the meals were on sale and the shelf was pretty cleared out.  There was still the Hummus & Crackers option which was good as that is the one I probably would have picked anyways.            

                In my Hummus & Crackers meal I had five different prepackaged items: hummus, crackers, a fruit and nut mix, a seed blend, and dessert.  While I liked everything, my favorite component was the Sweet Perry Orchards Baja Blend Fruit & Nut Mix.  It was absolutely delicious.  If a giant bag were available I would love to have it.  While this does not appear to be an option, I can, however, purchase multiple packs of the mix on the GoPicnic website.

                Another piece of the meal I really liked was Professor Zim Zam’s Extraordinary Sweets Dark Chocolate & Tangerine Orbites.  According to the box, these are a special edition dessert.  I do not know if these are special addition for the Hummus & Crackers alone, or in general.  Hopefully it is not in general because these Orbites are really good.  They were sweet with a taste of citrus.  If you do not want to eat the Orbites right away, I could easily see these as a treat while watching a movie instead of the usual candy.

                The Sweet Perry Orchards Power Play Tasty Seed Blend was a nice contrast to the Fruit & Nut Mix and the Orbites.  It brought down the sweetness of the other two, especially the Orbites.  As someone who eats very little sugar, this difference was much appreciated.

                My only concern about this meal is I ran out of crackers for the hummus.  Now, this may be due to the fact that I do not put a lot of hummus on my crackers.  So I may need more crackers than the average person.  If you are someone who puts more than one layer of hummus on the cracker, you may be just fine.  Even if you aren’t, there is absolutely nothing wrong with eating the hummus all on its own.  Just be sure to have a knife handy in order to get the hummus out of the package.

                When I checked out the GoPicnic website (www.gopicnic.com) I saw there were a lot more meals available than those I found at Woodman’s.  However, not all of the meals are gluten free so make sure to check each package before purchasing.  Also on the website are a number of options where you can buy the meals en masse such as their Month-o-Lunch or a smaller Variety Pack.  There are many different items that can be purchased on the website and it is definitely worth checking out to see what your options are.  If you choose to order from the website, GoPicnic has generously offered a 10% discount to our readers.  The code for the discount is PR10 and is valid until February 15, 2015.

                If you are looking for GoPicnic in a store, I have found the meals at Woodman’s and A Gluten Free Frenzy. This past weekend I also saw them in Target’s weekly ad. I do not know if every Target carries GoPicnic, but it is definitely worth investigating.

Jennies Gluten-Free Bakery Classic Pound Cake Mini’s

             I love pound cake and use it in a lot of ways.  Sometimes I use it as a shortcake type dessert.  Other times I just cut a slice and eat it.  Either way is good.                 
                  Jennies Gluten-Free Bakery Classic Pound Cake Mini’s can be used as a ready-made substitute for classic pound cake recipes. There is a Valentine’s Day dessert recipe on my Surviving the Allergy Life blog which can be made with these pound cakes. survivingtheallergylife.blogspot.com  Both A Gluten Free Frenzy and Woodman’s carry Jennies Gluten-Free Bakery Classic Pound Cake Mini’s.