Cupcake in the City

Tommie works in the Chase building downtown. He has only a few places to find food, there is Qdoba on the circle and that is about it. Forget about having any thing sweet on his mind. That all changed about a month or so ago. Cupcake in the City arrived in the Chase Tower and ever since my husband has been giddy with delight because they offer gluten-free cupcakes. The cupcakes run about $2.50 a piece and at first I was a little put off by the price. Of course that changed when Tommie brought home some cucpakes.

These cupcakes are AMAZING!!!!! The picture below is a chocolate cupcake with vanilla icing and a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter icing. I'm not quite sure how those ladies can get the icing to actually taste like real peanut butter. When you bite into the cupcake, it is like eating a wonderful surprise that taste just like a Reese peanut butter cup.
Tommie says to check ahead of time to see if they're going to have any cupcakes left, and of course I don't have the contact information for you right now. I'll put that on Tommie's 'to do' list for this week. Otherwise if you're in the area, stop in at the Chase Tower, they'll be selling the cupcakes up on the 2nd floor in the cafeteria area.

GF pizza at our house

It is no secret that Tommie LOVES pizza. Of course, when I say "LOVES", that is a gross understatement. Therefore it is no surprise that he is always finding ways to make pizza, and he especially loves it when it is easy and quick to prepare.

These pictures are of his latest concoction. For crust he used La Tortilla Factory's Simply Delicious gluten-free wraps. He baked it in the oven at 350 for about five minutes or so, just enough to make them crispy. He then added pizza sauce, cheese, and meatballs. That's right - meatballs. These were Aldi's turkey meatballs that he cut in half and spread all over the crust. He then placed it back in the microwave until the cheese was melted.

And voila...and very simple and delicious pizza. You'll notice in this picture that there are two crusts. Yes, he put a double crust, with cheese binding it on the bottom. He loves pizza and he loves cheese.

Enjoy!

Mrs. Leeper's Chicken Alfredo

When I was diagnosed with CD, I thought that the convenience of Hamburger Helper and other “one-skillet” meals went out the door. Then shortly afterwards we found Mrs. Leeper’s pasta meals. The Alfredo meal is really good. We always try to buy one or two boxes whenever we see them on sale. They’re delicious and relatively easy to make, with the pasta coming out anywhere from good to a little mushy. That’s OK with me as long as they’re not too firm, which is a problem with some GF noodles and pasta. Brandie thinks it tends to be a little too salty for her taste and prefers just cooking it for me so I can take it for lunch to work.

Glutino Yogurt-covered Pretzels

While we were shopping at Kroger the other day, Brandie and I noticed a bag of these pretzels in the clearance section. They were marked down to $2.99 from $5.99, so we thought we give them a try. It was a good decision. These are pretty good for $2.99, but the package is too small, in our opinion, for us to pay the full $6. This did cement our intent to try to make our own chocolate-covered pretzels this winter; maybe sooner, if I can bug Brandie into the idea.

Trader Joe's Mini Tacos

I’m just going to come out and say it: Brandie and I love Trader Joe’s. They have so many delicious things to eat, and a lot of GF goodies, too. The mini tacos fall into both categories. They’re delicious, and I get some whenever Brandie and I do a “Trader Joe’s Night”. There are about 24 tacos per box, so that gives me dinner and lunch for at least one more day, sometimes two. I like both varieties (chicken and beef), although I usually get the beef kind so Brandie can eat one or two, since those are her favorites.

Gluten VS Gluten-Free: PF Chang's desserts

Friday afternoon a group of us went out to PF Chang's. As stated in our previous blogs, we are now in love with this restaurant. Anywho - on this particular occasion, we decided to get some dessert. I ordered the 'great wall of chocolate' and Tommie ordered the 'GF flourless chocolate dome'. So how did they match up?


The GF dessert was AMAZING!!!!! Don't let the size of this treat confuse you - there is a lot of flavor in this small amount of yumminess. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure how much of this one could eat because it is that rich. It is a great dessert to share with another person.

The size of this cake is crazy. This could feed about 4-5, maybe even more, people. The downside, the flavor. The cake was lacking in the 'pow' of flavor and texture. I thought the cake would be moist, but it wasn't really - more sponge-like.

Which dessert won? The GF flourless chocolate dome - hands down!!!! Everyone at the table agreed. The GF option at PF Chang's is amazing and it would be a shame to leave without trying it.

Ziyad Kufta Kabob

Tommie and I couldn't remember if we had written a post about this wonderful product so we decided to just type up a review. You can buy Ziyad's Kufta Kabob in the frozen section at Saraga grocery store. We have only found it at the Lafayette St. store, not the Greenwood location.

It is kind of pricey, around $6 bucks but it is worth it. We cook ours on the George Foreman and put it on salad, toss it in a pita, heck it would even be great on a pizza with some feta.

Sometimes it is hard to find the product at Saraga, but no worries, they just started carrying the spice mix! The bottle has the recipe for kufta kabobs and you can make them for yourself at home. Of course we bought some so once we get a chance to use the seasoning we'll let you know how it goes.

Trader Joe's Goat Milk Brie

I know what you're thinking - "why is she writing a post about cheese?" Yes I know that most cheese is naturally gluten-free so then there must be a good reason for me to be wasting my time talking about it.

Long story short- it's good and it's cheap. It is no secret that Tommie and I love Trader Joe's. They have great products for even greater prices and luckily they're just up the street from our house. Now, Tommie doesn't share my love for brie (he's odd that way), but he does recognize the cost saving benefits of eating Trader Joe's brie.

Never tried brie? Never tried goat milk cheese? Live on the wild side. Next time you're at Trader Joe's wander by the cheese area, pick up some cheese you've never tried (and may not be able to pronounce). Then head over to the cracker section, pick some GF crackers up and have a cheese tasting at home. Worst case scenario - you don't like it, in which case Trader Joe's will let you bring the item back with for a refund. No questions asked. However, I don't think you'll be doing that once you taste this lovely cheese.

Enjoy!

Fiber Advance Gummies

I am always looking for ways to add more fiber to my diet and I came across these jewels at Walmart while we were standing in the pharmacy line. The gummies taste like candy and leave no yucky aftertaste. They provide 4 grams of fiber per 2 gummies and only scant amounts of sugar. For those of you who are diabetic, there are 6 grams of carbs per serving (2 gummies).

Another great bonus, yep - you guessed it. They're gluten-free.

I would recommend this product for anyone looking for more fiber in their diet.