Continue the blog?

After much thought Tommie and I are trying to decide whether or not to continue the blog. I am not sure how much people this is actually reaching and with all of the information out there nowadays, this may be a little out dated. We will make our final decision within about a week.

Georgetown Market: Gluten-Free Friday

November 11th

GLUTEN-FREE FRIDAY

4375 Georgetown Road
Indianapolis, IN 46254
317-293-9525

STORE HOURS
Mon-Sat
9am to 8pm
Sun
11am to 5pm

Gluten Free Dreams Chocolate Chip Mini Cookies

This product is brought to you by the folks at Cherrybrook Kitchen. I found these on clearance and decided to buy them (a - they were on clearance, and b- we had never tried them before). I haven't tried too many Cherrybrook products. I'm not sure why, just haven't. They're readily available, you can buy them at most places (Target stands out in my mind).

These little guys were quite good; little crunchy bites of heaven. They make for a great snack, thrown into a lunch box or on the go. I'm not sure I would recommend them, mainly because I don't know what the going price is for them off of clearance.

Check out their website, this company offers many gluten-free products.

BeeFree Gluten-Free Bakery

About a month ago I was checking out at Georgetown Market and I noticed a gluten-free cookie for sale up at the register. I always stop by the deli on the way out to pick up cookies (if you're not gluten-free, then they're vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookie is yummy), especially since Tommie is addicted to their GF snickerdoodle cookies.

Anywho, at the register was one cookie left, a BeeFree GF Cowboy Cookie. I asked the cashiers if they had eaten any and they responded with a no, apparently the cookies were selling so fast, the employees hadn't had a chance to try them. I then had to make a decision, leave the cookie, knowing the cashiers were going to eat it or buy it and let Tommie eat it. Well, I figured that since those wonderful ladies are always at the store, they could get their own. :)

When Tommie got home that night I explained I bought him a cookie and that I wasn't sure what was in it but that I was positive there was no peanut butter or coconut (two ingredients you won't find in his vocabulary). He looked at me, one eyebrow about to explode off of his forehead, "this is vegan...you expect me to eat a vegan cookie?" In Tommie's head, he equates vegan with cardboard and tasteless. I just smiled, "if you don't eat it, I will". He cautiously took a bite and then smiled. "Dang, that's a good cookie." The questions then followed: who is BeeFree, are they local, did they have other cookies? I had no answers for him. Therefore when we saw them at the Gluten Free Living Now Expo we were ecstatic.

Come to find out, they are local and not only do they have other cookies, they have breads and pizza dough. Their booth was eye catching and they had samples of everything to try: Let it Be...John Lemon cake, Vegan Cowboy cookies, snickerdoodles, and even chocolate crinkle cookies. By this time I was absolutely stuffed, but Tommie is a food soldier - I believe he ate one of everything at the booth. We were sold, these products are amazing. I even mustered up enough gastric space to try the Let it Be...John Lemon cake and I am glad I did. It was delicious!

So where can you buy these products? Well I've already mentioned that Georgetown Market offers their goods. Here are some other places you can purchase their yummies:
-Green BEAN Delivery
-BluMoon Cafe
-Chuck and Birds
-Goose the Market
-Pogue's Run Grocer
-Natural Born Juicers
-Indy Winter Farmer's Market

I want to say that they're also going to be selling through Nature's Pharm, but I'm not 100% sure on that so call before you go.

Enjoy!

Mrs. Glee's Gluten Free Foods

I had not heard of Mrs. Glee's before the Gluten Free Living Now Expo. They were at the opposite end of the exhibit hall than we start on so naturally we were stuffed and a little less focused on the products. However, the nice gentleman at the booth did a great job of educating us about the company and their products.

This is another company located in Michigan, but you can purchase their products on line.

These products are decently priced and they are delicious. Using their rigatoni, they created a pasta salad that was wonderful. Also, they had brownies and oatmeal scotties to try. Now these samples got lost at the bottom of our bag and were not found for at least three days. I was saddened when we did find them because I just knew they were going to be dry and tasteless. Boy was I wrong! The brownie was moist and gooey. And the oatmeal scotty, well...I was ready to get in the car and drive to Michigan to pick up more. That is when I remembered that you could order on line!!!!

Check out their website, they've got a great thing going. These were absolutely the best oatmeal scotties I've ever had.

Side note: I wanted to express my delight (again) about the Gluten Free Living Now Expo. This event was above and beyond anything we had hoped. The organizers did an absolutely tremendous job in arranging fabulous companies and groups. Indianapolis has one of the best gluten-free communities I've seen, if not the best. Companies like Mrs. Glee's, and the others we have mentioned are just testament to the high quality of work put into the expo.

Bob's Red Mill

Another company that had a great showing at the expo this year was Bob's Red Mill. I was particularly amazed at how many gluten-free products they offered:

79

That is AWESOME!!!!

I also found their information very useful. They offered a flyer that explained how much xantham gum should be used for gluten-free baking:

cookies: 1/4 tsp per cup of flour

cakes and pancakes: 1/2 tsp per cup of flour

muffins and quick breads: 3/4 tsp per cup of flour

breads: 1 to 1 1/2 tsp per cup of flour

pizza dough: 2 tsp per cup of flour

They were also handing out samples of their GF Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal. I will let you know what Tommie thinks. I really enjoy Bob's products; they're tasty, easy to work with, and reasonably priced. Bob has been a staple of the gluten-free baker's pantry for years and we always keep their products around.

You can find Bob's Red Mill at almost all grocery stores so pick some up, you'll be glad you did.

Mim's Kitchen

The first thing that caught my eye about this booth at the Gluten Free Living Now Expo; the advertising. I can't tell you what name brand 'gluteny' company Mim's advertising reminds me of, but it reminds me of one of those big companies. So much so that I looked at Tommie and said, "hey what is that company - I can't believe they've actually made a gluten-free cookie". He of course was picking up what I was putting down and we headed straight to the booth. Even though he and I were on the same wavelength, that thought didn't carry much weight - we were both wrong.

Mim's is not Toll House or Nestle, or any other big company. It is a mom (or a 'Mim' in this case) who wanted a better cookie for herself and her family. In pursuit for that cookie, she has made a wonderful discovery. Mim's product is a frozen preformed dough, you simply pop it in the oven and you're done!!!!

This is crazy, I never thought we'd see this day. I remember when Tommie was diagnosed (yes yes, he had to walk up hill in the snow both ways) and there wasn't anything like this. We had to mix flours and starches just to get an 'ok' loaf of bread and forget cookies - they weren't even a priority. Things have been getting better, we can eat out a lot more and grocery shopping is quick and mostly painless. And now...well now, we can simply pop in Mim's cookies and await that scent of yumminess. Did I mention they taste wonderful?? Oh yes, they're quite delicious and the texture is fabulous. I would argue that if I served these at a party, no one would know they were gluten-free.

So hats off to Mim, bravo!!! Her cookies come in six great flavors (sugar is the best, but I'm bias): chocolate chocolate chip, sugar, chocolate chip, peanut butter chocolate chip, white chocolate macadamia nut, and ginger.

Now Mim's Kitchen is located in Indiana, PA, but there are a few stores in Indiana that offer her products. Check out her website for more details.

Bittersweet Bakery

As we continue to unload the massive bag of swag we were given at the Gluten Free Living Now Expo, I was reminded that we need to start posting. So I shall begin with the Bittersweet Bakery.

Let me start off with the bad news,...they're located in Eagan, MN. However, it is my understanding that they're looking to break through the Indianapolis market. If that is true, I'm sure Nature's Pharm will be one of the first stores to offer the product.

Sidenote: Nature's Pharm has done an AMAZING job of supplying gluten-free products at reasonable prices. They make Castleton worth the drive.

Anywho...their gingersnap cookies are DEVINE!!!! Therefore I don't feel bad at all when I confess that I ate both of the gingersnaps Tommie and I were given. I know, I know, I'm a terrible wife. We did a great job of 'trick-or-treating' (you know, "I'll trade you a chocolate chip cookie for a gingersnap") and sharing the goods with each other. However, after I ate the first gingersnap, I cautiously grabbed the other one and snuck it under my pile of treats. If it makes you feel better, I couldn't handle the guilt and I told him (after I ate the second cookie).

I am very excited to see if this company starts offering mail order options or if they can break through the market here. I will be first in line to try their long list of other options (pizza crust, cupcakes, etc.). This is a product, that regardless of the gluten-free aspect, I would still buy for me. That is rare. Usually if I am hungry and want something, I eat the gluteny version (mainly because it is for me and not Tommie, the gluten-free one). That being said, this product beats out all other competitors, gluteny or not.

Curly's sauceless pulled chicken

I really enjoyed this product. I was looking forward to mixing in some Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce to see how it turned out. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any in the house. I was panicking since I’d put the chicken in the microwave already. That’s when I noticed the jar of salsa in the fridge. I mixed some in, and came out with excellent Enchilada Chicken, as I called it. It tasted like the chicken filling you get at a Mexican restaurant in their burritos or enchiladas. I would like to try this product again, only this time with BBQ sauce. Of course, if all we have is salsa, that’s OK, too.
We found this product at both Kroger and Walmart (in the meat section).

Glow

I was at Angelo's the other day and there they were, right as I entered. An entire display of glow gluten-free cookies.

glow? What is glow? I have never heard of this brand before. The two types they had were chocolate chip and gingersnap. They were only $1 a box so of course I bought one of each. I must admit that these cookies sat in the pantry for a couple of days, mainly because I had purchased a lot of GF items that day (Tommie was overwhelmed), and two probably because we were unsure of what they were going to taste like.

We first cracked open the chocolate chip. They were okay, kind of had a weird after-taste. Of course Tommie liked them and over the next week proceeded to finish off the box. Then on to the gingersnaps. Okay people, you have to LOVE ginger to enjoy these. I am sensitive to ginger and I felt like my someone had just smeared fresh ginger all over my tongue. Again, Tommie liked them and finished off the box by himself.

So there you have it, 50-50. This household is split down the middle as to whether or not the cookies taste okay. That being said, when it comes to gluten-free, Tommie is the person that matters when food is concerned. If he doesn't like it then there is no point in buying it.

This company does have some great mottoes and ethics, I would check out their page and see what else they have to offer. It is definitely worth trying.

Enjoy Life: Crunchy chocolate chip cookies

We have enjoyed Enjoy Life (forgive the alliteration) products ever since Tommie was diagnosed in 2005. Over the years their products have gotten increasingly better, but I must say that the best product so far has to be their crunchy chocolate chip cookies.

I am not much a 'crunchy' cookie gal - I like my cookies gooey or soft. Therefore, when I found these cookies at Angelo's, I bought them for Tommie - not me. When he sat down to eat some I took a cookie thinking "well, it's for the blog". (Insert smile here). Can I tell you that this cookie was A-MAZ-ING?!!!! Needless to say I told Tommie he was going to have to put up the cookies, hide them, and never let me know where they were.

The flavor is fantastic and the texture is wonderful. I would bet some wealthy person's money that if you passed these out at any event, no one would suspect they were gluten-free. They are absolutely wonderful.

Next time you're walking through the GF aisle and you're wondering what sweet treat to buy, stop and place your hands on a box of these yummy cookies and you'll be a happier person for doing so.

Jason's Deli

Tommie and I ate at Jason's Deli a while ago and even though we did a review then, I don't think we did justice to the experience. When we were there, the area was still under construction (we went to the deli up at Keystone) but it was very easy to enter.

Tommie ordered the pollo mexicano AND half a sandwich with warm corn beef and Swiss on Udi's bread. He didn't realize how big the meal was going to be and I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head when the staff delivered our meal.

Here is a quick list of pro's to eating at Jason's:
-family friendly (did I mention the free ice cream?)
-helpful service
-antibiotic free chicken
-potato was better than McAllister's and he was also able to have an option to get a sandwich
-servings are huge
-Tommie's said the corn beef was better than Shapiro's!!!
-beef isn't processed, brought to the store on the bone and sliced in house
-salad bar looked amazing (so did the Beefeater, a huge sandwich that I might get next time)
-prices are reasonable
-have vegetarian options

Only a few suggestions, expect a lot of foot traffic when you get there. The place was packed!!! Ask them to toast the Udi's bread, otherwise your sandwich will turn into meat and cheese with breadcrumbs.

Other than that- great restaurant. It is nice to eat at a deli with my husband and know that he is not having to settle. Go Jason's!

96th St Steakburgers

A couple of weeks ago, I saw on the Gluten Free Indy listserv that 96th Street Steakburgers was offering Udi’s GF buns. I begged and pleaded with Brandie to try it out, and she finally relented. I got a triple steakburger with just cheese on a Udi’s bun, with a large fries and drink. It was awesome. It was like getting all the deliciousness of a Steak ‘n’ Shake burger (on a bun, no less) with Penn Station or 5 Guys fries. I absolutely loved it. Brandie was not as pleased with the French fries, but she does not love potatoes like I love potatoes. It wasn’t too badly priced either. I will have to convince Brandie to head over to the Northeast Indy/Carmel area more often, so we can be near 96th Street Steakburgers.

GF Expo in Carmel

Just wanted to remind everyone that the 'Gluten Free Living Now' Expo is coming up:

October 7-9, 2011 10a-5pm

The Fountains

502 Carmel Drive

Carmel, IN 46032

Admission is free, but they would like for people to RSVP (which you can do on their website, see link below). Ticket purchase is required for lectures and speakers include:
-Dr. Fasano of CFCR
-Alice Blast from NFCA
-Mrs. Alaska 2011
-Pam Cureton, RD, LDN, CFCR
-Dr. Vikki and Rick Petersen, DC, CCN

This should be very exciting, hope everyone can attend.
http://www.glutenfreelivingnow.org/Gluten_Free_Living_EXPO.html

Jovial Foods: Inherently Good

Another one of our finds at Angelo's was jovial cookies. Now I purchased these cookies in Tommie's absence but figured since we're both willing to try new things that we better give this brand a shot. There were two types of cookie at the store: chocolate cream filled and fig fruit filled. Now I should have purchased both, but I knew that Tommie would like the chocolate and not the fig. Of course, I love fig and if I get the chance to purchase them I will do so and let you know how it goes.

We decided to try the cookies before doing any research on the company. The box was quite informative: the product was organic, and a product of Italy. The company's catch phrase is 'inherently good' and so we were ready to taste. The cookies come two to a package, which I loved because they were already portioned and it would be easy to just through a package in a lunchbox or bag. The outside of the cookies are crispy and yummy, but then the best part is the middle - chocolate fudge!!!! Now I absolutely loved these cookies! Tommie however was a little less impressed. There is somewhat of a coffee taste and he despises coffee flat out. Of course I had no problem finishing the small box over the next month.

Now to the company: they want to revive ancient grains and entrust this to local farmers. Their company is much bigger than just gluten-free, but to my surprise their website hosts a lot of gluten-free content. The website is very user-friendly, clean, and makes me want to run downstairs and cook up some pasta. As I was reading through the website I became a little depressed, afraid that I would not find any local vendors, but alas, the Indy and Carmel gluten-free distributors are coming through. You can find jovial products at the following stores:

-Georgetown Market
4375 Georgetown Rd Indianapolis , IN 46254
317-293-9525

-The Fresh Market
5415 N. College Ave. Indianapolis, IN 46220
317.259.9270

-Whole Foods Market
14598 Clay Terrace Blvd Carmel, IN 46032
317-569-1517

-The Fresh Market
2490 East 146th Street Carmel, IN 46033
317.815.1970

-Nature's Pharm: Indianapolis
8215 US Highway 31 South Indianapolis, IN 46227
317-888-0557

I would highly suggest trying the cookies and you better believe that I will be hunting down some of their other gluten-free products!!! I am so excited. http://www.jovialfoods.com/

Angelo's

My grandmother and sister have been telling me of this store called Angelo's for a while now. "Oh they have the best deals, and there are so many gluten-free products." Grandma would buy Tommie some Mrs. Leepers and then some cookies. And slowly we realized that perhaps we should check out the store. One day I ventured to Angelo's with my grandmother and sister to see what all this commotion was about.

When first pulling up to the store, located at College and Georgia, the building didn't seem too impressive and rather small. My grandmother then threw a curve ball, "I hope you brought cash or a checkbook, they don't take debit or credit". Tommie and I are terrible at carrying cash or checks. We pay for everything with our bank card (we like it that way, it goes right out of our checking account and we get points). Luckily I had my checkbook with me and I was ready to shop.

Right as I walked in the door I was surprised by all of the Whole Foods and various brands that we normally pay a good amount of money for. What were they doing here? Why were they so cheap? Why I am standing here and not getting a cart?

Angelo's is a salvage and surplus store and therefore can turn around and sell these products at much lower prices than originally marked. Now that being said, some of the boxes are a little damaged and I wouldn't necessarily buy a box of crackers. There are guidelines they have to follow as to the quality of the products and whether or not they can be sold. There is a freezer section, Tommie and I have not purchased anything mainly because nothing really caught our eyes but my grandmother has and has no complaints about the food.

So what kind of gluten-free products have I found?
-Annie's GF macaroni
-GF Hamburger Helper
-365 (Whole Foods) bread mixes
-Glow
-Think Thin
-Glutino
-Mrs. Leepers
-Lundberg
-Snikkidy
-Enjoy Life
-Jovial
-Bob's Red Mill
-Ian's
-Schar
-Kinnikinnick

Just to mention some off the top of my head. The deals are amazing and there are products that aren't normally found in our regional market - which is AWESOME. Here is the thing about Angelo's: they have tons more gluten-free (and I've just been told, organic) products, they just can't bring them in until they sell what they have. Now Tommie and I have made them a mainstay of our monthly grocery shopping but we wanted to make sure everyone in Indy knew where they were and to check them out if you get a chance. It will be worth your time, promise.

Angelo's does not have a website so here is their information:
Tony Sund & Jenny Jones
201 S. College Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Phone: 317-634-6552
Fax: 317-264-3580
Monday-Friday 8:00-4:00
Saturday 8:00-2:00

Schar lady finger cookies

When sitting down to write this entry I reminded of the Meijer commercial in which a little girl is asked to eat a name brand spinach and she reacts by making a sour face and saying 'yuck'. She is then given a store brand mouthful of spinach and to our amazement she has the same reaction. Well, folks, that is my response to Schar lady fingers.

I must admit that I am not a fan of lady fingers, gluteny or not. I wouldn't pay for them, heck I wouldn't even eat them if they were free and baked by a close friend. I would even argue that if on a deserted island and they were my last means of food, I would try to catch fish before succumbing to the anguish that is lady fingers.

That being said, when Tommie saw Schar lady fingers at Angelo's he really wanted to try them; mainly because he had never had a lady finger. So, of course we bought a box. When he opened them he offered me a bite and so I tried a piece. I know, I know, you're wondering after all of that complaining I did in paragraph two why in the world I would try a lady finger. Well folks, one of two things happens when you try food. 1 - you take a bite and you like it. 2 - you take a bite and you don't like it. Either way, the whole experience is usually over with in a couple of seconds and you know at least know your feelings on a certain item.

So my reaction was much akin to the girl in the Meijer commercial. I looked at Tommie and with a somewhat sour face stated, "yep - taste like a lady finger". That is the best I can do for you with this one. They look, feel, and taste like a lady finger. Perhaps a little bit spongier so if you're going to make tiramisu or some kind of layered mouse or fluff dessert I wouldn't soak them as long, but other then that - they're pretty darn close to the real thing.

Here is the real kicker - if you do like lady fingers and want to buy this product - I'm not sure where you could get it. The Indianapolis market doesn't have a lot of Schar products and because Angelo's market reaches much farther than our own, that is where they found it. You could always call up Angelo's and see if they have more in stock and of course there is the Schar website which can give you answers on locations nearest you: www.schar.com

Hey there...

So summer has been busy. I started a new job downtown at University Hospital, we drove through the south (about 3500 miles), Tommie was in summer school and now we've settled in to somewhat of a 'fall semester' routine.

Now that I only have work (school is done for at least 2-3 more years!!! woo hoo!!), I am trying to rekindle relationships with all of my hobbies. I have quite a few posts coming down the pipeline and hopefully they'll be interesting. Look for some of them to start appearing within the week.

Hope all are well, healthy, and happy.

Brandie & Tommie

Willy O's Pizza

Tommie and I were in the Grand Rapids area recently to visit family. We stopped by Marie Catrib's (see earlier posts for review), but the restaurant was packed and the wait was at least an hour. Sadly, we had to find somewhere else to eat. To make things easy for everyone, we ate at Chili's. Tommie was a little sad because he always likes to eat somewhere we can't find back home. Well, luckily we happened to stop for gas in South Haven, Michigan and he remembered that there was a GF pizza restaurant in the town.

The employee at the gas station knew the place when asked and was happy to inform us that we were just 2 minutes from the restaurant known as Willy O's.

When we first arrived to the tiny restaurant I was sure that this was going to be another 'frozen GF' crust that was mediocre at best. Wow!! How very wrong I was. First things first, order your food. We ordered some bean and cheese dip with chips for an appetizer and of course we ordered a GF pizza.
Second, we walked around and read the numerous newspaper articles plastered on the walls. Come to find out, Willy is no small restaurant owner, but a world renowned pizza guru! He won at the International Pizza Challenge in Las Vegas in the 'non traditional' category. That's right folks - his GF pizza is certified fabulous.

As a matter of fact, Willy (or his son) will make your pizza to order, it is not frozen. The wait is worth it, the staff (which is all family) are wonderfully nice, and the overall experience will make you wondering why you hadn't heard of South Haven, Michigan before.

Tommie's review: the best GF pizza he has eaten in the United States. Willy O's has something special going on and you have to try it.

You can find Willy O's (Willy Olund) on facebook, or just google the restaurant and read any of the numerous positive reviews.

Yats

One night when Brandie picked me up from work, we wanted to grab a bite to eat before we went to a bonfire with some of her work buddies. I work downtown, and we were trying to think of someplace to go. I remembered that Yats offered GF options, so I gave the one on Mass Avenue a call. The person with whom I spoke on the phone was very helpful with letting me know that the GF options for that night were Red Beans with Sausage and White Chili with Chicken.

They had me at Red Beans with Sausage.

We went to Yats, and when I spoke with the person behind the counter about being GF, he told me that they have a few options, and he wrote a list for me (which I’ll include at the end of this entry). I immediately ordered the Red Beans, while Brandie got the Chili Cheese Etouffee w/ Crawfish. It was delicious.

Brandie and I will be returning, and I want to try the White Chili with Chicken next. I was a big fan of Cajun food before I went GF, and thanks to places like Yats and Papa Roux, I still remain one to this day.
Here are Yats’ GF options (although only the Red Beans and White Chili are consistently available):
* Jambalaya
* White Chili w/ Chicken
* Red Beans w/ Sausage
* Hunter’s Stew
* Pazole Stew
* Vegan White Chili
*Succottash

What made Yats even better? The serving sizes are huge and the price is low. Plus, if you're an WFYI member and receive the yearly membership card, Yats always offers 2-for-1 deals.

Between Yats and Papa Roux - Naptown has Cajun on lock!!!!