gluten free guy biting into his favorite chocolate cupcake!

i use the all purpose flour mix from gluten free pantry for all of my baking. for the favorite chocolate cake/cupcakes i use the recipe form the back of the hershey chocolate box. this recipe makes about 18 regular size cupcakes, 36 mini cupcakes or two 8" round cakes. top with the richest frosting you could find!

out to dinner with the gluten free guy

this is always fun! the drill goes like this: first, even if you have been there before, call ahead to the restaurant. when the manager on duty isn't in yet ask for the chef. after holding for 10 minutes on the phone- make sure you are speaking with the actual person who will be preparing the meal later in the evening. since this guy is new, you will have to go through the whole story from scratch. "no, he is not intolerant to wheat or a celiac, rather he is severely allergic, anaphylactic to be exact. there can't be any 'uh oh's'. are you able to hand cut the fries using a fresh potato, and fry in clean oil which has never been used before? also, please be sure the potatos are cut in a clean place, away from bread and flour. for the burger, is there bread on the grill where the burger will be cooked? if yes, can you please wash a pan and fry the burger in the clean pan- with a clean spatula. does your beef contain any fillers or is it 100% beef? one last thing, may we have a fresh bottle of ketchup which hasn't been opened?"
then we cross our fingers and hope the chef understood the seriousness of our situation.
we live in chicago. a city of more then 9.5 million people. i'm not sure how many celiacs or gluten allergy people live here but obviously not enough to make a difference where the restaurants are concerned. as a family we are regulars at a few amazing places who know our son and they go out of their way to accommodate us. please remember to call ahead and speak directly with the chef or at least the manager who will be on duty at the time you are planning to eat.

Hugos Frog Bar- 312.640.0999 they make hamburgers, steak, bbq chicken, their awesome crispy fries are fried in a dedicated fryer! www.hugosfrogbar.com

Oak Tree-312.751.1988 harvest vegetable soup, hamburgers, their skinny crunchy fries
are fried in a dedicated fryer.

Coco Pazzo-312.836.0900 they will make anything if you call ahead- great grilled vegetables, steak and fries.

steves deli-312.467.6868 they will wash down the cutting station and cut any deli meat or cheese. matthew loves their turkey pastrami! www.stevesdeli.com

dalucianos-708.453.1000 this place is the mecca of gluten free in the chicago lane area. the chef has several children who are celiacs. because of this he created an extensive gluten free menu. the place is divine! my son ordered for the first time off a regular menu when he was 10 years old! they have gluten free pizza, garlic bread, pasta, soup and even desserts! www.dalucianos.com

five guys-773.327.5953 hamburgers and fries only! the only things on the grill here are hamburgers! the fries are hand cut and fried in a dedicated fryer! mmmmmmm www.fiveguys.com
note: peanut allergies beware...the place has whole peanuts all over the place...they kind of decorate the floor.

birthday party treats of the gluten free guy

any mother (parent) of a food allergic child feels a tinge of anxiety when birthday party invitations come in the mail. in addition to finding an appropriate gift last minute, food allergy mothers have to be prepared for the mandatory pizza, cake and goodie bag. in addition we have to be ready at a moments notice with pop-up school treats, snacks and other annoying food related issues.

favorite lunch of the gluten free guy...ALL TIME favorite!

We have had a difficult time finding corn tortilla chips which are considered to be gluten free. Two of the gluten-free guy's severe allergic reactions were from eating tainted corn tortilla chips. After months of research, we found Green Mountain Gringo tortilla chips. In the Chicago area, they can be found at Whole foods and Treasure Island stores.

A staple in the diet of the gluten -free guy is crunchy chicken! My friend, Beth shared her family recipe with me.

-Chicken breasts, cut into strips, season with olive oil, Lawry's salt, 2 cloves minced garlic and oregano.
-Toss the seasoned chicken into seasoned gluten-free corn flake crumbs (i use oregano and lawry's salt)
-Bake 17 minutes in a 360 oven ( i use a convection oven) if you do not use convection, try baking at 360 for 20-22 minutes.
-Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Chicken should be golden and very crunchy!
-Best eaten while warm...doesn't taste so great the next day or cold from the refrigerator!

favorite decorated cookies of the gluten free guy! get ready for the sugar rush....

I use Glutenfree pantry Sugar Cookies Mix to make the BEST sugar cookies! Add a Tablespoon brown sugar and go to town. These last 5-6 days in a sealed container.

poptarts, etc.....

I make these poptarts using glutenfree pantry's sugar cookie mix. They are time consuming...but a labor of love (or the labor of a masochist!) after the dough is rolled out (between two pieces of parchment paper) i use a square shaped cookie cutter and fill the popatarts with either raspberry preserves or melted chocolate. This kid is a chocolate lover....he doesn't really like the jam filled! Once he bit into a jam filled poptart and the screams could be heard for miles...
this cookie dough is very versatile. i make hamentashen, mini croissants and pin wheel cookies all using the same sugar cookie mix.

foccaccia with garlic, rosemary and balsamic glaze...mmmmmm!

Soft and gooey chocolate chip cookies...just like mom used to make (if she were a good baker!)

These cookies are like the "real" thing! warm and gooey...especially right from the oven. Eat the dough by the spoonful (not too much though because of the raw egg thing!)
wheat free/gluten free

I follow the tollhouse recipe, exactly... substituting the all purpose flour mix from Whole Foods as the flour and .....fresh from the oven ...DIVINE!!!!! These freeze well and make great ice cream sandwiches!

Two pastas!

Gluten-free spaghetti with fresh made tomato sauce and gluten-free penne with olive oil, garlic and pepperincino!

There is a restaurant called Da Luciano in Chicago which specializes in gluten-free Italian food! The chef/owner has several children who are Celiacs. Because of this, he decided to try his magic with gluten free.... We first tried Da Luciano's this past summer. This was the first time our 9 year old child was able to sit at a restaurant and order form the menu. It was an emotional experience for us. The waiter actually brought him a menu and he ordered directly from it! Matthew ordered pasta, pizza, garlic bread, minestrone soup, salad with croutons, roast chicken and potatoes and gelato for dessert! It was a fun and delicious dining experience. Think Sopranos meets 1980's traditional Italian Restaurant. Really good, down to earth Italian food! The place gets very crowded, so call ahead and make a reservation.

Family owned and run.

www.dalucinos.com