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June 2013

Photo courtesy of Pelican Hill Our family recently visited Southern California to visit my father for Father’s Day. When planning which “gluten free friendly” restaurants to dine at, we wanted to visit some “old favorites” as well try some new restaurants that had come highly recommended. One of those was the Pelican Grill at the incomparable Pelican Hill Resort, which was rated by Conde Naste Traveler as the World's Top-Rated Golf Resort in 2012. And it's no surprise...The Resort at Pelican Hill is hard to beat when it comes to beauty. In fact, when living in San Francisco years ago, my husband and I had the opportunity to attend the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. If given the choice of where to play, I’d choose Pelican Hill. It’s that spectacular (although perhaps some avid golfers may have their own preferences!). Since we were dining with a group including children as well as adults, we opted for the Pelican Grill, as opposed to Andrea, the resort’s more formal signature restaurant, which offers a seasonal selection of hand-made, gluten-free pastas. Don’t get me wrong…Pelican Grill is still quite formal (for California, that is – there’s no jacket required) and the surroundings and... Read more →


It's back by popular demand. Yes, if you missed one of the last two Gluten Free Culinary Getaways sponsored by Jovial Foods, now is your chance. Once again, this maker of gluten free Italian pasta, olive oil, sauces, and cookies is hosting a week-long culinary getaway in the Tuscan town of Lucca, Italy from September 7-14, 2013. You'll learn the secrets of gluten free Italian cooking as "Gluten Free Girl" Shauna James Ahern and her husband Daniel Ahern (a.k.a. "The Chef") demonstrate their knowledge and skills in the kitchen. Three hands-on demonstrations will be followed by wonderful gluten free meals, and both a Welcome and Farewell Dinner are also included. Best of all, Jovial Foods will award one lucky winner a free trip for two to attend this fabulous GF Getaway in Tuscany! And it couldn't be easier to enter...just visit their Facebook page to learn more. The contest is open through July 15, 2013. This is a perfect opportunity to combine a vacation to one of the most beautiful areas of the world with an education in gluten free cooking. Whether you're new to the gluten free diet or have been following if for years, you're sure to pick... Read more →


Do you like KIND snack bars as much as our family does? Gluten free or not, I think they are hands-down some of the best snack bars on the market. In fact, I published a Blog post not too long ago about their different types of bars -- all of which are incredibly delicious. I love their wide range of flavors, and they keep introducing NEW ones all the time. Hitting stores this week are two new varieties from their popular Nuts & Spices line of bars, which is their line of naturally low sugar bars (5 g or less per bar). One of the new flavors is Maple Glazed Pecan and Sea Salt, a sweet and salty combination of pecans, almonds, and peanuts covered in maple syrup with a touch of sea salt. It contains 5 g of fiber and 6 g of protein. The other new variety -- for all you advernturous chocoholics -- is Dark Chocolate Chili Almond, a sweet and spicy blend of mixed nuts drizzled in chocolate with a trio of cascabel, ancho, and habanero chilies. It provides 7 g of fiber and 6 g of protein -- all with only 5 g of sugar.... Read more →


This month, our gluten free college blogger Julie Bourne shares tips on navigating the college social scene while maintaining a gluten free diet. You can read her past posts on this Blog as well as follow her on her own Blog, The Campus Celiac. While the primary point of going to college is to learn, receive a degree, and land a great job, I have found college to also be an invaluable time for getting my introverted self out of my shell. Socializing is a major component of the full college experience -- a positive thing but also something that can induce some level of anxiety for those with severe gluten allergies. Social activities like going out to the bars, eating dinner at a restaurant with friends, and dating can all bring some level of stress when gluten needs to be considered. However, this stress can be remedied with some simple know-how and preparation. As a recently turned 21-year-old, going out to the bars and deciphering the extensive menu of fancy drinks is a pretty new thing for me. I have generally found that the less complicated the drink is, the stronger the likelihood that it is gluten free. Ordering... Read more →


One of the first times I visited my husband's family back when we were dating, my mother-in-law made a fantastic grilled butterflied leg of lamb for dinner. Although I'd always liked lamb, I really had never made it myself. I loved how it tasted -- the marinade was wonderful -- so I asked her for the recipe. I made it many times in the years that followed, before our son's diagnosis with Celiac Disease. Then afterward, I just tailored the recipe to make it gluten free. The only "substitution," per se, was swapping out the traditional soy sauce for gluten free soy sauce. It's been a while since I made it, but after buying lamb kebab meat last week, I dug out the recipe, and it was perfect for that as well. Whether you use a leg of lamb (get it butterflied for easier, more uniform grilling) or kebab meat, this recipe makes a great main course for summer entertaining. The longer you marinate the meat, the better it is! Ingredients: Butterflied leg or lamb or lamb kebab meat 1 cup soy sauce (obviously you'll want to use a gluten free brand like San-J or Joyce Chen) 1 lemon (juiced)... Read more →


Great news! One of our family's favorite restaurants has introduced a gluten free bun for their famous burgers! Glory Days Grill -- our "go to" restaurant for burgers, wings, ribs, and classic "grill" fare -- has long offered a fantastic Gluten Free Menu to its gluten free diners. And it's one of the better and more extensive Gluten Free Menus around. The only thing missing -- really -- was gluten free buns for the burgers. They had wanted to be sure what they offered was top-notch. After trying many brands, they chose -- not surprisingly -- Udi's hamburger buns. So now you can get any of their burgers -- beef, turkey, or chicken -- with a gluten free bun (there's a small upcharge of $.75, but you can also opt to skip the bun). Either way, their burgers are delicious. My personal favorite is a Turkery Burger with Swiss/Mushrooms/Onion, but it's also hard to resist the Bacon Cheddar burger! Our sons almost always order the tender, delectable ribs -- a house speciality and hard to resist. It's so nice to find good ribs that are gluten free. And it's hard to decide between them and the great burgers. But honestly,... Read more →