Giveaway: Better Batter

I've almost driven myself to madness in the last few weeks experimenting with different gluten free flours in recipes. It's amazing how differently they work together, and I've found out the hard way, they are definitely not interchangeable. In the last month I've purchased all of these:

garbanzo bean flour

certified GF oat flour

brown rice flour

glutinous rice flour

sorghum flour

Bob's Red Mill GF flour blend

tapioca flour

almond flour

and i'm afraid there are more hiding somewhere in my freezer

I've got a flour garden, a serious credit card bill, and I STILL seem to need millet. I'm seeing so many recipes calling for millet. Sometimes, I just want to bypass the flour blends and use a good old mix like those gluten folks get to use. That's where Better Batter comes in. Better Batter's been around for a while, but because it's not widely available in stores, people seem not to know about it. I heard about it first on Heidi's site. I was searching for a way to make gluten free chewy pigs in a blanket, which is a Christmas tradition in our family, and Better Batter appeared to be my only hope.

The folks over at Better Batter were kind enough to send me out some samples, which I tried and loved. I tried all 3 mixes (flour blend, brownie, and biscuit/pancake) thanks to their generosity. My gluten eating husband declared their biscuit mix to create the most Bisquick like GF biscuits he'd ever had, even more so that GF Bisquick! With the flour blend, I dove into the cinnamon roll recipe from Better Batter's site and displayed on Heidi's page above, and it was quite the recipe! It was my first experience with yeast, and I can joyfully say I was shocked at how much it enhanced the dough. The rolls were chewy and delicious. I used palm sugar and made a glaze with cream cheese & agave. You'd never know you were missing the came sugar. I have one more batch of dough in the freezer I can't wait to defrost next weekend for breakfast.

The only drawbacks for Better Batter that I see are that I have to purchase the mixes online, and that there is sugar added to the brownie and biscuit mixes. As you know, I am not eating cane sugar, and so I'd prefer to have a mix without added sugar so I could add an alternative. That's one reason I'm giving away my last box of the Better Batter gluten free brownie mix. All you need to do to be eligible to win is to like my facebook fan page. That's it! And of course feel free to participate in a discussion or add a suggestion of a place I should eat while you're there. I'll pick a winner from one of my fans next week.

More Better Batter reviews:

Heidi with Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom - check out her beautiful cinnabon roll clones! I didn't photograph mine because they couldn't touch hers!

A Life of Sugar & Spice

Kim with Gluten Free is Life

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Life's full of changes. Mine has had a few lately.

I've been out of blog touch for a few weeks now focusing on my "real life," also known as work. In order to pursue my passions, I recently decided to leave my career in real estate development and have accepted an offer at HomeAway! I start next week! I'm very excited about this opportunity. HomeAway is a reputable, young and energetic company, so I am looking forward to the change and hopefully growing into a career in social marketing there, a passion I would have never discovered without starting this blog.

Secondly, I lost a dear friend to a tragic accident. A regular Sunday morning changed with one simple phone call as I learned that Lewis had left us in the blink of an eye. His passing was another reminder of how short life can be and how quickly it can change. We need to celebrate the little things in life and be gracious for where we are, even if we are striving for more. Sometimes in our society built on excess, that is hard to remember. Lewis helped inspire me to take my new job and jump into the unknown despite risks involved and having a very good position at my current company. But life cannot be lived with caution all the time. I remembered a favorite quote:

Risk is essential. There is not growth of inspiration in staying within what is safe and comfortable.

And so I leap, and I remain thankful that I have the ability to make such a leap, unlike Lewis. I am thankful I got to marry the love of my life, unlike Lewis. When I sit in rush hour traffic every morning, I try to be thankful that at least I am alive to sit there in gridlock, unlike Lewis. And then there's Japan. Sometimes I think the world will be swallowed up in sadness. When I watch the images of the tsunami damage, it's a challenge not to compare it to something apocalyptic. But all you can do is try to help, and give thanks.

In celebration of life, I'll be posting some giveaways over the next few weeks. The only thing you need to do to win is like me on facebook. Listen, I'm baiting you to go to my facebook page at first, but if you get over there, I think you'll see why. I actually love it, and it's not a regurgitation of my blog whatsoever. It's something entirely different. I discuss and share much more information than I care to share on the blog. I recently fostered a discussion about restaurants that have poor cross contamination policies, and we all named names. I also post medical articles that interest me, other folks giveaways & take requests of restaurants where you want to see me dine! So for your chance at winning a copy of Blackbird Bakery's cookbook (personally dedicated to you by Karen), The Happy Herbivore cookbook and Better Batter Brownie mix, like me. I'll pick winners from there each time I announce a give away here. Go on, go. I'm likeable I swear!

Gluten Free Pizza Fest: Review of Austin's Pizza

More pizza! My husband makes fun of me for how much I love & eat pizza. I can't help it. It's a gluten free replacement food I cannot give up. Austin's Pizza, a local pizza chain with a gluten crust I used to love back before I was diagnosed, uses Gluten Free Kneads (first discussed here) for their crust. And the beauty of this is...they deliver! Gluten free pizza delivered to your door. I never thought I'd see the day. Unlike Brick Oven's variation, the pizza dough comes out a little softer I presume due to not being cooked in a wood fired brick oven. I also think the sauce is a little less flavorful but the cheese is thicker and "cheesier," which I like.

Please note, as with Brick Oven, I imagine cross contamination is an issue at Austin's Pizza. I will work in the coming weeks to update these posts with cross contamination policies. You should ask questions before you order.

This post is part of Gluten Free Pizza Fest over at ATX Gluten Free. Click on over to her page to read pizza recipes and RSVP for the Pizza Fest celebration on February 24th at Parkside. There will be door prizes, giveaways, and wide variety of pizza's cooked by talented Parkside chef Shawn Cirkiel! Join us!

Gluten Free Pizza Fest: Review of Brick Oven Pizza

Italian food is normally a four letter word in a gluten free household. Lately though, gluten free pizzas have become pretty accessible. They are available in a lot of "gluten" restaurants around Austin including:

Austin's Pizza

Brick Oven on 35th

The Brick Oven (chain)

Craigo's

The Grove

Milto's

Red House Pizza

Promise Pizza

Most of these chains source GF crusts from local company Gluten Free Kneads, one of the sponsors of Gluten Free Pizza Fest. Craigo's is the exception I know of here. The crust is thicker and more doughy. I really like it. I'll try to review it next week. Brick Oven on 35th (not associated with the chain) is probably my favorite of all the options in town. The restaurant serves up a large and varied gluten free menu including pasta, meatballs and sandwiches. It's fantastic to dine there and have choices, and it's one of Austin's most beloved gluten free friendly eateries.

Because most places use the same crust, it really gives the sauce & cheese a chance to shine (or not). The wood fired brick oven gives the pizza at Brick Oven on 35th a great subtly smoky flavor. Note the slightly charred crust edges. The sauce and cheese are also super flavorful, moreso than the others in town I've tried. My husband is a fan of their "regular" pizza for that reason. The gluten free crust is thin and is a nice combo of crispy and chewy. You can add toppings, but note that a plain GF pizza is about $12 and feeds one hungry Gluten Girl.

One thing to note is I did not consult with each restaurant about their policies to prevent cross contamination. The chance to cross contaminate at a pizza place where they make gluten dough is obviously an issue. Please be sure to ask before you order.

This post is a part of Gluten Free Pizza Fest over at ATX Gluten free. Click on over to her page to read daily recipes and learn about the pizza party being thrown to celebrate the Pizza Fest on February 24th. All pizza will be cooked by Shawn Cirkiel of Parkside, which we all know is one of my fave restaurants in town. Come join us!

What to Eat at Luke (San Antonio)

It's been a while, but hopefully you have some clue why. As you can see if you've been with me for a while, this gluten girl has been busy...like these guys. I've been gussying up the place with the helpful of the lovely & talented Erin. She also helped me migrate to my own domain, so you'll notice the blogspot is gone from my web address. It's the little things that excite me!

Over Christmas, I traveled to San Antonio with the inlaws. I somehow conned them into taking us all to Luke, Chef John Besh's new Lone Star state restaurant! Of course, they were excited about it too and kindly indulged my desire to try it out. All of us food lovers in Austin had been discussing it since its opening.

At first glance, it was not what I expected...much more casual than I pictured. That was probably my fault. I've not been to the original location in New Orleans, so I can't compare, but with Chef Besh at the helm, I just pictured white table cloths and candlelight. Not here. Luke is located on the riverwalk in the first floor of a hotel. Considering the usual crowd on the riverwalk, he is probably wise to dress it down a bit. It's a more casual laid back feel along the river after all, and there's nothing wrong with that.

I dined on some very fresh tasting and plump gulf shrimp. They were delicious. What was even better was the remoulade. I asked the waiter if they sold it. I'm not kidding. I wanted it to buy a jar or a jug. Speaking of our waiter, he was outstanding. Super friendly, very attentive to my gluten free needs, just what you'd expect at a restaurant headed up by a top chef.

For dinner, I ordered a filet of white fish that was grilled and served with a side of divinely clarified butter. It's been a while since I was offered some clarified butter, and I forgot how it makes just about everything better. The two fish preparations on the menu both include a dusting of flour. Therefore, you'll need to notify your server you need some fish gluten free. They were happy to grill my fish separately for me, and it tasted warm, light and buttery.

My husband had a steak he declared one of the best he'd ever had! I did not ask if this was gluten free, so order at your own peril. There look to be some other gluten free options on the menu including oysters and some salads, like the one below with a poached egg my father-in-law ordered. I really wanted a bite, but it was full of croutons, so be sure to ask for no croutons in your salad.

The dishes were all a bit heavier and less refined than I expected but nonetheless tasty. Particularly when you consider what else is available on the riverwalk, Luke is a great option for lunch or dinner if you're a seafood lover. It would be great for groups and has ample seating. Eat upstairs if you can, so you can look in the window and watch the kitchen at work.

What to Eat at Trace (W Hotel)

Move over Four Seasons, there's a new hotel in town.

The W Hotel is officially open in Austin, and you're living under some sort of rock if you don't already know that. It's packed pretty consistently with travelers and locals wanting to check it out or be seen. I have to say, it feels like you're in big city while sitting at one of the several seating areas, which all feature a bar or wait service. There are several cozy fireplace as well. We bypassed the masses and headed into the dining room of the hotel eatery Trace.

Named for its desire to trace the origins of the food on your place to their source in the garden, pasture or sea, Trace is to be admired for its commitment to the local food movement and sustainability. I was pleased to see many locally farmed meats, cheeses and veggies on the menu even all the way down to condiments from Confituras! Yay Stephanie!

We began with the charcuterie, which was beautifully plated. It was the highlight of the night for me. I spotted Salt & Time chorizo on the board, another local favorite. The rillette and pate I avoided as both contained gluten. The crackers/bread were served on a separate platter at my request so as to avoid any dangerous crumbs.

My husband dined on the chicken with brussel sprouts and some seasonal root vegetables. This dish was gluten free, but I did not try any. I'd enjoyed a large lunch earlier in the day and accordingly was eating light. He liked the chicken but said it was fairly basic in its flavor profile, and that he had enjoyed better elsewhere. It looks lovely I think.

I dined on the hamachi appetizer, which is gluten free as prepared. Our waiter seemed very knowledgeable and comfortable with a gluten free diner. He mentioned that most of the dishes on the menu were gluten free or could be made so unless obviously otherwise, so there were many other options I could have selected including some salads, beef, quail and trout. The hamachi was light and fresh, but lacked a strong or exciting flavor. Perhaps I am spoiled by Uchi and Uchiko.

All in all, I am thrilled with Trace's commitment to locally sourced products and that there are so many gluten free options. However, as with most new restaurants, I think the chef is going to need some time to really work on developing a unique and exciting menu, particularly at those prices. We have so much good eating here now, something to be excited about, but it means the new guys have a lot to live up to. Trace left all of us feeling as if we wouldn't return just yet. One other issue for me personally is that Trace does not really have that feel of the Austin we all know so well. The decor is pretty, but it also feels a tad like Dallas or Vegas, a look that doesn't tend to do well here. I like upscale, but Austin's upscale is a bit more comfortable, and it's an aesthetic I love, and that many places get right. I think with a few tweaks Trace could get there, but I am curious if they will. The cheesy techno playing at our 6:30pm weekday dinner was not a good start.

I look forward to seeing how the new guy will fit in here. Stop by and welcome him. Then let me know what you think. I don't pretend I'm a food critic people, just a gluten intolerant girl who loves to eat out, and in that vein, Trace is a success.

Wendy's Winner!

Ok I've been lazy and haven't picked a winner for the Wendy's gift certificate or done my Better Batter give away. The holidays are so busy (read: exhausting), so my apologies. I used Random.org, and the winner is Liz! Congrats, Liz. I've emailed you. Please get in touch with me within 48 hours, or I'll pick a new winner.

Congrats! More posts coming later this week and next on Luke (in San Antonio) and Trace (at the new W Hotel).

Wendy's new fries & giveaway!

As part of the Tastemaker program at Foodbuzz, I was sent a Wendy's giftcard to try out their new hand cut, skin on, sea salted fries. I've been offered other goodies before through the Tastemaker program, but this was the first time I've accepted one. Why? Because Wendy's is basically the only fast food restaurant chain I trust with gluten free options. And while we all like to avoid fast food as much as possible, sometimes you just gotta eat it, like on quick lunch breaks or road trips. If I'm driving through some small town, I actually enjoy seeing a Wendy's because at least I know they have some safe options, which is better than chancing it at some random spot.The beauty of fries at fast food places is that a lot of times they have a dedicated fryer, so that eliminates some cross contamination risk. You should confirm that of course wherever you're ordering fries from does. Now McDonalds still puts gluten in their fries regardless, so avoid those. In fact McDs adds gluten to just about everything - it really is remarkable in the worst way possible. But as long as your Wendy's has a separated fryer, you should be able safely eat their fries. Wendy's just launched "new" fries with the skin still on and using sea salt. I tried them today, and they are good if you like fries. They don't taste much different than before really, but they are saltier, which this saltaholic likes. They are also a bit pricier, with a small costing approximately $1.50. Sea salt probably makes them a tad better for you, but they are by no means healthy of course. A small serving has 320 calories & 15g fat with 3 being saturated. That being said, you could do a LOT worse eating there (a baconator double is over a 1000 cals).

If fries aren't your thing, Wendy's does post a list of gluten free items, and it includes baked potatoes, the chili, some salads, and more. Note that it does not include fries for the very reason I stated above: some restaurants do not have dedicated french fry fryers.

Do you want to try out the fries for yourself? Foodbuzz gave me an extra $10 giftcard to give away. Subscribe to my blog via email or RSS feed & leave me a comment saying you did so, and I'll choose a winner at random next week. If you hate my blog, you can always unsubscribe. :)

Stay tuned. I'll have a Better Batter giveaway before the end of 2010!

A preview of Backspace

Backspace is just what the name suggests, a little cozy nook of a restaurant nestled in the space behind Parkside. Chef Shawn Cirkiel, of both ventures, is diving into the world of brick oven pizza with his newest eatery. The menu features sourdough pizzas, antipasti, salad and dessert.

Antipasti

Pizza (gluten filled)

Now why is a gluten free girl covering a pizza place you might ask? Well I love everything Chef Cirkiel touches. We had our rehearsal dinner at Parkside, and I love the food and atmosphere he creates in his restaurants. In addition, I'd heard rumblings of a gluten free crust sometime in the future, so I had to get the scoop on that. Here is the run down.

• The restaurant is going to attempt a good, handmade gluten free sourdough crust. This would be the first place in Austin that I know of making their own gluten free crust.
• There are several gluten intolerant staff at Parkside, so the team at Backspace is familiar with gluten intolerance, and they realize the need to avoid cross contamination.
• If a gluten free crust does come together, it will likely be offered on only one night a week so as to protect from cross contamination issues like shared knives.

I will keep you updated of course. If you end up at Backspace with gluten eating friends, there are still options for us GF folk on the menu. Much of the antipasti is gluten free. I did not get to sample all of it, but I did try the potatoes, romaine salad, cardoons, olives, and charcuterie & cheeses, all of which were gluten free. There are other choices as well, including a GF dessert, so please ask your server when you get there.

Other interesting tidbits:

• The brick facade of the oven was built from bricks from an old church
• The oven reaches temperatures upwards of 900 degrees inside, so the pizza only needs 90 seconds to fully cook. It was amazing to watch.
• My gluten eater friend said this was the best pizza she'd had in all of Austin.

Dinner service begins at the official opening next Thursday 12/16/10. Lunch service will start in March.

Good luck, Chef Cirkiel! I'll be checking in on that GF crust soon!

Don't be afraid to ask

I know there are times in all of our gluten free lives where we order something simple like a salad, so we don't have to ask so many questions of the waiter. It gets exhausting to perform an interrogation before every meal, trust me I know. But I wanted to share a little reminder of why it can pay off just to ask.

This is a trio of sliders from Trio at the Four Seasons Austin. The FSA has a large gluten free menu, but these sliders (apologies for the poor quality blackberry photo) are not on the GF menu. However, I know Trio is known for excellent service, as I have experienced many times there, and I know they now carry Udi's gluten free bread. I asked my waiter if it would be possible to get the sliders made with Udi's. I offered to pay extra if needed. The waiter asked the kitchen and returned to let me know the chef would be happy to make this modification. I was excited. I assumed they'd just cut down the bread a little to fit the small patties, but as you can see from the photo, they even cut the Udi's into little circles and toasted and buttered the resulting buns! They were delicious, and I was so glad I asked. So next time you really want something that maybe at first glance doesn't seem gluten free, don't be afraid to ask the kitchen if they can make modifications. It might pay off times three!

One quick note: this gluten girl's site is undergoing a little re-design and migrating to its own domain soon. So if you see some changes, hopefully you'll like them! I'll post more details soon. I hope you had a gluten free & happy Thanksgiving!