Gluten free Bisquick

General Mills is awesome. Gluten free bisquick has hit the shelves. I hear it's really tasty. Just bought myself two boxes so we will see! Check out the website [HERE] for all sorts of recipes!

Sambuca

I just got back from a trip to NYC with my good friend Bridget. I was up there for the National Stationery Show but was also able to enjoy the sites and the gluten free goodness the city has to offer. The weather was absolutely beautiful. May is the perfect time to visit.

My favorite restaurant of the entire trip was Sambuca. Located on the upper West side this Italian restaurant was delightful. A gluten free menu accompanied me at my table with out my asking and the first thing the waiter asked was if either my friend and I were gluten free. Upon my answer I was given some delicious gluten free bread. There was so much on the menu it was hard to choose but I went with the cheese ravioli. GREAT choice. It was so good! Afterwards Bridget and I split the gluten free chocolate brownie and icecream. mm!

This place is a must for any gluten free diners in the city!

You'll also notice some photos from Central Park...the restaurant is right across the street.

Location: 20 West 72nd Street

Friedman's

Friedman's is an restaurant located in the super cute Chelsea Market...which was bustling this past Sunday. Check out the website for the Chelsea Market [HERE] it's full of shopping, bakeries, groceries and restaurants. I could have spent all day in there...it seemed to go on and on. Unfortunatly though, I only had time for brunch.

Friedman's serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. I went with eggs, bacon, toast and a potatoe pancake. SO good!! Especially the potatoe pancake! They even had a "Juice of the Day" which was delicious! (I'm a big juice fan) The photo I took of the food didn't come out so you'll just have to trust me. You must stop by this place if you are in the area.

Check out the Friedman's website [HERE]

Location: 5 9th Avenue

I finally got to try Babycakes! Babycakes is a vegan bakery on the lower East side of NYC that has a huge selection of gluten free baked goods.

I was so excited that I had two cupcakes, chocolate and vanilla, two donuts also chocolate and vanilla and a mini brownie. All in one sitting! They didn't quite live up to the hype but they were still very very good! mm mm mmm! My favorite was the mini brownie...with the chocolate cupcake coming in as a close second.

Check out their adorable website [HERE]

Location: 248 Broome Street (Btwn Orchard & Ludlow)

Mozzarelli's

So the last time I was in NYC I tried Risotteria for Pizza...this time I tried Mozzarelli's and next time I'm going to try Pala's. I was impressed with Mozzarelli's. Not only did they have gluten free pizza but they had a whole fridge full of dessert! The above shot only shows four out of the ten or so. The pizza was great. I was too full from Babycakes to try the dessert :-)

Location: 38 E 23rd St New York, NY 10010

Bloom's

I've blogged about Bloom's before. It's a deli in NYC Midtown East. I was staying in a hotel only a few blocks away so I was able to eat there a few times...breakfast twice and a late dinner. Yum! They have a pretty extensive menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. My favorite was the pancakes!

Location: 350 Lexington Ave. Corner of 40th St. Tel: 212.922.3663

Silver Diner

Silver Diner has a gluten free menu. Among their items are gluten-free waffles. Yum! You can check out their website [HERE]

Live Gluten Freely

Everyone should join the Live Gluten Freely newsletter. Lots of great info and updates on gluten free products from General Mills. Also check out this link for product lists by brand.

You can sign up for the newsletter [HERE]

Garlic & Herb Au Gratin Potatoes

This recipe came from the gluten-free magazine Delight. If you've never heard of this magazine, I suggest checking it out [HERE] Not only do they have great recipes, they have tips on dining out gluten free and saving money when it comes to gluten free shopping. They even have a section in every magazine that highlights the gluten free goodness in a particular city. This magazine showcased all that Chattanooga has to offer for us gluties.

These potatoes were pretty great, too!

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4 small Yukon Gold potatoes, washed, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup 1% low fat milk
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 cup low-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon thyme, finely chopped Sea salt, to taste Fresh ground black pepper, to taste Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spray a small baking dish with cooking spray. Wash, dry, and slice potatoes.
3. Place sliced potatoes in microwave-safe dish and cover with damp paper towel; microwave on high for 5 minutes; flip potatoes and heat for additional 5–8 minutes, until potatoes are softened. Remove from microwave and set aside.
4. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until garlic begins to caramelize, about 1 minute.
5. Add milk and cheddar cheese, stir until cheese is melted, remove from heat, and stir in sour cream, chopped scallions, and herbs. Add sea salt and pepper to taste; pour mixture over potatoes and bake for 30 minutes.
6. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Mon Ami Gabi

Happy Easter! and hooray! Mon Ami Gabi has a gluten free menu! Mon Ami Gabi is located in Chicago, Oak Brook, Las Vegas, Bethesda and here at Reston Town Center. Not only did they have a great selection of gluten free items to choose from they also have gluten free bread! I had the steak and frites...it was delicious! Check out the gluten free menu [HERE]

Beef Stroganoff

This was delicious! You can find the recipe [HERE]. Though, I used ground beef instead of chuck roast and left out the mushrooms :-)

Also...I substituted Pamela's Ultimate Baking and Pancake mix for the flour.

Gluten Free from General Mills

A friend directed me to this page at General Mills which has a list of all their gluten free products as well as recipes for the Holidays! Check it out [HERE]

Chocolate Cupcakes

It's been a long time since I've posted anything on here...but I thought this warranted a post. Today at my work we had a cupcake competition..."The Ultimate Cupcake Warrior" We literally had over 100 cupcakes! This was my first attempt at a new chocolate cupcake recipe and it was really good...the cupcakes were moist and fluffy! Check out the pics of my cupcakes, the other entries, and the judges deliberating! I didn't win...but I was the only gluten free one...at least mine were unique! :-)

I used Martha Stewarts Snowman Cupcake idea, which you can find [HERE] and below is the chocolate cupcake recipe, enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1 package Bob's Red Mill gluten-free chocolate cake mix
2/3 cup applesauce (you can make you own, if you wish)
1/3 cup milk (this works with soy or rice milk too)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (apple cider vinegar works too)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup hot water (110°)
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preparing for baking. Preheat the oven to 350°. Bring all the ingredients to room temperature. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners.

2. Making the batter. In the bowl of the stand mixer, start beating the butter until it is creamy. Add the cake mix, the applesauce, the milk, the lemon juice, and the eggs. Beat at low speed for 30 seconds, scraping down the sides when necessary. Raise the speed to low-medium and let it run for another moment. Add the hot water and the vanilla extract. Run the mixer for one more minute, scraping down the sides.

3. Baking the cupcakes. Carefully spoon the cupcake batter into the prepared muffin tins. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the cupcakes. (In our oven, the regular-sized cupcakes took 17 minutes, the jumbo ones 20 minutes.) Allow them to cool in the cupcake tin for 10 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack and let them sit for another 20 minutes before eating.

Cookie Dough Icecream!

I've found myself very busy after graduation but I had to post about this find. Gluten free cookie dough icecream...how fun! This might be old news but this is the first time I've seen it. It's by a brand called Turtle Mountain–Purely Decadent, and they are also dairy free! You can check out their website [HERE]

I graduated!

Well, I haven't blogged in over a month! I've been busy trying to graduate, and I finally have! Here are some photos from my portfolio show and graduation.

Also, check out my new website: www.katiedierkes.com

Lemon Chicken

This was really tasty! I used skinless chicken breast even though the recipe calls for chicken parts with skin. It was good this way too!

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs chicken parts (thighs and legs recommended), skin-on, bone-in, trimmed of excess fat.
2 Tbsp lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp fresh chopped thyme (or teaspoons dried)
1 Tbsp fresh chopped rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2-3 Tbsp melted butter
Lemon slices for garnish

Directions:

1. Place lemon juice, lemon peel, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper in a small bowl, whisk to combine. With the tip of a sharp knife, cut into each chicken piece one or two times by about 1/2 an inch. Place the chicken pieces and the marinade in a gallon-sized freezer bag. Rotate the bag so that all the chicken pieces are coated with the marinade. Seal the bag and place in a bowl in the refrigerator. Let marinate for at least 2 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 425. Remove chicken from marinade and place in a single layer in a large baking dish, skin side up. Reserve the marinade. Use a pastry brush to brush a little melted butter on to each piece of chicken.

3. Bake for a total of 50-55 minutes, until the skins are crispy brown and the chicken is cooked through, juices running clear. (Because I used skinless chicken breast mine was done in about 30 minutes) Halfway through the baking, baste the chicken pieces generously with reserved marinade. Let rest, covered in foil, for 10 minutes before serving.

4. Pour the juices from the pan into a serving bowl. Serve the chicken with the juices on the side or a little poured over the top of the chicken.

Home Fries

These were yummy!! I found the recipe at allrecipes.com, you can either click [HERE] or see below!

Ingredients:

4 large Yukon Gold Potatoes
6 tablespoons butter
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and chop.

2. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, green bell pepper and garlic, and cook until tender, 5-10 minutes.

3. Mix potatoes and remaining butter into the saucepan. Season with paprika, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until well mixed and tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Cover while cooking if moist potatoes are preferred.

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Mixes

I got an email from my cousin with a photo of her with three gluten free Betty Crocker mixes! I can not wait to try these! Looks like I'll be able to really soon! yay!

Check out more info [HERE]

Go Picnic

I got this Go Picnic at the Gluten Free Cooking Spree the other night. It's pretty neat! Not only is it gluten free, it is also casein free, vegetarian and halal. Go Picnic comes in all different varieties but this one in particular was the Safari Munch and came with chips, salsa, strawberry applesauce, cookies, some other little snackies and even a hand wipe and a temporary tattoo!

You can check out other varieties [HERE]

I really liked the convenience of it! The chips and salsa were my fav! Although, the cookies and temporary tattoo were a close second :-)

The G-Free Diet

Elizabeth Hasselbeck, one of the hosts of The View who also has celiac disease has been out promoting her new book The G-Free Diet. I have so many books on celiac and the gluten free diet, but I might have to get this one too! Click [HERE] to see her promoting the book on ABC's Good Morning America.

Starbucks Valencia Orange Cake

Starting tomorrow Starbucks will offer a gluten free pastry and I got a chance to try the Valencia Orange Cake at the Gluten Free Cooking Spree I went to in Bethesda this past Friday. It was yummy, not dry at all! Check out your local Starbucks tomorrow for a taste!

Gluten Free Cooking Spree

This Friday I went to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness Gluten Free Cooking Spree in Bethesda, Maryland. I've never been to this event before but it was pretty awesome!

The event is held to raise awareness of celiac disease and gives us gluties a chance to eat some yummy gluten free food! Top chefs, doctors and reporters were put on teams of three which included one chef, one doctor and one reporter and each team worked to create the best gluten-free dish.

There were 9 teams with chefs from different restaurants in the DC area which included, Wildfire Restaurant, Jaleo, Zengo, Pete's New HAven Style Apizza, Peacock Grand Cafe, Lilit Cafe, Hyatt Regency Bethesda, Sweet Sin and Legal Sea Foods.

Each of these teams came up with yummy dishes like...bacon wrapped scallops, pizza, crab cakes, lamb chops and paella!

There were also several doctors present that gave some really interesting presentations. Did you know that celiac disease is diagnosed in 1 in 4 people in Australia? We are way behind in the US and the amount of time between onset of symptoms and diagnosis is 9+ years in the US! Hopefully with more events like this, that will change.

I had a great time! I also got to take home a bunch of gluten free products! and I brought my boyfriend so I got two of everything :-) Lucky me!

Grilled Tuscan Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon

This was super delicious. I recommend marinating the chicken overnight, but it's great either way!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary or 1 Tbsp. dried rosemary
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves coarse salt and ground pepper
chicken breasts
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Heat the grill to medium.
2. In a small saucepan, bring 1/3 c. water and the rosemary to a boil; remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 5 minutes.
3. Transfer to a blender. Add the oil and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth; let cool.
4. Combine the chicken and the rosemary oil in a shallow dish or resealable plastic bag, and turn to coat. Cover, and let marinate for at least 15 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator, turning the chicken occasionally.
5. Remove the chicken from the marinade; place on the grill. Discard the marinade. Cook, basting frequently with the lemon juice and turning as needed to prevent burning, until cooked throughout, 20-30 minutes.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found the recipe for these cookies on Madison Paper's Blog. They are soooo yummy! I snapped a picture from my phone so they don't look nearly as good as they taste!

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
9 oz. GF chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream together all ingredients except the chocolate chips. Add chocolate chips.
3. Roll the cookies into medium sized balls on a greased cookie sheet. Flatten with fork.
4. Bake 9-10 minutes. Cool about 10 minutes before removing from cookie sheet.
5. Enjoy!

Coastal Flats

Last night I had dinner and a movie with my two girlfriends. We enjoyed a lovely dinner at Coastal Flats, located in Tysons Corner Mall in Mclean, VA. We had super great service and they even offered a gluten-free menu! I had a grilled chicken breast and some very yummy mashed potatoes (not pictured).

After dinner we headed to Monsters vs. Aliens 3D, it was awesome!

Check out Coastal Flats [HERE] They also have a location in the Fairfax area.