Look what I just got....

Took this picture on the train on my way into work this morning!  I thought the cake was delicious! It's actually very filling for a fairly small cake. But the flavor and texture are great - it's super moist and the orange flavor isn't overwhelming.

It's not something I would eat every day (pretty high in fat, calories & sugar) but the price is great - only $1.95.

What I love most about this is the fact there is a GF treat to be found almost anywhere. Especially when traveling, this will be awesome - there are usually Starbucks all over the place, and now we will be able to grab something safe to eat wherever we are!

NEBO - Restaurant Review

Hi everyone! I'm sorry for the lack of posting! After Paris work was crazy - then Matt graduated from Law School! Yippee... Now I'm starting to get back into somewhat of a routine, although wedding planning really needs to kick into action as the wedding is in LESS than 3 months.. Ahhh. 

Anyway.... I had the wonderful opportunity to have a night out with some local gluten free girls to try out a restaurant near Boston's North End that has a huge gluten free menu called Nebo.

Let me just tell you right now - this place was FANTASTIC. The whole experience was wonderful. One of the owners, Carla, was there to greet us, and as we sat down she explained to us that someone in her family had celiac which was part of the reason they began offering gluten free dishes... she let us know they had a dedicated part of their kitchen for gluten free including separate refrigerators/freezers - and made sure their staff was well-trained about the gluten free diet.

OK - let me get onto the food... There were so many options on the menu, none of us could make any decisions.... Jenny from Sugar & Spice was with us, so half of the food we got was both gluten free and dairy free!

We started with some gluten free calamari with tartar sauce (contained dairy) and some marinara (dairy free).. YUM. So good - it was lightly fried and just so flavorful.

Carla, our lovely host/owner -- disappeared into the kitchen and personally cooked up a wonderful eggplant parmigiana that was gluten free (this one wasn't dairy free, Jen stuck to the calamari). WOW - Eggplant Parm was one of my most favorite things to eat before going gluten free. It was so great to have a real, authentic tasting eggplant dish that tasted just like I remembered.

For our main courses we decided on trying two pizzas and two pastas for the four of us to split. We did a GF/DF version of one pasta, and one pizza, then just GF on the other two... begin drooling now:

Pasta 1: Pancetta, sweet onions, spicy tomato sauce (dairy free)

Pasta 2: Broccoli rabe, homemade sausage, pecorino

Pizza 1: Roasted eggplant, onions, mushrooms, zucchini (usually has mozz, we did it DF)

Pizza 2: Arugula, pacchino tomatoes, parmigiano, mozzarella, evoo

It was all so good -- my favorite pizza was the eggplant - even without the cheese - it was so flavorful! The crust was great - I made sure to get a bite without anything on it to make sure it didn't have a weird taste, and it didn't. Carla told us she orders the crust mix from a company in Canada, I think she told me the name, but it's escaping me right now. I'm also forgetting the pasta brand (sorry!) but it was great -- and she mentioned that they are trying to devise the perfect homemade gluten free pasta recipe - exciting! I'll be living there if they get it right!

We did a pretty good job on all the food, and were completely stuffed, but HAD to get the panna cotta for dessert. Holy yum.... it had mango and nuts and tasted just like the panna cotta I used to get in Italy (this one wasn't dairy free, only gluten free). I was so full I decided to get an espresso with my dessert to help digest.

Overall, I didn't think the prices were too bad - it's not a cheap night of pizza and beers, but it's not over-the-top.... All of their prices are listed on the website, the pizzas.

If you're in the Boston area - check them out! Especially if you're going to the TD Bank North Garden to see a game or a show - it's right around the corner!

Oh, and of course, we brought our leftovers home.

Paris

Bonjour tout le monde! I have returned from Paris. WOW - crazy trip! We flew overnight on Thursday night (got some sleep thanks to some pills) had a full day Friday, Saturday & Sunday, then got back on a plane Monday around noon, and I was back at my desk on Tuesday!

We did A TON of walking -- and we covered a lot of the city. It was great. I had been one time before about 10 years ago, but only for a day or so, and I saw the Louvre, Napoleon's Tomb, the Arc, and the Eiffel Tower.

This time - we really wanted to explore the different parts of the city, and maybe see a few tourist sites. We definitely did, but we also spent a lot of time in St. Germain des Pres, the Marais, Montmartre, etc. I LOVED hanging out in the neighborhoods -- St Germain & the Marais were my favorite. 

We did A TON of cafes -- basically every breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner involved sitting in an outdoor cafe taking in the scenery - PERFECTION.

So -- that leads to eating. I've gotta admit - it was a bit hard. I didn't want to go out of my way to find gluten free, I'd much rather have no plan and just eat wherever. Yeah - unfortunately, that doesn't always work out. I think I lost about 4 pounds between all the walking, not eating a few meals, and just not being that hungry due to jet-lag.

As you see from the pic above -- I found my french macaron's in the Marais at an adorable little store. 

Probably my next favorite thing ever --- eating cheese, olives and marshmallows, and drinking wine at a cafe. See here:

UGHH -- that cheese was INCREDIBLE. There are bits of fig on top. And a salad just dressed in fantastic balsamic vinegar and olive oil. We drank a fabulous Cote du Rhone, and they had a little tin of marshmallows on the table that were SO GOOD. I almost ate the whole thing myself. Sadly, I had a pack of gluten free crackers in my suitcase that I forgot about, so I just ate the cheese on it's own.

Every day - I carried around a little ziplock bag of cereal --- which I snacked out of the two mornings I didn't get an omelette.... I just drank my cafe creme, fresh squeezed jus d'orange, and snacked from my purse! I also carried around a little candy bar or two, trail mix, and some crackers. I was glad I brought so much, because I ate most of it.

One night, we stopped outside at this fabulous place we were told to visit called Les Deux Magots (in St. Germain) and had a fantastic cheese place, some delicious Sancerre, AND -- I got my Pierre Herme Macaron!!! IT WAS SO GOOD:

It was rose-petal flavored and absolutely the most amazing thing ever. It was filled with whipped fresh creme and raspberries. Ughh... I'm drooling.  Also - sorry about the pics. They are all whacky colored - I refused to use my flash and draw attention to myself, and we were sitting directly under a heating lamp that was causing the color to look neon.

Sadly, one day I got sick -- and I'm pretty sure I ate something I shouldn't have, but I'm not sure what. It didn't help that I was a tad hungover from over indulging in the Bordeaux, and I was pretty off due to the jet lag -- but I had to visit quite a few french bathrooms that day (sorry tmi)... 

Overall though, it was a FANTASTIC trip - we had such a great time and Paris was gorgeous. I would love to go back and have a little more time, and skip all tourist attractions and just enjoy the city a bit more... Then maybe I could figure out some more food to eat (although, did I mention the Steak Tartare?!  YUM -- it was on every menu there, and I happen to love this dish, but it's not for everyone -- raw steak! -- but it was fantastic, I only had it one night, so delicious)... although I was completely content just snacking on my snacks and taking in the sights! 

LOVE YOU BETTY CROCKER

I wrote about this the other day, but now there is a link & a lovely picture!

PS - Update on Paris coming soon!

Paris-bound - TODAY.

Hello all... I am literally bouncing around in my chair at my office waiting for the clock to JUST MOVE FASTER. It's 12:15 now, and at 3 I'm heading to the airport to go to PARIS. I'll be sure to fill you all in when I get back.

Also - I need to tell you all about the fantastic dining experience we had at NEBO last week! Three gluten free gals and I headed over there for dinner and it was SO AMAZING. I'm working on a massive post, but if you're feeling like it - head to NEBO in Boston this weekend for gluten free pizza, pasta, fried calamari, and Redbridge!

Also -- THANK YOU to Erin at Gluten Free With a Purpose to "Z" Gluten Free From A to Z for giving me the Attitude of Gratitude award! I love that people out there think I'm making lemonade from lemons, and I really do love being able to share all of these great (and not so great) gluten free finds with you all!!

I'm going to pass this on next week, but for now... au revoir! voyez-vous la semaine prochaine!

Best Gluten Free Cupcakes I've ever made

Ahh cupcakes, I didn't realized I missed you so, until I took a bite of one of these. Thanks to the genius that is Better Batter mix - I have created the most delicious cupcake. And it was SO easy. Too easy almost. I want to make more, but I'm afraid it was a fluke and I'll never be able to re-create them. 

Here's the recipe (found it online somewhere, just did a search for regular cupcakes, and substituted):

2 cups gluten free all purpose flour mix (preferably Better Batter)

1.5 cups sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

4 egg whites from large eggs

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup 2% milk

2 large eggs

1.5 tsp vanilla

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, shortening, milk and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Mix at low speed for 2 minutes. Scrape bowl. Add egg whites and eggs and mix at high speed until fluffy and smooth, approx. 2 minutes.

Fill liners 1/2 to 2/3 full of batter. Do not overfill. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes in pans then remove from pan & place on wire racks to cool completely. Frost & decorate as desired.

For the frosting, I just did a quick Buttercream Vanilla with butter, confectionary sugar, a bit of milk and a bit of vanilla. It was perfect. I'm drooling after writing this post.