This week we’ve had amazing weather in Atlanta, if anything it’s been too warm.  It seems like the higher temperatures are going to be a permanent fixture in ATL from now through the summer, but as someone who’s always cold, I’m ok with that.  Last year was full of weird weather and low temperatures so I’m thrilled to finally experience the early spring in the south.  (I’ll probably regret that statement in a week.)

Warm weather gets me fired up about farmers’ markets getting kicked off in the area.  Check out this article from Access Atlanta, that lists the various farmers’ markets in the area.  Personally, I love the Peachtree Saturday Farmers’ Market.  Their selection of veggies, meat and cheeses is great, and parking is easy.  Which market do you prefer?

Veggies at the Peachtree Farmers' Market

Also, in celebration of spring (well, and my birthday!) David and I are dining at The Hil at Serenbe tonight.  We’re heading down this evening, dining in style and staying for the night at the inn.  If the weather holds up, I’m hoping we’ll go for a run on the Serenbe trails in the morning too.  Good food, fresh air, and time with David.  Perfect.  This is my first time going to The Hil, but I’ve heard many great things about Chef Hilary White and of course, I love the Serenbe produce and the hands that harvest the veggies.

The Hil at Serenbe

If you love the hamburger buns at YEAH! Burger than you’ll want to keep reading the following press release from Pure Knead…

We are *delighted* to announce that our retail shop will open on Saturday, February 26th!  A few of the many products you will see include our well-known buns (both original and multigrain), hoagie rolls, rosemary bread braids, olive boules, baguettes and croutons! Of course, you can’t have a great bakery without great dessert! You haven’t had bread pudding until you’ve had our Pure Knead bread pudding, and our brown sugar chocolate chip cookies are simply heavenly! Ok, now that your mouth is watering (mine is), here are some details…

We will be open from 9am to 1pm, with both fresh and frozen options for you. The bakery address and phone number are at the bottom of this message.

We will have monthly specials to take advantage of our amazing local agriculture system, so sign up on our facebook page to get the inside scoop on those offerings!

You can certainly call ahead and place an order for pick up, or simply come on Saturdays and see what strikes your fancy!

Many of you have asked us for products that are free of allergens other than gluten. Just a quick reminder that all Pure Knead products are certified gluten-free, and are also free of dairy, soy, nuts and shellfish- we don’t use them in our facility. Most of our current products do contain egg and corn. In the bakery, you can look at the ingredient list for every product we sell; we are proud of what we put into our products, and think you should know what you are eating. For the Opening, we will not be offering specialized products, but I promise that we are working on egg-free and other options for you! If you have a question, please don’t ever be shy about asking!

The Grand Opening is special to me for so many reasons, and we are going to celebrate! You will be able to sample many of our products on the 26th- try before you buy! And the first 20 people through our doors will go home with a special goodie!

We are so excited to welcome you to the bakery; so much time and care has gone into this effort, and I can’t thank the Pure Knead staff enough for helping me make this a reality! Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday- and bring a friend or two!

So here’s where to find Pure Knead:

186 Rio Circle, Suite C – Decatur, GA 30030 – 404-377-5567

If you are familiar with Dekalb Farm’ers Market, we are just down the street. Rio Circle is just off of Laredo Drive, which runs directly into the Farmer’s market. Look for the signs for Southern Sweets bakery; we are located in the same building (Suite C in the back half of the building). Mapquest will find us, so use it if you aren’t from around the Decatur area!

I feel like I was just writing about Thanksgiving.  (Well, I guess I was.)  But now we’re well into the Christmas season and I’m feeling a little behind in all of my preparations and Christmas spirit.  I did get my Christmas cards in the mail and the holiday shopping is a work in progress, but I feel like I’m going in a lot of different directions right now, not able to fully take in all the fun of the season.  Since I’m leaving for Japan on Wednesday, I didn’t get a Christmas tree this year, so I’m giving you a shot of last year’s tree.

Last Year's Tree: I miss my ornaments

With three holiday parties this weekend (rough life, I know) and my students gearing up for exam week, sadly there hasn’t been much time for holiday baking either.

I thought I would give you a sample of recipes from past years that might inspire you to do some baking of your own.  Maybe I’ll get inspired too!

Cranberry and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cinnamon Ginger Chocolate Chip Cookies

Monster Cookies

Teff & Amaranth Apple Muffins with Brown Sugar

I hope you’re doing more baking than I am.  What are you making?

Happy Holidays!

Are you hosting a gluten-free Thanksgiving this year?  I am!  David’s family is joining us in Atlanta for the holiday and we can’t wait to have a gluten-free Thanksgiving feast in our new house.  While I’m going to make most of the items myself, I’m looking to Sally’s Bakery to supplement my own culinary goodies.  I’ll be ordering their pecan pie and some dinner rolls for our feast and of course sandwich bread for turkey sandwiches the day after Thanksgiving.

Don’t be daunted by the thought of gluten-free holiday entertaining.  Check out what Sally’s is offering for the holidays and make your special orders:

Sally’s Bakery Holiday Menu:

9” Pumpkin Pie – $12.99 – As a holiday staple, this favorite will round out your Thanksgiving meal or make a great breakfast the next day…if it lasts! – Our pumpkin pie is gluten free and soy free.  Contains dairy and eggs.

Owner, Sally Owings, showing off one of her amazing pies

9” Pecan Pie – $14.99 – Our best ever pecan pie is a must have in our house.  No one will ever know it’s gluten free.  We’re using fresh south Georgia pecans to top this pleasantly sweet southern favorite. – Our pecan pie is gluten free and soy free.  Contains dairy and eggs.

Cornbread – $9.99 8×8 square – Our cornbread is a gluten free version of our grandmother’s old-fashioned southern recipe made with eggs and buttermilk.  The only thing missing here is the iron skillet!  It’s perfect for making stuffing or toasted with warm soup. – Our cornbread is gluten free and soy free.  Contains dairy and eggs.

Yeast Dinner Rolls – $5.99 package of 6 rolls – These classic yeast dinner rolls will be a great addition to your holiday menu and are sure to melt in your mouth. – Our dinner rolls are free of gluten, soy, dairy, and eggs.

These additional offerings will be available from Monday, November 15^th through Wednesday, November 24^th by special order.  Place your order by phone, via email, using the contact form, or in person!

And…perhaps some muffins for breakfast later in the weekend:

Chocolate Chip Muffins – $5.99 – These moist muffins, made with an applesauce base and a hint of cinnamon, are perfect for anyone who likes a little chocolate in their life.  Vegan chocolate chip so these muffins are dairy free. – also free of gluten, and eggs.  Contains soy lecithin.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins – $5.99 – If you’ve had our banana bread, then you’re sure to love these muffins.  They’re made with the same moist and flavorful batter but we’ve added vegan chocolate chips to spice things up! – free of gluten, dairy, and eggs.  Contains soy lecithin.

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins – $5.99 – These muffins are similar to our chocolate chip muffins but are more decadent with the addition of good old-fashioned cocoa powder.  Chocolate for breakfast… yes please! – These muffins are free of gluten, dairy, and eggs.  Contain soy lecithin.

Almond Carrot Muffins – $7.99 – These muffins are the only item on our menu completely free of any refined sugar.  They’re similar to carrot cake but much healthier!  With just the right mixture of almond meal, agave, and a hint of cinnamon, they are sure to please your palate. – Our almond carrot muffins are free of gluten, soy, dairy, and eggs.

Stay tuned for more details on what I’m making for the holiday!

This just in from Jennifer Harris, the Atlanta Gluten-Free Examiner: the Georgia Dome will now be serving gluten-free items at the Falcons’ games.  Some of the options include gluten-free paninis (yum!) and American Gra-Frutti treats.  Not only do I love Gra-Frutti cupcakes (gluten-free and vegan), which will be served, but you can also get their amazing caramel crunch. Way better than just getting peanuts at a game!  And the Georgia Dome has Redbridge beer to quench your thirst at the game.  You can find these gluten-free goodies at the club level, but apparently more stands will be serving them at future games.  I’ll keep you posted.

Sounds good to me!  Maybe I need to go to my first Falcons game…

On Saturday, I spent the morning at Atlanta’s Gluten-Free Vendor Fair with my GF buddies, Jen and Anne.  I attended last year and was blown away by the number of GF vendors, but this year it felt like even more options and yummy treats to enjoy.

It’s a bit overwhelming to walk into a room with over 75 tables of GF options.  Where to start?  We decided to begin with savory dishes and end with sweet.  Well, we were really good about following our plan initially, but by the end, we were sampling whatever looked good to us.  We also took a break after about 45 minutes of tasting, which allowed our tummies to semi-digest what we’d already tried and go back for Round Two.  It was really great this year to have all of the vendors in one room, and not allowing strollers inside for the first part of the day, made it much easier to navigate.

There were many favorites this year but some of our top “New Discoveries” were:

My GF buddies, Jen & Anne enjoying PF Chang's lettuce wraps.

P.F. Chang’s: Oh wow.  P.F. Chang’s was our first stop on the gluten-free tour and I could have been sufficiently filled up just from what they had to offer.  I have to admit, I’ve never actually been to a P.F.Chang’s but I now know where I’ll be going when I’m craving Chinese food or on the road and looking for a place that I know will be gluten-free and yummy.  Their chicken lettuce wraps were one of the best savory items I ate all day and their Triple Chocolate Mousse mini-dessert is the perfect bit of GF goodness to finish off a meal.  Check out their gluten-free menu online

Figo Pasta: A local favorite of mine, I’d never sampled their delicious GF dessert before, Crespelle, two gluten-free pancakes with Nutella in the middle.  So good.  Of course I love their pasta too.

The American Grafrutti folks and their assortment of treats.

American Grafrutti: Known for their vegan and gluten-free cakes, this Marietta based company, introduced me to their caramel crunch this weekend.  I love trail mix/granola/sweet and savory combinations and that’s exactly what their caramel crunch was.  I could have eaten the entire bowl, and sort of wish I had.  You will soon be able to find their caramel crunch in Whole Foods.  I’ve mentioned this before but you can get American Grafrutti cupcakes at the Atlanta Braves

Pure Knead: The makers of Yeah! Burgers' buns...now serving GF hot dogs too.

Pure Knead: The Pure Knead folks are bringing gluten-free baked goods to the restaurant world.  They are the people that bring you the Yeah! Burger buns and now serving Farm Burger in Decatur as well.  You can order directly from Pure Knead.  Hands down, these are the best buns I’ve ever tasted.

Creators of the "Flaxy Lady Cookie." What a great name.

Mrs. Madewell: These sweet, yet savory cookies are gluten, dairy, soy and egg free.  I loved their Hummingbird Cookie and Mrs. Madewll also had the best named cookie: “Flaxy Lady Cookie.”  I love a good dose of flax any day.  Why not slip it into something sweet.  Their Amazing Oat Bark was another crunchy, sweet and salty treat.

Peacecake: Best new baking mix discovery

Peacecake: This company’s baking mixes make incredible gluten-free treats, from brownies to cookies to muffins.  When I tasted these bites of deliciousness, I couldn’t believe they came from a pre-packaged mix.  I will definitely be ordering some online.  You can also order frosting too!

Thanks to everyone who worked hard to make this event happen, especially the Atlanta Metro Celiac Group.  I know many hours go into making this a successful event.  Thanks to the vendors for all of the yummy free samples!

This is just a ‘taste’ of what we sampled at the Gluten-Free Vendor Fair this weekend.  What were your favorites?  Please share!

If you don’t have plans tomorrow (and maybe even if you do), you need to go to the Gluten-Free Vendor Fair.  Atlanta Metro Celiac Group is putting on this fabulous event and you can get more information here: 2010 Gluten-Free Vendor Fair

There will be local and national vendors, but I must say that I’m pretty impressed by the large number of Atlanta vendors who make gluten-free food.  Make sure to check out:

Sally’s Bakery: Sally’s pumpkin bread is one of the best and I love using her sandwich bread to make my Saturday lunch specialty, grilled cheese.

Figo Pasta: One of the best GF pastas I’ve tasted, and they’re so close to my house.  A great weeknight dinner when I don’t feel like cooking.

Roswell’s Outback Steakhouse: Please have those doughnuts again this year!  Who doesn’t love a gluten-free, Bloomin’ Onion?

Hilton Atlanta Northeast, Norcross (hotel website)
5993 Peachtree Industrial Blvd
Norcross, Ga. 30092 ,770-447-4747

See you there!

This weekend (September 17-19), Shaun’s is hosting a gluten-free four-course dinner for only $45.  As always, with their monthly GF dinner specials, you can still order off the regular menu as well. 

• 1st course: white gazpacho, scuppernongs
• 2nd course: prosciutto san danielle with gluten free focaccia, wilted radicchio, burst tomato vinaigrette
• Entrée: steen’s cane syrup marinated duck, ginger, sweet potato, endive
• Dessert: vanilla panna cotta, fresh cherry sorbet

Yum!  Sounds delicious.  Makes me eager to head back to Atlanta, even after three weeks of an amazing vacation.  I’m coming home.
 
Shaun’s Restaurant – 1027-29 Edgewood Ave., NE – Atlanta, GA 30307 – (404) 577-4358

Greetings from Madison, Connecticut! After an adventurous (and relaxing trip) out west, David and I are now in Madison, CT. I must say, those of us from the south have been deprived of the beauty of New England. Who knew that parts of Connecticut are on the water? Check out the view from the place we’re staying. Yet another unbelievable setting that I’ve been spoiled by on this trip. (Don’t get me wrong, I love my view of the Wal-Mart in Atlanta, but this is ridiculous.)

I promise I will have more stories, meals and recipes to share from our travels, but first I want to make sure you know about the upcoming Gluten-Free Vendor Fair in Atlanta, on Saturday, September 25th. From 9 am – 3 pm, at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast, you can check out the free samples from over 70 vendors, serving amazing and creative gluten-free options. All you can eat GF goodies, for only $5! You can’t beat that.

Fortunately I will be back for the festivities! This was one of my favorite weekend events last year. It is so fun to be surrounded by food that I can actually eat. Some of my personal favorites were Roswell’s Outback Steakhouse and Bella Monica Pizza. Check out my post from last year’s Vendor Fair: 2009 Gluten-Free Vendor Fair

To see the full list of vendors and get the ‘official scoop,’ go to this link: Atlanta Metro Celiacs

Hope to see you on the 25th!

What: Gluten-Free Vendor Fair

When: Saturday, September 25th: 9-3

Where: Hilton Atlanta Northeast – 5993 Peachtree Industrial Blvd – Norcross, GA 30092

Attention Atlantans and NYC friends:

I would like you to meet Scoutmob.  This awesome website offers great deals on uniquely local spots.  Some of my current favorites include:

- 50% off at Cook’s Warehouse

- 50% off at B.Braithwaite (Looking for a baby gift?  Perfect stop on the Westside)

- 50% off at Shaun’s (they have a GF menu!)

- 50% off at Savvy Snoot (great used furniture place on the Westside)

Why do I love Scoutmob?

• It’s totally free and you get all kinds of amazing deals.
• Each day you get fun/quirky write ups about each of the places that are featured on the daily deals.
• I get to use the cool ScoutMob App for my new Iphone that makes me feel trendy.
• You don’t have to have an Iphone to use the deals.
• Daily emails that tell you about cool, local goings on, that are unique to Atlanta.

Check it out for yourself.  I just wanted to make the introduction.  Click here to visit their website: Scoutmob

For those of you that have already drank the Scoutmob Kool-Aid: What deals have you used?  Any NYC feedback?  We love it in ATL?