You may have seen American Gra-Frutti at your Atlanta Whole Foods or perhaps at a Braves game, in the gluten-free concession stand.

Did you know they’re a local, Atlanta company?

Did you know they are a 100% gluten-free bakery?

Did you know they make a variety of vegan treats?

Well, now you know!  You should check American Gra-Frutti’s website out and learn more.  Recently, they sent me a bunch of treats that I’ve been thoroughly enjoying.  And the ones I can’t yet get to, like a loaf of bread, I just stuck in the freezer for a later date.

This isn’t your typical bakery folks…sure, they have cupcakes, breads, and muffins but just wait, there’s more.  American Gra-Frutti makes two of my favorite items that I have not had since I was diagnosed with celiac FOUR years ago!

#1: Cheese straws: If you grew up in Virginia, like me, or anywhere in the south, you probably share my love for cheese straws.  I freakin’ love cheese straws.  They remind me of the holidays, of the gift baskets my parents always received from their students, and of course, they remind me of cocktail time.  American Gra’Frutti’s cheese straw crackers are so good, I had to keep a close watch on them because David wanted to devour every single one of them from the moment the package was opened.  They’re that good.  Perfectly cheesy, crispy and with a spicy kick.  Just the way I remember them.  And reasonably priced!

#2: Graham crackers: These crispy, sweet treats can be enjoyed a variety of ways (peanut butter and nutella?) but they are best when used for the sandwich of a s’more.  Since we got our package of graham crackers, David and I have started making s’mores all the time.  They’re the perfect dessert, especially now that we’re heading into the cool weather months.  We’ve been cheating a little and just heating up our marshmallows over the grill.  Still delicious!  American Gra-Frutti’s graham crackers hold together perfectly with s’mores, and yes, you can fit two jumbo marshmallows between two of them.

You can order American Gra-Frutti through their website or at the Buckhead Whole Foods.  Where else have you found these treats?

Next time I’ve got my eyes on the carrot cake!  Thank you, American Gra-Frutti for safely making delicious gluten-free food.

PS: Their flat bread with hummus is currently my favorite afternoon snack…

I’m always in search of gluten-free bread products.  I don’t use gf bread as a major component of my regular diet, partially because it’s a hastle and because I just don’t find it to be that good.  As you know though, I’m always looking for good bread/bagel products for the occasional cream cheese and jam breakfast.  A few weeks ago, I purchased Whole Foods’ Cinnamon Raisin bread and I’m pretty pleased with the recipe they’ve created.  I would say it’s up there with a Sally’s cinnamon raisin English muffin or an Udi’s bagel.

On a recent Saturday morning, when my resident pancake maker (David) was out golfing, I had a rare morning to myself (with no commitments).  In the absence of my weekend chef, I was looking for a “more fun than cereal” weekend breakfast so I decided to break out the cinnamon raisin bread and indulge in a little cream cheese/cinnamon raisin toast.  The Whole Foods Bakehouse bread is perfectly delicious toasted.  It’s got more flavor than plain bread and makes you feel like you’re enjoying a bagel.  There aren’t specific toasting instructions on the packaging but I heated it at 350 for about 5 minutes on each side.  (We don’t have a toaster in our house so we’re limited in our toasting options.)

I devoured both pieces of toast and of course enjoyed my breakfast accompanied with a cup (or two) of coffee.  Why do cinnamon, cream cheese and coffee go so perfectly together?  Not sure, but it’s awesome.

I couldn’t help but think about my brother, Rob, as I ate my breakfast and drank my coffee from my Yokohama Starbucks mug.  I received a postcard in the mail the day before from Rob sent via Okinawa, where his ship was in port at the time he sent it.  I can’t read a word of Rob’s handwriting so it can be a bit of a project to decipher his thoughtful cards (hence I was finally reading it a day later).  I haven’t seen Rob since March 12^th, when his ship was sent out to do tsunami relief.  I miss him a lot.  I savor the occasional phone call from him from across the world and I only wish they could be more frequent.  You would think at this point I’d be used to my big brother being a world traveler (he’s lived in Japan, China,Turkey, and Bahrain), but I’m not.

It’s hard to believe that just over a year ago I wrote this post (“Blueberry Muffins and Childhood Memories”), which is one of my favorites.  A lot changes in a year.  Since then, Rob and Alden have had a baby, I’ve been to Japan (twice), we’ve both survived an earthquake, and Rob continues to serve our country, alongside many others whose families bear a large burden for their spouses’ hard work and service.  The families truly serve us too.

Rob & Chip

Rob’s going to be back in the States (hopefully) as of August.  I can’t wait to see him and have him back in the same time zone.  I know he’s eager to be home too.  You’re greatly missed, Rob.  Hurry home!

If you’re in town this weekend you should check out the following invitation from the West Paces Ferry Road Whole Foods…

Join us for a day of all things GLUTEN FREE! Our 3^rd Annual Gluten Free Expo will be held on Saturday, May 21^st from 12:00pm-4:00pm at Whole Foods Market Buckhead.  We are hosting a diverse roster of gluten free vendors and representatives from the Atlanta Metro Celiac Society, as well as will feature the plethora of gluten free products from around the store.

Whole Foods Market – 77 West Paces Ferry Road Northwest – Atlanta, GA 30305 – (404) 324-4100

Recently, the folks at Moondance Gluten-Free Desserts sent me a package with a variety of their treats.  The first time I ever tried a Moondance goodie, was in California a few years ago on wine tour vacation with David.  It was the one year anniversary of my celiac diagnosis and I remember my Moondance fudge brownie being perfectly chocolatey and a yummy treat on an afternoon in Sonoma, between vineyards.  (Ah, what a vacation.)

Just feeling a little nostalgic about our trip...

My most recent indulgence in Moondance did not include brownies but three other sweet items: chocolate chip cookie bars, Mexican Wedding Cookies and chocolate crinkle cookies.  Delicious!  All three of these goodies tasted homemade, or fresh from a bakery, not straight from a box, like so many store bought items.

Of course I immediately went for their chocolate chip cookie bar, which is a blondie bar with mini chocolate chips.  While I can’t say it’s better than my homemade version, these bars are pretty darn good.  Moondance manages to make these bars with a hint of butteriness (is that a word?) making them taste so fresh and not processed.  Perfect with a bowl of ice cream or by themselves.  I like to heat mine up in the microwave for about ten seconds before indulging.  Mmm…

The Mexican wedding cookies, butter cookies with pecans and coated in powdered sugar, didn’t handle the trip very well and were in pieces upon arrival but this didn’t stop me from eating them.  Perfectly buttery and not overbearingly sweet.  These treats are perfect with afternoon tea, reminding me a little of shortbread, but with the added bonus of powdered sugar.

Lastly, the chocolate crinkle cookie, a fudge cookie rolled in powdered sugar.  David claimed these cookies as his favorite of the bunch and asked for them with ice cream each night.  (I tried not take it personally that he chose these over my monster cookies.)  The chocolate crinkle cookies are lightly crisp on the outside, yet chewy on the inside.  I love the use of powdered sugar on both the Mexican wedding cookies and the crinkles.

I would highly recommend heading to Whole Foods (their Paces Ferry location has Moondance goodies) or the nearest location to you, that sells Moondance Desserts, and sampling these treats for yourself.  They also make brownies and cheesecakes, so you have a variety of options to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Have any of you tried Moondance Desserts?  What are your favorites?

Check out this great Recipes IPhone Application that David recently discovered.  Created by Whole Foods, you can search for recipes and there are many filters and categories you can use while searching.  Of course I love it because you can search for only gluten-free recipes.  Other dietary related filter options include low fat and vegetarian.  You can search ‘quick & easy,’  ‘make ahead,’ and ‘budget.’  Best of all, it’s free!

If a friend invites you over for dinner and they want to cook a gluten-free meal for you, this app is a great starting point and helpful guide to offer them.  Some of the recipes listed even include gluten-free chocolate chocolate chip cookies and cranberry banana quinoa bread!  Let me know if there are any recipes you plan on making courtesy of the ‘Whole Foods Recipes.’

Gluten Free in DC enjoyed getting away from the city during the Thanksgiving break! The husband (whom I’ll now refer to by his real name, David) and I went to Onancock, Virginia with my parents, grandparents, brother and his wife to celebrate the holiday. In the year that I have been diagnosed with Celiacs, I have become more and more aware of just how much food is a major part of all of our celebrations, traditions and holidays so I am appreciative to all of my family members on both sides of my family for making the holiday season gluten free friendly!

You might be asking yourself, where in the world is Onancock? Well, Onancock is located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, which is the peninsula off of Maryland. Yes, it’s actually Virginia. You can get to it by driving through Annapolis and the Eastern Shore of MD. (See map above for more details.)

So why do I love the Eastern Shore? The Eastern Shore is always a much needed break from life in D.C. My parents have a house on a small creek that feeds into the Chesapeake Bay. In the summer there’s lots of boating and cocktail hours on the dock, but I think the winter is my favorite time to be on the Shore. There’s no internet, no major cities within an hour’s drive and most importantly, no schedule. The typical day consists of reading, napping, watching college sports on TV, and cooking yummy food. Not only do I love cooking on the Shore, but I also look forward to planning the menus. It’s so nice to have plenty of time to cook and it’s always fun to cook with the husband, Mom and my sister-in-law, Alden. (The other members of the family tend to stay out of the kitchen!)

This year for Thanksgiving dinner we continued our new tradition of cooking beef tenderloin instead of a turkey. We still cook a turkey breast so that we can have cold turkey sandwiches with canned cranberry for lunch, but for the meal itself, we eat beef tenderloin. David cooked the tenderloin and I must say that he did an amazing job. He tested his culinary skills by cooking the tenderloin on the grill for the first time. The flavors were unbelievable even though David prepared the meat simply using only olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh rosemary.

As sides for the meal, we made mashed potatoes and green beans. My mom’s trick with the green beans is to cook them on the stove, drain them, and add a little butter, salt, pepper and vinegar. The vinegar gives them a great kick but it’s not overwhelming. They are so simple and easy.

To top off the meal I purchased from Whole Foods a variety of pies and their creamy biscuits, all from the gluten free frozen section. The Whole Foods pies are perfect because everyone has strong feelings about what pie flavor they prefer and the pies are small so you don’t feel badly buying a variety. While they might seem a bit pricy, it’s so worth it to be able to enjoy dessert with everyone else! We had a sampler of apple, pumpkin and cherry pies, which lasted us for desserts beyond Thanksgiving day.

The Shore was a great escape from the hectic city and a perfect time to enjoy delicious food cooked with love!