Gluten Free Game Night

So, you think you can't fool your friends into eating your "weird" food? Well you would be wrong. Last weekend we had game night at Amanda's house. Everything was gluten free. The crockpot pizza, the french bread, the rice chips and the dip. No one complained, no one even noticed and some gluten people even had seconds. To help you along I'll even give you the recipe for the crockpot pizza.

Crockpot pizza

1 bag gluten free noodles (I used Mrs. Leeper's vegetable twists-they didn't hold up very well but tasted good anyway)
1 lb turkey breakfast sausage
1 package Hormel Canadian bacon (slices cut in quarters)
1 package Hormel mini pepperoni
1 jar spaghetti sauce
2 packages Boboli pizza sauce
1 package shredded cheese

Cook the noodles according to the package directions.
Brown the sausage.
Toss the cooked noodles, sausage, bacon, pepperoni, spaghetti sauce and pizza sauce in the crockpot. Stir.
Add 2/3 package of cheese and stir again.
Dump the rest of the cheese on top.
Cook about 4 hours on low.

We served this with french bread made from Gluten Free Pantry's french bread mix.

We Love You Chipotle Grill!

Only 1 thing on the menu with gluten...the rest is yummy and I'm going there for lunch today. No worries!

C'mon Springfield....keep up!

Trying to dine out in Springfield is a challenge if you are gluten free. The waiter brings a big basket of bread to the table...no thanks. Appetizers? You have anything that's not fried? What about soup? "We have some yummy cream soups"... Sorry no can do. By the time you get your meal, you feel defeated. Restaurants can do some simple things to make dining a better experience for those with food sensitivities... and we're here to help. The more people know, the better things can get. Trust us, it can happen. Take for instance a place in Bloomington, just up the road.

If you can't have gluten and you have a Biaggi's near you... Run, don't walk there. A reservation is probably recommended if you have food allergies/intolerance. Biaggi's has an extensive gluten free menu (bigger than Outback's if you can believe it) that includes pizza, pasta, and other entrees. They even have a couple of appetizer and dessert choices. If you have been gluten free for a while, that last statement may come as a shock. The most shocking revelation though is they have gluten free BREAD, that they bring to your table before the meal. This is where the reservation comes in handy, so they know to have some around. The first time I ate there, the bread was amazing, the second time it was a little stale and cracker-like from being overtoasted. It was still pretty good and much better than watching our tablemates eat bread in front of us. For an appetizer we shared a gluten free margherita pizza. The crust was made from rice flour and amazingly crispy. The entrees were also excellent. We were too full for dessert this time, but previously I had the creme brulee and it was good. All in all, I try to find excuses to drive the hour to Bloomington just to have dinner there.

We're Off!!!

Welcome to the blog that will hopefully change the way Springfield IL serves food. Stay tuned....