Crisp Ice

It is hard to enjoy winter when it never seems to go away. We are bracing for another sizable storm today.
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I would like to thank my clogged gutter for these ice formations that would make Jack Frost melt.


I was in Chicago last week for work and am fortunate enough to be able to eat out at restaurants for every meal while there. It is definitely a change from the refrigerator dinners we come up with over here. Even when the boys get a pizza, I still grab my Amy's Rice Crust pizza from the freezer.
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All the places we went to were very accommodating and every one either understood GF preparation or had a separate menu for the same. My all time favorite is PF Chang's where I eat as much as possible and wonder why I eat so much. Chang's Spicy Chicken is my favorite.
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Then we had our company meeting at The Clubhouse in Oak Brook. The servers and I huddled with the menu in hand and we laughed at how bland everything sounded. I perked up when one of them suggested blackened salmon. Three or so years back I had to go to a convention and try to eat buffet food - quite a challenge. I ended up getting salmon for every meal and since then, my boss (Mr. Krabs), mocks my choices. This time, the salmon was great, I could have had another piece. For dessert I got sorbet. A cute little glass with three different flavors of sorbet...with a cookie. A gluten cookie. Oh well, you can't always get everything...but that dish of bitty balls was like a vacation in a glass.
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Dinner was okay at Kona Grill. The next lunch was at The Chicago Diner , a vegan place. A very small, small place. The sweet potato fries were amazing! I had the quesadillas which resembled more of a taco than a flat quesadilla, it was okay, just a bit bland.
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But, the best stop (thanks, Meredith, I know you drove all day long) was at Swirlz Cupcakes. I would be there every day of the week if I could. They make regular and gluten free cupcakes and Meredith can't tell the difference. I ate all their samples and got a fresh carrot cupcake (no wet, fat, moist, raisins - thank goodness). It was like Thanksgiving in a dreamland where all they serve is the dessert and you can just sit back and fart. Pure bliss!
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I love how accessible and knowledgeable chefs in Chicago are for us gluten freers.
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Did you know that 1 in 133 people have Celiac and live gluten free lives? Shocking statistic, I think.
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Even more shocking...blogspot thinks I meant Celia or Celtic.