Gluten Free Cake from Sola Cafe

Thrown into the busy Christmas season was my In-law's 50th Wedding Anniversary.  50 years is an amazing milestone and we had a great family gathering at Fairmont to celebrate.  I was in charge of bringing the cake and I knew I wouldn't have time to bake something and fuss over it so I ordered a gluten free red velvet cake from Sola Cafe.  Not only was it beautiful but it was delicious.  I expected it to be really rich but it wasn't, it was a perfect cake.  If you need a cake for any occasion give them a call, they were very helpful.

Sola also has an assortment of Christmas cookies for sale, I caved and bought a pack and man were they delicious.  We ate them before I could get a picture.  The scale wasn't too kind to me afterwards but I enjoyed every bite.

Rudi's Vs. Udi's Hamburger & Hotdog Buns

Here's my family's comparison on Udi's vs. Rudi's. I think both brands offer great products and I'm happy to use either one. I prefer Udi's multigrain bread but Rudi's cinnamon raisin bread. It's all personal tastes but here's our comparison on two great companies.

Hamburger Buns

I was really excited to have a hamburger bun again but I've realized I enjoy eating my hamburgers without the bun. It's not as overly filling and I think it lets me taste and enjoy the toppings more. I will keep some on hand for the kids but I think I'm going to stay bun free on this one.

Udi's Whole Grain

4 buns/ package

I paid $.99/bun at Town & Country

180 calories/bun

5 g protein/bun

6 g fiber/bun

Rudi's Multigrain

4 buns/package

I paid $1.34/bun at Lee & Dad's - It's hard to compare price when it's at different stores

170 calories/bun

2 g protein/bun

2 g fiber/bun

I like the fiber and protein amounts in the Udi's buns better and they look more like traditional buns. The Udi's were the winner from my family, they were actually the favorite brand/type out of all of the buns. They have a nice texture and surprised all of us. The Rudi's have some seeds in them, not a lot, but I could see some picky kids not liking that. Mine didn't care and my boy actually preferred the Rudi's.

Hotdog Buns

Hubby was the most excited about these, he misses having a bun with his hotdog. Again the Udi's has more of a traditional look to it and is very thick. If you want a bun that is smaller and isn't too much for kids I would recommend the Rudi's bun. My kids didn't know what to do with so much bread with the Udi's.

Udi's Classic

6 buns/package

I paid$1.16/bun at Town & Country

160 calories/bun

4 g protein/bun

3 g fiber/bun

Rudi's Multigrain

4 buns/package

I paid $1.34/bun at Lee & Dad's

130 calories/bun

1 g protein/bun

2 g fiber/bun

The winner in our house was the Rudi's bun. It had a sweeter taste to it and I thought the Udi's bun was drier than the Rudi's.

So it looks like Udi's and Rudi's tied.

Starky's Authentic Americana Review

I had the pleasure of trying another local restaurant that offers GF food and I was impressed. Starky's has a great atmosphere and best of all a gluten free AND dairy free menu. It was so nice to see what I could safely eat and there were a lot of options.

We started with the Hummus Plate (sorry no picture) that was easily made GF by substituting their pita bread with their toasted home made bread. I was a little nervous about how good the bread would be but there was no need for that because it was delicious.

For my main meal I had the Wild Mushroom and Asparagus Polenta with Shrimp and it was fantastic. There wasn't a bit left on my plate.



For dessert my friend and I split the Raspberry Chocolate Mousse. Not only was it beautiful but it was so yummy. I could barely move when we left the restaurant.

Starky's is open for lunch and dinner, Monday through Saturday, along with a Sunday brunch. They also offer catering and have Red Bridge GF beer available. You can find them next to the parking garage downtown at 24 N. Tracy Ave.

Audrey's Pizza Oven - Bozeman

I am embarrassed it has been so long between posts. My main excuse is a week of a stomach bug and beyond that I've just been busy. I hope to make up for it with a few posts this week, will that make everything better?

We don't go out to eat very often but I was craving pizza and since Audrey's Pizza Oven offers a gluten free crust we had to give it a try. Their crust is a pre-made frozen crust that comes on its own metal tray. They also have a dedicated GF oven giving us happy news on the cross contamination avoidance issue.

The kids and I enjoyed the Church St. pizza, which was veggies and cheese. It was delicious. Both kids had two slices and it's a pizza you can pick up and eat like normal.

Hubby is a meat lover and opted for the Rouse St. pizza. He had to get it cheese free because he can't do the dairy but he still enjoyed his pizza.

They offer Greens and Red Bridge for GF beer so you can enjoy a beer with your pizza, life is good.

Audrey's is located at 401 East Peach Street. Stop in if you have a pizza craving that needs to be met.

A Trip to Great Falls

Last weekend I went on a road trip with a couple friends to Great Falls to meet the one and only Pioneer Woman. Ree is such a hoot and we really enjoyed listening to her share her journey on becoming a blogger. If you haven't seen her blog it is well worth your time.

Of course I have to share the picture of us with Ree, she thought we were sisters and it didn't surprise me since I get that all the time with Shannon (on the right). I'm in the salmon colored jacket and I actually look tall in this picture, must be the heels.

For our dinner before this event we went to Romano's Macaroni Grill. I asked for the GF menu which was just a piece of paper listing my options under each category but at least it was something. Most of the options are safe without certain parts of the dish and I opted for the Jumbo Shrimp Spiedini without the vegetables so I opted for the grilled asparagus since it was under the safe sides list. The vegetables aren't safe because it looks like they have panko bread crumbs mixed in with them, I'm not sure why. So my dish arrived and it tasted great but I have to say I was disappointed that there were only 6 asparagus spears next to my shrimp. It was the type of plate where you look down and "Where's the rest of it?" pops into mind. At least I wasn't glutened and didn't go hungry.

Shabtai Gourmet Review

I came home a couple weekends ago to find a sweet package of gluten free, dairy free (also free of a lot of other allergens) treats from Shabtai Gourmet. This wasn't good for my diet but it was so delicious.

The first thing I had to try was the Swiss Chocolate Roll and Bon Bons. This was only natural since I'm a chocolate fiend. The white filling in both of these is beyond delicious, I easily could have eaten the Bon Bons all to myself and they were my favorite. The Swiss Chocolate Roll had a nice hint of lemon to the cake and wasn't dry at all. Both of these had everyone in dessert heaven, I kept getting requests from the kids of "more please". That's all I need for a review from them.

I wasn't sure what I was going to think of the Florentine Lace Cookies since I've never had them before but man was I surprised how fantastic they were. They were crispy and light with a great chocolate base, yum! The kids loved these cookies though I ate most of them, I need to work on sharing.

After eating these first three treats I had to give myself a break with sweets and put the Raspberry Roll in the freezer for safe keeping. My parents were up for the next weekend so I thawed this bad boy and was impressed with how well it froze, great for buying a few treats and then freezing them for later. I think this was Hubby's favorite he loved the lemon hint in the cake and commented on how moist it was. It was gone within the night.

If you're in need of some quick and yummy desserts Shabtai is a great option. They have a flat shipping rate of $5.95 across the USA and freeze wonderfully. I had ordered some birthday treats for my dad through them last summer and e-mailed them with shipping questions. They responded to me within an hour of my request and were fantastic to work with. Now I need to order some Ring Ting's through them, the picture has me drooling.

Nicole's Divine Crackers - Gluten Free & Dairy Free

A couple weekends ago my friend Nicole introduced me to these new crackers available at Rosauer's. It's just coincidence she shares the same name as the crackers :) They were so good I had to pick up a couple boxes for myself. When I had them at Nicole's they reminded me of the crackers I had from Olivelle and when I saw one of the varieties was Cranberry Pepper it peaked my interest.

I first opened the Tomato Tomahto box and it has a tangy tomato kick so be sure you like tomato's for this one. I then opened the Cranberry Pepper box and I would bet money that they're the same crackers from Olivelle. They looked and tasted identical, I think they were just repackaged meaning an Olivelle sticker was put on the inner packaging. So I need to correct myself in stating/thinking the Olivelle crackers were made there, I'm pretty sure they were not.

Onto the review of Nicole's Divine Crackers, they are fabulous. They aren't seedy like some GF crackers so they're a more attractive option for Hubby, he's not a fan of the seedy crackers. You can find them in the cracker aisle in Rosauer's Huckleberry Market.

Enjoy Life Soft Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies - Review

I swung by Rosauer's Huckleberry Market on my way home and spotted some new items. I'm usually disappointed with the gluten free cookies I buy off the shelf but I figured I'll give these a try and see what I think.

When I ate my first cookie it reminded me of Chewy Chips Ahoy cookies. They are chewy and soft and delicious! I was so happy and surprised so I had a second cookie. Give these a try and if you do check out the Enjoy Life web page for a coupon.

WOW Cookie Dough Review

This is a delicious find from Portland that I have to share with you. WOW gluten free ginger molasses cookie dough that you can keep in your fridge or freezer and use when the craving hits. I didn't expect much from this little package but I had fun with the kids making them. My boy rolled the dough in sugar for me and then I flattened them with a fork before popping them in the oven.

Once these babies came out of the oven we were all in heaven. They were so good and the best part was the little chunks of ginger that were scattered in the cookies, mmm. I'll have to give that a try with some homemade cookies one of these days. We devoured these and my son couldn't get enough.

I haven't seen the dough in Montana but I did see that Oak Street Natural Market carries pre-baked WOW cookies in their freezer section. I'll just cross my fingers and hope we see the dough in our area soon.

Gluten Free Cider Reviews

One adult beverage that us gluten freer’s can usually have is hard cider. Be sure to check the ingredients list for any cider you want to purchase and if it states it has malt in there just put it down and walk away carefully. We've been marinating our steaks with GF cider and it gives it a fantastic flavor. I’ve found some cider’s that are GF and here are our thoughts on them.

Blue Mountain Cherry Hard Cider

This is a delicious cider that has a nice sweetness to it but not overly sweet. You can find this in Missoula at The Good Food Store and at The Coop in Bozeman.

Henney's Still Cider

I believe we found this in Missoula at The Good Food Store and it's a good cider with a medium sweetness. The bottle is a little bland but the important part isn't.

Sam Smith Organic Cider

This is a gluten free cider that is not on the sweet side. There is tartness to it at first and Hubby thinks it has more of a beer after taste. I didn’t mind it but it’s not my favorite, I guess I prefer the sweeter ciders. I found this at Lee & Dad’s IGA and it’s also in Missoula at The Good Food Store.

Woodchuck Draft Cider – Amber

This is my favorite cider, it’s the sweetest one out of this group and is very smooth. You can get this at Albertson’s in Belgrade so I would think it’s at most Albertson’s in the area. It's also at Lee & Dad's and Rosauer's.

HardCore Crisp Hard Cider

This is in the middle on sweetness, it’s not as sweet as the Woodchuck but still sweet and definitely sweeter than the Sam Smith Cider. I like that it’s a little lower in calories than the Woodchuck. I found this at Lee & Dad’s IGA and Rosauer's.

Hornsby’s Crisp Apple Hard Cider

This is a tasty cider and has a good sweetness but not overly sweet. I assumed I wasn’t going to like it for some reason but found that I actually enjoyed it. It goes down easily and doesn’t have a tart after taste. This is available at most grocery stores and gas stations.

When we were in Portland we found some pear cider that was really good so if you ever spot that be sure to grab a pack.

ZPizza Update

We were in Billings this last weekend and picked up some GF pizza from ZPizza. I'm happy to report that no one had cross contamination issues and it was delicious as always. Yeah! Hubby commented that he forgot how good the pizza was and said it would be nice if they were in Bozeman. I just heard today that they are hoping to open a location in Bozeman next. Fantastic!

Their downtown Billings location is opening later this month at 116 North Broadway. It's refreshing to know that they take GF needs seriously and I highly recommend them for a GF pizza fix.

Piece of Cake Bakery Portland, OR

We were on a bakery frenzy in Portland. It was vacation and how else were we to gain the standard 5 pounds from our vacation? Hence my recent diet. Piece of Cake Bakery not only makes GF cakes but also vegan and sugar-free cakes. Of course I was only interested in the GF cakes.

Not everything in this bakery is GF and be warned that the items labelled wheat free ARE NOT GF, they use spelt flour for these cakes. For the GF options they had about 8 cakes to choose from and we picked out 4 to try.

I went straight for my main love of chocolate and chose the chocolate raspberry cake. My boy liked the pink frosting so he chose the marionberry cake and Hubby picked the carrot and apple rum cakes. They all tasted great (even the carrot cake and I'm not a carrot cake fan) and had a wide variety of cake flavors which we enjoyed. We did prefer the cakes from New Cascadia Traditional but I wouldn't turn one of these down.

Piece of Cake Bakery is located at 8306 SE 17th in Portland, OR.

Udi's Gluten Free Pizza Crust

I've been trying the different frozen pizza crusts that are available in our area and there are quite a few. Kinnikinnick, Glutino, Rustic Crust (at Lee & Dad's), Udi's (at Oat St and Lee & Dad's), and some others I can't remember. I haven't hated any of them and most of them are thin and easy to get crispy. They taste fine and are nice to have on hand for a quick pizza for dinner.

I'm only going to talk about my favorite one so far and that's Udi's Pizza Crust. I think it's the thinnest crust and crisped up nicely. I baked it on the bottom rack of the oven and we all loved it. I had to force myself to stop eating it. I'll be keeping these on hand for nights I want pizza but don't have the motivation or time to make the crust from scratch, like tonight. Yum! I also love that they have a homemade look to them, they are not perfectly round but have some character.

Deschutes Brewery Portland, OR

Knowing that the Deschutes Brewery in Portland has a GF beer on tap AND has a GF menu to eat from we just had to do lunch there, how could we resist? I was initially excited about the sweet potato fries they had on the menu, we so rarely get to enjoy fries outside of the house, until I read the note applying to the *. It states the fries (and wings) are prepared in oil which is also used to cook products containing gluten. So they really aren't GF due to cross contamination and I personally don't think they should be on their GF menu but at least they say something.

We all (well the adults anyways) started off with a beer and Hubby and I got their GF option which was a blonde. The GF beers have bands put around them so everyone knows it's GF and that was nice to see. It was too light for Hubby's and my tastes so we didn't get a growler but we did at least enjoy having a beer on tap. What I'd give for a dark GF beer.

For our meals we planned to try out their GF buns and I had promised my boy that he would get a burger with a bun. He just wanted the bun of course. My waitress informed me they didn't get their GF bun shipment on time and only had a limited number (for awhile I thought this number was 0), turned out to be only two left. We wound up ordering 2 burgers with GF buns and 2 burgers with no buns. I did cut mine in half so Hubby and I could do half a burger with a bun each. The buns were really good, not too dense or thick so we enjoyed what we had.

I ordered the roasted garlic burger and it was yummy, too much for me to eat at lunch but that's another story. We did enjoy ourselves and will probably go back the next time we're in Portland. Deschutes Brewery is located at 210 NW 11th Ave in Portland, OR.

New Finds & Reviews

I like sneaking to the various grocery stores around town without the kids, this way I can scan the aisles better and see if there are new products to try. Here are a few things that got me excited when I saw them AND they taste great.

Applegate Farms Genoa Salami

This salami is free of gluten and nitrites. I never thought I'd get to have salami again but thankfully Applegate Farms knows some of us avoid nitrites. It has a great flavor and I splurged with some tasty cheese to go with. You can find this at Rosauer's in their cheese area on the way to Huckleberry's Market.

De Boles Rice Pasta & Cheese

I have never seen this box of mac & cheese before and when I saw it was GF I had to pick it up. I was skeptical at first because the noodles were tiny and it makes a white mac & cheese rather than yellow but it was very good. Both of my kids scarfed it down and kept asking for more, it will be a nice option for variety when I need a quick meal for them. I found this at Smith's.

Nesquik Chocolate Syrup

My kids love having chocolate milk when we get home at the end of the day and I've been using AH!Laska since that's the only brand I've found free of High Fructose Corn Syrup. We ran out so I planned to pick some up at Lee & Dad's but they were out, I about died since the kids were expecting chocolate milk. In my panic I grabbed the Nesquik syrup to see if it was free of HFCS (I knew Hershey's wasn't) and saw that it was, then I looked at the front of the bottle and noticed the large statement of being free of HFCS. I'm so observant. It tastes great and flows like "normal" chocolate syrup, the AH!Laska, which we like, is kind of boogery in texture. Not sure how else to describe it.

New Cascadia Traditional - Gluten Free Bakery in Portland

I have a lot of reviews to post and there won't be much for recipes because I'm on a diet for the time being and the meals I get aren't very exciting. Don't get me wrong I love eating fruits and vegetables but without sauces involed there's really not a recipe to post. The family is getting our standard dinner options and those are all posted here so please bear with me.

This review is the one I'm most excited to post from our vacation to Portland, OR. I'm very good at making people check out gluten free options with me when I'm in a new area and I'm so glad we made the trek to New Cascadia Traditional. How many 100% gluten free bakeries do I get to see? None except for this one! When we walked in the door I told my boy that he could have anything in here and he gets to pick what he wants. My excited 3 year old passed up delicious looking cupcakes to get a cookie. It made him happy and was soft and delicious so why not?

These are the treats from our first visit, yes that means there was a second visit. Hubby picked the white cake with raspberry filling and an oatmeal raisin cookie. My boy chose a chocolate chip hazelnut cookie, my girl chose the cupcake, and I chose the sticky bun. My favorite was their cake, it's so moist and so delicious. No hint of GF there plus their icing is fantastic.

I almost forgot about their bread from all the goodies that caught my eye but once I saw it I knew I needed a couple loaves. I picked up their sourdough and cheddar bread. They tasted really good but are still GF bread so on the dense side.

Our last day in Portland Hubby wanted to go back for more of the cake but unfortunately they didn't have it. We should have called ahead and ordered one. Our "compromise" was these two delicious cupcakes and of course more cookies for the boy.

On top of what we got they also offer bagels, pizza crusts (including pizza you can buy there to eat), challah, and tart amongst other things. I must say that their prices were also great, I expected to pay quite a bit for what we got but it was surprisingly cheap, can't beat that!

This bakery is very well worth the drive downtown to pick out your favorite treat and it will be a new must when we're in the area. They are located at 1700 SE 6th Ave in Portland, OR.

Breads From Anna Herb Bread Review

I really like the Breads from Anna mixes, the texture is the closest to gluten bread I have had so far and they taste wonderful. For meals I really like to use the Herb Bread mix to make rolls and I made them for our turkey dinner this past weekend. They turned out so nice that our gluten eating guests went back for seconds and took some of them home, that's a good sign.

To make the rolls follow the directions for a bread loaf but use a large scoop (my Pampered Chef one worked really well) to make the rolls. Smooth the tops with your fingers, make sure they're a little wet, and allow to rise. Bake for 10 min uncovered then cover and bake another 10 minutes.

The only place in Bozeman I've seen these mixes is Oak Street Natural Market. They are a bit on the pricey side so I save them for special occasions, well worth the splurge now and then.

Over the Tapas in Bozeman, Review

Hubby and I decided it was time for us to have a lunch date and went to Over the Tapas. I had e-mailed them to ask about their GF menu and they said they have the items that are GF marked on their dinner menu (you can see it online) and also have an * next to the items that can be made GF upon request. Our waitress was very nice and gave us the dinner menu to check for GF items against the lunch menu since it didn't have them marked. We decided on 4 dishes, two of which we shared. The Datiles con Tocino (bacon wrapped dates) were heaven on a plate if you ask me and next time I won't be sharing. We also shared the Patatas Arrugadas (sea salt crusted potatoes with mojo sauce). Both dishes were really good and we liked the red sauce best but I mostly mixed the two sauces together. I don't think I could eat a whole plate of the Patatas Arrugadas to myself so it's a good one to share.

Hubby had the Chicken Skewers (marinated chicken breast with roasted plantains) for his main dish and it was tasty. The chicken was very tender and the plantains were fun to try since neither for us had had them before.

I had the Esparragos Asado a la Parilla (grilled asparagus, local goat cheese, toasted Pine nuts, and dijon aioli) for my main dish. It was so yummy and the sauce was to die for.

I liked that we got to choose different small plates to try out the food and it filled us up but didn't over fill us, it was just perfect. We'll definately be eating here again and it's comforting to have another restaurant with knowledgeable staff regarding GF needs.

Cinnamon Chex and Trix Swirls

I have found Cinnamon Chex in Bozeman, ah sweet cereal! If you haven't tried them already they have a nice sweetness to them with a great cinnamon flavor. You can get them at Van's IGA located at 912 Nth 7th Ave.

Picture is courtesy of Amazon.com.

I've also discovered that Trix Swirls don't have any gluten containing ingredients and is also free of HFCS. My boy has really been enjoying them for breakfast.

Picture is courtesy of General Mills.

It's nice to have different options for cereal to give my kids, I'm so glad they can still enjoy the fun cereals and not feel like they're left out for being GF. Always be sure to read the ingredients list if it doesn't state GF on the box, better to be safe than sorry.

Colombo's Gluten Free Pizza Crust

I about fell over with excitement when I walked into Colombo’s for lunch yesterday, thank you so much Kelly for calling me for an impromptu lunch! We were standing in line to order and I always get the salad bar but still look at the pizza options when I noticed a lovely sign that has changed my world. It simply states Colombo’s now offers gluten free crust and soy cheese. My wish has come true! I was so excited I didn’t think to ask about cross contamination but I did let Joe know that I was so happy to see GF pizza crust in town. I promptly texted DH and he texted back saying I should pick some pizza up on my way home. Woot for not having to cook and for getting pizza!

I called in my order and talked with the cook to ask about cross contamination. He said the pizzas come on their own aluminum tray so they never touch the same surface the regular crusts touch including the brick oven. I then asked if they had a dedicated pizza cutter for the GF crust and he said he didn’t even think about that but to just state at the time of the order that a clean pizza cutter will need to be used for the GF crust. So I ordered two pizzas and asked that he use a clean pizza cutter which he happily agreed to do. They are the same size as their small pizzas. When I picked them up the cook said he was very careful about cross contamination and let me tell you it was a hard car ride home smelling those delicious pizzas.

The pizzas were really good and I liked the thin crunchy crust. Hubby said it’s not as good as their regular crust but we weren’t expecting it to be. These are a tasty option and as long as you ask them to be cautious about cross contamination you will have a great GF pizza experience. Thanks Colombos!

Veggie Delight

Sausage

Colombo's is located at 1003 W College, 406-587-5544.