While we were on our trip to Jack’s memorial in Atlanta, we had to eat out several times.  On the way back we stopped for lunch at Ruby Tuesday.   I had eaten at a Ruby Tuesday a couple years back & knew that I could eat a burger & steamed veggies & salad at the very least.  Imagine my surprise when I was speaking with the manager & he knew what I was talking about!  I had started to explain and when I asked him if he knew what I was talking about, he said yes & went on to say that he was going to go print me out a menu of things I could eat.  I inquired about cross contamination, especially after my experience at Cracker Barrel a couple days before (long story short……not safe for anyone following a gluten-free diet).  The manager said that the staff is specifically trained on food allergies & the dangers of cross contamination.  Great news!  You can view the gluten-free and other allergen information here.  I ended up ordering a bison burger with havarti cheese, steamed sugar snap peas & sauteed portabella mushrooms.  I also had a huge salad from the salad bar.  I wish my camera wasn’t buried in the back of the car at the time, but I wasn’t expecting this to be a blogging experience.  I checked out the bar before deciding to order it and had my own dressing with me.  All of the items (mostly veggies) I included on my plate were at the end away from the pasta salads, won tons, croutons & dressings.  Though they did have a couple gluten-free dressings, they were dangerously close to gluten-filled items.  If I had not brought my own dressing, I would have asked for dressing from the back or used the EVOO & vinegar that was out. 

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Now, for the news you have all been waiting for……the winner of my giveaway last week. 

Thank you all for playing.  The winner is……………………………………………..

Liz, on November 3rd, 2009 at 5:39 pm Said:

It would be awesome to have the Denby – Serve! 9.5″ Small Divided Dish for parties or even when friends stop by unexpected. Its beautiful and simple!

Congrats Liz!!  Please contact me at: kbouldin@insight.rr.com with your contact information so I can get it to CSN. 

A few weeks back, Kristina, from Stonyfield Farm, contacted me to see if I would be interested in sampling Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt.  She sent me a package right out.  Thanks Kristina!

Some information on Kristina about Oikos:

Stonyfield Farm makes Oikos Organic Greek yogurt which can be used in a variety of ways while cooking – in baking, as a substitute for sour cream and mayonnaise, in dips and sauces and to create tasty low-fat dishes. Greek yogurt is strained, making it thicker and more versatile in recipes than regular yogurt. Our Oikos Greek yogurt contains no gluten- it’s certified gluten free! It’s also organic, which means it’s made without artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners, and it’s made from organic milk produced without the use of toxic persistent pesticides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics, or artificial growth hormones (rBST). We feel that organic is not only better for you, but better for the planet as well.

I have sampled all of the 5.3 oz Oikos flavors, which include: Strawberry, Honey, Vanilla, Blueberry and Plain.  I love the thick, creaminess of the yogurt.  I also love the nutritional stats – 13g of protein per 5.3 oz cup!  I have to say that I think that Strawberry is my favorite, followed by Blueberry.  I buy the large 16 oz container of plain yogurt and use it in place of sour cream, on top of fruit, cereal or waffles or in cakes & muffins to moisten them up.

I love to support companies that either label their products “gluten-free” or certify that they are “gluten-free”.  It not only makes me feel more at ease, but makes my life that much easier.  Thank you Stonyfield Farm.

Last night I was trying to catch up on my Google Reader and I ran across this amazing recipe on Meghann’s blog, The Inner Workings of a College Graduate.   You all know that I love all things pumpkin, so I knew that I had to make these.  I only had to make a few changes to make them gluten-free.

3 1/2 cups gluten-free flour mix (*I used Carol Fenster’s sorghum mix)

2 1/2 tsps xanthan gum

3 tsps cinnamon

3 tsps pumpkin pie spice (I didn’t have all the individual spices)

I loved these scones!!  Not too sweet, great texture and pumpkin flavor.  I have never had a scone before – gluten-free or not.  I don’t know what I was thinking!  I wish I would have started eating these before now!  I am taking these with me to Atlanta to share with my family.  🙂

Once again my pal, Erin, tweeted me a phenomenal pumpkin recipe.  Erin knows all about my love affair with pumpkin and has been successful at keeping me busy with new pumpkin recipes.  Erin is the one who found the recipe for the Glazed Chocolate Pumpkin Bundt Cake.  Now, it is Pumpkin Blondies. 

I made a few changes to the recipe on Cara’s blog:

I used Carol Fenster’s Sorghum Mix

I added 1/2 tsp xanthan gum

I used 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (in place of the dash of cinnamon)

The result?  Nothing short of spectacular!  Jon immediately asked what they were and dove right in.  Before I knew it, he had 2 of them inhaled.  A success! 

Thanks again, Erin, for another amazing pumpkin recipe find! 

A couple weeks ago I wrote an Examiner article about roasted fall vegetables.  I love my roasted veggies & loved the new dishes I had to roast them in even more! 

I teamed up with CSN Stores to offer one extremely lucky reader a brand new set of Rachael Ray’s 2-piece “Bubble & Brown” Stoneware Baker Set in blue.  Here is some more information from CSN on the set:

Excite your dinner guests by bringing these vibrant, fun, contemporary-shaped stoneware bakers to the table. Whether it be a roasted chicken or classic mac n’ cheese, food has never looked and tasted so fabulous.

Includes:

• 1 x 1-Qt. Bubble & Brown Stoneware Baker
• 1 x 1.5-Qt. Bubble & Brown Stoneware Baker

Features:

• Multiple Use Stoneware – Dishwasher, microwave, freezer safe and oven safe to 500°F for convenience and versatility. The glazed interior is nonporous so foods won’t interact
• Contemporary Design – Contemporary, playful shape in a vibrant and fun color goes directly from oven to table. The shallow sides result in crunchy tops for each serving
• Easy Storage – all bakers conveniently nest together to save space in your cupboard
• Wide Handles – Extra wide handle holes allow you to remove the stoneware from the oven even with bulky pot holders

Specifications:

• Small Baker Dimensions: 4.5″ H x 11.5″ W x 7″ D
• Medium Baker Dimensions: 4.5″ H x 14″ W x 9.75″ D
• Material: Stoneware
• Color: Blue
• Lifetime limited warranty

All you have to do to enter the contest is below (choose 2 of the 3):

1. Visit CSN Stores and leave a comment on my blog telling me what you would buy from their site.
2. Tweet about this contest & include @kbouldin in the tweet so I know you tweeted (if you don’t have twitter, don’t worry)
3. Blog about this contest & link back or add me to your blogroll.

Good luck!  Contest will end at Midnight on Friday night. 

Wow….what a month October was.  Lots of sadness.  I am hoping and praying for a better month in November. 

Esther, at Lilac Kitchen, is hosting this week’s Gluten-Free Menu Swap.  Esther has chosen dried fruit as the ingredient of the week.  I love dried fruit!  I add raisins, Craisins, dried apricots or dried figs to all of my salads.  I eat dried apricots for snacks.  I top my oatmeal with whatever dried fruit I have around.  Thanks for hosting, Esther.  🙂

Sunday – Leftover grilled chicken, roasted veggies & salad

Monday – Salmon, coconut rice, asparagus & salad

Tuesday – Roasted vegetable stir fry & salad

Wednesday – BBQ pulled pork, baked potatoes, green beans & salad

Thursday – Spaghetti w/ marinara, broccoli & salad

Friday – Pizza & salad

Saturday – Anniversary dinner!

Baked Goods

Bread

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Pumpkin Cornbread

Aaron’s & my anniversary is November 4th!  We have been married for 9 years!  I am still as much in love with him as the day I married him, if not more.  🙂  He is my knight in shining armor. 

Don’t forget to check out Orgjunkie for lots more menu ideas. 

On August 26, 2009, Wyatt Andrew & Jackson Christopher were born prematurely to my sister, Kelly & her husband, Greg.  Wyatt passed away on October 9, 2009.  Yesterday, Jack lost his battle and joined his brother Wyatt and sister baby B (who died in utero) in heaven. 

I was reading the guest book on Wyatt & Jack’s Caring Bridge site and saw this poem:

God looked around His garden
And He found an empty place.
And then He looked down
upon the earth,
And saw your tired face.
He put His arms around you,
And lifted you to rest.
God’s garden must be beautiful,
He always takes the best.
He knew that you were suffering,
He knew you were in pain,
He knew that you would never
Get well on earth again.
He saw the road was getting rough,
And the hills were hard to climb,
So He closed your weary eyelids,
And whispered “Peace be thine.”
It broke our hearts to lose you.
But you didn’t go alone,
For part of us went with you,
The day God called you home.
~author unknown~

I am writing this post in memory of those little angels that I never got to meet.  I had just given Jack a new nickname the other day – Jackaroni.  Kelly thought it was cute because she is also singing the song that says “stuck a feather in his cap & called it macaroni” to her older son, Noah.  My love & prayers are going out to my sister, her husband & big brother Noah (he will be 2 in January). 

Rest in Peace, Jack.