Meet the GF Bloggers: The Goddess

The gluten free community has grown by leaps and bounds in the past few years, due largely to social networking, like Facebook and Twitter, and to all the bloggers out there, disseminating their hard-earned information with the rest of us.  In my upcoming blog posts, I’m going to focus on some of these heroes of the GF world.  Some you may already know and love, and some may be new to you, but all will impress you with their knowledge, enthusiasm and dedication.

It only makes sense to start off with The Gluten-Free Goddess herself, Karina Allrich.  Karina’s blog, Glutenfreegoddess, is a beautiful site, filled with Karina’s own gorgeous photography and melodic prose.  Her blog abounds with incredible recipes, all brilliantly organized.  Many are vegan and vegetarian, as well as gluten free.  Her fare is not the same-old same-old; you’ll find some pretty unusual recipes here, like Quinoa Breakfast Brownies and Kicked up Mac and Cheese .  Every recipe is accompanied by Karina’s own mouthwatering photographs, such as this Orange Crème Cupcake .

photo courtesy of Gluten-Free Goddess

There are also so many excellent tips and ideas for going gluten free.  GlutenFreeGoddess is one of the sites to where I send my newly diagnosed friends.  Her gluten free cheat sheet  is indispensible. 

Reading Karina’s posts feels like sitting down with a witty friend and a cup of tea.  Her FAQs are not only enlightening; they’re funny, too, like her answer to this question about whether or not spelt is gluten free: “No, Darling. Spelt is NOT gluten-free. No matter what the Earth shoe wearing guy in the bulk nuts department tells you. Spelt is an ancient grain in the wheat family. It contains gluten. Avoid it like the plague.”  

One of my favorite blog posts of Karina's has nothing to do with gluten free food at all.  It is 56 Things to Remember, a heartfelt list of advice and ideas for anyone who's just trying to be a decent person in a sometimes indecent world.  When I first read this, I forwarded it to all my friends.  Every single one of them found at least a few items that made them laugh out loud (or just say "Hmmm...").  My personal favorites are 8, 18 and 31.

Karina is something of a renaissance woman.  Not only does she write and create amazing recipes and blog posts, but she is also a gifted photographer  and artist.  Her work is beautiful but make sure you have some time to look at her art.  I promise you will get caught up in the photos and lose all track of time!

Gluten Free Craque!

Sometimes, you find the coolest gluten free stuff in the most unexpected places.  Like Etsy.  While searching for handmade jewelry, I happened upon CraqueCandy.  Let me tell you, this treat is aptly named.  Once you start eating Craque, you just can't stop.  You hoard it.  You hide it.  You end up with delicious white stuff on your mouth and hands  (see my hand, lower right).  It's crazy.  And it's cute.  The packaging design is so smart and clever.  For Halloween, it's called "WitchCraque".  Christmas is "Santa Snaque" or "Rocks for your Socks" and Hanukkah's is "Hanukkah Guilt".  And since it's made with Rice Chex, it's all gluten free! 
There's a deliciously tangy version "with a kick" made with spicy chili; a version with chocolate covered candied blood oranges mixed in and "Elvis Rocks", which is sweet banana chips "shaken, rattled and rolled" in chocolate, peanut butter and powdered sugar.
Craque is happy to design a cool label just for your event.  And little bags of craque (dime bags?) would make great favors for weddings, showers, or parties, wouldn't they?

Taste the (Gluten Free) Rainbow!

Chris Galli, who owns the Spoonful of Sugar Bake Shop on etsy.com, recently sent me a sample of her Italian Venetian Rainbow cookies.  My Italian's a little rusty, but all I can say is "fantastico!"  These bright little cakes of yumminess were just as I remembered them from when I was a kid b.c.(before celiac), if not a little better.  The almond flavoring was just right, not too overpowering but definitely there.  And moist?  Mamma mia, these cakes were so moist!  My older daughter said you didn't even need a glass of milk with them (which you usually do when you're having GF baked goods!)  They were coated with a yummy chocolate ganache and there was a nice little spread of seedless raspberry jam between each layer.  I almost didn't believe these cakes were gluten free, but Chris assured me that they were.

Chris' shop has other gluten free goodies, too: pignoli cookies, thumbprint cookies, Amaretto butter cookies, to name a few, as well as treats for the gluten-eaters in your life.  She loves to customize her creations, so don't be afraid to ask.  How cute would these pink rainbow cakes look at a baby shower?

Her cookies and cakes come beautifully packaged, too, so they'd make awesome gifts.  I know etsy is not where we usually find our gluten free goodies, but pop on over there and check out Chris Galli's Spoonful of Sugar Bakeshop.  Delizioso!

Really Real (Gluten Free) Pretzels! Finally!!

Gluten Free food is finally making it to the mainstream!  Snyder's of Hanover recently unveiled their Gluten Free Pretzels Sticks.  Not only are they delicious, they're priced nicely, too!  (2.99/bag at Wegman's in Collegeville, PA.  Please see my Examiner article for more info...