In light of the recent debut of Freschetta’s gluten free pizzas in my local grocer’s freezer case, I thought I’d pass along a Freschetta coupon too! Since I’ve only just seen these pizzas locally, I have yet to actually taste one, but in the past, Freschetta was always my favorite for a quick, ready to cook pizza. While I certainly love taking the cheaper route and making my own pizzas, either with Bob’s Red Mill mix or Udi’s or Schar premade crusts, we’ve all had those lazy nights where you just wish that you could plop something in the oven to cook for 10-15 minutes without any prep besides placing it on a baking sheet.
Well, thanks to Freschetta we can do just that. Finally, a mainstream pizza brand has produced a gluten free pizza that’s full size and equivalent to the regular, non-gluten free version. They offer two varieties of thin and crispy gluten free pies, a four cheese which is right up my alley and a pepperoni looking equally as tasty. Is your mouth watering yet? I know, mine is too; that’s why I’m going to print my coupon and head over to my Shop Rite to snag one of these pizzas for a rainy day, or maybe just for tonight’s dinner! Make sure you print your coupon here and save $1.50 on your gluten free pie!
Since I was slowly on the mend from my bout of heat exhaustion, our slower paced day in Animal Kingdom and light dinner at the San Angel Inn Restaurante in Epcot’s Mexico were a perfect fit. By the time we had made our way through all of the scenic and shaded trails of the park, hopped on a few rides here and there, and nibbled on a Gluten Free BabyCakes Donut and Flame Tree Barbecue Pulled Pork my appetite and energy level were pushed pretty close to the limit, but after a little resting at the hotel, we were on the bus again and headed over to Epcot for dinner. On our trip last fall, we had eaten at San Angel Inn and Dan couldn’t talk highly enough about the margaritas and other spicy dishes that he enjoyed. I, on the other hand, was not a huge fan of my spicy entree, even though my dear husband took a bite and swore that it wasn’t spicy at all, for my dainty little mouth it felt like there was a fire in there. So needless to say this restaurant didn’t necessarily take it all for the food for me but for the ambiance it was five stars. We loved the dark, nighttime feel, not to mention the fact that the restaurant overlooks the canal where the ride passes through.
Since Dan loves the food here and I the environment, this trip we had decided to revisit this restaurant. This dinner couldn’t have come on a more perfect day in our vacation either. At our last visit, on top of my too spicy entree, I tried the gluten free Sopa Azteca, a delicious bowl of traditional tortilla soup, hold the pepper. I knew that this would be the perfect light dinner given my sensitive condition at that point in our trip.
San Angel Inn Restaurante in Epcot’s Mexico
After checking in, we were escorted to our table nestled right along the water. It was the perfect table for our family of three with the best view in the house. Soon after being seated, the chef joined us and took my order for my gluten free soup. While we waited for our orders, our little girl couldn’t get enough of the riders passing along below us. In fact she even gave most of them an extra treat, waving and saying hello as the boats passed by, even getting lucky to get a few waves back. She is such a little sweetheart and so friendly too!
Soon enough, after only waiting a few minutes, my bowl of tomato soup with gluten free tortilla strips, avocado, and cheese was placed in front of me. It was just as delicious as I remembered and filled the little vacancy in my stomach. Sadly, I didn’t do the soup justice and left quite a bit behind, but I was incredibly glad that my stomach cooperated so I could enjoy some of it at least. Just as before, our experience here was amazing and our little girl loved every bit of it, food included, so it seems her palate may be more similar to her Daddy’s.
So, if you love spicy food, there are so many gluten free options at San Angel Inn, not to mention some pretty tasty dessert choices too. Make a reservation for this restaurant as far in advance as possible because it books up pretty quickly. Also, if you want to snag a seat like we had, try to get an earlier reservation and request a table along the water when you check in, you’ll have a better shot earlier in the dinner service I think.
Keep me posted on your gluten free selections here and any other Disney restaurant!
I’ll be honest, I’m one of those people that loves receiving mail, well the happy kinds, not bills and junk mail. Letters, cards, packages, it’s truly a lost art of communication but one that I love. I mean who doesn’t love coming home and finding a little brown package sitting on their doorstep, especially one with Canyon Bakehouse in the return address. I lugged little one, the diaper bag, and the brown box of gluten free love into the house and couldn’t wait to tear into it. A beautiful site laid before me in the form of three fresh loaves of gluten free focaccia.
It’s no mystery that I’ve fallen for Canyon Bakehouse’s Gluten Free Focaccia. In fact, for only $5 a loaf, you would certainly be able to find a loaf at all times in my cabinet if it were available at my local grocery store everyday. So every now and then I’ve been able to enjoy the specialness of the gluten free focaccia. So far I’ve put together these Caprese and Spinach Artichoke Garlicky Focaccia Bites, adding two of my favorite appetizers to toasted garlic focaccia bread, which by the way my family and I loved. This time around with my box full of sample focaccia, I was craving a pizza. Yup, it was that time in the week for a homemade pizza and I figured why not use the focaccia for a pizza crust.
I am so glad that I tried this gluten free pizza out, the focaccia was a perfect substitute for your traditional crust, kind of like a deep dish pizza. But instead of my normal pizza toppings I decided to try out my gluten free burrata cheese that I snagged at our local Italian specialty store. I first was introduced to burrata cheese at Disney actually. Epcot’s Tutto Gusto makes this gluten free pasta pomodoro and tops it with a soft and creamy burrata cheese, it’s divine! Burrata is basically a creamy version of mozzarella, a little ball of fresh mozzarella that’s filled with a creamy center. With burrata cheese, focaccia, a fresh tomato from our garden, and pesto in hand, I decided to throw it all together for a clever new pizza. It was delicious and certainly a new family favorite! Need a sneak peak of the end result, here you go, a Burrata and Pesto Gluten Free Focaccia Pizza!
Burrata And Pesto Gluten Free Focaccia Pizza
Note: If you don’t have any or can’t get your hands on burrata cheese just use fresh mozzarella as a substitute, it’ll be equally as tasty.
Ingredients:
16 oz loaf of Canyon Bakehouse Rosemary and Thyme Focaccia
1/2 cup pesto sauce, fresh or jarred (My favorite gluten free jarred pesto is Wegman’s brand.)
8 oz gluten free Burrata cheese, fresh mozzarella with a creamy center (Lioni states gluten free on the label.)
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut your 16 oz loaf of Canyon Bakehouse focaccia lengthwise so you have two large halves of focaccia.
Focaccia loaf cut in half lengthwise.
Add about a 1/4 cup of fresh or jarred gluten free pesto to each loaf and spread into a thin layer. I used a basting brush to make sure the layer was super thin just to give a hint of pesto flavor. Just make sure all of your loaf is covered, add a little extra if needed.
Thin layer of pesto sauce.
Slice 1 large tomato into thin slices and fill each half with tomato. I had a large plum tomato and had enough to add six whole slices to each and fill some gaps with the remaining tomato pieces.
Add tomato slices on top of pesto layer.
Top your focaccia pizzas with 8 oz gluten free burrata cheese (4 oz per half). The burrata cheese comes as a tight ball similar to fresh mozzarella. I sliced the mozzarella and added the cheese with the creamy center on top of each tomato slice.
Top with burrata cheese.
Before cooking, I dusted each half with a little bit of garlic salt.
Ready to cook!
Cook pizzas for 20 minutes until cheese has melted and begun to brown.
Gluten free focaccia pizza anyone?
Let pizzas stand for 1-2 minutes and then slice with a pizza cutter into 6 squares, smaller pieces even if you’re using these for appetizers. Depending on your pesto sauce you may need to season with a little salt but this is optional. Enjoy!
This focaccia bread is an amazing alternative to your traditional gluten free pizza crust. It gives you a thicker crust, just like a deep dish pizza, that crisps up along the edges but keeps the soft and light texture inside. The combination of the pesto sauce and creamy burrata cheese is amazing and a great alternative to using red sauce and shredded mozzarella. You absolutely must try this, it makes for a perfect week night dinner or appetizer for a dinner party. Just make sure you grab enough slices for yourself because they will certainly go quickly. I was only lucky enough to grab a handful before my husband got his hands on the rest! Enjoy!
16 oz loaf of Canyon Bakehouse Rosemary and Thyme Focaccia
1/2 cup pesto sauce, fresh or jarred (My favorite gluten free jarred pesto is Wegman's brand.)
8 oz gluten free Burrata cheese, fresh mozzarella with a creamy center (Lioni states gluten free on the label.)
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut your 16 oz loaf of Canyon Bakehouse focaccia lengthwise so you have two large halves of focaccia.
Add about a 1/4 cup of fresh or jarred gluten free pesto to each loaf and spread into a thin layer. I used a basting brush to make sure the layer was super thin just to give a hint of pesto flavor.
Slice 1 large tomato into thin slices and fill each half with tomato. I had a large plum tomato and had enough to add six whole slices to each and fill some gaps with the remaining tomato pieces.
Top your focaccia pizzas with 8 oz gluten free burrata cheese (4 oz per half). The burrata cheese comes as a tight ball similar to fresh mozzarella. I sliced the mozzarella and added the cheese with the creamy center on top of each tomato slice.
Before cooking, I dusted each half with a little bit of garlic salt.
Cook pizzas for 20 minutes until cheese has melted and begun to brown.
Let pizzas stand for 1-2 minutes and then slice with a pizza cutter into 6 squares, smaller pieces even if you're using these for appetizers. Depending on your pesto sauce you may need to season with a little salt but this is optional. Enjoy!
By Gluten Free Mom To Be
Gluten Free Mom To Be http://www.glutenfreemomtobe.com/
With years of hopping between grocery stores just to find a loaf of bread that I could eat, I now can happily just grab a loaf of gluten free bread and toss it into the cart with the rest of my groceries on my bi-weekly trip to the store. It took awhile, but now my Shop Rite stocks a pretty wide selection of Schar gluten free products, from rolls and breads to cookies and crackers. Now when I grab my husband and daughter’s loaf of bread, all I have to do is turn around and see four or five shelves of yellow packaged products with Schar’s signature red label and a red “gluten free” plastered on them.
At the beginning of my gluten free adventure, I, like many others, struggled to find just the right bread that I could eat on a daily basis. Most, if not all, of the options out there were frozen and kind of bleh, but when I came upon Schar, and found it right there on the middle of a non-refrigerated grocery store shelf, I just had to try it. A quick toast later and it was ready to enjoy and boy did I ever enjoy it. I’ve turned to Schar ever since for my sandwiches and miscellaneous bread consumption, among other sweet and salty gluten free snacks. While I’m always on the lookout for new gluten free breads, especially those that don’t require a little pre-toast before eating and might even be available in my local store, for now, I’ll stick with Schar who I know I can grab at my Shop Rite and enjoy without too much prep.
I always like to keep a pretty close eye on some of my favorite brands, just in case they release any new products. Just recently, I was clicking along on Schar’s website and came upon their very own gluten free bagels, plain and cinnamon raisin. I was elated with this news! While I’ve had great gluten free bagels from Katz and Sweet Note Bagels, neither of which have made their way into my local grocery store yet, leaving an online order as my only option for now. Since I’m an avid fan of both brands, especially Katz’s everything bagels and Sweet Note’s cinnamon raisin, this isn’t too big of a deal, but it would certainly be nice to have additional bagel options on hand at all times when you’re just in the mood for a bagel.
For those in-a-pinch, bagel craving moments, I’ve always turned to Glutino bagels. They’re in the frozen section and a package of 4 or 5 is priced at $5.99. A quick defrost and toasting later and you have your gluten free bagel fix. Now, sitting next to Glutino in the freezer case, you can find Schar’s bagel options, coming in a pack of 4, you can get plain and cinnamon raisin varieties for only $2.99 at my Shop Rite. They’re a bit bigger than the Glutino options but very similar in taste. Just like Glutino, these taste more like a Lender’s type bagel that have a bread kind of texture. So far, I’ve enjoyed Schar’s plain bagels toasted with butter or cream cheese, both of which have been quite good, but one of my favorite uses for a gluten free bagel is a breakfast sandwich.
Schar Bagel Breakfast Sandwich
For pregnant me, one of my favorite pregnancy breakfasts was a gluten free bagel, either with butter, cream cheese, or an egg, bacon, and cheese combo, along with fruit on the side. It was substantial enough to hold me over for more than a half an hour and filled that nagging craving for one of those huge bagels from that small bagel shop around the corner from me, well kind of. At the time I only really had Glutino bagels and later on Katz varieties to choose from for my bagel craving, but now and next pregnancy I have so many to choose from, kind of exciting isn’t it.
With the Schar bagels on hand, I decided the other night to do a breakfast dinner, yolky egg sandwiches with pork roll and cheese. These are so simple and tasty and really perfect on any gluten free bagel. They’re certainly a must have during a pregnancy for me, but of course with a fully cooked yolk center or just a scrambled egg instead.
Ingredients:
1 Gluten Free Bagel (I love Katz, Sweet Note Bagels, Schar, and Glutino)
1-2 slices of Pork Roll, use either pre-sliced or in a roll, pre-sliced is easier (Case’s is gluten free)
1 egg
Cheese of choice (I like American or shredded colby jack on my sandwich.)
Directions:
Begin toasting your gluten free bagel.
While your bagel is toasting, slice your pork roll if necessary and add the slices to a warmed skillet (medium heat). The key with cooking pork roll is that you put four 1/2 inch long slits at 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00 around the circle. As pork roll cooks it begins to puff up and the circles will buckle, so with the slits it keeps the circles lying flat.
Cook the pork roll a few minutes on each side, just until they brown a little.
Cook your egg to your liking, making sure you have a fully cooked yolk center if you’re pregnant.
When all is done cooking, just add your slice of pork roll to the base of your toasted bagel, then your egg, top with some shredded or a slice of cheese, and finally cover it all with the top of your bagel.
Either let your sandwich stand for a minute to allow your cheese to melt or microwave the sandwich for a quick 10-20 seconds or so to melt the cheese.
Enjoy!
Porkroll, egg, and cheese on a toasted Schar bagel.
This sandwich is perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I could really eat any breakfast option at all times during the day, but especially a breakfast sandwich. The Schar bagel was a perfect size for the sandwich, large enough for the egg and pork roll to not hang over the sides. Better yet, the signature falling apart of a gluten free sandwich was non-existent with this one. From start to finish, each bite held together perfectly thanks to the fantastic Schar bagel.
You certainly can’t beat buying a pack of four gluten free bagels for $2.99, especially when they’re as big and tasty as Schar’s are. Finally, we can enjoy a regular everyday item without breaking the bank. Now, if we could only bring the price of breads down I’d be a happy camper. Thanks Schar for adding yet another great bread product to the gluten free market! Now hurry up and grab your gluten free bagel today and make one of these sandwiches, just don’t forget to send one over to me too!
Sincerely,
Lindsay
Gluten Free Pork Roll, Egg, And Cheese Bagel Sandwich
1 Gluten Free Bagel (I love Katz, Sweet Note Bagels, Schar, and Glutino)
1-2 slices of Pork Roll, use either pre-sliced or in a roll, pre-sliced is easier (Case's is gluten free)
1 egg
Cheese of choice (I like American or shredded colby jack on my sandwich.)
Instructions
Begin toasting your gluten free bagel.
While your bagel is toasting, slice your pork roll if necessary and add the slices to a warmed skillet (medium heat). The key with cooking pork roll is that you put four 1/2 inch long slits at 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00 around the circle. As pork roll cooks it begins to puff up and the circles will buckle, so with the slits it keeps the circles lying flat.
Cook the pork roll a few minutes on each side, just until they brown a little.
Cook your egg to your liking, making sure you have a fully cooked yolk center if you're pregnant.
When all is done cooking, just add your slice of pork roll to the base of your toasted bagel, then your egg, top with some shredded or a slice of cheese, and finally cover it all with the top of your bagel.
Either let your sandwich stand for a minute to allow your cheese to melt or microwave the sandwich for a quick 10-20 seconds or so to melt the cheese.
Enjoy!
By Gluten Free Mom To Be
Gluten Free Mom To Be http://www.glutenfreemomtobe.com/
As the fourth morning of our summer vacation rolled around, we were up and raring to go for our first full day in Magic Kingdom (well at least most of us, I on the other hand was still a little run down). Our Magic Kingdom days are really some of my favorites. Almost everything we do is for our little girl, from rides and character meet and greets to parades and even special dining, each moment spent here is all about our little one. Just as we had on our previous days, we had our fastpasses all planned out ahead of time with a Be Our Guest lunch reservation smooshed in the middle. To say we were all excited would be an understatement.
Little ones headed the line to the Pirates of Caribbean.
The buses were packed on the way over but thankfully this tired and slightly ill mama, with baby in hand, snagged a seat so I could enjoy just a few more minutes of some blasting cold air. Soon enough though we were pulling up at our bus stop and unloading for our very busy day. Since we had morning fastpasses planned for some of the busier attractions in the new Fantasyland we decided to not follow the herd of people in that direction and head over to Adventureland first to hop on Pirates of the Caribbean. This was such a great idea, especially since we were able to go on it twice in a row with no line each time.
Afterwards, the rest of our group of thirteen decided to talk a walk through the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse; while Dan and I love doing this too, walking up tons of tiny steps holding our antsy toddler, or worse her insisting to do the steps herself, did not sound like very much fun. Instead, we decided to catch a ride on a magic carpet, something we’d yet to do since the line for this ride is always insane during the day and very much so in the sun. Not this morning, we waited a grand total of 5-10 minutes and were flying high in the sky. Little one loved this ride and actually put her arms up, I think someone’s been watching her Daddy on rides.
She wanted those gemstones stuck in the ground so badly.
Just as our magic carpets were landing, we spotted a small line forming for Jasmine’s first meet and greet so we decided to scoot in line. We waited only about 10 minutes in the shade and our little girl just loved the queue, with all of the gemstones and other miscellaneous treasures embedded in the ground. And we were up, it was her turn to meet Jasmine, to whom she ran up and gave a huge hug to. Did I mention how much she loves almost every character in Disney World?
By the time we had finished the sweep of Adventureland, in such a short time may I add, it was time to make our way over to Fantasyland for the first of our fastpasses. The plan to start in Adventureland was such a great idea; if you can avoid Fantasyland with fastpasses for the main attractions, especially first thing in the morning, please do, and try to hit some of your other favorite rides elsewhere in the park, you’ll be thankful you did when you’re walking straight onto rides. Anyway, we had arrived in Fantasyland and had a little bit of time before our early Be Our Guest lunch reservation so we took advantage of our first fastpass and met Anna and Elsa and then went over to Dumbo for a quick ride.
A little pre-lunch Dumbo ride.
Finally, it was time for our lunch at Be Our Guest. Even though it was on the early side we had all done so much already that day we were certainly hungry and ready for it. Ordering at the kiosks is pretty easy if you have a food restriction but for me I always ask to speak with a chef, it just makes me feel more comfortable in what I’m eating. I ordered the gluten free Turkey Sandwich that I’ve ordered in the past and you can catch a review of here. We picked out our tables in the Rose room and waited patiently for our orders to arrive.
Gluten free turkey sandwich from our spring trip to Disney.
Unfortunately for me, even after such a short morning I was already run down and feeling sick again with my appetite being nonexistent, just as it had at breakfast and dinner the night before. Once my meal did arrive it looked just as wonderful as always, with two portions of the gluten free version of the turkey sandwich and fries on the side, but I just couldn’t manage to eat very much at all. What I did eat though reminded me of just how tasty this sandwich was in my past visit too, hence why it’s one of my favorite lunches in Disney. On this day though, food was not my friend no matter how much I loved a meal in the past (tear).
Quick shot on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (sorry if it’s a little blurry but it was the best we could do).
After my pseudo lunch, I knew I wouldn’t make it much longer so we headed over to the Mine Train for our fastpass time. We split into two larger groups to watch the too little little ones, which thankfully the downtime gave way to an earlier nap time for mine. Even though I wasn’t really in the shape to go on this type of ride, I decided not to miss out on the rare opportunity to wait only 10 minutes to get on this one. It was really lots of fun, fast and a bit more intense than I thought but fun nonetheless, very glad I didn’t sit out.
Finally we had come to our last fastpass of the day over at Splash Mountain. While my little girl slept, I took advantage of this time for sure and plopped my exhausted and sick butt down in some shade where I could maybe snag a great picture of our family coming down the big drop. Mission accomplished, and with picture in hand we decided since we’d made it to mid-afternoon at that point to call it and head back to the hotel for some relaxation and pool time for little one.
The rest of the day for my little family of three was very mellow and relaxing. By the time we had gotten back to the hotel I was ready to collapse, and collapse I did. I definitely had heat exhaustion and with no food in my stomach I desperately needed to just lay in the cool air. While I did that, Dan took our little girl out for some pool time, moments that I definitely didn’t want to miss but had to. We decided to skip our Mama Melrose dinner reservation that night, I never would’ve made it there, and settled on a night inside with the cool air and soft beds. Our little girl was certainly a trooper and didn’t mind too much with the downtime, thank you my princess! But don’t worry, her Daddy took good care of her and Mommy with a couple walks in the stroller, a trip to the gift shop leading to her coming back with a present in hand, and the best part, a huge Mickey cupcake that made her eyes grow ten sizes. That husband of mine even brought back a small edible treat for me too, not quite as appealing as a huge Mickey cupcake but a necessary evil for me that night, some fresh fruit and a little salad put together by the chef’s at the Landscapes of Flavor.
After 8 hours of laying in the air conditioning and a full of night of sleep to follow, the next day seemed a little bit brighter. The next morning I was still so nauseous with zero appetite and pretty darn sore too, but I certainly wasn’t going to let this heat stuff ruin any more of our vacation plans. Next up, was our Animal Kingdom day and our last dinner in Epcot at Mexico!
After a great day in Hollywood Studios we were off to Epcot for a dinner in Germany. We debated on this one for a little while. We’d been there pre-baby and loved the environment and entertainment but were so so on the food. For me, the cuisine is not really up my alley, but I’m always willing to try new places for my husband who has much more of an adventurous palate than I. Even though our first experience at Biergarten didn’t quite wow us we decided to give it a second try, just the three of us, so our little girl might be able to enjoy a little German music and entertainment.
We caught a bus to head over to Epcot for dinner that night and in route our little one dozed off for her afternoon nap. We crossed our fingers that this nap would stick and hopefully get us through a little bit of dinner, just long enough so we could put some food in our stomachs. After pulling up at the distant bus stop, we began our trek towards the World Showcase. With temperatures in the high 90s and humidity levels off the charts, the walk from the bus to Germany in the World Showcase was brutal, making me light headed and nauseous. Little did I know that this wasn’t a promising sign for the rest of our evening and really for the next few days. The heat certainly got the best of me and made enjoying our dinner very difficult. Thankfully though, my little girl helped her mommy out by continuing napping through quite a bit of dinner, allowing me to relax and attempt to eat some of my meal.
A little Germany love with my little Snow White (this was the day before our dinner in Germany, just had to share how pretty Germany is).
So back to the food. After being seated, we were told that the chef would be over to walk me through the buffet to review my gluten free options. While I waited with our peacefully sleeping baby, Dan went up to the buffet to retrieve a plate full of authentic, German cuisine. It was a busy night at Biergarten with several other food allergy diners so it did take awhile for the chef to come over, but the peaceful relaxation was warmly welcomed on my part. Once the chef appeared, she escorted me over to the buffet and reviewed the can and cannots along the line. After our quick walk through, I requested my menu choices to come from the kitchen rather than from the buffet line where gluten free items were sometimes surrounded by non-gluten free ones making cross contamination an absolute possibility. The chef was so happy to accommodate and promised to give me generous helpings of each of my requested gluten free items (In retrospect, I probably should have forewarned her that the extras might be wasted on this gal that night since I was apparently suffering from heat exhaustion.).
Epcot’s Biergarten in Germany, The Gluten Free Cold Selection
Whilst I waited for my food, the show began and caused a little rustling from inside the stroller, but thankfully our little girl continued to snooze for a little while longer. Soon enough, the chef reappeared with two full plates of almost everything gluten free from the kitchen. Had I had the appetite that I normally have after a full day of pushing around the stroller through Disney’s humongous theme parks, I would’ve been thrilled with the wide selection and overflowing plates. Sadly, the enormous amount of food was somewhat wasted that night.
That being said, I did manage to try bits and pieces of almost all of the dishes, especially since I knew they had come safely from inside the kitchen. On the cold plate above, I had a green salad with their house made dressing, tomato salad, and potato salad. I wasn’t a huge fan of the dressing on the salad so a lot of that remained. But, I really enjoyed the tomato salad which was very similar in flavor to summery tomato salads that I make at home. The real surprise on the plate though was the potato salad. This was deliciously creamy and the red potatoes were perfectly tender. Not quite as wonderful as my grandmother’s homemade gluten free version, but Biergarten’s potato salad was definitely flavorful and tasty just the same.
Epcot’s Biergarten in Germany, The Gluten Free Warm Selections
This next plate was more of a challenge for my sensitive stomach that night, so I must admit I didn’t try everything on there. Okay, so the main gluten free entrees were the German sausages and roasted pork (there was also a fish option in there too that was gluten free but I don’t eat fish). As far as the gluten free sides go, there was a warm potato salad, green beans, and roasted potatoes. I took a few bites of the roasted pork and was really disappointed because it was exceptionally dry. There was a sauce on the buffet that was intended to be paired with the pork but that was off limits to me. Meanwhile the sausages were pretty tasty, actually one of my husband’s favorites on the buffet, but I could only stomach one or two bites of each kind. As far as the warm sides, I honestly didn’t try them, by that point in the meal I was pretty well spent. However, I’m happy to report that my personal gluten free taste tester, aka my husband Dan, happened to really enjoy the warm potato salad, so I’m pretty sure I would have too.
As I had finished my nibbling, I looked to my right to see our little one sitting up in her stroller, looking around with bewilderment. It must be very strange to go to sleep in one place and wake up in a totally new one, not to mention in Disney World where you can essentially wake up in a different country. Needless to say, she wasn’t too pleased with the music and singing going on around her that caused her nap to come to an early close so she was certainly ready to go at that point, cutting our time short in Germany. Afterwards we slowly made our way back around the World Showcase, grabbing dinner for little one and stopping at the Nemo ride and Spaceship Earth to make her night a little extra special.
Hot and steamy nighttime family picture in front of Epcot.
So unfortunately for us it appears as though we were going to hit another little sickness, thanks to the heat, while on vacation. Thankfully though, this one didn’t take Mommy out of the equation for too long. Sadly, the first night of my sick days happen to fall on our Germany dinner night which left a lasting negative impression on me. While the food that I did taste was pretty good, Dan and I both agreed that it just wasn’t our favorite place for dinner in Disney, so I think the ship has officially sailed on Germany for us. However, just like every other place in Epcot, the restaurant was so perfectly authentic to the country and the food was just the same. So if you love everything Germany be sure to stop at Epcot’s Biergarten, they certainly do offer a great experience along with a large variety of gluten free foods.
Stay tuned for more Disney gluten free fun from a Lefou’s Brew to some Mickey Waffles!
After a great day in Epcot, we headed over to Hollywood Studios for dinner. On our travels, nestled snug in my arms, little one fell asleep for a much needed nap, and I have to admit that I wished I could fall asleep along with her too. Soon enough though we pulled up at the bus stop and quickly unloaded. It was back into the stroller for our little girl and thankfully the transition didn’t wake her up.
Since we arrived a bit early for our reservation at 50s Prime Time Cafe, we decided to grab a few cups of water (which by the way you can get for free at any stand!) and meander through the air conditioned gift shops. I can honestly say that I don’t think I’ve ever been so thankful for air conditioning in quite awhile. It just felt heavenly walking through those stores, not to mention it made nap time a lot more comfortable I’m sure for a certain little girl. After looking through all of Disney’s merchandise, and snagging a Mickey pretzel magnet that our toddler would just love, it was time to head over for dinner.
A short wait later and a table that would fit our group of thirteen was ready. Thankfully, there was enough room to push our stroller in with sleeping baby inside and not interrupt nap time. The chef joined us moments later, took our allergy free orders (gluten free fried chicken of course and the brownie sundae), and politely obliged to our gluten free fried chicken request and in fact shared that the chicken was almost ready, yay!!!! I couldn’t have been happier to be one step closer to tasting the deliciousness of their gluten free fried chicken again.
A little Mommy and Daddy time while little one sleeps.
Now, how did I seem to accomplish the impossible, seeing as last time I was less than successful at 50s? Well I sent my gluten free meal request via email to Special.Diets@DisneyWorld.com, 2 weeks before we left for our trip, where they then passed it along to the restaurant. It seems so silly that this is necessary, but trust me, if you want to enjoy this gluten free item I highly recommend doing this. In one of my many discussions with Disney’s Special Diets department I was informed that the restaurant no longer keeps all of the ingredients on hand at all times so they need ample notice ahead of time of a request to get everything. Better safe than sorry and from now on I’ll only ever order this dish in this way, hopefully to always have the success that I did that day!
Aunt Liz’s Golden Gluten Free Fried Chicken
Okay, so now that all of the instructions for ordering are out of the way lets get to the good stuff. Since our gluten free fried chicken was almost ready when we talked to the chef (thanks to my pre-ordering!) our wait was cut down significantly, unfortunately though not enough for our little girl. In fact, just as our meals were arriving our little one stirred, I’m telling you they have amazing timing, and didn’t wake up in the best of moods. Seeing as I have an amazing husband who knows how much I had looked forward to this meal he offered to take our little girl outside for a walk so I could quickly gobble my hot and crispy gluten free fried chicken down. I don’t know how they do it but the crispy gluten free fried chicken with a side of garlic mashed potatoes and string beans hit the spot perfectly and was amazing! The outside of the chicken was perfectly crispy and flavorful while the inside was bursting with juicy flavor. The sides were just as tasty as I remembered too but there’s no denying the star of that plate was chicken.
Gluten Free Dad’s Brownie Sundae
Once my perfect plate of gluten free diner food was almost done, Dan and my little one were back and it was my turn on toddler duty. Thankfully we had gotten our little girl some dinner ahead of time so she happily nibbled on some of Mommy’s green beans, sandwich, and her favorite, apple slices. Before we knew it, the creme de la creme of the dessert menu had arrived, a gluten free version of Dad’s Brownie Sundae, which towered over the table in all of it’s glory! By this time, my little one who loves herself some dessert, had finished her meal, at least as close as we were going to get, and even had a quick change outside and was licking her lips at one look of this masterpiece. We divided the whole sundae for our family of three to enjoy, making sure each of us got to taste all of the fixings, including the homemade gluten free brownie, vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, caramel sauce, whipped cream, sprinkles, caramel popcorn, m&ms and a cherry. This dessert is phenomenal, from the delicious gluten free brownie that they make in house to the clever toppings like the caramel popcorn, each bite makes you close your eyes and give a little mmm. A sweet way to end our meal for sure!
So needless to say my faith in 50s Prime Time Cafe has been restored. With some notice ahead of time, they were able to create a gluten free masterpiece and I for one couldn’t be more grateful. After such a rough experience only a few months ago, it was certainly a relief to walk out with such a different feeling this time. Hopefully this method is fool proof and gets you this plate of deliciousness anytime you want! Keep me posted on all of your gluten free experiences in Disney World too, good or bad, I’d love to hear them!
TIP: If you’re contemplating making a dining reservation at 50s Prime Time Cafe and are interested in their legendary gluten free fried chicken, make sure you order ahead as I did by simply emailing your request to Special.Diets@DisneyWorld.com. This seems to be the best way to make sure that you get to enjoy what you want.
As the second day of our vacation rolled around so did our time at Epcot. We love our days and nights at Epcot, with the amazing food and drinks, the feeling of all of the different cultures around you, and some fantastic rides scattered in there too. We had big plans for this day in Epcot, an early start at Soarin’, then meeting Mickey and his friends at the Character Spot, then hopping on Test Track, and finally heading over to start the World Showcase, all summed up with a ride on Nemo and a walk through the aquarium in the afternoon before dinner.
Mommy, Daddy, and Little Snow White too!
The highlight by far, as always, was meeting everyone at the Character Spot. My little girl just loves Mickey and his friends. With a running start, she charges over to each of them and embraces them in a huge hug, then quickly about faces and sits down on their lap for a picture. Nothing beats watching her hug each of them so warmly like they’re her best friends and then bid them an equally warm farewell wave. It’s moments like that that make me want to go back to Disney over and over just to let my little girl see her friends again.
By the time we had completed our morning rides, our little girl had drifted off to sleep, so instead of squeezing in the Mexico and Norway rides we took our time meandering around the countries and their stores. By the time we had reached Italy, we decided to have an early lunch at Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar. We happen to really love Tutto Gusto, although it isn’t on the dining plan, it’s a nice alternative for lunch in Epcot. Literally, the moment we pulled the stroller up to the restaurant our little one was in the midst of waking up from her nap, it’s amazing how they have such good timing.
Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar in Epcot
We were given a great table right in the middle of the wine cellar where we could admire the wall of wine bottles behind us along with the gorgeous authentic Italian touches everywhere, all while enjoying the wonderfully cool and dark environment that was so welcomed after baking in the Orlando heat and humidity all morning. Our server quickly met us at our table along with the chef to go over my gluten free options. They have gluten free pasta which allows for any of the pasta options on the menu, however everything on their tasting menu, meats, cheeses, etc. are gluten free too. Much to my dismay though, the chef informed me that all of these other options are kept in a communal case where their paninis and such are stored too, so there is a chance of cross contamination there. I was warned that if I was very sensitive that the case contents were pretty off limits, even though that’s a bit disappointing I was completely okay with skipping out on the gluten exposure. I decided to go with my favorite dish, the gluten free pasta pomodoro with burrata cheese, that they really do so well there.
Tutto Gusto Gluten Free Bread Plate
While we waited for our dishes, the server dropped off our recommended wines, I went with a sweet, bubbly Moscato along with a bonus plate of gluten free breads. There was a raisin bread and two other plain breads. They were all quite good but my favorite was the raisin bread, of which I really only had a bite or two since I didn’t want to ruin my lunch. Meanwhile, our little girl couldn’t get enough of the delicious looking, non-gluten free focaccia bread and crunchy breadsticks that were placed in front of her and my husband. She loved every bit of that bread plate and would’ve taken it all home with us if we could.
Gluten Free Pasta Pomodoro at Epcot’s Tutto Gusto
Soon enough, our lunches arrived, my husband’s Tuscan pork ribs and my gluten free pasta pomodoro that would be split with my little bread monster. When we had visited Tutto Gusto before on our last trip, unbeknownst to me, the chef made me a dinner sized portion of the pasta which was way too much food and too expensive for lunch too, This time just confirmed my suspicions from before, as my tasting plate of gluten free pasta arrived and was just the right size (and price) for lunch and even to be shared with a little toddler. It was just as delicious as I remembered with whole roasted tomatoes scattered throughout, fresh basil, and creamy burrata cheese on top. Not to mention the pasta was phenomenal! It was cooked perfectly al dente and embraced all of the flavors of the sauce and cheese. Such a fantastic lunch option when you’re in Epcot, just gives you a little break from the fries, burgers, and sandwiches.
Gluten Free Panna Cotta
Okay, so what Disney meal is complete without a dessert? Our lunch at Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar was no different. My gluten free choice was the chocolate panna cotta with cherries on top. It was so soft and creamy, just how a panna cotta should be, and matched perfectly with the cherries. Needless to say, this dessert didn’t stand a chance in my group, even though I shared it with little one (who also happen to snag a few bites from Daddy’s dessert too), I’m sure the dish wouldn’t have been empty anyway if it had been left up to just me.
As our meal was coming to a close, I couldn’t help but look around and truly appreciate just how wonderful our vacations are together. Sure my little girl has her moments when her toddler age and impatience shows through but then there are plenty of those other moments too, where she’s all smiles and laughs, making Mommy and Daddy smile too. She’s a precious little gem our little girl and we couldn’t be more happy to share all of these exciting moments with her as she grows up.
So all in all, I can’t recommend Epcot’s Tutto Gusto highly enough. They offer delicious gluten free menu options, and non-gluten free ones too, that are sure to please everyone. The only downside that I did have was that I couldn’t get my hands on their recipes. Sadly, they weren’t really keen on sharing those which was really disappointing for me, seeing as Disney isn’t necessarily in my backyard and on my regular list of Friday night take out options. Even though I can’t recreate these exact dishes at home though, it just makes it that much more exciting and tastier when we get to go back!
Our little Snow White giving her favorite princess some love!
After lunch, we were all refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of Epcot. We headed straight over to Germany to meet my daughter’s favorite princess, Snow White. The meet and greet went just how we expected, a huge hug, followed by being held for bit, and finally a goodbye hug and wave that made the line behind us aww in unison. After her meeting, we took our little Snow White through the rest of the countries and finally to the Nemo ride, which she LOVES! The ride itself is great, but the aquarium afterwards is a great experience that we all love. By the time we finished Nemo, it was time to head over to Hollywood Studios for dinner. Stay tuned for my most exciting gluten free news from our summer Disney vacation! I’ll give you a hint, it has to do with fried chicken!
So I suppose it’s become somewhat of a tradition to spend our first day of our Disney vacation in Magic Kingdom. Right after we do our bag drop off at our resort we head on over to Magic Kingdom to start our vacation off with a trip through Fantasyland’s finest rides. This particular trip was no different, filling our first day with a tour through some old and new rides and finishing it off with a perfect first night’s dinner at Be Our Guest Restaurant.
After a long morning of travel and an afternoon of hot fun we were eager to get dinner underway. We had arrived right on time and were shown to our table in the Beast’s West Wing. It was dark and cool, with thunder and lightening causing the lights to flicker on and off, definitely recreating the mysterious and somewhat scary nature of the West Wing. With so much to see and hear we were pretty optimistic that our little one would either be plenty entertained or embrace the darkness of the room and succumb to her heavily drooping eyes. Needless to say our dinner ended up being a bit more chaotic to say the least, and I think Dan and I probably spent a grand total of 30 minutes together the entire dinner. At one point or another each one of us was up and walking with our overly exhausted 1 year old who had bigger and better plans then sitting down to a nice dinner. It had been a long day up to that point with no nap in sight so I kind of knew the probable outcome of the dinner, but still hoped that the castle would enchant her and help us through our dinner.
Well with no enchantment in sight, we made do with our fussy little one and managed to still get in a few bites of semi-hot food. For my dinner I decided to start off with the gluten free French Onion Soup, followed by the gluten free Strip Steak with Pommes Frites, and finish with a gluten free Raspberry Sorbet. I was most excited to dive into a big bowl of French Onion Soup with melted cheese on top, it’s been ages since I’ve been so lucky. Soon after placing my order with the chef, my soup came around the corner and I couldn’t wait to take my first bite.
Gluten Free French Onion Soup at Be Our Guest
The soup was delicious, overflowing with onions and topped with a thick layer of melted cheese. While I’m not the biggest fan of onions in general, I do however enjoy the flavor that they add to this soup and with the melted cheese, it was simply divine. It was an amazing start to the meal and done perfectly gluten free too!
Soon after our appetizers had left the table, our main courses were turning the corner. While Dan started on his dish, I decided to take our little girl on a walk around the castle to give everyone a break from the rambunctious toddler. Soon enough we had made our way back to our dining room and it was my turn to dive into my meal. By this point my steak had turned a little cold so that was a bit disappointing but I wasn’t going to let that deter me from enjoying the great flavors. Unlike our last visit to Be Our Guest, this time around it didn’t seem like they had cooked the steak in the garlic herb butter as there was only a side dish on the plate, none was actually melted on top. It wasn’t quite the same this way, as the flavor of the butter didn’t really have a chance to melt into the steak; however, the butter was just as delicious as before and did make a good dipping side for the pommes frites which were just as perfectly flavored as I remember. All together my meal was pretty good, the pommes frites were the star for me and for my little girl who quieted down instantly after one bite, while the steak just needed to be cooked in the garlic herb butter to absorb that amazing flavor.
Gluten Free Grilled Strip Steak at Be Our Guest
Soon enough the dessert cart was rolling up alongside our table and delivering our family’s amazing sweet selections, with my sorbet quickly following. Normally I order the gluten free Lemon Raspberry Puff but I was in more of a cold treat kind of mood that day. The gluten free Raspberry Sorbet was perfect, a cold and sweet finish to a tasty meal. I highly recommend this dessert as an alternative to their gluten free puff, it was a huge helping and just the right amount of sweetness at the end of the meal.
Gluten Free Raspberry Sorbet at Be Our Guest
All together our dinner on Day 1 was incredibly flavorful and filling, a great finish to a jam packed first day of vacation. After such a long morning of travel and a hot afternoon hopping on and off rides it was just great to enjoy a cool meal in the dark and stormy West Wing of Beast’s castle. With full bellies and an extra boost of energy, we tackled a few more attractions after dinner like Belle’s Enchanted Tales, the carousel, and the tea cups. Soon enough, all of our tanks were close to empty though and it was time to call it a day. We turned in a bit early that night making sure to be well rested for Day 2 of fun at Epcot. Keep an eye out for the great gluten free news that I received on the second day of our vacation!
Through my years of living gluten free, I’ve searched high and low for the best gluten free breads out there. While I’ve found my go to brands for everyday meals, I always keep my eyes peeled for more options. Although I’d heard the name Canyon Bakehouse before I’d never seen any of their products in my local stores. Hearing more and more fantastic things about them, I was intrigued to see what kinds of products they offer, so I finally decided to check out their website. Oh my was I ever glad that I did too. Here I found two gluten free breads that I’d never seen gluten free before, their Rosemary and Thyme Foccacia and Deli Style Rye. (more…)
