Gluten-Free Pink Lemonade Pound Cake

Summer is upon us, people. Summer is upon us. While you could fill up your pitcher with delicious pink lemonade, why not consider making an entire gluten-free pound cake out of that nectar of the gods? I did!

Yes, it was a two cake weekend at my house because, why not? And yes I did find that pink lemonade pound cake recipe on Pinterest. Why do you ask? And it did look a heck of a lot better on Pinterest, because that’s what they want us to think. Seriously you guys, the day I make something and it looks as good as it does on Pinterest is the day I’ve won the Internet. And/or hired a professional food photographer to make me look much better than I actually am.

Anyhoo.

So pink lemonade pound cake. It’s truly a summer treat (as I mentioned before), and I actually can’t imagine digging in any other time of year. I firmly believe that as soon as the first frost hits you cover everything in chocolate and/or peanut butter, and then once it’s possible to get a sunburn, you go citrus. It’s just how I live my life.

And this particular recipe is delightfully summer-ific. One tip. If you, like me, can only get your gluten-free cake so high, use the icing recipe I list below. Otherwise, if you double that recipe (or just go by the original recipe), you wind up with a hell of a lot of pink lemonade icing, and then once you heat it and pour it, it does this -

And that wasn’t even all of the icing, you guys. So use my proportions and if you really find your icing needs are not being fully met, double that bad boy. I also have some leftover icing that I’m going to plop atop some gluten-free vanilla cupcakes because YUM.

Go get ‘em.

Gluten-Free Father’s Day Whether He Wants it or Not

Let’s face it, my husband is forced into a diet not of his choosing, and certainly not out of necessity. It seems to be a common thing in super supportive partners as I’ve met many of you all and your special friends who also go g-free. NICE.

So it’s only fitting that on Father’s Day I honor the dude who eats gluten-free pizza with glee, with a few of his favorite gluten-free dishes. Maybe the dad in your life will enjoy this biz as well! Try it, he’ll like it! Or at least pretend to, because he loves YOU. Win/Win.

Who Has the Best Gluten-Free Blog Readers? I DO

Do you know what is super fun? Traveling. Do you know what is super funner? Traveling and meeting awesome people. And even super duper funner? Traveling, meeting awesome people, and not getting gluten’d. I did two of those things!

You guys, I’ve been doing some road warrior’ing and every city I’ve hit with my books and my buttons I’ve had the incredible pleasure of meeting you all. See those ladies there? Those are the Duggan Sisters who came out to meet me not only in Chicago, but on MARY’S 60th Birthday! Or, around then. Sounds impressive, so I’m just going with it. But honestly, I can’t even with these Duggan Sisters. In fact, I’m a little bit obsessed with Mary, Clare & Annie who gave me an all-natural deodorant sample and I plan on testing it out on the hottest day in LA. If you don’t know these ladies, please meet them. And plan on smelling my pits when the mercury hits around 105.

Also in Chicago was the hi-lar-ious Mel of Geekily Gluten Free who took the most inappropriate, yet awesome photo with me. Let’s just say if you’re a thigh guy, this is your thing. I hope she busts it out any day now, and unedited. Not to mention Rockin Gluten-Free, aka, Andrea who has the most lovely face that I stared into as I was all, “Hey, I’m talking in front of people! There’s someone nice.” And then someone drew an amazing cartoon of me. I’M IN A GRAPHIC NOVEL. Well, one strip. On a tumblr. That is awesome. She is Sunny Sez, and super talented.

And in Austin, oh, Austin. I was so lucky to be surrounded by family, not to mention old and good friends and then suddenly new friends. Oh, here’s one –

I’m On a Highway to Gluten

But maybe the ride will be nice . . .

Well. Actually I’m flying all about the country, so technically not a highway. Unless you want to call it a highway in the sky. Which maybe we do! The point is, damn I’m a travellin’ fool and I have not even stopped to tell you lovely people much of anything. Not even about the fantastic gluten-free meals I was able to have in New York City and how I navigated three boroughs without getting the least bit sick! (More on that amazingess later.)

Then how I’ve been planning basically the best party ever in one of my former hometowns of Austin, Texas at my older brother’s restaurant, Frank, and how it’s going to be a paradise of gluten-freeness. A PARADISE. See?

Gluten-Free Los Angeles: Laurel Hardware

I just can’t stay away from the super hip restaurants. I feel like I’m somehow missing out on what everyone else is doing, and given that whole gluten thing already puts me in the uncool corner, I’M GONNA’ OWN THESE JOINTS. Or rather, go in and pray that I won’t leave in a hot run before I collapse in a pile of poop. You totally want to go out to eat with me now, don’t you?

So I went with my husband to Laurel Hardware in West Hollywood since he’s already seen me pull that one, and as you can tell the cocktail above made it clear that we were in hot joint city. That’s a “Saints Day” my friends, which is a gin drink with St. Germain, hell fire bitters, topped with a red bell pepper. Yes, awesome. But wait! There’s small plates!

Gluten-Free Homemade Pizza with Thomas Keller

Complete with grease! YUM

Yes, I do like to pretend that I dine on the regular with Thomas Keller. When in fact, I just try every single one of the gluten-free flour blends that are associated with him (even though it is actually some rad lady who works in his family of restaurants that invented it). So I picked up the latest from Cup4Cup—the pizza crust! So. Damn. Easy.

So easy, in fact, I’m kind of regretting not going crazy on the toppings and instead playing it safe with the standard mozzarella and pepperoni. You can bet in the future I’ll be all arugala and proscuitto and some kind of white cheese truffle situation, because I CAN MAKE GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA, you guys. In my own home. In my own oven. In like, no time.

Yep, feeling pretty pizza-rific today. Thanks TK & Co. So here’s why it rocks so hard.

Gluten-Free Books & Booze in San Diego!

Okay, so I started before we left LA. Still! You guys, it’s Memorial Day Weekend and you know what that means! That’s right, it’s time to break out my favorite summer cocktail that is naturally gluten-free: The Raspberry Bourbon Lemonade Refresher. Or as I call it, sunshine over ice. So maybe I just now called it that. Good, right?

Still, I am headed down to San Diego this weekend and I hope all of you people in the area stop by my book thing because it’s at this amazing space called Organic Hammer. These people do much more important and interesting things than I do, so if you’re in the SD area, specifically Encintas, and you’re all, “It’s time I went sustainable all up in my house and lawn,” you should stop by. (Among other things, they do that shizzle.) But on Sunday, they’ve invited me to say “Helooooo, San Diego!” and do a little talking about Gluten Is My Bitch: Rants, Recipes & Ridiculousness for the Gluten-Free, a little signing, and a lot of grinning because I’m so close to the beach and awesomeness. Be there at 1pm and maybe—just maybe—I’ll also have some BUTTONS!!!!

While I doubt I’ll have access to my Sunshine Over Ice beverage on Sunday, I will tell you how to make it right NOW.

Raspberry Bourbon Lemonade Refresher

Ingredients

1 1/2 ounces bourbon
4-5 fresh raspberries
3 ounces raspberry lemonade/lemonade
1 lemon round
Ice

1. Place raspberries in the bottom of your glass and muddle.

2. Put ice in glass and pour bourbon, followed by lemonade. Give it a nice stir.

3. Garnish with lemon round, and enjoy!

Makes: 1 glass of sunshine

See you in SD!

Help for Food Allergy Families in Moore, Oklahoma

Reblogged from FARE Blog:

Our hearts go out to all of the victims of the May 20, 2013 tornado, which has devastated the city of Moore, Oklahoma. In the aftermath of this disaster, families managing food allergies are in need of your help. Many in the food allergy community have mobilized to help send food donations for those with food allergies and special dietary needs.

Read more… 302 more words

To help those in OK that need allergen-free food.

Gluten Bullying? What the What?

Kick Some Ass, Kiddo

So this is apparently a thing. Bullying kids who have food allergies. I got this note from the lovely people at Food Allergy Research & Education where they filled me in on the sad fact that about a third of kids with food allergies say they’ve been bullied, specifically because of said food allergies. Then I watched this PSA they sent me, and I cried a little.

Good News for the GF Kid + Amazing Secret Recipe

Well, lots of good news. First, my the GF kid does not have to be gf anymore! Unless, of course, she’s eating in my house. Do you see how happy she is? It’s almost like she was at Disneyland. (Ed note: She was totally at Disneyland)

So here’s the thing. Back when I was all, holy f&*k my kid is a celiac, it turns out that blood test was a false positive. The endoscopy shows all clear, and the biopsy the same. This is great news. It does not mean that I won’t always be looking over her shoulder for gluten (and the same goes for her tiny brother), but for now I’m going to try really, really, hard to act like she’s 100%. I wonder if you have this problem too.

Even with the blood test and the endoscopy, I’m scared for my girl. It does not help that she looks like me, she does—on occasion—talk like me, and tears through chapter books like me. Wait. I mean, when I was a kid. I can totally read more than chapter books now, you guys. So I’m trying to be only excited, and not excited + worried. I’d love to just put this all behind me. Which is why we’re going to go ahead and do that genetic test. Until then, I reserve the right to worry about my kids. I mean, duh.

But there’s more good news! I’m going to teach you guys how to make a Wendy’s Frosty in your own damn home. You know why? Going to Wendy’s is going to make you very sad if you can’t eat a cheeseburger. Also, YOU CAN MAKE FROSTYS IN YOUR OWN HOME. Like this one, right here.

Even though I just touted this as an “amazing secret recipe” everyone on Pinterest has been all, “Here’s how to make a Frosty!” and “Hey dummy, it’s super easy to make a Frosty.” And you know what, I have always wondered what was in a Frosty. It’s like chocolate, but not quite. But it is. Is it a mix? Why so creamy?

The mystery is solved. Hey! Here’s how you make a gluten-free Frosty because you do NOT want to go to Wendy’s.

P.S. Frosty’s are already gluten-free. Anyhoo.