Your guide to gluten-free cupcakes in Atlanta

I must admit, as excited as I am about my new city, I really miss a few places in Chicago, so badly, that I want to drive up there just for that one thing, like Swirlz Cupcakes (pictured above). These cupcakes were so incredible that I would plan an afternoon around making sure I got there in time to get certain flavors before they were gone. And they did run out by the late afternoon. The great thing about Swirlz is that they made a great selection of gluten-free cupcakes, not just your standard chocolate and vanilla, though vanilla was actually my absolute favorite flavor of theirs. They make their regular cupcake flavors as gluten-free versions as well - like red velvet, banana Nutella or even egg nog!

Their web site lists their daily cupcakes, but I found there were usually some surprises when I went in to the store. Perhaps left over from a special order, but whatever the reason, I was addicted. And now I miss them.

Really, I should be making my own cupcakes and save some $$, but there is just something so fun about going somewhere and just picking it out and having it handed to you all pretty with beautiful frosting and decorations.

But, back to topic, this is about my new city and looking forward. After doing some research, I came up with a list of local cupcake bakeries that offer gluten-free cupcakes. There are definitely many more bakeries than that are on this list, but they do not offer gluten-free cupcakes, which is a shame, but hopefully more will jump on the bandwagon as the need for gluten-free grows. I also noticed many of them only offer chocolate and vanilla, with a couple of exceptions. Hopefully this list grows as well.

American Gra-Frutti - Available in store, and Atlanta-area Whole Foods. 1355 Roswell Road, Suite 152, Marietta, 30062. 404-304-9255.

The Cake Hag - Available in store and by special order. 233 Mitchell Street SW, Atlanta 30303. 678-760-6300.

Cake in the Box - Available in store and by special order. 2730 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Suite 204, Duluth, 30097. 678-417-5855.

Carolyn's Cupcakes - Vanilla and chocolate on a daily basis and by special order. 2745 LaVista Road, Decatur, 30033. 404-343.1964.

Doctor Bombay's Underwater Tea Party - Sometimes available in store, and special order. 1645 McLendon Avenue NE, Atlanta, 30307. 404-474-1402.

The Free Cookie - Available by special order, and Return to Eden. 404-536-6170.

Gigi's Cupcakes - Available in store on Wednesdays, or by special order. Vanilla, chocolate and spice cake with cream cheese frosting. 3655 Roswell Road, Atlanta 30342. 404-846-4400.

Lenox Cupcakes - Available by special order with 24-hour notice, any of their flavors. Phipps Plaza, 3500 Peachtree Road, Atlanta 30326. 404-949-0409.

Little Cake Bakery - Available by special order only, chocolate or vanilla with any of their frostings. 3792 Roswell Road, Atlanta 30342. 404-841-8856.

Magnolia Manor Sweets - Available by special order, and Peachtree City Farmers Market (seasonal). 631-793-9715.

Metrotainment Bakery - Available by special order with 48-hour notice, yellow and chocolate cupcakes. 1119 Logan Circle, Atlanta 30318. 404-873-6307.

Sugar Shack - Available in store and by special order. Double chocolate fudge flavor only. 4058 Peachtree Road, Atlanta 30319. 404-816-6161. (owned by Metrotainment)

Whole Foods - Available in the gluten-free freezer section with their Gluten-Free Bakehouse products. Atlanta-area stores.

At the time of this post, Sweet Pockets was testing out gluten-free recipes and hopes to offer them in the future, but no date has been set.

Pure Taqueria now has gluten-free chips!

I love all of the taquerias in Atlanta, and how easy it is to eat gluten-free at them...except for the chips. It seems that many of them fry their chips with something else wheat-based. In these cases, I usually end up bringing my own chips and try to be all sly about it, because I don't want to feel like an outcast sitting there with my "special" chips. And then of course I need my own salsa, so others at the table don't dip their gluten-filled chips into the same bowl of salsa, contaminating me in the end.

Pure Taqueria has always had gluten-free chips...but they are not the ones that get passed to the tables for free, they were chips you had to order (and pay) separately.

Lucky for us, Pure Taqueria's chips, which were once fried with wheat-containing products are now gluten-free and fried at the beginning of the day before anything else is fried and therefore uncontaminated. I was a bit skeptical, but I am super sensitive and inhaled a basked on my own and felt great afterwards....other than a bit full with my basket of chips and dinner.

And, psst.......they have a coupon on Scoutmob now, so you can go enjoy 50% off you meal!

Post-Thanksgiving Day roll call

Being that I absolutely love cooking for others (& myself), I love hosting a holiday dinner. And being gluten-free, we all know it makes it so much easier and more relaxed when I know all the food came from my kitchen and my ingredients. I always ask guests to bring drinks and I will take care of the food. The last thing I want is for my kitchen and food to somehow get contaminated with something someone else brings. I would rather spend the extra money and do the food myself and be able to relax. Of course I miss the days when people would bring dishes to share, but I just don't want to risk a holiday dinner in bed with a tummy ache.

I always have to decide on my menu a week in advance, chart out my shopping list by grocery stores, and then make a schedule of exactly when I need to start each dish the day of the dinner. Compulsive? maybe. Organized? usually.

Thanksgiving 2010 menu:

Starters:

Baked brie with cranberries and crackers - yum!

Roasted pumpkin seeds - yum!

Wine - enough said.

Dinner:

Honey Baked turkey - felt kind of blah about this. I only bought the turkey so that my guests wouldn't feel cheated of turkey and I didn't want to mess with bones, raw poultry and gluten, so I went with the safe bet...but I was not a fan. I should have picked up that pre-cooked half-turkey I saw at Trader Joes.

Garlic and ginger salmon - I made this myself, and just baked salmon on a bed of fresh spinach, slathered with a quick sauce of olive oil, fresh ginger and garlic.

Mashed potatoes - my usual super sinful mashed potatoes, always a hit, and a day's worth of calories.

Balsamic roasted root vegetables - I took this recipe from this month's Southern Living. It is made in the crockpot with sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots and dried cranberries. Came out great and loved the ease of doing it in the crockpot and just leaving it alone. I think I will repeat for xmas.

Cream corn - again, this is sinful in fat and calories and quickly eaten.

Roasted brussels sprouts - simple and tasty. Green was definitely needed to round out this meal of yellow and orange.

Cornbread stuffing - I kind of made this up as I went along. I made the cornbread the night before (using Bob's Red Mill gluten-free cornbread mix), cut it into cubes and let it dry overnight, then added cooked carrots, boy choy, onions, sage and veggie broth...turned out surprisingly good.

Gravy - I made gravy using the Gluten-Free Girl's method, but used veggie broth, and added chopped parsley right at the end, before serving.

Cranberries - I use the recipe on the package and it always turns out good and simple. I love using leftovers on my eggnog pancakes, and this morning's eggnog French toast.

Dessert -

Pumpkin pie - I make this mostly from scratch with a real pumpkin (roasted seeds for a starter) and a crust from Whole Foods, served with a side of freshly whipped cream - yummy!!

Mascarpone and sweet cream cheesecake - I decided on this just days before, after I saw this recipe from the Gluten Free Traveler. I made a crust using graham crackers from the Grainless Baker...super fabulous!!!

What were some of your hits and misses this Thanksgiving?

Ringing in the holiday season with eggnog French toast

With Thanksgiving over and done, it is now officially the start of the holiday season, and what better way to start than with a post-Thanksgiving day breakfast of eggnog French toast, and it couldn't get any easier.

Now that I discovered I can easily find Udi's bread at my local Trader Joe's, I don't feel like I have to hoard it as much until I make a special trip out again for more. I felt like I could use my bread stock more freely. Funny, the things we do when we are gluten-free. I also happened to be well-stocked with eggnog, and had leftovers cranberries which go perfect with french toast or pancakes.

Eggnog French Toast

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup of eggnog

1 t. of cinnamon

10 slices of gluten-free bread (I used Udi's)

butter, or oil for greasing pan

Melt butter (or oil) in a pan or skillet over medium heat, and warm the oven to 200';

Meanwhile, mix the eggs, eggnog and cinnamon in a bowl;

Dip each slice of bread in the egg mixture for 5 seconds to allow to soak and place in the warmed heated pan/skillet, or a plate until you have room on your pan for the next batch;

Cook and flip until each side is slightly browned and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet or large baking pan to keep warm until you are finished with the 10 slices.

You can avoid that last step if you plan on eating them straight out of the pan.

For my french toast, I served it with a side of leftover cranberries and a sprinkling of powdered sugar, but they would also be tasty with maple syrup, a side of fresh, sliced fruit, or just on their own.

For another delicious eggnog breakfast, try my eggnog oatmeal pancakes.

Happy breakfast!

Winner of General Mills giveaway!

The winner of the General Mills care package giveaway is Briana!

Congratulations!!