Here are just a couple of things that I had in the cabinet to cook.  It turned out well, so I hope you try it!

Quinoa with Avocado and Chicken Sausage

I cooked half of a cup of quinoa in a cup of water with three smashed cloves of garlic in the water.  Once the quinoa finishes cooking, remove the cloves of garlic and squeeze half of a lime over the quinoa and add some frozen edamame to the mixture, while still over the heat.  When the edamame is cooked, cut up one link of chicken sausage, half of an avocado, and parmesan cheese to taste.  If necessary add some olive oil depending on your taste. 

I hope that you like my random combination of ingredients.  It is fun to experiment and mix tastes to create a new lunch. 

GFCG

About a year ago several of my friends and I went to Serendipity in New York because we had an afternoon free on our choir tour.  Last weekend that same group of girls spotted a Serendipity in Georgetown.  We immediately dropped all of our afternoon plans and went in the restaurant to order frozen hot chocolate. 

Their frozen hot chocolate desserts do not contain malt and are completely gluten-free.  I really do not think that you can go wrong with any of the flavors, but the mint chocolate chip (not pictured) is especially delicious.  This is my peanut butter frozen hot chocolate and below is the double chocolate frozen hot chocolate. 

GFCG

The next couple of posts are about the last weekend that spent with my friends in Washington, DC.  I stayed in Georgetown with a friend and we ate several meals out and cooked for ourselves, too. 

One of our favorite meals was as Lauriol Plaza between Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan.  All four of us got the combo of steak and chicken fajitas with corn tortillas.  All components of the fajitas were mounded on a large platter so that we could make our own creations.  This was my second time at Lauriol Plaza, and I think it was even better on my return trip. 

My friend decorated with a sprinkle of the frothy, melted butter that had a slight garlic taste.  INCREDIBLE! 

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I graduated from college last weekned, so does that mean that I need to change the name of the blog?  I cannot imagine using any other title…except for maybe Gluten-Free Gator Girl!  I know that this next year in Florida will bring new challenges.  I need to find all new places to eat that offer gluten-free options, but I will have my favorite Trader Joe’s!  It makes me so happy to know that I can buy my favorite foods.

So, here’s to starting a new life as a gator.

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I always teased my father that the only reason that I wanted to continue my education was so that I could keep the name of this blog.  It is always fun to play a good joke on Dad.  Actually I am starting a new life in Gainesville, Florida in August because I will attend the University of Florida in the fall.  I am entering a masters program for musicology.  I will have to leave the beauty of Williamsburg, but I am excited to learn about all of the exciting food options in Florida.  So for the next two years, I will learn how to eat gluten-free in Florida.  I’m excited, too!

The culmination of my music education at William & Mary - my cello recital with my family.

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We invited our close family friends over to our house and ate these crab stuffed potatoes.  They are a great comfort food and combine all of my favorite ingredients.

Crab Stuffed Potatoes

4 medium potatoes

1/2 cup butter

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 teaspoons grated onion

1 cup shredded cheddar

6 ounces of crab meat

Preheat the oven to 350 and bake the potatoes until tender (about 2 hours).  After they are completely cool, cut the top off of the potatoes and scoop out the insides of the potato with a spoon.  Mash the potatoes and add all of the ingredients together.  Then add all of the innards into the potato and use the rest of the innards to bake in a separate container.  Don’t waste any potatoes!!  Bake the stuffed potatoes for 20 minutes.

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What does gluten-free eating mean to you!?  I am approaching my third anniversary of being gluten-free and I cannot believe that it has been that long since I ate gluten.  My mother and grandmother dedicated themselves to learning how to cook for me.  Holidays and birthdays remained the same…just with different food.  Now that I cook for myself I get sick less often and I feel much healthier.  I am not bloated, scratching hives, and my body finally regulated.  After going gluten-free, I struggled with weight gain because my body was finally keeping nutrients.  My entire body changed and I looked healthy, but I still did not feel like myself.  This past year I have tried to learn how to balance a gluten-free diet with exercise, so that I can maintain a stable weight and feel good.  I simply evaluated what I ate and removed/added some different foods. 

I know that I am not finished with figuring out the gluten-free diet, but I think that I have a firm grasp on how it works and how my body reacts to it.  It did not take me three years to figure this out, but now I feel incredibly comfortable eating gluten-free, traveling, and dining in restaurants and at friends’ homes.  Don’t go gluten-free unless you must. It is not an easy lifestyle change, but some of us HAVE to do it.

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Last weekend my friend and I went to Yorktown after a snow in Williamsburg.  We had been cooped up in our dorms and needed to escape with new scenery.  My friend found a place that offered a gluten-free lunch option, so I HAD to try it!

The kind lady at the door was happy to see us because she was having a slow day due to the snow and ice.  We Virginians tend to stay indoors until the ice melts!  We were seated at a small table and immediately served a fruit salad with a creamy vinaigrette dressing.  All of the menu items were titled with the names of early Virginians because it related to recipes that they enjoyed.  Our waitress gave me their gluten-free quiche with a crust of cornbread and a dollop of of goat cheese as well as a carrot salad.  The quiche was relatively simple, but the cornbread topper warmed me through.  I loved the strong flavor of the goat cheese with the mild eggs.  The carrot salad was just like my mother makes at home! 

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Every year my mother makes me create a centerpiece with fruit.  She has a base, but basically I have freedom to do anything with the fruit that she buys.  This year we added some nandina because it has red Christmas berries.  Of course I had tons of magnolia for greenery. 

My grandfather planted three magnolia trees when he built his house when they first moved to Richmond.  Now 40 years later, the trees are huge and perfect for climbing.  My cousins still continue the tree climbing.  When my parents moved into our house, they planted a magnolia at our house.  We will see how big it gets!

I set the table with my mother’s Christmas china with her silver, crystal glasses, and her red napkins with white embroidery.  I hope that this lived up to her Southern Living magazine dreams!   

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I took exams and played/sang for too many concerts, so am not completely up-to-date with all of my gluten-free eating.  Now that I am home for break, so I can get to work on the blog.

My mother made these mashed potatoes with kale after inspiration from Giada on the Food Network.  She boiled five russet potatoes in water with two whole garlic cloves and two tablespoons of butter.  Saute one onion and two minced garlic cloves in olive oil.  Steam the kale with the stems removed to the onion/garlic mixture.  Add salt, pepper, and olive oil to taste.  Then add 1/4 cup of chicken broth and cook 10-12 minutes. Drain and mash the potatoes and add it to the kale.  Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth and 1/2 stick of butter and 1 cup of parmesan cheese.

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