Eating Out Gluten Free

Are you on a gluten free diet? No matter what the reason, eating gluten free when you are eating out can pose a problem. But some restaurants are taking the hmmm... out of making menu choices and are offering a gluten free menu. The Cheesecake Factory is one of the latest restaurants to offer a gluten free menu to it's guests.

The Cheesecake Factory tested their new menu choices with more than 80 dishes that are gluten free. Not just a couple of choices, but 80 delish choices for you. So far only 1 cheesecake is offered gluten free. Some are reworked existing dishes that have subbed gluten free buns and pasta. So head to the Cheesecake Factory (my closest Factory is in King of Prussia PA but check their web site for your closest restaurant.

The menu cautions: "We prepared this menu for our guests with sensitivities to gluten. While we strive to provide accurate information, our menu items are freshly prepared in our kitchens, which are not gluten-free. Cross-contact with other food items that contain gluten is possible. This is especially true for fried items, which are cooked in shared fryer oil." A good thing for anyone who needs a gluten-free meal who is eating out.

Ask the host or your server for the gluten-free menu. Cheesecake Factory managers reported that gluten free dishes are one of the top requests by guests, so these new dishes should be popular.

Other restaurants offering gluten-free menu items? Applebees, Chili's, Burger King and Olive Garden all have lists of their gluten-free offerings on their web sites so head on over and check them out!

Lemonade Without the Lemons?

Photo courtesy of Very Best Baking

 

How can you make lemonade without the lemons? Try Brazilian lemonade. Brazilian Lemonade? Hmmm... sounds promising on a hot day, so why not give it a try? The folks at NESTLÉ® offer this great recipe--the trick? American Brazilian lemonade uses common limes not  Brazilian lemons. Huh? Lemonade without the lemons? Well it seems Brazilian Lemons look and have a flavor similar to our common limes so sub our limes for Brazilian Lemons to get a similar flavor.

 

Brazilian lemonade is rich and creamy and perfect for a hot hot day. Make it and serve it right away for the very best taste. Finally a new use for your trusty blender! This recipe makes 8 servings of 1 cup each or 4 servings in a tall frosty glass.

 

4 common limes (wash carefully)

6 C water, divided

1 C granulated sugar, divided

1/2C sweetened condensed milk, divided

14 ice cube (1 tray), divided (plus more for glasses when serving)

 

Take washed limes and slice off the ends. Cut each lime into eight wedges (yes, you leave the rinds on! bizarre I know!) Put sixteen wedges, half the water, half the water, half the sugar and half the condensed milk and ice in your favorite blender. Cover, blend only 20 seconds. Do not over blend it will make your lemonade bitter.) Strain into a pitcher using a fine mesh strainer(not your pasta strainer with the wide holes). This removes remaining rind pieces. Repeat with other half of your ingredients. Now you have a large pitcher of cool and refreshing Brazilian lemonade--sure doesn't taste like that powdered stuff or even frozen concentrates!

 

If your guests are looking for a zing with their drink, add some Bacardi rum.

 

We made this for a cookout recently and it was a huge hit. So give your backyard cookout some zip and serve Brazilian lemonade.

It's National Lasagna Day!

Photo courtesy of Bertucci's

Lasagna....yum! One of my favorite Italian foods. I make it myself at home but sometimes (like in the summer) when it's really hot I don't want to heat up my house by using my oven. So what's the perfect solution? Head to your local Bertucci's (mine is on Baltimore Pike in Springfield PA) and enjoy their version. So easy! So fast! And best of all, it tastes great without heating up your house. The perfect solution in the summertime.

Not only that but Bertucci's sent me an email with a $5 off coupon--what can be better? I don't have to cook and save money! I knew there was a reason I love Bertucci's! Be sure to sign up for their email club so you too can get wonderful money saving emails and notices of new menu items.

What else do I love about Bertucci's? Their rolls. OK, yes I admit, filled with calories but so good to snack on while you wait for your entree and eat your salad. And speaking of salads, try not just their house dressing but their balsamic vinaigrette, it takes their house salad from veggies with Italian dressing to a heavenly dining experience!

I won't tell you all my favorite things at Bertucci's, I'll save that for some tweets (look for them marked #BertuccisBest #BertuccisSpringfieldPA) and of course if you follow me on Facebook you'll probably hear all about my latest trip to Bertucci's.

Now you know you want that lasagna tonight don't you? Go Bertucci's Springfield PA!

Fix A Bra Takes On Underwire Bra Breakthroughs

Photo courtesy of Fix A Bra

 

Finally a way to fix underwire bra breakthroughs. Order this simple kit (for only $9.99) and you can fix those painful underwire breakthroughs--ouch! The mother daughter team who developed this initially used moleskin but developed this product with an improved adhesive. Try Fix A Bra with improved adhesive which lasts longer so you don't have to keep buying new packages of moleskin to fix those nasty wires.

 

Video courtesy of YouTube and Fix A Bra.

Leslie Warren and her mother Denise developed this product that will make every woman who wears an underwire and who dreads those poking wires that inevitably show through your favorite bra happy to have this handy package that repairs not just underwires but other clothing mishaps that always happen to your FAVORITE clothes! Fix A Bra comes in an easy to use and easy to carry pack so you can toss it in your purse or suitcase to carry with you everywhere.

 

Buy this bra that defeats those nasty poking wires online. Also this product is MADE,PACKED AND SHIPPED IN THE USA! Way to go ladies! Love to buy products from companies that try to keep manufacturing in the country. You can buy it here.

 

This product may not defeat squirrels but it sure beats the bra blues!

Battle Zone: Your Local Hospital

Clipart from Clip Art Heaven

Hospital stays, never pleasant, but lately they've become battle zones. In the last month I've been in the hospital, my daughter has been in the hospital, and my youngest daughter was in a car accident. My son-in-law was in the accident with my daughter and he's been in for surgery. Other extended family have also been in the hospital.

We've all come to the conclusion that the hospital is NOT a good place to be. It's also not a healthy place to be. And complaints are rarely acted upon in a positive way. Here are a few instances of what we experienced at local hospitals:

1. blood drawn without gloves
2. pic line cared for without gloves
3. rooms not cleaned (floor had debris on it for three days before the patient crawled under the bed and picked it up)(in another instance the bathroom was not cleaned for the entire stay.)
4. ceiling tiles had dust bunnies hanging from them so when the heat or air was on you could see them moving with the air circulation, not cleaned for entire stay.
5. nurse's aid wore heavy perfume causing patient to vomit, when a replacement was asked for politely, the nurses did not come in for the rest of the shift.
6. drugs were not given on time or at all in some cases. It was scanned into the computer as given but never administered.
7. waits of over 25 minutes after pushing call button for nursing staff.
8. food served that was against what nutrition staff said was what the patient needed.
9. some staff were actively hostile when asked for assistance.
10. Patient discharged early, hospital blaming it on the insurance company, but when the insurance company was contacted they said they would have approved it.
11. Commodes left to fill up to the brim.
12. Commodes with no cover.

OK, so maybe some of those things seem like small things to you, but believe me, no one wants to pick up a hospital borne infection just because someone was too lazy to put on gloves, or didn't do a full job cleaning hospital rooms. And we certainly don't want drugs to be scanned into the computer without being given. We don't want a patient to experience additional bleeding because no one has bothered to check the dietary needs as set forth by the nutritionist. And so on, and so on and so on.

So before your next hospital stay, find out who you need to contact if something is wrong. Know who to call and where to call them. We're looking at possible transfer of a patient at this point, not something we want to do, but...

Birdfeeders vs Squirrels--A New Option To Fight Off The Critters

Photo courtesy of FunnyPica

Do you fight the battle of the squirrels on your home bird feeder? If so you might want to try this trick that a woman from Tampa, Florida uses. She fills and old nylon stocking with ten mothballs and hangs them near her feeding station. The scent discourages squirrels. She replaces mothballs as they loose their oomph! For some reason the mothballs dont repel birds but the squirrels hate them. Worth giving a try, it has two things going for it, it's cheap and easy to make--and I do love projects with those two criteria.  Let me know if it works for you.

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Winner! Sister Act Tickets

The winner is Kathryn! She won two tickets for the Tuesday night show of Sister Act at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. Congratulations Kathryn! You'll enjoy a night out in Philadelphia at the Academy of Music with one other guest of your choice. Have fun!

**Tickets were provided free of charge to the blogger.