Ice Cream Maker (Soft Serve)

April 11, 2017 by cryan.com

No trip to Disney can be complete without a taste of everyone's pineapple treat - Dole Whip. It's a delicious pineapple soft serve treat - perfect anytime.

Luckily you don't have to wait to go back to Disney. You can enjoy the exact same treat at home! All you need is a Soft Serve Ice Cream maker and the Dole Whip mix. Both of these are available on Amazon.com. (Not really a surprise!)

Ice Cream Maker

We have a Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker. It works really well, the key thing to remember is that the main container needs to be frozen for at least 12 hours before you use it. We kept ours in the Freeze at all times, that way when we need to make ice cream, we can do it and not have to think 12 hours ahead of time.

We recommend getting an additional ice cream maker freezer bowl. That way you don't have to wait an additional 12 hours if you want a different treat on a hot day.

Each batch of Soft Serve ice cream makes 1.5 quarts of delicious soft serve ice cream.

The Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker can make all sorts of delicious treats. We made a chocolate soft serve ice cream for our neighbor and he told us that it was the best he ever tasted. It should be since there are no added chemicals to preserve the ice cream.

Dole Soft Serve Mix

A 4.4-pound bag of Dole Pineapple Soft Serve mix cost $24.59 and will make about 89 1/2 cup serving.

In the parks you get at least a full cup serving. That means each bag will make 45 delicious pineapple treat.

In the parks, the treat cost $4.95. Which means the single bag will produce about $225 worth of treats.

Each Dole Whip serving is Fat-Free, Lactose-Free, Dairy Free, Cholesterol Free, and Gluten Free.

Just like the Park

We made a batch shortly after coming back from Disney and can verify that, as long as you follow the instructions, it will taste exactly like the one in the park.

Perfect for any small kids party - that has a Disney theme.

The good thing is that you don't need any extra ingredients.

If you keep the Ice Maker in the freezer, you can make your favorite Dole Whip whenever you want.

Catholic Church's Holy Eucharist

April 4, 2017 by cryan.com

The Catholic Church is very strict in the Holy Eucharist that is used at Mass, and using a rice-based Eucharist will not work.

According to the Code of Canon Law, The Rites And Ceremonies Of The Eucharistic Celebration (Can 924):

1. The holiest eucharistic sacrifice must be offered with bread and with wine in which a little water must be mixed.
2. The bread must be only wheat and recently made so that there is no danger of spoiling.
3. The wine must be natural from the fruit of the vine and not spoiled.

The Catholic Church is very strict that Communion is to be made of wheat and a small amount of gluten because of the belief that Jesus used wheaten bread at the Last Supper.

Viable Solution

Fortunately there is a valid solution by the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. They were able to manufacture a Communion Host that is not only approved by the Catholic Church but also approved by the Gluten Free Community.

The Communion that the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration manufacturer is made from wheat starch. This starch has most of the gluten removed. It was tested by the Office of the Secretariat and has been approved to be used at Mass in the dioceses of the United States with the appropriate permissions.

The Communion was also tested by the Center for Celiac Research, where they found that the .01% gluten content is well below the 10 milligrams safe number.

Ordering the Low-gluten Communion Bread

You can order the Low-gluten Communion Bread from the Alter Breads BSPA website. Currently it's $5.35 for a 30 wafers.

At Church

The best way to safely receive the Communion is to work with your church. It's important that there is no cross contamination. Several options:

• You could receive the Communion Host from a dedicated Eucharistic Minister
• You could be the first person to receive the Communion Host
• You could always receive the Communion after the mass completed

Uncle Cheung's Restaurant

March 28, 2017 by cryan.com

Uncle Cheung's Restaurant is a nice small family restaurant located on Route 9 in Framingham, Massachusetts. They are the 'home of authentic Chinese Food.'

This is my daughter's favorite Chinese restaurant, and the owners know us so well because we order the same dish every time.

What Makes this Place Special?

There are a lot of Chinese Restaurants in the Metro-West area. In fact, there are about 20 in an 8-mile radius of downtown Framingham.

So what makes this place better than all of them? Ming Cheung

Ming, the son of the owner, is a dietitian at Beth Israel Hospital who specializes proper care of gluten free foods. On weekends you may find Ming waiting on tables at the restaurant. He has raised over $12,000 for various marathons.

Uncle Cheung's has a special area of their kitchen where they process their gluten free foods.

Excellent Gluten Free Options!

Just about every dish on their menu can be made Gluten Free. There are some limitations, with the exceptions of some appetizers can't be made gluten-free. (Egg Roll are not Gluten Free.) Simply let the server know you wish to eat gluten free and they will work with you.

Keep in mind that 90% of the menu items can be made gluten-free. This is what we order every time we go:

• Sweet and Sour Chicken
• Vegetable Fried Rice
• Boneless Spareribs

We prefer to eat in instead of taking out. The Sweet and Sour chicken has a nice glaze on it, whereas if you do a take out they separate the chicken and glaze. It just doesn't taste the same.

If the restaurant is very busy they may place a limit on what can be made gluten free because many of their gluten free dishes are made to order and require more attention than a standard order.

Oh, and eating Gluten Free isn't a penalty here. You don't pay more because your eating gluten free.

Uncle Cheung's Restaurant Location

Uncle Cheung's Restaurant is located at 266 Worcester Road (Route 9 East Bound) in Framingham, Massachusetts. They are open every day, except Monday, for Lunch and Dinner.

L.A. Burdick Pastry

March 21, 2017 by cryan.com

If your looking for some awesome Hot Chocolate in Bostons Backbay, the best place to go is L.A. Burdick. You can find all sorts of yummy treats to enjoy on a cold day.

Nothing goes better with L.A. Burdick Hot Chocolate than their famous pastry.

Gluten Free Pastry

In the L.A. Burdick store are several Gluten Free Pastry options, including:

• Luxembourger - hand-piped meringues layered with all-natural buttercream, ganache, and fruit jam.
• The Burdick - Layers of Japonaise (Almond meringue cookie) and dark chocolate ganache with a hint of rum.
• Hazelnut-Orange Cake - A moist, flourless cake with hazelnut and citrus flavors, enrobed with a generous layer of hazelnut gianduja chocolate, topped with candied orange peel.

L.A. Burdick location

You can find L.A. Burdick at 220 Clarendon Street in Bostons Back Bay. They are located about a block from Copley Square. The front of the building has a distinct brown awning with Chocolate on the fold.

You can enjoy your afternoon treat in the store, or if its not too cold out, it's a short walk to Copley Square.

Wegmans Shopping

March 14, 2017 by cryan.com

Looking for the best supermarket that offers the most Gluten Free products? Your best choice is Wegmans. They have the best selection of refrigerative and general grocery items than any other major food chain in New England.

In particular, we have found that the Wegmans store in Westborough has the best selection. Every time we go we find something new! Then have plenty of Van's Gluten Free French Toast, which is impossible to find at Stop and Shop. There's a great selection of gluten free bread and breakfast goodies.

Asian Bar Gluten Free Options

There are plenty of good Gluten Free options at the Asian Bar. My daughter likes the salad and some of the gluten free foods. She has never complained about the food offerings and doesn't always finishes her meal.

She likes that the store has a kids seating area with a TV that is tuned to Nickelodeon.

Store Location

The Northborough Wegman's is location at 9102 Shops Way, Northborough, MA.

We find the best time to visit is just after dinner hour on Saturday and Sundays. We would grab a bite to eat at the Asian Bar. Then we do our weekly shopping.

Immaculate Gluten Free Cookies

March 7, 2017 by cryan.com

One of the disadvantages of eating gluten free is that you can't make a quick batch of cookies. All the instant dough making products, such as Pillsbury Cookies, are not gluten free.

Immaculate Gluten Free Cookies

We just found out about Immaculate Gluten Free Cookies, which are available in the Gluten Free refrigerative section of Wegmans. They are exactly like the quick oven bake cookies that you find in the dairy aisle. They come in three flavors:

• Chocolate Chunk
• Double Chocolate
• Peanut Butter

They don't have any seasonal special cookies, like Easter Eggs or Christmas trees. However, it's awesome that we can now make a quick batch of cookies whenever we want. So if we want some cookies to enjoy with a movie, it's super easy.

Storage Tip

The cookies are available in the refrigerative section, but the directions on the packaging does indicate that you could freeze them and bake them from frozen.

Cookies will last 6 months in the refrigerator. We put our packages in the freezer. It was very easy to break apart the dough when they were frozen. I put the bags in several Ziplock bags and back in the freezer.

So, How are they?

Cookies were yummy. It took about 17 minutes to cook. However, they appear to be slightly undercooked in the middle. Perhaps a few more minutes would have made them perfect.

In our taste test, we found that the Double Chocolate was the best tasting of all of them.

Immaculate Gluten Free Cookies are available at Wegmans, Market Basket and Target.

Sugar Heaven Ice Cream Factory

February 26, 2017 by cryan.com

The weather in Boston was great this week, several days it was it hit 60 degrees. Not bad for late February.

If you're enjoying a beautiful spring day in Boston and happen to be walking down Boylston Street hungry for ice cream, you should consider stopping in at Sugar Heaven for some devious ice cream.

Sugar Heaven is a fun candy store. On the walls of the store, they have a huge selection of bulk candy. In the middle of the store, they have a selection of hard to find candy.

In the basement of Sugar Heaven is a small ice cream parlor.

Eating Gluten Free at Sugar Heaven Ice Cream Section

Much of their ice cream is gluten free, obviously the Cookie and Cream isn't one of them. They do have a great choice of toppings and they are stored in individual containers.

When ordering the hard ice cream, ask them to clean the scoop.

They do have soft serve ice cream, but the machine isn't always working. If your looking for soft ser

The store has a $10 minimum for credit cards. This isn't hard to exceed if your buying bulk candy. If you're just getting a couple of ice cream dishes it will be less than $10. Your best bet is to stop at an ATM on the way to the store. There is a Citizen's Bank at the corner of Boylston and Dartmouth Street.

Sugar Heaven Ice Cream Factory

Sugar Heaven is located at 669 Boylston St in Boston's Back Bay.

Gluten Free Pasta at the Boston's Eataly

February 18, 2017 by cryan.com

Eataly Boston is a vibrant Italian marketplace that features an array of cafes, counters, restaurants, and a cooking school. Eat, shop, and learn.

The marketplace opened in December 2016 and has been doing very well with the lunch and dinner crowds. At lunch time, I have seen lots of people buying things for dinner - wine, cheese, and various other things.

Eataly Has Gluten Free Pasta!

Did you know that Eataly has a good size Gluten Free pasta selection? Near the center, court restaurant are several shelves of quality gluten free pasta:

• Garofalo Spaghetti
• Garofalo Quinoa
• Schar Yellow Lentil
• Schar Red Lentil
• Aurora Natural Pasta
• Banza Shells
• Banza Pene
• Banza Rotini
• Banza Elbows

Also located on one of the shelves are some gluten free flour used for baking or making pancakes.

Eataly doesn't have any 'fresh' gluten free pasta, but just as well, since there could be cross contamination issues. They do carry gluten free pasta sauce!

Try the Gluten Free Mario Batalo Alfredo with Banza Elbows and fresh Parmesan Cravero grated cheese. Makes for a delicious dinner!

Eataly Marketplace

You can find the gluten free near the Il Pesce restaurant.

Goofy Candy Company in Disney Springs

February 11, 2017 by cryan.com

In Disney Spring, is the Goofy Candy Store. A fun place to get all sorts of delicious goodies.

If you're eating Gluten Free you should be aware that not all of the Goofy Glaciers are gluten free. These slurpy like drinks are delicious but you should know that some of them may contain gluten.

There are eight regular flavors:

• Coca-Cola Cooler
• Razzle Dazzle Pink
• Orange You Happy Orange
• Goofy's Glacier Apple
• Brrr-Banana
• Gawrshly Berry Blue
• Rootin'-Tootin' Red
• Pucker Purple.

We were told that the Gawrshly Berry Blue was Gluten Free. Before you try a sample, simply let them know that you want the gluten free Goofy Glacier.

Refresh Your Knowledge

It's helpful to re-learn more about eating gluten-free. There are plenty of resources online. If you want more information on the Celiac Disease, check out the blog post over on jenreviews.com.

Jen posted some useful information about What foods to Stay Away from and she has some Delicious Celiac Disease Diet Recipes.

Logan Airport - Terminal C

January 28, 2017 by cryan.com

Practical Gluten Free Breakfast Options at Logan International Airport.

If you're taking an early morning flight, there are some options for those that need to eat Gluten Free. However, your best safe bet is to bring along a morning snack. The last thing you want is to encounter cross contamination on a long flight.

One thing to keep in mind that if you're taking the first flights out in the morning, not all dining places will have all menu items. We have found that people will wait in line for Wolfgang Puck and PotBelly.

Gluten Free breakfast options at Terminal C

All restaurants are open at 5am and close 30 minutes before last flight.

• Green Express - Fruit Cups and Yogurt [Post-security, gate C36]
• GoGo Stop - Lots of Gluten Free Options, focus on healthy foods [Post-security, gate C33]
• Currito - None of the breakfast burritos are gluten free [Pre-security, departures]
• Au Bon Pain - No breakfast items [Post-security, gate C12]
• Wolfgang Puck Gourmet Express - See restaurant for current offerings [Post-security, gate C28]
• PotBelly - Hard Boiled Eggs, Seasonal Fruit, Yogurt. (No Gluten Free Bread) [Post-security, gate C11]

Play it Safe and Keep it Simple

We have learned that it's best to bring our own snack, and just get a fresh cup of coffee at Dunkin or Starbucks. The lines are both coffee shops will be long, but they do move pretty fast compared to a typical coffee shop.

Our daughter enjoys getting a fresh fruit snack in the morning and Green Express and GoGo Stop at the Jet Blue Terminal is a good place to go as we wait for boarding.