GFM is entertaining again this weekend, though not in Halloween mode.  I was never a huge costume person, which is surprising actually.  I am however, VERY much looking forward to seeing my identical twin nieces (1 year old next month) dressed up as Thing 1 and Thing 2 with their older brother (4) as the Cat in the Hat. 

So what’s new with GFM?  Well, this weekend sees my partner and I entertaining yet again…quelle surprise!  We have actually enjoyed relatively quiet weekends as of late which were most welcome.  Our vacation to Switzerland is now less than three weeks away and I am looking forward to a bit of well-deserved R&R.  My gluten-free behind will be firmly ensconced at the Spa at Le Montreux Palace (one of my all time favorite great hotels) for the duration.  Well that’s not entirely true, I will be leaving for a fabulous once in a lifetime concert and party for one of the greatest sopranos of the 20th century. 

The pace of Montreux is what you make it and as long as you go before or after the famed Jazz Festival, you are treated to a wonderfully sleepy little town on the banks of Lac Leman that is the perfect hub for exploring the region.  I remember skiing just on the other side of the Alps that flank the city as a teenager and hope to revisit some of my old haunts with my partner.  Though every time we are in Montreux we say we are going to make a plethora of side-trips but just get so caught up in Montreux and its environs that we never leave until it is time to board the train back to Geneva.

For this weekend’s festivities, I am trying to plan my menu for the weekend festivities which is proving challenging as I never serve the same thing to recurring guests.  So I am running through, in my mind, everything that our guests have had during previous visits.  The hors d'œuvre portion of the evening always proves easy as I can rotate through my preferred cheese and nibbles portfolio.  The appetizer, main course, sides, and desserts remain elusive at this point.  I know in the end it will all come together so I am just going with the flow at the moment.  So stay tuned for the recipes from whatever I end up serving.

On Monday I am sampling a new gluten-free restaurant downtown for dinner with a dear colleague from the office (who selected it because of my Celiac) so look for a review soon thereafter.  I have already had a peek of their menu and am SO excited to sample what look to be fantastic gluten-free options.  The place has good buzz going on so it should be a great evening. 

I recently had the opportunity to sample something I had no idea even existed – custom made gluten-free cereal mix from my friends at Custom Choice Cereal.  The company manufactures in a dedicated gluten-free facility so cross-contamination is not an issue…nice.

Getting a custom made cereal could not be easier.  I simply went on their Web site, selected my base from a choice of three (Corn flakes, cinnamon granola, or their Good Morning mix of flax, buckwheat, quinoa, and amaranth).  Next you select your mix-ins from a wide range of dried fruit and nuts.  Fruits first then add move on to the nuts selection.  Finally you give you custom mix a fabulous name and in just a few days you will be enjoying your mix as it is delivered direct to your door.  The process was so simple and quite frankly fool-proof; you are limited only by your personal taste and imagination.

So what did Gluten Free Mike create?  Well, I decided to make two mixes GFM’s Mix 1 and 2).  The first had a base of corn flakes to which I added raisins, pineapple, pumpkin seed, and hazelnuts.  It was delicious.  Perhaps what I like most about these cereals is that there is really no added sugar (other than the fruit you add).  It took me back to my teenage days when I lived in Europe and food tasted real.  My corn flake mix was crisp and crunchy and when paired with the chewy sweet dried fruits and meatiness of the nuts I was in breakfast heaven.  The next mix had a base of cinnamon granola, that’s right gluten-free granola.  To it I added apples, cherries, pears, and pistachios.  Now this was probably my favorite of the tow because the granola really reminded me of the muesli I thought I would never have again.   Again, no added sugar so you can really enjoy the hint of cinnamon and the full flavor or all of your mix-ins.

As you create your cereal the nutritional information will update with each item you add so you can get a handle on exactly what you will be consuming – this is a really cool feature and the final label is attached to your package.  If you are looking for a sugary sweet breakfast food…look elsewhere.  If you want a real, natural tasting, healthy option than log-on and create your very own mix.  Are the mixes cheap, well, that really depends on your mix-ins and yes when compared to off the shelve varieties you are probably paying more.  But as the old adage goes You get what you pay for and in this case you get quality.  My mixes were both 12 oz. bags, which when put into perspective are only an ounce and half less than a normal size box of Chex.

I loved my mixes so much I  even had my mixes for dessert after dinner and will be placing another order very soon because my bags are approaching empty.   

Two years ago my parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and my brother and I thought what better way to celebrate this milestone than an all out blow-out here in Manhattan.  Now, I come from a long line of party throwers.  My parents would throw parties at the drop of a hat and we are not talking about backyard BBQs though we had those as well, but rather proper parties that required thought and planning.  I supposed the proverbial apple does not fall far from the tree because I love entertaining and throwing a fantastic bash.  For most major events in the past I was not diagnosed Celiac nor had I developed my shellfish allergy.  This would really be the first event I would be planning with both my allergies in full-force and quite frankly I wondered how I would navigate the planning process.  I am happy to report that will a little creative thinking, I was able to effectively plan and execute a truly wonderful evening.  So how did I do it?

It took well over a year of planning but I am going to spare the boring logistics of selecting a venue and the like and focus more on how my allergies affected the planning and the evening itself.  Here is a bit of background to help frame the process.  I wanted a unique locale that was old New York.  I wanted a deliciously deco spot that oozed a New York of yesteryear to transport my parents back to a time when they were two young teenagers in love. 

After much searching, I ended up deciding on the Top of the Tower, high above the Beekman Tower Hotel next to the United Nations on the River.  It changed ownership during my planning which was fun.  I wanted something that was grand but still intimate as there would be only about 100 guests.  If you have not been, I highly recommend popping over for a drink as the ambience and panoramic views are magical.  I had the locale in mind but you need to have a tasting to see if the food is up to snuff and get an idea of what the chef can and cannot do.

So how exactly does a Celiac with a shellfish allergy handle a tasting?  He brings his partner along (but anyone with good taste and few allergies will work fineJ).  First, I let my coordinator who was arranging the tasting know exactly what my allergies were.  Second, the chef was alerted and would let me know what I could and could not sample during the tasting (remember ingredients and preparations are sometimes tricky so let the one who is preparing the food guide you).  Finally, I relied on my partner’s opinions to help guide me keeping in mind what I thought guests would enjoy most. 

This was no small task as the evening would consist of 10 types of passed hors d'oeuvres as well as a few nibble stations.  The sit down dinner was a three course meal that required what salad (yes, there were many choices), main courses, and dessert would be offered.  We sampled so many different variations that the decision was very difficult in the end.  After much back and forth, there were two hors d'oeuvres I selected that were safe for me (without my shellfish allergy my options would have increased dramatically) along with some nice nibbles at the small stations being set up.  So it would be just the caviar (yes, I can still eat that) in potato cups with crème fraîche and prosciutto with melon for me.  The salad and entrée selections would also ensure I would not go hungry.  Dessert, well, I had to think of my guests and it was not GF but quite frankly after all the food and me monitoring to make sure everything was going according to plan, I had little time to actually eat, LOL. 

The evening was a complete success.  We had a truly fabulous piano player for cocktails and a famous New York band for dancing.  The evening flowed seamlessly and party goers danced into the evening.  A few fun ideas came out of this.   First, I sent a cryptic save the date postcard out well in advance.  It featured only a photo of the deco elevator doors at the venue and a riddle.  Guests would have to wait until their received their invitations to find out the locale.  The invitations were presented in high gloss black boxes containing custom New York skyline invitations in gold (for the golden anniversary) fabric envelopes and tied in gold ribbon imprinted with my parent’s names and 50 years together.  These were then shipped in boxes to all the guests across the country.  The seating cards were affixed to custom bottles of wine that were labeled to celebrate and remind guests of the event.  This made for a unique favor and way to present the seating cards. 

I just wanted to take a quick moment to let you know of some exciting new items that are on their way. 

First, on Monday there is going to be a great blog item that chronicles gluten free party planning on a grand scale -- so you will not want to miss that.  I am also in the process of selecting the next locale in my QNYGF series.  Where, oh where, will GFM be dining GF next in N.Y.C.?  I have a backlog of recipes that are ready to hit the site so be sure to look for announcements.  In November, GFM is hitting the road and going global.  I hope you will all come along for the ride.  Finally, I have been sampling some fantastic new gluten-free items and am looking forward to sharing them will all of you.

So keep looking for updates as we travel the the road to gluten free fabulousness together.

Congratulations to Shelly C. who is the lucky winner of the Betty Crocker gluten-free fruit snack giveaway.  Shelly will be recieving a delicious prize pack from Betty Crocker courtesy of my friends at My Blog Spark.

Thank you to all who entered and we'll have another fun giveaway soon.