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By now you must have figured out that I live to entertain.  These past few weeks have been busy and the coming weeks prove to be even more so.  Living a fabulous gluten free life can be taxing but I tend to reserve any entertaining of scale for the weekends.  During the week I am in bed by 9 p.m. and at the office no later than 7 a.m.

This weekend is shaping up to be very interesting.  I will be throwing a dinner party for a former international dignitary and dear friend over the weekend.  I am already trying to come up with a menu for all meals and cocktails that will appeal to non-Celiacs as well to me so that I can enjoy the fruits of my labor.  I am still working on what will be served but have decided that, with possibly the exception of hors d’oeuvres, it will be entirely gluten free.  Have I gone crazy?  Nah, I just like to continue to demonstrate that your guests need not even know that they too are living gluten free while partying the evening away.  There need not be any discernable difference on the part of your guests.

Needless to say I am going to be out to impress tomorrow evening so definitely check back to see what was on the menu for the evening – as well as (hopefully) some fantastic new recipes. 
 
Cocktail Culture 07/12/2009
 
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Now when I originally developed the recipe section I thought the focus would be, of course, delicious gluten free options for the table.  Yet, yesterday evening I had a bit of a Eureka moment.  Five o’clock is historically cocktail time in my house and I am a big wine fan.  My partner on the other hand is a fan of the real cocktail aficionado and it tends to rub off on me from time to time.  Hey, it is after all about living fabulously, right?

I went to high school in Germany and developed a strong love of all things beer (good beer, thank you very much, not the swill that is often passed off here in the United States).  Alas, my celiac diagnosis threw a wrench into my love of beer, so I sought out other options over time.  Fine wine became a strong favorite and the occasional cocktail used to work its way into my repertoire sometimes.  With the influx of gluten free beers of late, I will certainly give them a try, but I am not holding out too much hope – and quite frankly my love of wine has likely eclipsed beer but time will tell.

But I digress....yesterday’s cocktail time had me feeling creative.  So, as I looked around the kitchen I found some delicious blood red plums languishing in the fruit bowl.  The refrigerator yielded some perfectly chilled green apple flavored vodka and seltzer.   What do you get when you combine the three?  Cocktail nirvana.

In a highball glass I took some ice, a good amount (but to your taste is fine as well) of the vodka, some of the plum juice (just a tinge) and a splash of seltzer.  Garnish with a gorgeous slice of thin plum and viola!  The subtle flavor of the apple pairs perfectly with the slight sweet and tang of the plum and the effervescence of the seltzer tickles your palate. 

These were simply delish and notice the plural “these”.  I just could not help myself and enjoyed a wonderful evening at home, watching new and vintage British television sourced directly from across the pond.  Settled in for a fantastic dinner and some good chocolate for dessert and Gluten Free Mike was a very happy camper.
 
 
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The other evening we were entertaining yet again and I thought I would take this opportunity to share a few tips when catering to non-Celiacs as a host with Celiac disease yet making a menu everyone can enjoy.

Now this was just a small get together so we decided to keep the snacks and dinner pretty straight forward.  We began with a selection of GF cheeses including Swiss, Pepper Jack, and Cheddar paired with some sesame rice crackers along with regular cracker flats and water crackers for the gluten eaters. 

It is important to note that when serving a mix of GF and gluten options steps must be taken to avoid cross-contamination.  I always ensure that GF and gluten options are served on separate plates.  Also, be sure to serve and dips of spreads either in separate serving bowls or provide a spoon and cocktail plates and have your guests create their own individual plates.  Remember to discourage dipping to prevent contamination.  I never make a huge deal about GF/non-GF etiquette as the golden rule of entertaining is to make guests feel welcome.  However, if you make a subtle move of serving yourself on the cocktail plates, most guests will follow.  All of my friends know about my GF-lifestyle so entertaining rarely becomes an issue.

Some corn tortilla chips and natural potato chips paired with fresh salsa, olive hummus, and roasted red-pepper hummus rounded out the dipping options.  The main course consisted of a wonderfully fresh filet mignon roast cooked to order, fresh local bi-color corn and a truly fantastic salad with organic mixed greens, brussels sprouts, edamame, chick peas, and tomato covered in a homemade dressing that is a family secret (though I might divulge one day in the recipe section).  Dessert was a gluten free vanilla ice cream topped with organic fresh strawberries.

A great time was had by all and everyone, myself included, were more than satiated at the end of the evening.