May Meeting

Gluten -Free Wikaduke will meet this Saturday from 10am until 12noon at Edward Plainfield Outpatient Center. We've got lots to chat about, plans to make and bites to taste. Looking forward to seeing you all on Saturday!

March Meeting..Is Upon Us!

Gluten-Free Wikaduke will meet this Saturday, March 5 from 10am until 12noon at Edward Plainfield Outpatient Center in Plainfield. This should be a very unusual meeting and we've decided to keep the meeting topic underwraps. However, if you were at our February meeting, it's no secret to you.

Snyder's of Hanover has generously donated their new gluten-free pretzel sticks for us to sample. We hope to see you Saturday!

Registered Dietitian at GFW Feb Meeting!

Gluten-Free Wikaduke will kick off 2011 meetings on Saturday, February 5 by having registered dietitian and UCCDC Preceptorship program alum, Doreen Berard speak at our meeting. She will discuss the topic Losing Weight and Maximizing Nutrition. The meeting will take place from 10am until 12 noon at Edward Plainfield Outpatient Center which is located on the corner of 127th Street and Van Dyke Road. Thanks to Eric for securing a donation of baked goods from Sweet Ali's Bakery in Hinsdale!

We hope to see you all Saturday morning for this speaker meeting!

Gain Weight on the GF Diet?

Doreen Berard, a registered dietitian, will discuss 'Losing Weight and Maximizing Nutrition While Following the Gluten-Free Diet' at our February 5 meeting. Doreen was trained on CD at UCCDC and is a registered dietitian at Edward Hospital.

December Meeting: Fudge Off & Cookies Too

On an obnoxiously hot Saturday afternoon in July, GFW participants gathered at Nancy's house for food, fellowship and fun. At some point, the conversation turned to fudge. How this happened I have no idea as I wasn't involved. The next thing I knew someone laughed and said we should have a "Fudge Off." It was then decided that the "Fudge Off" would take place at our December meeting. So, if you would like to participate, please bring a batch of your best fudge cut into tiny little pieces. There will be a prize of some variety. Perhaps a bottle of Sangria in honor of Mary's brew because it seems plausible that the "Fudge Off" stemmed from that wickedly delicious stuff.

Some might refer to this as the holiday season, but to me this is cookie season. So, please bring a batch of your favorite gluten-free cookies and a copy of the recipe or just a tried and true recipe to the meeting on Saturday.

We'll have samples from Canyon Ranch Bakehouse to counter the sugar high. Fruitful Yield Oswego has generously donated a bag of gluten-free products for the raffle.

See you Saturday from ten to twelve at Edward Plainfield!

French Bread Pan

For those of you who are interested in purchasing a Fox Run 18" French bread pan like the one used to make the bread at the November meeting but didn't win the raffle, you can purchase one from a couple of different sources.

The fantastic independently-owned kitchen store Dish on the Square which is located in Mount Vernon, IL (and is well worth a side trip if near the area) sells the pan for $7.59 plus shipping.

For whatever reason if that option doesn't interest you, amazon.com sells the pan for $12.99 plus shipping.

Schar Classic White Bread Mix was used to make the bread. It's currently available at vitacost.com for $4.85.

GFW 4th Annual Anniversary Potluck

Edited to Add: We have created an Evite invitation for the 4th Annual Anniversary Potluck. Please RSVP directly to Evite by clicking here.

On November 4, 2006, Gluten-Free Wikaduke hosted its first meeting at Edward Plainfield Outpatient Center. Since then we as a group have had 41 meetings, a few informal gatherings, made some good friends and met countless people all because of celiac disease and our need to follow a gluten-free diet. To celebrate the milestone, we will host our 4th Annual Anniversary Potluck at the November 6 meeting from 10am until 12 noon.

In order to make this a grand eating occasion, we ask that everyone bring a dish to pass if you feel confident that you can safely prepare a meal for other celiacs. One of the best things about the potluck is giving those new to the gluten-free diet the opportunity to taste delicious gluten-free food. So, if you're stumped on what to bring, bring something that when you were diagnosed you thought you would never eat again or was sure it would never be as good. Please bring at least three copies of the recipe.

If you are leary of preparing food for the group, you might consider bringing a premade gluten free option (For example, Deerfield's Bakery cupcakes or OMG...It's Gluten Free lasagna), beverages and cups, plastic cutlery, small centerpieces, etc. For what it's worth, we have plenty of napkins and paper plates.

In the comments section, please share what you'll contribute to the potluck. If you have any questions, send us an email. We're looking forward to seeing you all soon!

Upcoming Meeting Topics

At the September meeting we determined topics for the next several meetings. Your contributions to the upcoming meetings are encouraged and appreciated!

October 2:
We encourage everyone to attend the CSA CARE Walk which is also taking place on this day! For those who choose to attend the GFW meeting among other things will discuss Halloween candy.

November 6:
Gluten-Free Wikaduke's 4th anniversary annual potluck will take place at this meeting. Please bring a dish to pass. Check the blog in October for more info on the potluck.

With Thanksgiving just a couple of weeks away we'll distribute an updated Thanksgiving survival guide. If you would like to contribute any of your favorite Thanksgiving recipes, please email them to us!

December 4:
Cookies, cookies, cookies! Bring a tray of your favorite/best cookies to share at our annual cookie tasting. Don't forget to bring at least two copies of the recipes!

Those with stellar fudge making skills might also choose to enter a batch of fudge in this friendly but competive Fudge Off. Those in attendance will vote and the winner gets bragging rights as well as a nifty little prize. [Nifty little prize is yet to be determined!]

January 8:
A group dinner was suggested as GFW doesn't meet in January. We'll look into a meal at Biaggi's, Wildfire, etc. or even a 'Za and Beer gathering at one of our homes. More info to come!

February 5:
After months of food focused meetings it's time for something educational! A dietitian will speak about "Losing Weigh and Maximizing Nutrition While Following the GF Diet."

Tidbits of Info from the September Meeting

1. Snyder's of Hanovers, O-Ke-Doke, Jay's, Eatsmart and Kruncher Made without Gluten List can be found here.
2. Target at Route 59 and 135th have recently expanded its gluten free section and it is much improved.
3. Wild Bran, a health food store, in Lisle has many GF products. It's located in the 'tallest building in Lisle' which is found at 4714 Main Street. The phone number is 630-541-7565.
4. Need a French fry fix? Five Guys fries are fried in a fryer that fries nothing else. [Say that five times!]
5. Gluten-free Bisquick is now on the shelves! Some of our participants like it; some don't. You be the judge.
6. A recipe for a homemade pie crust was requested. The Perfect Pie Crust recipe can be found here.
   

We're back...August 7 meeting information

It's been two months since our last meeting so there's sure to be lots to talk about including camps, parties, fundraisers and vacations! We've got information to share about 504 Plans, samples of Udi's products and have a survey for each of you to complete.

We look forward to seeing you bright and early Saturday morning!
Tracy for Mary too

Whatcha bringing to Nancy's?

As most of you should now be aware, Nancy has graciously invited us to a gathering at her house on July 17th. If you weren't made aware it's because we're having some issues with our contact list so send us an email and we'll send you the details.

Beverages (wine, beer and soft drinks) will be provided. We do ask those attending to bring an appetizer or dessert to pass. To limit duplicates, please list your contribution in the comments section of this post.

June Tasting

Many thanks to the following companies who provided us with samples to try at our June meeting:

1. King Arthur's Flour Gluten-Free Mixes

• The tasting included: bread, brownies, chocolate cake, cookies and muffins. The donation also included pizza, pancakes and flour which a few of you got to take home. Thanks to those who prepared the delicious King Arthur mixes that we sampled!

2. Bob's Red Mill

• Our friends at Bob's Red Mill sent us Quick Cooking Oats and Whole Grain Rolled Oats
  
which some of you may have tried in the form of Mary's oatmeal cookies.

3. Sandwich Petals

• Warmed in a panini maker these interesting wraps were tasty and have lots of possibilities. We tried the Chimayo Red Chile, Agave Grain and Spinach Garlic Pesto.

If you should order any of these products please tell the manufacturer that you tried the samples they sent at a Gluten-Free Wikaduke meeting!

Udi's Tests Negative!

When the group ordered the Udi's bread, many of us expressed surprise and disbelief that a gluten-free loaf of bread could really taste so good and have such a soft texture. After a short discussion, we decided to use the remaining Elisa's EZ Gluten Test to verify that the Udi's bread is indeed gluten free.

The test was not conducted at the meeting when we picked up our Udi's orders, but Tracy did run the test at her home. You all will be pleased to know that the Udi's Whole Grain Bread tested negative for gluten. So, all of you who placed orders yet still wondered if it was really possible for gluten free bread to taste so good, wonder no more!

Enjoy your Udi's!

Tidbits of Information from the March Meeting

Fran purchased baked goods from The Little Aussie Bakery in San Antonio, Texas and suggested those that she tried were very good. She'll add comments to this post upon trying the others.

Laura and Wayne recently visited Charm Gaucha restaurant in Downers Grove and they had an excellent and perfectly safe gluten-free meal. Even the bread was gluten free!

Chama Gaucha
3008 Finley Road
Downers Grove, IL 60515
(630) 324-6002

Eric and Anne commented that Portland is a place where Celiacs can eat very well. Eric, please add names of the restaurants in the comments section.

March Madness!

Who needs basketball when GFW can create its own March Madness? Our March meeting is jam packed full of important, tasty and fun stuff!

First, in order to have a better understanding of what you want from your CD support group, we have a group coming to the meeting to do some preliminary work on survey. We will spend approximately 15 minutes giving them the information they need to create a survey that will better help us create meetings that meet your needs. Please plan on sharing your thoughts and opinions of support groups and meeting topics with them.

Next, Mixes from the Heartland made a generous donation to GFW so we have lots of samples to try. If you volunteered to prepare a mix for the group, don't forget to do so. We're counting on you!

The Udi's bread order will be available for pick up on Saturday morning! Tracy will bring the last of the Elisa EZ Gluten Tests to verify the bread is as we all believe it to be....gluten free. If you've ordered bread and will be unable to make the meeting, please send us an email so we don't take it to the meeting.

Finally, we'll have a killer game of GF Bingo to play. Provided the creators of the game agree, Tracy has come up with a way to make it a game of skill as well as a game of luck. You may want to brush up on all things celiac related if you want to go home with the grand prize!

Plus we'll be raffling off two tickets to the Gluten-Free Vendor Fair and we have lots of samples of Bakery on Main to give away. In addition we've received our latest donation of Living Without magazines to give to those newly diagnosed.

We're looking forward to seeing you all Saturday morning!

PS...the Udi's bread order will be available for pick up on Saturday morning!

Tidbits of Information from the Meeting

Custom Choice Cereal provides gluten-free cereal blends made to your specifications. Base cereals are combined with add ins of your choice to make cereal that tastes just like your favorite gluten versions.

Louie's Chop House in Shorewood now offers a gluten-free menu! The menu is available at the restaurant.

Mimic Creme is a gluten free, soy free and vegan friendly cream substitute made from nuts. For more information, click here.

Stashu's Pizza which Susan highly recommended is available at Free From Market.

Mary brought Aidell's sausages for show and taste today. Many of their products are gluten free. They can be purchased at many grocery stores in the area.

November Potluck Meeting

In the summer of 2006, Mary and I sat down at the Village Green in Plainfield and developed a mission statement for the group and came up with an idea of what we wanted for the group. Then we contacted Edward Hospital to see if they would host our group and they graciously agreed. Since then we've had the good fortune to meet all of you and share information that ultimately makes all of our lives better...and easier.

To celebrate our third anniversary, our November meeting will be a potluck. If you feel you can provide a safe gluten-free dish to share, please plan on bringing a dish to pass as well as several copies of the recipe including the ingredient's brand name. If you're concerned about preparing and serving safe food to the group, then you might consider bringing a pre-made product, beverages, plates, napkins, cutlery, etc.

In the comments section, please post the item that you'll be bringing as well as your name so we don't have any duplicates. If you should have any questions, send us an email.

October Meeting

Once again, Gluten-Free Wikaduke will meet this Saturday from 10AM until 12Noon at Edward Plainfield Outpatient Center. For those of you drive through downtown Plainfield you may want to allow for extra time as the Plainfield Homecoming Parade starts at 9AM.

Hope to see you Saturday!

Go Picnic Packs

Go Picnic Packs makes a line of ready to eat gluten-free meal options that one can use in a plethora of different situations.

Semi-Homemade Hoagie Buns

Sweet Escapes Pastries makes the hoagie buns that were featured in the Delight Gluten Free Magazine that had some of our mouths watering. If they taste half as good as they look they're a winner. Whoever takes one for the team and orders and tries these buns, please report back!