Iron Works BBQ

A couple of weekends ago, I took my first trip to Austin, TX. I wish I could say to prep I packed a bag full of cowboy boots & hat, checkered shirt and bandanna...but all I really brought with me was an empty stomach ready to dive into some BBQ. We had place already picked out...and we couldn't check in soon enough to get into town to reach our destination Iron Works BBQ.

A friend of my boyfriends recommended the place and it couldn't have been better. This divey restaurant (a place that could totally be featured in Diners, Drive-in's and Dives) was no muss no fuss. When you enter the place, straight ahead is a big open order window with a chalkboard menu and 2 guys behind the counter. You tell the guy what you'd like and they serve it up by the pound. They literally chop up some meat, throw it on a scale and slap it on your plate and say here ya go. So with our pound of meat on a tray (and our teeny tiny portions of coleslaw and beans) we headed to the checkout where we could choose our drinks out of an iced barrel and head to our table. At the table you have a squeeze bottle of BBQ sauce and a roll of paper towels. We were able to grab an outdoor table which was nice as the weather in Austin was ideal (in comparison to Chicago's volatile May weather).

At first we dove into our original choice (I got the pork ribs and he got the brisket) we were nothing short of delighted with the flavor. The boyfriend, knowing that I like to sample everything, went back to the "meat counter" and ordered us up 3 more pounds of meat. Crazy I know. But honestly it was genius. We then sampled the beef ribs, the sausage and the chicken. All fabulous, but really I've never felt more like a carnivore than when I sunk my teeth into the beef ribs. It was the most amazing meat experience I've ever had. The taste, the tenderness of the meat, the juiciness...man oh man, I will never forget it.

Namaste Foods Muffin Mix

Last weekend I felt the urge to get baking again. My pantry and freezer were bare of any baked goods and you can only eat gluten free frozen waffles so many days in a row, so I headed out to Whole Foods to pick up the ingredients. I've seen so many pre-packaged muffin mixes that I felt it was time to try one out. There were so many to choose from at the store I ended up just grabbing one...Namaste Foods Muffin Mix.

The mix was plain so I thought it would be nice to add some fresh blueberries. Since it's springtime, I'm starting to get back into fruit. I made them right when I got home...mixed all the ingredients together (very proud of myself that I was back on the baking bandwagon) and then I tasted the batter. With horror I found that the mix had an intense "gluten-free flour taste." It's hard to describe to a non gluten-free person...but for those of us who are...blah! Not even my fresh blueberries could override the taste enough to allow anyone I know to eat one of them.

Needless to say gluten-free eaters (beggars) cannot be choosers when it comes to eating. So, I've been eating them all week with coffee to insure a decent eating experience. If I were to make this mix again (unlikely) I'd have also added fresh lemon juice and sprinkled the top with raw sugar to blanket the gluten-free flour taste.

Sorry Namaste Foods...your muffin mix is not a winner.

Bleeding Heart Bakery

Once I became gluten free and started sharing with family and friends that I had started a food blog...everyone started giving me tips. It's fantastic. Before (other than my parents) I never received comments like "Hey Vanessa, I know how much you like baked goods, you've got to try out x, y, z." Now I have so many sources of inspiration, I barely even need Yelp.

In the beginning, my friend Lauren mentioned that a couple doors down from her place was an organic bakery that offered all sorts of funky baked goods. She wasn't sure if it was gluten-free but figured it was worth looking into. I was intrigued because not only did I love the name (the bleeding heart is my favorite flower...so pretty and tragic), but I am a total sucker for anything local or organic (thanks Mom!). I looked them up online and it looked like they just made cupcakes. I know it's not fair to discount a cupcake like that, but at the time I had been discouraged because I felt that was the only type of gluten free item that I could get in this city. Fast forward six months later when my Dad emailed me after a race he had just run in Oak Park telling me about this cool/funky bakery in Oak Park selling multiple gluten free items. He said it was called the Bleeding Heart Bakery. I was like "I know that place. I think that's the same one at Belmont and Damen." Needless to say within weeks I was at their doorstep.

The place is cool. They describe themselves as "Local. Sunstainable. Punk Rock Pastry." How could you not love that? If Joan Jet and Betsy Johnson decided to open up a bakery...this is what it would look like. Lot's of flourescent colors and black running through this place...and a staff that looked like they'd been baking since they left the Metro at 3 am. They offer a variety of baked goods: Cookies, Scones, Cupcakes, brownies, etc. and all a combination of some type of local or organic or Vegan. Their gluten-free selection was limited to a brownie, a chocolate chip cookie and a cupcake...but I was not about to complain.

The cookie had a gluten-free flour taste to it, but the fact that it was huge and chewy made up for it. The brownie was very fudgy and simply sinful. The cupcake wasn't my favorite flavor, chocolate and peanut butter, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I'll be stopping by once again this morning to see what flavors are on tap for today...