After enjoying my first gluten pizza at one of the 8 Picazzo’s Restaurants, I fantasized about moving to Arizona. Yes, the pizza was that good, the gourmet salad served with it was amazing, and the restaurant ambience was great. Click here to download their gluten free menu, which also lists addresses. Retirees who augment their pension by blogging can entertain fantasies like that, but — for every celiac — dinner at Picazzos is the experience of a lifetime.

 In the Flagstaff area, check out Brandy’s Restaurant and Bakery.  Their menu specifies that “all our entries can be prepared gluten free”.  The celiac support group in Flagstaff meets and dines their regularly. The site says nothing about the gluten free status of the bakery. I have e-mailed them and will update this article as soon as I hear from them.

 Both the Phoenix and the Tucson (Southern Arizona) gluten free support groups have published lists of recommended restaurants in their areas. The Celiac Sprue Association held its annual conference in Tucson last September and the list of recommended restaurants that the participants received is still available on-line.  The Gluten Free Restaurant Program has identified 35 Arizona restaurants that meets the criteria for excellence set by The Gluten Intolerance Group.

 In the Phoenix area, try the Creative Connections bakery. You might also stop by Pugzie’s, where all the meats and cheeses are gluten free and celiac baguettes are available with any sandwich.

 As in most states, your most convenient opportunities for gluten free dining occur in the restaurants that are part of national chains. If the opportunities interest you, click here to get details about menus and restaurant locations.  Restaurant chains serving Arizona include 5 and Diner, Bonefish Grill, Chili’s, Claim Jumper, First Watch, Lone Star Steak House and Saloon, On the Border, Outback Steakhouse, PeiWei Diner, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, and The Yard House.

 Both Trader Joes and Whole Foods Market provide opportunities to stock up on gluten free food in Arizona. Click on the store name to move to what I have written about these two celiac resources.

Published 05/15/08

Memorial Day is the traditional beginning of the summer picnic and barbeque season. I’ll focus on that aspect of the holiday since there are very few if any Memorial Day recipes.

 There is a “widget” at the end of this articld that will enable you to order many of your picnic supplies on-line from The Gluten Free Pantry. To use this widget, click on a picture that will enable you to learn more about or actually purchase the item. After you have considered the product, scroll down until you buttons that say KEEP SHOPPING or ADD TO CART. Since you have been automatically moved to the Gluten Free Pantry site, you might as well do some more shopping and then click on the green arrow in the upper left corner of the page to come back here.

I wrote extensively about Memorial Day and the summer season last year. Since this article (plus the widget) is already too long, I will refer you there for more "warm weather recommendations"

Gluten-Free Pantry - Chocolate Chips	Lundberg - Fiesta Lime Rice Chips	Lundberg - Honey Dijon Rice Chips	Lundberg - Original Sea Salt Rice Chips
Lundberg - Santa Fe Barbecue Rice Chips	Lundberg - Sesame Seaweed Rice Chips	Guiltless - Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips	Annie's - Raspberry Dressing Packet
Annie's - Balsamic Dressing Packet	Annie's - Red Pepper Dressing Packet	Annie's - Caesar Dressing Packet	Annie's - Cowgirl Ranch Dressing Packet
Hendrickson's - Dressing Pack	Mother's Mountain - Classic Honey Mustard	Annie's - Organic Honey Mustard	Annie's - Organic Horseradish Mustard
Spectrum Naturals - Canola Mayonaise (Squeeze)	Spectrum Naturals - Lite Canola Mayonaise (Squeeze)	Spectrum Naturals - Organic Mayonaise (Squeeze)

 “At Mrs. May’s, we’re mostly (gluten free) nuts”. I inserted the words “gluten free”; otherwise this slogan written on this firm’s logo. Their nut bars are delicious, designed to fit in your purse, lunch box, or the emergency kit that every celiac should carry. Their “crunches” are delicious and unique. They are a bit like trail mix or granola, but that does not really describe them. Mrs. May’s also produces fruit chips which sound like a great way to get kids (or anyone else who enjoys snacks) to eat healthy food.

 You can order these products from Mrs. May’s website, but I usually buy them at Whole Foods or Costco. As you can probably tell from reading this, I enthusiastically recommend them.

Published 05/15/08

 
Stop and Shop Markets provide great opportunities for gluten free shopping at their stores located in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. Click here for store locations.

 Stop and Shop publishes a list of celiac friendly products available in their stores. The list only includes their “store brands”. This makes it relatively easy to find the best gluten free prices at Stop and Shop but is not really useful if you are shopping elsewhere..

 Stop and Shop’s site also publishes many articles that are important to us. Click here to see the results of a searching for the term “gluten free”.

Published 05/14/08

This gluten free demonstration makes preparing celiac friendly Mexican food look easy and appetizing. The video even explains how to prepare the guacamole to accompany it. I can’t wait to try it.