Daedalus and Honey Nut Chex

Istanbul is an amazing city where you can get practically anything... with the exception of my beloved breakfast-cereal Honey Nut Chex. To make matter worse, all of the breakfast cereals available here (Corn Flakes, Cocoa Puffs) are glutenous. As a result the food group that used to represent the majority of my diet has simply disappeared, leaving a gaping whole in the areas of expedient breakfast and late night snack.

Needless to say, I was incredibly thankful that my friend Julie was kind enough to find room for a few boxes in her suitcase during a recent visit to the good ole U.S. of A, as after seven weeks without breakfast cereal I was starting to go through withdrawals.

However, yesterday morning when I opened up the box expecting to have some delicious breakfast I discovered that I'm not the only one who loves Chex in Istanbul.

Yep. Those black pixilated specks are ants, who with the ingenuity of Daedalus managed to weave their way inside my carefully sealed bag.

It's a good thing that ants float in milk.

Where Does the Time Go?

This week felt exceptionally busy... but it wasn't until I realized I neglected this blog for an entire week that I think it caught up with me. Journaling, running, reading, and apartment cleaning were also given woefully inadequate time, and I am feeling the affects. It's seems better time management or a simplified schedule is needed.

Today however was wonderfully spent showing my older brother Paul Istanbul (particularly Taksim, Örtaköy, Bebek, Levent). As a three year employee of Starbucks, he was particularly amazed by this location, which is easily the coolest conceivable consumer/corporate coffee shop.

Speaking of coffee, I would love to give this iced coffee brewing technique a try... and this GF Banana Bread recipe. Anyone interested in testing the results?

Gluten Free Food Review: Opera Cake by Cake Flour

I have some pretty exciting news for celiacs in the Louisville area. My place of employment, Java Brewing Company, is now carrying a monthly gluten-free pastry, which for December is an opera cake by local bakery Cake Flour.

"Decadent" is a word that gets thrown around a lot with chocolate, but I don't think it's cliche in this case. It's just a really convenient one word description of everything delicious going on with this treat. Even though I haven't had a glutenous dessert for over a decade, I feel pretty confident that this one will be enjoyed by even those without intolerances.

The Best Coffee In Boston... that I have personally tasted anyway.

The greater Boston area has a great selection of independent coffee shops. Here are the best ones I visited.

Barismo. Walk into this Arlington shop and you won't find a lot of peripherals, whether it be chocolate, blenders, or even table & chairs. The focus is solely on the coffee, which is roasted exclusively in small batches on the premises. The crew shared a traditional cap, a siphon, and a pour-over, all which were delicious. This shop far exceeded my expectations and ranks among one of my favorite coffee experiences.

Diesel Cafe. Davis Square has become the "it" place in Somerville, MA and this ultra-mod coffee shop fits seamlessly into this post-Bohemian community. Diesel, which has the largest floor I have ever seen in a shop, serves Intelligentsia, and faithfully follows the Chicago style.

Epresso Royale. Official winners of the Most Pretentious Baristas Ever Award (MPBEA). However, they serve Barismo's Sonato 3 espresso- which is quite delicious in an iced latte.

Crema Cafe. Only a block from Harvard University, this shop is a fitting counterpart to its prestigious Ivy League neighbor. Both times I came here my cappuccino was too wet but was still a tasty, pleasant beverage, largely due to beans from acclaimed local roaster, Terroir. It's hard to find a table that isn't occupied, usually by students with a misplaced air of superiority.

High Rise Bakery. This Cambridge shop is just as serious about coffee as they are about their freshly baked bread products. Unfortunately I got there after they ran out of gluten-free pastries.

Gluten Free Food Review: Dr. Lucy's Cookies

I always am nervous trying new gluten free specialty food.  A lot of it taste horrible, all of it is expensive, and with a lot of brands jumping on the GF brand wagon, it can be difficult to find the elusive baked good that is delicious in its own right and not merely an imitation. 

Recognizing the difficulty, I've undertaken the task of trying to discover all the best brands and posting my findings here. 

Naturally, I am starting with cookies. 

These caught my eye at Whole Foods recently, mostly because of the trendy packaging.  Most GF food looks like it was packaged in the late 80s, so I figured if Dr. Lucy's paid as much attention to flavor as aesthetics, they should be at least edible, (unlike the wretched Pamala's prepackaged cookies of which only the double-chocolate chunk are fit for consumption).  I choose the chocolate chip cookies, which experienced celiacs know is one of the more challenging GF recipes. 

The product did not disappoint.  They had a nice crisp texture and the classic chocolate chip taste.  It was a little oaty, but well worth the $4.50 price tag in my estimation.  I would love to see more brands of this quality.