Kinnikinnick K-Toos Cookies

Today we're on a day trip to Newport, Oregon to see the sea lions and find some tide pools to explore. On the way there, we stopped in the little town of Toledo to grab some coffee at the local Thriftway.

Of course, coffee needs cookies... (actually, I was eyeing the doughnut case and wishing I could safely have one.)

I asked a lady who worked there if they have anything GF, and was thrilled when she said, "Oh yes! We just put in a big GF section, and we have several cookies for you."

Yay!

I bought a package of Kinnikinnick K-Toos. Never had them before, hoped they weren't too bean flavored. (Like soy flour or sorghum. Bleh.)

My verdict: Very tasty. I love how light and crisp they are, like the melt in your mouth feel of eating shortbread. Yum.

Ding ding ding! We have a winner!

No Udi's chocolate chocolatey chocolaty-ness

It's been a rough week.
No, it has been a rough month. Or three. I need a long vacation, a big nap, a hug, and some good chocolate.

Over my lunch break, I ventured out of the safety of my cave cubicle to shop at Fred Meyer. After selecting from my limited options at the deli, I decided to get some chocolate.

Mmm, chocolate.

There were some Udi's brownie bites in the freezer, so I crossed my fingers for luck and checked the label. Dairy.

Poo.

No Udi's for me.

I'm really having a hard time with this gfdf lifestyle. I feel like all my comfort foods are gone. Not that I am in the habit of eating my feelings, I'm not - but with the loss of my dad not too long ago, I just want something familiar and comforting. Like a chocolate cookie. Or mac & cheese that tastes like mac & cheese. 

When I realized Udi's was not even an option, I couldn't hold back and started to cry in the grocery store. How embarrassing. 

I contemplated buying a bottle of wine and spending the rest of the day on the couch in my pajamas, getting acquainted with wine as my new comfort food, but decided against it.

I need to figure out some go-to solutions for when I'm feeling this way, and fast, before I end up in the loony bin. Or in jail - from having a tantrum in the grocery store over not getting a cookie when I want one.

Petunia's Pies and Pastries

Valentine's Day.
I wanted cake, dammit, and I didn't want to get sick. Plus, it had been a very rough previous 6+ weeks (my dad became very ill then passed away) so this was an especially big treat.

We entered the beautiful shop and studied the menu. 

Grilled cheese sandwiches? I know this is a 100% GF place, but cheese? Is it vegan or not?

I asked the girl at the counter about the cheese. She said, "Yes, it's grilled 'cheese,'" giving me air quotes with the word "cheese." Ahh, THAT kind of cheese. Okay. This place is 100% GF and 100% vegan That means no dairy. 

Yay! I don't have to think, and every single thing on the menu is safe. 

It's very hard, being both GF and DF. Once I find out what the GF options are, I have to further narrow them down to find the DF choices within my limited options. When it comes to dessert, this usually means I get nothing. Even at fully GF places like Ground Breaker, there are no dairy free dessert options. 

So. I got the Champagne Cake. As expected, it was heavier than traditional cake, and a little beany, but the frosting made up for the bean flavor of the cake. It was pretty good, considering it was GF.

Dave got the chocolate cake. Again, it was very dense. The chocolate flavor masked the bean taste, but we both agreed it could have used a little more sugar. He ate about 6 bites and said I can have the rest. It's not his thing. 

We spent about $29 for two slices of cake plus a mocha and a latte, and a tip for the very helpful girls at the counter. I was a little disappointed that so-so cake was $7.99 for a slice. Yes, I realize that GF ingredients cost more, but for that price I'd expect cake that didn't have so much bean flavor. ( I can make a GF cake without so much sorghum or other bean flavored flours, but maybe keeping the eggs out makes other flours more difficult to use?) Anyway, it was just okay. It was cake. I'm impressed by the bakery, not so much by the cake.

Maybe someday we might return for cupcakes or other bakery, but we're not in any rush to do so.

Here is Petunia's Pies & Pastry's menu. It is very easy to order GFDF here.

The Sudra

This is a vegan Indian restaurant with a decent GFDF dessert on the menu.

Dave and I had been out and were looking for a decent place to get a nice dessert.

We ended up meandering around NE and ended up at 24th and Glisan, where there is a neat food pod of micro-restaurants in a brick and mortar setting.

We first ventured into The Pie Spot, and I really wanted pie, but their GF pies still had butter in the crust, so that was a no go. Dave got pie, and I wandered around to see what other restaurants were on the block. 

That's when I discovered The Sudra, and ordered their vegan payasam (kind of like an apple crisp) with coconut bliss ice cream.

This food pod has community seating shared by all the restaurants, under a neat covered wagon tent made out or red vinyl.

Nice desserts, nice atmosphere, (nice prices), and a very nice evening.

Pretty cool.