Super Sneaky Ninja Gluten Free Girl and the Dinner Guest

I’m having a guest for dinner! She’s young, fun, and I want her to like me. When my husband first mentioned that she might be coming over, I immediately started the checklist in my mind. You know the one: clean the house, dust the photos, decide what to wear, plan the menu... The menu! I have no idea what to serve this girl.

As previously stated, I want her to like me and first impressions are important. I know (from what I’ve heard) that she is a pizza, fish sticks and Taco Bell kinda girl. For obvious reasons, I am not :) I also know that in the general population, gluten free food is not viewed as the most tasty option. It’s not common to receive a favorable reply to the invitation of, “Come on over! I’ll fix us a gluten free meal.”

A gluten free meal it will be, however, because I am too darn lazy and set in my ways to fix two separate dinners. So, today I get to be super sneaky ninja gluten free girl! (Yes, that is my new official title.) Even as I write these words I am hatching a plan. I will serve a delicious gluten free meal. One that will receive rave reviews and leave everyone in the room wanting more.

I’m not going to go the easy way and serve chicken and veggies, either. I’m thinking pasta, with bread even! The trick here, is that after the meal I can do a big reveal. I can say, “I’m so glad you enjoyed your first official gluten free dinner so much.” I will smile as her jaw hits the floor and feel secure in the knowledge that from now on when someone says, “Oh, they eat gluten free?” She will respond with, “Yeah, and it’s really good!”

Now it’s time to decide on a pasta. If I am being sneaky ninja style, there are two options I reach for. The first is DeBoles Rice Lasagna. These noodles do not need to be cooked first and once they are made into a lasagna they can fool some of the toughest gluten critics. The other option is Schar gluten free, wheat free Spaghetti. Schar Spaghetti does not fit into the category of either corn or rice pasta. It is made from several flours that combine to make a thick noodle that has no real difference in taste or texture from most other commercial pastas out there.

It’s pretty warm today, so I think I’ll opt for the spaghetti. Not just any spaghetti with meat sauce, though, I think I’ll go for chicken parmesan on a bed of pasta. Then the breading on the chicken will be one more testament to eating well gluten free. To bread my chicken, I’ll use equal parts gluten free flour, grated parmesan and Southern Homestyle Corn Flake Crumbs (for crunch).

On to the bread (yes, I know this is turning out to be a very starchy meal. I’ll throw in a nice green salad and maybe some asparagus to round it out.) For the bread I could use my old stand-by of Chebe Onion and Garlic Bread Mix, but this is a special occasion so I’m going all out. Thanks to the great recipes section on Gling, I have plenty of choices. Here are my main contenders at the moment Bread Sticks and Flat Bread.

I have high hopes that my evening will go well. I wish you all the very best in your entertaining, whether it be sneaky ninja style or not :)