I now know why doctors say do not go gluten free unless you have a medical problem that needs it. After 10 months of pretty much being off of any kind of gluten, I am slowly gaining intolerance to something I have ate all of my life, so I am sad. I am afraid that one day even a drop of gluten will make me sick.
I know my doctor would hate me saying this but I sometimes slide in something with gluten to just have it and actual taste again. I am sure I am doing harm to my body, but I wonder what is worse, being sick from not having or being sick from having it. Oh well.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Amazing
I haven't said much about being gluten free that is amazing. I have been going to some cooking classes to enhance my knowledge about the different flours and other ways of cooking. I had my daughter's wedding reception on Friday and this class was Wednesday. Was I pushing going so close to the reception? I was so mentally tired from everything that had happened in the last month, I really didn't care if I was pushing the envelope. After getting there I was so glad I tilted the scale and went.
What was on the menu was cinnamon rolls, chocolate eclairs, chocolate chip cookies, and crap cakes. Gluten free flour is so hard to work with because it is so soft. Bread dough is the consistency of cake dough. Which means there is no kneading because you wouldn't be able to even get on the table without it falling off. I was curious to see if they were going to make the cinnamon rolls the same way as all the other gluten free manufacturers and just place them in muffin tins and call them rolls. Our teacher was amazing. She was able to teach us how to place the dough on a greased plastic wrap, and roll with the tool of the plastic wrap. She had previously played with the flours enough to know that sweet sorghum flour would enhance the bread more than any other flour. The end product was amazing. It tasted just like a real sweet roll. I hadn't had one of those in months. As soon as I have 10 min to my name I am making them. They are easy to freeze and just pop in the oven.
The next thing on the list was eclairs. I hadn't had one of those either for months. It was so good.
The chocolate chip cookies were so good. They truly were better than toll house. The total flavor was just really satisfying. I sometimes wonder if when you have done without for so long and you know what the good thing taste like that even when you have a really good product but not quite up to the wheat par if it does taste better than the real thing or it just seems to be better. Oh well I guess I will never know.
The best part of the whole night was the crab cakes, now anyone can make a good crab cake and even a gluten free crab cake, its the exact bite and mix of sweet and spicy together that makes a good crab cake. These were perfect.
Again since I don't take pictures because these would have been amazing, you will just have to use your imagination of how amazing they all were.
Sometimes being gluten free isn't half bad.
What was on the menu was cinnamon rolls, chocolate eclairs, chocolate chip cookies, and crap cakes. Gluten free flour is so hard to work with because it is so soft. Bread dough is the consistency of cake dough. Which means there is no kneading because you wouldn't be able to even get on the table without it falling off. I was curious to see if they were going to make the cinnamon rolls the same way as all the other gluten free manufacturers and just place them in muffin tins and call them rolls. Our teacher was amazing. She was able to teach us how to place the dough on a greased plastic wrap, and roll with the tool of the plastic wrap. She had previously played with the flours enough to know that sweet sorghum flour would enhance the bread more than any other flour. The end product was amazing. It tasted just like a real sweet roll. I hadn't had one of those in months. As soon as I have 10 min to my name I am making them. They are easy to freeze and just pop in the oven.
The next thing on the list was eclairs. I hadn't had one of those either for months. It was so good.
The chocolate chip cookies were so good. They truly were better than toll house. The total flavor was just really satisfying. I sometimes wonder if when you have done without for so long and you know what the good thing taste like that even when you have a really good product but not quite up to the wheat par if it does taste better than the real thing or it just seems to be better. Oh well I guess I will never know.
The best part of the whole night was the crab cakes, now anyone can make a good crab cake and even a gluten free crab cake, its the exact bite and mix of sweet and spicy together that makes a good crab cake. These were perfect.
Again since I don't take pictures because these would have been amazing, you will just have to use your imagination of how amazing they all were.
Sometimes being gluten free isn't half bad.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
A+ Test
I am so use to going to a doctor's appointment that should only take 10 min - and why, oh why does it take half of a day. With technology these days, the doctors have gotten so lazy that they handwrite notes on lab tests, send it in the mail and with the huge amount of delay you get this handwritten scribble that you can barely read telling you are going to die. Not really, but it almost seems that way. Can you believe it that my doctor called within 24 hours after having a massive amount of blood tests taken. I thought I was surely going to die.
She first started off by telling me that my celiac blood test was "still quite high." Now there isn't much that I have successfully done in my life, but I was quite shocked when she said this since I have been so very good in not eating gluten. I told her that in the last six months I probably have eaten, maybe and I am probably stretching it, probably six times some gluten. She then responded in a shock manner that from the reading I was still quite high.
I asked her again what the count was on the blood test, and she responded 33. Now my mind is definitely going and I couldn't remember what the previous gluten count, so I asked. After looking through my records, she noted that it was 122 at the beginning of this whole episode. Now I am not a brillant person, but I do sort of know how to add and subtract. Isn't that like 89 points.
I asked her what is normal and she said 19. Now again I say I can add and subtract. Isn't that like a 14 point difference. Now which one is better 89 point difference or 14 point difference, hmmmmmmmmmm.
I did admit to having four thin slices of pizza two weeks prior. I broke down when I smelled the very familiar aroma coming out of the oven and since I was so hungry, I had to endulge.
She said that the gluten can stay in the system for up to three weeks and that I needed to be more careful.
Now I am sure as a physician she needs to warn her patients of the foreseeing dangers, but right now I felt pretty DAMN happy.
She also informed me that my liver count was back to normal. I know I should still be as concerned about one aspect of my health as much as another, but knowing that my liver wasn't going to die, I felt pretty, even more, DAMN happy.
After relaying this story to a friend that has a husband with gluten intolerancy, she said "that physician probably didn't even take into account that you probably have never been to a count of 19 since you were ignorant of the celiac disease for your entire life, she should be pretty happy that you finally after all this time have brought it down to 33." It put the whole thing into prespective.
Even if the doctor doesn't want to give me an "A" for effort, I sure in the heck am. I have worked really hard to stay off of gluten. Anyone that has never sat in a wheel chair might want to do it, just get the true feel for it.
She first started off by telling me that my celiac blood test was "still quite high." Now there isn't much that I have successfully done in my life, but I was quite shocked when she said this since I have been so very good in not eating gluten. I told her that in the last six months I probably have eaten, maybe and I am probably stretching it, probably six times some gluten. She then responded in a shock manner that from the reading I was still quite high.
I asked her again what the count was on the blood test, and she responded 33. Now my mind is definitely going and I couldn't remember what the previous gluten count, so I asked. After looking through my records, she noted that it was 122 at the beginning of this whole episode. Now I am not a brillant person, but I do sort of know how to add and subtract. Isn't that like 89 points.
I asked her what is normal and she said 19. Now again I say I can add and subtract. Isn't that like a 14 point difference. Now which one is better 89 point difference or 14 point difference, hmmmmmmmmmm.
I did admit to having four thin slices of pizza two weeks prior. I broke down when I smelled the very familiar aroma coming out of the oven and since I was so hungry, I had to endulge.
She said that the gluten can stay in the system for up to three weeks and that I needed to be more careful.
Now I am sure as a physician she needs to warn her patients of the foreseeing dangers, but right now I felt pretty DAMN happy.
She also informed me that my liver count was back to normal. I know I should still be as concerned about one aspect of my health as much as another, but knowing that my liver wasn't going to die, I felt pretty, even more, DAMN happy.
After relaying this story to a friend that has a husband with gluten intolerancy, she said "that physician probably didn't even take into account that you probably have never been to a count of 19 since you were ignorant of the celiac disease for your entire life, she should be pretty happy that you finally after all this time have brought it down to 33." It put the whole thing into prespective.
Even if the doctor doesn't want to give me an "A" for effort, I sure in the heck am. I have worked really hard to stay off of gluten. Anyone that has never sat in a wheel chair might want to do it, just get the true feel for it.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Camping in the Wild Kitchen
My friends and I went camping. I was in charge of the breakfasts and I thought should I make them gluten free or should I go the conventional way and adapt only my plate into gluten free.
So I took gf pancake mix, bread, cereal mix and cookies. That should cover a weekend. It was perfect. The first breakfast I made was stuffed french toast. I did take along regular french bread for them, but had my bread to adapt the recipe to. Everything tasted wonderful.
The next breakfast was totally gf. I had a breakfast scramble. I fried up some hashbrowns along with some onion. Fried up some bacon. Then I flattened out the hashbrowns in a big skillet, layered tomatoes, cilantro, bacon, scrambled eggs w/milk, and cheese. It was perfect. The girls loved it, and I was happy it worked out as well.
The next morning I heated up leftovers, and of course toasted some of my gf bread. The bread I found was really good at Whole Foods. It was called Canyon .... something. It was great and it looked and tasted just like the real stuff.
My gf cookies were Cowboy Cookies. The flour is of course gf oats, with peanut butter as the base. Then you add of course other things along with chocolate chips, M&Ms, coconut, and raisins. Everyone loved them.
The cereal mix was made with Rice Chex, coconut, and almonds with a corn syrup/sugar sauce.
My friend brought corn tortillas for the fajitas she made. My other friend made her meals simple enough that they really didn't have gluten in them. It was all very very good.
I am getting better at this. I am still trying to expand my recipe collection, but at least I can get through a camping experience without feeling left out.
So I took gf pancake mix, bread, cereal mix and cookies. That should cover a weekend. It was perfect. The first breakfast I made was stuffed french toast. I did take along regular french bread for them, but had my bread to adapt the recipe to. Everything tasted wonderful.
The next breakfast was totally gf. I had a breakfast scramble. I fried up some hashbrowns along with some onion. Fried up some bacon. Then I flattened out the hashbrowns in a big skillet, layered tomatoes, cilantro, bacon, scrambled eggs w/milk, and cheese. It was perfect. The girls loved it, and I was happy it worked out as well.
The next morning I heated up leftovers, and of course toasted some of my gf bread. The bread I found was really good at Whole Foods. It was called Canyon .... something. It was great and it looked and tasted just like the real stuff.
My gf cookies were Cowboy Cookies. The flour is of course gf oats, with peanut butter as the base. Then you add of course other things along with chocolate chips, M&Ms, coconut, and raisins. Everyone loved them.
The cereal mix was made with Rice Chex, coconut, and almonds with a corn syrup/sugar sauce.
My friend brought corn tortillas for the fajitas she made. My other friend made her meals simple enough that they really didn't have gluten in them. It was all very very good.
I am getting better at this. I am still trying to expand my recipe collection, but at least I can get through a camping experience without feeling left out.
Friday, July 2, 2010
BIRTHDAY CAKE!!!!!!!
After my cooking class I decided to go to the recommended stores to buy some supplies for my kitchen of gluten free items. I don't know why people think if they offer organic items that gluten free items are just going to be there as well. There were some items that I did need, but when I went to check out I asked if they had any gluten free pastries. They didn't even have anything in their freezer like Whole Foods had, but he did say that one of the muffins ("one of the muffins" what a joke) was gluten free. Trying to be the great patron I said "well I'll give it a try." I got out to the car and the muffin was so hard I think a baseball would have been softer. I broke off a piece and put it in my mouth, it tasted like cardboard with bird seed on it. Do they not try these things out or do organic people think the harder, the sicker, the most tasteless item is, the best for you. What a f..... joke!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A friend of mine brought a gluten free birthday cake to me, she said it was the best she had ever tasted. I took a bite of it and wanted to chuck it. If this was the best I just don't want another piece of cake in my life.
After the last two disappointments, I ran home and told my husband that I was going to make a few things, take them into these places that sell this crap and say if you really want some good food, call me.
I had blogged earlier that I was going to go to my favorite bakery and order my traditional cake and eat the entire thing with flour in it. Well I called to order and I just happen to ask if they make gluten free cake and they DO! I am so excited. Tonight I pick it up and hopefully it's going to be goooooooooooooood.
Wait for the update, I just want one thing that I don't have to make that tastes good. PLEASE
A friend of mine brought a gluten free birthday cake to me, she said it was the best she had ever tasted. I took a bite of it and wanted to chuck it. If this was the best I just don't want another piece of cake in my life.
After the last two disappointments, I ran home and told my husband that I was going to make a few things, take them into these places that sell this crap and say if you really want some good food, call me.
I had blogged earlier that I was going to go to my favorite bakery and order my traditional cake and eat the entire thing with flour in it. Well I called to order and I just happen to ask if they make gluten free cake and they DO! I am so excited. Tonight I pick it up and hopefully it's going to be goooooooooooooood.
Wait for the update, I just want one thing that I don't have to make that tastes good. PLEASE
The Butt of the Joke
I just took a trip with my kids to Yosemite, now mind you this was going to be a fly in for one day and out the next. It turned into a "four day tour" on a deserted city in the middle of no where. Fresno isn't the ultimate city. It is a migrant farm city with a lot of run down areas. But we immediately found conveniently off of the freeway, their mega shopping area. It had every restaurant and shopping store under the sun.
We immediately headed for lunch and of course me trying to work with the menu at Marie Callendars I ordered a tuna melt without the bread. That became the theme for the rest of the days, "Mom's ordering a sandwich without bread, what's next pizza without the crust."
It's okay, one day these kids are going to look back when they get my age and think of all of the jokes they used on me and think I am now in that position. You will be ordering oatmeal without the oats, so there. Who will be laughing last.
We immediately headed for lunch and of course me trying to work with the menu at Marie Callendars I ordered a tuna melt without the bread. That became the theme for the rest of the days, "Mom's ordering a sandwich without bread, what's next pizza without the crust."
It's okay, one day these kids are going to look back when they get my age and think of all of the jokes they used on me and think I am now in that position. You will be ordering oatmeal without the oats, so there. Who will be laughing last.
Cooking with a Friend
I had gone to lunch with a friend when I told her that I had taken my first gluten free cooking class and I was about to take another. She wanted to go even though she wasn't gluten free. I thought that is a friend to go spend good money to go to a class you don't relate to was truly being a friend.
By the time you spend three hours with people that you start liking you wish it didn't end. Or you wish the same people would sign up for another class with you. But knowing my friend was with me it was really fun. We laughed and flung gluten free dough around the room together.
The class was again informative of the flours and how they would react in your hands and while cooking. We made the first macaroni and cheese that I actually could tolerate. The best dish was a tomato tart. It was really good.
It soon dawned on me with a slip of the tongue from my friend that even though these were good items to eat, it still didn't taste normal. After 50 some odd years of tasting the real flour bread and pie tarts, this was pretty bland. The realization of going through all of this effort and it still taste sub par was going to be my challenge for the rest of my life.
By the time you spend three hours with people that you start liking you wish it didn't end. Or you wish the same people would sign up for another class with you. But knowing my friend was with me it was really fun. We laughed and flung gluten free dough around the room together.
The class was again informative of the flours and how they would react in your hands and while cooking. We made the first macaroni and cheese that I actually could tolerate. The best dish was a tomato tart. It was really good.
It soon dawned on me with a slip of the tongue from my friend that even though these were good items to eat, it still didn't taste normal. After 50 some odd years of tasting the real flour bread and pie tarts, this was pretty bland. The realization of going through all of this effort and it still taste sub par was going to be my challenge for the rest of my life.
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