Madison Papers: Living Gluten-Free in a Gluten-Full World

New Blog!

2010-10-22T11:14:00.002-04:00

I've started a new blog: Living With, Not Without. It's going to be similar to Madison Papers, but with more of a focus on lifestyle. So there will still be menus, recipes and product reviews, but also running, being in graduate school, a little fashion and my other hobbies like sewing and knitting. Basically, it's more of my interests, but still a gluten-free focus. I hope you'll check it out.

Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Wiley!

2010-06-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

Saturday, Sarah and Nate got hitched. The ceremony was lovely and the reception flew by, which means, I'm thinking, it was a lot of fun. The things we were stressed about came together seamlessly and the one thing we weren't stressed about, but maybe should have been, also came together in the end. Although I had my camera with me, I didn't take a single picture the entire day (with the exception of one blurry Blackberry picture where Nate bares an uncanny resemblance to Flavor Flav -- opps). Fortunately, the photographer took thousands (that's her work here), leaving no doubt that Sarah and Nate's day was well documented and the bride is thoroughly tired of having here picture taken. The shrug I was making for Sarah to wear with her dress as a shower gift was completed Friday night after the rehearsal dinner. Joe and Mads can attest, working on this shrug increased the amount of profanity in my conversation by 1000%. I started it with plenty of time, but the pattern was terrible and full of mistakes. Eventually, I made it work and, while I'm pleased with the results, I won't be making another. It seems fitting that Sarah should have a one-of-a-kind wedding shrug.

Aside from driving myself crazy knitting a shrug, my Maid of Honors duties included writing a toast. I was a little nervous about the quality of my toast when I searched theknot.com for toast ideas and learned I should have started my toast three weeks before the wedding. Maybe it was last minute by the Knot's standard, but I think it was still a quality toast. Above you can see everyone at the head table thoroughly enjoying my toast. Not one to be sentimental, I opted for humor. Here's what I wrote for the toast (people were surprised, but I write out scripts for phone calls and this seemed much more important) there was, of course, as little improvisation:

Good evening everyone, I'm Sarah's sister Rachel, the Maid of Honor. I want to begin by thanking Sarah and Nate for including all of us in their special day. There were a few times along the way that Sarah threatened to elope, but we're all glad you didn't. I'm Sarah's older sister and, occasionally, people ask me if I'm upset she's getting married before me. The truth is I always expected it. Her Barbies always beat mine to the alter and when we would play Life, Sarah was always married first and usually had to purchase a second car to fit all here kids. That was her strategy, in fact, to land on every single "have a baby!" So, be careful for that Nate.

In all seriousness, Sarah and Nate fit together pretty well. I found this quote, from Judith Viorst (whom I googled, turns out she's a psychologist, so she knows what she's talking about). I took the liberty of updating it just a little:

"Infatuation is when you think he's as sexy as Robert Pattinson, as smart as Henry Kissinger, as noble as Ralph Nader, as funny as Woody Allen, and as athletic as Tom Brady. Love is when you realize he's as sexy as Woody Allen, as smart as Tom Brady, as funny as Ralph Nader, as athletic as Henry Kissinger, and nothing like Robert Pattinson -- but you'll take him anyway.

So, congratulations to Sarah and Nate. I wish you both all the best.

* In case you were unaware how thoroughly my sister and I are opposites: my Barbies had careers, I avoided the "have a baby!" spaces in Life like the plague and I've always known Joe is nothing like Robert Pattinson and I'm very, very grateful for that!

Weekly Links: June 25th, 26th & 27th

2010-06-25T08:00:00.001-04:00

We're headed to the Midcoast for Sarah and Nate's wedding this weekend. Things have been extra crazy hectic with my job wrapping up, big work projects, the looming deadline to finish Sarah's wedding shrug, wedding details and Joe leaving for a month the day after the wedding. I'm looking forward to getting through all the hair appointments, nail appointments, decorating, baking, frantic knitting and details, details, details to enjoy an afternoon and evening with family, friends and celebrating Nate and Sarah.

Which reminds me, as Maid of Honor, I better add coming up with a toast to that list!

Trader Joe's is coming to Portland! For years I've been so jealous of people who live close to Trader Joe's. The gluten-free products, the great prices, the delicious sounding gluten-free products . . . and soon there will be a new store in Portland right near Whole Foods - perfect for stocking up on gluten-free yumminess not available in the Bangor area. Now, if only one of them would open a store in our neck of the woods.
A GF Marathon: I'm not sure I'm willing to so all the way to South Dakota for my first marathon (or if I'm even committed to the marathon idea), but I'm loving the idea of an all gluten-free marathon. I ran cross-country and track in high school and it was torture. I was constantly tired and suffered from cramps, chronic injuries and asthma. Looking back, I'm amazed I used to finish those races. This time around, I'm continually amazed by how resilient my body is, how rarely my asthma symptoms prevent me from completing a workout, that I have the energy to actually use my long legs to increase my stride and, most incredibly of all, that I can keep going for over an hour! I've read many comments in online forums that running seems to exacerbate symptoms for some people, but I feel better than ever.

Menu: Joe's Picks

2010-06-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

It occurred to me recently, every week I make a menu before we go grocery shopping and why not share that with blog readers? I read a huge number of GF and non-GF cooking blogs, a lot of our menu items come from those blogs or sites like Martha Stewart or Food Network. Here, I'll pull together menus from all over the web and my collection of cookbooks and favorite family recipes to share with you. Over the course of the week, I'll do my best to post pictures and let you know how I made them gluten-free.

This is Joe's last week at home before leaving for a month a LDAC. He'll be at Fort Lewis in Washington State helping with ROTC summer training. I offered to make his favorites before he left and here's what he came up with:

Saturday: Fresh Pea Risotto with Spicy Grilled Shrimp from Closet Cooking (actually, a recent CC post I couldn't resist, but we both enjoyed it!)
Sunday: Grilled Steak with Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Asparagus
Monday: Chicken Stuffed with Gouda and Spinach with Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Tuesday: Penne with Grape Tomatoes and Mozzarella from Martha Stewart (This is a regular rotation item for us. We love it and it makes great leftovers!)
Wednesday: Spring Rolls
Thursday: Bachelorette Party! Dinner at Flatbread Co. in Portland. Looking forward to their GF crust.
Friday: Rehearsal Dinner BBQ
Saturday: Sarah and Nate's Wedding

Weekly Links: June 19th & 20th

2010-06-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

Follow-up on Contamination of Gluten-Free Grains: Answers all the "now what?" questions and clarifies the study.
Living a Gluten-Free Life: From the Huffington Post. Good, basic gluten-free and celiac's information. Great article if you're looking for explanatory materials.

In other news . . .

Joe completed his first triathlon last weekend! Unfortunately, I forgot my camera. Fortunately, the race organizers arranged for some great photography. See pictures from the tri here, bib number: 336.

A Man and His Grill

2010-06-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago we became the proud owners of a grill and now we don't know how we ever lived without one. Since we have a very small back porch, I don't care for the taste of charcoal and we also wanted something portable for hiking, we decided to order the O-Grill 1000 from Amazon.com. Since all the normal grill colors were out of stock and we wanted the grill in time for am upcoming camping trip, we ordered the purple (it was either that or orange), which is actually a very pretty purply pink. I'm a fan, but Joe probably would have preferred something manlier. Otherwise, we couldn't be more pleased with our purchase. It's lightweight and easily portable, great for camping. And Joe tells me it's very easy to use. I don't know for myself because the grill has become Joe's exclusive domain. He grills and I plan things for him to grill.

The first week we had the grill, when I was putting together the weekly menu, Joe insisted on grill recipes the entire week. No matter the forecast predicted rain, rain, rain. We were going to grill. Which is how I came across this recipe from Smitten Kitchen for grilled lamb kebabs and tzatziki. I made the very smallest adaptation to the Smitten Kitchen recipe (it was naturally GF) by adding a clove of chopped garlic to the marinade because I'm of the opinion the addition of garlic improves most things (with obvious exceptions).

I paired it with the Mediterranean Pepper Salad recommend by Deb and was very pleased with the results. Since I'm the only person in our household that eats things like peppers, kalmata olives, onions and feta cheese, I halved the recipe and only used two peppers. It was delicious that night paired with the kebabs and even better the rest of the week in my lunch with quinoa and leftover tzatziki.

Unfortunately, the tzatziki didn't make it into any of the pictures. But, I assure you it was delicious and paired wonderfully with the lamb. You'll also notice a second side dish: grilled corn. Since we got the grill, Joe has perfected his grilled corn recipe. I'm not sure I'm permitted to share it here, I'll have to try and talk him into a guest post.

For Joe

2010-06-15T13:31:00.003-04:00

Technical difficulties finally averted! A day late, but to celebrate one year since our first date with the year in pictures (Sorry about the super-crabby image quality!):

Our first date,in case anyone was wondering, was at Pat's Pizza over gluten-free mushroom and onion (Rachel) and gluten-full pepperoni (Joe). We decided to class things up this time with dinner at the Lucerne Inn and a very special surprise to be announced soon!

Weekly Links June 5th & 6th

2010-06-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

Where did May go? How can it possibly be June? Joe and I have ambitious painting, hiking, grilling and strawberry picking- is it too early for strawberry picking? I hope not - plans for the weekend. So, while we're keeping busy, here are some weekly links:

Gluten-Free Dining at Wild Willy's: There's a Wild Willy's in South Portland and I've always been skeptical of it. I mean, I appreciate the alliteration, but I'm not certain I want someone named Wild Willy flipping my burger - who knows what he might do! But, the Portland, ME Celiac/DH Support Group is reporting five Wild Willy's locations, including York and South Portland, ME will be carrying gluten-free buns from Little Bay Baking Company and I might need to check it out!
Contamination: Have your gluten-free grains been hanging out with gluten-full grains? A new study suggests yes and enough to cause symptoms in individuals with celiac disease. FDA standards often aren't stringent enough, make sure the manufacture of your grains uses a test and has strict standards.
New UK Resource: A shout-out to my good friend, Emily across the pond! Emily doesn't have celiac's, but her gf chums are lucky to have a new resource full of products and where to find them, recipes, news and gf giveaways - like a Cath Kidston Tea Set!
Celiac Going Mainstream: Last month, in honor of Celiac Awareness Month, USA Today featured a huge insert about celiac's disease. If you missed it, a pdf can be found here courtesy of Gluten-Free Maine.

More Label Headaches

2010-06-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

This time, it's taxes.

Over the past few days, several gf-friendly blogs and news sources have commented on or run stories about the new snack tax law in Washington state. The new law went into effect June 1st and defines candy (and, therefore, a taxable product) as:

Candy subject to the tax can be made with “sugar, honey, or other natural or artificial sweeteners combined with chocolate, fruits, nuts, or other ingredients or flavorings and formed into bars, drops, or pieces,” according to information from the Department of Revenue.

Any product that lists flour as an ingredient on the nutritional facts label is not taxable as candy, the agency points out. Flour is “made from grain such as wheat, rice, corn, rye, oats, and barley.”

This new law has generated a great deal of concern in the gluten-free community that manufacturers will add flour to their products to avoid the new tax. We can hope they'll choose to add rice flour or corn, but the strength of the barley lobby (yes, there is a barley lobby) and the resulting appearance if barley is very surprising places, makes me skeptical. More information about the Washington State law is available in this article.

Closer to home, my reading of H.P 1051 - L.D. 1495 suggests that celiacs in Maine might face a similar situation. The new tax law states (the whole law is available here):

1-K. Candy. "Candy" means a preparation of sugar, honey or other natural or artificial sweeteners in combination with chocolate, fruits, nuts or other ingredients or flavorings in the form of bars, drops or pieces and that does not contain flour or require refrigeration.

As most Mainers are aware (how could you miss all those signs?) there is a referendum on next week's ballot to repeal the new tax law: Question 1. I've been hemming and hawing about how I'll vote on Question 1, there are some aspects of the new law I find illogical or disagree with, but I do agree that Maine needs tax reform. Celiac or not, I urge you to inform yourself about the issues and the candidates (MBPN has some good, accessible information) and be sure to vote on June 8th.

Weekly Links: May 29th, 30th & 31st

2010-05-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

Nosugar Cookies: I'm not recommending billing this cookies as sugar-free, just call them delicious. And use GF rolled oats and they'll also be gluten-free.
Dough Rai$er: Support a good cause at Uno's this weekend by following the link and printing out the voucher for 20% of your bill to be donated to the American Celiac Disease Alliance. I've never tried Uno's GF pizza, but this might be a good opportunity to try it.
King Arthur GF Mixes Review: I can't wait to see these in my local grocery store (I might even be impatient enough to order online). Everything I've been hearing about these mixes is really positive! P.S. Online, they're gluten-free flours are very reasonably priced.
Gluten-Free Pet Diet: My cat, Madison, is on a low gluten diet out of habit. I'm conditioned to read labels and I chose her dry cat food, Purina Pro-Plan, because it had a relatively low amount of gluten. Not that I think my cat is gluten intolerant or has celiac's disease, but I think it's funny how our habits/diets, influences how we treat our pets. Oh, and when I visited Purina's website just now, they offered me a $3 coupon if I filled out a form. It was more information than I cared to give Purina, but you might feel otherwise.
Debbie Downer is GF: Do I think it's funny or am I a little insulted? Still haven't quite decided . . .

Carb-Loading: Over-Achiever Style

2010-05-28T12:38:00.002-04:00

I've been light on posting this week because Saturday (tomorrow, gulp) I'm running my very first 10K! It was something of a spur of the moment decision, Joe found a trail running festival at Pineland Farms near Freeport and while I had meant to do one more 5K before doubling my distance, I decided to go for it! Tomorrow will also mark the first camping experience of my adult life, as we're staying at Bradbury Mountain State Park so Joe can run the 25K Sunday morning (he was lured to sign-up by the promise a cowbell at the finish line).

In preparation for our runs this weekend (actually, a grand total of 35K for Joe since he's running the 10K with me), we've been eating a lot of carbs this week. One of my favorite things about running is the excuse and justification to eat lots of pasta! Earlier this week I made Pork Paillards with Sour Cream-Paprika Sauce from a Martha Stewart recipe and, because apparently paillards and sour cream-paprika sauce wasn't ambitious enough for me (and naturally GF, so maybe also not challenging enough), I also made my own fresh GF pasta. Honestly, I'm not sure I would do it again. The Pork Paillards with Sour Cream-Paprika sauce was delicious and I highly recommend purchasing smoked paprika (I hate the sweet stuff, but I want to put smoked paprika on everything!), but the pasta left something to be desired. The flavor was good, but the texture was a little gummy. And it was a lot of work hand rolling that dough for not a lot of pay off. With so many great GF pastas out there (Tinkyada, bionaturæ, Schar - love the multigrain penne, etc.) I think I'll stick to buying my pasta. Until I invest in a real food processor (I suspect that was a big part of the problem).

In case anyone is wondering, I used the fresh rice pasta recipe from The Wheat-Free Cook: Gluten-Free Recipes for Everyone, which I adore, but feel guilty about posting too many recipes from. Here's the recipe for Pork Paillards with Sour Cream-Paprika Sauce adapted for two:

3 thin cut pieces for pork, flattened by whacking with a rolling pin between two pieces of plastic wrap
salt and pepper
1 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
1/3 cup sour cream (if using light, check the ingredients!)
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

The sauce was so good, I'm really glad I didn't half that portion of the recipe. Season the pork with salt and pepper and cook a few minutes per side (depending on the thickness) in the olive oil until cooked through. Remove from pan. Deglaze the pan with the the white wine, be sure to scrap up the brown flavor bits! Add the chicken stock and simmer until reduced by half. Slowly add the sour cream and paprika. Serve with pork over pasta seasoned with butter and parsley. Enjoy.

Weekly Links: May 22nd & 23rd

2010-05-22T08:00:00.001-04:00

This weekend I'm heading to my parents' house for my sister's bridal shower. No, there won't be any toilet paper fashion shows, clothes pins, or cotton balls because we're not into that sort of thing. But there will be gluten-free red wine cupcakes in honor of the bride-to-be! The guests don't know it yet, but they're all taking part in the Gluten-Free Challenge!

Researchers find a connection between celiac disease and c-sections: Beyond the shared first letter. In a recent study, researchers found that "compared to children born vaginally, children delivered by c-section were 80 percent more likely to develop celiac disease." Researchers hypothesized the difference could be caused by the missed opportunity to pick-up microbes in the vaginal canal. I'm a c-section baby, but so are my three siblings and, so far, I'm the only celiac . . .
One more reason to love Bob's Red Mill: As I've mentioned before, I love Bob's Red Mill products and admire Bob's flair for accessorizing. Who wouldn't? I mean, they make a wide assortment of gluten-free products and maintain strict GF standards. And Bob? Look at him! He's adorable. And, apparently, one of the nicest guys ever. Recently, he gave his multi-million dollar company to his employees. Let me repeat that: HE GAVE HIS MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR COMPANY TO HIS EMPLPOYEES! That act, coupled with a view of the Blindside this week, gives me a little more faith in human decency. I'll just try really hard not to think about so-called "tea partiers," Wall Street, insurance companies, all the finger-pointing related to the BP oil spill (would someone just act like an adult and accept responsibility?), bail-outs - if I'm really serious about this I should probably stop making this list and watch this video again:

The Gluten-Free Challenge: Are you ready for the gluten-free challenge? A joint project by Pamela's Products and the Gluten Intolerance Group, the Gluten-Free Challenge challenges everyone to spend one weekend (May 22nd and 23rd) living gluten-free. The idea is, that by spending one weekend GF, those people lucky enough to not have to spend every day GF will gain a little appreciation for those of us who do and the difficulties and frustrations we face. Encourage your friends and family to participate! There's a sign-up on the website and everyone who successfully completes the challenge gets a certificate. Pretty cool. I'm kind of thinking this challenge should be mandatory for all waitstaff, who's with me?
Study Refutes Link between Gluten-Free Diet and Autism: Unsurprising in my opinion, despite Jenny McCarthy's claims, there's never been any scientific evidence a gluten and casein-free diet improves autistic behavior. But considering how frustrating caring for an autistic child must be, it's no wonder parents will seemingly try almost anything to cure their children. Hey, if it works . . .

Gruyere, Spinach and Bacon Stuffed Chicken Breast with Two Yolk Hollandaise

2010-05-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

I've made enough changes to this recipe, I'm starting to think of it as my own. It originated from a We Are Not Martha rendition of a Cooking Light recipe. My changes mostly result in it not belonging in Cooking Light, but it's delicious, fairly easy to make and a good dish for impressing company. It's also one of Joe's favorites.

The first alteration was the replacement of arugula with spinach because that's how We Are Not Martha made it and what would I do with a whole bag of Arugula? The bacon was swapped for the prosciutto because Joe didn't care for. The original sauce is good, but still a bit of a sore spot with me. The recipe makes a lot and I had the brilliant idea of freezing the leftovers to thaw the next time we made this recipe. It was working out brilliantly until I dropped the sauce container and ended up with tomato and shallot mixture all over the kitchen. So, the hollandaise sauce was a last minute addition and one that worked quite well. I'm a hollandaise fan to begin with, but I also think it blended nicely with the flavors from the cheese and bacon. This has become a permanent adaptation. I adapted the Betty Crocker hollandaise recipe to two yolks because three yolks just made too much sauce. Two yolks is much better suited to two people.

Gruyere, Spinach and Bacon Stuffed Chicken Breast with Two Yolk Hollandaise
Adapted from Cooking Light

two boneless, skinless chicken breasts; butterfiled
two pieces of bacon (cooked)
four pieces of Gruyere cheese
a handful of spinach
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper. Pile the cheese, bacon and spinach on one side and fold the other half of the breast over the filling. Secure with toothpicks. Cooking Light calls for sauteing the chicken and finishing it in the oven. I can't be bother with this. The filling fall out and it's just generally annoying. I toss it right in the oven, usually for about 20-25 minutes. Remove chicken from oven and serve with hollandaise.

Two Yolk Hollandaise

two egg yolks
5 tablespoons of butter
3/4 teaspoon lemon juice

With a whisk, beat together the egg yolks and lemon juice. Add half the butter and place over very low heat, whisking continuously. Once the butter melts, add the rest of the butter. About a minute of whisking after the second addition of butter melts should result in a lovely, thick hollandaise. Just enough for two.

Sweet & Savory

2010-05-20T14:00:00.000-04:00

Before becoming gluten-free I had, in my own humble opinion, perfected the pie crust. I started with the classic Betty Crocker recipe calling for just all-purpose flour, shortening, salt, and water with just a few little tweaks that I've now completely forgotten. Why? None of those tweaks worked with GF ingredients. I tried numerous GF recipes and mixes and I experienced some success (see here and here), but nothing was ever quite the same. Things have changed.

This weekend I went on an Amazon.com fuled cookbook buying spree. Well, I only purchased two books, so it wasn't much of a spree. I had intended to purchase one book I saw in a shop and rather liked, but the review for The Wheat-Free Cook: Gluten-Free Recipes for Everyone convinced me I just had to have it. And I'm so glad I followed the impulse to purchase this book, with 240 pages it's a steal at almost $13 and the pie crust recipe alone is worth the purchase price.

This pie crust is phenomenal. It's light and flakey and tastes like I remember pie crust should taste. As printed, it's a perfect accompaniment to sweet fruit filling. With the sugar omitted, it's a perfect foil to savory quiche. The recipe is easy to follow and results in a remarkably pliable dough. I mean, I made handpies with it people! This GF dough is amazingly easy to maneuver.

Long story made short: I recommend this book. I'm looking forward to recipes like chocolate eclairs, fresh rice flour egg noodles and an assortment of new quinoa recipes.

Rice Flour Tart Shell
The Wheat-Free Cook: Gluten-Free Recipes for Everyone, Jacqueline Mallorca

1 - 1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (if you want, I always use table salt in pie crust)
1 tablespoon sugar (omit for savory tarts or quiches)
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg

Sadly, I am not in possession of a food processor large enough to make the entire dough in as Mallorca recommends. But, I do have a mini food processor and I've achieved good results using this method:

Place half the rice flour and half the butter into food processor. Pulse until combined. Pour into mixing bowl and repeat with remaining rice flour and butter. Add to mixing bowl along with the cornstarch, xanthan gum, salt and sugar (if using). Combine with fingers. Beat the egg and add it to the flour mixture with pastry fork (or fingers, whatever works best). Add one tablespoon cold water and mix. The first time I made this, one tablespoon was just enough liquid. The second time, I needed a little more. Form dough into two balls. Follow cooking directions for pie or tart or quiche.

I used this dough for two Smitten Kitchen recipes: Spinach Quiche, Revisited and Bourbon Peach Hand Pies. I really wanted to make blueberry pie, but fresh blueberries were not to be had at the grocery store. I'll be at my parents' this weekend and I'm planning a pie with fresh rhubarb from their garden. I love rhubarb and I can't understand why they insist on devoting precious garden space to tomoatoes and cucumbers and things of that ilk. Someday, when I have more than a postage stamp backyard, I'll have a rhubarb plantation!

Anyway, the Smitten Kitchen Spinach Quiche was delicious and I've been enjoying leftovers all week in my lunch. Although it had cream cheese, half & half, Gruyere and Parmesan, I don't think it was too decadent paired with a big salad. I just made one tiny adaptation to the Smitten Kitchen recipe, I added a big clove of garlic.

The second recipe wasn't quite a good as I had hoped. Peaches were a last minute substitution when blueberries proved unavailable and they weren't of the highest quality. But, with some goof quality peaches, I'm certain this recipe would be a winner. I love the hand pies concept, so easy to grab in the morning and add to your lunch box. I like something sweet in the afternoons. If only I could get my hands on some blueberries!

I'm obsessed, apparently.

Witch Hill Spring Ice Cream No Longer BYOC (Bring Your Own Come)

2010-05-18T12:09:00.003-04:00

Monday evening, Joe and I found ourselves at my parent's after his Portland appointment and in need of an after-dinner snack. We hopped in the car and drove across the bridge (enjoying an extra-lovely sunset behind the church steeples of Bath) to Witch Hill Spring Ice Cream for, obviously, ice cream. My Mom handed me a box of Let's Do GF Ice Cream cones so I could enjoy my first cone of the summer. The folks at Witch Spring Hill have been awesome in the past about BYOC and always very careful to avoid cross-contamination when scooping my ice cream (something very much appreciated!) as I wrote about last summer. This time, when I got to the counter clutching my GF cone the woman behind the window told me they now carry gluten-free cones - awesome! Now we can enjoy spontaneous ice cream stops, no more planning ahead!

Just one more reason to love Witch Hill Spring Ice Cream: great local product (Round Top Ice Cream is made in Damariscotta), a locally owned business (my sister used to work with one of the owners), great prices and super generous servings (just ask Joe . . .) and, now, gluten-free cones! If you're in the Bath area, I recommend planning a stop. Check out their website for a list of flavors (I recommend the black raspberry) and some fun local history, especially if you're curious about the name.

Witch Spring Hill Ice Cream
60 State Road, West Bath, ME
http://witchspringhillicecream.com/home
207-443-3029

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Update on the Blackberry Gluten Free App

2010-05-17T08:00:00.002-04:00

This weekend I figured out my paypal password again and purchased the Gluten Free for Blackberry App. Actually, my ad proceeds from Foodbuzz covered the $2.99 price tag, so . . . thanks! I'm really loving my Blackberry, it's such a handy tool for living gluten-free. I love being able to look up ingredients where ever I am, having internet on my phone allows me to easily be more diligent about my gluten-free diet when I'm out and about. This app is especially handy and I recommend it. It's much faster than doing a google search and, as far as I can tell at this point, the information seems very accurate. You can search GF products by caregory or search by brand name.

Here's an example of where I imagine this app would be super handy: say you're at the movie theater and feel like a sweet treat. But, you can't remember is Skittles are GF (and sometimes it's HARD to remember what's safe and what isn't). All you need to do is pull out your blackberry and search candy (although the list is LONG and takes awhile to scroll down to Skittles) and discover that yes, Skittles are gluten free. And so are Junior Mints. And Snickers Almond. Sweet, right? Because some of the lists are long, I would recommend using the search feature if you're checking on a specific product and using the categories if you want to explore your options.

The resources and community features still need to be filled out, hopefully an update is coming soon, but the gluten-free restaurant search brought up a Scott's Bakery near Belfast, Me that specializes in gluten-free cookies and whoopies pies. Bummer, I was in Belfast this weekend! I'm sad to have missed out on GF whoopies pies, but excited to add them to the agenda the next time we head towards the coast! I wouldn't bother with the gluten-free shopping list or the foods to avoid (unless you're newly diagnosed), most of this information is basic celiac knowledge.

Weekly Links: May 15th & 16th

2010-05-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

For the weekend blogging, I've decided to do weekly links. My interests are varied and I expect the weekly links to reflect that. I often discover fun websites that aren't big enough for a full post, but that I'm still eager to share! Plus, I'll be able to throw the post together before I leave work on Friday. The main theme will be gluten-free, but I'm also planning to include links that reflect my other interests, like history, knitting, travel, Maine, sewing, running, etc, etc, etc!

Weekly Links:

Tartlette Gluten-Free Rhubarb Financiers: Two gluten-free recipes from Design*Sponge (a favorite blog) and one includes rhubarb? Be still my heart! (This gorgeous photo is from the site.)
Gluten-Free Maine: Again, because it's that cool!
Gluten-Free App for Blackberry: This doesn't look quite as cool as the iPhone Is That Gluten Free? App, but I'm planning to download it to my brand new Blackberry and will report how well it works. And, for those of us unwilling to get an iPhone until it's not an AT&T exclusive, this website does the same thing as the Is That Gluten Free App? and will work with all smart phones.
purlsoho.com: I just discovered this NYC yarn, fabric and notions website with an amazing selection of fabrics, including the hard-to-find Anna Griffin fabric I feel in love with for the new duvet cover. I ordered my fabric yesterday afternoon and it shipped Friday morning!
Nothing But Bonfires: I adore this blog. It's incredibly well-written, witty and I found my new favorite week-night recipe from on of her posts. Reading it, I often laugh out loud. I even wasn't annoyed by the months of wedding planning posts (and that's a huge feat for me). I highly recommend adding Nothing But Bonfires to your list of regularly read blogs.

Gluten Free Resources: Just for Us Mainers

2010-05-14T09:15:00.000-04:00

About a month ago, gluten-free Mainers were treated to the establishment of glutenfreemaine.com! A website filled to the brim with Maine products that are GF, Maine restaurants that are GF and so much more! I'm particularly enjoying the "top gluten-free stories section" of the site. I'm connected enough to the GF community to be well-aware of the addition of gluten to the Starbuck's Light Frappuccino (if you aren't, read this), but if I wasn't, the top stories section would have alerted me very quickly. I've been making a point to read the top stories every morning. Much of the information is a little Southern Maine-centered, but to be expected with both the creators being Portland residents and I've been diligently emailing them about some of the great GF options in the Bangor area. I recommend adding Gluten-Free Maine to your bookmarks right now.

And now, I'm going to hop up on my soap box for a moment: Starbucks, what the frap? I am not a regular Starbuck's customer, a location isn't convenient to where I live and I don't particularly care for their coffee. But, I'm still upset by this latest piece of news. In my opinion, this is much worse than the Valencia Orange cake debacle of last year, Starbucks added gluten to a previously GF drink without any notice. I re-check gluten-free products every couple of months. If I was a daily Starbuck's Light Frappuccino drinker, there's an excellent chance this would have gotten by me. Getting glutened can be serious business. An accidental brush with gluten a few weeks ago sent me the the emergency room twice. This post from Gluten Free Mom exhibits the cavalier Starbuck's has exhibited toward the gluten-free community, first with the Valencia cake and now with the Light Frappuccino. Although they know the reformulated Light Frappucino contains gluten, they accept no responsibility to inform their gluten-free customers. Well, I say, the gluten-free community should not accept the potential hazards of ingesting Starbuck's products. I'm starting a completely ineffective boycott (ineffective because I never go to Starbuck's anyway) and would encourage others, especially if you are a Starbuck's regular, to do the same. And, if you feel like, use the contact information on Gluten Free Mom's post to let Starbuck's know what you think.

Might I recommend Dunkin Donuts? I got this reassuring email from them today:

Dear Rachel,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us. It's always a pleasure to hear from our Dunkin' Donuts customers. Our product nutritional information including allergy data is available on our website www.dunkindonuts.com, you can also find information on our company as well as fun facts.

Our Dunkin' Donuts beverages are gluten-free.

At Dunkin' Donuts we value our customers and are committed to making your visits to our stores a pleasant experience. We look forward to serving you soon.

Thank you and have a great day.

Jennifer

Customer Relations Coordinator

That's the sort of customer service I expect with my coffee!

We've Been Hibernating . . .

2010-05-12T08:00:00.004-04:00

. . . But we're back! Things have been busy the past several months and, while I've still been experimenting in the kitchen (and have some great recipes to share), I just haven't felt like blogging. I never wanted this blog to feel like work, so I've allowed myself to relax and not worry about neglecting it for a few months. Now, classes are over, I actually have time to relax and I feel like it's time to resuscitate the blog.

Since February I've been accepted into a full-time PhD program with funding, increased my weekly running mileage (but still have to be careful about my knees) and been busily decorating the condo Joe and I share.Of course, I've also been working full-time and taking classes part-time. Busy, busy, busy!

The beginning of this year marked five years living gluten-free. At first I ate only rice because I was too scared to explore options. Rice felt safe. In the five intervening years, I've embraced experimentation and trying new things in my gluten-free diet. One thing I thought I'd have to give up forever once I went gluten-free was bread. Most gluten-free bread leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, I believe bread is the hardest thing to recreate gluten-free. It was a tough adjustment, especially since growing up my Mom was an amazing bread baker. Readers, I have discovered something that has completely revolutionized my gluten-free life: this bread. I know the ingredients list and the instructions look complicated, but, trust me, it's so worth the extra effort. I cannot stop raving about this bread. Eating my first slice (without butter or jam or peanut butter or ANYTHING) I exclaimed to Joe four or five times, "This bread is SO GOOD!" And it is, it's so good as

Sandwich bread!

Pizza!

Cinnamon rolls!

I purchased the book book, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, which includes an entire gluten-free chapter with two master recipes that can be used to make most of the other recipes in the book. The gluten-free crusty boule is a fantastic all-purpose recipe, this versatile and tasty dough can be packed into crusty bread, thin crust pizza, and even naan (which I haven't tried yet, but I'm confident it will also be delicious). The Gluten-Free Brioche is just slightly sweet and bakes into the most delicious GF cinnamon rolls I've ever had. I make the dough on the weekend and put four balls of dough in the freezer that I pull out throughout the week to bake fresh bread for sandwiches or pizza crust or some yummy, gooey cinnamon rolls for a special breakfast. Making the dough is a little time consuming (and hard on the arms since I don't own a mixer), but the ease of pulling it out of the freezer to thaw in the refrigerator overnight more than makes up for that. I also really recommend using the method outlined on the website for the dutch oven, it makes for a delicious crusty bread.

Here's the bottom line: this bread has air pockets and texture almost just like gluten-full bread.

Another Reason to Cheer for the Saints

2010-02-09T09:22:00.002-05:00

It wasn't just my undying hatred of all things Manning that caused me to root for the Saints during Sunday's Superbowl match-up (I was raised a Pats fan, after all), I was also cheering on gluten-free quarterback Drew Brees! Aside from being a top-notch quarterback and kicking Peyton Manning's butt, Brees is allergic to gluten, eggs and dairy. Pretty exciting, the Saints get a franchise first Superbowl win and living gluten-free gets a little time in the spotlight.

Just When You Thought Living Gluten-Free Was Hard Enough

2010-02-04T09:14:00.002-05:00

This.

http://www.thesunnews.com/564/story/1295320.html

http://glutenfreeraleigh.blogspot.com/2010/02/nc-vs-great-specialty-products-update.html

Gluten-Free Fraud. Again I ask, what sort of world do we live in?

Gluten Free Libation

2010-02-03T09:17:00.004-05:00

I've always been a beer girl. Not exactly conducive to living gluten free, especially since I just don't care for gluten-free beer. I think it's the sorghum, that metallic aftertaste is really off putting. I've talked about Redbridge before here and I find it's a great gluten-free cooking beer - I've made some delicious beer cheese soup with it. But, I don't want to sit down at the end of a long day and enjoy a refreshing Redbridge - ick.
What's a gluten free beer lover to do?

Luckily, the team over at beeriety (I love their blog for their fun beer facts) have been exploring gluten free beer options and posted on it last week. Be sure to check it out! And let's all hope some craft brewer will take up their challenge to create a truly delicious GF beer. In the meantime . . .

Did you know Guinness is wheat-free?! From wheat-free.org:

"With the exception of Breo White Beer, none of the products produced by Guinness Ireland Group contain wheat. However all our beers are brewed from malted barley. Barley contains a protein called hordein which is somewhat similar to gluten, the protein in wheat that causes difficulty for quite a few people. While the reaction to barley protein is generally much milder than to wheat gluten, a few people may experience difficulty with barley-based products including beer."

"This information is only advisory and we recommend that you speak directly to a qualified medical advisor / dietician if you are concerned about consuming any of our products."

So yes, Guinness is wheat free but not gluten free.

Woohoo! If your one of the lucky ones who can tolerate hordein (I am! I am!) Guinness just entered the enjoy in moderation list. And Guinness is so, so much better than Redbridge!

Of course, there are some things that, in my opinion, are even better than beer and that would be a martini. I was turned on to martini drinking by co-workers in June and since Joe has learned to make the perfect dry martini with extra olives so I can enjoy one after a hard day. Gin, distilled from juniper berries, is naturally gluten-free, but sometimes contains additives that result in trace amounts of gluten. But, according to celiac.com and the new gluten-free guidelines, all distilled liquids (including vinegar and gin) are safe.

At the most basic level the new guidelines mean that celiacs do not need to avoid foods containing unidentified vinegar or distilled alcohol, this alone will allow much more freedom when shopping or eating out. Further, celiacs who drink alcohol will have much more freedom and a far greater choice when they want to have a drink. Additionally, celiacs will be able to more easily maintain a well-rounded and nutritious diet because they will have access to a far greater number of highly nutritious and safe grains.

If you consider the distillation process, these new guidelines are quite logical. I've never had any trouble with Bombay Sapphire or Tanqueray.*

Here's a list of gluten-free alcohol. Or, at least what should be gluten-free, it's never a bad idea to double-check:

Armagnac
Bourbon
Brandy
Champagne
Cider
Cognac
Gin
Grappa
Kahlua
Kirschwasser
Mead
Mistico
Ouzo
Rum
Sake
Scotch Whiskey
Sherry
Sparkling Wine
Tequila
Vermouth
Vodka
Wine

You might wonder, why is Scotch Whiskey gluten-free, but not Irish, Canadian, etc? It's odd considering what they said about distillation. I'm wondering too, will try to find the answer . . .

*Everyone is different and everyone has different body chemistry. What works for me, might not work for you and vice-versa.

Better Than the Original

2010-01-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Just look at that! Fabulously light and fluffy with delicious flavor - you'd never guess that it's gluten free, but it is! For Christmas, I finally received a set of English muffin rings which allowed me to at long, long last try Bette Hagman's crumpet recipe from More from the Gluten Free Gourmet. The description describes the crumpet as worth the price of the book. And let me tell you, I'd pay a lot more than the list price ($20) for these little GF gems. I made just one little change to Bette's recipe, Bette promotes a GF flour mix with bean flour and, since I do not care for the taste of bean flour, I've used my own flour blend for this recipe: 1/2 cup sweet rice flour, 1/2 cup tapioca starch and 1/2 cup potato starch. These crumpets are wonderful warm with a little jam, used for a sandwich or, possibly my favorite use, the foundation for Eggs Benedict. Fun fact: did you know Eggs Benedict finds it's origins at the turn of the Century at Delmonico's in New York City. Mr. and Mrs. Benedict were regular customers and one day complained there was nothing new on the brunch menu. The chef whipped up a combination of buttered toast, poached eggs, ham and hollandaise sauce and the dish was born. At least according to Betty Crocker.

To create this scrumptious Eggs Benedict I used one crumpet sliced in half and toasted, topped with two slices of Canadian bacon, two poached eggs and a generous slathering of hollandaise. I also received Mastering the Art of French Cooking and tried Julia's recipe for hollandaise. My review: delicious, but too much work and too much butter for breakfast. I prefer Betty Crocker's version (I feel a little better about one stick of butter compared to Julia's two), you can find the recipe here. You'll have to purchase a copy of the Gluten Free Gourmet for the crumpets, Bette Hagman deserves every royalty she gets for those.

* In other news, I've begun my quest to master the art of gluten free French cooking with a couple naturally GF recipes, I'll post those soon!

Happy Birthday to Me

2010-01-15T13:13:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I turned the big 2-6.

Up until a few years ago there was this Italian Restaurant in Portland with delicious food and huge portions called the Village. It was a common birthday dinner destination. I would always order the veal parmigiana and would eat it for about a week. Since I'm gluten-free now and the restaurant has closed I haven't had veal parmigiana in a long, long time.

This birthday I decided to change all that. Since Joe and I plan to go out tonight to celebrate, but I still wanted something for my birthday. I've developed great GF recipes for both chicken and eggplant parmigiana and while I some conscience twangs about the treatment of veal cows, I decided to give myself a treat and an ethical pass. After all, it was my birthday. It was delicious. Perhaps not as good as I remember the Village being, but for something from my own kitchen - it was awesome and easy.

Veal Parmigiana

veal cutlets
Italian seasoned GF breadcrumbs
Tomato sauce (whatever you like and have on hand should work fine)
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
1 egg, beaten
Olive Oil

Once again, not really any measurements- I like to eyeball ingredient amounts when I'm cooking. Season the veal with salt and pepper. Dip each piece into the egg and then dredge with the breadcrumbs. Fry in olive oil for 1-2 minutes per side and stack the pieces in a small glass casserole, 2-3 pieces of veal per stack. If you like a lot of tomato sauce, put it between each piece. Or, if you're like me and think less is more, just put tomato sauce on top along with the cheeses. Bake for about ten minutes for medium rare. Serve with pasta.

There is Popcorn Everywhere . . .

2009-12-23T12:05:00.003-05:00

Really. The floor of my car, under my desk, on my desk and I keep finding little pieces in my sweater. The cause of this sudden infestation of kernels? Little Lad's highly addictive Herbal Corn. Wow, this stuff is amazing.

I've been noticing this stuff in natural food stores for years and I was always a little skeptical. Popcorn with dill? It sounded a little weird to me. But, this Monday on our way back from Bethel and Portsmouth at the mandatory Portland Whole Foods stop to stock up on gluten-free chicken nuggets (me) and beer (Joe), it was a time to throw caution to the wind. We got the medium-sized bag of Herbal Corn. I think it was half gone by Freeport.

Little Lad's has locations in Cornith, Portland and, oddly enough, New York City. But, if none of those are convenient it can be recreated at home:

At Home Herbal Corn

3/4 cup popcorn
2-4 tablespoons of soybean oil or light vegetable oil
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (make sure it's GF!)
1 teaspoon dried dill

Coat popcorn with oil. Toss with yeast and then dill. Enjoy!

It Was A Lovely Evening

2009-11-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

It was pretty much a perfect evening. Here's a photo recap:

Today, I made it home from work before 5:00 (gasp!) to this cuddler:

I love the tangy flavor of goat cheese, Joe's not so wild about it. Since he was out for the evening, I had chicken stuffed with goat cheese (keeping scrolling for the recipe) - yum!

Then I was super-productive. I did a load of laundry, painted my toenails bright pink and did some reading for my research paper.

While watching the Office, I made some excellent progress on my Christmas knitting.

And then, this dashing man came home!

Chicken Stuffed with Goat Cheese

One chicken breast, butterflied
about two ounces of herb goat cheese
one clove of garlic, minced
one handful of spinach, chopped
three basil leaves, chopped
two slices of sundried tomato, cut into small pieces
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the goat cheese, garlic, spinach, basil and tomato in a small bowl. After seasoning the chicken with salt and pepper, stuff it with the goat cheese mixture. Secure with toothpicks, if needed. Cook at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Delicious, quick and easy.

If I Blog It, I'll Do It

2009-11-19T08:00:00.001-05:00

Theoretically, of course.

I'm well into my second week of training for my first half marathon - 13.1 miles. Which is also, incidentally, the longest distance I've ever raced (5K being the old record) and training for it will mark the first time I've ever run more than 5 miles at once. Gulp.

Disclaimer: I'm not going to run it fast, I'm going to finish it. I never have been and never will be a fast runner.

The plan is to run the New Bedford Half Marathon on March 21, 2010. I'm using Hal Higdon's training regime, with a few repeated weeks since my marathon is more than 12 weeks away. I figured a slow start was a good idea. November has, surprisingly, turned out to be a good month for running. Relatively warm and, so far at least, no snow. So far, I'm really enjoying my training and, of course, the company of my running partner, Joe. November might seem like an odd time to set a major goal like running a half, perhaps better suited to a New Year's Resolution? Well, that's not how I roll. I've found that when I commit to a goal when the mood strikes me, rather than waiting for a prescribed holiday, I'm more likely to keep them. I'm feeling stronger and faster with each run, hopefully this trend will continue!

Things have been very busy the past few days and keeping me away from my blogging, but fortunately . . .

. . . we've enjoyed a series of spectacular sunsets. This one enjoyed from my front steps . . .

. . .and Madison has been supplying plenty of research help. Here she is making herself comfortable on my notes.

His & Hers

2009-11-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

Or, gluten-full and gluten-free.

Internet, Joe and I are cohabiting. You may have gathered this from his constant presence in this blog, but now I'm confirming it. The Madison-cat seems to approve of the new arrangements. She enjoys lazing on the sofa, spying on birds and squirrels in our postcard-sized yard and carefully watching dinner preparations from atop the cabinets. A perch she does not expend her energy reserves to reach. Oh no, she informs us of her desire to lounge on the cabinets and we lift her onto the refrigerator - spoiled. She does, however, jump down of her own accord.

Living with someone you aren't related to presents certainly challenges, but the most obvious challenge for Joe and I is diet. And, it hasn't really been all that challenging. When we cook together, it's gluten-free. We have a lovely arrangement where he chops onions and cleans dishes while I handle the more complicated (and more fun!) aspects of cooking. Joe is very conscientious of my special diet needs and eats gluten-free without complaint. Sometimes we're cooking something that can easily be made gluten-free and gluten-full and since some GF products are so expensive (and it's easy, so why not?), I'll make two pots of spaghetti or two pizza crusts. Recently, we used this technique for spaghetti and meatballs. Just be careful to keep your gluten-full cooking separate from your gluten-free cooking!

Gluten-Free Meatballs

1/2 lb ground turkey
GF breadcrumbs (Gillian's are a good choice)
minced onion
minced garlic
very finely chopped fresh parsley
a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
fresh grated Parmesan cheese

No measurements, throw in the amount that looks good to you. Mix until just barely combined - don't overwork your meat! Shape into balls and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Pour a small amount of water over the meatballs and cook for 20-25 minutes (depending on the size of your meatballs). Remove from oven and add to a saucepan of simmering pasta sauce. Let simmer 10-15 minutes and serve over pasta. Garnish with more Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.

Joe's whole wheat pasta version

And my rice pasta version.

Product Review: Schär Pizza Crust

2009-11-14T08:00:00.001-05:00

Moms are pretty great.

I'm especially appreciative of my Mom this week for discovering a new brand of gluten-free pizza crust, Schär is, according to the package labeling and I'm inclined to believe them, the number one producer of gluten free products in Europe. This pizza crust, which I have decided is the best pre-packaged GF pizza I've enjoyed, proves that claim. The crust has good flavor, but doesn't compete with the sauce, cheese and toppings. The texture is also very pizza-like and while it gets nice and crispy in the oven, it doesn't resemble biting into a piece of cardboard smoothered with cheese and toppings. It also gets extra points for convenience: the box includes two individually wrapped, shelf-stable pizza crusts. It doesn't need to be frozen! If you forget to defrost your crust in the morning, no big deal!

Here's a visual to aid your shopping and explore their website, it has great recipes, tips and more information about their products.

I paired it with sausage and fennel and I'm planning another pizza night for next week: carmelized onions, yum!

Christmas Comes Early

2009-11-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

When I came home from DC and the NCHC Conference, 10 DAYS AGO (how is my life so crazy busy?), I was treated to a very early Christmas surprise: a new, pink laptop from Joe. He figured out and purchased the perfect Christmas gift very early and since I'd been feeling down about the prospect of another round of PhD applications and I hate, hate, hated my old laptop, he decided to cheer me up and motivate me with a brand new laptop - in my favorite color, he's such a good sport about my love of all things pink. So, lately, instead of blogging, I've been playing with my new toy. Can you blame me? Unlike my old machine, it doesn't take an hour to write a blog post. I'm loving my new photo editing software and just installed Endnote! I'm really thrilled with it (come on, it's pink!) and think it will not only motivate my research and grad applications, but also my blogging.

And Joe? I think he's kind of ok.

Gluten-Free Baking: It's Not as Scary as it Seems!

2009-11-06T13:13:00.005-05:00

Really, I promise.

Gluten-free baking seems so daunting. There's the xanthan gum, multiple flour varieties and the addition of really odd ingredients like vinegar, dough enhancer, and ricotta cheese. I used to be intimidated by it and avoided baking for myself whenever possible. And that was a shame because I love baking and GF baking isn't as hard as it seems.

I was brought back to my former timid GF baker self by our Thesis Coffee Break this past Wednesday. A few of our thesis writers also happen to be GF, since we were serving coffee, tea and gluten-full cookies and I didn't want anyone to be left out, I promised to bring some GF treats. One of our GF writers remarked she rarely had cookies because she couldn't figure out xanthan gum and usually her Mom baked for her. Now I am all for Mom-made GF goodies, in fact, my Mom makes some awesome GF molasses cookies from my great-grandmother's recipe that I never manage to blog about because they're always gone by the time I think to take a picture! Hey, if Mom can do it, so can you!

I made these Snickerdoodles using a recipe from Betty Crocker which I changed so slightly, I can't in good conscience post it here. But, what I did is a great starting point for the novice gluten-free baker: find a gluten-free flour mix that you like and just substitute it for the flour in the regular recipe. Yes, this is more expensive than mixing your own flours, but it's convenient and takes away the guesswork of using xanthan gum. I recommend Namaste's Prefect Flour Blend or Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix. Once you get the hang of things, they're also super-convenient for quick baking (like when you're making a batch of cookies on a Tuesday night and have a paper due the next day).

Some GF baking tips:

Embrace xanthan gum. A little goes a long way, most recipes need about a teaspoon. That little bag will last you a long, long time.
Use a variety of flours. This, actually, is the secret to good GF baking - the more flours, the better the results! Just rice flour is going to result in cookie crumbs. A good standard combination is rice flour and tapioca flour, but don't be afraid to experiment: potato flour, sorghum flour and cornstarch also produce great results. If mixing your own GF flour is too intimidating, find a mix you love and buy it in bulk on Amazon.
Fat. It has to be there. Xanthan gum and a variety of flours can't make up for the loss of gluten (which is mainly what holds baked goods together). The Snickerdoodles have shortening and butter. Many GF recipes call for a TON of butter. Cream cheese, ricotta cheese, yoghurt and sour cream can also work. You're GF baked goods won't often be healthy. Adopt Cookie Monster's revamped motto, "Cookies are a sometimes treat."
Experiment! There are so many GF bloggers posting great recipes. Try a few, gain some confidence and starting making your own!

Here's a few GF blogs I follow:
Gluten Free on a Shoestring
Elana's Pantry
Simply . . . Gluten Free
Gluten Hates Me

Risotto Round-Up

2009-10-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

It was Saturday evening, after the third batch of risotto in four days that I realized I was in a risotto rut. But, really, a risotto rut isn't such a bad place to be.

I'd always been intimidated by the concept of risotto from scratch. Terrified, in fact, by the prospect of straying away from my stirring duties for just one moment and returning to a ruined pot of risotto. It was a shame really, because I love risotto and the most fabulous varieties don't seem to come in a box! It was the discovery of pumpkin risotto on Foodbuzz that finally convinced me to attempt risotto making - and I'm so glad I finally did!

Now, it seems to me, the secret to good risotto is commitment. You just have to accept that for the 30-40 minutes it takes to cook, you won't be going very far from the stove. But, it smells ah-mazing the whole time, kind of makes up for that.

The risotto making was also a good chance for Joe to see all of my type-A tendencies on full view - he might as well know what he's getting into!

First, we measured and set out all the ingredients. It was super-neurotic, but made the risotto making much smoother.

Then, after the triple confirmed all the ingredients were ready, we started cooking.

Wednesday night, we made Pumpkin Risotto with Thyme and Scallops from the Streaming Gourmet. It was absolutely divine - very, very highly recommended! The combination of the pumpkin (which was very subtle for those who perhaps don't love pumpkin the way I do), thyme and scallops was delicious. I made one small change to this recipe, I switched one cup of chicken stock for one cup of white wine. I believe risotto should always include wine (actually, I think that about most things!). All pumpkin lovers should check-out this blog: 31 days of pumpkin recipes to celebrate October!

Friday, minus Joe because he hates mushrooms and was off gallivanting in the woods ROTC-style (no, I did not exclude him from the risotto making for his limited palate), I made Mushroom Risotto, this time discovered on We Are Not Martha. It was divine. The sauted mushrooms garnish was absolutely brilliant. I very happily enjoyed this for lunch the next two days.

Saturday, - again minus Joe who, although he grew up mostly in Georgia, dislikes sweet potatoes! - I made Sweet Potato Risotto. Maybe it's a New England Yankee prejudice, but I always imagined all Southerners loved sweet potatoes. This recipe was also found on Foodbuzz and while I was excited by the concept of this recipe, I was not thrilled by the execution. I followed the recipe, but the sweet potatoes never had a chance to fully cook. If I make this again, I'll definitely pre-cook the potatoes before adding them or even follow a similar method as the Pumpkin Risotto (did I mention that was so, so good?).

I'm taking a break from risotto making for a week or two at least, but now that I've learned it isn't quite as complicated as I originally thought, I'll be enjoying homemade risotto on a regular basis. Especially as it keeps getting colder here in Maine, risotto seems like perfect cold weather comfort food.

Don't be a Grouch!

2009-10-22T08:00:00.003-04:00

I'm inclined to get grouchy if I don't eat regularly and, for me, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. I can't start my day off on the right foot without something in my stomach. But, my mornings are also super busy between getting ready for work, squeezing in a run and my non-morning person persona. I need something grab and go.

Recently, I've been reading about this smoothie all over the blog world. It seems any blogger who is anyone enjoys a green monster in the morning. I was definitely skeptical about the addition of spinach (the green that lends its hue to the smoothie's name), despite assurances that you can't taste the spinach. But, they were blogs I trust and I was curious, so I decided to try the green monster. Now it's become part of my morning routine. It's filling, easy to enjoy at my desk and, major bonus points here, it's healthy. I changed the ingredients slightly to fit my taste and my nalgene, it appears below. Disclaimer: I can taste the spinach, but I kind of like it - makes it seem more healthy.

Rachel's Green Monster

3/4 cup vanilla soy milk
3/4 cup orange juice
2-3 handfuls of spinach
large dollop French Vanilla yogurt (I like Stoneyfield Farms)
1/2 cup frozen berries

Blend and enjoy!

Gluten-Free in the City

2009-10-16T12:28:00.012-04:00

Over Columbus Day weekend, Joe and I hopped on a plane for a couple days in New York City. That sentence makes it sound like a spur-of-the-moment adventure, but it wasn't. It was (we thought) a carefully planned trip of sightseeing and theater.

It wasn't.

Friday, October 2nd will now forever be remembered as the anniversary of our first fight. The Reader's Digest version: because Joe had booked our hotel in Laguardia and hadn't deciphered the subway system and just when exactly was I supposed to have time to do that? On the plus side, we did discover that my sister can very conveniently experience Hispanic culture by traveling to New York rather than, say Puerto Rico. And I was hungry and tired, those were pretty big factors in the genesis of our fight. It wasn't a very dramatic fight, people passing us on the sidewalk probably didn't realize our fighting couple status. It mostly consisted of angry walking, a lot of angry walking from Union Square to 248 Broome Street. Which is a mile and a half, in case you were wondering. No words were exchanged, except when Joe asked if I was ok and I glared at him. I just keep walking because I knew I was headed towards these:

Chocolate/chocolate and vanilla/chocolate gluten-free cupcakes from Babycakes. I'd like to say we ate these cupcakes and completely forget all our problems because I'd like Babycakes to get that sort of word of mouth advertising, but that wouldn't be entirely true. They weren't all-problem-solving delicious, but they were delicious nonetheless. The frosting was richly chocolatey and the cakes themselves were moist and well flavored. The vanilla had too much lemon flavoring for a so-called vanilla cupcake, but if they had called it a lemon cupcake, I would have been delighted.

We hadn't wanted to visit Mozarelli's Friday evening, a pizza place with both gluten-free and gluten-full pizza I've been reading raves about on other blogs, but they were closed by the time we got there! So, we had to save that eating adventure until Saturday lunchtime. When we entered, the cashier very apologetically told us only the GF pizza was available because they were having trouble with the other oven - perfect! I enjoyed spinach and mushroom and three cheese while Joe dined on two more carnivorous options, pepperoni and sausage. The crust was the best GF crust I've ever eaten, great texture and flavor - I wish it was closer!

Mozarelli's also carried fabulous cookies (which I neglected to photograph) from My Dad's Cookies. We grabbed a package of raspberry sandwich cookies and some chocolate dipped cookies. If the pizza had sucked, these cookies would have made it worth the trip.

Saturday evening we ran back to our hotel to get all gussied up for an evening of theater. We saw the revival of South Pacific at Lincoln Center and it was FANTASTIC. Before the show, we had dinner at O'Neals' and it was also FANTASTIC. Both Joe and I ordered the grilled black angus sirloin and arrived grilled to perfection with grilled vegetables and mashed potatoes that tasted just slightly of bleu cheese (more cheese and it would have been perfect). Apparently, although I don't really remember this, I chose this restaurant based on their dessert menu and I did an excellent job. The creme brulee was perfect (but not photogenic) along with espresso.

After dinner, we walked over to Lincoln Center for South Pacific which was absolutely wonderful. If you get the chance to see it, jump on it! Someone enjoyed it SO much he may or may not have purchased a South Pacific key chain.

(Yeah, he totally did.)

We ended the evening with a quick trip to Times Square. We were in NYC afterall and we felt like we just had too.

We rounded the evening by getting Joe a hot dog in Times Square. Luckily, I don't have any ketchup accidents to report.

Restaurant Review & Giveaway!

2009-10-08T12:15:00.001-04:00

About a week ago Joe and I traveled down to Boston to meet up with Joe's BFF, Neil (I suspect both Neil and Joe would want me to mention they don't use that acronym, but I do and it is entirely fitting). A few weeks earlier, while enjoying lunch at Anello's Gluten-Free Cafe, I overheard the owner and a patron talking about a GF restaurant in Boston's North End. Now, generally I subscribe to the old adage that eavesdroppers seldom hear anything good of themselves, but in this case I overheard something very good for my stomach. Meeting Neil in Boston was a great excuse for dinner at Nebo. Plus, I'd been looking forward to meeting Neil and I just so happen to enjoy Boston.

Nebo was . . . sophisticated with a menu and price point to match, but I have declared it completely worth it. We arrived just after opening and they already didn't have any tables for three left (I love to see a GF restaurant that's also popular)! So, we ended up sitting at the bar, which was perfect. From our seats we could see into the kitchen (which was immaculate - Nebo is not exclusively GF, but I wasn't worried about cross-contamination) and when Joe and Neil started talking about boring Army stuff (yawn), I was perfectly content to watch the bartenders mix drinks.

The service was friendly and they were very conscientious about my dietary restrictions. The gluten-free menu was extensive, almost a complete replica of the regular menu. Ordering GF was slightly more expensive, $3 to substitute GF pasta and $4 for GF pizza crust. And the food was delicious, the GF pizza crust was amazing!

For starters, Joe and Neil shared calamari. All the fried food was GF, so while I don't particularly care for calamari - too fishy - I tried some for the sake of my blog. The bread was light and crisp, the mediterranean aioli was a welcome departure from the usual cocktail sauce and the calamari tasted like squid, per usual.

This is a dreadful picture, the lighting at Nebo was not meant for photography, but you can see Joe's gluten-full pizza with fried egg topping. Which is, apparently, the greatest pizza topping ever. He won't eat perfectly normal and ordinary foods like onion, but he was very excited about the egg pizza - weird. And you can also see Neil putting some of his order, seared sea scallops with a light mascarone cream sauce, on a dish for Joe to try. I don't think he tried (picky), but it was very bro-mantic all the same. In honor of Joe and Neil and their bro-mance, I'd like to direct you to this YouTube clip.

Left to my own devices, I selected the prosciutto e fichi pizza (fig, prosciutto, gorgonzola, rosemary and mozarella) for the gluten-free pizza that was mine, mine, mine. It was absolutely delicious. The combination of the sweet fig, salty prosciutto and tangy gorgonzola was phenomenal.

It was gluten-free heaven. Definitely some of the best Italian food I've had in a very long time. The rest of our visit in Boston was also great with a stroll of the Freedom Trail and a quick stop to visit John, Paul and Sam (Hancock, Revere and Adams that is. We're historians, hence the first name basis), an unsuccesful attempt to take a tour of the Sam Adams Brewery (another time for sure) and a hair-rising car ride through Boston to Harpoon Brewery's Octoberfest.

In fact, it reminded me of the many times exploring Boston with family as a kid - trips to the USS Constitution, Science Museum, etc. Which leads me to the giveaway! Boston reminds me of being a kid and so do . . . fruit snacks! I distinctly remember being slightly jealous of my friends because my Mom never bought fruit snacks. But thanks to the friendly folks at My BlogSpark and Betty Crocker, I have two boxes of yummy fruit snacks now newly guaranteed gluten-free and a prize package including two boxes of fruit snacks, a frisbee, pick-up-stix and one very cool light-up yo-yo that my cat adores.

To enter, leave a comment with your favorite childhood snack! I'll pick the winner next week.

The Simple Things: GF Fried Clams

2009-09-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

Every so often, when someone discovers I can't eat gluten, they ask me what I miss the most. It's a hard question to answer. For one thing, it changes depending on my mood and, for another, I don't like to dwell on the foods I miss- it's hard enough already sticking to a GF diet! The foods I miss change depending on my mood. Often I really miss donuts, Boston Creme was my favorite. And I definitely miss pie crust, I'm still working on perfecting a GF version. Another is chicken nuggets (stay tuned for the results to my search for the best GF chicken nuggets!) and - well, I guess I could go on and on . . .

This summer I was really missing fried clams. I grew up in coastal Maine and fried clams seem like an integral part of summer. There's something about Maine, summer and the ocean that demands fried clams- or lobster rolls. I'd contemplated asking Santa for a deep fryer this Christmas, something that would help with the fried clams and the donuts (something I'm definitely still considering!), but we stumbled upon a more immediate solution. At my brother's graduation celebration dinner at the Kennebec Tavern in Bath, we discovered they use a rice flour batter for their calamari. That got our wheels turning and we decided to ask the kitchen staff if they could make me some gluten-free fried clams. The answer: yes!

So, a few weeks ago, I finally ate some gluten-free fried clams. They weren't quite as good as the gluten-full original (always the case), but they were a pretty good substitute and I was completely thrilled to enjoy something as simple as fried clams again. I'll definitely be calling ahead to order these again.

A GF Adventure: Hiking Mount Katahdin

2009-09-24T08:00:00.002-04:00

I have been a very bad blogger.

The academic year has started and I'm still trying to figure out how to balance a full-time job, a graduate course and my hobbies. Unfortunately, blogging has been neglected. I'm hoping to be better in the future!

Over a month ago, Joe and I climbed Mount Katahdin. It was a once in a lifetime experience- because no amount of cajoling will ever convince me to go back (Asthma, a twisted ankle and running out of water did not make for a happy hiker)! Well, maybe not. Women have a hormone that helps them forget the pain of pregnancy and perhaps I have a similar hormone that helps me forget the pain of hiking, a month later it doesn't seem so bad. The feeling of accomplishment reaching the submit (and reaching the parking lot- I've never been so happy to see Joe's ugly car) and the views were amazing - none of my pictures do them justice.

Luckily, I packed plenty of GF treats to keeping me going and I needed the snack incentive when the going got tough!

Here's the recap:

We started out bright and early, but not early enough and Hunt Trail was the only option.

Snack #1: Peanut Butter Cookie L arabar! I'm a big fan of Larabar for their gluten-freeness and yummy flavors. I especially love how I can always count the ingredients on one hand, so rare and so much easier label reading. For instance, the Peanut Butter Cookie bar contains peanuts, dates and salt. So simple. So good.

The scenery really was gorgeous. This is about half-way up. Please note the cloud shaped like a duck.

Snack #2: The old standby, Luna Bar, in Toasted Nuts and Cranberry. Like the Larabar, I enjoy Luna Bars for their gluten-freeness and yummy flavors. I also like reading the back of my bar for some inspiration. Favorite flavor: Chocolate Raspberry!

None of my pictures do it justice, you might just have to climb Katahdin yourselves!

My summit sandwich. Thoughts of this declicious sandwich concotion kept me going the whole way up (I guess Joe helped a little too, maybe) and it's probably the best sandwich I've ever had. Turkey, goat cheese, cucumber and spinach on GF Bakehouse Sandwich Bread.

There aren't any pictures for the way down, because I really wasn't having any fun anymore and didn't feel any picture inspiration. After we left the summit, it didn't take me very long to twist my ankle and the rest of the way was very slow going. I'm starting to remember why I swore I wouldn't do it again . . .

Product Review: Liz Lovely Gluten Free Cookies

2009-09-03T09:56:00.004-04:00

Last Friday I came home to this beautifully presented package from Liz Lovely. It wasn't exactly a surprise, I had been obsessively tracking the package since I placed the order and couldn't wait to get home Friday night to open it! It was worth the (very short-they're amazingly speedy!) wait, these cookies are delicious!

I discovered Liz Lovely's gluten-free cookies on the blog Gluten Hates Me, when I went to the website and looked at the product, I couldn't wait to place an order! The only problem was: which cookies to order. Liz Lovely offers an mouth-wateringly diverse selection of GF cookie treats, from the classic Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodle and Peanut Butter to the more exotic German Chocolate Cake covered in coconut. Lucky for me, Liz was having a sale. I ordered the Gluten-Free Cookie Sampler and saved myself the agonizing decision of picking just one or two cookies to order.

I first sampled the Chocolate Chip, figuring the old standby was a good starting point. And, honestly, doing a squeeze test, I thought it felt a little harder than the other selections. I also wanted to get the cookie with the slight hockey puck feel out of the way first. The cookie had great flavor, but I wasn't impressed with the texture. Too dense and crumbly, probably a result of the rice flour. It was a good cookie, as far as GF cookies go, but I wasn't blown away.

The Snickerdoodle, however, blew me away! So soft, moist, pefect Snickerdoodle flavor- love that combination of sugar and cinnamon- I was amazed it didn't have any butter in it (Liz's cookies are also vegan). I can't say enough good things about this cookie, I hope the others I have yet to sample are as good. I'm especially looking forward to the German Chocolate Cake and Ginger Molasses. I will let you know the verdicts!

I definitely recommend heading over to Liz's website and placing an order. Join the Fanclub and get a little discount!

Liz Lovely's GF Cookies make cats happy!

Gluten Free Recall: Vans All Natural Wheat Free Homestyle Pancakes

2009-08-31T10:13:00.002-04:00

Check your freezers! Vans All Natural has recalled a batch of their Wheat Free Homestyle Pancakes for undeclared gluten, wheat, egg and milk. I'm a fan of Vans' products (I just tried the french toast sticks and they were great), and I agree with others that it is very responsible of the company to announce this recall and offer customers a full refund, BUT I have to wonder: how did contaminated products get to consumers? This is what the company said:

“Our customers have trusted Van’s with their special dietary needs for more than 20 years, and their health and safety are our first priority,” said CEO of Van’s International Foods, Eric Kufel. “Van’s has immediately implemented advanced quality procedures above and beyond what we already have in place to ensure the continued safety of our products.”

The voluntary recall was initiated immediately after a packaging operator error, limited to one shift, was discovered. The company has immediately reinforced its Quality Assurance and Packaging procedures and believes that the problem was a one-time incident. Consumers who are allergic to or have sensitivity to wheat, gluten, milk or eggs, should not consume this product. Consumers should return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund or send the box top with the printed lot number to the address below to receive five free coupons for any Van’s waffle, pancake, or French toast stick product 12.4 ounce or smaller.

I hope no one gets sick- getting gluten-ed is zero fun.

More information here: Philadelphia Gluten-Free Examiner and at the Vans All Natural Website

Kitchen Experiments: Shrimp with Grits

2009-08-25T21:14:00.004-04:00

I was skeptical about grits. I was extra skeptical about the combination of shrimp and grits. But, my skeptical-ness was misplaced- this meal was delicious!

The first and only time I ate grits previous to this experiment was a family vacation to Washington, D.C. and Williamsburg, VA. Our hotel in VA served a continental breakfast and, ever the adventurous eater, I tried the grits. To say they were completely disgusting is putting it mildly. I also wasn't impressed with biscuits and gravy and decided to abandon Southern cooking. Then I started dating Joe, who grew up mostly in Georgia and enjoys things like sweet tea and grits. And since I was feeling more than a little guilty about disregarding foods disliked by Joe in other meals. So, I set out to learn how to make grits and when I stumbled across this recipe for shrimp and grits, I figured it was perfect. I made a few small alterations, but the recipe below mostly follows that printed in Duke Magazine.

I was surprised, but I actually really enjoyed this recipe. The shrimp mixture was deliciously flavorful and the grits, which mostly tasted like cheese, provided an excellent foil. One word of caution, make sure you use gluten-free grits. I accidentally grabbed a package of Bob's Red Mill Corn Grits and I have the rash to prove those were contaminated with gluten. It was a good lesson, I should know better than to grab without looking. And now Joe has a nearly full bag of grits all to himself!

Shrimp and Grits
(Serves 4)

Cheese grits (recipe below)
1 lb fresh shrimp
6 slices bacon
olive oil
2 cups sliced white button mushrooms
1 cup sliced scallions
1 large garlic clove, chopped
fresh lemon juice
Tabasco sauce
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Prepare the grits and hold in a warm place.
Peel shrimp, rinse and pat dry.
Dice bacon and cook until barely crisp, set aside on paper towels.
Add 1/8 inch of olive oil to the pan. When hot, add shrimp in an even layer to the pan. Turn shrimp as they color, add mushrooms and saute, while stirring, for about four minutes.
Add scallions and garlic, heat and stir hot a minute more. Season with lemon juice, a dash or two of Tabasco, salt and pepper, and parsley - to taste.
Divide the grits among four plates. Spoon the shrimp on top, sprinkle with crumbled bacon, and serve immediately.*

Cheese Grits

1 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Corn Grits
water and milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper
dash or two of Tabasco

Cook grits according to package directions, subsitute half of the water for milk to make creamier grits. Turn off heat and add remaining ingredients to sauce pan. Stir until combined.

* To make this recipe Joe-friendly omit all but the shrimp, garlic, bacon, salt & pepper, parsley and lemon juice.

New Recipe: Eggplant Parmigiana

2009-08-14T08:00:00.001-04:00

I'm especially proud of this one because I invented it all by myself. Not the concept of eggplant parmigiana of course, but this particular GF version was my brain child. And best of all: it was fairly easy! Especially when one has their own personal sous chef and dishwasher. Another plus, because the eggplant is baked in the oven instead of frying, it's a lot healthier than the typical restaurant version and completely gluten-free!

The bread crumbs were nice and crispy with a subtle garlic flavor and the eggplant was just the right consistency, although Joe doesn't recommend discussing the seeds.

Eggplant Parmigiana

1 medium eggplant, peeled and sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 handfuls of fresh parsley, chopped
Gillian's Gluten-Free Bread Crumbs (Plain)
Tomato sauce (whatever you like and have on hand should work fine)
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
two eggs
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup milk

Once again, not really any measurements- I like to eyeball ingredient amounts when I'm cooking. Combine the garlic, one handful of chopped parsley and the bread crumbs on a plate. Beat together the egg, water, milk, salt and pepper. Dip each slice of eggplant into the egg mixture and then dredge in the bread crumb mixture. Place on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with all the eggplant. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, flip each eggplant slice and bake another 15 minutes. Layer the baked eggplant slices in a casserole dish, beginning with tomato sauce, then eggplant covered with tomato sauce and both cheese, more eggplant, more sauce, more cheese! Bake another 20 minutes at 350 degrees. In the meantime, prepare your pasta (remember the salt the water!). Serve the eggplant with pasta (here I used Tinkyada Brown Rice Spaghetti) more grated Parmesan and the rest of the parsley. Serves four.

Joe was skeptical about the eggplant (as this picture clearly demonstrates!), apparently eggplant is very popular in Iraq and it isn't always prepared very well. But, he said while he never enjoyed eggplant before, he did like this- until the seed discussion. Victory nonetheless! This will probably become a staple- easy and delicious. Next time we'll see how my recipe works with veal.

I might be crazy, but . . .

2009-08-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

Well, I've done it. I've placed this monstrous tome in my Amazon shopping cart and, if I can ever convince the USPS to deliver mail to my new apartment, I will be the proud owner of Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Inspired by Julie Powell's book Julie and Julie: My Year of Cooking Dangerously and the subsequent movie, Julie and Julia, starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams- I have decided to master the art of gluten-free French cooking. Well, let me modify that statement, somewhat master the art of gluten-free French cooking. I have no intentions of preparing all 524 recipes (I, for one, am perfectly content to leave aspics alone) or limiting this experiment to one year (between work, classes, personal life and hobbies I'm unwilling to abandon, I don't have that kind of time on my hands. But I admire Julie Powell immensely for her dedication and perseverance). I plan to start with a naturally GF Julia Child recipe and see how things progress from there.

It will certainly be an interesting experiment. Joe says he's prepared for some kitchen meltdowns, but I believe this is partially because we're still new and he doesn't believe there will be meltdowns. There will definitely be meltdowns. I figure I have one advantage on Julie Powell- I've successfully killed many lobsters in my time. I grew up in Maine after all.

Because I was anxious to get started, I decided to begin with something relatively simple- hollandaise sauce. I was inspired to make this partially by Julie and Julia and partially by a package of gluten-free hollandaise sauce I saw in Hannaford last week (major props to Hannaford for their excellent GF selection). I thought to myself, "how ridiculous. Hollandaise is definitely GF and why would you ever make it from a packet? It's just three ingredients!" So, thus challenged, I set out to make hollandaise.

Hollandaise Sauce

three egg yolks
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup butter

I was absolutely right, hollandaise is super easy and an excellent opportunity to build your wrist muscles! Just wisk together the egg yolks and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Heat over extremely low heat and stir constantly. Add the butter 1/4 cup at a time, waiting until the first butter addition is completely melted before adding the second. Keep wisking until the sauce thickens. We enjoyed it over asparagus on toast and with poached eggs and ham in an Eggs Benedict sort of thing. Yum!

A GF Surprise: Macaroni and Cheese

2009-08-10T08:00:00.001-04:00

The three gluten-filled items I miss the most are: macaroni and cheese, beer and doughnuts. Apparently, it's a good thing I have celiac's- if I didn't, I'd be HUGE! This post is about macaroni and cheese. In one of our getting-to-know-you conversations I mentioned to Joe my gluten-filled trifecta, stipulating that I especially miss the Kraft version of mac and cheese. You know, the incredibly unhealthy one with tons of butter, fake cheese and scary chemicals? Delicious. Reminds me, somehow, of being a kid. I had a serious case of the "blue box blues," because while I could easily recreate homemade mac and cheese, this seemed outside the realm of possibilities.

But, then I started thinking out loud, which I am wont to do, and I wondered if the cheese sauce in the Kraft blue box was GF- because then you could recreate GF mac and cheese with gluten-free pasta! And, then I promptly forgot about this brilliant idea, as I am also wont to do, but Joe didn't.

Last Sunday, I returned from three days at my parent's to a surprise dinner consisting of Kraft mac and cheese prepared with GF pasta. Because, it turns out, the cheese sauce for Kraft macaroni and cheese is gluten-free! Joe made it with Tinkyada Brown Rice Spirals and it was perfect.

He paired it with salad (we had to eat something healthy) and Redbridge beer, which I had tried before (see much earlier posts), but it tasted better this time. I don't know if it was fresher this time, they changed their formula or if it was because it was part of Joe's surprise. For those of you in the Bangor-Orono area, Redbridge can be easily found at Shaw's, Hannaford and Burby & Bates.

Finally, for dessert there was Pamela's Chocolate Truffle Brownies with blackraspberry ice cream - the very best ice cream flavor in my personal opinion.

It was absolutely wonderful. Thanks again, Joe!

A Fun Discovery

2009-08-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

What do I yap about the most? Look above and see!

From: http://www.wordle.net Check it out!

Product Review: Pamela's Classic Vanilla Cake Mix

2009-08-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

Recently, I needed to make cupcakes for a very special occasion: Joe's 28th birthday. This was a challenges for several reasons. First, Joe and I just started dating, so he's new to the whole GF-thing and I wanted his first gluten-free baked good experience to be a positive one. We were planning to climb Mount Katahdin in honor of the start of Joe's 28th year and I wanted the cupcakes to make it to the top. And I wanted them to be a surprise.

Since I didn't leave myself a lot of time to execute my super-secret cupcake mission, I decided to go with something tried-and-true rather than experimenting. Usually I would go for chocolate. But, Joe's favorite cake is confetti- which meant I needed to find a good vanilla cake mix. I opted for Pamela's Classic Vanilla Cake Mix because I've always had good luck with them in the past and they did not disappoint. They weren't an exact replica of a gluten-full cupcake, but they had a good flavor, texture and adapted well to the addition of sprinkle to make them confetti cupcakes.

Before pictures, just in case they didn't make it up the mountain looking pretty!

I think he liked them.

Katahdin got pushed back a few weeks, here we are on Cadillac Mountain in the fog.

More Praise for Whole Food's Sandwich Bread

2009-07-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

It makes an excellent grilled cheese sandwich!

Product Review: Mommy's Muffins

2009-07-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite things about Whole Foods, aside from their fantastic selection of gluten-free products, is that every time I visit, I find something new. My most recent trip uncovered a line of gluten-free baked goods made by a company based in New Hampshire called Mommy's Muffins. All their products are handmade and include cookies, whoopie pies, pizza crust and, of course, muffins. I selected a package of the pumpkin chocolate chip muffins because I am a sucker for the combination of pumpkin and chocolate (really chocolate and just about anything). Usually GF products have to be toasted, but because these muffins looked so moist I decided to skip the toaster and was glad I did. These muffins are moist with a subtle pumpkin flavor and just the right amount of chocolate flavor. I look forward to trying more of Mommy's Muffins' products and I'm excited by the availability of their GF crust at Flatbread Company Restaurants!

SImple Substitution: Blueberry Crisp

2009-07-24T08:00:00.002-04:00

Sometimes making a conventional recipe gluten-free is as easy as switching a GF ingredient for a non-GF ingredient. For this blueberry crisp, adapted from a Betty Crocker recipe, I simply made two subsitutions. Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-free Flour for the all purpose flour called for in the recipe and Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Rolled Oats for the oats in the recipe. Simple and delicious.

Blueberry Crisp

3 cups blueberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup GF All-Purpose flour
1/2 cup GF rolled oats
1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Carefully clean the blueberries and spread evenly in your baking dish. Sprinkle with the lemon juice. Combine the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon and salt, use a fork to cut in the butter. Spread the topping evenly over the blueberries. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

It was a good thing . . . Gluten Free Pantry's Angel Food Cake Mix

2009-07-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

The Gluten Free Pantry is always a safe bet for baking mixes, easy to follow and always delicious results. Sadly, they've stopped making one of my favorites: the Angel Food Cake mix. I'm crossing my fingers that they're coming out with something even better very soon, but I find it hard to imagine because this mix was SO good. Although denser than conventional angel food cake, the GFP mix had an otherwise pleasing texture and great taste. Totally worth the 20 minutes spent holding an electric beater. Even my brothers, gluten-free-phobes that they are, didn't complain about this cake (I think that means they liked it). So, I'm optimistic GFP has something even better in the works, but in the meantime I'm missing this great product.

Here the GFP Angel Food Cake is shown with lemon pudding frosting, a simple addition that always gets rave reviews.

Lemon Pudding Frosting

1 package lemon flavored instant pudding mix
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk

Combine all ingredients in bowl. Beat with electric mixer on high for one minute and only one minute. Set aside for a few minutes to thicken. Frost cake.

Naturally GF: Lobster

2009-07-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

It's Maine, it's summer and that means lobster. Luckily, lobster is 100% gluten-free and 100% delicious. I like to enjoy my lobster at home because, let's face it, it's messy and it's just more fun if you're at your own table and can embrace the messiness. Besides, those bibs are never flattering on adults. And, of course, lobster should also be washed down with a beer- Red Bridge is a passable GF option.

And it turns out, cats also enjoy lobster (and being completely spoiled by my mother).

More Anello's Gluten Free Cafe

2009-07-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

I really, really love this place! Last week a very important occasion (Sarah's 30th birthday!) brought me back to Portsmouth for surprise party activities. It was a perfect excuse to return to Anello's for a full GF lunch. My non-celiac pal, Marla, gamely accompanied me and although we had a limited amount of time, we had a fabulous lunch. First of all, everyone at Anello's is super-friendly and happy to answer questions. Since I'd been looking forward to this visit for about a week, I had my order ready- the turkey rueben. I haven't had anything at Anello's I didn't like, but I was especially impressed by their bread. I ordered the multi-grain and it was delicious! A great texture, a little moist (so rare in GF bread) and had a slightly nutty flavor. Marla also complimented the white bread she ordered with her chicken salad. For dessert: cannolis. Exactly the way I remember them. Great food, great company - all in all, a perfect lunch.

My lunch: turkey Reuben

Marla's chicken salad

Cannoli for dessert!

Product Review: Whole Foods Gluten-Free Bakehouse and Jones Dairy Farm

2009-07-17T08:00:00.001-04:00

As I've said before, Whole Foods is a wonderful, magical place and a large part of that magic is their Gluten-Free Bakehouse line of products. The product selection is vast, from sandwich bread to pies and muffins. I've never tried anything from the GF Bakehouse that I didn't really like. In fact, many of my favorite GF products come from Whole Foods- I really, really like their Almond Scones and their Sandwich Bread is hands down another favorite.

More recently I've discovered Jones Dairy Farm and their GFCO certified sausage, bacon and other products. They produce over 50 GF certified products available in store and online (their website lists all the GF products). I was surprised, but I really enjoyed the sausage and rice links. And although these are gluten-free, my brothers eat them without complaining- high praise, indeed.

Above, I've combined the two for a yummy breakfast of poached egg on toast with sausage.

Product Review: Stonyfield Farm Yogurt

2009-07-16T08:00:00.001-04:00

I'm a big fan of yogurt for bag lunches. It's so portable, healthy, full of calcium (a plus for the lactose intolerant or people like me who just don't like milk) and, most important of all, yummy. I've discovered two brands that are reliably gluten-free, Stonyfield Farm and Yoplait (not all flavors, but many are labeled gluten free). Stonyfield Farm has earned my preference for it's organic-ness, the cute cow on the packaging and it's certified gluten-f ree status. Almost all their products are certified GF by the Gluten-Fre e Certification Organization and the few that aren't yet will be soon. Which means they're Oikos Greek Yogurt, which I'm very partial to, will be certified GF in the near future! The GFCO certification label is hidden on the side of the yogurt package, and it's appearing on more and more product labels. The GFCO's slogan is "Gluten-free you can easily see!" And it really does make shopping a little easier.

Kitchen Experiments: Rhubarb Pie

2009-07-12T19:14:00.009-04:00

There was nothing easy about this recipe. It was incredibly complicated, time consuming and frustrating. But, so worth it! This is the best GF pie crust recipe I've tried, the crust has a good flavor and is nice and flaky. Even my gluten-free-phobic brothers didn't complain too loudly. It wasn't easy, but the result were worth the extra effort.

Donna Jo's Dream Pastry
Source: More from the Gluten Free Gourmet

1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup potato starch flour
1 cup sweet rice flour
1 rounded teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup Crisco
1 egg, cold
1 tablespoon GF vinegar
1 tablespoons ice water
Brown rice flour for rolling (although I didn't end up using any)

Begin with the crust because the dough has to chill in the refrigerator at least one hour. Blend together the flours, xanthan gum and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter and Crisco in small dabs until the shortening is the size of lima beans (I went a little closer to cornmeal and didn't notice any ill effects. Of course, lima bean sized shortening clumbs would result in a flakier crust).

Beat the egg in a small bowl with a fork, add the vinegar and ice water. Stir into the flour mixture, forming a ball. Knead the dough slightly and divide into two balls. Wrap with plastic wrap and put in the fridge to chill.

Meanwhile, assemble the ingredients for the filling:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose GF flour, like Bob's Red Mill
4 cups cut up rhubarb
1 tablespoon butter
1 egg
cornstarch

Carefully clean the rhubarb and cut into thin slices, mine were a little too thick and didn't quite cook all the way through, but that would be easily fixed with thinner slices. Add the sugar and flour to the rhubarb mixture. Beat the egg with a fork in a small bowl, add a small amount of cornstarch. Add the egg mixture to the rhubarb and set aside.

Now back to the crust. Roll the crust out between two pieces of lightly floured plastic wrap until the desired size for your pie plate. Using the plastic wrap (and a second pair of hands would be a huge help) carefully place the crust into the pie plate and shape. DO NOT REMOVE THE PLASTIC WRAP UNTIL YOUR CRUST IS EXACTLY HOW YOU WANT IT.

Add the filling and follow the same procedure for the top crust. You'll be able to shape the edges easily with the plastic wrap still in place.

Before putting your pie into the oven, protect your crust from over-browning (because that was A LOT of work!) with a light layer of milk brush all over and aluminum foil protecting the edges. A cookie sheet makes moving easier.

Bake at 425 for 35-40 minutes and enjoy!

Simple Substitution: Red Wine Cupcakes

2009-07-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

I made these cupcakes almost two months ago by simply substituting GF flour in a recipe found on We Are Not Martha. I had to try this recipe because it combines two of my favorite food items, chocolate and red wine! Also, they sounded so different and the review from WANM was glowing. Following the WANM recipe (follow the link for the recipe because I'm feeling l-a-z-y), I substituted 3/4 cup white rice flour and 1/2 cup tapioca flour for the wheat flour in the original recipe. I was very pleased with the results: rich chocolate flavor with just a hint of red wine. The chocolate, wine and cream cheese frosting melded together very well. I'm looking forward to another excuse to make these!

Product Review: Gillian's Foods Italian Bread Crumbs

2009-07-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

I've been using Gillian's bread crumbs for several years, I especially like the Italian Bread Crumbs because the addition of herbs and spices saves me a step in the kitchen. They're great for coating chicken for quick and easy chicken nuggets and for making meatballs and meatloaf. Since I'm usually cooking for one or two, I make my meatloaf in a muffin tin. The extras are easily frozen and the small "meatloaf muffins" cook much faster than the traditional loaf. I usually toss whatever I have on hand (meatloaf is a great dish for cleaning out the fridge), so the recipe changes each time I make it, but here's the basics (As always, eyeball amounts).

Meatloaf Muffins

1/4 pound ground turkey (or beef, but I like turkey)
red onion, chopped
1 egg
dash of Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 palm-full bread crumbs
fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 large clove garlic

Meatloaf is an easy meal- just mix everything together (just barely, you don't want to overwork your meat) and place muffin-sized balls into the greased muffin tin and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Dining-Out 101: Anello's Gluten Free Cafe

2009-07-08T08:00:00.003-04:00

This past weekend I visited friends in New Hampshire. It was a wonderful way to spend the 4th of July: reconnecting with friends and exploring my old stomping grounds. Sunday afternoon, after exploring the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion, Sarah and I decided to visit downtown Portsmouth for a sushi lunch. Fortuitously, although it did not seem fortuitous at the time, Portsmouth was very crowded and we couldn't find a parking spot near the restaurant. Instead, we parked further away and had to walk down Congress Street past a little establishment I might not have noticed otherwise. But, the words "gluten free" on the sign caught my attention and much to my delight we discovered a little gluten-free cafe right in downtown Portsmouth. The discovery of Anello's Cafe has secured Portsmouth's place as my favorite city. Anello's Cafe serves a full menu of sandwiches and has cases bursting with delicious looking baked goods. We had our hearts set on sushi, so we didn't stop in for lunch- but were sure to save room for a sweet treat after our lunch. Sarah got chocolate cake which was moist, rich and chocolately. The frosting was an exact copy of the birthday cake frosting I remember from my childhood. They also have full-sized birthday cakes (hint, hint). I got a couple cookies to bring home- the raspberry especially was delicious. I'm looking forward to my next NH trip, I'll definitely be dropping by to try one of their delicious sounding sandwiches.

Sarah's chocolate cake

One dessert case at Anello's, note the cakes in the background

Cannolli shells!

For Steph, GF whoopie pies

These raspberry linzers were delicious

We were generously given a sample of this carrot cake- delicious!

Naturally GF: Cowboy Caviar

2009-06-29T08:00:00.001-04:00

This recipe comes from my pals Marla and Sam (who are wonderful cooks, they make the most amazing meatballs) and is posted in honors of Stephani (I only promised you this recipe eight months ago!). It's a dish that doesn't look particularly appetizing, but the combination of all the flavors is delicious. Perfect for a party, this is a considerate choice since it's both GF and vegetarian.

My cat wasn't involved in making this dish (for anyone who feels a little nervous they may have ingested large quantities of cat hair, she just watches. Promise.), but I'm two days away from a Madison reunion and couldn't resist posting a picture of my kitchen helper!

Cowboy Caviar

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (4 oz.) chopped ripe black olives, drained
small onion finely chopped, about 1/4 cup
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (if you aren't a huge garlic fan, one clove would be fine)
2 tablespoons olive oil
the juice from one lime
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
2-3 green onions, sliced
1 package tortilla chips (I recommend Tositio's crispy rounds)

This is really easy. Mix together all the ingredients except the cream cheese, eggs, green onion and chips at least two hours ahead, but the night before is really better- gives the flavors more time to meld. Spread the cream cheese on the serving plate, try for an even layer. Spoon bean mixture over cream cheese. Sprinkle the eggs and green onions over the bean mixture, you could make a pattern, but I prefer a light sprinkling all over. Serve with tortilla chips. Have copies of the recipe handy.

Product Review: Let's Do Gluten-Free Ice Cream Cones

2009-06-22T08:00:00.001-04:00

Rapture! Ice cream is my favorite food and while eating it from a bowl is just fine, I've missed enjoying ice cream from a cone. For me, it just doesn't feel like summer until I've had an ice cream cone. So, to say I was very, very excited when I discovered Let's Do Gluten-Free Ice Cream Cones is something of an understatement. My Mom secured a box from Whole Foods (also available via Amazon) and this weekend on our way to the theater we stopped for some Round Top Ice Cream (definitely the best around) and to test the GF cones. I asked for a bowl because I had doubts about the stability of a GF cone, but I was proven wrong. The cone had a light texture and a slightly sweet taste, somewhat reminiscent of a DQ cone. Not as good as a sugar cone, but a worthy substitute. I'm looking forward to many more ice cream runs this summer!

Usually, I opt for black raspberry or something chocolate, but I was feeling experimental and selected Almond Joy.

A celebration, of GF cones and my recent mastery of the timer function!

Making GF Easier

2009-06-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

Whole Foods is my favorite place for stocking up on gluten-free staples like pasta and flour, but also trying new goodies like scones and cookies. I'm also a big fan of their GF breads. Sadly, the closest Whole Foods is several hours away in Portland. While I can still place orders with my Mom, I don't get the pleasure of wandering the aisles and discovering exciting new products. Such as this new iPhone app, which wins the award for being the sweetest new thing I've found this week (sorry, GF Betty Crocker mixes- you're awesome, but not that awesome). Anyway, the Whole Foods Market Recipes App will let you search Whole Foods for recipes, you can filter the recipes into categories like "Cooking with Kids" or "Quick and Easy" or, best of all, "Special Diets"- including gluten-free! Giving you easy access to recipes like Rosemary-Lime Wild Alaska Salmon Kabobs or Quinoa Salad with Chicken, Grapes, and Almonds and helping you locate ingredients- in the store and in your pantry. So, if you wanted to make your shopping trips quicker, although I don't know why you would want to, this would be the perfect tool. And it's free. It makes me wish all over again that I was responsible enough to own an iPhone, but clumsy people who constantly drop things cannot own expensive phones!

Gluten-Free Travels

2009-06-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

The official first day of summer may be a few more days away, but I'm ready to start thinking about summer adventures now. Lucky girl that I am, I have the entire month of July off to visit friends, relax, hang-out with the family and write a paper- but that's another story. Last year's big adventure was Spain and Germany with Sarah, Mom and Gramps (here's Mom and me in Biarritz) and I wish I had known about these resources beforehand. I was still able to find delicious, GF meals, but these websites might have made things a little easier.

The first is Gluten-Free Guidebook, a blog written by travel writer Hilary Davidson. Hilary has great tips, for travel in general, but especially for celiac travelers. Philadelphia and Toronto have just been moved to the top of my "Places to Visit" list.

Secondly (and I'm really excited about this one), is Gluten Free Maps. This site is user generated and tracks gluten-free restaurants by location. There's currently nothing listed in Maine (which means I have some submissions to make) or Europe, but it has great listings for major U.S. cities. As a test, I searched Washington, D.C. and discovered Hello Cupcake, a bakery in Dupont Circle that serves gluten-free cupcakes! In fact, they have a different gluten-free selection every day! October and the Honors College trip to D.C. can't come soon enough!

Product Review: Lundberg Family Farms Risotto

2009-06-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

Lundberg Family Farm's variety of organic and/or eco-farmed risottos are perfect for nights when I don't feel like cooking, but can handle opening a box and a little light stirring. As the package clearly states, all Lundberg's risottos are GF (as is most of their rice-based product line), but I'm especially partial to the Creamy Parmesan flavor because I find it to be a satisfying mac and cheese substitute. It's quick, it's easy and the Lundberg family practices sustainable agricultur e - what's not to like?

Kitchen Experiments: Peanut Chicken Stir-Fry

2009-06-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

This recipe comes from my sister. She's not known within our family for being an accomplished chef (she probably won't like my leaking that information to the internet) and has ensured a lot of teasing over the years- remember those brownies? Anyway, I really enjoyed this recipe when she very kindly made it GF for me.

It's another quick and easy recipe, perfect for busy nights. The chicken can be omitted in favor of more vegetables for those vegetarians out there. I enjoy the stir-fry over rice noodles, but Sarah prefers ramen noodles (minus the flavor packet, of course). There are no measurements, just use what looks good to you.

Peanut Chicken Stir-fry

Chicken breast or tenders, cut into bite-sized pieces
Diced Carrot, onion, green pepper, red pepper, celery, etc.
San-J Peanut Sauce
Olive oil
One clove garlic
Fresh ginger root
Handful peanuts
Sliced scallions

Cook the chicken over medium heat in a small amount of olive oil until golden brown, remove and set aside. Saute the vegetables add freshly grated garlic and ginger. When the vegetables are almost cooked add the chicken, peanuts, peanut sauce and scallions. Stir until heated through. Serve over noodles or rice.

Dining-Out 101: Kennebec Tavern

2009-06-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

This weekend has been a cause for great celebration in my family: my youngest brother graduated first in his class from high school! To celebrate we made a reservation at a popular local eatery, the Kennebec Tavern. I was pleasantly surprised by the gluten-free options available, especially since I completely forgot to call ahead and quiz the staff about their menu. On the appetizers menu, we quickly discovered calamari with a rice flour coating and opted to order those with the usual safe-bet, nachos. I used to really love calamari, but there was this unfortunate dissection incident and I just don't care for it anymore. But, I sampled a few pieces and didn't notice any difference between Kennebec Tavern's rice flour coating and more traditional calamari preparation.

Growing up in coastal Maine, enjoying lobster is practically mandatory and while I'm happy to pick a lobster at home, I prefer to order a lobster roll minus the bun when I'm in a restaurant- anything to avoid wearing a plastic bib in public, plus it's easier. The Kennebec Tavern had just the right amount of mayonnaise (just a light coating) mixed with a substantial portion of lobster meat and no added crunch (personally, I feel celery or onion mixed with lobster is just so very, very wrong).

Quite possibly the best part of the meal was dessert- Flourless Chocolate Torte! With chocolate mousse, whipped cream and a strawberry.

Gluten in Pop Culture: National Public Radio

2009-06-15T15:32:00.003-04:00

My boss, who is a much more avid NPR listener than I am, mentioned to me a lunch today that he heard a short segment on NPR this morning about celiac disease. A quick trip to NPR's website turned up this interview with the Rosenblum family. Their 13-year-old son, Jacob, was diagnosed with celiac's disease last year and in the interview the Rosenblum's discuss Jacob's symptoms, diagnosis and the ways they're all now living gluten-free (a transcript of the interview and two free recipes are also available). Robin Rosenblum, Jacob's mom, makes an important point in the interview I know personally I'm guilty of forgetting, "'I was elated,' says Robin. 'There's no medicine, no surgery.' She said it was such a relief to know he could get better by changing his diet." Jacob's mom is right, it really could be so much worse. I know I can sometimes get wrapped up in feeling sorry for myself that I can't enjoy the foods I used to love, but this interview made me pause for a moment and appreciate that I don't have a more serious condition (Crohn's Disease, lupus, etc), that I can relatively easily control my celiac disease through diet and all the fantastic gluten-free alternatives. Plus, I truly enjoy the challenge of creating gluten-free versions of my former gluten-full favorites. So, if you haven't been, trying taking a glass-half-full approach to your GF lifestyle.

Product Review: Bionaturæ Pasta

2009-06-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

One food item with few satisfactory GF options is pasta. Often GF pastas are mushy, have no taste or taste too much like corn. With a combination of rice, potato and soy flours, Bionaturæ has largely combated the three major vices of GF pasta and created a delicious substitute. It really does have the flavor and texture of regular pasta. Sometimes, when I'm feeling sneaky, I'll serve this pasta with the "it's gluten-free, try to make the best of it" preface and haven't yet heard a complaint. It comes in a variety of pasta shapes/types including the classic spaghetti, but also penne, fusili and shells. The shells are great for macaroni and cheese. I used some of the penne rigate I had on hand to create a filling and delicious shrimp scampi. Shrimp scampi is a favorite dish I can rarely order in restaurants and so, therefore, have learned to make at home. It's a perfect weeknight recipe because it's easy, fast and, most importantly, yummy.

Shrimp Scampi

One cup or so Bionaturæ penne rigate
One cup chopped spinach
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
Chopped onion, whatever amount looks good
At least one clove garlic, chopped
5 or so deveined, detailed shrimp
White wine, maybe 1/3 cup
One tablespoon butter
Chopped fresh basil, for garnish
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

This recipe is so easy! Just cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Saute together the onion and garlic in a small amount of olive oil with the butter, add the mushrooms and cook until browned. Add the spinach, shrimp and white wine. Let everything hang out over low heat until the pasta is cooked and drained. Add pasta to mixture, stir well and serve with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.

Product Review: Van's All Natural Wheat Free Waffles

2009-06-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

Waffles are, perhaps, one of the most delicious breakfast foods and frozen waffles are at once delicious and wonderfully convenient, truly a rare combination. Van's Natural Foods makes a variety of gluten, dairy and egg-free breakfast options that for all their "free-ness" are remarkably yummy. Bonus points for being readily available and often on sale in major grocery chains including Shaw's and Hannaford's. My personal favorite flavor is blueberry followed closely by apple cinnamon. A few words of advice: like all GF foods, make sure your waffles are well toasted! And plan to eat them quickly, I find them especially susceptible to freezer burn.

Naturally GF: Chicken Stuffed with Gouda and Spinach

2009-06-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

I have been terribly neglectful of my blogging duties, but I think I have some pretty good excuses. There's the whole work thing, moving (as you can see, Madison was invaluable in the packing process), the living in a new kitchen where I can't find anything (there must be a strainer around here somewhere!) and a graduate course/conference that required I devote my life to reading for a week. Plus, Madison is living with my parents for the month and I just don't feel inspired without my kitty muse.
Fortunately, we have a backlog of post topics and today I decided to post about a favorite naturally gluten-free recipe. Once again, credit for this recipe must go to Betty and my sister who discovered this recipe that was GF as is and insisted we try it because she is addicted to cheese. We were both very pleased with the results, the stuffing made the chicken more interesting and my enthusiastic chicken pounding seemed to result in tender meat. Now we're constantly on the lookout for sales on Gouda and an excuse to make this meal. Anyway, here's

Chicken Stuffed with Gouda and Spinach

Two chicken breasts, flattened
Baby spinach chopped
Smoked Gouda cut into small pieces
1 ounce cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

This is a perfect recipe for anyone who wants a delicious dinner and an opportunity to release some aggression. I usually place each chicken breast between two slices of plastic wrap and give it a few good whacks with the rolling pin to flatten. Next coat a cookie sheet with a thinner layer of olive oil. Salt and pepper each side of chicken and place on the cookie sheet. Next combine the cream cheese, nutmeg, cheese and spinach (whatever amounts look good to you for the cheese and spinach), fingers will definitely be involved. Place about half the resulting mixture in the center of one of the flattened chicken breasts and fold the chicken up around it. Secure with toothpicks. Repeat with second chicken breast. Cook at 350 for about twenty minutes.

Kitchen Experiments: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes

2009-05-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

It's a peanut butter themed week here at Madison Paper's and rightly so- I LOVE peanut butter. I might have a problem. I like to say I run because I love peanut butter. But, anyway. . . earlier this week we had no food in the apartment and because I couldn't be bothered to go grocery shopping, I decided to make pancakes. I was mixing the batter and wondering to myself "what would make these pancakes more interesting?" I found some chocolate chips in the cupboard and decided to add those, but wanted something a little different. The jar of peanut butter (Skippy is my brand of choice and, yes, it's GF) on the counter was calling to me and I had a crazy, brilliant thought: peanut butter chocolate chip pancakes! Because what's better than peanut butter and chocolate?? Quite possibly the greatest flavor combination. I added a heaping spoonful of peanut butter to my Pamela's Pancake Mix and enjoyed the delicious scent of peanut butter and chocolate while I cooked. The pancakes had a light, subtle peanut butter flavor, not strong enough for my taste (go figure) and next time I'm thinking about two heaping spoonfuls. But, this is the start of something amazing.

Product Review: San-J Thai Peanut Sauce

2009-05-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

This peanut sauce by the San-J company caught my eye on the grocery store shelf because it had gluten-free emblazoned across the front of it's label- no eye strain from label reading! I love it when companies make my life easier. San-J's Thai Peanut Sauce is certified gluten-free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (speaking of organizations that make life easier!) and the company produces several other GF sauces, including teriyaki and Asian BBQ.
I paired the Thai Peanut Sauce with one of my favorite naturally GF foods: Thai Spring Rolls and found it an interesting diversion from my usual peanut sauce selection. It didn't have quite enough peanut flavor for my taste, but I enjoyed the contrast between the tamarind soy sauce and the spring roll's flavors. I think it would be excellent with chicken and plan to experiment more soon.

Thai Spring Rolls

Rice paper
Rice Noodles
Carrots, grated or thinly slices
Scallions, sliced
Lettuce, thingly sliced
Fresh mint, chopped
Cooked shrimp with tails removed

This is a simple and versatile dish, feel free to experiment with ingredient combinations. Chopped chicken, tofu or tempeh can be substituted for the shrimp and basil also works nicely in the place of the fresh mint. This is my favorite combination: the fresh, crisp vegetables, bright mint and shrimp taste like spring to me.

To make a roll (or packet, to actually describe what they look like), follow the package directions to wet the rice paper. A plate with a small amount of water works well for this task. In the center of the rice paper, pile the rice noodles, shrimp, carrot, onion, lettuce and mint. Roll or fold together- whatever works best for you. Serve with warmed peanut sauce and enjoy!

GF Resources: CeliacHandbook.com

2009-05-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

I discovered this phenomenal (and free!) resource through Facebook (which, it turns out, does have a purpose) and I believe it's a great website for the new and experienced celiac alike. I'd encourage anyone to peruse the site. Here are a few favorites I discovered:

The Online GF Shopping Guide introduced me to several new GF sources, including Everybody Eats, a dedicated gluten-free facility located in New York. Their prices are high and I'm sure the shipping is equally pricy, but based on the pictures alone- it might be worth it. I was thrilled to see ravioli, baguettes and their delicious looking cakes look like a good enough reason to visit New York.
The Gluten-Free Restaurant Guide is free! Most GF Resturant Guides cost at least $30 and must be constantly updated. The guide is searchable by state and country, perfect for something local or trip planning.
Speaking of trip planning, I am completely infatuated with Bob and Ruth's Gluten-Free Travel Club- what a brilliant idea! From what I can gather, Bob and Ruth serve as GF specializing travel agents booking airfare, tours, museum entrance, lodging and, most importantly, food. For one price, Bob and Ruth arrange everything. Once again, pricy- but you're paying for total piece of mind about your diet for your entire trip. I'd love to go on the GF Adventure to Egypt with Bob and Ruth!
The events page is also exciting, I haven't found any local events yet- but a few sound worth traveling. The runner in me is excited by the Team Gluten-Free (complete with t-shirts, how cute is that?) marathons held all over the country. Better start training.
The Bookstore has an excellent selection of guides, cookbooks and other GF related reading material all available through Amazon.

Gluten in Pop Culture: Elizabeth Hasselbeck On GMA

2009-05-07T08:00:00.001-04:00

I never thought I would find a topic I would agree with Elizabeth Hasselbeck 110% on- but I also didn't know she had celiac disease. On May 4th, Hasselback appeared on Good Morning America to promote her new book, The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide (an homage to her time on survivor, perhaps?). By visiting the GMA website, you can watch a video of the segment and sample a few recipes from the book. I was particularly impressed by her upbeat attitude and her description of cooking without gluten as about "replacing not removing." I also thought her idea of bringing a gift basket with GF goodies to a party was a brilliant idea and one I'm sure my friends would appreciate!

The X - Files: Baking with Xanthan Gum (Lemon Berry Tart)

2009-05-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

You may (or may not) have been wondering to yourselves, "whatever became of the second half of the Ricotta Pastry?" Well, the answer is: it became a delicious Lemon Berry Tart! This recipe I found in my trusty Betty Crocker Cookbook and was the original impetus for my search for a new GF pie crust. The picture looked too yummy to pass up and the GF results met my expectations and then some. A few pieces of advice. 1) Add salt to the crust (I even added to the recipe I included with the Kringle post), otherwise the crust hasn't much flavor. 2) If you refigerate your pie, let the crust reach room temperature before serving. This will make serving and enjoying considerably easier.

Lemon Berry Tart

1/2 Ricotta Pastry
1/2 cup lemon curd
8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
3 cup mixed berries or other sliced fruit.

Follow instructions for Ricotta Pastry in Kringle post and create one baked pie crust. Cool completely. Mix together lemon curd and cream cheese. Spread over crust. Lick mixers, they will be delicious, while refrigerating crust and lemon mixture one hour. Arrange berries on lemon mixture and serve.

Simple Substitution: Fried Chicken

2009-05-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

I'm convinced KFC is using some sort of subliminal advertising in their tv spots because lately I've been craving fried chicken. I decided to haul out my trusty Betty Crocker recipe book and try my hand at creating GF fried chicken. Betty's Oven-Fried Chicken seemed perfect, a few ingredients and the oven-frying should result in less clean-up. I would recommend this recipe for warmer months, because I quickly set-off the smoke alarm and had to open all the windows! Luckily, it was a warm day. And the chicken came out great, completely worth the effort and vigorous kitchen towel waving.

Oven-Fried Chicken

3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup gluten-free flour mix
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
one piece broiler chicken

Heat the oven to 425 degrees and melt the butter in a rectangular pan, I found a casserole dish made for easy handling. Mix the flour, paprika, salt and pepper together. Coat the chicken with the flour mixture. Place chicken in the butter former skin side down (I removed the skin before coating in flour) in pan. Bake 15-20 minutes. Turn chicken, bake another 15-20 minutes. Remove and cool.

Dining-Out 101: Pat's Pizza

2009-05-04T08:00:00.001-04:00

About a month ago, when driving by the Hampden branch of Pat's Pizza, I noticed a sign. It read, "New Menu Item: Gluten-Free Pizza Crust." Gluten-free pizza crust?! From a real (Well, somewhat real. I grew up on Greek pizza and don't especially care for thin crust pizza.) pizza place?! To say I was ecstatic feels like an understatement.
Finally, this weekend Sarah and I found time to drop into the Orono Pat's to sample their GF pizza. I ordered Canadian bacon and tomato and it was delicious. Pat's is known for their thin crust and, naturally, their GF crust was thin and crispy. It didn't have a lot of flavor, but the sauce, cheese and topping made up for that drawback. Overall, it was worth the wait and I'm looking forward to going back again.

The X - Files: Baking with Xanthan Gum (Kringles)

2009-05-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

I am ashamed to reflect upon how long More from the Gluten-Free Gourmet sat unopened and unexplored with my other recipe books- there are some fantastic recipes in here! Last weekend, I wanted to experiment with pie crust because, apparently, I was feeling very ambitious. Usually, I refuse to have anything to do with GF pie crust. It's a pain to roll out and get into the pie plate and then, after all that work, it never tastes good- forget about the texture problems. Fresh from my resounding sconce success, I decided to explore the Gluten-Free Gourmet's pie crust recipes- but which to choose? I settled upon the Ricotta pastry because it sounded interesting and I thought it would go very well with the Lemon Berry Tarte I wanted to make. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the GFG suggested using half the pastry to make a kringle- intriguing. I've been on a quest for a yummy GF pastry for some time now and this recipe is a winner. Flaky (I have to warn you, there is nothing healthy about this recipe), fruity and it has icing!

Ricotta Pastry

1 1/2 cups white rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon baking power
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sour cream

Sift together the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the butter, ricotta cheese and sour cream. Mix ingredients well with a pastry fork. Chill in the refrigerator at least two hours (longer is better). Roll out the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap. Once you have the desired size, remove the top piece of plastic wrap and use the bottom piece of plastic warp to carefully invert the crust into the pie plate, shape and remove plastic. Bake as directed for recipe. If recipe calls for a baked crust, use a fork to poke holes all over the crust and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

Kringle

1/2 dough from ricotta pastry recipe
1 can any GF pie filling or jam
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons milk

Roll out the pastry between two sheets of plastic wrap into a rectangle about 10 inches by 16 inches. Remove top layer of plastic. Spoon half the pie filling down the center of the dough (jam also works very well- for the kringles pictured, I used lemon curd and raspberry jam. I also made one with cherry pie filling. All delicious.) and use the plastic wrap to fold each side of the pastry over the filling. Flip over and place seam-side down on a greased cookie sheet- this is the tricky part. Slash diagonal slits across the top about every two inches. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 400. While baking, whisk together the confectioner's sugar and milk. Drizzle the resulting icing over the kringles while still hot. Cut into pieces and serve.

Coming soon: the other half of the Ricotta Pastry become a Lemon Berry Tarte!

Product Review: Glutino Original Crackers

2009-04-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

Good gluten-free crackers are difficult to find, the right combination of texture and taste seems as elusive as Goldilocks and the perfect porridge. Glutino's Original Crackers come close to just right. There's something just a little bit off about the flavor, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Usually a nice slice of cheese, sour cream and salsa or peanut butter easily mask that. It isn't my favorite GF cracker, but it's still a good choice.

Product Review: Glutino Dark Chocolate Candy Bars

2009-04-29T08:00:00.001-04:00

Candy bars can be deceptively dangerous for the celiac, many companies use wheat flour in manufacturing to prevent the newly chocolate coated candies from sticking to the equipment. So, the ingredients won't mention wheat- but it could be there. The best bet is to call the manufacturer of your favorite candy bar and ask them about their manufacturing process.

In the meantime, a great substitute is Glutino's Dark Chocolate Candy Bars. This combination of chocolate cream, wafers and dark chocolate makes a delicious snack and is just the right size for a little chocolate fix. I'm looking forward to trying the chocolate-peanutbutter bar very soon.

The Art of Simple Substitution

2009-04-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

A rather belated Happy Earth Day to everyone!

This year, my Earth Day wasn't spent communing with nature, but rather with artist and peace activist Robert Shetterly. The Honors College brought Rob, best known for his series of paintings entitled Americans Who Tell the Truth, to campus for the annual Rezendes Ethics Lecture and he was absolutely amazing. As a person, as an artist and as an inspiration. His talk, titled the Ethics of Collateral Damage, juxtaposed his well-known paintings of national heroes, local crusaders and historical figures with another project called Collaterals exploring the unknown human faces behind the term "collateral damage." While calling attention to the civilian toll in Iraq and elsewhere, his talk also made essential points about Americans expectations from and relationship with our government:

"It should be obvious that when a government has lied to its people about the reason for taking them to war … then you should realize that unalienable rights as a term is a smokescreen, a mass narcotic that induces denial and hypocrisy, and a term which is viciously defended not because it’s a point of truth, but because it masks a lie.”

Certainly food for thought. Rob also brought a sampling of six paintings from his Americans Who Tell the Truth series now numbering 135 and set to grow with the addition of several notable truth-tellers, including Jim Hansen. His ability to capture his subjects likeness and spirit is incredible. I was particularly excited to see the just completed portrait of Chris Hedges, author of War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning- the Honors Read selected by my class. *star struck*

After the lecture, we took Rob out for dinner at Woodman's Bar and Grill, a favorite local spot in Orono. Small, local places like Woodman's are great for celiacs. The kitchen is small and usually the chef is flexible. I used simple substitution once again, asking to substitute rice for the pasta in the Shrimp Napoli- a delicious combination of shrimp, sun-dried tomato and mushrooms in a pesto sauce. Yum!

Product Review: Pamela's Ginger Cookies with Sliced Almonds

2009-04-20T08:00:00.001-04:00

My great-grandmother was an amazing baker. Her cookie recipes especially were amazing, my favorite was her molasses cookies. They had a light, airy texture and somehow always achieved the perfect balance between the molasses and the ginger. I use the past tense referring to the cookies because, of course, I can no longer enjoy them and I haven't yet succeeded in replicating them quite right with gluten-free ingredients. It is a work in progress and I hate to tease my readers, but if I ever do get it right, I can't publish it. Family secret.

But I can recommend a substitute! Pamela's produces a wide-range of gluten-free cookies (often also non-diary) and I just recently tried their Ginger Coo kies with Sliced Almonds. The ginger flavor was a little too strong for my palate (spoiled by past tastes of perfect molasses cookies), but they are, after all, ginger cookies and a strong ginger flavor should be expected. The cookies have a nice texture and the sliced almonds are a nice edition. They're neither dry or moist and, therefore, go very well with tea.

This afternoon, I paired my ginger cookies with tea purchased from the Baxter Tea Company, an amazing little, Maine-owned company that sells amazing teas. The Baxter Tea Company is a great business in several respects (small, Maine-owned, sells tea), but what captured my business was that the owner donates ten percent of her profits to maintaining Baxter State Park. That is a cause I whole-heartedly support, especially if I get high-quality loose tea as part of the bargain! This afternoon's tea was Dutchess Grey, a variation on Earl Grey that contains lemon peel, cloves, cinnamon and safflowers. I don't care for the heavy flavor of bergamot in Earl Grey, so this was an excellent selection for me and the spicy citrus flavor complimented my ginger cookies beautifully.

Product Review: Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix

2009-04-19T08:00:00.002-04:00

I've enjoyed Pamela's products for several years now, their mixes and baked goods are always safe bets- especially when you're looking for something to satisfy a sweet-tooth! Their Baking and Pancake Mix is a wonderfully versatile product, creating light, fluffy pancakes and moist, yummy cakes and muffins. I always keep a big bag of this mix in my kitchen cupboard because it works in so many recipes (and the recipes on the back are excellent!) and is so easy to use, the mix already contains a combination of brown rice flour, white rice flour, tapioca starch, sweet rice flour, potato starch and xanthan gum. This is the secret to non-gritty and non-crumbly gluten-free baking: xanthan gum and a diverse combination of flours. Having a wide variety of flours in one bag saves space in small kitchens!

Today, I used the Pamela's mix to make blueberry pancakes. I just followed the simple recipe on the bag and in a short time had a plate of light, fluffy blueberry pancakes. I've also had great success with other recipes from the bag. Their straightforward muffin recipe is easily adapted to create blueberry muffins, apple cinnamon muffins, chocolate chip muffins- the sky is the limit. On the first bag of Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix there was an amazing recipe for carrot cake. My gluten-free-phobic brother enjoyed it without complaining and he won't touch anything I tell him is gluten-free (so, I don't tell him until after!). The recipe wasn't included on the second bag- horror! But fortunately, I rescued the old bag from the trash and will reprint it here:

Carrot Cake

1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 and 1/2 cups grated carrots
2 and 1/4 cups Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnuts (if you like walnuts in your carrot cake . . .)

Beat oil, eggs and sugar together, mix in remaining ingredients- batter will be thick. Pour into two greased loaf pans and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or use two, greased, 8-inch cake pans and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Cool and frost with a cream cheese frosting.

You Know You're a Celiac When . . .

2009-04-18T08:00:00.001-04:00

A little Jeff Foxworthy-esque humor borrowed from Gluten-Free Celiac Web, NeuroTalk and Roses Round the Door (I didn't agree with all their humor . . .). Laughter is the best medicine. Enjoy!

You know you're a celiac…

When you can use a loaf of bread for a doorstop or a weapon.
When you go to a potluck and only eat what you brought.
When the employees of the only restaurant in the city that will serve you gluten-free food see you coming and immediately change their gloves.
When making a great batch of brownies make you so happy that people might think you won the lottery.
When you collect doctors like other people collect painted plates.
When one of your mottos is "lips that touch gluten shall never touch mine."
When two shelves of the fridge are devoted to strange jars of flour and xanthan gum.
At Christmas, visions of guar gum dance in your head.
You've ever driven more than 40 miles to buy flour or a cookie. ...it takes you 4 hours to grocery shop and your eyesight is ruined.
You hyperventilate when passing by the bakery counter.
You've ever deliberately rammed your cart into a Shredded Wheat
display in a fit of rage.
You've ever had to take out a loan to pay the grocery bill.
You'd gladly pay any price for a pretzel that doesn't taste like
sawdust, or bread that doesn't taste like an old shoe.
The centerpiece on your dining room table is a bread machine with memorial candles.
Your bread looks like a moon rock and tastes like dried out Play-Doh.
Your bread weighs more than any moon rock could possibly weigh.
One of your primary goals in life is to create "Fake Oreo
Cookies".
You've disinherited loved ones for putting their knife in your
mayo.
You've brought a suitcase full of food with you on a cruise.
You can spell transglutaminase and dermatitis herpetiformis.
You just discovered how to make flour out of turnips.
You show up at the annual church pancake breakfast with a mask and sardine lettuce rollups.
Having solid poop is the highlight of your day.
You have a sign in your kitchen saying "Gluten free environment"
You have actually considered using a gluten-free bagel for a hockey puck
You know all about xanthan gum and its uses.
You hide the gluten-free cookies when guests come over, so they dont eat them.
You read the ingredient label on green tea - plain green tea.
You know exactly when Post added barley flavoring back to the Fruity Pebbles and you're ticked.
You take a list of safe drinks to the bar with you. And actually consult it before you order a drink.
You see someone buying rice flour in the bulk section and you just have to ask them if they are gluten intolerant too!
Tt drives you crazy when someone says they completely understand your diet, they did Atkins.
People roll their eyes at you when you say "no thank you" to someone's gluten filled dessert
You've refused things as "simple" as gum or sucking candies because you don't know if they're safe.
Your friend invites you over for your birthday and want to make you a gluten free birthday cake but you plead with them not to, because although you're trying to seem like you don't want to put them through the hassle, you're secretly terrified there will be cross contamination.
You hugged a chef for making you special meals every time you walk in.
You've mastered the art of lying when other people ask you if you're hungry.
You long to look at the contents of other people's fridges and pantries just to see what normal people eat.
If you don't remember what crackers are supposed to taste like.
If you bring "special" beer to the party, and don't share.
If you actually have nightmares about reading labels.
If you compare all of your food to "normal-people-food."
If you call all your relatives when you get sick. It MUST be because something you ate has been cross-contaminated.
If you know that Xantham Gum is not for chewing.
If you don't lick stamps.
If you sit on the phone with a pharmacy for an hour to find out what type of starch they use just so that you can take a generic Tylenol and be-rid of your headache.
If you know that spelt is a distant cousin of wheat, but buckwheat is not related to wheat at all.
If your grandmother INSISTS that you don't have celiac, you're just “suffering from mal-absorption”
If you burst into tears of relief at the sight of the words "gluten free" stamped on the corner of the Nestle hot cocoa mix.
If people at summer camps roll their eyes and tell you to "stop annoying the junior waiters with your stupid low carb diet because you're skinny enough already"
If you actually KNOW what an anti-TTG and an IGA blood test are.
If you forget to buy bun, rolls, bread, ect. at the store for all the gluten eaters of you family
If people have invite you to "The Olive Garden" on April first.
If you sold your house to buy groceries
If you can find "hidden gluten" in food labels in the blink of an eye,
If your family couldn't find them if they had a magnifying glass, dictionary, and Ph.D.
If people whisper that your new 'disease' is just an easy way to get away with being anorexic (b/c you can't eat anything when you are anywhere else besides your own kitchen)
If you wept the first time you tried to make gluten free sugar cookies
If you have ever made a list of everything you would eat if a magical genie could cure you
If you keep this list with you at all times just in case you should come across a magical genie.
If you have searched for a magical genie.
If you now have a large collection of old lamps.

Really, it's not this bad! But sometimes it's good to look at the humorous side.

Celiac Conundrums: Communion

2009-04-17T08:00:00.001-04:00

Let me begin by complimenting my own title: that is some nice alliteration.

Being a celiac and living gluten-free is full of conundrums, but, let's face it, so if life. My recent Easter trip to my parent's and Sunday morning spent at church services prompted me to address the difficulties of celiacs and religious ritual, particularly troublesome: the sacrament of Communion or Eucharist. Just in case anyone was unaware: communion bread, wafers, etc. contain wheat. This leaves the devoutly Christian celiac with a difficult decision. Should she stop taking communion? Only take the wine? Ask her religious leader to substitute a gluten-free or low gluten host? Such decisions depend, of course, on the individual, but also the doctrines of their church.

Researching this topic introduced me to the troubles Catholic celiacs (and possibly Seventh Day Adventists?) face in the decision regarding whether and how to take Communion. The primary problem appears to be the pesky theological doctrine, transubstantiation, the belief that the bread and wine change substance into the body and blood of Christ through the sacrament of the Eucharist. For reference’s sake, this is the same theological doctrine that caused early Christians to be accused of cannibalism and feed to lions and other ferocious, hungry, carnivorous animals (well, it was part of the reason). According to Catholic canon, it is impossible to consecrate a host made of something other than wheat and water. Therefore, gluten-free substitutes aren’t even an option. There is a low-gluten option produced by the Benedictine Sisters with a gluten level of >0.01% (within the European standards for labeling gluten-free foods) made with wheat starch. Of course, taking just the wine or abstaining altogether are also options. I feel confident God understands. Jesus said, “Take this in remembrance of me.” Not, “You’re going to remember me when that gluten reaction kicks in.” The most important part of the whole debate is remembering the significance behind the sacrament.

Every so often I think to myself, “Jeez, I’m glad I’m not Catholic!” This is one of those times. I’m confident that if I walked into the pastor’s office at my parent’s church and asked him to consecrate gluten-free bread for me, he would happily agree. One thing about Congregational Church doctrine (and this is pretty wild considering Congregationalism developed from Puritanism), it’s pretty easy going. When I was diagnosed with celiac disease, I stopped taking the bread during Communion and only took the grape juice. This was an easy decision for me. I’m not particularly devout and my Mom bakes the Communion bread for our church- I KNOW there isn’t any transubstantiation going on with that bread (and transubstantiation is not part of Protestant beliefs), especially since the leftovers are given to the birds. I also didn’t worry about feeling different or singled out, Communion is brought right to my pew by Communion servers with excellent balance (and in most cases, knowledge of my condition: my family’s been attending this church since I was two).

In the end, it’s a personal choice. Schedule a meeting with your religious leader and talk about your concerns, probably you can work something out everyone is comfortable with- God, Jesus, the Church and (most importantly) you.

Dining-Out 101: German

2009-04-16T08:00:00.001-04:00

German cuisine is one of my favorites; simple and hearty, but always an intriguing combination of flavors. Last spring, Sister, Mom, Gramps and I happily trekked through the Wurzburg region in Southern Bavarian. Before departing on our journey I made many copies of the German, Spanish and French versions of the International Dining Cards in the appendix of The Gluten-Free Bible. Despite my cards, I opted to largely play it safe and order bratwurst at almost every establishment. I'm not a big sasuage fan, but there's just something about bratwurst. I love the texture and the flavor. While in Germany, I especially enjoyed how each bratwurst I ate tasted different because every restaurant made their own. Same with the sauerkrat, each establishment used different seasoning to achieve subtle variations in flavor (carraway seed was my favorite addition).

Fortunately, I can relive my German travels close to home at Richard's Restaurant and Edelweiss Lounge on Maine Street in Brunswick. Their bratwurst is reminscent of its German counterpart as is the atmosphere in the restaurant itself (dark paneling, beer steins, dim lighting). It feels like a little Bavaria in Midcoast Maine. I was also excited to find a GF dessert on the menu that was actually interesting. I usually pass on dessert at restaurant's because I can have the typical GF desserts like ice cream at home, but I would have had a difficult time creating this concoction of almond brittle, vanilla ice cream, chocolate rum sauce and fresh whipped cream called Don Ricardo in my kitchen at home.

Aside from the bratwurst, bauernwurst, sauerkraut and hot potato salad, I advise extreme caution in enjoying German food. It's not surprising that a cuisine best known for wienerschnitzel (basically deep fried veal) isn't exactly celiac-friendly. Many entrees include sauces thickened with wheat flour or include dangerous noodles or dumplings. Probably a good idea to learn a few German words, such as Weizen (wheat). As with any restaurant, ask the staff how they can best accomodate you.

A Very Celiac - Friendly Easter

2009-04-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

Some holidays and celebrations can be very difficult for the celiac. Traditional foods are suddenly off-limits to you, but you're surrounded by friends and family who can (and should) still enjoy them. Personally, I didn't find the adoption of a celiac-friendly Easter celebration difficult because I've never enjoyed hot cross buns and my family's Easter feast is naturally gluten light. One of the best things about visiting my parent's is I don't have to cook! So this post is without recipes (although I will be hounding my Mom for the ricotta salad recipe to appear later), but full of tips!

Below is a picture of the delicious Easter dinner my Mom made (disclaimer: the bread is not gluten-free) and a preview of the gorgeous Moss Rose china pattern I'm looking forward to inheriting. Mashed potatoes, spinach, asparagus and deviled eggs are all naturally gluten-free. Ham is a meat to be very careful of, especially spiral cut hams like my family prefers. Sometimes these have fillers that are decidedly not celiac-friendly and the glaze can contain wheat starch or wheat flour. We've had good luck with Cook's brand hams in the past.

Above is the surprisingly delicious ricotta salad Mom made from a recipe she found in a magazine. I'm always very suspicious of magazine recipes (for totally unknown reasons) and had my doubts when Mom asked me to plate the salads. But I was very pleasantly surprised. The ricotta had a light, lemony flavor that paired well with the mustard in the dressing, the sweet tomatoes and the slightly bitter greens. I give this recipe two thumbs up.

Lucky me, I enjoyed two custom-made desserts this Easter. Mom made a strawberry trifle and a chocolate cream pie, since these recipes were not gluten-free she created alternatives for me using the exclusion principle. The exclusion principle is very simple, just remove the offending ingredient and serve your recipe without crust, topping, etc. To make the tri-full (the debate over pronunciation continues) GF Mom simply omitted the pound cake. For the chocolate pie, she just saved me some filling sans crust and added a little whipped cream. Both were delicious and I didn't have to share!

Product Review: Kinnikinnick Pizza Crust

2009-04-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

Kinnikinnick is not easy to spell or pronounce, but most of their gluten-free products are delicious. Their pizza crust is new and improved, now squared shaped and with cornmeal on the bottom. The crust has an excellent texture (not at all gritty) and a slightly sweet taste that goes well with pizza toppings.

I find it works best to cook the crust alone in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes on each side before adding the toppings. Here I made a green veggie pizza (garlic, artichoke hearts, green pepper, onion and basil). Also great with olive oil, garlic and mozzarella cheese to accompany soups and salads.

Gluten in Pop Culture

2009-04-08T16:00:00.001-04:00

Not long after I was diagnosed with celiac disease, I stumbled across an interview with Emmy Rossum (best known for playing Christine in The Phantom of the Opera) in a fashion magazine. I distinctly remember during the interview Emmy ate only the insides of her sandwich. The interviewer questioned her about her strange eating habits and Emmy replied she had celiac disease and was unable to eat wheat. As a brand-new celiac I was thrilled to discover another celiac, especially a famous one (Although I probably wouldn't recommend her dining strategies). I wasn't alone (and as the only diagnosed celiac in a large family I often do feel alone), there were others like me out there! There's no underestimating the importance of role models, I applaud Emmy's work with YouthAIDS and hope in the future she'll devote some of her volunteer time to celiac awareness.

I think most celiacs recognize the need for increased awareness of celiac disease and gluten-free diets (I was on a plane once and the man sitting in front of me assured me that the gluten-free meal and the low-sugar, diabetic meal were one and the same- um, no). Gluten-free bread got a shout-out Tuesday night on an episode of 90210 I found decidedly unimpressive and vaguely insulting. First, gluten was defined as a carbohydrate (you all know it's a protein, right?) and secondly, I felt my life-long adherence to a gluten-free diet was trivialized by the characters' flippant remarks. Finally, the rest of the show dealt with the very real issue of young people suffering from manic depression, an issue that deserves attention. But why drop the ball with gluten and celiac disease? I left feedback and would encourage others to do the same.

CW Feedback
Warner Brothers Feedback

CBS Television
51 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019

The X - Files: Baking with Xanthan Gum (Scones)

2009-04-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

I love to bake. So it's unsurprisingly that my family and friends would kindly gift me with gluten-free cookbooks. What is surprising is that I never use them. I don't know why, they're all well-reviewed and filled with delicious sounding recipes. For some reason, I just didn't want to venture into gluten-free baking; it seemed too complicated with the different flours, dough enhancers, vinegar, etc. Well, here is an example of personal growth through blogging. For the sake of my blog, I decided to try out gluten-free baking with all it's complexities. As documented earlier, I went to the NLC and invested in a variety of flours and xanthan gum. I was ready to begin.

For my maiden voyage I choose something easy and that I really miss: scones. Whole Foods has an excellent Almond Scone I enlist my Mom to get for me every time I go home, but it's not quite the same. So, I pulled out my copy of More From the Gluten-Free Gourmet and assembled the ingredients for English Tea Scones.

English Tea Scones

1 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, blend together all the dry ingredients. Cut in the butter with a pastry fork until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the yogurt until the dough forms a soft ball.

Knead lightly on a rice floured board. Roll out to 3/4 inches thick and cut into rounds with a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter. Place the rounds on a greased cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes.

Top with jam and Devonshire Cream (1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 tablespoon confectioner's sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla blended). Delicious - sweet, tender and flaky. I was so excited about my successful gluten-free baking and my yummy results, I called my Mom to brag! Even my sister enjoyed them, she remarked they went very well with the tea. Well, it was Twinning's English Breakfast Tea and they're called English Tea Scone, so I hope they went well together!

Reading Labels: What the heck is triticale?

2009-04-07T08:00:00.001-04:00

Food shopping is an adventure for the celiac, reading labels and trying to figure out the definition all those words that look like they jumped out of a chemistry textbook is a challenge. Unfortunately, the FDA has not taken it upon themselves to make our lives any easier. Currently, the FDA encourages manufacturers of foods that contain common allergens (generally soy, milk, eggs, fish, nuts and wheat) to label their products, but this labeling is entirely voluntary. So is the labeling of gluten-free products (if you enjoy reading documents with absurd amounts of quotation marks check this out). Ugh. Gotta love bureaucracy. So the lesson is: always read your labels!

In our modern society, successfully reading food labels nearly requires a Ph.D. in Chemistry (my History degrees are generally unhelpful). It's a good idea for every celiac to familiarize themselves with common food label terms and whether they're dangerous or benign. In the early days you might consider bringing a cheat sheet along with you to the grocery store - better safe than sorry!

Today's confusing label term is triticale. What the heck is it? Celiac beware, triticale is a grain cross between wheat and rye. Double bad. The grain was first bred in Scottish and Swedish laboratories in the 19th century. It has a higher protein content than wheat, but current milling techniques designed for wheat do not work with triticale. Triticale is grown mostly in Western European countries for animal feed, but developers have high hopes for it as a replacement for wheat crops in developing countries for it's high protein content and, also, as a biofuel. Trekkies may recognize this grain from the episode "The Trouble with Tribbles."

The X - Files: Cooking with Xanthan Gum (Gingerbread Pancakes)

2009-04-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

It's taken me awhile, but I've finally decided to start experimenting with xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is produced from the outer layer of a tiny, inactive bacterium Xanthomonas campestris. It doesn't sound very appetizing, but it's tasteless nature and ability to hold together small particles makes it an ideal substitute for gluten in gluten-free baking (it's the gluten in wheat flour that holds ingredients together). An eight ounce package of xanthan gum produced by Bob's Red Mill (I really like Bob's Red Mill's products and Bob . . . he's clearly a man who knows how to acessorize- check out that bolo tie and newsboy cap) set me back $12.55 at the Natural Living Center. Pricy, but most recipes only call for a teaspoon- so it will last FOREVER.

The next morning, I decided to experiment with my morning pancakes (hooray for weekend breakfasts, usually it's just oatmeal and I run out the door). Actually, I would have been better suited tweaking the recipe to make the batter less thick (since in the past I've noted it's extremely thick nature), but it was Sunday morning and I wasn't thinking clearly yet. I ended up with very thick, very filling pancakes. But it's a great recipe, so I'll include it here minus the xanthan gum because it really wasn't necessary.

Gingerbread Pancakes

2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar (brown sugar would be better)
1/2 milk
1/8 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
3/4 cup flour (I used 1/2 cup Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix and 1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose GF Baking Flour)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons melted butter

Combine all wet ingredients in one bowl and all dry ingredients in another. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet. Cook on a greased skillet. These pancakes are so thick, they won't cook all the way through on the stove top. I cook them for a few minutes on each side and put in the oven at 300 degrees for about 10 minutes. Serve with butter and maple syrup or get all fancy with whipped cream and strawberries. I think next time I'll increase the coffee and milk to try and make the batter a little thinner.