Today's adventure? Class reunion!

I made chicken salad for myself, as the entree the class was providing isn't gluten-free. Got a message this morning that they are now doing something else instead, and I can eat it.

I'm still taking the chicken salad and my Glutino crackers. Just to be on the safe side.

I'm also taking bourbon baked beans with real bacon, shallots and brown sugar. And a tipsy fruit salad. (What the heck - it is only once every five years.)

Turtle brownies to round out the meal, and I'll be a happy camper!!

Weekend "fun"

The brownies went over well, at any rate. One hint - put in less of the caramel pecan mixture than you think you'll need or want. I wound up with caramel hanging out the sides of most of the brownie bites, and it made them much more difficult to get out of the pan.

But boy, were they tasty! Almost made up for the rest of the weekend.

Went to Costco for the first time in about five years. The one in the Columbus Ohio area didn't have as much in the way of canned veggies as the ones in CA, but the meats and fresh veggies? To die for!!

I'll be making multiple trips down to shop there. Lovely pork butts, lean beef at reasonable prices, real prime steaks? What's not to love?

Brownie News

The turtle brownies were a big hit. Everyone loved them - moist, chewy, filled with goodies! So today I take the next step - turning them into brownie bites by baking them in a mini-muffin tin. This batch is for my nephew's birthday party tomorrow. I'm hoping they will turn out well, and if they do I'll post the recipe and technique I used here.

As for the pan version it is very, very easy. Melt 20 Kraft Caramels in two tablespoons fat free evaporated milk. Stir in about a cup of chopped pecans. Yum.

Make the brownie batter as directed - spray the bottom of the pan and then put half the batter in. Bake for about five minutes to start to set the batter.

Spread the caramel/pecan mixture over the brownie base, and cover with the rest of the batter.

Bake for the remainder of the suggested time. I left them in the oven for ten minutes after I turned it off, just to make sure they were *really* done.

Cut into very small squares - these things are rich.

And don't tell anyone until later that they are gluten-free... (this backfired on me, as a helpful woman put them onto a plate full of regular brownies.)

Next version? I'm replacing half the fat with applesauce.

Gluten-Free on Weight Watchers - an experiment

Well, I did it. Bit the bullet and rejoined Weight Watchers. Went to my first meeting on Thursday, and am doing pretty well, considering. Right now I'm working on adding the healthy foods, because if I'm filled with lean proteins, fruit and veggies there won't be much room for the garbage I normally eat.

Can't live on Fritos and french onion dip forever, you know. Not with a diagnosis of fatty liver and the spectre of cirrhosis hanging over my head. Not that I expect myself to give up everything I love - I won't last if I do. But since moderation isn't a concept I appear to be able to grasp, using the plan will help me to keep myself in line and lose the weight I need to get rid of.

I'll let you know how it goes - the first thing I talked about with the leader was my inability to do the whole wheat or whole grain stuff. So, he told me he understood, and I would just have to eat white bread.

It will be a learning experience for all...

G-Free Foodie saves the day - again.

I can grab lunch on the go again! The first time I had to drive from Ohio to California after my diagnosis, I lived on caramel corn and cheese sticks. I don't have to do that anymore!

G-Free Foodie has a great list of fast food places where we can actually get a decent (well, as decent s fast food gets) meal. Still doesn't really fix my problem - I can't drive while I'm eating a bowl of chili and a baked potato - but it does make life much easier for those times when I'm stuck out in the middle of nowhere and need a meal. And it makes driving back with my college-age daughter a breeze!

We still make our own food most evenings, as eating at Outback or some local steakhouse starts to add up after a while, but it is great to know there are places I can drive through on my way to the next town, or state.

Good news

We got back the results of Maria's antibody tests this week - yes, they did finally run the test. She is negative for both! So she's safe, at least for now.

Of course, this means the food fights will continue. But we're doing better now. She is becoming more accepting, and I'm not pushing her to eat anything that's at all starchy.

I still need to lose the weight, and I'm having a reaction to something in the environment, as my skin has begun to peel off my hands and arms, but overall? Doing so much better.

Well, we're off to the local GIG meeting. I have samples that one of the reps at the conference sent to me.

Eggplant dip

Had a great time with friends last night - we watched fireworks, chatted and sampled some homemade wine. Yummy!

When I arrived for the picnic, it didn't look as though I would be able to eat anything except the brownies I had brought with me... until they brought out the dip. The woman who made it was having people guess what was in it, and people said avocado, onion, all sorts of things. But when she said some of it had to be cooked - I knew.

It was eggplant. Eggplant, green pepper, salt and pepper. That's it. Now, I love eggplant. And I love dips. So this was perfect for me, and I devoured my fair share of it! When I make it, I might substitute something for the green pepper, as it isn't my favorite flavor and it did kind of overpower the eggplant, but the idea is now firmly planted in my head and I can work with it.

Not just gluten-free, but healthy and low in calories. What a great new recipe!

Turtle bites

I have a picnic to attend tomorrow. It is going to be hot, humid and gluten-filled. I was asked to bring a side dish, but as I'm brain-dead right now, I could only think of two - pasta salad (which I can't eat) and baked beans (which someone else *always* brings. So I went the easy route... chips and salsa, and a brand-new recipe.

Now, I have to admit it starts with a Betty Crocker mix. And is stolen from their website, with a couple of very small changes. But still, it is my first effort, and from the appearance of the pan in the oven, it might just work out fine.

Preheat the oven as directed on the package.

I started off with a gluten-free brownie mix. Added the two eggs and the 1/2 stick of melted butter (and boy are they right when they say it will be thick!)

I used an 8x8 throw-away pan, as I'm taking them to a picnic, but I think they might do well in a small springform pan as well since the batter is so thick.

Sprayed the bottom of the pan with non-stick spray, and spread about half of the batter into the bottom of the pan. I put the pan into the oven for 10 minutes, during which time I:
1) unwrapped 20 Kraft Caramels
2) put them into the same container I melted the butter in
3) added about 1 1/2 tablespoons of nonfat evaporated milk and
4) melted it all in the microwave (it took about a minute and a half, stirring often.)

I added about a cup and a quarter of chopped pecans to the caramel and mixed them together, then poured the mixture over the layer of brownie in the pan. Spread it out all over the brownie, and then put the remainder of the batter on top. I managed to cover most of the caramel mixture with the brownie batter, but I think it might look nice if you were to just drop dabs over parts of the pan and let the caramel show more.

Baked again for ten minutes and then turned off the oven and left the bars in the oven while it cooled so they wouldn't overbake. (I hate dry brownies)

I'm going to take them out now (about ten minutes after I turned off the oven.) We'll see tomorrow how they turned out!

Real Gluten-Free Emergency Advice

This is a great blog post about the need for Celiacs to be prepared for emergencies - and it includes one of the facts I've been most concerned about... longer term emergencies. The list provided is a good one for the typical three day emergency pack, but what about after those 72 hours?

What are you going to do between the time your three day supply runs out and the suggested 14 day later return of goods to the grocery shelves? And how much longer than 14 days will it be if you're trapped in an area that is completely devastated by earthquake or hurricane?

Something to think about... I'm working on a plan, but it is going to take a while.

Stay tuned.