And the loss

Well, it had to happen sometime during the trip.  I haven't been as careful as I should have, and now I am paying the price.

But tell me - did I get glutened, or is it just the heavy spices?  I never used to vomit when I ate things that contained gluten.  But the past two times I have eaten at anything other than a "place your single order and we will serve you" place, I've not only had the dizziness, abdominal pain, and other ugly symptoms, I've thrown up.

Am I now so sensitive to the stuff that my stomach is purging it before it can even get to the small intestine?  Or am I just really unlucky and getting food poisoning twice within four months?

Indian food... for the win!

We have been staying with my daughter's roommate (who is an 80 year old retired architect) while getting things ready for her trip to Japan.  The first day she surprised us with a lovely chicken curry.  Yesterday we had delicious Indian fried bits (in a garbanzo bean batter) with tea, and tomorrow we are meeting at an Indian restaurant/market so I can get some of the flour after we've lunched.

YUMMY!!!

Road Trip

The San Francisco Bay Area is wonderful in many ways, not the least of which is the availability of decent gluten free food.

I'm hoping to sample as much of it as possible during my week here.  (The living on chicken salad and cheese sticks for the drive over here has lost some of its glamour, though.)

Thank you Gluten Free Mike and Rudi's Gluten Free Bakery!!!

Thanks to Gluten Free Mike and Rudi's Gluten Free Bakery!!  I won a great give-away at Gluten Free Mike's blog, and Rudi's has a month of give aways going on right now.

I received two wonderful magazines with great recipes and hints for living gluten free, a boatload of coupons for lovely gluten free items, and a brand new toaster!!  Perfect for toasting the yummy cinnamon bread I'm looking forward to for breakfast for the next several weeks, thanks to Mike and Rudi's!!

Celiac Awareness Tour - Pittsburgh

My daughter and I went yesterday, and really enjoyed the speakers.  We found some new products, and reintroduced ourselves to some familiar ones.  Glutino's Genius breads were available for sampling, and the size of the slice and the fact that it stays together even under the pressure of being spread with peanut butter and Jelly really impressed me.  The flavor is pretty darned good, too!

While we were there, we picked up some instant mac and cheese to take with us when we travel - I figure we're going to be pretty tired by the time we get to the motels at night, and having to hunt for a safe place to eat just isn't going to cut it!!

Hope you are having an enjoyable weekend.

Winter?

I guess it has finally arrived... just in time for me to have plenty of things on the agenda to keep me on the roads.

Sunday is brunch with an internet friend, Thursday we go retrieve the van from my niece and get to take a trip to Ikea in Cincy, and the following Saturday is the Celiac Awareness Tour in Pittsburgh.  Hope the big snow holds off until we are safely back home.

Making some big changes this winter, and a change in location is among them.  I'll be hunkering down with my sister for the spring and summer - while my daughter is off studying in Japan.  So packing and such are also on this month's agenda.  Oh, joy!  But at least down there I'll be close to Trader Joe's and Whole Paycheck.

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and that you will all come through this winter with flying colors.

First real snowstorm of the season.  And I'm thrilled.  While we won't get the lake effect snow, I'm going to pretend to be snowbound and cuddle up with a warm cat and some good, old fashioned comfort food!

GIG meeting tomorrow at The Raisin Rack in Canton... come on out and join in the fun!  Should be interesting - I haven't attended a meeting in a long time, and I'm looking forward to getting together with the regular gang.

I've closed off the main bathroom - found out that's where the cold breeze is coming from.  Gonna have to bundle up to use the bathroom, but that's better than having to burn boatloads of extra fuel to keep the rest of the house warm.

Hope you are all enjoying the return of winter!

And again I've gotten behind. Seems like the story of my life these days! First...I'd like to thank Mary again for the wonderful coupons. I have missed fish so very much, and Gorton's brand has always been one of my favorites. Second, I would like to wish you all a Happy Hanukkah, a belated Blessed Solstice, a very Merry Christmas, a blessed Kwanza, a joyous festivus (for the rest of us) and of course, an incredibly Happy New Year!! As Dumbledore used to say, "Another year, gone." Here's hoping the one to come will be filled with love, laughter and plenty. Happy Holidays!

Had a lovely Thanksgiving with my sister and her family. Best holiday I've had in decades. Didn't even have to lock myself in the bedroom a single time this year!! Yes, the crowd makes me crazy. I hide every holiday, or at least I did until this time. But only half the usual number of people showed up this weekend, so I was feeling much more safe. Isn't that strange, that I don't feel safe among my own (or my sister's) relatives and friends? Sigh. I took all my own food this year - turkey thighs, stuffing, honey butter for the Udi's muffins my sister bought. She had green beans and mashed potatoes I could eat, so I had a full meal for the first time in many months. I just don't seem to get around to cooking for myself. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday, and that you will enjoy whichever December occasion you celebrate!

I'm a lurker, not a commenter. Why? Well, it isn't that I don't care about what you have to say, or that I don't care about you. It is simply that no matter how long I think about it, I always wind up saying exactly the wrong thing.

Yes, I'm a thread-killer. I admit it.

Every once in a while I can't help myself, and I throw in my 2 cents worth... and then I go back to lurking.

But tonight, my imaginary internet friend, I'll bite my tongue.

Sorry I haven't been around much lately. Fall has arrived and with it my tendency to hibernate!

This week I'm planning to make a test batch of stuffing - I'm taking my own food to Thanksgiving this year, so I don't wind up getting glutened by mistake the way I did last year. Who puts the spoon from a casserole onto the turkey platter? Evidently one of my sister's family or friends, that's who.

So once payday hits, I'll be stocking up on celery, onions and mushrooms. I have some Udi's bread in the freezer (I'm not much of a sandwich person, so a loaf lasts me a very long time) and I'll be adding some chicken broth just to keep things moist. Got to see if there are any turkey thighs in the store this early - they usually show up sometime in the fall. Anyway... hope you had a wonderful week and are enjoying the fall color.

Fast&Fresh by Food-Tek

Tried the cornbread the other day. Fast, easy, right out of the microwave. Can't beat it for convenience. Not as dense as gluten filled cornbread, rather spongy, but moist and tasty when warm... and covered in honey, of course! I think I'll buy it again.

Thank you, Mary... and thanks a lot, hay fever

First, I'd like to thank Mary from Quietly Contrary for the Gorton's Coupon! She has a lovely blog, and offers great information about being gluten free.

I'm going to love having some good fish in the freezer for those cold winter nights when I just want to warm up the kitchen and my belly with oven-baked goodness!

Second, and far less important, I'd like to thank my obnoxious immune system for treating me to yet another fall filled with sneezes, coughs and weepy spells. Thanks a bunch. Oh, well. At least this year I've got a prescription for an antihistimine with a decongestant. Talked with the doctor (yes, he actually spoke with me) and he sent in a script. Then chatted with the pharmacist, who told me it was a good thing he had, as while the drug is available over the counter? You can't get it for everyday use. It contains one of those "naughty" drugs, so you are only allowed so much before they put you on the suspicious persons list. Which is why I stopped taking it in the first place, even though the pulmonologist really wanted me to be on it every night.

Oh, well. At least I can breathe again.

Gluten free longer-term storage foods

Just in case any of you live in areas that are prone to things like, snowstorms, tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes... Augason Farms is having a sale on its longer term storage foods this week. They offer a number of certified gluten free foods that are canned and ready for camping, travel, and/or emergencies. Might be just the thing to include in a care package for your gluten free college student, as well!

Tis the season

To get your flu shot!! Come on, it isn't that bad. Yes, it is ouchie, but you can take it. I"m positive you've endured far worse. And let's face it, if you're anything like me, you have several vitamin deficiencies. And they just make you more vulnerable to the flu and other wintertime nasties. (Oh, and the flu doesn't only happen in the winter. Two summers ago I wound up in the hospital for two weeks with the stuff. Ugly!) So please, for your sake and the sakes of those who love you... get the shot. (Unless you have religious or other valid reasons not to, of course.) Thanks. p.s. got mine today. Hardly even felt it going in.

Just another manic Monday

Heading out in a little while to visit the vampires. Not actually sure why they need to draw blood as often as they do, but I suspect it is because I have good insurance. Afterwards, I'll be heading over to a friend's office to help her out with a spreadsheet. Grunt work, but someone needs to do it, and I have the time... and I usually get lunch out of the deal. That being said, I'll be stopping off at the grocery store on my way in, just in case. One week she decided she couldn't live without pizza. Thank goodness I had some treats in my purse! Giant Eagle is supposed to have gotten in some gluten free baked goods, but I'm pretty sure they aren't at the store near me. I'll have to go up to the one in Jackson Twp. to find them, if they're available in NEO at all. But eggs are on sale, and I can always pick up some corn tortillas and cheese to warm up in the microwave. (Strange combination, I know... but I like it.) Hope your week starts off well.

A great giveaway on a great blog

Quietly Contrary has a Gorton's grilled fillets giveaway happening right now. The fillets are gluten free, easy to prepare, and if I am remembering my Gorton's correctly from way back when... delicious. Please head over to Quietly Contrary to enter.

Make new friends, but keep the old...

"Ran" into an old friend this week. Haven't heard hide nor hair of him in ages and ages. Good to know he's still kicking. Starting to think of fall and winter dishes... looking forward to another Thanksgiving with my sister's family, none of whom are willing to change (in any way) anything they have for the holidays. I'm considering getting myself a roaster, and making my own version of "turkey" and stuffing and just taking it down with me. I've made stuffing from scratch for decades, and I figure it can't be too terribly much harder using Udi's bread than using regular bread. Got to add a bunch more liquid, as the gluten free baked goods just don't seem to want to get soft, no matter what you do with them. Other than that, sauteed onions, mushrooms, celery. A bit of Better than Boullion (chicken flavor), and some stock. Yeah, I think that rather than standing there not eating this year, I'll go ahead and bring my own. I know my sister will be disappointed, but I'm not looking forward to another holiday dinner spent avoiding everything I like. Anyway... happy weekend!

I can't believe how lucky I am

My family and most of my friends support me in everything, including the gluten free lifestyle. When I go to visit my friends, they either cook at home for me or suggest restaurants that they know have gluten free menus. They get it. Time and time again, I hear about people who are asked if they can't have "just a bit" or have something with gluten "just this once". I haven't run into that in the year and a half since my diagnosis. Sure, there are mistakes made, but they are honest mistakes. Can't fault them for that. All in all, I may be one of the luckiest celiacs around. And I love and appreciate those around me more than they will ever know.

Spaghetti Squash

My best girlfriend from high school invited me to a spur of the moment dinner at her house this week. Called and said "plan to stay for dinner - I'll make something you can eat". Gotta love this gal - she's a firm believer that there is nothing that can't be cured by exercise and a good attitude, but she goes out of her way to make sure I always have something that is safe to eat when I go to her house. And more than just a simple salad. Main dishes, sides, the whole nine yards. (I usually take dessert - usually my turtle brownies) This week's dinner revolved around some spaghetti squash she had cooked and frozen last fall. Yum! A little butter, a little maple syrup, and we were good to go with a great side dish that went really well with the ham she heated for dinner. She added in some chopped potatoes sauteed with butter, green and red peppers and onions, and I thought I was in heaven. It sounds so simple, doesn't it? In fact, she sent me home with some of the squash and I'm having it for dinner again today. In other news... I'm going to have a completely gluten free kitchen in a very few days. Getting rid of everything left over by my daughter and her friend who lived here from January to June. The unopened things will be sent to my daughter (she's a junior in college, and always broke) and anything else? Out. Just out. I'm tired of becoming ill because someone else in the house made themselves a meal and didn't clean the pot or utensils completely before putting them away. I know it is hard to get rid of all the gluten, but seriously? Can't you use one of the old pans to make your mac and cheese? Why do you have to use the new pans I got when I received the diagnosis? The whole idea was to never have any gluten ingredients in them, so I would always know they were safe. Which reminds me - If I ever, ever say I'm taking someone other than my daughter in again? Slap some sense into me.