Travel good. Friends better.

Visited some friends this past week.  They are lovely, wonderful and amazing.  In that order.

Two of them are getting married in August, and I attended their wedding shower last Saturday.  One of the things they received was a new set of pots and pans.  (Yes, there's a reason I am mentioning this.)

Two nights later, I wound up staying at their apartment.  While I was there, they unpacked the box of pots and I saw something written on the box.  They took out all the wrappings, put the pots back in the box and showed me what it said...   "Ellie's Pots".  They are dedicating their new cookware to making sure I will be safe when I dine with them.

Some people are just way more than incredible.

Stress

So tell me... what does stress do to you?  I mean, does it give you symptoms that are similar to being glutened?  I get bad news, and immediately all the symptoms come rushing back... the trips to the bathroom, the belly pain, the desire to hide under the covers.

My best friend is having some minor surgery on Wednesday, and I'm falling apart.  I have a world of things to do (I'm moving on Wednesday - I didn't know about the surgery when I made my plans) and absolutely no desire to do any of them.

Guess I'll just keep packing and hope for the best.

Domino's new "Gluten Free" crust

While I think it is great that more companies are willing to think outside the box and try to accomodate people with restricted diets, I don't think this is a great way to go about it.  They themselves say it isn't safe for those of us with Celiac Disease... so why bother?  Either you are going to make it safe, or you shouldn't claim it is gluten free.  Not everyone will see the Youtube video in which they tell you they put the crust on the same surfaces as the regular crusts, thus contaminating them.  

People are going to get sick.  I just don't think it is right to advertise a gluten free product that you know is most likely not going to be gluten free when you deliver it to the customer.

Sorry it has been so long.  Just hasn't been much going on here - at least on the gluten-free front.

I made it safely back from the left coast, gfree all the way.  I'm going to be eternally grateful for the vendors at the Pittsburgh version of the Celiac Awareness Tour... I wound up eating the instant mac and cheese that I got there several times during the trip.  And I got a great deal on the case by purchasing it at the end of the day.  There's a tip for you... buy your things at the end of the session... the vendors don't really want to cart it home with them, so you can get some good deals.

Once again my life has changed, and I'm looking for some advice.  You see, I'm moving into a roommate situation to save money (my daughter's in college, what can I say?) and it will be a good thing for everyone concerned, except... they aren't gluten free.  Now, they always go out of their way to make sure I can eat when I'm with them, but the kitchen is full of breads, rolls, gravies, etc.  And no, there isn't going to be space for me to have my own area of the countertop.  I will have my own freezer and shelf space for gluten free items, but we will be eating out of the same pantry for most other things (veggies, etc.)

So... what to do?  I'm committed to making this work - at least until my daughter graduates (another year and a half) but I don't want to be sick all or even part of the time if it can be helped.  I will have access to a microwave and the stove (but not my own cookware) and I have a completely gluten free toaster.

Help?  Suggestions are not only welcome, they are really needed.

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.