Kitchen Chaos

Gluten Free Gidget is doing a great giveaway on her blog for Xagave a brand that combines the nectar of two types of agave plant for a richer smoother flavor. I just love agave, I just don't use it as much as I should. Sugar is a bit of a habit. Anyway, so if you are interested, check out this contest . Now for some questions: Did you find that your palate changed as you went gluten-free? I used to hate avocados - those green bombs of mushiness. As in like 2 months ago, I thought they were gross. Now, . . . well, let's just say I could seriously over eat these things. And I tried guacamole on top of gluten-free frito pie instead of sour cream and cheese and found I prefer it that way. How do you keep the gluten-free flours from overtaking your kitchen? I was putting them in canisters (and the ones we use a lot are still in canisters) but seriously?!? They are taking over the pantry. And the fridge. And the freezer. I thought about hanging up a chart on the inside o...

I was lucky enough to win this giveaway done by Babyfro at Living Without Wheat . I am so excited about this. Now I just have to figure out some gluten & dairy free casseroles. We went to visit my Grandmother and parents over the holidays and it was the first time we have traveled while trying to completely stick to our diets. Oh boy. In some ways it was so very hard but in others it was actually easier. In my family, we bake. Cookies, cakes, pies, candies are everywhere. It is a dieter's nightmare but almost all of it was loaded with gluten and dairy and was off limits (we did have some gf-df brownies that were good but that is pretty much it as far as the sweets went). For me, there wasn't any of this "should I / shouldn't I" wishy-washy-ness. There wasn't any (or at least very little) "just one tiny piece won't hurt." I am feeling better than I have in months, I was not about to blow it on a piece of cake. Even the kids seemed...

When I did the gluten-free thing before, it was just me and I mostly just reduced the gluten. I tried not to blow it very often, or at least not very big. So if we went out for pasta, I didn't eat the rolls. Surprisingly, I did reduce the gluten enough to feel better but when I began to sense that maybe I needed to reduce it more, like completely, that is when I quit. It was too much. Because I hadn't gone completely gluten-free, it wasn't a major sudden change in how I felt when I gave it up. So yesterday, we had a late breakfast and then I cleaned out the freezer (got rid of the gluten and cheese in there). Then we had to head over to a 4-H event where we were selling trees, then tae kwon do, then back over to the tree sale. Then at 6:30 I realized we had skipped lunch and I was beyond rational thought. I suggested we blow our diet. and we did. in a big way. We went to Pizza Hut, I had a deep dish pizza because I have never liked pizza on crackers (thin crust)....

Ok, I am on the upswing again. I will figure out this gluten-free dairy-free thing. I found a recipe for buns, called the "wonder bun" that I just had to try.And if didn't taste like cornbread but like real, live wheaty bread. It is a bit too dry for us to use as rolls for a meal but for hamburger buns it would be great. I wish I had found this pre-gluten free days just because it is a quick throw together bread that is great for the sandwiches that need a denser bread (like hamburgers, sloppy joes, and the like). Yep, it is that good. I would have totally eaten it instead of store bought, nutrition-less buns. And it is quick. The recipe is for one but you can easily make more, just cook one at a time for 90 seconds in the microwave. I may play later to see if they can be oven baked at the same time (which would be easier when making several) but for right now the microwave is great. There is a video here on how to make them or you can read a blog post here...