Bread!

Soooooo good. Now, I haven't had "real" bread in about two years, but I am pretty sure this is almost it. It doesn't require toasting like almost all other store-bought gf bread does, which is nice. And it really tastes fancy and rustic!

It's not that expensive in the world of gluten-free. $4.00 a loaf!

All it needs is a good tomato on top and I am in bread heaven!

-Nat

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Alton Brown's Gluten-Free Cookie Recipe

I might attempt to make these sometime soon...

Ingredients

• 8 ounces unsalted butter
• 11 ounces brown rice flour, approximately 2 cups
• 1 1/4 ounces cornstarch, approximately 1/4 cup
• 1/2-ounce tapioca flour, approximately 2 tablespoons
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/4 cup
• 10 ounces light brown sugar, approximately 1 1/4 cups
• 1 whole egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Once melted, pour into the bowl of a stand mixer.

In a medium bowl, sift together the rice flour, cornstarch, tapioca flour, xantham gum, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

Add both of the sugars to the bowl with the butter and using the paddle attachment, cream together on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the whole egg, egg yolk, milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Chill the dough in the refrigerator until firm, approximately 1 hour. Shape the dough into 2-ounce balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes, rotating the pans after 7 minutes for even baking. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on the pans for 2 minutes. Move the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely. Store cooked cookies in an airtight container.

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Tasty Tuesday - Omelets and Good News!

Dear Blogosphere,

Sleep is a wonderful thing and I am pretty sure most people don't get enough of it. I usually do. In fact, sometimes I get too much sleep. During snooze-time, your brain works through problems and figures or sorts out all the new information you gather each day. (This is why it is better to get a good night's rest before a final as opposed to pulling an all night cram session.) Sometimes these show up in dreams. Other times, you just dream of making omelets.

Omelet cooking is my latest recurring dream. It is amazing. I see myself putting a good sized serving of butter into a non-stick pan. It melts and once it gives off that browning aroma, I pour two fresh, beaten eggs into the pan. It smells like heaven. Once it is mostly set, I flip the beautiful golden, soft disc. In some dreams I add various cheese, vegetables, and even meats, but usually I just have a plain, all eggs and butter dream.

Isn't that delicious?

Anyway, the good news is...

Olive Garden now has gluten-free pasta!

Although I'm not a huge fan of Olive Garden, it is wonderful to have a new option for eating out! And it is just one more chain that has picked up on gluten-free. :-)

Until tomorrow,

Natalie

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Cost Comparison

Wheat flour? $0.34/lb
Brown rice flour? $1.89/lb

Wheat bread? $1.09/loaf
Gluten-free bread? $6.00/loaf

Wheat pasta? $0.87/lb
Gluten-free pasta? $3.69/lb

Chocolate chip cookies? $2.69/lb
Gluten-free chocolate chip cookies? $12.83/lb

Wheat crackers? $1.63/lb
Rice crackers? $9.12/lb

...Um, yeah. Pretty scary. These prices are based on the super cool Consumer Price Index. You can see the original article here.

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New Blog and Other Updates

Dear Blogosphere,

I have a new blog entitled "Little Money, Little Time, No Gluten." If you are interested in checking it out, here is the url:gfgrad.blogspot.com

I have been trying to find websites and blogs that focus on eating gluten-free on a budget... and with little time. I wasn't able to find it, so I started my own! It should be helpful to everyone -- unless you have a surplus of money, are a glutenphile, and like to spend hours, even days making dinner.

The other bit of news I have is that I found out my TA assignment! It is a 50% position (meaning 20 hours a week of work) which makes me happy... I think. More money = good, right? The course is Human Sexuality. I took Human Sexuality this spring and loved it. So I am pleased.

Enjoy my blog! Hope your summers are wrapping up nicely!

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Disneyland 2009!

We had such a great time in Disneyland! The whole trip was fun but the best part (dare I say) was the gluten-free food!

I ate:

-Pepperoni pizza with a delicious crust.
-A hamburger complete with bun and fries (fried in a dedicated fryer).
-A grilled chicken sandwich with bun and fries.
-Ratatouille with a savory corn cake.
-Cheese enchiladas with carne asada.
-Mocha almond fudge ice cream.
-Pineapple whip.

So, if you are gluten-intolerant, a Celiac-sufferer, or have a wheat allergy, I HIGHLY recommend kicking it at Disneyland! I'm not a breakfast eater but several places offered gluten-free pancakes and waffles! All of the food service workers knew exactly what was gluten-free and what wasn't and had the protocol down. It was fantastic. My pizza and ice cream was served to me directly by the chef which made me feel ultra-special.

We drove down through St. George where we had lunch at Chili's (they have a GF menu). Then we stopped in Barstow and ate at Baja Fresh where I ordered the chicken fajitas with no tortillas. When we drove up to Davis we ate at Wendy's twice. They have a gluten-free menu on their website. Some salads and the potatoes are safe. The morning we came home, we got smoothies at a Jamba Juice where all smoothies are GF if you stay clear of the boosts. On the way home, I ate all junk food including Lay's Stax, Starbursts, and Sour Patch Watermelons.

I didn't get sick once.

So, fellow gluten-freers, it is possible to go on a road trip!!

-Natalie

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Dilly Swedish Meatballs

Dear Blogosphere,

Here is the recipe promised. I loved it, but I am a huge fan of dill, so if you aren't I'd cut down a bit on it. The recipe is from Carol Fenster's Gluten-Free Quick and Easy cookbook.

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2 cup gluten-free bread crumbs (I used Southern Homestyle Tortilla Crumbs instead; these can be found at the Dan's in Olympus Cove)

2 tablespoons dried minced onion

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 1/2 tablespoons dried dill weed

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup gluten-free beef broth (I use Pacific Natural Foods')

1 cup plain yogurt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9x13 inch baking sheet with foil.

2. Combine all ingredients except the broth and yogurt in a large bowl, reserving 2 teaspoons of the dill weed. Shape the mixture into twenty-four 1-inch meatballs. Place the meatballs on the prepared sheet.

3. Bake 20 minutes, or until nicely browned. Remove from oven.

4. In a large skillet whisk together the beef broth, yogurt, and reserved dill weed over medium heat until the mixture is warmed through. If you want a thicker sauce, whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch into 2 tablespoons of cold water until smooth and then whisk it into the sauce. Continue whisking until the mixture thickens slightly. Place the meatballs in the skillet and heat to serving temperature. Serve the meatballs over cooked rice, hot noodles, or mashed potatoes garnished with a sprinkle of dried dill.

While getting organized and combining the spices, I threw some carrots in olive oil in the oven to roast. Because I like my meat pretty much burnt (extremely well done please!), the meatballs were done at the same time as the carrots. Delicious.

-Natalie

P.S. I've been listening to John Lennon this evening. I had forgotten about "Woman is the 'N' of the World." Lots of food for thought there.

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Grocery List!

-Gluten-free bread crumbs (this will be interesting)
-Gluten-free beef broth
-Plain yogurt
-Garlic powder (I cannot believe I'm out!)
-Ground allspice (I only have whole...)

Today, while sitting on my sofa and watching the rain I started to think about dinner.
Swedish Meatballs. Oh, yeah.
I have never seen gluten-free egg noodles, so rice will have to do, but I am quite excited.
For my GF friends, if the recipe is good, I shall post it later!

-Natalie

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A Genius Idea

Dear Blogosphere,

So last night, while staring at a gluten-free muffin mix, I thought of possibilities: blueberry! lemon poppyseed!! ...cinnamon PECAN!!! At Costco, I decided to buy the huge bag of pecans. I brought them home and thought, I should glaze some of these. So I took a bit of water, a couple pinches of cinnamon, and a whole lot of sugar and glazed the bad boys. It took a lot of serious willpower to not eat them in their deliciously cinnamony and sugary state. So about a half hour ago or so, I made the muffins, going heavy on vanilla and cinnamon.

Oh. My. Pecan.

This was so right.

-Natalie

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A Picture a Day - Part 7

Thai Peanut Stir Fry. Yum.

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A Picture a Day - Part 6

Dear Blogosphere,

Today I made gluten-free pizza. Oh, sooooooooo tasty. The dough was perfect. Toppings included: marinated artichoke hearts, red onion, green bell pepper, zucchini, garlic, turkey pepperoni, lots of cheese and Canadian bacon. Delicious.

Love,

Natalie

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Mosaic

Dear Blogosphere,

This is a cool thing that is spreading on Facebook. Here are the directions:

Directions:
FIRST Go to Google image search
- Type in your answer to each question
- Choose a picture
- Use this website (http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php) to make your collage
- Save the image for use in this note
- Post and tag all your friends

QUESTIONS:
1. What is your name? Natalie
2. What is your favorite food? Thai
3. What is your hometown? Salt Lake City
4. What is your favorite color? Aqua
5. What is your favorite movie? Ratatouille
6. What is your favorite drink? Raspberry Lemonade
7. What is your dream vacation? Tour of Scandinavia
8. What is your favorite dessert? Cupcakes
9. What is one word to describe yourself? Enigmatic
10. How are you feeling right now? Optimistic
11. What do you love most in the world? Bunnies
12. What do you want to be when you grow up? One that professes

Mmm... that gluten free cupcake looks delicious.

-Natalie

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Davis, California

I have returned from Davis! It was great weather; sunshine, few clouds, and not a drop of rain. I arrived early afternoon and got checked into my hotel. I walked not too far to downtown, where I was completely charmed. The buildings are fairly new (meaning 1950s-on) and they are small. A few of them have apartments above, but nothing is taller than three stories. The huge trees tower above. Most were leaf-less, but quite a few were blossoming. There are only a few chain stores downtown (I can only name Chipotle and 31 flavors). Almost everything is mom-and-pop.

I had heard of a restaurant downtown called Farmer's Kitchen Cafe that had a totally gluten-free menu. I was quite hungry, so made somewhat of a bee line to the restaurant. There I was greeted with friendly staff and was handed a menu. Sandwiches, soups, salads, pizzas, pastas, and desserts -- all gluten-free, bioregional, and organic! Welcome to heaven! I decided to eat one of my favorite sandwiches: the BLT (with bacon, or a vegetarian substitute, an heirloom tomato, and romaine lettuce). I had to wait a while, but could hear and smell the bacon cooking. They do not precook anything, which could easily be tasted. I meant to take a picture of the BLT, but was so hungry that I practically breathed in half of it. I ate the second half and completely enjoyed the buttery bread (I had to pull a cook/server aside to make sure it was gluten free!) and delicious tomato.

I then headed to UC Davis' campus where I was completely blown away by all of the bicycles! They even had bicycle round-a-bouts. I wandered around for about three hours, watching bicyclists, women and men's tennis practice, listening to two professors discuss a soil quality exam, and chatting with various squirrels, ducks, and rabbits. I found the Center for Child and Family Studies, where I checked out the playground and saw some cute cottages located very close to the center (they appear to be $900/month for rent... I want one...). I wandered back through town, and got dinner at Chipotle (I know, I know, but I was tired and knew that they were good with gluten-free diners). I then headed back to the hotel where I met another recruit and watched some mind numbing television until a fellow suite mate arrived.

The next two days were packed full! Quite a bit of fun! The first day and first half of the second day sort of made me wonder why I was there. But by the last two tours, I was starting to see where I would fit in. I won't bore you all with details. :-D

I spent Saturday at the farmer's market. The produce looked so good, but I only had the chance to eat two apples and a tangelo. I saw some adorable piglets, a baby lamb, and some goats. I then went to lunch at the Farmer's Kitchen Cafe, ate a chicken salad sandwich, and bought six rolls, some lasagna, and two boxes of cookies to bring home. Delicious.

It looks like I will have to put my photos in another posting. So look above!

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Candied Walnuts, Housing Market, & Other Fun Filled Things

Dear Blogosphere,

The graduate group at UC Davis is not only paying for my hotel room and food, but being so kind as to check all of the menus for gluten and ordering me special meals if necessary. Someone coordinating the visit emailed me asking me if candied walnuts were an issue, as a caterer inquired. I thought, "No... but since the caterer asked, maybe I should do a little research." Indeed, they are glutenous. It is easy to make candied nuts without wheat starch, but commercial candied nuts are not safe. Wacky, eh?

So, Taylor called today letting us know that our old house by the Country Club was on KSL. It is a little weird to see my childhood home on the news. Here's the story:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

As far as music goes, I highly recommend that you check out The Dana Owens Album by Queen Latifah. She parted ways with hip-hop for this album. It is strictly jazz. Her voice is so beautiful.

Have a fabulous week! I am so excited to be in Davis in a week. Ah!

Love,

Natalie

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What is Celiac Disease?

Dear Blogosphere,

A good friend of mine posted a comment on my "lets list the weird things that contain gluten" posting. I thought, hey, why not give a good explanation of that mysterious protein called gluten!

Gluten is a protein found in wheat. For ease, pretty much everyone (except probably gastroenterologists who work in labs) refer to the potentially harmful proteins in barley and rye as gluten as well. Gluten is not "bad" but can be harmful to some people. Gluten is the protein that gives bread all of its fabulous textures -- chewy and elasticy, fluffy and soft.

Gluten is harmful for people who have Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance. I do not know much about Gluten Intolerance, so I will stick to explaining Celiac Disease. Celiacs occurs in about 1:133 Americans. It is a genetic auto-immune disorder. About 10% of type 1 diabetics have Celiac Disease. The cause of Celiac Disease is an inappropriate immune reaction to gluten. When the immune system detects gluten in the small intestine, it decides to attack and kill the cells on the surface of the small intestinal walls.



The picture above shows what happens after time as the immune system continues to attack the small intestine. This is called villi atrophy. The left is a healthy tissue sample; the right is unhealthy. If you have learned about digestion before, you will know how the villi are so important. The villi allow for more surface area, and therefore, more absorption of nutrients. So, those with Celiac Disease (before treatment) tend to be vitamin and mineral deficient and their bodies are often starved or in starvation mode.

Usually, doctors diagnose Celiac Disease by running blood tests for antibodies and then, the gold standard, by biopsy. I went to my endocrinologist in June for a regular diabetes check-up. He asked me about my general health and I told him that I had upset stomachs often, but that's just because I'm too stubborn to stop eating cheese and ice cream (I thought I was lactose intolerant). He told me that he was going to order some blood work for Celiac Disease. I told him that I didn't think I had it, but he sort of demanded. Anyway, the blood work came back "very positive" (I had a lot of activity going on) so I went for the small intestine biopsy. It is very easy. They knocked me out for about 5 minutes and did an endoscopy (I do have pictures) and biopsy. A few weeks later, a pathologist had determined that I had moderate damage due to Celiac Disease.

The only treatment for Celiac Disease is avoiding gluten. And might I just say... THANK GOD! Although it has been difficult to cut out all of the delicious glutenous foods, to not have to deal with more injections and drugs that have side effects is fabulous. Within three days of starting the gluten free diet, I had energy I never knew existed. It takes about 6 months for the SI to heal itself, so I'm sitting tight. I have accidentally ingested gluten a few times (by cross-contamination), and it has been unpleasant. The worst part is the exhaustion that can last for days.

Perhaps the best thing that happened with getting Celiacs is the excuse to try new and delicious (and often expensive) foods. Since being diagnosed I have eaten polenta, made lots of Pad Thai, tried Amy's gluten free meals, and talked my mom into buying me sugary cereals (like Fruity Pebbles and Trix). I get to experiment and find the best versions of pizza crusts and pastas. I've also become even more aware of the food I eat. Since I now have to look hard at ingredient lists, I try to pick foods where I can pronounce all of the ingredients.

The one thing though... the bread will never be as good. No xantham gum can change that.

Love,
Natalie

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Big Love, Painting, and Other Fun Things

Dear Blogosphere,

I am loving this season of Big Love! So much drama. Nicki was forced to be a 15 year old bride (and is secretly taking birth control), Sarah (my favorite character) is pregnant, Roman is about to go down (maybe), Anna has idiotically decided to join this raw patriarchy. It is getting exciting!

So my sister and I went to help my other sister and her fiance paint. Holy cow! They are painting like mad and it was already looking greatly improved. Before we started, we had Noodles & Co. They made their Pad Thai gluten free for me. Delicious.

Yesterday (Sunday) I went to the supposed great liquidation at Circuit City. No joke, a printer I was looking as was less expensive at Target. Did they mark everything up to "liquidate" it? They were selling a no-name turntable for $150. I saw a name brand double turntable on sale for $100 a while back elsewhere. I was quite disappointed.

So, I should have news from my prospective grad programs soon. I have a good feeling about Davis and the U. Will keep you posted as things become official.

Have a fabulous week, blogosphere! I love you!

-Natalie

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Statistics

Dear Blogosphere,

I just finished the first stats paper of the semester. I have no idea if I did it right. Or wrong. Or somewhere in between. It certainly isn't creative but I think I succeeded in writing "plain English." When I finished it I thought, "That's it? Should I have more to say?" Is that a good feeling to have? Yikes.

Since I've gone gluten-free, I've been forced to look at ingredient lists on food (before, with type 1 diabetes, I was looking only at nutrition facts). It's pretty scary. I was at the grocery store this evening and saw that there was a sale on "Guacamole Dip." Holy crap. What is that stuff? Just chemicals after chemicals and the mysterious "natural flavors." I decided to see how much "Guacamole" was. It was twice the price, but had very few ingredients. And, interestingly enough, less than half the calories (40 per 2 tbsps versus 100 per 2 tbsps). "Guacamole Dip," by the way, is not vegan. Weird.

Speaking of gluten, perhaps it would be fun for me to let you, dear Blogosphere, know about the crazy things that contain gluten. I will list more as I find more. Anyway, here are some tonight.

-Makeup - including lipstick, glosses, eyeshadow, etc.
-Shampoos and conditioners
-The sticky part of envelopes (possibly the best thing about having Celiac disease)
-Orange Shasta
-Licorice
-Flavorings, like vanilla, lemon, etc.
-Rice Krispies
-Cream of Mushroom Soup, Chilis
-Lots of meat products -- lunch meat, hotdogs, bacon, etc.
-Mustards
-Pringles

Well, I shall post again soon, Blogosphere! Until then, good night and good luck!

-Natalie

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