First off, I really want to thank those of you who participated in the OU Cookbook Tornado Relief Drive last month. The money you raised has been sent to those who need it. So thank you again for your generosity. Your help is much appreciated!
www.epacha.org
I don't know about you, but the 4th of July has slowly become one of my favorite holidays in my adult years. Oh, I loved it as a kid too, because there was always a cookout with my family, followed by the men in my family having a few beers then lighting explosives on fire. So you know, good times. However, after I grew up and moved away from home, Independence Day just lost it's luster for me. Suddenly, I realized that I missed going to the fairgrounds, mom spreading out a blanket and setting a paper grocery bag full of popcorn in my lap, and the crowd "ooh" and "ahhhh-ing" in unison after each firework exploded across the night sky. There was a time in my adulthood when I realized that there were no cookouts, no drunken uncles setting the yard on fire, and no real sense of tradition, which I learned was a very important ingredient in enjoying the holidays - any holiday.
So, I decided to create traditions - cookout, fireworks, fun. And the only fire in the yard is the controlled one inside the fire pit on the patio. Now, I host the cookout for lunch every year. I don't do the grilling, but I do the hunting & gathering, side-dishes, and themed trays.
OMG! DID I JUST SAY, "THEMED?"
Yes, yes I did. And we all know how much I LOVE themed things! I get tickled to death about making themed foods, so Independence Day is something I look forward to these days. I get excited about seeing what I can come up with that differs from the year before.
This year I decided to sketch out some theoretical food tray ideas, back in June. Nothing too fancy, just themed and fun!
The one on the left is supposed to represent the American flag filled with cheese and veggies. I took a large baking sheet and covered it in aluminum foil, then laid down a sheet of wax paper... Wait, wait - time out...
IMPORTANT NOTE: First thing to do whenever you are making a fruit or veggie tray is to thoroughly wash all of your produce and set it aside until it is needed.
Ok, now that I've covered my important safety announcement, let's continue. To begin putting this tray together, I sliced up some provolone, pepper-jack, and Vermont sharp white cheddar. You can use any kind of white cheeses - Havarti, mozzarella, Gouda, etc. Then I sliced up 2 red bell peppers and picked out some cherry tomatoes. I layered everything in the form of the flag's red and white stripes then as follows:
Provolone
Red peppers
Pepper-Jack
Tomatoes
White Cheddar
More red peppers
Then I got some blue corn chips and put a couple of handfuls of them in the square of the upper left-hand corner to finish off the American flag look, and ta-da!
The sketch on the right in the concept drawing above was an idea I had for fruit. I wasn't sure if the fruit tray was going to work, and honestly, I was leaning toward really thinking that it wouldn't. But, I gave it go. The first thing I did was slice up some strawberries and laid them down in a border pattern on a round, plastic tray, in order to crate the outline of the star. Then I put a small ramekin in the center, to hold the place where the dip was going to go. I then carefully spread blueberries all around the ramekin, inside the strawberry star boarder until it was filled up. Then, I cut a block of softened cream cheese in half and put one half of it in a small mixing bowl. I added about a teaspoon of sugar and about a half of a teaspoon of vanilla...then maybe a little more vanilla ;) Now I'm not talking about that imitation vanilla crap, I mean the real extract, just so we're clear. Don't use the crap, you're just cheating yourself. Ok, so then I mixed it all together and spooned the mixture into the ramekin. Viola!
I had my doubts, but I think it turned out pretty good. Ok, well, it looks more like a starfish than a star, but hey, I free-handed it so that's the best I could do. Starfish are pretty too. (Even plastic ones like this one)
tapirback.com
Thanks for reading, and if you have any 4th of July themed dishes that you made this year, and would like to share, please put them in comments below. Recipes and pictures are always welcome.
Oh, I almost forgot! Every year I make a cherry pie too with a different pastry symbol in the middle. This year I decided to stick with the starfish theme. I haven't mastered (or even gotten close really) the weaving of the crust strips, but it's something I'd like to work on for the future. Anyway, here's a pic of it:
Don't think that I forgot about the Geek Recipe Giveaway winner, ccmidget2003 for her Lightsaber pretzel recipe...because I didn't. She will be receiving a free autographed copy of the University of Oklahoma Cookbook as her prize. Congratulations!
It has been a busy and somber time in Oklahoma these past several weeks. Record-setting tornadoes and severe weather have been raking over the state and there have been many losses, great and small.
Brennan Linsley - AP Photo
My heart goes out to the victims for the devastation they have experienced, and also to those who are doing anything they can to help. The teams and individuals who have stepped up to assist family, friends, and strangers alike, have been crucial to the recovery process of those affected.
Brett Deering - Getty Images
I would also like to help in whatever small way that I can, so I am going to donate all profits from my University of Oklahoma Cookbook to the American Red Cross and local tornado animal rescue shelters. If you would like to donate to this cause in this way, please visit my FaceBook page and send me a private message. I will let you know where you can send a check. I have a limited personal supply and this offer is only through me, not my publisher (Gibbs Smith) or Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or any place else that sells my book. I am selling them for $15 each (autographed and personalized if you would like) plus shipping. Anyone is welcome to donate more than the asking price, and be assured that any amount over the $15 (plus shipping) will be fully donated to the above mentioned entities. This fund-raising event will end by June 30th, or whenever I run out of books, whichever comes first.
Father's Day is coming up, so why not get Dad a great tailgating gift, plus help out those in need at the same time? For more information about my personal experiences with the Oklahoma tornadoes, as well as why I choose to support the American Red Cross, see the Sidney Daily News article from my home town newspaper in Ohio under the "Articles" tab above.
Happy May, Everyone! The first week of May is generally a happy time for geeks. During that week there are at least 2 fantastic happenings to celebrate, and look forward to: Free Comic Book Day, and Star Wars Day. This year, they just happened to fall on the same day...
I know, right? For those of you not up on your geek history, it's ok, I can help. Free Comic Book Day started in 2002 as a promotional event to introduce new readers to the wonderful world of comics. It's main purpose today is the same, to get new readers into independent comic shops, to say thank you to repeated customers, and to bring back any wayward souls who lost interest in comics somewhere along the way. And for those of us who have been in all 3 of those categories at one time or another, I can tell you that Free Comic Book Day is an event to look forward to! You get up in the morning (yes, I said morning...on a Saturday, even though FCBD morning doesn't actually start until 9:30 or 10am for me), gear up with your best or cleanest geek gear, and get to your local comic book shops right when they open. Some even line up a bit before opening, but I haven't done that yet.
I am fortunate enough to have 2 local comic book shops left in Norman that I go to, and even though some of the chain stores participate, I don't go to them for this day - it just doesn't feel right. Some stores not only give away free comics, but also free swag of some sort: buttons, posters, back issues, key chains, and other promotional items. Sometimes you will even find comic book authors and artists at these events to sign or draw something for you. Talk to them, ask questions, say "Thanks for adding to the creative force," or whatever, they would love to visit with you. I look forward to Free Comic Book Day every year! Here's Hugh Jackman, encouraging you to go...and plugging his movie...
Now, you are probably asking yourself why is May 4th also known as Star Wars day? even though technically May 25th is actually Star Wars Day Well, maybe this will help:
Ha! Get it? It's punny. No? Ok then, if you're still confused go here and read all about it. There's also this for the day after...
"Ok, come on, Jen, what's this have to do with food?"
(See, I knew what you were thinking. I used the fourth force.)
Alright, well, I LOVE Star Wars and all things geek, and I LOVE hosting parties for whatever reason. So I thought that I might try and see what kinds of foods I could come up with for next year's May 4th celebration, if I should decide to host one. Now, if you do an internet search for things like "Star Wars themed foods" or "Star Wars party ideas" you will find lots and lots of creative names and foods related to Star Wars. I wrote many of them down as well as came up with a few of my own.
Yoda-dillas: Chicken quesadillas made with spinach tortillas cut into Yoda shapes using one of these nifty Yoda pancake molds.
Boba Fettuccine: Fettuccine Alfredo
Coruscant Crescents: Ham and cheese sandwiches on crescent rolls
Padawan-tons: Cream cheese wantons
Padme Popcorn: Different flavors of popcorn
Snips' Chips: (an homage to the Clone Wars) Different types of chips tossed together in a bowl
Skywalker Scones: Homemade scones
Corellian Calzones: Homemade pizza pockets
Gaffi Taffy: Different flavors of taffy
So, I made a few different dishes this weekend to get some tested ideas out...well, more into my belly. Friday night I made Han Burgers, Vater Taters, Mon Mac N' Chesse, and Aurra Sing Green Beans. Other people came up with Han Burgers and Vater Taters, but the rest of the names, I thought fit the bill. Everything turned out wonderful except I tried to cut the Han Burgers in the shape of a Millenium Falcon with one of these sandwich cutters:
Yeah, mine did NOT look like that. However, I'm pretty sure they were meant more for the PB&J type of thinness, as opposed to my 1/4 pound stacked and dressed burger patty on a dense bun. I meant to get a pic of them, but was so hungry I forgot :/ Even though the Han Burgers were not picture-perfect, they were still good. For the Mon Mac N' Cheese, I just took a box of Kraft Three Cheese something or other, and added some pepper jack, colby jack, and American cheese to it with some half-n-half. I know, all of my recipes are super good for watching your weight! I obviously know nothing about dieting. And the Aurra Sing Green Beans, are just seasoned French cut green beans.
Saturday, I tried the Corellian Calzones. I got frustrated with trying to manipulate the pizza dough and smashed the first one up. Then I realized that a floured surface makes all the difference in the world, and the rest were made with happy feelings of accomplishment.
Sunday, I spent the afternoon roasting a Bantha in the crock-pot Ok, it wasn't really Bantha, I mean, they aren't even in season right now. It was just a pork roast with some seasonings. When it was cooked I pulled the pork apart then put it back in the crock-pot with BBQ sauce for another half and hour and called it BBQ Bantha. By the way, this recipe can be found under the title of "Sooner Sliders" on page 27 of the University of Oklahoma Cookbook, if you would like the full details.
And for dessert, I made Thermal Detonators, which were really just Oreo Truffles.
And now for the...
***FREE GIVEAWAY!***
Here is the challenge: you have until May 25th (The Original Star Wars Day) to come up with an original recipe that has a geek-related theme. REMEMBER - IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE STAR WARS...It doesn't matter what genre it comes from, as long as it is geeky and fun. If you need some ideas about what would fit into that category, just go to ThinkGeek and get your creativity flowing! Post your entries below in the comments and a winner will be chosen next month to receive a free signed copy of my University of Oklahoma Cookbook!
So, how was everyone's string of spring holidays? Are we out of them? Already? I think we could always use more holidays, myself - for vacation day purposes, yes, but mostly because of the fact that holidays are themed. And I LOVE themes!
Traditionally, I will cook something like Irish stew for St. Patrick's Day, but this year I wanted to do something different. (Plus it was way too warm for stew in my neck of the woods that day). So I got another brilliant idea from Mr. Gordon Ramsay to make herb-crusted lamb. His recipe was for a rack of lamb, but all I could get a hold of were lamb loin chops. No biggie. Anyway, I thought, "Yeah, it's lamb, and it's coating is green - I've got the St. Patty's Day theme nailed!"
And I did, for the most part, (it wasn't as green as I thought it should've been after I cooked it). I served it with some golden potato and garlic mash, and it was all very lovely. But when I started eating it, I came to a very sad conclusion...I just don't like lamb :(
I've put lamb in my stews, I've fried it, baked it, and herb-crusted it, but I can honestly say that even though I'll eat it if I have to, I don't really care for the natural flavor of lamb at all! I know, I made myself sad. I know it sounds silly to be sad about not liking something, but I really really wanted to like it! However, I do LOVE gyro meat! Mmmmm. It's probably because the lamb is sometimes mixed with other meats and is always loaded with awesome Mediterranean seasonings. I don't even care what it is, it's good. Period.
Even though I was all very distraught at first at the realization that I don't like lamb, I started feeling better about it for a few reasons:
Lamb is EXPENSIVE!!!
It is difficult to find, as opposed to some other meats that I like better.
It is nearly impossible to find off the bone unless it is ground (at least where I am), so if you need lamb for stew, you have to buy it in chops, (paying for the bone weight, mind you) and cut it off the bone. Which isn't pretty because the meat is so tender that it stretches and you don't even get that much meat per chop.
Did I mention that it is crazy expensive for what little meat you get?
It tastes like it's going bad to me, even when it is fresh. I just don't care for the flavor, and it doesn't look like it will grow on me any time soon, much to my dismay, so I've decided to accept it. Even though I'm convinced I should like this meat!
Message to self - It's okay if you don't like it.
Speaking of lamb, does anyone have a traditional Easter meal that they cook? My family always had baked ham, red-eye gravy (gravy is always an important "side dish"), some sort of veggie like green bean casserole or scalloped corn, dinner rolls, pie, coconut cake, and what is referred to as "Green Stuff." Apparently, I later learned in my adult years, "Green Stuff" is known to the general public as lime ambrosia. It looks like this, only it's green...
The ingredients are the same for both, accept for the red one is made with cherry Jell-O and the "Green Stuff" is made with lime. It's an easy, tasty dessert that is a really great ending to an amazing meal. Not too heavy, and not too sweet. Well, it IS sweet, but not crazy overboard sweet like some of the richer desserts can be.
I will be having a give-a-way contest soon. Be sure to hit the "Join This Site" button under the "Followers" heading on the right of this post, so that you don't miss your chance to win an autographed copy of the University of Oklahoma Cookbook!
Ok, I have power now, so Sunday Lupper Adventures continued...
So, the Sunday after Salmon en Croute, I tried another fish recipe. I just made it up based on what I had on hand. I call it, um...how about White Fish Dish? No, no that's terrible, I'm not calling it that. Ok, I got it - Panko Herb Crusted Flounder. Yeah, we'll call it that, because that's what it was. For those of you who follow me on Facebook, you already got a glimpse of the "recipe", but for those who didn't, here's what I did:
Panko Herb Crusted Flounder
Ingredients:
2 pieces of flounder (thawed, if frozen)
1.5 TBLS. of butter
About 1 TBLS. of fresh basil (chopped)
About 1 TBSL. of fresh dill (chopped)
1 tsp. of fresh thyme
1/4 cup of Panko crumbs
1 TBLS of shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
Salt & Pepper to taste
Lemon for garnish
In a small bowl, melt the butter and then add in the basil, dill, and thyme. Then add the Panko crumbs and Parmesan cheese and stir until thoroughly blended. Spray a baking dish generously with cooking spray (I used Olive Oil Pam) and add the fish fillets to the dish. Spread the Panko mixture on top of the fish, then add salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley.
Bake, uncovered, for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Cut up a lemon for garnish, or to squeeze on the fish after it is cooked.
Remember the herb new potatoes and sauteed garlic broccoli that I made to go with the Salmon en Croute? Well, turns out, it's good with this as well. So if you need some quick and healthy sides, these will do the trick. Or you can steam some broccoli florets and season with sea salt and a little cheese, which is also tasty.
***Even with the sides, this meal only takes about 20-25 minutes from start to finish. AND it is totally good for you too! You can't beat that.***
And of course, I have completely forgotten to take a picture of any of these dishes, so I will have to do that next time I cook them and upload them onto here in place of this awesome string of words! YAY! (I will most likely forget to do this, so don't be shocked)
Alright, by the time the next Sunday had rolled around, I was tired of making fish and decided I needed to make my own quesadillas. Love them in Mexican restaurants, but I never tried making them at home, so this was my chance!
I'm sure I could perfect measurements and all that jazz, but honestly, some things are just better when you throw them in together and use measurement descriptions like "pinch of," and "fist full," and "tittle," (which is a word I always just thought my mom made up, but it turns out that it is actually in the dictionary, so...I know, who knew?). Also, there is my personal favorite cooking phrase that my grandma uses, "until it looks right." Ok, so here's what I did:
Quesadillas
Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts (cut into chunks)
Olive oil
1 sm can of Rotel tomatoes and green chilies
1/2 each of Green and Red bell peppers (seeded and chopped)
Colby-Jack and/or Cheddar-Jack cheese
Pepper-Jack cheese
Fresh cilantro (finely chopped - or as small as you want to do)
1 sm lime - for juice
Taco seasoning
Paprika
Black pepper to taste
4 flour tortillas (or more if smaller than 8")
Cooking spray
Heat about a TBSL of olive oil in a medium skillet, on medium heat. Add the chicken, a bit of lime juice, cilantro some black pepper, paprika, and a light sprinkle of taco seasoning. Turn as needed, and add more olive oil if needed. Cook until chicken is tender and no longer pink in the center (or you know, 'til it looks right). Remove the chicken and set to the side. In the same skillet add a bit more olive oil and saute the green and red peppers until tender. Add in the can of Rotel (do NOT drain), a bit more cilantro and about a cupped palm-full of taco seasoning. Add the Stir until all ingredients are well blended and add the chicken back into the pan. Remove pan from burner and set aside.
Using the same (already hot) burner, get a large skillet and let it warm up a bit. Get out 2 tortillas and spray one side of each with the cooking spray, and go ahead and spray just a bit in the skillet, but don't overdo it. Ok, once the skillet is hot lay one of the tortillas spray side down. Quickly layer on the pepper-jack, then a little Colby/cheddar-jack, then half of the chicken mixture, then more Colby/cheddar-jack. Place the other prepared tortilla on top, spray side up. When the cheeses on the bottom get melting pretty good, use a wide spatula and slip it under the bottom of the quesadilla.
Now here's the tricky part - you can use your free hand and place it on top to help with the flip, but be careful not to burn yourself...as I have never done many times. I however, find it a little easier to flip the quesadilla by lifting it with the spatula, then tipping the skillet sideways, then in one swift ninja-like motion I flip the quesadilla while bringing the pan down level. Either way, if you have my luck, you will lose some of the filling (just shove it back in there), the tortillas will be cockeyed (adjust it quickly after the flip the best you can), and you are about to set off the smoke alarm because you lost some cheese-covered pepper to the burner, (it's ok, just wave a dish towel around under the smoke detector and it will shut off). Ta-da!
When that side is done, remove the quesadilla from the pan and cut into four's with a pizza cutter. Then make the second one the same way. Only, maybe a little better now since you've had practice with the flip?
***Leave out the chicken to make fantastic veggie quesadillas!***
Serve these with some refried beans and tortilla chips on the side and with salsa for dipping. If you want to make a quick and easy fresh salsa from scratch, see page 44 for the recipe to Sooner Nation Salsa in the University of Oklahoma Cookbook!
More to come about what I attempted to do did for St. Patrick's Day Sunday Lupper!
I know that in my last post, I talked about how I thought that I may or may not have some sort of gluten allergy. Well, it turns out that I don't, but I do have other dietary issues such as anemia and a severe slight Girl Scout cookie addiction. That being said, I know I said I would create and post some new gluten-free recipes, but the fact of the matter is...I've moved on to a different focus. Now, that doesn't mean that I won't do that sometime in the future, because I am interested in the gluten-free phenomenon. It just means not this time around.
Instead today I would like to talk about all the new recipes that I've tried over the last several weeks! In my household, we try to assign dinner happenings with each day of the week. For instance, Monday used to be Taco Bell Monday, until Taco Bell started making us sick every time we ate it. So, we just decided to make homemade tacos on Mondays and skip fighting over the bathroom for the rest of the night. Tuesdays are leftovers or "Get what you want nights" which basically means fend for yourself. Wednesday is our eat out night of burgers or BBQ, Thursday is calzone night at a local pizza joint (because that's the restaurant's special for that day). Friday used to be Pizza Night before we found calzone Thursdays so now Friday is a little up in the air, but I usually cook some sort of easy meal like spaghetti or something. Saturday is the same as Friday, but lunch is always leftovers from the week. But Sunday - Sunday is my day to create!
Sunday the kitchen is mine to experiment with something new or try out a recipe that I found and think will be a challenge to cook. Or at least that is what Sundays have become. They used to be just big meal days, such as roast, chicken schnitzle, etc. But Sunday lunch (or lupper as I call the meal between lunch time and supper time), has evolved into something much more rewarding.
The first thing I tried in the evolution revolution, was one of Gordon Ramsey's dishes called Salmon en Croute.
I left the grain mustard off, because if you've been reading this blog from the beginning, you'll know that I just don't like mustard. This dish was exciting for me to try because:
1) I've never cooked with fresh dill or fresh basil, or even salmon fillets for that matter!
2) I have never used pie crust for anything other than pies, I know weird right? (Not really)
So, I went to the market in town that carries the best fresh and frozen fish and looked for either one whole side of salmon, or a couple of fillets. The best option was a fresh frozen (I know, what an oxymoron) side of salmon and it looked delicious! But there was a problem. The recipe specifically calls for the salmon to be skinned. All the awesome cooking show chefs say you can just ask your local butcher to remove the skin for you. Well, I didn't see how my local butcher could remove it from a frozen fish, but maybe he had some fillets or a thawed side that he could remove it from while I waited. Just as I was thinking that, my friendly local butcher asked if he could help me. I explained what I needed and why and he asked what the recipe was that I was cooking. "Salmon en Croute," I said. And then his eyes glazed over, but he replied with an "uh, huh." He told me he did not have any salmon without the skin, but that it will peel right off when I cook it. I re-explained that the fish would be encased in a pastry so that wouldn't work...to which he repeated, "Well, it'll just fall right off if you cook it." Yes, thanks genius.
I took the salmon home and let it thaw overnight in the fridge. The next day I unwrapped it and tried tugging on the skin to see what I was really dealing with. Hm, it was not going to come off without a fight, (or according to the genius butcher, fire). However, I had a knife. Mind you, it was not a filleting knife, or a fancy knife, or even a sharp knife for that matter - I know, a dull knife is the most dangerous thing in a kitchen. Maybe I'll get a round to sharpening them all, but for now, I'm going to keep telling my story. So anyway, it wasn't all that bad, it just took some patience . I held the corner of the skin, prying it up just enough to make an incision (yes, I'm now an official animal skin surgeon). I sliced slowly as close to the skin as I could, cutting off the least amount of meat with the tough skin as I gently pulled it back and away from the fillet. I took off a few chunks when I accidentally sliced a little deeper into the meat than I meant to, but all in all, it came off pretty well. I don't need no stinkin' heat to teach that skin who's boss!
*Oh, and just FYI - bake the salmon on a baking sheet with edges, because I did not and about half way through cooking, the butter leaked out of the parcell, dripped off the pan and all over the bottom of my oven. There was a lot of smoke inside of it and I was about 3 minutes from setting my entire kitchen on fire. This has been a The More You Know: Cooking Addition announcement. You are welcome.*
I have to be honest, fish is not one of my favorite meats unless it is batter-dipped, deep fried, and covered in catsup, mostly because the flavor isn't really all that appealing to me. Therefore, I never cook fish, I don't really know what to do with it. However, this one dish was so amazing, that it made me wonder what else I could do with other varieties of fish?
Ack! I have more recipes and Sunday Lupper experiences to share, but my laptop battery is dying! Ok, stay tuned for more to come...
Generally speaking...ok, all-the-time-speaking, I don't do sugar-free, caffeine-free, fat-free, or "free" anything! Why? Well, lots of reasons, most of them having to do with taste. However, it also has to do with the seriously unnatural chemicals and/or processes that go into making "free" foods. That being said, there are naturally "free" things that I do enjoy without trying to go "free": such as caffeine-free teas, gluten-free fruits & veggies, fat-free Red Vine licorice (you know, natural things), etc.
What I would like to focus on today, is the topic of gluten-free, (even though I could talk about red licorice all day). I have been anemic my entire life (which, as far as I know, has nothing to do with gluten, just hear me out). I have good days and bad based on what I decide to eat/drink, as well as my mental and physical stress levels. Lately, I've been feeling super fatigued on a regular basis. But I'm taking my iron supplements every day, and I'm not drinking coffee (an iron succubus). So what's the deal? And then, JT asked me to look for some Chips Ahoy kind of cookies that might be gluten-free while on one of my hunting and gathering trips. So, I went to the awesome Natural Grocers in town, and they had some cookies in the Chips Ahoy style, made by Kinnikinnick.
I thought about to my visit back home for Thanksgiving, and how my cousin told me that she was allergic to wheat gluten and how she was on a completely gluten-free eating regiment. Now that I think about it, my family has always had bad digestive systems, but it's generally because we listen to our mouths instead of our bodies most of the time. Anyway, my cousin talked about how eating gluten-free was sometimes really hard because some things that were made gluten-free tasted really awful. Case in point, she had me try some gluten-free graham crackers, and they were truly off-putting. However, I smothered them in melted Andes Mints, then they were not so bad at all! But then again, that's not really fair because I could smother anything in Andes Mints and it would be epically awesome! So I decided then and there that all things gluten-free tasted horrible and I would be going nowhere near such things! Now I'm not talking about the naturally gluten-free foods that I don't even pay attention to what kind of "free" they are, mind you, just the kinds of foods that we enjoy with gluten, manufactured to be without.
That being said, remember the gluten-free NOT Chips Ahoy cookies I was telling you about? FANTASTIC!! Seriously, I could hardly tell the difference, and the difference I could tell, I thought was better in the Kinnikinnick gluten-free cookies! But are things that are manufactured to be gluten-free actually good for you? Or do they have the same kinds of chemicals and unhealthy processing practices as sugar-free foods? After some light research, what I found so far was that gluten-free manufactured products are made with wheat flour substitutions like potato starch and corn starch, which can raise your blood sugar levels, which can lead to a whole other set of problems, but not any chemical crap. So, look for gluten-free substitutions that either do not have these starches, or at least eat them with cautious moderation. And remember, according to Cookie Monster, "cookies are a sometimes food," so guide your paunch. *Note to self*
Ok, back to what I was saying at the beginning about feeling bad on a regular basis. Well, I always immediately think when I'm really fatigued that it has to be my low iron or stress, but this week, I kept thinking that I did't know if I felt like I'm lacking necessary nutrients, or if I'm slowly poisoning myself with something. So I did some research, and I am pretty sure that I also have either a gluten allergy, or I am gluten intolerant. But the more I am learning the more I want to seriously put this theory to the test.
See, I kept ignoring any symptoms or self-diagnosis that would lead me to have to stay far far away from gluten, because, when I think "gluten-free" I think "yuck!" So, it was easy for me to just ignore it and keep poisoning my body slowly. But now that I've had those awesome Kinnikinnick cookies, it has opened my mind to the possibility that eating a gluten-free diet may not only be doable, but that it might actually have the potential to be a tasty lifestyle!
So, I'm going to test the gluten-free waters to see if A) I do in fact have a gluten allergy/intolerance, and 2) to challenge myself to make some tasty recipes using all gluten-free ingredients. I will keep a journal of sorts of my progress and findings, and report back. Hopefully, I will eventually have a whole new section up here for gluten-free dishes for you to try!
