Triumph Dining: A Review for a Gluten Free Resource

I started this awhile ago, and never got the chance to finish it. Here is my honest review.

Enjoy!

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I don't know about you; but when I started off having to eat gluten free, I used resources and the web a lot. I came across something called "triumph Dining Cards" but never thought much about it. I didn't think I needed that. You see I thought my eating out experiences would be very limited, or not happen at all.

So why bother?

Why bother indeed? I got contacted by a woman named Jennifer who asked if I would review the latest copy of the Triumph dining. I do not get paid for this or have any agenda or financial interest in this company. I don't want to be paid, otherwise I couldn't say exactly what I feel. I am not tied to anything, except myself and my character; I prefer to be an honest, reliable person. That you can count on.

I procrastinated sending her the info, and then said, "Sure. Why not?" My goal for this blog is to share gluten free food options, and this fits right in.

Well, I just looked at it about two hours ago. And already I love it, and wish I bought one sooner. I think that it is an amazing resource to have, very handy to keep in the car, or bring on a road trip.

There was something that I found amazing.

Gluten Free Pizza. In a town close-by; where we visit often. Where we have family. Where we have ordered pizza for everyone else while I got sushi. Where I can go and eat pizza with my family (they do not need to eat gluten free) and be included.

And. I. Never. Knew. About. It.

Until I got this book. Right there. It would be worth it. And my husband is so excited he is trying to find a day for us to go out there and eat. And this is a man you used to think traveling for just food is crazy.

Funny how things change.

The book now stays in the car, or checked before we travel. Sometimes I bring it along. They have a website now, and a place to add any restaurants you go to to add to their next edition. Go there, check it out, and share the information.

www.triumphdining.com

Cheers!
Danielle

Happy Holidays...Let's Be Thankful

NH Ice Storm, December 2008
Originally uploaded by doortoriver

I live in New Hampshire, and you may have heard about us lately in the news. "Ice Storm...2008." I didn't have any power, running water, or heat, except for our gas fireplace, (and a borrowed generator for part of an evening that gave us a heat boost, Thank You!) for 5 days.. And there are still people without power now. I hope they get it soon.

The last night without power, we packed up some clothes, and went to my parent's house in Massachusetts. The luxury of a light bulb was amazing. I admit it. I am a spoiled princess, I like flushing toilets, running water, light, and heat, all on demand. I had never been without power for so long before.

One night we all jumped into bed together, 2 children, husband and wife and dog, all snuggled under the blankets to keep warm. And we all went to bed at the same time, and got up at the same time. One woman I talked to said she kind of liked living like this. It was simple. Go to bed when dark. Get up when light. Do what chores you can. Eat. Start over.

People came together more to help each other. My neighbor gave up time with that borrowed generator to let us have itthe whole time, since his family was staying somewhere else. And I am sure his pipes would have liked that heat. People visited each other and checked on each other. Many people called offering help, a shower, or a place to stay since they had power, or a generator.

One day I sat in my friend's kitchen, keeping her company and watching her bake her Christmas cookies while my children played in her heated, lit home. If it wasn't for the power outage, we never would have taken the time to visit with each other for an entire day during the Christmas season. Relaxing and chatting in her kitchen, I realized just how comfortable our friendship is, and what a gift true friends are.

Sometimes it stinks being gluten free, not at home, but when I go out. Going to a party and not being able to eat anything, having a new neighbor bring you a baked good, not yet knowing you can't eat, explaining yourself at a restaurant again and again, or finding yourself hungry and unprepared, without anything safe to eat.

There is the other side, we live in a country with faults, but we have freedoms. More and more restaurants are becoming gluten free savvy. We have access to all different kinds of gluten free foods, things that other gluten free eaters couldn't even fathom 10 years ago. There are countless cookbooks, and gluten free blogs, and support groups. So much information literally at our fingertips to stay healthy.

And most of all, we know what was making us sick.

Count your blessings, I am counting mine.

Happy Holidays!
Cheers,
Danielle

PS Since I have not been able to cook much, I do not have a recipe for you. If I get some time after cleaning up after the power outage mess, and Christmas fun, I will post.

Sunglasses, Guest Blogger, & Last Post about Paris

I know, I know. I keep on coming back to Paris. How can I help it? I promise, this will be the last post that I write about it, and, I have to say, this post is only a little about Paris. (Down in the middle of the post are the links to the "travel there" information, if that's what you are looking for.) Mostly, it's about taking off my sunglasses.

As many have noticed, my profile picture never showed my entire face, until now. Until Paris. My husband was a bit skeptical about blogs, and about revealing my identity. I promised him I wouldn't, and kept that promise, except for one small thing.

My name. Mrs. G.F. is actually my married name. It is my true identity. It was too clever not to use. And that is how my blog title and blogger name came to be.

I digress. We were at Angelina's, I was drinking the infamous, luscious hot chocolate, my husband had the same and a croissant, and we chatted for our first morning in Paris. Having time alone to talk, and to think together for so many hours, days, alone, without other distractions was a true gift. The rest, the city, the food, the culture, were all a beautiful bonus.

I am happy. Content. My body has healed itself from eating a gluten free diet. I have the world's most amazing friends who prepare food for me that is gluten free, when they have parties, have me over for coffee, or just a drop off to taste something that they made that is naturally gluten free. I have a husband that totally understands, and has re-arranged our home to accommodate my needs, and the rest of my family's needs. The family holiday meals always has food for me to eat. It is wonderful after being sick, to realize health.

In this place of coming back to myself, new and improved, and with more understanding about blogs, and how these gluten free blogs help so many people. I have changed a few things. My personal profile is updated if you want to know a little more about me. And, if you check out my profile picture, you'll see I have taken the sunglasses off (with my husband's blessing, of course!!).

And, now I will introduce myself. My name is Danielle, I am Mrs. G.F., and I live in New Hampshire (a great state if I do say so myself). Nice to meet you. I love sharing the realities of living on a gluten free diet, and I love food. Always have, always will.

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I was a guest blogger today. If you head over to the CeliacChicks, you'll see my post about my Paris trip there. The two posts I have on eating gluten free in Paris, France have different links, connections, and tips. Make sure to check out each one if you are heading to the City of Lights.


Gluten Free Travel Paris ~ Tips, Links, & Information
Gluten Free Travel: A Gluten Free Guide to Paris

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In the next couple of weeks, I plan to do a product review, a book review (way overdue!!), and hopefully, a couple of new recipes for you that I need to tweak.

In the meantime, stay happy and healthy,

Cheers!!
Danielle

Back from Disney

Greetings. I have gotten all your comments and emails; I just haven't had enough time to answer, I hope to catch up this week. We are back, and it was a great trip, and Disney is as great as it is cracked up to be. (The above picture is from Animal Kingdom and the safari, it was beautiful.)

This will not a super long post, but I will throw a few things in here, and maybe more another day if I think of them.

~ I still had the flu while we were there, but thank goodness for some good doctoring and some good gluten free drugs, I was able to soldier on and make some great memories with my children and husband.

~ We did get a small condo to stay in and that worked great; we stayed at Floridays Resort, and it was in a great location.

~ We attended a show called Arabian Nights. It was wonderful, my two children were completely mesmerised. The surprising part? The dinner was naturally gluten free, as well as the dessert. The waiter even knew that the chocolate sauce on the ice cream contained corn syrup and asked me if that was a problem. Very cool.

~ One tip when ordering burgers gluten free at Disney, as for the sides you want, and they will get them from the back. I read somewhere that the better term for chefs than cross-contamination is cross-contact. The word contamination refers to germs or bacteria.

~ I did not take pictures off all the food I ate, or every place I ate at. This was my vacation after all. But if you Google it, I think you can find pictures if you like.

~ Go to the Town Hall and ask for a list of the gluten free foods available and you will get a print out of everything.

That's all for now. I have many things to do, now that I am finally feeling better!

Cheers!!!

Gluten Free Party - Tips, Tricks & the Menu

The question: Can you throw a dressy occasion party gluten free, without your guests noticing or missing out on the gluten aspects of a 'normal' party?

The answer: Yes. With the help of a few fabulous friends (Jen, Robin, Peg, Jenn and Lindley, you ladies truly rock!!), a wonderful caterer ( Curt's Caterers), and a ton of work.

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The event, a holiday party for my husband's work. The tradition had started years before my husband started in this current job. A couple volunteers to host, and throws the party, and then someone else jumps in the next year. It is a wonderful tradition, since they do shift work, rarely get together, and this is the only yearly event.

I had the party on Jan 11th,and worked my tail off to get it done. ( I will give my menu at the end of this post, so scroll down if you want to peek! ;) I learned something very important while doing all this. I have been gluten free for just over a year, and I realized that I am back. I started feeling so sick about 5 years ago, I had completely atypical symptoms, but I think most of us had the bone numbing fatigue, the achy joints, among so many other afflictions.

Being a Mom always came first for me.; I did what needed to be done for my children and home. I was always worried about running out of energy; to not have enough for even the basics of childcare. I did not go outside and play with my children, I hated going to the park, to the pool, and all those other happy childhood things.

I was exhausted after this party I threw. But I walked away with a whole new attitude. I have the energy now. I can do all those things I couldn't before. I don't have to worry anymore about if I can, I know I can. Since the party, I have gone snowshoeing and downhill skiing ( I had not done either in over 10 years. ), and you know what? I am fine. I moved furniture around with a friend. Easy. I wasn't too exhausted to make supper, or to do homework with my daughter. I could do it all.

What an amazing, life altering realization.

I just have to get my mind used to this. To remember I don't need to sit, rest , and store up energy for the rest of the day. I can get up and do.

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The above photo is a centerpiece that one of my friends loved. She thought I should send it in to Real Simple, I thought I would throw it here, so I would remember it, because it was gorgeous and so sparkly at night.

Pretty plate, glass stone from a craft store, cheap silver or other colored ornaments (tops down), and these awesome little dinner candles from Target. Put it all together and light. The glass beads sparkle and glow from the candles. My 4 year old son and I put this together and had a great time.

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I meant to take pictures that evening, my house looked the best it ever has. So this is a picture of the aftermath; the morning after.

And the food was wonderful. It was amazing to be at a party that I did not have to worry about cross-contamination; even if it was my own.

I mentioned a caterer. I never hired one before, and definitely not one that would have to make the food gluten free. There were 34 people coming, and I knew I could not make enough food myself, so I hired them to make a few of the heavier appetizers to take some of the load off . I talked to them about their menu, and asked which items were naturally gluten free, and which would be an easy switch. (Beef teriyaki, just substitute tamari, easy!). If I was to do this party again, and not want to hire someone to make the 4 or so items I needed to round out my menu. I would make them ahead, not cooked, and freeze them. Make my stuffed mushrooms, freeze, then bake that day. That sort of thing.


There were 2 of us there that react to gluten; and neither of us did after this party. Caterer gets an A+++! As well as my friends!


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Ahh, my friends. They have to be the most understanding, wonderful ones around. They have asked, altered and completely understood my dietary needs. When Lindley makes a cheese plate for a party when I am going to be there, she always serves gluten free crackers. When Peg had a dinner party, she made the dinner gluten free, so I could eat freely. When Robin made this incredible white lasagna, she got some of my noodles and made me my own dish so I could have some. Jenn cooks gluten free for her family and has fed me when I am at the end of my rope.

So when they offered to bring something, I said yes. And they all made their food gluten free. Safe. I ate all of it, sighed and enjoyed, knowing my friends fed and feed me more than just the food they prepare.

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Limited Time Only. Link to Barefoot Contessa's Ceasar Salad recipe below. No croutons, absolutely delicious. And, Gluten Free BABY!


Party Menu:

Dessert table ~
Mini Cheese Cakes ~ Made ahead and frozen
Amaretti cookies ~ Made two days prior, stored in airtight container
Macaroons ~ Jen brought, I will get her recipe!
Edible Fruit Arrangement ~ Get a SMALL one. Or make fruit salad.
5 Minute Fudge ~ from Gluten Free Mommy.


Cold Appetizers ~
Cheese plate ~ friend brought
Marinated Shrimp ~ friend brought, Barefoot Contessa recipe
Caesar Salad ~ made with roasted tomatoes, and fried pancetta instead of croutons, friend brought, Barefoot Contessa recipe
Smoked salmon ~ bought at Sam's Club, Lassco brand, gluten free, served with assortment of gluten free crackers, and fresh gluten free bread (Check out this bread..Walk on Water), sliced, toasted in the oven with olive oil and sea salt sprinkled on top
Chips, Guacamole, & Salsa ~ self explanatory ; )
Vegetable Plate ~ friend brought

Hot appetizers ~ all done by the caterer, they made them (except for hot artichoke dip), I cooked them before and during the party
Beef Teriyaki Skewers
Chicken Satay
Mushrooms stuffed with spinach, garlic, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese
Grilled Eggplant Skewers
Hot Artichoke Dip ~ made by me, recipe coming soon

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Yeah, when I look at all this written down, it doesn't seem like much, but it did completely consume at least week to pull off. Don't forget, I had regular life to live with two children, and my husband worked the entire week prior to the event. I think I could have done more ahead if the holidays weren't just a week or two before.

It was a lovely party, well worth the effort and energy, and better yet, the experience taught how I am truly back.

Cheers!!

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OH, one last centerpiece tip. In one of the photos you can see a beautiful orchid. If you bought that at a florist shop, you would be out about $40.00. I buy them at Lowe's or Home depot for $14.00, and get a cool thing to put them in, cover with a bit of moss. The orchids last about a month. Make sure you but ones with the blossoms on; don't buy a broken one. They are nearly impossible to make bloom again.

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Links in this post:

• great gluten free /dairy free bread ~ Walk on Water, I love the no wheat-faux wheat
• Mini Cheese Cakes ~ I made two kinds, I will post directions for the blueberry lime when I get a chance, SO good, these are easy and can be made ahead, and frozen
  
• Amaretti cookies ~ easy, and can make ahead
  
• 5 Minute Fudge ~ From Gluten Free Mommy, easy and can make ahead
  
• Barefoot Contessa's Caesar Salad ~ made with pancetta instead of croutons
• Edible Fruit Arrangement ~ get a much smaller one than you think
• And the great caterer, who was willing to really work at making sure I did not get glutened, Curt's Caterers

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Cheers!!


And party on. ; )

A Long Overdue Post

I have not been around the blogger world for awhile, if you are a regular here or you author one of the blogs I frequent, you may have already noticed this. I do not have a recipe to post today, just a couple of thoughts about how I am going to continue this blog and where it is that I am, and have been.

Posting my recipes here was a way for me to deal with starting a gluten free life. I wanted a place to organize my recipes and have access to them wherever I was. A blog was a great place to do that. I figured that I could print them up into a cookbook when I wanted a paper copy around. And, then other people found this blog and started using the recipes, and that was very cool. Meeting and reading other gluten free bloggers rounded out my circle, and I feel that I have friends and support here. Blogging really rocks.

Until you feel badly for not blogging. Or reading other people's blogs. Then it feels like a responsibility.

I enjoy my computer, and I enjoy blogging and the community here (you guys are my support group), but I am not planning on blogging constantly, and I definitely don't want to post because I feel I have to. Blogging is not a paid profession (at least for me), and it's not necessarily where I was heading anyway. This is my cookbook that I like sharing.

So, I was busy living and doing this week. I took off for the day with a friend and made the two hour trip to Ikea together, finding my way back to being a Massachusetts driver and getting some very cool stuff for my kitchen. I made roasted chicken, went out to eat at The Common Man (a NH restaurant chain that will print up a list of gluten free goods they offer for dinner) with friends, another friend's house for dinner and she made a great gluten free dinner for a bunch of people and I was the only gluten free eater there, and I made my chocolate torte with berry coulis and Gluten Free Goddess's incredible Chocolate Sauce for dessert.

That was my week. And I didn't feel like writing it, or stopping it to read on my computer.

So, I am going to continue posting (recipes for my Pizzera Uno type gluten free crust coming, as well as gluten free scones), but I can't let it get in the way of living. I will look in on my friend's blogs, just not as often. I have waited 5 years to be off my computer doing life, 4 years of it feeling miserable and searching for my answer for my ill health, and 1 year fighting for balance in the answer.

So, I am not ignoring you when I don't respond to all your great posts, or not posting here. I am still around, but just running out the door to the life I had been looking for.

Thanks for reading. And I will see you around the 'net.

Sincerely,
SM

Other Blogger Recipes I want to try...

I am in an organizational mode, not much time to blog. We have been working on a small renovation since July, and it's (FINALLY) just about done. A little more tweaking to go, but I am able to move my kitchen around. The renovation was to turn my laundry room into a little butler's pantry, so my family could make gluten stuff in there (sandwiches, toast, etc), while the main kitchen remained gluten free.

I think it is going to great once I get everything organized.

We had been using the same kitchen, reserving a small counter for gluten foods, and it worked, I didn't get contaminated from it. But it was crowded (I do not have a huge kitchen), and the risk was always there. Not fair when Navy Boy gets home from his shift work, working through the night, exhausted in the morning, and having to think about which butter he can use.

So, finalizing this project has taken up a fair bit of my time lately, so I decided to pull a few of my links to other wonderful bloggers and post them here. I haven't tried these yet, but they are on my list. I have more, but this is all the time I had this morning to post, so I will throw more out there another time!!

Lighter than Air Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Crinkles (cookies)
Rosemary's Christmas cookies

Almond Orange Marmalade Muffins
Sweet Potato Ginger Muffins
Pumpkin Corn Muffins

Artisanal Sorghum Bread
Pizza Crust (Actually, I tried the pizza crust this week, it is very good, and easy.)
Homemade Ravioli

HoneyComb Candy
Pumpkin Custard Pie
Rice pudding (looks VERY easy!)



And, if you are wondering about the photo on top, it is off a baked polenta I made. It was pretty good, not a favorite, but good. I took leftover polenta, mixed a few things in there like eggs, cheese, spices, and baked until firm and crisp.

Cheers!!

Old Quebec City - Gluten Free

My husband, I call him Navy Boy here, surprised me with a short trip for our anniversary this past spring. We had never taken a trip just to go somewhere without the children since we had them. (My oldest is 6.) We went away once for a wedding, and that was this past fall.

Navy Boy was planning on telling me the day we were leaving, but a bizarre convergence of events made him spill the beans reluctantly a couple of days prior to our departure. I was glad. It gave me an opportunity to get the house ready and things in line for the children's care before we left.

This was my first trip going gluten free. I didn't do any research. Since my husband was planning it, he researched and contacted people and got a list of restaurants. When he handed me that list in the car, I felt so loved.

We are close enough that we can drive there, and one thing my dear husband did not think about was lunch on the way up. I had time to think about it, and had food in the freezer, and I had my Mr. Bento that I purchased to take my food wherever I needed to. (Mr. Bento is a food storage system from Japan that has separate little containers for food - and it keeps the food hot, cold warm or room temperature. I adore it.) I was able to pack us each some lasagna and two salads and cheese and crackers for our lunch picnic that we had after a couple of hours of driving. I love my Mr. Bento.

We arrived and checked into our adorable inn, then ran outside the door to ...freedom..no children, just us and two full days to play. And then...

I stopped. I stood in the square in front of the Frontenac, and froze. I realized at that moment, travel would be different for me, forever. I couldn't travel the way I had. It was in between mealtimes and normally, we would have walked across the square to an outdoor cafe, gotten a coffee and a croissant..maybe a ham and cheese one and a chocolate one to split, watch the people go by and plan out our evening together.

I couldn't do that anymore.

Poor Navy Boy. I was just standing there, literally. For about 10 minutes, frozen to the spot, processing. Ten minutes doesn't seem very long, until like Navy Boy, you just stand there and have to wait to see what happens.

What did happen?

I woke up. I made a plan, and walked away from that spot knowing that I was different, would have to be, and would always be. I said good-bye to something, a freedom, and walked back to the room with my husband.

We opened a bottle of wine and ate the nuts and leftover cheese we had brought with us. We walked all around with the list, in the upper part of Old Quebec, saving the lower city for the next day, trying to find a restaurant. We couldn't find one, but had fun exploring. We ended up eating at our hotel's restaurant, we were the only ones there for a bit, and got great attention, a fabulous meal and I did not get glutened.

But I have to tell you about a great restaurant. Great in the fact that it was unique in Old Quebec, and it was fancy Canadian food. Why was it unique?

When we asked if they could accommodate gluten free, they came out with a PRINTED GLUTEN FREE MENU. Printed. Telling what I could have safely. This cute, adorable, local, and might I say absolutely packed restaurant on an off season weekday night, had a menu for me.

When the waiter handed us this menu, we didn't even look at it and said, "We're in."

We sat on the outdoor patio, with heaters above us and warm plaid fleece blankets around us, after all it was a cool May evening. We drank wine, and chatted and breathed in the atmosphere, the delightfully adult atmosphere.

This amazing place? Lapin Saute.

If you go up there, go there. It was beautiful.

Weekly Menu, 101 Posts & some other thoughts

I came over to my blog this afternoon and realized that my chicken tenders post was my 100th post. I saw that number and thought that was very cool. I started this blog to help me keep my recipes organized, and ended up having other people visit, and use them. I felt like I should commemorate this occasion..how? And then I realized that I already was.

I am sitting here, drinking my cappuccino and eating the last of the date bars (recipe coming soon) my son and I made on Friday.When I started this blog, and this diet, I thought I would never eat them again. Just like I thought I would never eat homemade brownies, chocolate chip cookies, or black moons (whoopie pies). That's the part to celebrate, 100 posts about good, and some very easy, recipes to live and eat gluten free.

Weekly menu.

I love weekly menus, I think they totally help out in planning a kitchen, and making it run efficiently. It's nice to know in the morning what you will be making for dinner. I often change course, but I never have to run to the grocery store at the last minute when I have a good plan.

I am tweaking my plan, because instead of doing something different every week, I am going to do a variation on the execution of the plan. For example, my chicken night, I will always have chicken, but there is a countless number of ways to make chicken. This is what I have worked out:

Sunday: Pancakes for supper (usually pumpkin, I have a recipe I have not posted yet, check out Gluten Free Mommy's if you need one) make enough so one morning during the week I can just heat them for a fast breakfast.
Monday: Chicken
Tuesday: Beef
Wednesday: is Prince Spaghetti day, so we have pasta, but of course not Prince, gluten free pasta
Thursday:Fish, Pork or Vegetarian
Friday: Family night..so something fun..can be hot dogs, pizza,tacos, hamburgers, or go out
Saturday: leftovers or easy night

I will probably start posting my weekly menus again, I used to do them regularly on the blog, but lost the "flow" of it. There are other gluten free bloggers that post their menus: Gluten Free Mommy and the Book of Yum are two that I know of. Check them out if you need some ideas for the week!

There is another source of inspiration; I joined a new foodie blog roll, from the Leftover Queen. It is in the sidebar and has over 900 blogs on it, not all are gluten free, but it seems more gluten free ones are joining now. Check it out if you are in a browsing mood.

That is all for today; thanks for stopping by , and tomorrow, back to our regularly scheduled program, a recipe of some sort.

Cheers!

I'm Back - with a different plan for this week

It has been a wonderful summer, busy, but wonderful.

Life got so busy, I had to neglect this place. But I am back now. The children will be heading off to school tomorrow, so life will have a schedule, and I will be able to fit this, and other things in more. I am sad to see summer go, but fall is one of the best seasons. Especially here in New England. It feels like September is the start of a new year.

It also marks the beginning of my discovery that I had a gluten intolerance.

A naturopathic doctor, Pamela Herring, was the one who figured out it was gluten within the first 3 months that I started seeing her. The four years prior, the four years that I suffered, not one doctor came close. Crazy. I don't blame the physicians, most of them were great docs. The puzzle of all those symptoms, and how on earth could they connect was not a simple one. Plus, until recently celiac disease was thought to be extremely rare.

She suspected gluten after the first week on her cleanse diet. No, this is not the maple syrup with lemon juice, don't eat food kind. It is strict, but it eliminates almost all foods that cause problems, and gives your digestive system time to heal and rebalance. I cannot give you the entire cleanse info here; she designed it, plus when you do it for the full 21 days you need to be under a doctors' care. (If you are interested in this cleanse, or her, click on Pamela Herring to check it out.)

I have entertained, been entertained and wined and dined myself through the month of August. So, for the next 5 to 7 days, I am going back on the cleanse diet to clean out my system a bit.
Mostly, I will eat is brown rice, a few supplements that Dr. Herring wants taken when you do this, and a ton of veggies, and a couple of servings of fruit. I will drink a specialized protein drink a few times a day to keep that in my diet, in an easier to digest form.

I have come up with a few recipes from the last time I did this, so that is what I will be posting this week. These have most allergens removed, so these might be good for some people with multiple allergies.

So, here's to fall, a year of discovery, and continuous health.

Cheers!

Meme Me

I got tagged three times, but barely had time to get my housework done, never mind something fun like this. I was tagged by Sea from Book Of Yum, Kate from Gluten Free Gobsmacked, and Natalie from Gluten Free Mommy. Here goes.

1. Even though I feel so much better on this diet than I did before, and I will never cheat, but I will despise forever the fact that I have to be constantly on vigil with my food. It feels so opposite of my personality.

2. I love it when my friends tell me about a new bakery or something else fabulous that they love, without apologizing for it. I still love to hear about those things, and about foods they love; even if I can't eat it.

3. I met my husband (called Navy Boy here) in New Orleans on vacation. He was there one night; I was there four nights. Three weeks later he was stationed near me, and I guess, as they say, the rest is history. That was 11 years ago.

4. In my working world, I have been a manager of a pizza parlor (thank goodness I don't do that now!), an insurance underwriter, a teacher, and a consultant for a publishing company. And that was after college.

5. I took up singing again after 18 years off, and I am having a blast. I sang with a band for the first time 2 weeks ago. It rocked. I can't wait to do it again.

6. I have been gluten free for almost a year. I find myself smiling a whole lot more than I used to.

7. I think it's absolutely crazy that a food item can wreak so much havoc on a person, and go undetected for years.

8. Navy Boy and I had our first date in Boston in the North End, at Giacomo's.. Right before I went gluten free, we were going to do our first date again and stay over. Our childcare fell through. I wish we had been able to do it. I get so sad thinking we can't go there again.

As the other's have said..Darn this small gluten free community. Plus the fact, I am out of time. Company will be here any moment, and I have things to do. On the menu tonight..lasagna.

I tag any who wants to do this one, I will add your link here. :)

These are the rules:

• Once tagged, let others know who tagged you.

• Players are to list 8 random facts about themselves.

• Those who are tagged should post these rules within their meme-tag post.

• Players should tag 8 other people and notify them that they have been tagged.

Boston - Quincy Market..gluten free with flexibility!

Street Performance at Quincy Market
Originally uploaded by kahala

It has been busy here, as it can get during the summer with two wonderful children - who are out tearing around the neighborhood somewhere. I have not been great about blogging recipes, but I will get back on it, so I will at least getting one or two new ones up each week.

I will try.

I am trying to simplify my food for the summer, so it will be easier and I won't feel tied to the kitchen. And, since I am feeling so great now, I want to do more, be outside, and be social with my friends, and children.

But, I digress. I wanted to jot a quick note about Quincy Market in Boston for anyone that might head that way, needing to be gluten free.

I love Quincy Market, and for those of you who haven't been there, it is a huge building filled with restaurant stalls of great food. I used to go there all the time. This was my first time there since not being able to eat what I want.

There is a Legal Seafood close to Fanueil Hall, so you could always eat there; they have a gluten free menu. We were going to eat there, but we feel like eating at a restaurant. Navy Boy and I wanted to take the children and eat casually at Quincy Market.

So taking my new idea of flexibility with me, we went. Navy Boy and children got pizza..Regina Pizza. Man, did that smell good!!! I went back in and browsed. To tell the truth..there wasn't much there to eat. I also did not want to get into a huge discussion. It was crowded and busy, and the stalls were getting ready to close.

I ended uo finding a beautiful shrimp cocktail plate at one of the seafood stalls. The shrimp were huge. It was expensive, but I would have spent more at the restaurant. So, I go my shrimp, shared some and then we got gelato for dessert.

And the best part?

It was fine. It was easy. And we did what we wanted, without getting tied down to a certain restaurant to eat. I felt freer than I have in awhile.

(By the way, sorry, about the lack of photos. We forgot the camera. We were very bummed, since it was my youngster's birthday, and now, no photos of the day!)

Ireland Gluten Free Travel - There and Back Again

This post is going to be very different than I thought it was going to be. I thought I would have all sorts of product information, restaurant suggestions, and just tons of information for the future celiac traveler to Ireland. I do have some great information for the celiac traveler, just not in the format I expected.

Before I went on the trip, I did the research, joined the Irish Celiac Society web group, got the list of accommodating restaurants, and even did web searches for reviews of the products available there. (I still have all these lists, so if perchance you need/want them, drop me a line.) I requested the gluten free meal on the airplane, and was ready to go.

We stayed in the Tralee area with my wonderful in-laws, so we did have a kitchen, and Mom did purchase some gluten free staples with the help of a friendly Irish gluten-free eater. And the meals we had at the cottage were gluten free, so those were all taken care of.

Ireland is what you hear about, almost everyone has heard of celiac disease, although they may need a quick refresher on the details. (I will include here that I am somewhat sensitive, I feel completely hung over if I get "glutened", and it doesn't seem to take much for that to happen, and I never had that while I was in Ireland, so all seemed to work out very well.)

I learned some things on this trip.

I have found that having celiac, and needing "special" attention bothers me. I don't like having to ask my friends and family to do things differently for me, yet I really don't like going to a party/gathering and not fully participating. I hate being out in the world and not feeling free to walk in any restaurant and order off the menu and just relax about the food. Feeling the constant need to watch out for myself, browsing the menu and seeing if the restaurant will be good for my children, and me. Losing that feeling of flexibility with travel.

So, what to do?

I found my answer in something that happened one day in Tralee. The children were hungry, and so were my husband and I. We checked the restaurant list from the Irish Celiac Society. Both were closed, not permanently, just for that day.

I looked around a little desperately, feeling the loss of control, and wondering what to do. we wandered a couple of blocks, looked at menus, nothing promising. I remembered us walking past a 'pizzeria'; I knew I couldn't eat there, but looking at my hungry children, I said,"Let's go there. I won't eat. I'll just get coffee." My husband looked surprised, but we went.

As he took the children to the bathroom, I looked at the menu to order for the children, and I was surprised to see steaks on there. I questioned the waitress. The food was ordered. The food came. The young ones had chicken and chips. Navy Boy had the odd combination of pizza and a baked potato. And I had my favorite meal out in Ireland in this little diner-like restaurant with simple food.

A steak with garlic butter and a half plate full of yummy sauteed mushrooms and onions, with a crispy baked potato in the side. I ate every bite, and enjoyed it thoroughly.

What did I learn? Be. Flexible. In the truest sense of the word.

I am convinced that you can go in almost anywhere in Ireland and have something to eat. It may not be what you want to eat, but you will eat. I was always able to get chicken on top of a salad. And that was at the "recommended" restaurants. Either way, you will eat.

And for me?

Flexibility. And adventure.
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Now, some things I would recommend.

In Dingle - Murphy's. It's an ice cream/coffee place. They had a gluten free chocolate cake to have with your coffee. Only place I had a great dessert. Somewhat expensive, but worth it!!

Tralee - Allegro Pizzeria. Great pan fried steak. ;)

The cider in Ireland is gluten free, and usually on tap. Go into a pub, order one, and blend right in. Sean Og's in Tralee was pretty cool with live music every night.

Spring.

Spring.

It's here, and I have been loving (almost every) minute if it. I have been feeling so good, and I have been doing so much. As a matter of fact, some days I am doing TOO much. And, then I pay for it for a couple of days, then I am right back out there, gardening, going for walks with my husband, and being happy.

That's why my posts have come to a screeching halt.

I am eight months gluten free, and for the most part it is great. I am used to thinking about what I eat and I am now safe at home. But I do miss the freedom of eating out, at friend's houses, and I miss bread, real crusty bread.

Yesterday, my husband and I walked to downtown from our home, a nice walk, about 3 miles. It was a gorgeous spring day. One of the magical ones. We stopped at a little cafe downtown to get a cappuccino and walk a bit more before returning home.

As we were waiting, suddenly I felt dizzy, and overwhelmed. I glanced at the menu on the wall....panini sandwiches, salads with crusty bread, and the peasant lunch..soup, salad and crusty bread. How delicious it all sounded!!! I was dizzy with desire...and yes...sad. I looked at the menu with my husband, and whispered wistfully, " Sometimes I can't believe I can never eat this again...I miss it..."

Now I must tell you, I have never cheated, nor will I. I don't get tempted per se, but I WANT, knowing I can never have.

There is not sad ending to this little story, we left the shop, and went down to our town's cheese shop. We sampled cheeses and bought some for that night. Nothing like cheese, really good cheese, to cheer a girl up.

Why did I share this? I am not quite sure. Maybe other people feel this way too, and it's always nice to know you aren't alone. Maybe to explain why I have not been here. And maybe, to show people who are just starting out, who think they will never feel any better, that they will. It will be great.

I didn't think it would ever come when I read about other people. And it did. You just wait.

And here is one of my favorite quickie products....my children adore this rice. They dance when I serve it. Check the label..always. The Garlic Basil is a little spicy. My young children prefer, and love, the Coconut Ginger.

A Taste of Thai Rice...YUM!