The Gluten-Free Assistant: 2008

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Stressing the Importance of Little Things

I recently had the pleasure of running across Food Allergy Free, a blog run by a 20-something coping with food allergies. I was drawn to the site by our obvious and not so obvious similarities – skin problems, questions with no answers and other mystery ailments along with the shared drive to figure...

Friday, November 14, 2008

A Good Cause and Leeks

Much has happened since my last update that's been keeping me pretty busy both in and out of the kitchen. My brother-in-law recently retired from the Air Force and I had family in St. Louis for that, I've been testing out soup recipes with the cooler temperatures, lots of knitting and a little bit of stress...

Monday, November 3, 2008

Ten Down, Two To Go

The goat and I were talking the other day about how there really isn't too much to be excited about in November. There is the obvious Thanksgiving that we all know and love, but what else? There are the common festivities following Halloween; All Saints Day, The Day of the Dead, Samhain and a few others. There are the general disease awareness that last all month, but other than that....? ...

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

What Else?

Some may wonder what else I spend my time on other than food. If I could spend all day around awesome ingredients and amazing food I would be the happiest piggie in town, but I'm not writing a book and I'm not a chef – I don't even work in a restaurant. It's not something that...

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Casein Free Milk and Butter

Casein Casein, from Latin caseus meaning cheese, has a pretty interesting history. Since ancient times casein, as an individual milk protein, has been well known among humans, with artists being recorded using casein paints since at least ancient Egypt. Industrial uses for casein are found within the plastic and fiber...

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Trial Run

This will be my first major holiday being gluten-free, so I wanted to practice a dish or two before hand so I fudge as little as possible when it comes down to the line. I want to avoid any last minute scrambles if at all possible. Our grocery stores here are always crowded and busy no matter what time...

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Garlic Haters, Repent!

Yesterday was a very mellow day here in Austin; lots of rain, the goat was home sick from work and temperatures hit the 70s and 80s when the sun finally came out for a brief bit before being swallowed back up by storm clouds. I had to be downtown for an interview at 8am so we were still up at our normal time...

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

The Agony of Breakfast

I love breakfast! I love everything about it. Cooking breakfast in the morning with pajamas and bare feet on the cool kitchen floor. Smells of biscuits and gravy, eggs, coffee and waffles filling the house. Warm oatmeal with blackberries and honey. Eating breakfast on the back porch, listening to the birds...

Thursday, October 9, 2008

On Halloween and Label Reading

With Halloween fast approaching many parents, and kids for that matter, are worried about having a gluten-free ghoul-fest. The good news is that there are many ways to find out what you can have this holiday. There are a cornucopia of lists about gluten-free candy, some are even season specific and post...

Saturday, October 4, 2008

About Those Cookies...

Whole Foods has a great way of setting up their pre-baked, ready to eat gluten-free cookie section. They have the regular brands that we are all familiar with on their gluten-free isle and a few mixed in with the regular cookies, but if you ever wander beyond their chocolate kiosk and glutenous bakery displays...

Friday, October 3, 2008

Gluten & Casein Free Cheese

Went for a ride to the grocery store downtown yesterday evening and came home with a few new gluten and casein free products to try out. It was a nice ride there - about 75 outside and early enough into the Friday night activities downtown that we missed most of the traffic. The ride home was nice as well,...

Monday, September 29, 2008