Colleen's Gluten Freestyling

Celiac Disease and the Redheaded Irish

2010-01-05T12:21:00.004-05:00

After I read internet buzz claiming the Celiac population is predominately Irish, I have been looking into my own Irish background. I come from a long line of Irish Catholics that may have been originally Celtic Scotsmen.One theory says, because of fighting with the English, the Irish had smaller portions of land to farm on. The portions of land being too small to grow enough wheat potatoes,

Gluten-free 'Butter' Cookies

2009-12-17T09:22:00.003-05:00

I mustn't linger here, today. I am afraid something else may happen to pull me away before I'm finished. It's been quite a week, but I think I will recover. I thought about butter cookies for a couple of weeks. They are a traditional Christmas cookies in my husband's family. I have put together a recipe I am very pleased with and want very much to share it. They are light crispy and very

Waffles! or maybe not.

2009-12-09T12:22:00.008-05:00

I've been thinking about writing a blog post about waffles for some time. I receive a waffle iron for my birthday back in September. I was excited about the idea of doing more than pancakes as a substitute for bread. Sometimes I would open the waffle iron to find a perfect waffle. With the next batch I would open the iron to find not my idea of a good waffle. See picture to the right. I thought

A Gluten-Free Website worth Your time

2009-12-02T12:36:00.002-05:00

Amid Curtain washing, rearranging to fit a Christmas tree in the living, dusting things, and having my husband throwing a ball at me so he can play fetch with the dog in the house, I'm popping out a quick blog post. Who would think tofu, sage, thyme, and pumpkin puree would make a fantastic non-dairy Alfredo sauce? The Gluten-free Gidget that's who. This is the only cheese alternative

Gravy

2009-11-26T07:33:00.004-05:00

When you sit down to Thanksgiving Dinner and lively conversation you don't want the conversation to be about who the lumps in the gravy look like. Although my family is very fussy about gravy and have left me with the impression that good gravy is hit or miss with me, I have the basic concept of how to turn a liquid into a gravy. For professional instruction go to the website of The Gluten-free

Ginger Cookies

2009-11-24T07:23:00.005-05:00

It's Thanksgiving, for goodness sakes, don't keep the cookies from the kids. Jared is about a year old in these pictures. He decided he had to have cookies. Despite his best efforts he just couldn't reach them. After a lot of trying, and some pushing and pulling on me, I brought them down to his level. It seems like cookies were the first thing I set my eyes on when I walked in the door of

Cranberry Bread

2009-11-23T08:57:00.001-05:00

1 ¾ cups brown rice flour ¼ cup millet flour1 package unflavored gelatin2 tsp gar gum1 cup sugar2 tsp. baking power1 tsp. salt½ tsp. baking soda1 cup orange juice2 tbsp. butter or any fat of your choice (may be omitted) 1 well-beaten egg1 ½ cups frozen cranberries, coarsely choppedPreheat oven to 350°. In a bowl mix together dry ingredients. Stir in orange Juice, butter, and egg.Mix until well

Cranberry-raisin Muffins

2009-11-23T08:50:00.002-05:00

1¼ cup rice flour¼ cup millet flour¼ almond or flax meal1 teaspoon Guar gum or Xanthan gum3 teaspoons baking power½ teaspoon salt¼ more or less brown sugar¼ cup raisins¼ cup dried cranberry 1 teaspoon cinnamon½ teaspoon ginger¼ teaspoon nutmeg1/8 teaspoon cloves2 tablespoons Smart balance light or butter 1 egg or egg substitute1 cup milk of your choiceTo make muffins, combine dry ingredients,

Thanksgiving Menu

2009-11-23T07:26:00.022-05:00

If your cooking Thanksgiving dinner chances are you're pulling up an extra chair.(Son Jared age 2 here, now has his own one little ones)Let's check and see if our Menu is in order. (Me at age 35) TurkeyMashed potatoes and gravyMaple Mashed Sweet potatoes Stuffing (store bought gluten variety baked in a dish separate from the turkey)

Remember the sights sounds, and smells of Autumn?

2009-11-19T11:42:00.006-05:00

Apples, pumpkins and candy,pies, cookies, and haunted houses,cider, donuts, and a hayride,Halloween, Harvest Feasts, and Thanksgiving Day,children running, laughing and jumping,crisp leaves on crisp days,the list could go on.As a little girl my best friend Mary Ann and I would rake leaves into rows, making corners, and going around until we had a series of boxes representing the walls of a house.

Mashed Potato Patties

2009-11-03T08:56:00.004-05:00

I'm suffering from a thyroid roller coaster ride. I've had about three hours of sleep. So today I'm making a quick post about a quick fix from leftover mashed potatoes.Ken didn't like leftover mashed potatoes until I started turning them into fried patties. In last night's version I included leftover ham. He liked them so much he was wishing for more. Mashed Potato Patties 1 ½ cups mashed

Almond Meal

2009-10-27T10:48:00.005-04:00

Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free flours and Arrowhead Mills are higher quality companies. The problem is the cost. Not that I believe they are being unreasonable. I have been involved with health food for 30 years. I'm aware that foods with higher nutritional value and specialty foods always carry a

A Few Things To Share

2009-10-19T15:14:00.005-04:00

My daughter Lisa and I have entered a Scarecrow contest. The winner receives a $20 gift certificate. The scarecrow will be sold in a silent auction. The proceeds go to our county library.Lisa is doing well with her homeschool. We are in transition as Dad takes over more of the teaching, so hopefully, I can develop a business. It's in very early stages so nobody hold your breath, I don't know how

Fall Nature Shots

2009-10-19T15:10:00.001-04:00

I took a walk down the road to Little Bear Creek.

I'm Finally Cleaning My Couch Today

2009-10-05T09:11:00.005-04:00

My home is so small I have a love seat instead of a couch.This love seat is only 3 years old, but well used. As you can see by this picture it is over due for a real cleaning.

Cinnamon Raisin Muffin Cake

2009-09-29T07:35:00.004-04:00

I've been brewing a mock cornbread recipe in my brain for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately I haven't been able to coordinate time, energy, and supplies to actually make some. I set out to make the recipe this morning only to find I didn't have what I needed. There I stood with a greased cake pan waiting for mock cornbread. Okay, what I need now is to employ my free styling tendencies. I'll make

A Good Website to Check Often

2009-09-21T19:31:00.004-04:00

I have mentioned Cain Credicott's website The Celiac Maniac before and I just have to mention it again. His recipes are very good. I just made myself some of his Sweet Potato Breakfast and it was heavenly. Yes, it was meant for breakfast, but I love to eat breakfast at any meal. I'm quite fond of breakfast type foods.

Some thing's Got to Give

2009-09-21T07:37:00.002-04:00

Last week was Labor Day, so I posted on Tuesday instead of my usual Monday. This week I thought I was going to clean my couch and maybe post again on Tuesday, but I am going to the lab for blood work. Next Monday I'm going with my Daughter-in-law to her prenatal in Grand Rapids. This all makes me think I should switch my blogging day to Tuesday or Wednesday. At this point my guess is I will be

Gluten-free Honey Cake

2009-09-19T12:58:00.006-04:00

I don't have time to chat. I just made some honey cake in honor of Rosh Hashanah. It's quick and easy, so I wanted to share it.Gluten-free Honey CakeDry ingredients:3 c. brown rice flour1 c. millet flour1 c. sugar6 tsp. Baking powder1 tsp. Baking soda2 tsp. Guar gum1 tsp. cinnamonMoist ingredients:2 Tbs. Smart Balance Light 2 eggs1 c. strong black coffeeMix all the dry ingredient together.Add the

How Fat Affects Your Gluten-free Cooking

2009-09-14T09:44:00.004-04:00

The house is quiet. Lisa and Ken really should get out of bed, but school is out for her and he is laid off. I often don't have the time or inclination for their type of luxuries. Although I have a skirt to let out for Lisa, some cooking, cleaning, and editing to do; I wanted to take the time to talk to you about fat. I'm not talking about the polyunsaturated, mono-saturated kind, nor how we

Yeast-free Bread

2009-09-08T11:42:00.010-04:00

After achieving “success” with bread I learned that yeast can, not only give me a headache, it causes me to become faint. I needed a yeast-free bread. For the most part Lisa and I have been using pancakes for bread, it works, but it just isn't bread.One day I decided to exchange one tablespoon of yeast for one tablespoon of baking powder. My previous bread recipe called for starch. Without the

Pancake Varation

2009-09-02T11:04:00.002-04:00

½ c. brown rice flour¼ c. almond meal ¼ c. garbanzo bean flour¼ c. millet flour¾ tsp. Guar gum2 tsp. Baking powder2 Tbs. Brown sugar1 egg1 c. waterMix the dry ingredients together, then add in the wet ingredients and stir until moist. Pour ¼ cup amounts on a hot griddle. Cook first side until bubbles appear in the surface. Flip and cook until golden brown on the second side. Try topping your

Pancake Update

2009-08-31T08:24:00.005-04:00

Recently, I found the cause for a recurring stomach pain. It was my brand of soy milk, Soy Dream. If it doesn't say gluten-free on it and there isn't a gluten item in the ingredients list, check one or more of the gluten-free lists available online (this isn't always trust worthy), consider the company, call the company, call a friend, but whatever you do, don't assume it's completely gluten-free

Updates

2009-08-24T08:32:00.005-04:00

I have new information on some of my previous posts. I will be posting several of them, so check back each Monday.I'll start with my goals, directly after publishing my plans I became sick with one illness after another. I had to quit my exercise program for 2 months. I'm finally back on track. I'm sure the goals I have set are too high, but I am going to accomplish as much of it as I can.When my

Pasta Salad

2009-08-17T06:15:00.002-04:00

I'm a member of a new social network for those with Celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Gluten-free Faces was started by Chad Hines known as Glutenfreedude on Twitter. On Gluten-free Faces, I am a member of the recipe exchange group. The recipe group was started by Cain Credicott the blog author

Real Grandma, Real Cookies

2009-08-10T08:19:00.005-04:00

My grandma was short and plump, and wore glasses. When she put together a holiday feast you better come hungry and in loose clothes. Two kinds of meat,potatoes, gravy, and stuffing, two kind of vegetables and a salad, cranberry sauce, nuts, two kinds of olives, cream cheese stuffed celery, three kinds - no four kinds of pie, a cake, cookies and homemade rolls, I don't know how she did it all.

What I Did for My Summer Vacation

2009-08-03T09:09:00.008-04:00

In 1968 feminist burned their bras as an anti-sexist act of female liberation. In the mid 1970s my father said I was to wear a bra. No halter tops or tube tops like my friends were wearing. I don't recall putting up a fight about it. My father meant what he said, I learned to live with it. The hardest time

Steamed Vegetables

2009-06-29T07:43:00.006-04:00

Mosquito Creek ran through our back yard. It was a great place to sit and think.One year my dad plowed an acre of land. Several of us, in an assembly line fashion, were planting the field with potatoes when my mother's toy poodle, Snoopy, was discovered following behind us, digging the potatoes up. It was odd little things like this that lead us to start calling our common family farm, “Colonel

Raw Cookies

2009-06-22T12:05:00.003-04:00

I like girl stuff, as much as any other girl, but when I was eight years old I started to think I was a bit different. It was on the day I wondered away from the Campfire girls meeting. We were making Christmas fancy stuff like candles and Christmas trees out of magazines. I went across the hall to

What I Have Been Thinking

2009-06-15T09:32:00.005-04:00

In the 2 years since I was diagnosed with Celiac's disease and a gall bladder polyp I have been in pain so often (every other week for most of the time,) that after my last cold not only could I not kick the congestion, but my adrenals have not been able to keep up. This leaves me down, again. The frustration of wanting to be healthy and productive when I am only left with lying around either

Getting Back On Course

2009-06-10T13:35:00.006-04:00

First, I had a gall bladder polyp attack. They are very painful. I refuse to let the doctors take my gall bladder when it is the polyp that is the problem. I am learning to live with it until I figure out how to get rid of it.Then, I was hit hard with a cold. I'm still coughing the last of the congestion. When it comes right down to it, I have been too ill to write. I will back at my blogging by

More Pictures From My Yard

2009-05-25T12:35:00.004-04:00

Setting Goals

2009-05-25T07:45:00.004-04:00

I want to be active participant in the quality of life I will lead as I get older. I was born with health problems that went untreated for 47 years. Doctors shrugged their shoulders and told my parents, “Well, she has allergies. We just don't know what.” When I went to doctors, they always gave me pat answers that didn't resolve my problems. It has been through thirty years of study and

Boy, You Sure Can't Eat Much

2009-05-18T08:09:00.004-04:00

The Title of this post is what an online friend posted, once, concerning my list of things I can't eats. When one looks at the list of things I can't eat it's easy conclude. However, what the average person eats without thinking about it or reading labels on is nothing more then various combinations

Excuses and whining

2009-05-11T13:58:00.003-04:00

I had this silly notion that once the splint came off my wrist I would get right back into blogging. I didn't stop to think about how much a broken wrist affects the fingers. All the pain, stiffness, and swelling in my fingers during the past 8 weeks didn't seem to resister in my head how stiff, or how

Editing has been done

2009-05-08T09:49:00.003-04:00

Well, I have finished my editing. If you are using any of my recipes please note that necessary changes were to Anything You Need Muffins and to American Breakfast Cakes. The rest of my changes are grammar and for clarification.

Spring in my yard

2009-05-08T06:02:00.007-04:00

A single Myrtle blossom.A single violetTulips that have been a part of my yard for about 20 yearsA little violet patch showed up in my back yard a few years back. Now it is one large batch and several small patches.It May and my Myrtle is all in bloom.My arm is still too tender to do the work of splitting up my Hostas, so I begged my hubby into it.A rainbow showed up late in the evening,

2009-05-07T17:19:00.002-04:00

I haave spent sum thyme editting my previous posts for typoes and grammer mistates. I have mor to do tomarrow. :O)

A Few Questions

2009-04-14T11:45:00.004-04:00

I whacked my arm on a door knob. It feels like its cracked or something It's been hurting for a month, now. Why pay hundreds to have someone confirm it. So I chose to care for my body in my own way. I bought a splint, two weeks ago, and my arm is getting better. Four months into the year, still no unemployment check, it's rare to hear of anyone who has received theirs, from Michigan's

Easy Gluten Free Banana Bread

2009-04-06T10:07:00.006-04:00

Sometimes, I like taking the easy way out. Take today for instance, one-handed typing is slow and frustrating, so I'm having my daughter, Lisa, do my typing. This week's recipe is a quick conversion of our favorite banana bread recipe, taken from Gold Medal® flour's Alpha-Bakery Children's Cookbook. Our copy was published in 1987. The book is still available though the Betty Crocker® website.I

New splint

2009-03-30T09:41:00.003-04:00

I could have lived with the previous splint. It was affordable. We made it from stuff around the house. We still don't have an income or an unemployment check.Now, I could easily get into politics here. How the over taxation of Michigan caused business to run from here. How that it is taxing the unemployment system so that it doesn't send qualified people their checks. We're not the only ones

Gluten Freestyling With Lisa

2009-03-30T09:14:00.003-04:00

The great thing about families is the way everyone pulls together when your hurt. Every weekend our family gathers on Friday and Saturday for dinner, games, and movies. My broken arm might have stopped me from cooking, but it didn't my family from gathering for our special time together. Lisa, is

Life isn't easy

2009-03-28T11:49:00.003-04:00

I know it isn't going to be easy to keep blogging, but I will do my best.

2009-03-24T17:46:00.002-04:00

A muffin smiling showing that he is happy to be gluten free.

2009-03-24T17:38:00.003-04:00

I'm sorry this picture didn't turn out better, but I had to ask, "Should I think that I am getting better at cooking gluten free muffins, when even my cat will eat them?

Anything You Need Muffins

2009-03-23T08:11:00.005-04:00

This another long post, but I think it is worth your time. if you are interested in learning the ins and outs of successful gluten/allergy-free cooking. I first learned about universal recipes from book two of the Tightwad Gazette's three book series, written by Amy Dacyczyn. I have used its

Bread!

2009-03-16T07:41:00.008-04:00

My Grandmother made homemade white bread once a week, every week. It was tender and chewy. The crust was buttered and had a flaky crunch. A slice with butter on top, just out of the oven or cooled off, practically melted in my month. I remember being set up on the kitchen stool and made to watch. My parents would send me over to help her, but she enjoyed the process and the bit of pride that came

Chili and Cornbread

2009-03-10T10:28:00.004-04:00

Chili and Cornbread are very easy to convert to your needs. You will have to cook from scratch. Ready made items that don't have something I, or another member of the family is allergic to, takes a bit of work. With the pervasiveness in which manufactures use common allergens like, corn, dairy, and gluten, vigilance in reading labels and cooking from scratch are two important survival techniques

Gluten Free Family Meals

2009-03-09T12:21:00.002-04:00

Family meals can easily be made into gluten-free meals that are also enjoyed by the gluten advantaged. There are little changes that are subtle enough everyone can live with them. The hardest change is the cost. Gluten-free beef broth is more expensive then plain old whatever broth. All the various flours

Turning Gluten Free

2009-02-23T08:03:00.006-05:00

When one first goes gluten free one feels overwhelmed. What's left to eat? Your old favorite recipes are now your worst enemy. Some pans and utensils are permanently contaminated with gluten and your cupboards and fridge are full of things you cannot eat. Learning about cooking without gluten feels daunting. Don't forget the feeling that you are in this alone. One search on the internet and you

The Accidental Environmentalist

2009-02-16T06:20:00.003-05:00

I couldn't help but learn to love nature, and the natural health stuff. My teen years of the 1970's were spent on the family farm in the middle of the state Department of Natural Resources Small Game Reserve. When we first moved to the farm we kept a deer diary, because they grazed in our little valley in herds of 3, to as much as 10. Our record day, was a total of 36 deer. In the fall my

International French Toast Pancakes or American Gluten Free Breakfast Cakes

2009-02-09T08:45:00.005-05:00

I have severe low blood sugar. Some people with low blood sugar can get away with three meals and three snacks, or six small meals. I need 6 meals. Add to that a long list of allergies, I'm a mom, like my Grandmother who always cooked more than the family needed, and the result is I think about food more then I would like. Because of the allergies, and Celiac disease, I'm missing out on a lot

Pumpkin Butter

2009-02-02T06:28:00.005-05:00

With health problems like mind, I'm all about changing recipes for my needs. So, when I found the Fun Foods on a Budget website recipe Fluffy Pumpkin Mousse, the first thing I did was make it my own. 1 15oz can of pumpkin puree4 cooked apples * or 1 cup of apple sauce½ tsp cinnamon¼ tsp ginger1/8 tsp cloves1/5 cake of soft tofu** (optional)1/2 cup of brown sugarI placed this all in a large mixing

So, how do we make it through our economic hard time?

2009-01-26T09:33:00.002-05:00

I have not been happy with my winter boots since I bought them. As I walk the zippers slide down, allowing snow to get in. I picked them up from the clearance shelves. This is the risk one takes when one buys cheap. So, I have been just living with the problem. Naturally, if you pull too often on the zipper fob the zipper will break, and that is what happened. Snow gets in more readily then it

Gluten free treat from leftover candy canes

2009-01-19T08:49:00.006-05:00

Last Monday, I found candy canes in the clearance racks for $.37, since Spangler® peppermint candy canes are gluten and dairy free I bought a couple boxes. I don't just eat them, I like to make a simple treat.Hot Candy CanesOne candy caneYour choice of hot beverageCoffee with a creamer/milk,hot cocoa/carob,cow/goat/soy milk, or just watera spoon of sweetener is optionalsugar,honey,stevia,maple

What most of my blogging will be about

2009-01-12T08:32:00.001-05:00

-8"> My blog will focus on meeting the cooking and budget needs of those with health and allergy problems. I am partial to this subject because I have allergy and health problems that have a way of absorbing my thoughts, time and energy. It started with my first born son. At three weeks old he