NicoleAJ

Thanks for all of the ideas--they sound great. I'm going to keep considering it for a while. I actually know someone who just got engaged in a hot air balloon this week and absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, the bride isn't much for heights. The one thing on their registry that I would consider getting them is a new luggage set. Theirs is pretty sorry, and who wants to go on the honeymoon with dilapidated luggage? In fact, my brother's boarding bag is one that he swiped from my parents when he went to college well over a decade ago (and it was old then too). In addition, the bride packs even more clothing and shoes than I do on trips, so it would probably be something that they could use for a long time to come.

So my brother is getting married in three weeks. He and I are very close, and I really love the woman he's decided to spend his life with as well. I'd like to get them a unique and special gift rather than buying from the registry. For the shower I ended up getting them a set of glasses and pitchers and things and a really nice cookbook holder, but for the wedding, I want to get them something heartfelt that they'll always remember. They are 34 and 27. My brother is in the process of opening a restaurant that he bought recently, and his fiancee is a public relations executive. They live in Miami and they love great food and wine. I just don't want to get them something common and mundane, so if anyone has a good ideas for a really nice gift, I'd really appreciate it. By the way, my parents own a frame shop, so they've already got the framing of the wedding pictures under control.

Thanks for the link to the PA site Georgie.

wow, those taco meatballs sound great.

I have some quinoa for a hot breakfast cereal that I didn't like the consistency of--I wonder if it would work in meatballs? It would be nice to get a little quinoa in my diet in another form.

I made these on Saturday night, and they were absolutely delicious. You were all totally right about the need to roast them slowly on a low setting. They were nice and crisp and dry.

I'd never really heard of using potato buds or cooked rice as filler, but it makes sense that they would work. Is there a specific brand of potato buds that are gluten free--I've never really used these in cooking before (even though I noticed that Betty Hagman's recipes often call for potato buds).

Actually 590 is a pretty solid number for B12. It should be between 200 and 1100. People can start having neurological symptoms when they get too low on that scale, but 590 is perfectly normal. They should keep an eye on it, and she should take supplements in case she's not getting enough in her diet, particularly if she's a vegetarian or vegan, but unless the B12 dropped significantly lower, I would say that the intrinsic factor is probably working (at least for now).

I actually felt unbelievable hunger off and on for nearly 2 years after my diagnosis. Since I've hit the 2 year mark, I haven't had that experience. I think it takes the body a while to adjust to the change, and I think it took me quite some time to make sure that I was getting everything I needed. One of my favorite things for combatting hunger is avocado--I make some guacamole and have it with a few tortilla chips and then I'm satisfied for quite a while.

Awesome--I thought that was the case, but I just wanted to make sure.

Wow, these recipes all sound delicious. I'm definitely going to have to try one of these varieties this week. I haven't had a meatball since my diagnosis over two years ago. I can't wait! I've never thought of fennel seed in a meatball, but I'm sure it's delicious.

I can't wait to do this now. Thanks for all of the advice. I never would have thought of worchestershire sauce. Garlic powder sounds good too. I let you know if they're a hit.

By the way, an unrelated question--this may sound totally stupid, but if I'm cooking frozen spinach at 350 for 45 minutes, that would kill potential e. coli right? I really want to make spinach and artichoke dip, but I don't want my guests to worry about getting sick either.

Thanks so much for the insights. I went to a pumpkin carving party last year where I think the hostess just did the olive oil and salt method. I'll snoop around online, but I'll probably do a plain recipe as well since there are going to be so many different flavored things at the party.

I've actually seen quite a few of you mention making gluten free meatballs. Would you mind posting a recipe? What type of breadcrumbs do you use, and how do you season them? Thanks so much.

When I contacted them, they said that they could not recommend their food, as the risk of cc is too high.

I'm having a party tomorrow, and along with the loads of other foods I'm making, I'd like to roast pumpkin seeds. I also think it will help the whole apartment smell delicious and cozy. What do I have to do once I cut the pumpkin open and shell out all of the gook inside?

None of this has ever occured to me. I make my cookies with Xanthan gum, and I've never noticed sliminess. Moreover, I eat the cookie dough raw, and I save some so that I can mix it with vanilla bean haagen dazs--the most unbelievable cookie dough ice cream ever. Knock on wood, I haven't gotten sick yet.

I agree with natalunia. Nuvaring is great. You'll probably only notice the feel of it for the first day or so, and that probably means that it's not exactly in position. My friend stopped using it because she always felt it sliding out...of course she also wasn't doing any activity that would help slide it into proper place. By the way, don't freak out if you think you've "lost" it after intimacy. A few times in the beginning I thought, where the heck did it go? But it would move back into it's normal position near the cervix on it's own. Some men do report noticing that it's there, according to the literature on it (my partner is one of them), and they say it doesn't bother them.

JenKuz, I'm dealing with the student insurance at Penn State--not much better to be honest, but I've been demanding enough to get in to see the doctors I need to, even if it takes them a month. I usually try as much as possible to make appointments in person and try to charm the receptionists responsible for scheduling with chit-chat about their families, favorite hobbies, anything I can think of based on the stuff on their desk. I'd imagine that if you're having unbelievable pain and other GI issues since going back on wheat, then it's probably a good idea not to stay on it at all rather than just trying to avoid it. However, if you haven't gotten your blood work done yet and you really want to see the proof in the numbers, then you should tough it out until you do, so that you don't get a false negative. If it were me, the positive response to the gluten free diet would probably be enough for me to go completely gluten free and never look back.

As far as pernicious anemia is concerned, I would say there's no way you have it. It's an autoimmune disease that can be prompted by a number of factors, such as celiac disease, but it can not appear from a few weeks of taking antacids. I was just diagnosed with PA, and it was only after years and years of my celiac disease causing my body to have an autoimmune response to intrinsic factor--this did not show up over the course of several weeks or months but rather years.

I'm sure that someone more knowledgeable can report on this, but I am fairly certain that antacids can really interfere with absorption in the stomach--I'd say this is why the sublingual is helping but the pills are going through digestion intact. You should probably have your B12 levels checked, just to see how much you should actually be taking.

That is really aweful that she's trying to make a profit from the photos. The fact that the pictures are between $1 and $50 means that she is, in fact, trying to make a profiit from them. I constantly have friends send me pictures on kodak, snapfish, or O photo.com, and usually one has to pay $.30 or so for a single print, but it doesn't sound like this is what she is doing at all. What a conniving person.

Please let us know how it went today.

Also guacamole always goes over well at parties--just make sure to add enough lime juice so that it doesn't turn brown, and make it right before the party, as it doesn't stay that well without preservatives--if you need a recipe, I make a mean guacamole. In addition, spinach and artichoke dip goes over really well, and it's cooked, so you don't have to worry about the e coli scare.

1 1/2 packages of frozen spinach

1 small package of Philly cream cheese

1 8 oz package of sour cream

3 green onions finely chopped

8 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 can artichokes chopped up

divide the cheese into two portions, and put one portion aside. Combine all other ingredients in a casserole dish, and put in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes. Stir the mixture and then put the extra cheese over the top. Cook another 15 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.

I agree that something must be said, and I'd go with a type of gracious let down that doesn't include graphic details about malabsorption and the other unpleasant things that come along with celiac (i.e. "we just have so many food sensitivities that it's hard for us to keep them straight, nevermind our guests. The veggies sound great, but I've been wanting to try out a new gluten free dessert recipe anyway. We haven't gotten the wine yet, though, if you'd like to bring that along."

Wow, you have all enlightened me--I never bothered to check about Progresso's cream of mushroom soup or Funyons for that matter, but those are two things that I loved before diagnosis. I'm excited that I'll get to eat these things again. Here in PA, it's really starting to get to be hot casserole weather.

Corinne,

Like jmengert, I also teach college English. I was so nervous my first day as well, and I also overprepared. Interestingly enough, as soon as I got up in front of the classroom, I knew that I had chosen the right career--that all of my years of hard work would pay off in a satisfying job.

Did you not get to teach classes as a graduate student? Did you just do research rather than TA work?

At any rate, even Walter Cronkite used to get butterflies in his stomach every time he spoke publicly, but he said, "the secret is to get them to fly in formation." As soon as you get up there, you might be a little shaky, but you'll do what you need to do and zone out the rest of the world. In fact, the first day is the easiest day since you just need to go over the syllabus, course policies, and give some background information. I don't know how big your class will be, but asking each class member to introduce themselves and answer a question when they do so actually takes a lot of pressure off of you. Once you're finished with the first day, though, the second day will feel easier.

I've also found that students love dry wit. If you acknowledge and embrace the fact that you're a little dorky for knowing everything that you know, then they'll love you for it (and it will show in your evaluations).