queenofhearts

No, just visiting my grandma for a few days. She has a beautiful mountain home. I like going in the heat of the summer since it's so much cooler there! It's a nice break.

She makes meringue cookies, too. I'll have to ask her to use pecans instead of choc chips since I can't have dairy.

The mountains of NC are just gorgeous. Down here, it's pretty hot in the summer! In fact my meringues are melting in the humidity. But they're my son's favorites so he'll probably gobble them all before they dissolve.

teff is great. i make pancakes/bread/muffins with it and they taste somewhat like graham. it's a good alternative.

Wow, that's cool! I've only had it in injera, the Ethiopian bread, & that was before I was gluten-free so not really tuned in to its gluten-free status. I REALLY miss that graham flavor, so I'll definitely give it a go.

Leah

Do you use teff alone or mix it with other flours?

Oh, I do miss oatmeal... but I think I'd better wait until I'm good & healed to try it. Meanwhile it's quinoa flakes for me...

Leah

Leah: Illustrator; Calligrapher

Wow, I suddenly feel so OFFICIAL!

Okay, anywhere near Waynesville or Canton??? I leave for there Thursday!

Really!? I'm in Raleigh, not in the mountains. Planning to swing by the Triangle at all?

Welcome! Wish I COULD eat a cocoa pecan meringue, lol. I have a problem with chocolate.

Sorry, didn't mean to bring up a sore subject! I'll make my next batch of cookies chocolate-free in your honor.

Yes! I'd drive hours for that!!!!! Are you anywhere near Ohio?????

I avoid Nut Thins cause they have dairy!! Could it have been the dairy that made you sick?

I'm in NC, sorry!

Nut Thins sometimes get to me too, but I don't think it's dairy in my case... the only time dairy gets me is if I drink a big glass of milk (which I haven't done in years)-- & I love nuts, so I don't know what the problem is.

I'll be right over!

Welcome

Thanks! I wish I could share the goodies in reality...

I'd also like to offer my services as resident illustrator & calligrapher... that's what I do when I'm not goofing off online or in the kitchen. I could do very classy-looking Official Rachelville Documents, lots of swashes & gold leaf.

Leah

Hi, Queen of Hearts! is this your first visit to Rachelville, or have you been through before?

Donna - my tortilla was still limp - - will be more patient.

hey wait - - a 60-year-old river guide - - that DOES sound hunky to a 45-year-old former rock climber...

but definitely not good to lose your GUIDE in the water!

Well, I guess it's time to out myself properly... I have been wandering silently through Rachelville for some time. And yes, I'm somewhat embarrassed that my first actual post was in regard to naked guide guy... but there you have it. Revealed in Cyberworld forever as a dirty old lady.

Please let me redeem myself. Would you like a cocoa pecan meringue? Just baked some... Cup of tea, perhaps?

Leah

You can do it, Lisa, hang in there... it's not unusual to get butterflies before any medical procedure even if you've been through it before. But you know you'll do fine, & if it helps you get well, it will be so worth the effort.

Leah

Rachel- You're right, you're right, I know you're right.

It's just so harrrdddd!!!!!!!!!! (whine, whine, whimper)

You know what- while on vacation, I will try not to drink any diet coke and see what happens.

Well, I mean I guess we could have lost him completely!!!!! Certainly would have been embarassing to pull out a 60 year old rafting guide with no swimming trunks.

Sorry, my mental image of your guide did not accord with reality... bad Leah!

We lost him and he lost his swimming trunks Luckily, he had neoprene shorts underneath!

Luckily??

My naturopath is from India, and he suggests taking kelp, and doing this exercise:

1. put your chin to your chest

2. breath in

3. hold breath while moving head to look toward sky

4. exhale breath

5. repeat

It's certainly a bit different than what we're used to, but it is claimed to stimulate the thyroid. He told me a coue years ago I was "subclinical hypothryroid", so western docs would not claim it as a problem. But he said I'd get worse if I didn't do the exercises. I never have, of course, for any length of time.

anyway, just a thought.

Interesting! I'm a big believer in breathing. It is amazing what it can do for my anxiety attacks.

Leah

A heating pad might provide some comfort. And I second the water suggestion. Maybe Pepto-Bismol if that has helped him before?

Leah

From what I understand, blood tests are not conclusive, so you are right to try the diet anyway. Be sure to give it time, too. Have you considered endoscopy? Whatever you do, I hope you feel better soon!

Leah

I know what you are saying!!!I was just diagnosed about 1 month ago.Blood tests were pos. and the diet has made a difference already(Stilll not 100%).My friends think that I am out of my mind....which does not really bother me.What really hurts is my wife(of 1 year)does not really beleive in Celiac disease.She says that she knows it makes me sick but that there is no way something can cross cont.......and that I am trying to make everything about me.Before I got sick we went out all of the time so I do feel bad for flipping her world upside down...but it's not like I want to tell the world How much I can crap!Anyway I was happy to see your post and the replys!I think this site is going to be a real help!

I can sympathize with that, Zell... my husband does believe in Celiac, but he's just not a meticulous person by nature, & still can't understand why I get so upset when he gets gluten into my food...

We've been married over 28 years, & this diagnosis is a big adjustment for him. He actually runs a restaurant & has lots of knowledge about proper kitchen hygiene, but once he crosses our threshold he doesn't want to have to think about that stuff anymore. I do 95% of the cooking at home (always have), which is good, because I just wouldn't trust him! I hate to say it but it's true.

Leah

It's a lot wilder looking & less well-behaved than panko (& I do miss panko!) but pretty tasty!

Leah

Well... I don't know how much help I can be, because I'm only gluten-free 2 months & being relatively aged (50) still suffering some symptoms, which I'm told is normal when diagnosed this late in life... what with long-term deficiencies to deal with, &c.

But ANYWAY, I still do have mood & discomfort issues around my period. And I also get the food craving thing. But I'm noticing many changes from the gluten-free diet which I hope bode well for the future, & I think we just have to be patient. And be ever-vigilant about the gluten of course. I'm assuming you've addressed the whole cosmetics, meds, cross-contamination issue as well as the obvious stuff?

Leah

This is quite funny... one of the sites on my Paris Gluten free site has a great gazpacho so I asked of he could make one specially for me ... he said it was OK and I was "but...." then worked out I was actually arguing with him about doing it right .... and adding bread crumbs...???? What was i thinking? We actually argue and tease all the time so its not adnormal ... but to argue with the owner over leaving out gluten?

That is funny! Cooking "correctly" has taken on a whole new meaning for me too-- but it's all good. Forces one to be more creative.

And thanks for mentioning your site-- I hadn't seen it before, so I searched for it. Looks great-- I only wish I were headed to Paris soon to try it out!

Leah

I recently tried an unusual but simple recipe for Asian chicken nuggets that is a real change of pace. You take some rice vermicelli (the Vietnamese/Thai kind) & whir it in the food processor to break it into little bitty pieces. Press said pieces into the surface of the chicken (I used boneless breast cut into nuggets). Deep fry.

The little bits of vermicelli expand instantly into these fluffy strands that are very light & crispy, & stick out strangely like little tentacles! The finished nuggets look like sea anemones to me, but my son said they looked like the facehuggers(?) in Alien!

Cook them until the chicken takes on a deep gold color, then drain on paper towels & season with salt & pepper. There will be lots of loose fried noodles too, which you can scoop out with a slotted spoon & use as you would the little Chow Mein noodles, to top a soup or whatever.

Serve with your favorite Asian dipping sauce. I made one with coconut milk, Thai green curry paste, sugar, fish sauce & a bunch of chopped Thai basil.

If you have an adventurous crew, give it a try!

Leah

I make Bette Hagman's egg noodles for my chicken noodle soup. My kids actually beg for my soup, they never begged for food before except pancakes.

Which book is that one in? I miss egg noodles!

Leah

Thanks everyone- the reproductive endocrinologist was useless. Seriously, it was like going to a baby factory. He actually said to me, "If all you want is a baby, we can get you a baby." Unprompted by anything I said. I'll use them to get some testing done because it's covered by my insurance but definitely didn't give me that warm fuzzy feeling. Geez!

I actually feel better today. I think I MAY have figured somethings out.

Bloating: percoset (took it last week for headache- prescribed in ER. I'm pretty sure it was this because I woke up all bloated again today after having narcotics for my colonoscopy.

This may have been what happened. First I took the Keflex which definitely weakened my system and gave me diarrhea. Then I think my system was further weakened about a week later when I got glutened by Sensodyne.Then I did the flagyl for C diff.

The flagyl stopped the D but made me very nauseous. At the end of my round of flagyl, looking back, my fridge had started malfunctioning and I think I ate some chicken that was bad so I think MAYBE the C-Diff was gone but I may have had food poisoning.

For some reason I've felt better since taking that *bogus* stuff to clean out for the colonoscopy. I'm wondering if maybe it wiped out some of the bad stuff. I had more energy today than I have in the last month.

I'm so glad you are feeling better!

I had a bout of food poisoning recently too so I can relate to that part. (The culprit was chicken too-- I taste-tested some before it was fully done. STUPID, I know, but I swallowed one bite before I consciously realized it was undercooked.) I actually joked afterward that I should have scheduled a scope that day since I was so thoroughly "cleaned out"!

Hope your energy continues to bloom-- you've been through a LOT!

Leah

The ONLY iron I can take is otc SlowFe. It's gentle and I don't even need extra fiber with it. I hope to be off it in six months since my stores are really jumping up since going gluten free. Good luck to you.

Thanks, I'll give that a try!

Leah

We've been talking about this on another thread, I think it's called Flour & Soy... short answer, it's pretty risky.

The problem is mainly the possibility of ingesting airborne flour. I postulated that possibly a dust mask of the sort you can find in hardware stores might be protective, but we don't really know.

Sorry for the bad news... this is a major issue for some culinary professionals on the board. Hope you can work out a safe way to take the class.

Leah

Very good advice! In fact, the bread is one of the defining ingredients of the authentic recipe. But I always have preferred it without & without as much oil as the traditional recipe... one of the things I like about it is that it can be so light & refreshing when it's "too hot to eat". I love the tomato & cucumber version best, but cantaloupe is also sensational!

Leah