Eating Gluten Free. Com

So I wanted to put a plug in for my sister's company Eating Gluten Free. Those of you who have been eating GF for awhile understand the frustration that comes while searching for tasty GF foods. When my mom was first diagnosed in 2002 there weren't very many good options out there. It took a lot of time and money to find a product that tasted similar to it's non GF counterpart. I remember my mother being so frustrated as she tried recipe after recipe. My mom was sure she would end up eating rice and beans for the rest of her life.

Then one day my sister found out that her neighbor's husband and all of her children had Celiac Disease. Betsy, my sister, asked her friend what she cooked and what her favorite recipes were. Kirsti taught Betsy what she knew and they began cooking and modifying recipes together. Betsy wanted my mom to be able to eat good food and Kirsti wanted the food to taste good enough for her to eat because she didn't want to cook a separate meal for herself.

As they continued cooking together they found out that Macey's Grocery store held free cooking classes and they decided to hold one for Gluten Free food. The class was a success and they began teaching more and more classes. People who came for the classes began asking for more recipes and asked if they had a web page. From there they found a company that did GF mixes and they began producing a few of their recipes as mixes.

The company is still pretty small but it is beginning to grow. People from all over the world go to the web site for free recipes, cooking hints, and to order mixes. I love the recipes and use my sister's cookbook often. Many of my friends, who are not GF, ask me for the recipes because they are so good. I definitely recommend her web site as a must have favorite.

Also there is a really cool web site called Foodie View that has a Gluten Free recipe search engine. You can type in what kind of recipe you are looking for and it will give you a GF version. I would also suggest you check this one out.

Missing foods?

I don't know about you but there are some days I just really want a ding dong! Being GF can be frustrating at times especially when cravings hit. I have found a few things that have helped me along the way.

• In social settings I bring a treat along with me.

I have found I feel the most frustrated when in social settings. It seems like food is always at the center of things and I am on the outskirts saying no thanks. When I know food will be a part of a social gathering I try to find out what's on the menu and then I bring my own. This can be a hassle but it keeps me from just staying at home.

• When treats pop up and I can't eat them, I smell them instead.

Some of my friends think I am only torturing myself when I do this but I promise, it is no such thing. I love to cook and most treats I can modify to make them GF, so when a surprise treat is brought into work I simply tell myself that I can make it when I get home and then I ask if I can smell it. Usually food smells better than it tastes, I get my fix without the calories and without becoming ill. If later I still want it, I will make it at home.

• I modify recipes so I can have that ding dong if i really want it.

My sister has a fabulous web page called Eating Gluten Free. She and her friend started the business because even though they don't eat GF their kids do and they don't want to make two meals. They've modified recipes to make them GF and they taste just like they would unmodified! The Chocolate Cake Mix is one of my favorites. One day I really wanted ding dongs so I made the cake and put it into muffin tins. I made a filling I found on recipezaar.com for Twinkies and then covered the filled cupcakes with chocolate, used on fruit, that hardens quickly. They were delicious and a hit with my friends who aren't GF. That is when you know a recipe is a keeper!