Bingo!

Well, an interesting week....  Things are generally going well, and I am overall doing pretty good, but I a couple of times I hit the wall of pain recently and have had some minor lingering issues.  I decided to start writing down what I was eating with a key code of symptoms after which I would evaluate at the following meal time.  With a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being best, I was hovering between 3 and 4 for most things.  One thing I had eaten was some tortillas chips and, while I didn't have pain, I had a definite reaction.  They were a gluten free brand, so that wasn't it.  Hadn't felt well after eating some Mexican food as well.  Hmmm....  That leaves corn.

Off to Google last night for several hours of research.  Well, what do you know!   Corn is a common binding in medications.  It is also used in asthma inhalers.  Light bulb moment!  This explains a lot.  As I looked into it more, I find that corn truly is everywhere and in the most unexpected places.  I thought going gluten free was overwhelming, but this is like Mount Everest.  At the same time I feel like, "I've found it!"  Yes, I think gluten is still an issue, too, because I have see a change.  This morning my cheeks and nose are a nice shade of normal skin color instead of red, in spite of a tummy reaction to some salad dressing in a local restaurant yesterday which was probably the corn.  

So, along with this discovery, I am making an appeal to my family for some help.  There are going to be quite a few things in my pantry that I can't use any more (Goodbye, Celestial Seasonings tea.  I am going to miss you so much!! ), so I need to be able to pass them on.  I will publish a list after I get things sorted.  If you can use anything or know of someone who could, please let me know.  

The journey continues.... 

Seeing Red-the new kitchen protocol

The new containers arrived.  The pantry is rearranged and the kitchen re-zoned.  My poor hubby is now lost in the kitchen and I find myself opening several drawers or cabinets in my effort to find what I need.  That will all settle with time.  In keeping with the color theme, my new leftover containers and baking utensils are red, making them easy to keep separate, though I have moved my small whisk and my 1/2 tablespoon measure spoon from my old set over to the GF side, since I use those quite a bit in my GF baking.  

Thursday mornings are now my main baking time, and I have printed out a calendar to help me plan what baked goods need to be restock. The kitchen will have been thoroughly cleaned in between, so the likelihood of cross-contamination is minimized.  So far I have had one regular baking session and one GF, and I find I like having a dedicated time to bake.

As I had my first regular baking session, I realized after baking a couple of things that I was getting a headache and my hands were aching.  Ahh, flour dust--should have figured.  My husband said that he should see about getting me a haz-mat suit to wear.  :-)  Well, we don't need to go that far, but I am prepared for this week's baking.

Some might pose the question of why not just go gluten-free totally.  It would make things easier, but my husband has already had to eliminate all dairy from his diet, and I don't want him to have to give up bread, too.  Besides, even though I am challenged in a good way with the GF baking, regular flour can't be beat as far as results.  And there you have it.

The Scone Challenge

A few weeks ago our son and daughter-in-law were up for a visit, and she mentioned that she had found a great scone recipe.  I had a rather sad, "poor GF me" response.  A couple of weeks later she issued a challenge to me on her blog to come up with a gluten-free scone.  Here is the link to her blog with her challenge and my response:

Chocolate Stitches 

Of course I accepted the challenge not only for the problem solving aspect, but also for the yarn incentive. :-)  In my GF baking, I have come to realize that GF flour works best when I can make it as light as possible.  Scones are by their very nature dense, so the question is whether I can reach a happy medium of good taste and texture without the scone settling like a brick in the old tummy.  I printed out the recipe she used and will do some research on GF scone recipes.  This will be a good opportunity to try out some experiments I have been mulling over, so as my DDIL says:  "Game On!"

Colorful

Yesterday started out with the blues when I realized that by re-purposing some of my previous wheat-storing container for my gluten free oats and granola that I had most likely contaminated my food.  Yes, I washed them; but they are plastic, and I have had them many years so they are scratched on the inside.  Then I looked a little more into trying to be gluten free in a non-GF kitchen, and I became discouraged and overwhelmed.  

Some time, research, wrestling with the possibilities, and a helpful conversation with my younger daughter brought things back into perspective.  To help make this transition hold more anticipation than frustration, I am going to pursue colorful solutions wherever possible.  

First, I found some new measuring cups:

Next I am taking some mixing bowls that I was mostly using for decoration and making them my new GF mixing bowls for now.

 I have ordered some new storage containers, that while not colorful, are distinctly different from what I am currently using.  I also order a couple of stainless steel muffin tins since that is what I use for GF baking the most.  I will get some baking sheets along the way, but since I usually use parchment paper with that baking, I am not quite so concerned about that for the moment.  Also on the list are a couple of sauce pans since I have used my current ones for pasta, baking utensils, a couple of colanders (pasta issue again), and leftover containers.  I will have plenty of things to put on my Christmas list this year.  :-)

Once I have my new storage containers, I hope to rearrange my pantry to help me and my hubby keep things separate.  Concerning the actual baking, ideally I would like to keep GF baking on one week and non-GF baking the next, with a thorough scrubbing of the counters in between.  The one thing that may be hardest to remember is to scrub the rack in my toaster oven before I toast any of my bread.  I am sure there will be other issues to consider along the way, but this will be enough for me to deal with right now.