Gluten free craze

The Gluten-Free Craze on The Diane Rehm Show. Have you listened to it?

Gluten free in the news

Baking without flour brings sweet results
NPR Story about delightful desserts

Celiacs split on benefit of gluten-free tax break 
No surprise that the complicated calculations for gluten-free foods makes it more difficult for people to file taxes

Kafka forges ahead minus gluten, lactose
“She gives weight to these niches,” said Corby Kummer, a senior editor at The Atlantic magazine and a longtime friend of Kafka’s who pushed her to write the latest book after his stepdaughter was diagnosed as gluten-intolerant. “She carves out territory and then other people follow in her wake. No matter how many books come and go, hers are there.”


Gourmet and gluten-free: On the rise
A cute story about a Vancover bakery

Is going gluten-free good for you?
"Businesses aren't going to these lengths for the Celiacs. Because after all, they aren't the ones driving the sales. What is, according to Mintel, is advancements in the taste of gluten-free goodies, people's perception that gluten-free food is healthier and good old-fashioned trendiness."

Sugarbird Bakery Makes Gluten-Free Gourmet
Makes me want to visit Providence!

Gluten free in the news

This is a first ever. There are so many stories about Celiac disease and gluten in the news, I am having to do a round-up. Hint, hint, the first one is my favorite!

Norwood Food Pantry Provides Gluten-Free Foods
"Pierce’s Pantry is the brainchild of Pierce Keegan, an 11th grade student from Wayland, who began raising money for Project Bread’s Walk for Hunger six years ago – about the same time he was diagnosed with celiac disease."

New Guide to Who Really Shouldn't Eat Gluten
This gives me hope for better research!

SURVIVING LIFE’S BIG SCRUM - Celiac disease hit rugby player Jamie Lawrence hard, but she has refused to be tackled
A nice person story

Why Liver Problems Require a Look at Celiac Disease
An interesting look at the connections between liver problems and Celiac

Should You Go Gluten Free? (video from TODAY show)

New Vaccine is being produced!
It's for a drug trial, but let's cross some fingers, and maybe some toes.

Madrid Coffee Cakes

It is really hard for me to say no to free cake; so when Madrid Coffee Cake contacted me and offered up a free sample, I said yes. There is your warning, disclosure, what have you, dear readers, that the following victuals were not purchased by me, but here is what my brain and taste buds thought.

The Classic Tarta de Santiago was the hands-down winner. The cake is moist, not too sweet, has a nice texture with the ground and sliced almonds, and it is perfect with coffee or tea. It does not suffer from many of the pitfalls of gluten-free cakes, like being gritty from rice flour, dry, cracking, crumbly, or tasting of chick pea flour, or strongly of egg whites. I really liked it.

I was a bit surprised when I tasted the second offering, the Chocolate-Hazelnut Coffee Cake. While the cake middle itself was soft and moist, the top was cracking like a meringue, and the flavor was off. It did not taste like hazelnuts and the mini chocolate chips made it taste like a cheaper quality product that the Santiago. I contacted the owner, but have not heard back. I am hoping that this was a fluke or a bad batch. I will report back with updates.

While I probably would not grab another Chocolate Hazelnut Coffee Cake, but I am a little jazzed to taste the Pistachio-Almond. I am excited to have another local gluten and dairy-free bakery in the Boston area!

Gin take 2

1 cup of vodka
1 tablespoon dried juniper berries

For those who truly love "real" gin, aka juniper-based gin, I am making a side supplement to my juniper-free gin. I shall report back in a few days.

Jujuju juice it, real good

In addition to joining a gym I've been juicing... fruits and veggies, not the other kind. I did a short stint at the now defunct Bananarama in Amherst, MA blending smoothies and crafting juices. Adding ginger changed my opinion of veggie-heavy fruit juices; it really helps it sparkle so it is not too vegetal. Carrot-beet-apple-celery with a hint of ginger is one of my all time favorites. I have been messing around with adding more greens - it definitely changes the color, but if there are some sweet fruits thrown in, the end result is really great.

technicolor snack brought to you by:
beets, beet greens, kale, carrot, zucchini, cucumber, apple, ginger

Gluten free beer bread

I have to give a nod to my friend Rena on this lemonade of an idea: gluten free beer bread. There have been several new-to-me gluten free beers that I have tried lately... but I have not liked nor blogged about them. I find that all gluten free beers fall into one ore more of these categories:
-too sweet
-not carbinated enough
-almost no noticeable hops
-wine-like flavor, rather than a beer-like flavor

I do have hope, Dogfish Head is going to release a new gluten-free beer: Tweason'ale. Till then, I have some bottles knocking around in the back of the fridge that need a purpose, thus it is bread making time!

So here is my first semi-failed attempt at beer bread. You can see it exploded, and then collapsed, and then when fully cooled became a doughball.

Honestly, I felt like I was gluten free bread baking for the first time. See the uneven crumb! The saddness of a falling loaf! This, my friends, is grounds for improvement!

gin-us

Last Friday night a few people encouraged the gin making to stop, mostly to allow for more substantial gin tasting to occur. I have to say, these are some of the smartest people out there because the end result was amazing.

The "headiness" of the bergamont, where it was very strong in the nose, has really mellowed. So much so I am not sure I would pick it out as the first smell. The flavor is a lot more spicy, in the slightly prickly way - I could really taste the cubebs and grains of paradise! The other marked improvement is that the beverage tastes a lot less, well, vodka-like. Don't get me wrong, but I was a little disappointed when the original recipe I read online suggested steeping for 24 hours, because after 24 hours this was less awesome than after 17 days.

I am going to have to whip up a batch of tonic water asap. 

stats stat!

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Your eyes are not deceiving you, its over 72,000 page views!

Gluten-free, its the law

There are new legal definitions of "gluten free". Things are changing... in Europe.

Come across the pond I say!

Can you hear me barking USDA & FDA peeps?!