I Had Pasta!

I was in the Co-op the other day and noticed that they had 100% buckwheat soba noodles in the bulk section. I bought a small handful just to see how they are. I asked hubs what starch we should have for supper tonight and he mentioned the noodles. Oh yeah! I cooked them up and just put a little butter, cream and a bit of Parmesan cheese in them.

Hubs said they tasted as good as any pasta he's eaten. Victory-he doesn't care too much for pasta, so this is a huge step. It was sooooo nice to actually eat noodles.

Pasta, I've missed you so.

This is Unbelievable!

Just saw a news report on an Australian boy who is actually allergic to everything:

http://www.digtriad.com/news/thebuzz/story.aspx?storyid=128046&catid=259

Okay, I feel a bit better about my allergies, but what goes on here? What is wrong with our modern world that people are showing such severe allergies?

At least I can eat out, and have mostly had helpful servers who really try to find something I can tolerate. This poor Australian boy may never be cured, so may have to be fed by a tube for the rest of his life.

Just What are We Eating Anyway?

This op-ed piece by columnist Ellen Goodman appeared in today's Bozeman Daily Chronicle:

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/07/24/putting_obesity_out_of_business/

I've always been conscious of what is added to our food on a regular basis, but as time goes by, I am more and more amazed at the lengths they go to to get you to consume their food.

For instance, why do McDonald's french fries have wheat in them? They make a big deal about cooking their potatoes in a dedicated fryer (for the celiacs) and then sabotage their health by putting something dangerous in them.

BK is no better-if you go to their website and look at their ingredients they have rice as an additive. OK if you're not allergic to rice.

I could never figure out why fast food fries would make me cough-hard! The doctors all said it was the grease irritating my acid reflux, but I knew there was much more to it. Lo and behold I was consuming two of my worst allergens-rice and wheat. (The only two worse are tomatoes and corn)

In future posts I'll rant and rail about corn and high fructose corn syrup.

Berry Ice Cream

3 C half and half
1 C heavy cream
1 1/2 C sugar
6 oz softened cream cheese
2 C berries-raspberries or strawberries are delish. I like to use them frozen
1 tsp vanilla

Mix 2 cups half and half with the heavy cream, stir in sugar. Stir with a whisk until dissolved. In a food processor, blend 1 cup half and half with the cream cheese. Add berries (if they're frozen leave them that way) and process until smooth. Whisk into cream and sugar mixture and freeze in ice cream freezer. After ice cream is thickened pack into an airtight container and ripen in the freezer for at least 2 hours.

This recipe, of course, does have dairy, but it doesn't have eggs. I can eat eggs but my 4-year-old grandson Sam cannot, so I leave them out whenever possible. The berries I use are from my garden. I freeze them on cookie sheets and when they're hard I put them into zip-type sandwich bags in 2-cup portions.

Chocolate Drop Cookies

One thing I am NOT allergic to is chocolate. Yes, there is a reason to live! This cookie is pretty tasty, adapted from a recipe that won me a blue ribbon in the Montana Winter Fair.

Chocolate Drops

1/2 C butter
1 C sugar
1 egg
1 C sour cream (if you're allergic to corn, check the label-many brands add corn starch)
1 tsp vanilla
1 C potato starch
1 C coconut flour
2/3 C cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 T milk
2 C chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar, beat in egg. Add sour cream and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients and stir into butter mixture, add milk, then add chips. Using a cookie scoop, drop on greased cookie sheets. Pat down gently-cookie will not spread, so they have to be flattened a bit. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes, remove to cooling surface. Cookies are tender, but the freeze very well. I put them in a plastic container in the freezer and take one or two out at a time to eat.

First Recipe

Wheat/Gluten Free Crepes

1 C flour mix (I use 1/2 C potato flour, 1/4 C coconut flour, and 1/4 C teff flour)
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 C milk
1 Tablespoon cooking oil
dash salt

Combine all ingredients. The best way to mix this is to use a blender, but if you don't have a blender, let it stand a few minutes after mixing. You might have to add a bit more milk-this is a very thin batter.

Pour about 1/4 cup batter in a hot, lightly greased 10 inch non-stick pan, swirling to cover bottom of pan. Cook on medium high until it starts to brown, flip by sliding a spatula under. Cook second side till dry. Keep mixing batter while cooking, it tends to settle. Makes 9-10 crepes. They freeze well-layer them with waxed paper, wrap and freeze.

Teff is a tiny grain from Ethiopia. It's actually a grass and is delicious. I like to cook the whole grain as a cereal similar to Cream of Wheat.

You will seldom find xanthan gum in my recipes. My digestive system dislikes it, and I really can't tell a difference in the texture of the baked goods when I use it anyway.

Hello World of Food Allergies

I created this blog because I was recently diagnosed with multiple food allergies. Mrs. Claus Cooks will chronicle my quest to cook well and eat well in the minefield of allergens. Here I go!!!