happy anniversary!

Dear readers,

I couldn't have made it all of this way without many of you whom I know, but I especially wouldn't be in such a good place today without Jim. Today is our second wedding anniversary.

Jim's attributes are many, not the least of which is his unflappable way of helping me keep my eye on the prize through the storms we have weathered together, but also his deep understanding of my situation. He knows so much about how to help someone you love be gluten free that he will be my first guest post in the months to come. Look for it soon! I am excited to see it too. Hoping his sense of humor shines through.

We are both working today -- well, trying to work as little as possible so that we can have a nice meal together tonight in our "ski lodge" in front of the fire.

I will be baking an apple pie today using this crust recipe.

For dinner, we will be enjoying a baked cod and potato dish that we ate almost every day on our honeymoon in Portugal. We'll be going to our local wharf for some fresh cod on the way home from work. Here is the recipe:

Portuguese Codfish Casserole

2 lbs fresh cod
5 lg potatoes, washed, peeled if you wish, and sliced thinly thru the whole potato
2 large onions, sliced thinly
1 c or more of olive oil
8-10 minced garlic cloves (more or less depending on your taste)
2 T fresh chopped parsley
1 1/2 T red pepper flakes
1 t paprika
3 T tomato sauce
1 t sea salt
dash blk pepper

mix together oil, garlic, parsley, red pepper, paprika, tom sauce, salt and pepper. set aside.

steam cod for five mins.

preheat oven to 375 degrees. layer in an oiled baking dish 1/2 potato slices, all of the cod, all of the onions. top w/ other 1/2 of potatoes.

pour olive oil mixture over the top.

bake for 45 mins.

Et voila! Just like being there...on the beach in early October (it was 75-80 degrees and sunny every day!)...visiting the many medieval castle ruins and gardens...stumbling upon the most amazing little restaurant in Calores, where they treated us like king and queen and served us wine made from grapes of ancient vines and flourless chocolate torte...mmm...sipping Port in front of a fire every night and just having the most relaxing seaside honeymoon ever!

Jim has prepared a slide show on DVD of our wedding day and honeymoon...can't wait to watch it and reminisce!

Time to go find the right salad recipe to go with our meal. I hope you enjoy the recipes and find time to reflect on all the good things in life too.

Life is good.

Killing Me Softly...

Hello, readers. It's been an emotional roller coaster of a week! If you are like me and compulsively followed your gut onto the gluten-free diet before you got a clear diagnosis from your primary care doctor (mine did not offer good care or guidance in ANY way), gastroenterologist (well, if my doc had sent me to one) or dermatologist (for more steroid cream? no thanks!), then you are, also like me, stuck wondering how to get diagnosed, which is doable but intensely more difficult than back when you ate bagels for breakfast.

In January of 2007, I went gluten-free on my own with no guidance, and with every intention of going back to a life with gluten at some unknown point, a point that moved further and further into the future until it has now disappeared forever. I did try to eat wheat and gluten in April 2007, and a few more times during that year -- every time I suffered for it and developed a rash and other intestinal symptoms, all of which would disappear when I went back to being as gluten-free as possible.

If 365 roasted sunflower seeds from the Whole Foods can make me as sick as they did a few weeks ago (labeled "manufactured on machinery that also handles wheat") and for as long, I can only imagine how incredibly bad it would be for me to ingest a bite of cake like I did at my wedding September 29, 2007...if I got married now, I would be looking for a caterer to do a gluten-free wedding for us!

So, how to move forward with a diagnosis without eating a baguette and having your blood tested for the correct antibodies, and then have a small intestine biopsy that may or may not show the disease, depending on how long it went undiagnosed and how long you've been healing on your new diet? (Folks like me with DH, the skin presentation of CD, sometimes do not show ANY symptoms in their small intestine). All followed by a 7-or-so-day gluten hangover with a variety of symptoms and a compromised immune system?

There is hope. At least I keep telling myself that this week.

There is a genetic test you can order from Prometheus Laboratories to show the two genes that ALL Celiacs share. This would rule it in or out definitively. If you have the two genes, it means that you are predisposed to the disease. It's not a diagnosis, but it IS a starting point to one.

I am lucky (or profoundly unlucky) to have the skin manifestation of the disease, Dermatitis Herpetiformis or DH, only identified by sight by a knowledgeable naturopath in March of 2007. All people with DH have CD. And, once you have celiac disease, you always have it. But I need a skin biopsy to show that I have one disease, and therefore, the other. My DH went away completely when I finally decided to stick to the diet in November of 2007 (um, an obvious clue). What to do?

Well, thanks to the 365 sunflower seeds I was eating every day and then immediately falling asleep bloated on the couch for a week or so...these episodes were followed up with...HARK! a really itchy bubble/blister appeared on my leg, right where one of the lesions used to be pretty constantly between the late 90s and 2007. I quickly made an dermatologist appointment to get it biopsied.

Luckily it was still in fine bubble form for my appointment this past Monday, where the nice intern listened so patiently to me about my history and why I was there that day. He thought the biopsy could be done. (With a positive DH diagnosis I would have a CD diagnosis). Then the head doc came in and got skeptical with me. I should have been prepared -- I have faced skepticism so many times with doctors! He said, "Celiac disease is very, very rare. I don't know if this lesion is enough of one for analysis. We can try..." (I didn't tell him that in fact celiac disease is NOT rare, just underdiagnosed -- three million Americans alone have this silent disease, and only 5% are diagnosed. I didn't want to jeopardize my getting the biopsy done, so I smiled and nodded). He did the circular cut with some local anesthetic and sewed me up. Are you taking aspirin or blood thinners? he asked. I said no. Well, you're bleeding quite a bit. (OK...well, it did stop eventually. I hope that doesn't mean I have other underlying issues). But the deed is done. I don't have any other lesions to biopsy, so my fingers and toes are crossed that he:

1. took the skin sample from where it needed to be taken. (I have subsequently read that the biopsy site is adjacent to the lesion, usually not on it. He took my bubble, and a tiny bit of the surrounding skin, ergh).

2. is sending it to the correct lab where they will do the correct analysis. Here I just am having to have faith that he knew what he was doing because I didn't research all of my options. I could have had a test sent to me that I could have brought in to their office to have done professionally, and then made sure it went to one of a couple of labs...but I didn't have that info going into the appointment.

3. that he did everything with care so I won't have a scar. This would especially hurt if the test comes back negative for improper sampling. Then I would be right back at square one, with a scar to remind me.

I am ready to move on with my life, so I am hoping for some closure on this. And by moving on with my life, I mean my gluten-free life, which I have come to accept and even love. It's part of accepting and loving myself for who I am. I would like this diagnosis so that I can voice it out loud without question marks: "I have (fill in the blank here with: celiac disease, gluten intolerance, anything other than wondering...)." There. It already feels better.

Why bother with the diagnosis at all, you may wonder? I didn't bother until now, after reading that I can write off my extra food expenses on our taxes with a doctor's diagnosis, and that eventually I may have coverage as a celiac to see a nutritionist, much like diabetics do. When diet is the ONLY prescription, shouldn't peeps with CD be covered by their insurance to see a nutritionist to make sure they are properly absorbing nutrients? (a huge problem for undiagnosed celiacs still eating wheat and gluten, and obviously something that would need monitoring after you change your diet -- g-f foods and flours are not enriched like their glutenous cousins, and I have had to be on a pretty crazy vite, mineral and probiotic regimen to feel well, and apparently I still might have a vitamin K deficiency, hence my heavy bleed at the biopsy site).

Time to go change my band-aid where my old bubble-friend was. Thanks for reading and supporting me through this time. There are better days to come!

Be well.

ROOT organic spirits and Woodland Bop flasks/cozies

Hello again, and welcome to Goat City. There is a fall nip in the air, and we lit our first fire of the season while tuned in to an episode of 'Lewis' on public television. The only thing missing was some kinda grog or hot toddy...well, there is a new, organic hand-crafted booze, safe for the gluten-free diet from a Native American recipe called ROOT.



Looks nice, doesn't it?
Here's what they say about it on the interwebs:

“At 80 proof, ROOT is unlike anything else on the market today and is the first true American liqueur since the Pre-Prohibition Era.

It is lively, and rose gold in color, this rustic spirit has a full, rich smoky flavor, inspired by an 18th century Pennsylvania folk recipe, which eventually evolved into Birch or Root Beer. The recipe stems from Root Tea, which goes back to the 1700s, when Native Americans taught the recipe to settlers. Over generations, Root Tea grew in potency, particularly in Pennsylvania, where the ingredients grew in abundance. During the Temperance Movement, a Philadelphia pharmacist removed the alcohol and ironically rechristened it Root Beer. This is our creation and interpretation of a genuine potent, Root Tea.

ROOT is a certified organic spirit made with North American herbs and pure cane sugar. All botanicals are painstakingly selected and tested for purity. Using all natural, organic ingredients, like anise, birch bark, cloves and cardamom, with hints of spearmint and citrus, the sugarcane based liquor is distilled in limited batches to ensure maximum quality.”

Do not fret if you don't live in PA. You can order it here.

I am excited to try this. It is meant to be drunk neat or mixed into a cocktail (I can see this going nicely with Reed's Ginger Brews), or in a hot toddy with some maple syrup, as the nice people at Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction in Philadelphia recommend.

Here at Goat City, we might humbly suggest ordering one of our Woodland Bop flasks/cozies -- a 4 oz stainless steel flask in a lovingly handmade cozy, made from recycled fabrics, vintage buttons and crocheted toggle closures, so they're snug and inconspicuous, yet your flask remains accessible for refills of ROOT, etc. Here's a peek:



If you would like to order a flask in a cozy, please contact me directly:
magpie@fernknight.com
I would be delighted to fill your order and can customize color scheme, etc.

Thanks for stopping by Goat City. Enjoy the fall weather with some ROOT! We will be having a sampling party soon, and we will let ya know how it goes down.

Truffle Tremor!

Hello, friends and family!

I have good news. My favorite goat cheese of late, Cypress Grove Truffle Tremor is safe for those of us on the gluten-free diet! This is excellent news!
Charles of Cypress Grove has assured me that no bread mold is used in their cheese-making process (for ANY of their cheeses), and that there's no danger of cross-contamination as they don't use gluten in their facility.

YAY!
Enjoy...

Also, I wrote to the company that makes the delicious herbed Chavrie in PA. They also wrote back to say yes, our products are all gluten-free!

It's the year of the goat.

some places gluten hides

Hello, welcome to my mostly food and info plus a little bit of music blog.

Over the past two years of research, I have found out from various sources along the way where gluten can hide, sometimes in food or in the kitchen, but also it can hide in beauty products and household items:

Check the ingredients in your lotion, shampoo, conditioner, hair products like mousse and gel, makeup (especially lipstick) and soap.

Vitamins, cold and flu medicines, pain relievers and prescription meds may contain gluten. Ask your pharmacist to check for you if you are not sure.

Don't lick stamps or envelopes -- the sticky stuff contains wheat paste.

Recycle your toaster, wooden cutting board, rolling pin, wooden spoons, etc. They trap gluten no matter how hard you try to clean them up.

Recently I was munching daily on some roasted sunflower seeds from the Whole Foods. I was feeling unnaturally tired, bloated and puffy-eyed. After seven consecutive days of feeling this way and trying to figure it out, I pinpointed it to my pre-dinner handfuls of seeds -- manufactured on machinery that also handles wheat...when you see that on the label, best to steer clear. Also getting rid of my 365 black pepper and garlic powder for the same reason.

Two years in and I am still learning! I will update this post from time to time as I have more knowledge.
Best of luck if you have been recently diagnosed with celiac disease -- it's a long journey back to health, but if you are diligent, you will have your health back.

Squash Quinoa Soup, Sorghum Bread and Joe Walsh 'Barnstorm'

It's been a soft rock week, month...um, year! I can't help but be drawn in to Boz Scaggs and Jimmy Castor, what can I say? I heart Fleetwood Mac. The latest fave lp is 'Barnstorm' by Joe Walsh. It has been my soundtrack for baking and cooking today. You can hear the Hotel California in Barnstorm, all grown up.

First up, the bread portion of the Fall Soup and Bread Day.

Sorghum Bread from Gluten-Free Girl:

2 t yeast
1 t sugar (honey works too)
1/2 c warm water
1 1/2 c sorghum flour
1/2 brown rice flour
1/2 c sweet rice flour
1/2 c tapioca flour
1/2 c potato starch
2 T flaxseed meal
1 t xanthan gum
2 t baking soda
1 T apple cider vinegar
2 eggs
2 T olive oil
club soda - room temp - only as much as needed to hold dough together.

Activate yeast: combine yeast, sugar and warm water in lg bowl - mix gently and set aside 15 mins.

preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

Combine dry ingred. Add liquids: add yeast/water mix to dry, mix. Add apple cider vin, then eggs, one at a time, then olive oil. Drizzle in club soda til dry ingredients are wet completely.

Knead on gf floured surface 10 mins. (stand mixer med. for 5 mins).
Transfer to oiled bowl. Cover w/ damp towel. Turn off oven and place bowl in oven for an hour. then put the bowl on top of stove and turn the oven on to 500. place a dutch oven in the oven to heat up for the last half hour of rising.

Transfer dough into hot dutch oven, cover, place into oven and bake at 500 for 30 minutes. Remove and cool for 10 mins.

After first day, slice and freeze.

[and for the soup portion]
[Flip over the Joe Walsh l.p.]

Squash Quinoa Soup

2 T olive oil
Shallot and/or onion
mushroom broth (Pacific is g-f in a pinch) plus water to make 25-28 oz
5 oz apricot nectar
1 lb chopped and peeled butternut squash
3/4 c quinoa
1 t cumin
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 zuke
3 leaves red chard

These are just the veg I happened to have, plus some broth and quinoa. Feel free to add other yummy things, like sweet potatoes, tomatoes or peas...

Saute the shallot/onion til translucent in olive oil in a big soup pot.
Add broth, apricot nectar, squash, quinoa and cumin - bring to a boil. then simmer, covered, 5 mins. Add chopped zuke and chard, cover and simmer til things are soft, about 10 more mins, and season with sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste.

Serve with the crusty sorghum bread and/or a salad. Delish. Enjoy~
Thanks for stopping by Goat City.