Udi's Gluten Free Sandwich Bread - Oh My Word!

My friend Jennifer has Celiac and recommended Udi's Sandwich Bread. She said it was great for sandwiches, grilled cheese etc. with out having to be toasted. We were at Central Market yesterday and they had some in the freezer department. We got up this morning and made a grilled cheese sandwich for Grace and she LOVED it! Troy and I tried a bite and it tasted like real bread - REAL BREAD!!! It was good - and not just "good for gluten free."

Grace wanted to add:

"I just had a grilled cheese that tasted so much like REAL grilled cheese, that my mom had to check AGAIN to see if it was gluten free!!!!!!!!!! CENTRAL MARKET ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Grace is right - after Troy and I had a bite I have a momentary panic attack that I had gotten the wrong bread - I didn't - it was gluten free! It wasn't brick heavy - it was airy and spongy - like a good home made bread.

You can find it in the freezer section where better gluten free breads are sold. It was just under $6 a loaf - about average for GF bread. I found it at Central Market - but Jennifer said she has gotten it at bigger health food stores in the North Texas area. You can also buy it online.

Oh - and Grace had another grilled cheese for lunch :)

2000!!

Thank you to everyone who have helped me get to 2000 posts in less than a year! I am honored and hope you have come away with something you can use.

Thank you especially to those who have added comments. They have been very helpful and I get giddy when I get a comment :)

Pumpkin Pie!!!

Grace LOVES pumpkin pie - LOVES it! We all do. Troy's late Mother made a great pie and I make her recipe every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Several weeks ago Grace said she was going to miss pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving - I suggested we try to make it with out a crust - like a custard. I am sorry we waited too long.

It is AWESOME! Really, really awesome - and so very easy.

Unless you have your own family recipe I would suggest the Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie recipe - gluten free and very easy to make. Instead of pouring it into a crust - pour it into a baking dish or custard cups. I did both - Grace devoured both custard cups in a matter of minutes. Place in a larger dish with about an inch of water and bake as directed on the can. Make sure it sets - it may need a tad bit longer than suggested - depending on how deep the dish is etc.

Top with whipped cream or Cool Whip (Which his GLUTEN FREE!) and enjoy. Since I only made two custard cups I couldn't try it but I would assume bruleeing it would be FANTASTIC also. Of course I am always looking for ways to use my brulee torch :)

Enjoy your Thanksgiving and have your pie and eat it too!!

What we are thankful for

A year ago this week Grace got her diagnosis of Celiac. What a year we have had! We went from being freaked out and "What do we do now??" to handling it - pretty well.

We have learned where we can safely go out to eat. We have learned what is good in school lunches, we have learned about CHEESE BREAD!! Yummy, yummy cheese bread. We have kissed a few frogs that were toads (baking mixes) and kissed a few frogs that were princes - brownie mix! - and cheese bread! We have learned A LOT about hidden gluten, read tons of labels and had to explain ourselves over and over and over again - but it has been ok. Really - it has.

We have had a few - very few - hiccups but for the most part have a good handle on this gluten free lifestyle for Grace.

We did have a conversation with her this weekend about her having a responsibility for her health and eating and needing to not only try - but willingly eat - things she hadn't been eating. She got an egg for breakfast at the hotel the other day and ate baked chicken last night - a good start. Protein is hard for her to get enough of.

I am thankful in this time of Thanksgiving that we have found the key to making Grace feel better. She is growing and thriving and - tall and beautiful.

Thanks to all of my blog visitors - I appreciate your comments and support.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gluten Free Eggs??

This just goes to show you that you can find gluten in the strangest places. We went to iHop last night for a fundraiser - knowing full well that what Grace could (or would) eat would be limited. She ended up having a plate full of bacon and hot chocolate - the dinner of champions!

I got an omelette - spinach and mushroom - it was yummy. In the description it stated (paraphrase) "We add a little pancake batter to make our omelettes fluffy." ??? Who would have thunk it? Honestly it wouldn't have phased me a year ago but now I wondered why it didn't state it more promptly. I did a little google search and it appears iHop isn't really forthcoming with their nutrition information - for any allergens and needless to say - gluten. Troy said "It is a restaurant based on batter - what do you expect??" I have to agree - but that said - many restaurants are accommodating their customers with allergy info or special menus - it would be nice if a company as big as iHop did the same - or at least made an attempt.