It's Gonna Take Some Time

 
The Story: 


I started this blog when I had fewer children, and more time to cook.  I didn't know much about cooking, but I was passionate, and willing to learn.  I had ups.  I had downs.  I had adventures.  I watched cooking shows.  I read cooking blogs.  I slobbered over recipe, after recipe, after recipe.  I threw some stuff in the trash can.  And through all that, I learned an awful lot. 

I think it's safe to say:  I went from n00b to demi-rockstar.  Hahahaha!  Okay, yeah, that demi-rockstar bit is total nonsense.  But, after some time, I am now a tiny step ahead of most other home cooks I know.  I learned how to, not just modify recipes I saw, but develop my own recipes.  And sometimes they would turn out pretty good.  Sometimes even on the first try.

And now, a new era has begun in my life.  Early this year I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease.  So, that's when you can't digest certain proteins (gluten) in certain grains (barley, rye, wheat, sometimes oats), and eating those things damages your body, ALL up in here.  It can cause all kinds of wacky junk to go on.  Usually, = misery. The only treatment is a strict gluten-free diet for the rest of my days. 

Want a little TMI?  I didn't think so.  So here's some MMI (moderately much information).  Proper digestion is good, on so many levels.  And, therefore, it's SO, SO worth the sacrifice of not eating some things that are delicious (means Dunkin' Donuts). Plus--and this is not any kind of much information--there are fabulous alternatives to pretty much anything you want to eat.  Welcome to the world of Gluten Free Eating!  Because, digestion.  Remember?

If you don't have Celiac, and chances are excellent that you don't (!), then gluten-free eating is not necessary for you.  But it's not gonna kill you to try some recipes.  I'll try my hardest to make things easy for you to transition back and forth with your own all-purpose wheat flour or other substitutions.  And lots of things you won't even notice being any different.

I started seriously exploring the possibility of Celiac Disease  around October of 2013.  One of the first things that I really learned is that it's a WHOLE 'nother world of baking, and sometimes cooking.  It takes some time to learn your way around all the flours, starches, techniques, altitudes, tastes, etc.  So, they say, start with mixes, in order to learn how doughs/batters/finished products should look, feel, and taste.  Because it's totally different than the gluteney stuff. 

Unfortunately... mixes sometimes taste like garbage.  And they don't always look or feel quite right, either.  So, after eight-and-a-half months, I'm beginning to venture away from mixes, and start trying to fit into my gluten-free big girl panties.  I'm venturing into modifying recipes I see, and even dabbling in developing recipes of my own.

Here's a successful little mix-fix I developed:



The Recipe: 


Gluten Free Mix Chocolate Chip Cookies  (Modified from Pamela's cookies recipe)

8 ounces butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (3-3.5 oz.) package instant vanilla pudding mix (or chocolate, if that's your deal) (check label to ensure gluten-free-ness)
1 1/2 to 2 cups Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix
1 cup or so gluten free chocolate chips ( I use Ghirardelli's milk)

Note: A stand mixer is pretty helpful for this recipe, but not necessary, by any means.

Beat the butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.  Add the sugars.  Beat until light and fluffy.

Add the egg.  Beat until light and fluffy.  (Are you seeing a pattern here?)  Add the vanilla.  Beat.  Add the pudding mix.  Beat.  Add the baking mix, and stir well, until you have a firm, not sticky, but not crumbly, dough.  If you prefer your cookies to spread and flatten, only add 1 1/2 cups of baking mix (and skip chilling the dough).  Then stir in those chocolate chips, and, if you want, some chopped nuts, sprinkles, whatev.

Chill dough while oven preheats to 350° F.  Bake rounded tablespoons of dough on an ungreased, rimmed cookie sheet for 9 minutes. Or 8 minutes, if you like them with a little less color, and a barely-cooked center.



The Verdict: 

 GF mixes are expensive.  And not always tasty.  But fixing mixes is a great gateway into making an edible product into a great product, and learning and growing along the way.  This fix really makes a flat, grainy, somewhat tasteless cookie, into something fluffy, gooey, light, and buttery.

I know the world doesn't really need ANOTHER gluten-free cooking blog, but here's a little secret: this blog has always been more for me than for anyone else.  I don't mean to hurt your feelings, because I LOOOOOVE being able to share food and recipes with others, but really, I'm tracking my own journey.  And the fact that you're here is icing on that cake. 

So, I'm going to be retooling some things on the blog, and in my approach to cooking.  Hopefully that'll include a few more pictures, even though I am an atrocious photographer.   I'd be ever so happy to have you along!