May is Celiac Awareness month along with food allergy awareness month. Having one of these food avoidance diagnosis is difficult, and sometimes adding the second seems overwhelming. We started off with just food allergies but quickly found out that gluten was a problem. I have been free of gluten and dairy for more than 10 years. It is sometimes hard to remember what it was like to cook with wheat flour or what certain cheeses tastes like.
I am a much better baker than cook and really enjoy baking. I have a soft chocolate chip cookie recipe that I make often, so when I came across someone raving about this cookie recipe I had to try it.
During this time of Safe at Home it has been heartwarming to see the sharing and caring coming from so many companies. Even though I have never been able to partake in the the warm cookie at a DoubleTree, I was curious about the recipe. It is often the little additions that make a cookie great. This one has three things added to make it special (four if you count the nuts, but I don’t usually replace those in recipes). Cinnamon, oats, and a squeeze of lemon make the DoubleTree cookie memorable.
Gluten-Free DoubleTree Signature Cookie (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Tree nut and Peanut-Free, and Nightshade-Free)
Here in Illinois we are at the start of week 5 of social distancing. The weather has mostly been cloudy and rainy. The few nice days I have tried to get out and walk but my daily step counts have been abysmal. I have been working in my garden, and today am cleaning and roasting some dandelion roots to use in making tea. I have also been trying to grow some veggies from food scraps.
I have a few more started in water but I have run out of pots.
All of us are looking for comfort and grounding. Many have turned to working in their yard or potting plants on their balcony. I was so happy (there may have been some tears) when heard my favorite garden center would be open and delivering! One of the items on my to do list this week is to go through all my seeds and order more. I know I am out of radishes and am thankful to a neighbor who had some extras for me to use until I can order some online.
Another way many are looking for comfort is with baking. I have successfully created a gluten-free sourdough starter and am experimenting with new recipes. I have also been making some new soups. This soup is the best soup I have made in months. It will definitely become a regular in my food rotation.
Rutabagas are my go to replacement for potatoes. They do usually need to be cooked longer than the potatoes in a recipe when making the substitution
Cygnet Organizing 