2013… Reflections

Gluten Free Donuts for the New Year!

Happy New Year!  I trust that you had a blessed Christmas and safe passage into 2013!  My children gifted me with a donut pan and a beautiful new cutting board this Christmas.  So, I decided it best to ring in the new year with some donuts.  I have made donuts often, gluten and dairy free (remember the Cider Donut Holes!).  I used the same recipe that I have in the past, substituting buttermilk (or coconut milk mixed with 1 Tbls apple cider vinegar), for the apple cider.  These turned out really amazing in the new donut pan as you can see!  I highly recommend it… no more heating oil and fiddling to keep the temperature just right.  Besides, these keep a perfect shape!  We ended up dusting some with powdered sugar (corn starch free) and glazing others with a coconut milk/powdered sugar glaze to keep them dairy free. 

The end of 2012 was quite busy for us.  Our Annual Christmas Cookie Exchange was as awesome as ever.  It is such a blessing to head home with a few dozen Christmas cookies that I did not have to make myself.  If you missed it, please plan on coming next year!  I am really looking forward to more meetings at Hickory Knolls Discovery Center this year.  I hope you can join us this month as we plan for the Superbowl with “Big Game Fare… Gluten and Allergy Free”.

One common theme I noticed at the end of 2012 is just how many people are impacted by gluten intolerance.  It has been quite incredible to see the acceptance of gluten free foods in restaurants, with chefs, at schools, and on grocery store shelves.  Now more than ever, it has become so much easier to find items that are safe for those on a gluten/allergy free diet that are wholesome and really good.  Sure, there are those out there that are just negative about a change in diet.  I get that and have had to listen to many complaints.  The biggest challenge when switching to a gluten free diet is embracing new textures and flavors without “looking back” on what food used to be like.  I coach others all the time to take small steps if they can and not to expect too much.  When you are really ready to make the commitment for your health, a world of new and wonderful foods await!

Recently, I read the forward to the cookbook “The Gluten-Free Table“ (by the Lagasse sisters) written by renowned chef Emeril Lagasse.  His words flew off the page at me as he described his emotions upon finding out that his daughters have celiac disease and then how he began to embrace the change they must make in his own kitchen.  This very well known chef wrote “I’ve seen food trends come and go during my years as a chef, but I’m here to tell you that this is no trend, folks; this is a serious reality for people living with gluten intolerance and celiac disease.”  Wow!  I can not tell you how many times I have tried to convey those exact words to someone struggling with this dietary change… this deal is here for keeps!  His words brought a lot of hope and encouragement to me as I seek to help others.  It has been my passion for ten years now… not just to feed my children and keep them healthy, not just for my own well being… but to help others find their way back into their kitchens after the reality of dietary change sets in.  I am so grateful that God has used me as his vessel in this ministry to reach others in their time of need.  I look forward to many more years to come!

As for 2013, I resolve to keep testing, trying and baking the best gluten and allergy free foods that I know how!  May it be a great and blessed year!