Lasagna from SCRATCH and I'm not even Italian

  I made a lasagna from scratch the other night! It turned out great. Olive Garden would be embarrassed if they could have tried it. But anyway if you're like me and love lasagna but don't like paying extra for store bought gluten free pasta then this is for you!
     To start with make the lasagna noodles. Put a pot of water on to boil. Mix an egg, a cup of gluten free flour and  two table spoons of water.  You don't want to do too much on the water. I should probably say I'm one of those people who annoy others when I cook because I don't measure. But I have tried my best to make sure this is as accurate. Any more accurate and I would be in your kitchen cooking with you.
     Ok back to the recipe. As you mix it will form a dough. Roll it out flat and cut it in strips the size of lasagna noodles. Your water should be ready by now. Dump your pasta in. Let that boil about 25-30 minutes while you brown your meat. I use two pounds of ground turkey. You can use ground beef if you prefer. I like to add garlic salt and onion powder to the meat while it cooks. And I also add italian seasoning and oregano. After you brown the meat drain the grease. Put it back in the skillet and add a small can of tomato sauce, tomato paste and diced tomatoes. I use fresh tomatoes  but you can buy a can of diced tomatoes if you like.
        Once that is all mixed in let it simmer. Get another egg, 12 ounces of cottage cheese, and a cup (or more if you want) of mozzerrella cheese. Mix together. Now check your pasta. Drain the water and also run cold water over it. Once your noodles are cooled enough to later a baking pan. I use a 9x13 pan to make a lot. Layer the bottom with noodles. Then with the tomato/meat sauce and next with the egg/cheese mixture. Then repeat. Once I'm done I add extra cheese and I like to add extra garlic, onion, italian seasoning and oregano. I just sprinkle it on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
      

Did ya miss me?

    It's been a little while since I posted. I have had sick kids. A one and two year old both with double ear infections equals exhausted parents! I got some rest and now it's time for mama to get back to raising awareness! My last one was pretty heavy so I think we need to get back to the fun and upbeat stuff!
     In  today's economy society is trying to juggle time, money and life style. And for us Celiacs we have to juggle extra cost, extra time and the high possibility of our system being attacked by gluten. But really who doesn't enjoy going out to dinner or staying in and ordering a pizza? You do, well you did before you got diagnosed anyway. Well don't worry friends there is hope!
   I am still able to eat some of my favorite foods! I LOVE pizza and enchiladas.  I have found some great recipes to make each and also a way to eat them out! We are frequent flyers to a little mexican place by our house. This is our favorite place to eat in town. We walk in and they know our names and have our orders memorized. I wouldn't want to let a food allergy cause me to give that up! 
        Depending on what you like you can order it to suit your allergy. When I order enchiladas I make sure to let them know I want corn instead of flour because I am highly allergic. I don't know where you live but more and more pizza places have started carrying gluten free crusts for their Celiac customers. Gluten free food is getting better and better!
      

"You're too young for this"

      "You're too young for this", they said over and over again as they talked to me about my x-rays. The Er Dr and the radiologist were asking so many questions. Which only raised my fear even more."Too young for what? For what? Just say it I thought" I had gone to the ER that day because I started vomiting blood and having trouble swallowing. I was already imagining the worst. So they were not helping my nerves. I was only twenty-three with a fourteen month old and two week old. My children were all I could think about.
   The Drs that night both seemed uncertain about what exactly was going on. They used words like "stricture", you know how I feel about those kinds of terms.They said "don't worry, you're  young, that will be on your side.It's probably something like ulcers or a hernia. But we see something on the x-rays which indicates something more serious. If you were in your fifties or sixties we would automatically refer you to an oncologist. However,we are referring you to a gastroenterologist. Meanwhile you need to stay on a liquid diet"
   I saw the gastroenterologist within 2 weeks. Let me tell you by then I was so tired of liquids! My Dr went over my medical history, family history and my recent symptoms. He said he wanted to run some tests and do an EGD. He also believed there was a good chance its a gluten allergy. . But first he wanted to take a look at the x ray the Dr from the ER sent. He said it would be a few weeks before they could do the EGD. The Dr leaves and my mom, husband and I all sigh in relief.
    The Dr comes back and says" well you're already in town(we live an hr and a half away) and I saw something I'm concerned about and I'm sure you're tired of liquids. We really need to do this today. I will see you back this afternoon. I will go with you over to schedule your apt". And the relief I just feeling had quickly changed back to panic.
  The next two and a half months were spent going to have the procedure redone. Doing blood work and waiting for biopsies.My Dr kept me on a gluten diet so that it would show up on tests On December 21st my throat closed up completely and I couldn't keep liquids down. They performed the procedure again and took more biopsies. During the EGD he  finally saw something that looked like gluten. I was diagnosed that day.I know this isn't the happy and light material that I usually post. But I feel that this is important too. People with and without Celiac's need to realize the severity of this disease.