The Holiday's and Living Gluten-Free!

It has been almost 5 years since my household has been gluten-free (GF) & dairy-free (DF). Celebrating the holiday's locally has become easy. Some of my friends and family are also GF and/or DF. Those that are not understand and respect the way we eat and are more than willing to accommodate us. 

Photo by: http://experience.usatoday.com/food-and-wine/

This year we going to NY for a wedding, so we will be celebrating Thanksgiving with my NY family. Several of them are DF but none are GF.  They are caring people and will do what needs to be done for us. I am also helping with the cooking.
The key to having a successful holiday is to be as prepared as possible. Planning ahead is the key.
1. Discussing the menu with the host.
2. If possible, choose to cook and/or bake the obvious foods: stuffing, gravy, pies, etc.
3. Make some inquires about which local stores carry gluten-free items.
4. If possible, have someone who lives where you will be, purchase items for you ahead of time. 
4. Purchase parchment paper & parchment paper bags ( line the dishes that may have once had gluten in  them). Aluminum tins can be used to cook things in.
5. Find a $1 store or inexpensive stores;  purchase cooking utensil, pots, etc that you can use    and leave behind. 
6. Knives need to be cleaned and re-cleaned to be sure gluten is not stuck on them. 
7. Before going away, research local GF bakeries and restaurants. 



Photo by:  http://experience.usatoday.com/food-and-wine/

The Road Trip!

We started off early Saturday morning and headed out to the 5 fwy north towards Oregon. Going away for 8 days takes planning. Having a restricted diet takes lots of planning and a little bit of "courage". I made foods, I purchased foods, packed up the bags and searched  findmegluten-free.com, so we could eat on the road with minimal stress.

As we got past Los Angeles we started to see a recurring landscape theme. Dried bush, no greenery and lots of dust in the air. It looks like the "Dust Bowl" of the1930's. There was no let up even past Sacramento.   Mt. Shasta Lake has barely any water in it and it is a huge lake. For those who do not live in CA, it is so hot here during the summer, with little to no rain, that we do not see a lot of green in the hills until fall. Then it stays green until April/May. The drought is most definitely here.

Back to eating: Lunch was sandwiches on homemade bread. Later we stopped in Sacramento for the night. I found "The Farmer's Kitchen Cafe" in Davis, It is a 100% Gluten -free and dairy-free eatery. Excellent baked goods, especially the dinner rolls. We purchased a loaf of bread to make sandwiches on the road. We shared a Caesar salad with homemade croutons and chicken em-pandas with risotto. Their menu is "Plat du Jour" which roughly translated means "food of the day". They make several meals and when you come in you can chose from the 3-5 options. They do a huge take out business.

Breakfast next morning was more challenging. I had made hard boiled eggs and purchased packets of  Gluten-free oatmeal. We had this in our room and planned to travel to Redding for a real breakfast. There were only a few options that appeared safe but when we got there I questioned it. Instead we had  some snacks that I brought with us. Several hours later we stopped for gas and found a Ray's Food Place (grocery store) just at the base of Mt Shasta. They carry Ketschmar deli meats which are gluten-free. We happily made sandwiches and ate them will we drove.

We got to Oregon mid day and headed to Richard's uncles house where were having dinner. I had already had detailed communication with Brooke and she assured me she would cook GF. I knew she is a gourmet cook and knows her way around ingredients but of course I was still concerned. She made an exceptional meal of Morocco Chicken, saffron rice and salad. She had all the recipes books out so I could review the ingredients. The meal was delightful and uneventful (no reaction to the food)

We stayed in Ashland, Oregon that night. I had heard Ashland was a progressive town  and well aware of foods and health. They lived up tot heir reputation. We had breakfast at a place called "Brothers Restaurant".
They use rice oil to substitute for diary, they carry Udi's breads and  are well aware of cross contamination issues.

After a lovely stroll in 32 degree temperatures, we headed back down the 5 fwy to San Bruno. We enjoyed the snacks I had with us. We are now resting here with friends for a few days. I will be checking out several GF bakeries etc and will continue this when we are home.