Buying, selling… and moving
The house at 8 Cluff Court, Whitby is sold and it won’t be long at all before the moving date arrives. Time to trade in the sleepy suburban lifestyle of Whitby for something a little more rural. Since I’m “moving to the country” I thought a quick check of my “new lifestyle” list is in order: 1) Own a pickup truck – check 2) Start telling people I live “just outside of town” – check 3) Start to believe the myth that “well water is better” – check 4) Start telling everyone that “it’s ok, we’re only 10 minutes further away” – check There are still a few things I have to work to get my head around: 1) calling where I live “Port”… not...
Gluten-Free Recipe Of The Day – Classic Magic Cookie Bars
Ok, at this point I am definitely in super-procrastination mode. So many things to do and here I am posting something else. However, it is the Christmas season and I frequently get asked about baked items for my Celiac children. What better time to post a few GF recipes. Since I made the first batch the other night, I might as well do an old Christmas stand-by: The Eagle Brand Magic Cookie Bar – Gluten Free Edition. Here is the recipe: Ingredients 2 cups (500 mL) Kinnikinnick Gluten-Free graham wafer crumbs (Available at Superstore in Whitby) 3/4 cup (175 mL) butter, melted 1 can (300 mL) Eagle Brand® Regular or Low Fat sweetened condensed milk (Eagle Brand is Gluten-Free) 1 1/3 cups (325 mL) chopped pecans (Optional – leave out for a...
Christmas Memories
Christmas is my favourite time of the year. I love everything that goes with the season: beautiful trees, lots of lights, candles, music new and old and tasty treats. The reason I love Christmas so much is that I was blessed with some great memories. Tim, Ruth and I had parents who always made sure that this time of year is special. Of course the hustle and bustle was there, but through it my parents always did things to make it a calm and wonderful time. Her are some of my favourite memories: Helping Dad drag in the Christmas tree through the basement sliding glass door. Bowls of mandarin oranges and homemade ‘Bits & Bites’. Candles, candles and more candles. Lots of family constantly coming through the house for parties, dinners and coffee &...
Campbells Gluten-Free
The kids have come home quite a few times this week for lunch and it is always a challenge to get something warm, healthy and most importantly gluten-free into them (especially in the scant 20 minutes that is available before we head out to grab Lauren). This week has also been a little tough in the food / gluten-free department because of my accidental “gluten poisoning” of the kids. Nothing like feeding my Celiacs a big batch of regular pasta! Luke threw up for hours and Abby showed no signs of any problem (what a strange disease!), much like it was before their tests. I was telling the kids at lunch one day this week about the rare times I got to stay home from school and eat lunch with my Mom (rare because we took the bus to school). For...
A Bad Parenting Moment
For three years my two oldest kids have been living with Celiac disease. A night of sickness and pain for Luke was a harsh reminder that I am responsible to keep them healthy. For most of last night, Luke was either bent over in pain or throwing up, simply because I made an assumption about a package of pasta. I know better, but in my hurry to get groceries purchased and home I didn’t check the label or the ingredient list. I went to the shelf where all the “regular” GF pasta is stocked and picked something that I normally don’t buy. Turns out there is a reason for that. Sadly for Luke, it meant a night of pain and sickness. Being the trooper that he is, and knowing how upset I was, Luke made sure to whisper “Dad, it’s...
Gluten-Free Recipe Of The Day – Hamburger Soup
On this cloudy and rainy fall day, nothing beats some yummy soup! Time to pull out an favourite recipe growing up in the Spadzinski house… Hamburger soup (with potato and cabbage). While it is simmering on the stove, I thought I would share it as well (which I haven’t done in a while). Ingredients 1 lb. Hamburger 1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes 1 medium onion chopped 1/2 cup celery chopped 1/2 cup green pepper chopped 1 cup carrots chopped 2 cups of potatoes cubed 2 beef bouillon cubes (grab the GF variety at the health food store) 2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp peper 1/2 tsp paprika 6 cups hot water 6 cups cabbage Directions 1. Brown the hamburger 2. Add the remaining ingredients 3. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few hours (until the cabbage is nice and...