Alek Komarnitsky is a parent on a mission. His two boys have Celiac Disease and for the past 7 years he has been doing something spectacular to help raise awareness for the condition. He decorates his house to the extreme for Halloween. It really deserves to be on an HGTV Halloween special. It gets better too....We can control the lights! Alek's website offers us the opportunity to view the decorations on 3 live webcams. You can even inflate/deflate Homer Simpson, the Incredible Hulk as well as other awesome characters. Alek's Controllable Halloween Decorations for Celiac Disease is probably the most innovative and interactive way to raise money for Celiac Disease yet.
After the American Thanksgiving You can view Alek's Controllable Christmas Lights for Celiac Disease
Monday
Gluten Free Batman Cake
To help celebrate my husband's birthday this year, I made him a cake. Gluten free for obvious reasons. I used a GF Golden Cake Mix (more on that later) and whipped cream cheese frosting both care of Betty Crocker . To make the Batman design and other decorations, I used Wilton Sparkle Gel. Very easy to use.
Back to the Betty Crocker cake mix. Although it tasted alright and was easy to make, I doubt I will buy it again. Unless there is a substantial price decrease that is. It is simply not worth the cost. The mix made half the amount of cake that other GF cake mixes make for the same price or less. I really layered the icing both inside and on the cake as well. This helped the height slightly. I did find this cake to be quite crumbly.
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An interesting discovery (although I'm not surprised) is that there is quite a bit less cake mix in the GF Betty Crocker version compared to the wheat indulged Betty Crocker counterpart. Plus the four dollar or so difference, in price.
Happy Birthday to my boys!
Some people just don't understand....
I sent an email to CBS this morning regarding the show 2 Broke Girls.
I missed Monday night's episode but I would like to thank my friend Jax of Gluten Free Ontario for making me aware of this poor attempt at humour. Please view the clip below and then read on to see my email.
Good morning.
I am writing you today not only out of serious concern, but out of disappointment. On Monday nites episode of 2 Broke Girls, there was a joke about the Gluten Free diet. I find it to be in very poor taste!
Celiac Disease is a SERIOUS medical condition. I have Celiac Disease and I need to be conscious EVERYTHING I consume. I am not doing so to "mask an eating disorder" as the show implied. A tiny speck of wheat/gluten can make me severely ill.
1 in 133 people in the United States have Celiac Disease. It is a hereditary (My mother has the Disease as well) autoimmune disease, which left untreated can lead to life threatening disorders. There is no cure for Celiac Disease. The only way I can keep my body from attacking itself is by maintaining a strict Gluten Free diet. Yes, this means I have to ask every server at every restaurant about Gluten Free options available. This also means I have to double check to make sure that everyone preparing my meal understands that I can become seriously ill if they do not prepare my meal 100% Gluten Free.
Your most recent airing of 2 Broke Girls puts my life and the lives of other Celiac's in danger. This "joke" of sorts is the reason I fear going to a restaurant. I do not deserve to be made fun of, belittled or have my health taken lightly. Would you suggest that someone with a peanut allergy is just trying to lose weight? Or claiming that they can't eat something for attention? No, you wouldn't! Just because I will not drop on the floor dead the moment I ingest Gluten, does not mean that my body is not reacting negatively! I won't go into details, but feel free to visit the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness website for the not so lovely particulars.
"Untreated celiac disease can be life threatening. Celiacs are more likely to be afflicted with problems relating to malabsorption, including osteoporosis, tooth enamel defects, central and peripheral nervous system disease, pancreatic disease, internal hemorrhaging, organ disorders (gall bladder, liver, and spleen), and gynecological disorders. Untreated celiac disease has also been linked an increased risk of certain types of cancer, especially intestinal lymphoma." This quote is direct from the University of Maryland Centre for Celiac Research.
And just so you are aware, I would NOT be on a Gluten Free diet if I did not have to be!!! It is extremely expensive. Would you pay $8.00 for a loaf of bread better suited as a brick if you had a choice? Decent tasting and nutritious food can be difficult to come by and best of all, I get to deal with people not taking my health seriously! It is not my intention to make a server's job difficult. I have to look out for myself as it is clear that real life will unfortunately be mimicking your show.
I would like an apology for myself and other people who have Celiac Disease.
Sincerely,
Sandra Lajoie
***If you would like to make a complaint about this epsiode please visit the CBSFeedback Form***
Being a square is pretty awesome thanks to Kinnikinnick's Gluten Free Pizza Crust. This is by far the best GF pizza crust I have ever eaten. Well worth the price in my opinion.
Why Do I love Kinnikinnick Gluten Free Pizza Crust?
- 4 individual size crusts per box
- Bakes in about 17 minutes via my toaster oven
- Once created, these pizza's freeze beautifully.
- The crust is tender with the right amount of crunch and feels light in your mouth. Not dense or cracker-like.
- My non-GF hubby will eat this...happily!
- Cost's about $8.99 per box
The holes in the top of the crust are not an imperfection. They are there to help the pizza rise by creating air flow. The bottom of the pizza crust is dusted with cornmeal to prevent sticking to pan.
Kinnikinnick is one of the largest gluten-free / nut free manufacturing facilities in the world. Please visit their website for a complete product listing or to shop online.
Wednesday
How To Survive Halloween Gluten Free
It's best to discuss any school Halloween activities with your child's teacher. Prepare a special snack (ie: a cupcake or decorated cookies) for your child to eat during the celebration.
I would also suggest giving the teacher a loot bag containing Gluten Free goodies. This prevents temptation and the feeling of being left out as there can be a lot of that darn gluten at school.
I would also suggest giving the teacher a loot bag containing Gluten Free goodies. This prevents temptation and the feeling of being left out as there can be a lot of that darn gluten at school.
There are numerous Gluten Free "safe" candy lists published online. Although I had thought about researching and creating an updated list, in the end I decided not to. My reasoning for this is to encourage the constant checking of ingredients and not to create a so called safety net of sorts, that may inadvertently give a false sense of security. Sounds over the top right?
- Ingredients can and do change frequently
- There may be confusion between a full size product and it's miniature counterpart as they often have different ingredients
- American and Canadian versions of the same product tend to have different ingredients
It may be time consuming but reading the ingredients on the package is key to having a successful trick or treating experience. Keep in mind that some companies do post a Gluten Free label on their candy which can be helpful. I would still advise reading the label in it's entirety to be sure that there is no risk of cross contamination.
Check ALL treats before they are consumed but have some fun with it. It's easy to make a game by grouping the candy into piles.
- Safe Candy
- Not Safe Candy - This group of treats can be donated to a sibling, perhaps as a trade or even designated as a treat pile for mom and dad.
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