Cold Be Gone!

Kaloba Syrup

After numerous weeks of sneezing, constant nose blowing and a red, sore to the touch nose, I finally found a gluten free cold remedy that worked, it's called Kaloba Syrup and it's totally natural. You simply take a 7.5ml dose three times a day (for kids it's less) and bam after 3 days my cold had totally disappeared. That's impressive considering that I'd had it for at least a month prior.

Well That Went Fast, Huh?

So it's 2012, where 2011 went I'm not quite sure. For me that was the fastest passing of a year yet and I've come to realise that no matter how tough or great a year has been, it's always how it finishes that matters the most. I'm ecstatic to say that my 2011 ended on a huge high of happiness and contentment.

The Christmas and New Year holiday was filled with lots of sleeping, lots of eating and lots of fun. My Christmas lunch was somewhat quirky, what you can't see from the photo is the pack of Seabrook ready salted crisps that accompanied it, gluten free of course. My ability to eat large portions is out of the window, I struggled to finish. No worrying about portion control for me this New Year!

Delicious King Prawns and Smoked Roe

Happy Gluten Free Christmas And New Year

I've decided that this is it for 2011, I've stopped working and I'm going to take a break from blogging too. I really need to get rid of this stinking cold and violent cough that I've had for well over a month now, I can't let flu set in like it did last year. So as of today the 22nd I'm taking a well earned break.

I've made great progress with the gluten free diet this year, yes there have been some glutening episodes, one in particular that was so awful that it took me two months to fully recover from, but from that I learnt about PPM and why when a product says it's gluten free, that isn't always the case.

My Seafood Platter Christmas Lunch

This is what I'm hoping for, I don't expect the tiered platter, but a single big plate of lovely shellfish would be great. In reality as years before have shown, I will be directed to the fridge where there will be countless bags of shellfish goodies and I'll end up eating them out of the bags at the table whilst using a big bowl to put all the shells in.

It isn't the most glamorous of Christmas lunches when eaten in such a way but it still tastes incredible. Who knows, this year I may get the surprise of a platter so I can dine in the way that my parents and other half do with their traditional roasts. Photographic evidence of just what happens will be recorded for amusement. Ah, being a coeliac!

Trufree - My Favourite Gluten Free Sweet Treat

The thing about being gluten free for me is that I am constantly shocked and surprised at how good ready made gluten free sweet things are. I'm no baker and messing about with flours doesn't appeal but it matters not. There's so many tasty treats out there.

About 18 months ago I discovered Trufree, I sampled biscuits and crackers which were and are lovely, but one day whilst shopping I noticed something new; Trufree Chocolate Fingers.

Surstromming Update

Need Something Like This!

I still haven't had any. It appears as though I'm going to need an old fashioned tin opener to get into it. Just as well the tins are thick, over the course of the last week I've been hearing these 'popping' noises and have been wondering where they've been coming from. Mystery solved, it's the surstromming tins bulging *insert somewhat concerned expression here*.

Roasted Chestnuts

Christmas Chestnuts

200C for 20 minutes and you have gorgeous naturally gluten free chestnuts to snack on. These are probably my most favourite of all Christmas foods, don't be too hasty to eat them though, I'm sporting a blister on my thumb from an eagerness to scoff them. Ouch but yum. Oh and you must cut them a little before you roast them or else they'll explode and leave a huge mess in your oven.

Christmas And Beyond

I've been thinking about Christmas dinner, two years running I had shellfish whilst I looked on longingly at my parents and other half's roast dinners. Last year my mum attempted to cater for me (I had previously refused, as she hates cooking and I didn't want to risk it), which was fine except after I asked as to how the stuffing was made I was told with sausages. Regular, not gluten free sausages. Needless to say I had my first Christmas day glutening.

I'm thinking, I should stick with the seafood rather than the roast, it's too risky. I can't expect my parents to understand gluten free in the way that we do at home, they're elderly and despite me telling them I'm gluten free for so long, it was only a month ago that my dad actually asked what gluten was. Not having a traditional Christmas dinner is starting to sound just fine to me!

Weekend Eats 7

Due to still having this cough and cold that has been lingering for over a month now, I haven't been very experimental lately, we've been having the same old, same old. I guess it's due to being a bit under the weather but I'm realising more and more that although I do love cooking, the majority of the time I need convenience, even sometimes on weekends.

Gluten Free Taramasalata

There are so many things that aren't gluten free that should be. If you think about some foods and what actually goes into making them, there should be no gluten present, so why is there? Filler. Lots of things are pumped full of filler to bulk them up.

Taramasalata in the supermarket form isn't what I would consider to be real taramasalata, it bears no resemblance to the good old fashioned deli versions that I grew up with. Most, if not all shop bought taramasalata's contain breadcrumbs, why?! This is a naturally gluten free food that if done in a traditional way certainly doesn't require the need for blooming breadcrumbs!