Food, Memories and a Lane Change

I've mentioned before how I kinda grew up in a family in which all of us, at one time or another, became, well -  kinda foodies.  Having a grandmother who baked all of the time and working in our family's Restaurant since I can remember definitely played a huge part in this. It made it hard to resist homemade everything and anything. It also gave me a love for cooking and baking. I have so many amazing memories that all started around our table, eating delicious food prepared by grandma Helen, my mom and aunts.  Not only memories but amazing, heart to heart conversations happened around that same, large table. As well as Bible reading from my grandfather, and prayers - deep, earnest, heartfelt prayers. It was around this same table we all gathered the day grandpa Gene died and beat us all to heaven. We gathered to eat and remember, knowing that table will never be quite the same.

Well, life has just become a little interesting for us this past year...namely the past month or so. Our oldest, who just turned nine during our bitter cold winter, has had sensitive skin since the moment she entered this world flailing her arms wildly about. The sensitive skin turned to eczema early on. Mostly brought about by our crazy mid-western weather changes and new from the store clothing that had not been washed first. Last year it took a turn for the worse and I still put it off thinking it was just her eczema getting worse and bathe her in any natural lotion remedy we could get our hands on. Winter turned to spring, turned to summer and it started looking better, but still never went away fully. Last summer, turned to fall, turned to bitter cold winter and her skin turned bright red, dry, cracking, itching then burning and hurting - a vicious cycle - primarily on her arms but also on her legs some.  This year there was also a new addition...what appeared to be, blisters....tiny blisters. (If you would like to view of pictures of this - dermatitis herpetiformis) So after visiting our Chiropractor we decided to take all gluten out of her diet. This is no easy feat - for those of you who have taken gluten out know what I am talking about. After a couple of weeks of TRYING to take all gluten out, her arms started looking better - for the first time in what seemed like forever. So we did our own little test, put gluten back in for a day, the next morning we woke up to a little, big girl with arms so raw and red again. I went back to the researching trying to find out what all gluten is in....oh my goodness - it is in everything. Everything.

As of now, we are hopeful it is only a severe reaction/allergy/sensitivity to gluten and not Celiac Disease. But either way, we are on the road to becoming gluten free. And a road, or rather highway, it is.

Growing up in this restaurant gave us all a love for grandmas dinner rolls. Afterall, whenever we'd walk into their home and a home it was - so comforting, so peaceful, we'd smell the dough immediately. Now that this gluten intolerance has graced itself into our lives I am on a mission to find a way to make amazing food - Grandma Helen worthy - that can be served around our table safely for all to indulge in. I may post a few findings here for other gluten free families to enjoy. So stay tuned - on our journey! Life truly is a joyous journey!