Kinnikinnick Donuts

I found Kinnikinnick Chocolate Dipped Donuts at the store the other day, and I am quite fond of them. They're a cake style donut, so more vending machine donut than krispy kream, but good nonetheless. I store them in the freezer, take one out when I want and microwave it for about 30 seconds, Mmmmm.

Float Trip

Went up to the elk with a few friends over Memorial Day weekend. Had a ton of fun. Some of the group stayed and camped, but I opted to head back home. Ran into a really heavy rain storm on the way back. I couldn't see the road at all; best I could do was just follow the tail lights in front of me and hope that they could see where they were going. I have to say while I LOVE my Prius, the windshield wipers really could use a faster setting.

Tamales

A while back my mum bought some tamales at a fundraiser at work. They had been placed in the freezer and forgotten about until a few weeks ago. My mum asked the "tamale maker" about the ingredients and we determined that they were "gluten free". I tested out one, and had no ill effects, so I am convinced of their gluten free status. I've eaten almost all of them and so now I will have to learn to make my own (as the tamale maker has moved on). I found this website that seems to have a recipe that most resembles the ones I've been eating. I'm going to see if I can cook some up on my day off!!!!

Gluten Free Ramen?

Okay, here's another Gluten free review from me. While in college (and before and after to be quite honest) I lived on Ramen. Since I was diagnosed, I've been trying to find a gluten free version. And while I have yet to find something exactly the same, I have found a pretty good substitute (hopefully, in time, I'll prefer it to the real thing).

There are a few different flavors. None of them are "bad" but I do prefer some more than others. So far my favorite has been Bangkok Curry. It's spicy and it reminds me of my favorite ramen flavor, lime chili shrimp ^..^

Forays in Gluten Free Baking

My grandmother gave me a couple boxes of the "Gluten Free Pantry Brownie Mix" for Christmas. I was trying to find a picture of it online, but it came from Walmart, so the box is a little different from the one they sell in health food stores.

Anyway, the brownies were amazing. Even better, I'd venture, than the gluten-full versions. Next time I bake up a bunch, I'll add a picture.

Worldfest

I headed up to Worldfest in Branson at Silver Dollar City last weekend with Ashley. It was cold and rainy for most of the day, but it cleared up in the afternoon, just in time for us to ride a few rides before we left. We went to the Chinese Acrobat show and the Irish Dance show. The Chinese acrobat show was amazing, the Irish Dance show was so so, but I did get some new ideas on how to wear my wig ^..^

Little Rock Feis

I was in Little Rock last weekend with my mum for the Little Rock Feis. I didn't manage to place in any dances, but I did get some very good feedback from the judges that I hope will help me at Oireachtas in December.

In this picture, I'm on the far right in the black, pink, and green peacock dress.

This is me Pre-competition. I like to get the wig and makeup on ahead of time.

I also got to see Krista and Mallory while I was down south. It was so great to see both of them again. Krista stopped by to watch some of the Feis, then met us again later for lunch (at 3pm) at PeiWei. Mallory popped in to PeiWei and had lunch with us as well.

After lunch my mum and I went to Whole Foods!!! The whole foods bakery makes a wonderful gluten free pumpkin pie. Their crusts are also pretty good. I have a hoard of them in the freezer waiting for my next pie making endeavors.

I found a new product at whole foods as well. The Glutino Strawberry Wafer Cookies. They are awesome. I hope my local health food store carries them as well (if not I'll have to find them on the Internet, because I am definitely going to want more of these).

Long time no write!!!!

It's been a long time since I last wrote. I can't believe I let that much time go by!!!!

A lot has happened since June '08. At the end of July I left Japan. I had a great time there, and still feel nostalgic about it from time to time, but I was ready to come home. The first thing I did after arriving home was get my kittens!!!!! Monique (or MoMo) and Loki are absolutely wonderful!!!!!! They are the cutest and funniest cats in the world. I couldn't have ended up with two more wonderful pets. They love to play with Millie (the black lab) as well. They have fun trying to catch her tail, and Mo has been known to snuggle up with her from time to time.

I moved home with the hope of moving into an apartment right away. That, unfortunately, didn't work out as planned. Due to the current state of the economy, I was a bit out of luck in the job department. After a few months of looking for a job at Walmart without having much luck, I applied to teach gymnastics at "The Little Gym". I am currently the Gym Director, and I enjoy my job quite a bit.

I did finally find out what had been making me sick for so long. It turns out I have Celiac Disease. It's an autoimmune disorder that damages your intestines when you eat gluten (wheat, rye, or barley). I've had to drastically change my diet and that has definately taken some getting used to. No more pizza, subs, pasta, beer...you get the idea. But unfortunately there's also the issue of cross-contamination, like french fries and onion rings being fried in the same frier, so it's made eating out less of an option. The real burden isn't in the foods I can no longer eat, but with the loss of convenience. Most of the food I eat has to be cooked from scratch. It isn't easy, but I'm getting better at it.

Other than loving my kitties, teaching gymnastics, and learning to live a gluten free lifestyle, there isn't much else to talk about. I've gotten so much help from the gluten free blogs online, that I'd love to post a little on that in the future, but we'll see if I can find the time ^..^