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GFE-Unique Giveaway: Consultation With Me on Living Gluten Free Easily

my birthday gift from my friend, “Fred”

Update: This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Jenny of Creative Cooking Gluten Free! I’ll be in touch, Jenny. Thanks to all who entered! There may be other similar giveaways in the future, so stay tuned. And hopefully, my readers can still glean much on living gluten free easily from my posts here at gfe. Don’t forget I’m only an email away if you have specific questions.

It’s almost the final week of my birth-month, as in the full month from my birthday on, not the actual calendar month that my birthday falls in. My girlfriends and I haven’t been able to have our birthday get together yet, but serendipitously I ended up visiting one of my dear girlfriends and her husband on Friday afternoon. I was headed home from a doctor’s appointment and visiting Son when traffic slowed to a crawl on the interstate. I got off at the very next exit, but that took quite some time. However, many other folks  had the same idea to detour to the parallel non-interstate, but still four-lane road to continue on. So, in just a few minutes, traffic on it was also backed up and creeping along. Did I mention my air conditioning is not working in my car? Soon, I decided I needed a break. I happened to be about a half mile from my girlfriend’s house, so I popped in to visit “Fred” and her husband, Jack.

Fred was actually en route from work, but Jack (who had just returned from being out in the heat all day himself) immediately served me some frosty limeade. It was just what I needed. I thanked him profusely and then we proceeded to chat about all things ice cream until Fred arrived. Jack is an ice cream afficionado who has received some local publicity of late. I’ve mentioned at least one of his incredible flavors before: lemon basil. I’ll be making that one and another amazing flavor of his soon (that one’s will be a secret for a bit).

In a short while, Fred arrived and offered me some adult libations. Just looking into their liquor closet is treat enough. Their house was built in the 1920s and the bar is a basically a large closet off the dining room. It’s no ordinary closet though. It has glass shelves and mirrored walls. With the multi-colored glass bottles and decanters in all shapes and sizes, that are full of liqueurs and other alcohol in even more colors, this closet and its contents are a very attractive sight to behold. I consented to one glass of something mild. First, I tasted the Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur that Fred offered … straight. Too strong for me in that form, but as Fred said it would make a great bourbon and ginger drink. Then I tasted Arancello orange liqueur. Think of Limoncello, but the orange version. Oh, yes, much better. Sort of like TruAde orange (a noncarbonated beverage of old) with a tiny kick. I added some to my limeade and enjoyed a very delightful, refreshing drink.

We visited for quite a while, catching up on news of Fred’s daughter’s wedding and a visit and travels with friends from Scotland after the wedding. Then Fred gave me my birthday present. A gfe reader, Selene, had recommended Boyajian pure citrus oils a few months back when Alta (Tasty Eats At Home) and I were discussing a lemon version of my Perfect Pound Cake. Selene said that the citrus oils could be used in place or zest or extract, and the lemon oil made an amazing lemon glaze. Intrigued, I quicklylooked on Amazon and added the mini citrus oil set to my wish list. (Do you have an Amazon wish list? You might want to consider it. It’s an easy way for friends and family to shop for you and you’ll get what your heart desires. Plus, it’s a way to remember things you want to get for yourself.) A pretty little package of three of the mini sets wound up in my gift bag from Fred. Selene’s comment and the reviews online show that these citrus oils are terrific to use for baking, and even non-baking uses like cocktails. From what I’ve read, a little goes a long way, too. Stay tuned for my experimentation with them. Also in my package was a red leather envelope (for photos, receipts, or such) and the book, The Four Agreements (also from my Amazon wish list). It was a delightful gift package. And, all in all, and not surprisingly, we had a very enjoyable visit. Another girlfriend had my birthday present, a personalized canvas tote bag, shipped to me. It’s one of the loveliest, yet practical, gifts that I’ve ever received. I am truly blessed with many amazing friends!

my birthday gift from my friend, Vivian

So to spread my ongoing birthday joy, let’s get to the giveaway part! To be honest, I may be going out on a limb on this one. I don’t know how many gfe readers will actually take me up on this giveaway. As a support group leader and just someone who has “been there/done that,” I often walk folks through the initial stages of being gluten free. It doesn’t matter if it’s due to a celiac/gluten intolerance diagnosis or just a desire to try living gluten free as a way to relieve symptoms of other related illnesses; all of us feel overwhelmed  initially. A little hand holding is needed. Some coping strategies. Some tips. How to get through those first several days. How to eat out. How to go to a friend’s house. How to make the holidays “doable.” And so on. Most folks don’t want to go 180 degrees from how they are eating now. Yes, they understand that they need to eat gluten free, but they want to keep some of their favorites and they want food that will make them happy and their family happy as well. Of course, they do. I mentioned my gfe reader and fellow blogger, Mir (Woulda Coulda Shoulda), the other day and shared her peach pie, an adaptation of my Crustless Apple Pie. What I didn’t share at the time was Mir’s other statement to me: “Your tagline should totally be “Getting people excited about eating again.” Seriously, your blog has broken me out of my “Oh no, don’t mind me, I’ll just sit in the corner sulking and eating spinach” rut.  ”

Oh, how Mir’s statement totally made my day, my week, my month! I’m sharing it because it got me thinking about how many folks are still sulking in corner or thinking being gluten free is possibly the worst thing that has ever happened to them. Do you want to get excited? Let me show you how. I think this task can actually be fairly easy, but it takes a different approach—the gfe approach– and one’s strategies and meal planning needs to be talked out. What are you eating that’s already gluten free? What dishes do you make that can be converted easily to gluten free? Which gluten-free specialty foods do you really need to buy from day one? And, so forth and so on. So this giveaway is a consultation with me via telephone (I will call you “on my dime” at a mutually agreed upon time) or via Skype, face to face for a more personal session. I’m envisioning about an hour to 90 minutes for this consultation and maybe an email or two as follow up. I expect that folks who are new to gluten free or folks who are still struggling with being gluten free or transitioning to living gluten free easily will be the ones who will be most interested in this giveaway. Many of my gfe readers have already figured out this approach (congrats to all of you!) and will not need this consultation; I understand that. In addition, if you are one who wants to purchase a lot of gluten-free specialty products and are looking for input on those, I honestly can’t help you much there. My gfe approach is about eating real food that’s naturally gluten free, some mainstream processed foods that are gluten free, and few (very few) gluten-free specialty products. The gfe approach is the easiest, healthiest, and most economical way to eat gluten free, in my opinion. That said, based on reader comments, Facebook comments, and tweets, there are many folks who may be interested in this gfe-unique giveaway. I am excited about it! I can’t wait to talk to the lucky winner and making living gluten free easier using the gfe approach tailored to his/her needs.

The giveaway will end Sunday, August 15, at midnight my time (Eastern). Here are the ways you can enter below. A separate comment is required for each to get a separate entry. I’m not trying to be annoying; that’s simply the only way I can tally all the comments to enter them into the Random Number Generator. Note that if you already follow me on Twitter, like gfe on Facebook, etc., just say so for another entry. You don’t have to be new to any of those for your entry to count.

1. Leave a comment; e.g., Please enter me in this giveaway.

2. Follow me on Twitter; e.g., I follow you on Twitter.

3. Like gfe on Facebook; e.g., I like gfe on Facebook.

4. Friend me on Facebook; e.g., I am your friend on Facebook.

5. Tweet about the giveaway; e.g., Shirley is giving away a consultation on living gfe!

6. Post on Facebook on the giveaway.

7. Post on your blog about the giveaway.

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!

Birthday Camping with Gluten-Free Beer Can Chicken

This post is linked to Summer Grilling Recipe Exchange, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Delicious Dishes, and Pennywise Platter Thursday.

A few days before my birthday, Son called and said he wanted to come camping with us on our mountain property, and bring a couple of friends. We said sure! We never turn down a chance to be with Son and it’s fun to hang out with the younger crowd for the weekend. We knew we’d be playing camp staff (cook, counselor, canoe/kayak livery, etc.), but we didn’t mind. The best birthdays are spent with loved ones, right? And, you know we love our mountain property. Just driving there one starts to relax.

So I started planning the menu, other than the appetizer. I knew Son would take care of that. He loves to catch crawdads … and we love to eat them. This trip was no different.

I thought about the cookies I’d need to bake. Last time, Son and four of his friends had gone through 8 dozen cookies, and that was just in the first few hours. This time he was just bringing two friends, but still, a mom has to be prepared. So I made a batch of Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies (using my new coconut sugar variation) and Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies—about 6 dozen cookies in all.

Next up was side dish and entrée planning. Side dishes first, because they are easy. There would be steamed artichokes (one of our favorites—especially for camping) and potatoes baked in the coals. Now for the entrée or entrees. I had just received some New Planet gluten-free beer to review (review is up on my Out and About page here), so I decided that at least some of that would be used to make beer can chicken. Yes, gluten-free beer can chicken. Or as Mr. GFE says, more correctly, it’s gluten-free beer-in-a-can chicken because the gluten-free beer didn’t actually come in a can. I don’t know any brand of gluten-free beer that does actually (please correct me if I’m wrong), but that’s not a problem. One can just recycle any type of standard, 12-ounce beverage can by washing it out and adding gluten-free beer. And, that’s what I did. I snagged son’s soda can, washed it, filled it half way with beer, and we were in business.

Son eating Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookie and opening gluten-free beer

I proceeded to prepare and roast the chicken using a combination of several ideas I’d read online. I washed it, oiled it, applied a rub (using the blackened seasoning adapted from Ashlie (The Delshad Duo) that I first used on my Blackened Black Bean Burgers and later on grilled catfish), inserted the gluten-free beer in a can in its cavity, and roasted for a little over an hour. See step-by-step directions below, but this chicken was so easy to roast and the results were surprisingly delicious. Although I’d never had beer can chicken before going gluten free, it really is as super moist and flavorful as is reported. Note that the final product doesn’t really taste like beer in any way—at least not per our experience. (If you don’t drink beer, you can certainly use another beverage, like ginger ale for the steaming/moisturizing effect.) There’s little fat left after roasting, since the fat drains away as the chicken roasts. (The following photos were taken after dark and required either flashlight assistance from Mr. GFE or the forbidden flash. You can see my fat bird took a tumble towards the end.)

Beer Can Chicken is definitely going on our meal rotation. For camping, we’ll only make it when we have a larger group because one chicken goes a long way and cooler space is always a concern, but at home, I anticipate roasting one, saving some leftovers, and freezing a good portion for a later meal. We ate some of the leftover chicken once we returned home, I used some to make chicken salad, and a very meaty carcass went into the freezer for a future soup (like Black-Eyed Pea with Ham and Chicken) or Chicken Pot Pie. With our current heat wave (understatement!), any winning grill recipe is extremely welcome right now.

Gluten-Free Beer Can Chicken
(Click here for a print version of this recipe.)

one roasting chicken, any size
couple of tbsp of olive oil
couple of tbsp of blackened seasoning rub (recipe here)
one potato or onion (optional; see notes)
6 – 8 ounces of gluten-free beer

Turn grill on high on the opposite side of where you will place your chicken. The chicken requires indirect heat for roasting. With the grill lid closed, this method equates to a 350-degree (F) oven.

Wash chicken. Pat dry.

Spread some olive oil over the entire surface.

Rub blackened seasoning over entire chicken.

See notes below for using beer can chicken apparatus if desired, but otherwise, pour gluten-free beer into can opening until halfway or 2/3 full. Keeping chicken upright, insert beer can into chicken’s cavity. Place all upright on grill. Close lid.

Roast for at least an hour, longer if your chicken is larger. Our chicken weighed 5 ½ lbs and roasted for about an hour and 15 minutes.

SUPER CAUTION WARNING HERE: Very carefully, remove can from chicken. There will still be beer in the can and it will be boiling (or close to it). Immediately pour beer out of can in a safe disposal area and remove empty can to where nobody can reach it (you don’t want someone to accidentally pick it up). I crunched ours and added it our to our recyclable bin of cans, all while wearing heavy oven mitts. 

Serve. Enjoy.

Shirley’s Notes: If you’re a fussy type, you can even buy a beer can chicken apparatus like this one. I didn’t have one, but I did use the base of my chicken roaster pan (basically a large metal saucer) to set the can in and position my chicken over. My top-heavy chicken did turn over half way through cooking, but it didn’t make any difference. It still roasted perfectly and looked great. But, again, if you’re the fussy type, you might want one of the beer can chicken holders. I’ve made a big batch of the blackened seasoning rub and keep it in our camping food box. It’s great for grilled catfish, zippy burgers, and more. Some folks like to insert a whole potato or onion in the neck of the chicken. The latter provides a strong onion flavor, I’m told. Either the potato or the onion can be eaten with the roasted chicken when all is finished cooking. I didn’t do that and I think it would have made my chicken even more top heavy, but it is an option. Last, be sure to follow the caution note above when removing the can from the chicken after roasting. Update: Be sure to read all of Nance’s great variations in comments below!

As you can see from the photos, we also enjoyed some Oven-Steamed Shrimp. So we had a great “surf and turf” meal.

It was the first time eating artichokes for one of Son’s friends. It’s always fun to introduce new folks to the joys of artichokes. Both Son and his other friend were very encouraging, but I think the friend who was new to artichokes was still unsure even after a few bites. If you don’t grow up eating them, artichokes can take some time to “grow on” one.

I’d thought about making a batch of Crab Claws (ultimate summer cocktail) for the cooler … it was my birthday after all, and these young men (of drinking age) certainly enjoy libations. Plus, there would be no driving. But, I’d never gotten around to purchasing all the ingredients. In the end, it turned out to be a good thing that I hadn’t partaken of any spirits. One of Son’s friends had an allergic reaction that had started once he arrived on his motorcycle and I ended up driving us all to the emergency room. Thankfully, Son’s friend was okay after he was treated! To show you how quiet the area is where our property is located, there was not another soul waiting in the emergency room when we arrived and our entire round trip, including the visit, took all of 40 minutes.

The weekend weather was hot, but it was still sunny and fairly clear (it’s always less humid in the mountains) as you can see from the photos. (Any haze is actually smoke from our campfire.) Of course, the high temps were perfect for swimming and relaxing. We still had our fire and the temperature dropped enough at night that we slept under blankets. Son and friends used most of the cookies that remained after dinner to make gluten-free S’mores using the ginormous Campfire marshmallows that are now on the market. Have you seen them? Notice that they say “gluten-free” right on the bag! Hold your fingers apart like Son is doing in the photo and you’ll see how big these marshmallows really are. Wow, huh? Of course, homemade marshmallows are healthier. I haven’t made any yet, but Zoe (Z’s Cup of Tea) has. (Check our her homemade version here and here using two different sweeteners. No artificial dyes or corn syrup to worry about with Zoe’s gorgeous marshmallows.) 

Other meals included lunch with the easy classic of grilled hot dogs with chips on the side and fend-for-your-own breakfast. Oh, and while none of the guys were willing to go so far as to sing Happy Birthday to me, I did receive lots of birthday wishes and even hugs. So this Mom was very much a happy camper!

Just a few other “goings on” this week:

Somehow I missed this one earlier, but lovely Tia (Glugle Gluten Free) is hosting Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger this month. (FYI: Tia recently celebrated a big birthday with a special, gluten-free Napa birthday trip … with a visit to an awesome bed and breakfast. How awesome? Well, she was greeted with freshly baked gluten-free chocolate chip cookies and served gluten-free scones! Read all about it here, and happy birthday, Tia!) Hurry if you want to sign up for Adopt a GF Blogger. The deadline was yesterday, but this is a loose deadline per the rules, so somewhat late sign-ups are welcome. (I just signed up today myself.) Sign up at Glugle Gluten Free here.

Last week I shared Chocolate Zucchini Bread to help you all with your glut of the prolific green veggie. Well, I just saw another ingenious and tasty way to use zucchini—zucchini crisps! Get out your dehydrator or fire up your oven to low (still feasible for some of you in cooler climes!), because you’ll want to try this recipe. And, even if you’re not interested in zucchini crisps, I still recommend checking out the article because it talks about all the benefits of dehydrating part of one’s summer harvest. It even includes a review of a very economical dehydrator.

Continuing on in the gluten-free cooking arena, Kim (Cook IT Allergy Free) posted some great tips on avoiding baking mishaps in the gluten-free kitchen. I chimed in with some things that have helped me, and you, can, too. Kim is looking for your input in comments. Her tips post is a great one to save (or better yet print out and place inside your kitchen cabinet door near your stove). We all tend to get into baking habits, some good … some bad, but as we know making a change and then repeating it creates a new habit. Here’s to more successful baking for all. Thanks, Kim!

Maggie (She Let Them Eat Cake) has a great discussion post up: Feeding Gluten-Free Kids. She shares the tips that work for her family. I’m sure you’ll find some that will help you and your family as well.

The deadline for Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free! is Tuesday. Submit your entry for Ooh La La Bastille Day (i.e., French dishes) to Cheryl (Breaking Bread) by Tuesday, July 27. Read more here.

Over at Diane’s (The W.H.O.L.E. Gang), this week’s Friday Foodie Fix features peaches! I shared my gluten-free, dairy-free Peach Sorbet and there are several other recipes so far–savory and sweet. Read and/or add yours here. I still haven’t tried grilled peaches, have you? Just saw those on another blog … with whipped cream! Time to fire up the grill again and pull my always chilled coconut milk out of the fridge to make gluten-free, dairy-free Honey Whipped Cream.

Heidi (Adventures of Gluten-Free Mom) shared two outstanding posts this past week. I had recently touched on my ob/gyn issues caused by gluten. Heidi read, commented, and took the ball and ran with it, addressing those issues as well as many symptoms considered atypical. Read her article with numerous sources cited and watch the two videos that she included—one of Alice Bast, the founder and head of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) and the other of Heidi Collins, the CNN anchor and spokesperson for the NFCA. Alice Bast’s story is both heartbreaking and inspiring, and Heidi Collins “went down the rabbit hole” of misdiagnosis for many years, too. (Actually, I think all too many of us took a trip down that rabbit hole. That Lewis Carroll expression from Alice in Wonderland was aptly used by Dr. Scot Lewey, gastroenterologist and digestive disease specialist, in the title of this article on celiac.com.) Heidi also shared her son’s recent results with Enterolab testing and her subsequent discussion with Dr. Ron Hoggan. You’ll want to read Heidi’s entire post (particularly, the effect that casein can have on one’s small intestine). But, here’s just one of the news flashes she shares: Dr. Hoggan’s new book, which he co-wrote with Scott Adams (founder of celiac.com), has been released. Cereal Killers: Celiac Disease and Gluten Free A to Z has a compelling title and I’m sure it’s full of eye-opening information. Dr. Hoggan’s books always offer some of the most thought-provoking information on celiac and non-gluten issues, as well as the many conditions related to them.  

Speaking of the NFCA, Pete (No Gluten, No Problem) is still training for his Virgil Crest Ultra event (which covers 50.1 miles, and climbs 10,000 vertical feet!). As part of that event, he’s also raising money for the NFCA. You can read more here and make donations here, if you’d like. I love that I can support Pete and such a worthy cause at the same time.

Last, don’t forget about my giveaway of three terrific e-books—your choice! The Gluten-Free Diner Cookbook, 7 Quick Start Tips to a Healthy Gluten-Free Fit Life, and Sweet Freedom are all as good as they sound. Giveaway ends Wednesday, July 28; enter here.

Okay, better let you go so you can see if you have a roasting chicken in the freezer and some gluten-free beer in the refrigerator. Maybe your Monday dinner is looking good!

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!

Winner Announced and Birthday Trifecta

Please click over to my Out and About page to see the winner of the iHerb giveaway here. Also, my birthday “triple crown” giveaway, the trio, the trifecta … whatever you might call it, is finally up. Check that out here. There’s a wonderful muffin recipe there, too!

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!

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