That is quite the title isn’t it? I appreciate the fact I felt it needed to all be included. This has been a long awaited post. Things have been a little crazy around here, but thats how it goes sometimes. George finally had his surgery for his deviated septum. He is recovering, doing well and life is starting to get back to normal. The surgery didn’t go 100% as planned, he did end up having to stay in the hospital overnight due to some bleeding. He got to come home the next day and now it has been just over two weeks of recovery. I know he would have liked this to be done and over with already, but it doesn’t always go that way and the fact he is healthy is the most important part!
When I first met George I didn’t know how to cook; well that is a slight lie, I could make breakfast, Eggs, Bacon etc. But pretty much nothing else. For dinner through school I ate cereal and easy mac. Spaghetti was a stretch, but I only made that on special occasions. That was just the type of person I was in my early youth. If I baked a cake it would be lumpy and pretty much not edible and for a cake from a box, that is pretty impressive. George and I would eat out a lot, and those that have read my story know that is how I gained a TON of weight quite quickly. After doctor appointments and blood tests I quickly found out that I needed to start working out and eating correctly. This pretty much forced me to learn how to cook and now has turned into one of my biggest passions. You may all be wondering why the story? I promise it will make sense soon. When I was really stressed out when I was younger, I never ate. I just had no desire to and would just sleep away the stress (or so my young brain thought). Now I have had stress since these times, but I guess nothing that directly affected me so much, something that I felt so out of my hands.
The day of Georges surgery I dropped him off at the hospital. The operating nurse told me how long his surgery was, recovery and roughly the time they thought he would be okay to come home or for me to come get him. I wasn’t going to leave, but the nurse assured me that he wouldn’t need me to be there. His appointment was at 7:45am so he should be ready to go home roughly around 1pm. I said goodbye to him, kissed his head and away he went. I came home, thinking I would be extremely tired…not a morning person. But all I could do was cook. I started making a vegetarian minestrone soup…when that was done, still no call from the hospital, I started cleaning my already clean house. After I couldn’t find a crumb on the ground I decided to open up this cookbook I had gotten awhile ago. We recently figured out George had a gluten issue, and I had purchased this book that was published by a Manitoba Food Blogger Jeanine Friesen from the lovely website called The Baking Beauties. I had already read the portion of the book about living with a gluten problem, but hadn’t yet made anything from the book. I knew right away what to look for….Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. This is George’s absolute favourite cookie. Now she didn’t have this exact recipe, but did have one for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. With a few minor adjustments I was able to create a cookie that George would be able to eat.
I went away with starting to create these cookies, always watching the the clock. I started getting really ancy around noon, so I called the hospital and all they could tell me is it was finished at 9:30 and he was in recovery.I end up going back to the hospital and stayed with him seeing just how much of a struggle this surgery was on him. He was admitted later that afternoon, I left when visiting hours was over and came home to bake some more cookies. I never realized how much cooking and baking had turned into my stress relief. It had been something that never played a large role in my life other than a necessity, to a first reaction to deal with confusing emotions.
I am thankful for this recipe and thankful George is home and all is well. This book has been an absolute first resource for me on anything baking. I have such a better understanding of gluten and how to make the normal things we all love something that we can still love. Thank You Jeanine! For anyone who has struggled with gluten problems, interested in learning more about it or just wanting some darn good food! Check out her book!
This below cookie recipe is based off her Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Ingredients: Yields 48 cookies
- 1 cup butter, (I used Earth Balance to make it lactose free)
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1t vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup potato starch
- 1/4 cup corn starch(tapicoa starch works here too)
- 1/2 t xanthan gum
- 1 t baking powder
- 1/2 t baking soda
- 2 cups certified gluten-free quick-cook oats
- 2 cups raisins
Directions: Preheat oven to 350f, cream together the butter and sugars. add eggs one at a time, mix till blended. Stir in the vanilla. In a large bowl combine brown rice flour, potato starch, corn starch, xanthum gum, baking powder and baking soda. . Mix in dry ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture. Add rolled oats and raisins. Stir till all combined. Using a cooking scoop, drop cookies onto a baking sheet, bake for 8-10min till slightly browned on the bottom. Let sit on sheet for 5 min and then transfer to a cookie rack.
These will quickly go as quick as you put them on the rack! Jeanine should include a warning on these!!
Now if you made it this far after my babbling, you deserve a reward!! I will be HAPPY to giveaway a copy of The Everything Guide to LIving Gluten-Free to one of my readers!! It will run from today April 15th, 2013 – April 21, 2013. Open to Canada & US. Please enter below
A lot of exciting things will be happening over the next while, excited to share it with you all!!
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