A while back when all this first started...I was doing my best to cook gluten free, but I was still unaware my son was Celiac. I guess I thought he was just allergic to wheat & really it all started because we were doing a "healing diet" to get his asthma under control. And through a course of amazing events we figured out that there was something to this Gluten free diet thing. We became 100% gluten free rather quickly. I have to admit the type of person I am, this all made me a little manic or obsessive you might say. In the beginning ....I hadn't quite de-glutenized my kitchen yet or pantry for that matter. Having not done this yet made things terrifying. I constantly was washing my hands, wiping down the counters, using a zillion utensils to make sure there was no cross contamination. I washed everything before I used it....it was a very stressful time for me. Well finally I decided to commit to this (didn't take long), which really meant cleaning out my pantry & fridge & getting rid of wooden spoons, stoneware, cutting boards, ect. I talked to a church & donated 2 big boxes & 2 bags of pantry items to a needy family, & gave friends a big box & couple bags as well. I thought it would help to give it to a needy family, but to tell you the truth....things were tight & it was just hard to give our groceries away. Some things I had just bought a couple days or the week before. I was glad we were able to give it to someone, but I also couldn't help, but cry. I was finally finished & my pantry was empty (& I have a huge walk-in style pantry). I had no idea what we were going to eat or fill it up with. I started thinking of what I could put in there, but none of it was food. The best I could come up with...was expanding my craft closet. So at the end of it all....I took this time to clean all the empty shelves & sweep the floor where all the sodas would sit. I just had a few things to move out...a bag of pantry items that were half eaten or used (things I couldn't donate since they were open). As I was moving them out...the bag RIPPED & a whole big bag of white Glutenous Flour fell to the floor. The clean pantry now splattered w/ what I like to call "devil's flour" & it splattered into the kitchen and on to me. I think at that point I just broke down....couldn't take it anymore. Do you know how hard it is to get flour off the flour & mind you ...don't forget how crazy I am about cross contamination!
Now five months later we have almost filled our pantry back up with gluten free goodies & healthy good for us food and I have some space for other items, but not so much that it makes me worry about what we are going to eat. Now I wonder ...do we need to go save the needy family from all those terrible snacks & sodas & glutenous pantry items we gave them???
On another occasion...maybe 2 months later....after I thought my kitchen was totally de-glutenized. I accidently cooked his GF waffles in our old toaster....I didn't realize it 'till after I got home from dropping him off at school. Amazingly enough...he did not get sick, but just incase the toaster is gone.
Then most recently, my older son Kasen had picked a science fair project that involved making cupcakes with the "devil's flour". I thought no problem...we can do this or should I say "I CAN DO THIS". Well I washed my hands so much ...they were raw and I wish I was exaggerating. The project turned out great, but I now know, no matter what.... our house is forever more... gluten free. Project or no project.
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