Newbie Frustration

Let me introduce myself...I'm the other BFF. I'm the newbie to gluten/egg/dairy free cooking.

We discovered last month that my oldest son is highly sensitive to wheat, gluten, rye, spelt, dairy, eggs, citrus and garlic. Am I forgetting one? I might be. I will just start by saying that so far I find this process extremely frustrating. We are a foodie family. I love cooking. I love mastering family recipes and creating new ones. I love finding a recipe that sounds irresistible, shopping for the ingredients, working magic in the kitchen and watching my family enjoy the end product. I love to cook with butter. I love to make savory cheesy dishes. Over the last year I have taught myself how to cook eggs in every way imaginable (perfectly scrambled, perfectly hard boiled, perfectly soft boiled, perfectly poached, etc.). Two months ago I finally found a pie crust that was simple, fun & easy...and made for a killer chicken pot pie.

My incredible, inspiring, funny and creative BFF has been there for me through thick and thin for almost 15 years. So I was not surprised at all to have her full support and enthusiasm when I called her about DS's new found food issues. She has started this blog to post her favorite tips and recipes...and she answers countless questions when I'm standing in the grocery store aisle or in my kitchen totally overwhelmed and confused.

Right now I just feel frustrated and annoyed. It is very discouraging to spend almost $5 on a bag of gluten-free flour to have a recipe completely fail. Or when I thought I'd buy some "mozzarella style shreds" so DS could feel like the rest of us on pizza night....only to discover none of us could stand the taste or texture.

But I am determined to keep trying, failing and succeeding. And hopefully, someday soon, cooking and baking will feel fun again. I'm starting small and making sure I open a bottle of wine or brew a pot of coffee before I start. My goal for now is to try at least one new recipe a week. My first was egg-free citrus-free mayonnaise. This week I tried a banana bread recipe and next week I think I'll tackle homemade bread...again. I'll update when I can about how things are going and how our family is adjusting to so many dietary changes.

I hope reading about my journey (challenges, successes and everything in between) will help you if you are just getting started.

Bon appetit!