About Us ... our gluten free journey
Like you, just having a decent cheese sandwich was an impossibility when we first found out we were gluten/wheat intolerant. Now we have sandwiches like this one made from my famous Italian Bida Bread recipe available in my Gluten Free Trina - Health & Nutrition cookbook.
My husband was the first in our family to find out he was gluten intolerant. I found it a real challenge to feed him originally and really tried to come up with some tasty solutions. In our regular lives, we are busy entrepreneurs, with a background in photography and media and assignments often take us out. It is not easy to eat just anywhere, like others in this situation we try to carry food with us. Even carrying food with you is a challenge as it has to stay reasonably fresh too.
People often wonder that we are both gluten intolerant, what are the odds? Anyway to make a long story short, over the years feeding a family of four a gluten free diet has been a challenge. I was determined to make good tasting foods, traditional as possible, breads, cakes and pies. For the past few years there were more gluten free foods in stores than there were almost 20 years ago when we began this diet. The boys just say, however, "Mom, we like your cooking better!" They have been my toughest critics, not wanting to appear different from other kids. If it doesn't taste good they won't eat it!
With my recipe books, I humbly hope to help others handle their gluten free lives more easily and also help people save time in their busy lives and also save money on this gluten free diet. You won't have to go through the painful stages of trying to find out how to make good gluten free foods.
There is also the consideration of price. Pre-packaged mixes cost more. Many recipes call for a certain gf mixture. All my recipes are from scratch with ingredients you can buy locally or order in individually in bulk from a supplier then mix together yourself.
More than just recipes, my books are a system of cooking and baking that help you save time and money while eating well.
As a working mom I could not spend all my time in the kitchen. So I developed ways to cook ahead, make mixes ahead and even have uncooked frozen loaves in the freezer so that I could just stumble out of bed in the mornings, toss a loaf or some buns in the oven and in a short time have fresh bread.
I have even been known to make my gluten free pizza for my sons whole classes at school. None of them knew they were eating gluten free pizza as I had been sworn to secrecy! You know how difficult it is for children to feel different. These days there is much more understanding but back then ....well you get the picture.
In all of my Gluten Free Trina books, I offer tips and advice gleaned from my own experience in feeding a gluten/wheat intolerant family, from my own research and personal experience. I am not a doctor, or nutritionist, I make no claims in that regard. My recipes are from my own hundreds of hours of research and experimentations with foods over the years. I was a good cook in my previous life, and it was a shock to have to set aside all that. My grandmother lovingly taught me how to make wonderful Oklahoma Corn Bread and Scones. My mother gave me a discerning pallet and taught me how to make really good pies. Through my family, I have been exposed to the wonderful cuisine of both Great Britain & Europe and the Southern USA as well as the pioneer spirit and recipes passed down from both Canadian and American relatives. I was determined to find ways to both feed my family nutritious meals and not deprive them of the wonderful memories that come from sharing truly great food.
I have brought cakes and pies to church suppers and never mentioned they were gluten free. I sure did have some lovely comments about how good things were though. So I know you will enjoy the recipes in my books. I have tried to be really exact and give step by step instructions. Many times in gluten free baking, the order in which you do things, and the methods employed make all the difference. You will find that the easy recipe format I use helps you make a recipe the first time, and then after you have made it a few times, it also helps you just scan the ingredient measurements without wading through paragraphs of method. Have a look at my book Health & Nutrition, with help in beginning this diet and and Encyclopedia of foods you can eat.
If you would like to write to me and ask a question, I am happy to help. email Trina