Now we're cooking!

So the biggest change in our lives since Rich had to start eating gluten-free is that I have to cook all the time!

I used to make dinner every night when we had kids at home, and since they have all grown up and moved out, I hardly ever do. We go out to eat or we forage in the cupboards like bears, and about once a week or maybe twice, I make something for us and we eat in the living room in front of the TV.

Now I have to cook so he will have food that he can eat! We can't just get hamburgers from Culvers or subs from Subway because they aren't gluten free! One of my friends told me where we can get a gluten free pizza, so we're going to try that on the weekend.

So far I have made a really good pot of chili, some chicken stew with chickpeas and kale, and umm, some other thing with kale in it. (Kale comes in a huge bag, and I had to use it all up!) I've been using the cookbooks I bought, and one of them is really great because it has dinners you can make on a weekday night that only take about a half hour to cook.

Sunday night Rich said that he had been wishing for some Shepherds Pie, which was a funny coincidence, because I had found a recipe for Shepherds Pie in that cookbook, and was planning to make it on Monday!

I made the Shepherds Pie tonight and it was very good. As I made it, I could see that it was almost identical to my regular recipe for Shepherds Pie, except that my recipe makes twice as much, so I will probably make my recipe for Rich to take for the potluck after church this Sunday. My regular recipe uses flour to thicken the sauce, so I'll substitue gluten free flour.

I usually skip that once-a-month potluck, but I might go this time, just to see what other people bring. Rachel is planning to make a gluten-free dish to share, and one of our friends says she is going to make some gluten-free brownies so Rich can have dessert!