Well, at least now I have a new record to break for next time...

I broke. At 2 a.m. this morning, despite trying to satisfy my sweet-tooth craving with raisins and walnuts and repeatedly telling myself to just go to sleep Noha. Nothing good can come of this, I opened the freezer and reached for - gasp! - the cookies and cream ice cream. It wasn't a rash decision. My mind knew full well what my hands were doing. I even stopped to calculate how far I'd gotten, to decide if the number of consecutive allergy-free days was respectable enough to break now, or if I should hold off a little longer. 49 days. Respectable. I had the cookies and cream ice cream. I had some chocolate fudge brownie ice cream too, for good measure. And then, only then, did I finally go to sleep.
I won't lie. They tasted positively divine, but if I was expecting harps playing in the background, or the sensation of being carried off to some dessert-flavoured, chocolate-based, culinary heaven, it didn't happen. Things you can't have always seem soooooooooooooooooo much better than what you can.
I woke up with a stomach-ache this morning, but I suppose I earned it. I've also decided that today is a day off. A day to allow myself to indulge in whatever else so that tomorrow, when I start again, I'm not already craving things. I've basically decided that I'm failing today to succeed later. Twisted logic? Maybe. An excuse to stuff myself with anything and everything today? Also maybe. But a funny thing is happening so far: I've had a slice of cheesecake that was in the fridge, left over from a visit we had on Friday, and nothing else. I've been down to press cafe, and looked at the brownies and cupcakes, felt nothing, and ordered my usual coffee. I think I'll end up getting something else, something gooey and chewy and wheat-based, and chocolatey-sweet, before the day is over. But if I don't, it'll be okay because I know how to make the wheat-free, dairy-free, processed-sugar-free version from scratch now. And tomorrow I'll start over. And while last time, my goal was to go as long as I could, this time, I'll have a number in mind. I want to get to 50 days of allergy-free food. At least. 50 days and beyond. Far, far beyond.

A Word About Will Power

I'm on day 14 of my sugar-free, wheat-free, dairy-free diet. This week I endured

• a friend's baby shower at work, where home baked cake, breaded chicken wings, and a traditional kosovar bread-roll of some sort were being served - on Wednesday
• the left-overs of said baby shower on Thursday, and
• a benefit event to raise money for Palestine - where the food being sold came in the form of sandwiches, tarts and butter rolls, and brownies, on Friday

Today, I subjected myself to cake-baking. No one told me to make the cake, I just really wanted to make it. For the first time in probably my life, I didn't lick the left over batter off the pan. Instead, I made a second batch of cake for myself where I replaced the wheat flour with Kamut flour, the milk with almond milk, and the sugar with stevia (big mistake about the stevia, horrible aftertaste, but now I know to use honey for next time)...
I haven't cheated yet. I think what stops me is that I've made it all so public. If I broke down now, I'd have to tell you all. I'd have to post it to Facebook. I'd have to start counting at 1 again. If I only had myself to tell, I would have broken down at least 5 or 6 times by now. I'm sure of this because I've made the "no more allergens" promise to myself countless times before. I've typically made it to mid-morning of the same day the promise is made; on the days my will power has been phenomenal, I've made it to just before bed time. But in the end, I've always caved.
I like to think this isn't just my lack of will power, but how humans work in general. We need to own up to someone or we cave. I've figured out what makes me tick, what motivates me. I know I'll break sooner or later, but my plan right now is to go on for as long as I can. And when I break, my plan is to announce it, lick my wounds, and start over. It's worth it. I feel so much healthier. And it's easier every day.

7 Days Done

So I told you about the 7 day challenge I gave myself last week to avoid wheat, sugar, and dairy products. Well, I'm happy to report that I'm now on Day 8!
In total honesty, I didn't really think I'd get this far. Sure, I might have been able to make it on the weekend, or on my first Monday, when I was working from home, but on Tuesday, I was back in the Ottawa office, with the pharma plus, in all its Toblerone-selling glory, and the Marcello's, with its rice pudding and nanaimo bars and apple fritters and chocolate chip muffins. Well, at 2 p.m., as the afternoon yawning came in, I went down and got a coffee and some celery sticks. Yup, celery sticks...
Wednesday and Thursday were similar. On Friday, I spent most of the day in the Montreal office, and had to walk by the best bakery ever 5 times, without buying anything I couldn't eat. I discovered that the Pharma Prix sells almond and date bars in the back of the store. I checked the ingredients. I bought two. They were yummy, if overpriced, but they helped me get through the day...
7 days may sound like not a big deal, but before I started this, I was eating "allergy food" nearly every day, often more than once a day, so I'm really, really relieved to have gotten this far...
Oatmeal is one of my best friends when I'm craving dessert. Put some dates or berries in it, sprinkle a little cinnamon or cocoa on top, and it's gooey like something baked would be, and just sweet enough.
My next goal is to hit next Sunday. If I get there, that's 14 days. I'll keep you posted.

The Crazy Subliminal Cucumber Post

Cucumber would have to be one of those vegetables I rarely eat. It's good in salads, but M's not a fan, and when I buy them they end up going bad before I get through the small package of 4 or the one massive one. Plus, you can't cook cucumbers, so you can't salvage the slowly wilting veggie by slicing and dicing and throwing it in a pot, right?
Well, it would seem that cucumber is subliminally trying to convince both myself and a friend of mine that it can indeed be cooked or baked. The evidence:
Situation A
Last week, I was describing to my mom the vegetable soup I was planning to make as part of dinner for a little dinner party M and I were having on Friday night (random note: I ended up making cream of mushroom soup. M made the most divine chicken. No one could believe he'd cooked it. We have left overs. I'm in heaven.) So, as I'm describing the soup, I say it has diced onions, celery, cucumbers, only I'm saying all of this in Arabic, and my mom goes "Wha?? Cucumbers? WHY are you putting cucumbers in your soup?"
To which I respond, "I always put cucumbers in my soup. I got it from you. YOU always put cucumbers in your soup" and she shakes her head profusely and we continue to have this debate for 5 minutes before my little sis says "I thought M didn't like cucumbers?"
I start to answer that "no, no, M doesn't like.... oh, wait, M doesn't like cucumbers". At which point I realise that I've been saying cucumber all along when I meant to be saying carrot. Cucumber in soup jokes ensue for the remainder of the evening.

Situation B
I have been eating everything on my allergy list with complete abandon on and off for about 2 months and I have decided to put an end to it with a 7-day no wheat, no dairy, no sugar challenge to myself. For moral support, and to hold myself accountable, I posted this to my status on facebook and my friends have been very good in cheering me on. So much so that one of them offered me her "cucumber cookie" recipe.... Now, having just had this cucumbers-don't-cook conversation with my sis and mother, I am very skeptical, and ask her what on earth this could possibly be. Somewhere in the back of my mind I'm thinking there's a teensy possibility that a cucumber cookie does in fact exist in some alternate raw food vegan universe, but I'm just doubtful that my friend belongs to this universe. Well, ta-dah! I'm right. Friend meant zucchini cookie. She sent the recipe too. it looks divine, but it has butter, sugar, and wheat flour... I could substitute. I might give an alternate version of the recipe a try. if I do, and it's edible. I will post.

So there you have it folks. Cucumbers are feeling the heat (or they aren't and badly want to be... hardy-har-har).

Celiacs, do you miss Pizza?

This is just a quick tidbit to share with my fellow allergy sufferers about a yummy product I discovered in the frozen food section of the grocery store yesterday.... Glutino frozen pizza. I have a problem with wheat, not specifically gluten, so I tend to buy or make spelt / kamut bread, which have a small gluten content that can cause problems for those with celiac. Glutino products don't use spelt or kamut, but rather rice flour, tapioca flour, and the like... The last time I bought gluten-free pizza, I wasn't impressed, but I decided to treat myself to a frozen pizza anyway (somewhat overpriced in a pretty tiny package at about $6, but hey, that's why I said "treat") and - are you ready for this - it was really.really.good.
Their other stuff is probably okay too if you can't have any gluten at all... Hope you enjoy like I did...

Random Other-Post Follow-ups

Some unrelated-to-each other ideas that may each be related to older posts:

• They say the proof is in the pudding... well, I say the proof is in the brownies. As promised, I bought cocoa, and on a whim, made some wheat-free, cane sugar brownies a half hour ago. The difference between these and the carob ones is astounding. I am truly a chocoholic, and it's not to be cured.
• Because I complained about the lack of hijabi-friendly clothing this season: 1)For any hijabi-Montrealers, there is a booth inside the Eaton's centre near the Metro McGill entrance that sells scarves, long tunics, and other hijabi stuff for reasonable prices. I went last Monday and have a new tunic to show for my efforts. 2) My mum-in-law is way too sweet: after listening to me complain during our last outing about the lack of long sleeved items available, she apparently found one of the very very few things on the market the other day and picked it up for me.... 3) There's a new hijabi clothing store in Montreal called "Inty" (cool play on words because this is how to say the feminine "you" in Arabic). I haven't been there, but I hear from a friend that the stuff is good quality and affordable. If you know the city, it's located where the old Multi-vision store was.
• I finished Bel Canto, the first book from Jen's suggested list, and in an effort not to spoil it, all I can say is GO READ THIS BOOK. Sooooooooooooooooooooo good. Meets all my super-picky criteria: good characters, good writing, good plot. As for Jen's request that I tell her what I thought of the controversial ending, I'll just say that it's crushing, but marvelous, and totally plausible. This book leaves your heart-aching. You love the characters that much. Next, I'm starting The Namesake, which is supposed to also be great. I hope it's as great. Keep your suggestions coming. I'm planning on reading a lot, as I'm hoping to write a lot and for me, the best way to do that is through reading.

Celiac Heads Up (Or "the great big food allergy post")

I saw this article from the Globe and Mail, a primer about the basic symptoms of celiac and what to do if you have it, and thought I should share.
I don't have celiac, but end up buying a lot of products for those with celiac because I do have a serious sensitivity to wheat, and gluten-free products automatically mean they're wheat-free. I can relate to a lot of what's in the article:

"According to a 2007 survey of the Canadian Celiac Association's more than 5,000 members, the average time it took to get diagnosed was 12 years. Many respondents had consulted three or more doctors before getting their diagnosis"

and

"Symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, joint pain and migraines - ones typically not recognized as gut-related - are commonly reported, and the diagnosis is often anemia, stress, irritable bowel syndrome or chronic fatigue syndrome."

I spent about 10 years feeling constantly sick, cutting out different foods and food products from my diet to no avail. I lost close to 20 pounds at my worst point, mostly because it was easier to feel hungry then to deal with the constant nausea and irritation after eating. I went to 3 different doctors and took 3 different tests, the last one being the endoscopy mentioned in the article. When that one was done, the gastroenterologist (aka, Mr. Specialist) asked me if I was a people-pleaser, told me I should relax, and concluded that "it was all in my head".
It was a visit to a naturopath and taking a Vega test suggested by a friend 3 months later that turned up the cause for all my problems: I have serious sensitivities to:

• all cow dairy (milk, butter, cheese, yogurt, etc.)
• wheat and some grains from the wheat family (bulgur, semolina)
• all processed sugar
• aspartame
• msg
• cola

I have milder sensitivities to a whole list of fruits, veggies, and nuts:

• bananas
• tomatoes
• peanuts
• oranges, clementines, grapefruits
• grapes

At first, walking out of that clinic after the test, I was trying to figure out what was left to eat. That was close to 3 years ago. Now, I've gotten it fairly under control. I've found a lot of alternatives to my formerly favourite foods, and I know when I'm "cheating" and having stuff that'll upset me, so I can decide whether it's worth it or not. I don't always make the best decision: sometimes that chocolate bar looks completely irresistible in the checkout line and then feels like the worst decision ever once consumed, but at least I'm the one in control of the stupid decision I decide to make.

Moral of the story? Trust your body if your doctor isn't making any sense. You're your own best judge. If you're sick and someone tells you you're fine, find someone else to talk to. Your body will thank you.

Other Amazing "Speltisies"

That's my new word for "things made with spelt flour" - and the latest in this wonderful addition (you remember the Spelt Biscotti of last Toronto visit?) are little spelt pesto rolls... In T.O. this weekend for a good friend's wedding and a visit with my husbands family, and you cannot even begin to understand how truly delicious these things are. I opened the bag. I finished the bag. In one sitting. That's all there is to it.
My parents-in-law have also discovered spelt sesame sticks. For all you Egyptians out there, this is essentially "bo'somat" a.k.a. that totally fabulous thing you have with your tea. I'm seriously considering just up and moving to T.O.

Spelt Biscotti (City Trotting)

The last 4 days, in bullet-form:

• bus to Montreal from Ottawa on Thursday night
• drive to Richmond Hill, via Kingston on Friday (morning / afternoon)
• spend the bulk of the weekend in Richmond Hill with my second family
• drive to Montreal via Kingston on Sunday (morning / afternoon)
• attend one of M's best friend's Katb Kitab's last night

And tomorrow, it's back to Ottawa. I think I'm actually getting really good at this, and we can all breathe a sigh of relief to discover that M and I both LOVE road trips, so we got to and from his parents' place and back home quite happily. Now about his parents' place, can I just say I'm feeling very, very loved? I brought my usual supply of spelt bread as back up (as I do when I'm travelling anywhere, since it's not always available or I don't know if I'll have a chance to shop, or whatever) and discovered that they had stocked their pantry with a) organic spelt bread, b)Kamut raisin bread, c)multiple types of goat feta cheese d) spelt penne, and e)SPELT BISCOTTI!!!

I have never in my life tasted spelt biscotti before, but it's fabulous, and the coffee/tea-lover in me was just so incredibly pleased to have something to dip into my hot drink and nibble on. (Heheh, I'm going to have to pick up the exercise regime again though...)

And another thing. I can now play Risk. I may not have achieved world domination this time around, but I'd like to think I learned a thing or two for next time. All in all, a wonderful weekend and well-refreshed for tomorrow (Don't you just LOVE four-day weeks?)

Eid-ing

Here's a funny little anecdote about my Eid prayer yesterday morning: As we walked into the already full Civic Centre hall for the prayer yesterday, I was holding the hand of my little angela as I like to call my niece. However, as she was having a hard time carrying her new doll (a gift from Grandma!) and negotiating her way through the crowd, she had handed me the doll while we were a few steps outside the hall. The result was that everyone who saw me at "adult height" level and couldn't see my little angela saw full-grown Noha walking in, all dressed up for Eid prayer, hugging a little doll. I got several looks, and several comments. Explanations were required. Hopefully, all is now cleared up ;)

But seriously, there's nothing more wonderful than the excitement of a little child to make Eid a really special occasion. My niece thought Eid was a person, and - not yet understanding the abstract concept of an event "coming" - she kept waiting for him to show up at the front door. By the end of yesterday though, I think she'd figured out that Eid is gathering of many people (all of whom lean down and look at her, give her hugs and kisses, and then turn to her mother and exclaim how she's grown!), the eating of chocolate and other tasty treats, the opening of presents, and just generally the having of fun.
I had a really great time, and have come down with a vicious cold to prove it (hey, you can't gather more than 5 thousand people in a place for a party in Ottawa in mid-October for 7-plus hours and expect to get away without catching something!)
I also had my first non-home-made Spelt chocolate cake (purchased by the wonderful M) from "The Wild Oat" on Bank and Fourth Avenue. If you're wheat-allergic, or celiac (they do egg-free, sugar-free and dairy-free stuff too), go! You'll find a lot of yummy stuff. My taste buds have been very happy since I discovered this store a few months ago. (I promise I don't work at the Wild Oat, and they're not paying me for this endorsement.)

Tomorrow, it's back to work, and back to 8 a.m. - as opposed to 5 a.m. - coffee. But even though I'm having coffee at a normal hour again, I hope that I can carry some of the Ramadan momentum into my regular routine. Like being more patient, more considerate, all that good stuff I don't always think about enough. My mom always says Ramadan's like a spiritual gas station, and you've got to fill up.

Food, Health, and the Environment

I've posted here before about my allergies (wheat, sugar, milk and milk products, some nuts, some fruits, and a few other additives and preservatives). I only discovered my allergies about 2 years ago after nearly 10 years of feeling sick and not knowing why, and it was a great challenge and an exercise in discipline to overhaul my bagel-and-cream-cheese-lovin' diet to something that wouldn't leave me in a constant state of nausea.
I slowly improved and eliminated the foods I couldn't handle, but because nothing made me so sick that I could never cheat, I often went back and had "just a little bit" of a chocolate bar, or a slice of cake, or a peanut butter sandwich. and then I would start the slippery slope to having "just a little bit" more, and on and on until I constantly felt sick again.
Recently, my "just a little bits" left me feeling much sicker than they used to, and I made a decision that it's just not worth it. Period. Full Stop. I've been good and strict about my diet for a few weeks now, and I'm feeling much better. I've also been looking at some of the other health trends out there when it comes to incorporating what you eat with how you treat the Earth. While I'm not yet ready to make the drastic adjustments required for some of these (and may never be) I still enjoyed reading about the hundred mile diet and raw food eating.

I have some opinions about why so many people are now developing food sensitivities, and I believe that it's definitely linked to mistreatment of both our bodies and the environment. The antibiotics we ingest, the pollution we inhale, the pesticides we put on our crops, all of this is fairly recent, and eventually, our bodies rebel, and the Earth rebels. One thing I discovered in trying to overhaul my diet and consciously eat healthy food is that too many people eat without thinking about what they're consuming, and more often than not, what's out there (and what we're eventually putting inside us) on supermarket shelves is shockingly worse than we may have ever considered.
I'm convinced it's all interconnected, although I'm not yet sure what I'm going to do about it.

Dream Jeopardy!

Got this idea from Hadeel, who got it from her friend Shane, who got it from Douglas Coupland's book "Microserfs" (Read it, it's hilarious). Sajda's followed up too. It's irresistible: you describe yourself by listing your Dream Jeopardy categories about anything trivial / frivolous:

Noha is 24 years old. She is a public servant for the Canadian federal government in Ottawa, and her dream Jeopardy categories would be:

• Montreal Canadiens current three-months of mediocrity following an amazing (and in hindsight, above their heads) start to the 2006-2007 season
• Various Gollum / Smeagol lines from Lord of the Rings
• All lines from the musical Newsies and Disney songs from the 90's / early 2000's (Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, Mulan)
• George W. Bush's stupidest quotes
• How make wheat free, dairy free bread that doesn't taste like rocks
• The "double wrap" technique for various headscarves (aka how to put a million pins into your headscarf without a) poking yourself and b) having it look like you've got a million pins in there)
• Cute phrases uttered by my nieces and nephew
  

Party! (family, friends, and forbidden food)

Yesterday was M and I's official engagement party. We had it right here at home, with his and my immediate family, as well as all of the extended family I have that's near by enough to attend (aka, Ottawans and Montrealers). Lots of fun, and lots of picture taking, and lots of normally-not-allowed-food-eating. Let's see:
-Ferrero Rocher chocolates (2 yesterday, and probably 5 or 6 today)
-Ice Cream (chocolate and vanilla. It's been SO long... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....)
-A honkin' slice of vanilla and strawberry cake (With "Congratulations Mohamed and Noha" written on the front)
-Cheese slices (cheddar, to be specific, over breakfast and as well as on nachos while watching a movie today)
-Grapes (but this doesn't count because I always "cheat" with grapes)
-Some pita bread in a traditional Egyptian dish called "Fatta" (With "Congratulations Noha and Mohamed" written on top in Arabic with Fatta sauce by my Daddy :D)

All in all, I'm shocked my system was able to handle it so well. I really expected I'd be sick in bed today what with all my cheating, but instead I was up and about and consuming more chocolate. I do have my first cold of the season, however, and I'm swearing by the homeopathic remedies of oregano oil and ginger tea. Like Buckley's, they taste awful, but they work.

Most of the crowd left last night to head home. My sister, brother-in-law, and M took off a couple of hours ago and should be back in Montreal any minute now. Tomorrow it's back to the office for me...

Metros and Forums and Schools, Oh My!

Have I ever said how much I love Montreal? Oh, well it seems I've definitely shared similar sentiments in the past. Well, I mean it. Montreal is Gorgeous, it's old, it's cultured, and it's fascinating. Especially if you're spending most of your time downtown. Especially if you're as obsessed with the Habs as I am, and your sister lives two blocks away from the Bell Centre, and your friend decides to take you to the old Forum for Breakfast.

Katherine and I met up at the Marriott on Peel and walked around for 20 minutes trying to find a Metro station. It was my first time on a Metro (this information totally betrays what kind of a "small city" girl I am, but whatever.) For whatever reason, the Bell Centre had a sign right next to it for the Metro, but all the doors leading there were locked. We eventually went in at a stop called Lucien L'allier, and rode the metro to Alexis Nihon. Katherine had only said before hand "I think you're going to like the place that I'm taking you for breakfast" but wouldn't explain why I would like it so much.

So we get out Alexis Nihon Mall, and there in front of us across the street it says on the building "Pepsi Forum", and it hits me. I can't decide whether to be horrified, devastated, or thrilled. On one hand, I'm at the old Forum, for the first time in my life; on the other, it's been gutted, turned into an AMC, and the word Forum has the word Pepsi beside it. PEPSI for God's sake! The epitome of big business and the corporate machine tacked on to take advantage of THE most famous building in hockey. This is offensive indeed. So, do I stay outside, put my foot down and refuse to enter as Katherine mentions one of her other friends does? No, I go in and take a bazillion pictures. Because after all, it's been the Pepsi forum for years, and my not going inside is not going to change that.
Breakfast was great. I broke my no milk products rule (there was montery jack cheese involved :D) but I didn't break my no-wheat rule. You should have seen the waitresses face when I asked for an Eggs Benedict with no bread on the bottom... I burst out laughing, so I guess she felt safe to ask why, and I went on to explain about my allergies...
Instead of taking the Metro back the way we came, we walked all through downtown and I got a better feel for the city. There's an interesting crazy graffiti wall, which I took another billion pictures of, and once again, the buildings themselves are just more interesting to look at. We eventually ended up at McGill (more snap-snapping on my camera... trying to figure out which engineering building M's lab / office is in... no luck) and then walked back to Peel and parted ways at the big monument with the church behind us (near the big "The Queen Elizabeth" building).
Don't worry Katherine, I didn't get lost on my way back to the my sister's place. The Marriott was my guiding light home :D


An ad outside the Bell Centre. That's a pic of Matthieu Dandenault


Katherine at the Metro in her cute hat


Outside the "Pepsi" Forum, they have the various Stanley Cup Championship Teams Engraved into the ground. This is 56-57's team. Maurice Richard was Captain.



Crazy Graffiti wall


Katherine's building at McGill is actually an old church

p.s. I took so many pics that they'll probably be popping up in my posts for the next few days / weeks

p.p.s. Less than a week left until my brother-in-law, sister, and niece get back from their trip, and then I can see my little angel again.

p.p.p.s. Aisha's wedding in on Saturday. Yay! I have to figure out what to wear. Ugh.

Waffles Continued

Crazy busy today and now very sleepy. Tomorrow is packed as well, so this is an extremely short entry just to state that last night I tried the waffle iron, using this recipe (http://lonestar.texas.net/~fitch/recipies/waffles.html - link button is missing for some reason as I write this post??)(except I substituted the milk for soy milk, the wheat flour for Kamut flour, and the sugar for cane sugar to accomodate my allergies) and they were fantastic :D
Anyone with a wheat allergy, I'd totally recommend this... waffles aren't that fluffy to begin with, so they don't taste all that different with another grain then they do with wheat because the texture is the same regardless of the grain

Wafflemaker!!!

My parents are the sweetest people. Ever.
If you know me, you know I love soft chewy things like bread, pastries, brownies, cake, crepes, pancakes, etc. You also know that when I found out I was allergic to wheat, I was quite devastated, because that pretty much makes it impossible to eat all the goodies listed above. Of course, that was a year ago. Since then, I've discovered a whole alternative world of grains that aren't wheat: Spelt, Kamut, Buckwheat, Oat, Amaranth, Barley… All of these can be used to make other types of bready-type things, but Spelt, Oat and Kamut are the best in that they're most similar to wheat. Of course, this discovery took time…
To find the good bread substitutes, you first go through the crumbly, non bready stuff in the "healthy" section of the supermarket, trying out one brand after another of "bread" that won't hold itself together, isn't chewable, won't stay a sandwich… stuff made of rice flour, or potato flour. Now, don't get me wrong, I love rice, and I love potatoes, but they're not meant to be ground into flour and turned into bread. They don't have the right texture or consistency. Trust me on this... A few weeks ago when we were in Montreal, M took us to a place called Cocktail Hawaii that makes juices, crepes and waffles and covers them with fruit, chocolate, whipped cream, the works… I was good in that I ordered the juice, but I still "cheated" - had a little bit of the waffle, and it was heavenly. I've been making my own spelt, buckwheat, and kamut crepes for a few months, but I'd never thought of making waffles, and now I offhandedly mentioned that I should get a wafflemaker and make my own "wheat free" waffles.
So now, last night, my parents surprise me with a wafflemaker!!!! They just walked in to my room with a huge gift bag and said "Mabrook" (which translates to "Congratulations" in Arabic, but is really what you say when someone is getting something new, or when you're congratulating them on a some sort of achievement…)
A wafflemaker!!! For someone who's constantly tempted to get a soft, chewy slice of cake or nice fluffy sandwich, and then suffer through the day of stomach aches that follows, this is the nicest gift ever…. Now excuse me, I must go search for modifiable waffle recipes ;)


My new wafflemaker