IN MEMORY OF BREAD- A GREAT, INFORMATIVE READ

My adult daughter, a fitness expert, had been talking to me about the problems with gluten in our diet. I would smile politely and hoped she'd go on to the next subject soon. When I saw Paul Graham's book, In Memory of Wheat, I thought of her and decided to read it.

To say it was enlightening would be an understatement. Paul Graham suffered from a severe form of gluten intolerance, celiac disease. He explains in detail why the wheat our ancestors ate is not the same we have available today. He had to make radical changes in his diet to experience a return to health.

As I read the symptoms of his disease, bloated upset stomach for no apparent reason after eating certain foods, diarrhea, and other symptoms,  I saw an uncanny resemblance to my symptoms of IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome).

The author stated there is a genetic link to the disease. I remembered my daughter is glucose intolerant and  gave up bread a couple of years ago. After she did, her chronic knee pain went away.

This is an excellent read if you or someone you know has the symptoms listed.
Paul's writing style is easy and fun to read. He should be a novelist. I was given a copy of this book by Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

Creamed Chicken in Puff Pastry Cups for a Perfect Tea Party

I had a few friends over recently. I had planned to serve chicken salad sandwiches. I got up that morning and glanced out the window. My Easter lilies were in full bloom. On a whim, I scrapped sandwhich plans and decided we were having a tea party!

I headed outside and cut a hand-full of lilies. Filling a beautiful, old English teapot, long-since missing the lid, with water and a touch of sugar, I tucked the lilies in them. I grabbed a small linen square cloth, not bothering to press it and set the vase in the center.



From the 2 cups of chicken left over from last night's supper, I added 1 cup of heavy cream in a skillet and let it reduce until thickened, about 5 minutes. Added salt and pepper to taste, then turned off the heat and added 1/2 cup of frozen English peas.

 

Once my friends arrived, I baked puff pastry cups per the package directions. It took about 15 minutes in a pre-heated oven. Then, I gently cup the tops off, filled the interior with the warm creamed mixture and set the top back on, slightly askew. Because the cups are rather small, I served two for each portion.



Adding a bright, green salad made our little party complete.

 

So simple, yet, so sweet. 







 

Food with Friends--The Art of Simple Gatherings-Review

A Pretty Cookbook- But not much substance.

I really wanted to like this cookbook. The full-color photographs and art work are lovely.

The premise of the book is simple, yet special gatherings, such as an impromptu picnic or an effortless brunch. It sounds great. Easy but memorable gatherings. Right?

I'm a pretty good cook and love to entertain, so it caught my attention. A photograph for one of Leela Cyd's recipes for 'Blooming Flower Salads'  was lovely so I studied it. It calls for 1 cup of organic, untreated petals from 1 rose, 3 chrysanthemums, 3 calendula flowers, 3 cosmos flowers and 6 nasturtium flowers.

I liked the idea, but where did you find organic, untreated flower petals? I went to the web and searched for 15-20 minutes looking for a source to buy them. I'm sure there are some out there, but I couldn't find them with a quick search.

Even though the author is from California, the recipes have a distinct Middle Eastern slant, such as socca cakes with labneh and fennel, purple cauliflower hummus and sweet tahini buns.

I like Middle Eastern food, but I can't make a connect with the recipes and the texts and decorating ideas. The cookbook is a bit of a miss. I was given a copy of the book by Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.