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Gluten and Dairy Free 
Fourth of July Recap
& a Note on How Lucky I am

       I know that the 4th of July has passed, but I wanted to share a few things. My family has always had loads of fun on the 4th of July. Delicious food, terrific company and fireworks are the highlights of our family  festivities.  I love living in Louisiana were firecrackers are legal, because when it comes to fireworks, I believe the bigger they are, the better.  

      Apart from the tummy troubles that I have been dealing with (I'll write a post about it later), I managed to have a totally stellar holiday. What made this July 4th so spectacular was having my parents in town. Unless I am at home or at my parents' house, I never feel very relaxed when it comes to preparing food.  Even though people say they understand my food issues, and try to be supportive, it is difficult for anyone to fully know the odds and ends of cross contamination and the gluten or dairy that is hiding in products under a different name.  Luckily, when I am at my parents' house, there is a system in place that keeps me safe. A system that I am thankful for.

      Cliffs Notes version of the food safety system at my parents' house: 

• At my mom and dad's, I have my own utensils, cutting board, tupperware, condiments, margarine etc. 
• My mother also makes sure that I have non-dairy milk and naturally gluten and dairy free foods to snack on like fruits and vegetables. 
•  My food is always prepared first and then set off...waaaaaay off to the side, to avoid cross contamination.  Gluten is an awfully sneaky beast!
•  My mother and I happen to be clean freaks, so the kitchen receives an intense scrub down any time gluten is around to make sure there aren't any evil glutenous crumbs lurking about. 

All of these measures allow me to remain "unharmed" at my mom and dads, which makes our time together so much more enjoyable! 

        Above you will see pictures from this year's private fireworks show that we put on. You will also see treats made just for me: the beginnings of the fantastic homemade gluten free beef jerky that my dad made and the custard for a small gluten and dairy free lemon meringue pie made by my mom! The day after the 4th, we visited a plantation and I fell in love with a gorgeous garden statue and an amazing 19th century stove. Look closely and you can see the cool cast iron baking pans on the top. I am a sucker for baking ware.

         I am truly blessed to have such wonderful people to spend my holiday with, and I am already looking forward to next year!