Sunday, February 17, 2013

Gluten-Free, Low-Lactose, Creamy Tomato Basil Soup – Nailed It!

In the last couple years, I have been obsessed with making soup.  See, as I mentioned in my last post, due to my allergy to celery, I am unable to eat most pre-made soups.  They either have big chunks of celery, use celery seed or salt, and/or use chicken stock (also made with celery of some sort).  For a long time, I just went without soup, but now I have a hand blender and I am not afraid to use it!  J

This isn’t my first attempt at making a gluten-free, low-lactose, creamy tomato basil soup, but this was certainly the best, and I only had to make small modifications!  I found that it didn’t need any salt or pepper either.  It was so good, I wanted to bust out some French bread and Irish butter, but you know… that totally defeats the point of modifying to gluten-free and low-lactose.  Ha.
 
 
 
 
I switched out the Coconut Creamer for the Creamed Coconut at the last minute... so it got X'd out!  I also decided that it didn't really need any salt or pepper.
This should be where the big X is in the picture above.  :)
(Serves 5)
 
* 5 medium tomatoes (or 5-8 tomatoes on the vine), peeled, seeded, and diced.
* 5 cups tomato juice
* 14 – 15 fresh basil leaves
* 3 Tablespoons of Creamed Coconut
* ½ cup Ghee (Clarified butter, lower on lactose)
* Salt & Pepper to taste.  (I didn’t end up using any.)


  1. Place tomatoes and juice in a stock pot over medium heat.  Simmer for 30 minutes.
  2. Add basil leaves, and puree mixture.  (Puree longer if you would like a more smooth texture, puree less for a more thick texture.)
  3. Return pureed mixture to medium heat, add creamed coconut and ghee.
  4. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
  5. Heat until ghee has melted (Do Not Boil).
(see original recipe here!)

 
The Creamed Coconut adds a little bit of grit to the texture, but seriously, I made it without and ended up adding it in later because it really enhanced the flavor of the soup!  If you try this recipe and modify it even further, let me know how it turns out.  J

Monday, February 4, 2013

Food Allergies, And The Gluten-Free "Movement," Oh My!

Who doesn’t remember the movie “Mrs. Doubtfire”?  A family film about a couple divorcing, the dad attempting to spend more time with his children by dressing in drag and posing as a housekeeper/nanny, who learns how to be the man he wasn’t when Sally Field decided to leave him.  Then the dreamy Pierce Brosnan comes in the picture, and Robin Williams/Mrs. Doubtfire tries to sabotage the budding relationship between him and his ex-wife… Do you remember the scene in the restaurant when Mrs. Doubtfire makes her way into the kitchen and dumps pepper on Pierce’s dinner after he specifically states that he is allergic to it, and then later causes the guy to choke on his shrimp, using the Heimlich maneuver to save him?  It’s a funny scene, but it is a completely inaccurate Hollywood portrayal of the seriousness of food allergies.

Where do I start?  I haven’t always had food allergies, but they reared their ugly head in 2001 when I was at a restaurant, celebrating a friend’s confirmation.  As a Native Californian, avocado was basically a part of my regular diet.  Whether it was enjoying a couple of slices on a sandwich, in a salad, or just cutting the darn thing in half and eating it with a spoon, avocado was never anything I had to avoid.   While my friend was celebrating a milestone in her life, my life took its own unexpected twist, creating my own milestone that forever changed my diet and the way I look at food.

After eating half of the turkey sandwich (with 2 slices of fresh avocado) and taking the rest to go, I said goodbye to my friends and started to drive home.  Before I even left the restaurant, I noticed that I started to get a little tickle in my throat.  I didn’t think much of it at first.  The restaurant was only a hop, skip, and a jump away from my home (4.21 miles, to be exact – Thanks MapQuest!), but on the way to my house, I noticed that the tickle was getting worse and that it felt like one of my contacts was becoming aggravated.  Needless to say, those six minutes it took to drive home seemed like forever as I started becoming more and more uncomfortable.  When I came home, I went directly to the bathroom to take my contacts out and switch to glasses.  To my surprise, when I looked in the mirror, I found that the whites of my eyes had bubbled up like speed bumps.  It was at that moment that I KNEW something was very wrong.  Thankfully, my mom was home, and she was able to drive me over to the ER immediately.  By the time we made the even shorter drive to the ER, the tickle in my throat seemed to be swelling and breathing was becoming more difficult.  Long story short, we discovered that I was having anaphylaxis, and had we waited even another ten minutes to get to the ER, I could have died!

Since the avocado incident, I have also developed other allergies to foods that I have been able to eat in the past (i.e. cucumbers, strawberries, celery, etc.).  Since 2001, I have had to read labels like crazy (celery is used in pre-made chicken stock and most soups!) and worry about cross-contamination (my last allergy related ER visit was due to cucumber cross-contamination). 

This brings me to the latest craze in the “gluten-free” way of life.  I hear a lot of people going on a gluten-free diet in order to lose weight, and as a way to just get healthy.  While a gluten-free diet can help some lose weight, and there are healthy benefits, I worry that people don’t realize why gluten-free is important to those who suffer from real diseases, allergies, and sensitivites.  To the typical person who doesn’t suffer from any food-related ailments, simply taking the wheat bread (or in my case, avocado) off the sandwich is sufficient.  If you’re just following a gluten-free diet to drop some weight, the fact that your lunch meat touched the offending food won’t matter a bit.  To those of us who have these problems, even just a trace can cause some type of reaction, whether it is mild, or extreme (think of my experience with avocado).

I say all of that to say this:  Please take people’s dietary needs seriously.  Know that if someone tells you that they can’t have gluten, sugar, avocados, etc. due to an allergy, it’s not because the person is a “picky eater” or just trying to be difficult.  If you work in a restaurant, if you accidentally put the avocado in my salad, please do not be offended when I ask you to toss it out and start over.  While you choose to go on a gluten-free diet to lose those extra pounds, keep in mind that there are some people who don’t have that choice and do it out of necessity.

Last but not least, while he has not been diagnosed, we are pretty certain that Tim has a gluten sensitivity.  So, in support of him, I’ll be trying out new gluten-free recipes and working on converting some of our favorites meals to gluten-free as well.  Check back for the recipes that turn out tasty, and if you have any suggestions or recipes, leave me a comment!  J

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Tall Ship Windy in the Windy City

Reminds me of the song from "Calamity Jane" with Doris Day and Howard Keel {swoon}... "Just flew in from the windy city, the windy city is mighty purdy..." and mighty purdy she is, folks.  My friend Shari and I purchased a Groupon for a trip on the Tall Ship Windy at the beginning of the summer and we finally got around to using the darn thing, eight days before it expired!  It was the first, official day of fall, mind you, but here in Chicago, fall could easily be confused for a So. Cal. winter.  Layers, my friends, always layers!!  It was a great day spent at Navy Pier (a must for any tourist) and a lovely view of the skyline from Lake Michigan!

So, I wanted to do a quick post and share some of our photos for the day.  I am also writing to let you know that "My Illinoisy Life" is now officially under construction!!  Big changes are coming and I think you're gonna love it.  I'm hoping the "renovations" will be done sooner than later, so keep checking back!!  :) :)

<3 simply stunning <3

Beautiful day for sailing!
Chicago, Amy, and a glass of wine!

Shari, aka "Captain"

the "dime pier"

Love Navy Pier!


Friday, July 13, 2012

Authors' Night!


Jen Lancaster, her newest memoir, "Jeneration X," and Amy
I almost talked myself out of going to see Jen Lancaster after the last [pathetic] attempt, but I decided to go to an event in Lake Zurich tonight anyway, and I am so glad I did.  Jennifer Weiner, Stacey Ballis, and Sarah Pekkanen were there as well!  Talk about a group of intelligent, hilarious, and classy women!  I love their books, and despite the crazy heat (the building didn't have a lick of air conditioning - no worries, I took pictures anyway) it was a fun event! 

Franzia boxed Chardonnay, and my new autographed books!


Jen Lancaster, Sarah Pekkanen, Jennifer Weiner, & Stacey Ballis.

This is my third (and least embarrassing) time seeing Jen Lancaster, but my first for the other three authors!  Jennifer Weiner bought cupcakes for the crowd of 400+ and was so gracious to all of her fans!
Thank you Swirlz Cupcakes!
Clockwise:  Chocolate Chip, Chocolate, Peach Cobbler, & Red Velvet!  YUM!!


It was a lovely evening and I am so excited to read my new books!!!  I think my most favorite thing abot this group of ladies is that they are so personable and seem to really enjoy interacting with their fans.  After the last time I met Jen Lancaster and acted like a total boob, it's almost bittersweet that she didn't remember who I was.  Ha.  Regardless, they are all very kind, and I am still excited to read their works and go to events they hold in the area.

Amy, Stacey Ballis, and her newest book "Off The Menu."

Jennifer Weiner, her book "Best Friends Forever" and Amy.

Amy, Sarah Pekkanen, and her book "Skipping A Beat."

Last, but not least, as much as I loved the featured authors, my favorite interaction was with the author Eleanor Brown (The Weird Sisters) who offered to take my picture with Sarah & Stacey.  I haven't read her book yet, but I plan to.  She was so friendly and fun, I can only imagine that her writing reflects her personality.  Besides, she keeps company with some of my favorite authors, how could she go wrong?
Eleanor Brown & Amy.
Did I mention that I even won an actual door prize?  Seriously, I got it while standing in a doorway because I was one of the last people standing in line for Jen Lancaster.  I wouldn't be a true fan if I didn't get it autographed as well, right?  :)
Jennifer Weiner swag bag!


Sunday, January 29, 2012

Chicago's Best #1

Chicago's Best is a great TV show that takes a look at some of the great restaurants in the Chicagoland area.  I usually catch the shows and make a list of all the places I would like to try.  Last week or so they did the Finger Foods episode and hit Coach's Corner in Elk Grove Village, which happens to be a few miles away from me.  Now, see... this weekend has been a special weekend for me, because I was actually off from work.  Yesterday I had a girly day of breakfast with Shari from FindingAWeigh.com, lunch with Lauren, and then shopping, a stop at Caribou Coffee, and a pedicure.  Sundays are usually spent cleaning and doing homework, but feeling inspired by such a splendid Saturday, I decided to try something new and check off a stop from my Chicago bucket list.

Coach's Corner is a great little Sports Bar & Grill, especially if you actually like sports.  They have TVs all over the place, playing different sports at the same time, so sports fans don't miss a thing.  The walls are decorated with all sorts of sports memorabilia and I was surprised at all the old Wheaties boxes with pictures of Michael Jordan that they had on the shelves.  It had a great ambiance and even greater beer specials (small pitcher of draft Miller High Life for $3.50).  Check out some of the food we ordered, and the clip from Chicago's Best: http://www.cltv.com/blogs/chicagos-best/wgntv-chicagos-best-finger-foods-coaches-corner-20120118,0,913449.story
Coach's Corner - 152 Biesterfield Rd., Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Cheesesticks!!


Cod Platter, baked beans, fries [ Me ] 
Meatball Slammers & Cheesy Tots [ Tim ]
Chocolate Chip Pizzookie!!



Monday, January 2, 2012

Explore. Dream. Discover.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade wind in your sails.  Explore.  Dream.  Discover."  ~ Mark Twain


Chicago's Theater District


My annual resolution is to not make resolutions.  I hate to set myself up to fail and generally go into the next year with a "let's see how this is gonna go" attitude.  Going into 2011, I decided I would see how long I could go without drinking soda (specifically, Diet Coke... you Diet Coke addicts know how hard this is).  I am happy to report that I made it almost all they way through 2011 without having any (except the sip of Sprite that was erroneously brought to me instead of a glass of water.) but I did choose to have a Diet Coke on Christmas Eve as a mini-celebration/reward for having stuck to my guns!  Thanks to my goal, I drank a lot more water last year... but I probably drank more wine too.  Nah, the wine was probably about the same.  :)

I decided to take on 2012 in the same way, only this time I have made a couple more goals for myself:

  • Finish paying off all my bills.
  • Be on the path to buying a home.
  • See Celine Dion in concert.
  • Cook more, eat out less.
  • Desserts on Saturdays & special occasions only.
  • Find a type of exercise that I will enjoy and commit to.  While I am searching, I am going to continue walking my dog, and when all else fails, I am putting the TV on the '90's channel and having a dance party in my living room.  (Hippo thinks this is a fun game and ends up jumping along.)
  • See more places in Chicago, and keep this blog interesting.  Thankfully, my friend Shari, is moving out here in a couple of weeks, and I know she'll love to go out exploring with me!
  • Find more ways to help others.
  • Get as many classes taken care of so that I can be even closer to graduating!
Mark Twain said it.  Twenty years from now, I don't want to regret what I didn't do.  I want to be able to look back on all the fun I had and choices I made, and even lessons learned.  This is going to be a great year because I have great perspective.

I hope you all have a very happy and prosperous 2012!!

Friday, September 16, 2011

Prayers for Philip

I have been a terrible blogger as of late.  We get busy and forget about certain things that we love to do or sometimes lose touch with friends without ever meaning to.  There are all sorts of ways that we are reminded about how precious life is, but sometimes it takes a tragedy to really make you stop and think.  This blog post is more important than a [semi] young woman's gallivanting around the city.  This is dedicated to my friends Teresa, Allan, and Tori... but mainly to Philip.


I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.  - Christopher Reeve

Philip (17-years-old) was just diagnosed with Neuroplastic Adenocarcinoma (a type of cancer, recently determined to have originated from his colon and affected his liver and lymph nodes) which is very rare for a person of his young age.  There were no early warning signs, but he suddenly began having symptoms last week that could have easily been mistaken for the flu or some type of stomach virus.  As one could only imagine, it came as quite a shock to Philip and his family.  The plan is to treat the cancer aggressively and immediately.  He will begin chemotherapy treatment on Tuesday, September 20th.

I am asking everyone I know to pray for Philip and his family.  Pray for recovery, wisdom, health, and strength.  To check on Philip's progress or to make much needed donations for the upcoming medical treatments, please check Philip's CaringBridge website. by clicking on the link. 

The family is also holding a yard sale tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. in Prosper, Texas to raise funds.  Please email me for additional info.

Thank you everyone for reading this and for sending your thoughts and prayers to Philip and his family. 

Much love,

Amy