It was a rare weekend.

Maybe it was all the cold, rainy weather that kept us indoors, but I actually spent most of Sunday and part of Saturday planning, preparing and setting aside meals for the week. I was the master of my gluten-free kitchen for a fleeting moment. I even baked a cake with my two boys and let them help me decorate it. I felt like a regular June Cleaver. Only I had to take off my apron and dust myself off in time to go to work Saturday night!

Here's how I did it:

Meal one: I started by making a big pot of spaghetti sauce. I chopped, dropped and simmered the sauce and reserved half for the rest of the week (recipes to follow). For tonight, it was gluten-free spaghetti noodles tossed with the fresh sauce. I served it with corn and chocolate soy milk.

Big Pot O Sauce
1 jar Classico sauce
1 large can tomato puree
1 can stewed tomatoes
2 teaspoon olive oil
1 pound Jenny-O turkey
1/3 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
2 zucchini or zucchini squash grated
1 package mushrooms, diced
Italian spices, to taste

In large stew pot, heat olive oil and add garlic and onion. Saute 5 minutes, then add turkey. Brown, then add veggies. Saute 5 minutes, then add sauce, puree, tomatoes and spices. Simmer about 1 hour.


Meal 2: The next morning, I turned into Betty Crocker. I don't know what got into me. Maybe it was the actual Betty Crocker yellow cake mix in the cupboard, or the fresh-from-the-farm chicken in my fridge, but I was set on spending the day in the kitchen. I started by roasting the chicken and throwing the remains in my big stock pot (a slow cooker also works) for broth. I would later serve chicken for dinner with some Lundberg Risotto and broccoli.

Roasted Chicken
1 roasting chicken
1/3 onion whole
1 stalk celery
salt, pepper to taste
2 teaspoons olive oil

Place onion and celery inside crevice of chicken. Rub with olive oil and season to taste. Set chicken in roasting pan and cook 40-45 minutes at 350 F, or until temperature of the breast reaches 165-170 F. (Disclaimer: The government says whole chicken should be cooked to 180 F, but I go with the temperature of the breast, since the thigh will be a higher temperature and the government also says a chicken breast should be cooked to 165.)

Stock
1 chicken carcass
1 whole onion, cut into 4 sections
2 carrots, whole
2 garlic cloves whole
4-5 celery stocks, whole
3 teaspoons salt
6-8 whole peppercorns
2 quarts of water, or enough to cover the whole shebang

Set in pot or slow cooker and simmer 4-6 hours.
While the pot bubbles, make a cake or a fun treat. The smell will make you hungry.
Strain broth into heat-safe container or another large pot. Cool 1 hour, then cover and put in fridge. When it is completely cooled, fat will congeal. Spoon fat off top and place liquid in containers for freezing and/or storing. I put mine in two empty fruit juice containers. One goes in the freezer, one in my fridge.

Meals 3, 4 and 5: So, here's where I get a little ahead of the game. I've got dinner all set to go by about 3 p.m., some extra sauce in the fridge and I just went shopping. So, I put together three more meals for the rest of the week. The thought occurs to me that this may be a good habit to get into because school is starting next week ... we'll see.

Mushroom meatballs (adapted from Weight Watchers)
1 pound ground sirloin
1 package mushrooms, grated or put through food processor
1/2 onion, grated or put through food processor
2 cloves garlic, also grated or put through food processor
2-3 teaspoons cumin
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix ingredients with hands and roll into balls. Place on large cookie sheet lined with foil and bake 15-20 minutes at 350 F. Makes about 35 balls. I let them cool and set in a container for later. Good on Kinnikinnick hot dog buns with a little reserved sauce and sliced mozzarella or Rice Cheese (all found at Hiller's). Warning: Shredded Rice cheese has casein in it. Stick to pre-wrapped slices if you are casein-free.

Beef Stroganoff
1-2 pounds beef (skirt steak or sirloin), cut into long, thin strips
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 package mushrooms
3-4 cups broth (I just scooped from my pot)
1 can tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried mustard
salt, pepper to taste

Brown beef with garlic and onions in large saute pan. Then deglaze pan with 1/3 cup of the broth. Add mustard, salt and pepper, mushrooms and the rest of the broth. Bring to boil, then add tomato paste. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Cook 4 cups rice. Set 3 cups of cooked rice in large casserole dish and cover with stroganoff (reserve 1 cup for recipe below). Cool and cover. Set in fridge for another night. Serve with sour cream if desired.

Stuffed Zucchini
4 small or 3 large zucchini or summer squash, cut lengthwise
3 cups spaghetti sauce
1 cup rice
Cheese of choice (we used Vegan Gourmet), such as mozzarella

Take a small spoon and scrape out seeds and pulp of zucchini or squash. Place in Pyrex or casserole dish, side-by-side. Mix sauce and rice and scoop mixture into cavities of squash. Cover with slices of cheese and cover with tin foil and then lid. You can freeze this for later or put in your fridge. When it's time to make it, bake with tin foil on for 30 minutes at 375 F.

I think that's it. Can someone come over and do my dishes now?

Call for help: I have been seaching high and low for a bag of Ting's. They are gluten- and casein-free and my son loves them. Anyone know where I can find some?

In its July publication of the journal "Gastroenterology," the Mayo Clinic released a study that concluded people are four times more likely to have celiac than they were 50 years ago, a new rate of 1 in 100. The study also found that those who did not know they had the disease also were nearly four times more likely than celiac-free subjects to have died during the 45 years of follow-up.

The reason? Dr. Joseph Murray, the gastroenterologist who led the study, says "we don't know why" and later suggests it may be something in our environment.

I've gotta say, this study sounds pretty familiar. More people diagnosed? We don't know why? Something in the environment? I could have replaced "celiac" with "autism" throughout most of the study.

Often, when I tell people my son has autism, they want to know what I think caused it. That's a dangerous topic to delve into. But celiac? At a more increasing rate, according to this study, one wonders if the same question will be on everyone's mind about the autoimmune disease. The difference is that subjects were tested 50 years ago, the results were recorded and the subjects were followed up on throughout their lives. Later, the same age group of people from the same region were tested and a much higher prevalence of celiac was found. So, it would be hard dispute that the reason for the increase is due to "more testing."

With autism, we all know there are many theories to why it is more prevalent. The one thing that everyone seems to agree on is that there is some sort of genetic link and many suggest that an environmental trigger may be the culprit. The authors of the celiac study are repeating that philosophy.

The other celiac-autism link is definately the conclusion that more doctors and patients have to be aware of celiac. When my son was diagnosed with autism, there were no checklists at the pediatrician's office or routine early screening in place. That has changed (at least at our pediatrician's office.) Anyway, the point is, if celiac is more prevalent, we need to be more vigilant. Just like with autism.

Dr. Murray even suggests: "We may need to consider looking for celiac disease in the general population, more like we do in testing for cholesterol or blood pressure."

Can you imagine all the otherwise undiagnosed cases can be determined if doctors take this on? With the finding that celiac is four and a half times more deadly in undiagnosed cases, a lot of lives can be saved.

With both autism and celiac, the more people that are diagnosed, the more society can accommodate those that are affected. More food, more convenience, more awareness and more care. That sounds like a coup on both fronts.

* * * * *

Here is a simple recipe my good friend served at a recent birthday party. It takes advantage of all the varieties of tomatoes popping off the vine:





Heirloom Tomato Salad
6 cups of a variety of heirloom tomatoes, various sizes and colors, cut into wedges or whole small
2 cucumbers peeled and cut into wedges
1 bundle or about 1/2 cup basil, washed and ripped into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste

Toss and enjoy.

A mystery surrounds our gluten-free story. It is a regular whodunit.

According to the Celiac Disease Center, first-degree relatives (parents, children and siblings) have a 1 in 22 chance of developing the disease in their lifetime. The risk for second-degree relatives (uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents) is 1 in 39. Only lifetime screening can help family members reduce the longterm effects of celiac, the center says. Antibody testing is necessary because celiac is a genetic condition and could appear again in the family at any time.

So, who done it?

First, my husband and I examined the symptoms.
For adults, these included:
Abdominal cramping/bloating
Appetite increase/cravings
Mouth sores
Dry skin
Constipation
Energy loss/fatigue
Weight loss
Tooth enamel defects
Muscle cramping (especially in the hands and legs)
Edema
Acidosis

In children, symptoms include not gaining weight, developmental delays and stomach bloating.

Neither of us experienced many of these symptoms, although we were both underweight as children and had experienced dry skin and energy loss (probably due to having two young children.)

The next step? We took on the case gluten-free:

My husband and I both ate what my son ate for the first few months. I felt fantastic. I was more energetic, concentrating better and happy to be in my kitchen working on making my family healthy. My husband felt --- hungry.

I scheduled a checkup with the doctor and asked for a celiac panel, which tests for the presence of certain antibodies that suggest a person has celiac. If the panel was positive, it meant that it's very likely I had celiac and should consult a gastrointestinal doctor for further testing to see if there was damage to the villi in my intestines. If it was negative, it meant that I did not have celiac. It came back ... negative.

I have come to the conclusion that it wasn't the gluten-free diet that caused me to have more energy and feel more healthy. It was that we actually were eating much more healthy. We were now on a steady diet of fruits, veggies, homemade meals and we were skipping processed foods, fast foods and sugary snacks. Go figure.

Then, the plot thickens...

I, of course, began worrying that my husband may have an undiagnosed case of celiac and for whatever reason is not bothered by eating the protein. Added to my worry is the fact that maternal and paternal relatives have had lymphoma. Celiacs who do not maintain a gluten-free diet stand a much greater chance of getting certain types of cancer, especially lymphoma.

Recently, I received a message from a distant relative of my husband who had been reading this blog. She pointed out that there are some second cousins and second-degree relatives who have celiac.

It appears the family link is weighing heavy on my husband's end. And with a lifetime of eating gluten, and a long list of negative, even life-threatening, effects of doing so, I'm hoping he does not have the disease.

Should my husband get a test to solve this mystery? It seems pretty elementary to me.

(The Celiac Disease Center also states that there is a simple cheek-swab test to reveal if someone is predisposed to developing celiac some time in their life. This may be an option for my younger son, who is not showing any symptoms of the autoimmune disease. It would put our minds at rest or alert us that he may develop the disease down the road.)

Having people over always has its challenges, especially when it comes to feeding guests with special diets. Not only does my son have celiac, my niece has a peanut allergy, two of my guests don't like cake and time was constrained because we hosted the party on a Friday evening (a work day).

Dinner was easy. We made a "salad bar" with farm fresh lettuce, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes from the garden and a slew of onions, cucumbers, avocados and grilled chicken. Chips, salsa and hummus were also on hand for munching. But what about dessert?

I only had to look at the local market, and the choice was simple. Blueberries are plentiful so my non-cake eating guests would be able to bite into a warm blueberry crisp with a scoop of ice cream. My sister-in-law whipped up a kid dessert, too.

Blueberry Crisp
Filling
3 pints blueberries
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon corn starch

Topping
3 cups Enjoy Life granola (gluten-free, peanut-free, dairy-free)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons Smart Balance spread

Toss blueberries with sugar, honey and corn starch. Pour into a medium-sized casserole dish. Soften butter and brown sugar and coat granola. Top blueberries with topping and bake in 375 F oven for 20 minutes or until crisp on top. Serve with a scoop of your favorite gluten-free ice cream. Here is a good list. We like So Delicious, which is also dairy free.

Kids' Dessert Munch
Rice Chex
Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
Gluten-free pretzels
Kraft mini marshmallows

Mix desired amounts and spoon into silly bowls for the kids. Adults like this, too!

Tip: I tried the new Betty Crocker gluten-free chocolate chip cookie mix. The dough was very similar to the gluten variety, so I spread the mix into a round cake pan. It made a giant cookie, which we cut into "pizza" slices. They tasted very much like the gluten-variety cookies. Delicious.

The Bavarian Inn restaurant is hosting Celiac Day 11:15 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15. Specifically designed for active people with celiac disease, the day is fully gluten-free!

Schedule of Events
11:15 a.m. Make your own pizza
11:30 a.m. Recipe swap -- bring copies of your favorite GF recipe to share with others
Noon. Lunch -- enjoy a tossed salad, breadstick and your hand-made pizza with our famous Black Forest Sheetcake for dessert
1 p.m. "GF Baking Tips": An informal Q & A session with Linda Sanback, our bakery manager, who has celiac disease
2 p.m. Enita Nepper, "Are you malnourished?"
3:30 p.m. Dr. Trudy Gregory, "Living Gluten Free without Breaking the Bank"
5 p.m. Beer & Wine Tasting
5:30 p.m. Fried Chicken Plate Dinner (biscuits and jam, vegetable soup, tossed salad with cranberry relish and cabbage salad, Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes and vegetable du jour, and ice cream for dessert)

$65 per person includes meals, activities, tax, tip and cover charge.

Reservations required at (800) 228-2742 or click here.