Days 321-322 - Experiment!

Photos are from my old cell phone which was better than nothing :) when I forgot the real camera.

The pasta dish was my surprise (I really should have known better - I WAS at an Italian restaurant!) - but when the menu said Lamb with... I expected more Lamb than pasta.  Ah well, what I forked out was delicious and will take my Thanksgiving cue and serve goat cheese with the lamb.

Mangia's Strawberry Soup alone is worth a visit to Kenosha.   They were out of fresh blueberries - the usual accompaniment - and put in dried cherries which I left behind.  The soup, though was delightful, not overly sweet, and the bit of whipped cream a perfect touch for the acidic berries.  I previously had a berry soup on a cruise, and it was thickened with cream, and lighter in color than this version.  It had the color and consistency of of arrowroot-type thickener. I'll be experimenting soon with my own berries.

Lettuce Wraps - an adapted part of life since I began going gluten free - Chicken and Farmer's cheese (every avocado in the sack I purchased was so black I had to toss them) but tomato slices provided a nice contrast.

The "pita" without the pita below has all the makings of Chicken salad with strips of roasted chicken, chopped apples, dried cranberries, and fresh greens.   The little black cup you see on the right, is a little leftover raspberry vinigrette from a previous restaurant.

Experimenting is fun for me - to see what I can make that is gluten free, or find things I actually prefer to eat when compared with ordering off a menu, and then either suffering from eating as is, ordering 'special', or either tossing the parts I cannot eat or sharing them with Ken (he loves the pita).  Maybe my stomach has always been this way because I recall eating the pie filling, and leaving the crust, the chicken salad without the bread, etc. I never could understand people's enjoyment of bread by itself - to me it was just a carrier of the food I really wanted.  The only gluten-free baked goods I've really enjoyed thus far are the ones my daughter-in-law makes as they have the familiar texture and full taste of my memories!   If you are a bread lover with a gluten intolerance, do yourself a favor and check out the magazine and website, for Living Without - www.livingwithout.com  It addresses gluten, dairy and other allergies.  Bob's Red Mill also has some easy-to-bake-with gluten free flour.


I recently combined some protein smoothie mixes with cocoa, milk, sweetener and arrowroot  to make a protein pudding.  Ken tried it cold and thought the texture was stretchy. Maybe that is why I like it warm :)  Another pudding possibility was using vermacelli instead of rice, with raisins, pistachios, almonds and flavoring with saffron and cardamon.  Now I'm going to go make something with a bit of the lentils that I didn't freeze.  Probably a hearty protein Lentil-Potato pancake for dinner.

Experimenting with the Word doesn't work, however.  I find more inspiration marching through a particular book, passage, or theme, than doing the Judas-point-and-shoot method (illustrated by opening the bible, dropping the finger and finding Judas went out and hung himself - then, repeating in an effort to find something more inspiring, and coming upon something like "go and do thou likewise.")  Read through the Bible in a Year is a good plan, or a chapter, a Psalm and a Proverb a day. Right now I'm cruising through the book of John.   Perhaps cruising is the wrong word - I'm using the book Beloved by Beth Moore as a guide to a deeper re-read of a favorite book. 

The opening passage is a banner for the rest of the book and really for the 'rest' of my faith!

John 1:1-3 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being."  

It syncs with my soul belief of Genesis 1:1 - the famous In the Beginning verse...  It has been said that once one understands and believes this verse, all other elements of a life of faith are little steps in comparison to this great foundation of understanding the sovereignty of God.

Have a great Thanksgiving - may your relationships have the priority over food and may you realize much for which to give thanks.