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Back in the Writer’s Saddle

I'm finally back in my writer's saddle again! Well, sort of. But first, an update on my SALs and food issue saga. I had another NAET treatment on Monday and this one was for SALs and benzoates. I had a serious flare because Easter dinner had a lot of SALs foods, so it was perfect timing. The one thing that continues to improve is my sense of smell, which is a blessing and a curse. You get the good and the bad! I also had a free consult with a health/Ayurvedic specialist to learn about my Dosha (mind-body type). Yeah, I know, it's getting out there, but when you feel like crap you open your mind to options. Ayurveda is a science of life (Ayur = life, Veda = science or knowledge) and was developed by ancient sages of India. I have to take a quiz to see what my Dosha is so I can work on my diet and other [...]

By |2019-04-24T13:29:17-04:00April 24th, 2019|Food & Health, Writer's Life|0 Comments
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NAET and California Madams

Last time I posted about a possible SALs reaction and having found an acupuncturist and NAET specialist. I've had three treatments so far and other than slowly getting my sense of smell back I don't see any difference. But then again I haven't been tempting fate by eating foods that could trigger a reaction. During the NAET testing I learned my body didn't like Vitamin C, Sugars, or Vitamin A. Next week we test for SALs. It may seem odd, but I get it. Most SALs have all those other components in them, so we're clearing away the intolerance to those first, so the SALs (if positive) will go away easier. Kind of like pulling support from a tall building so it will collapse easier. I also had an upper endoscopy that showed my eosinophils are around 100 in my lower esophagus, which means inflammation. I have to take a PPI, which I don't like and causes bone loss, [...]

By |2019-04-16T11:15:46-04:00April 16th, 2019|Food & Health, Writer's Life|0 Comments
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Light Bulb Moment, Perhaps?

Let me start my saying that while it seems I've been doing very little writing and work on my books, I have been doing research. As most authors will tell you, that's where we get into trouble. I love doing research as much as I do writing and that why we have deadlines or we'd never be published! This is a long blog, but stay with me, if might just help you. If you've been following me at all, then you know I've been dealing with food allergies for a while. I also have dysphagia, which means sometimes food gets stuck in my esophagus. I've been to the regular doctor, gastroenterologist, holistic chiropractor, and acupuncturist. They have all told me something different. One says I have EOE and Schatzki's ring, another says GERD, and another says maybe mono or Epstein Barr. Quite frankly my head is swimming on what the hell is going on. I do know that the [...]

By |2019-04-02T14:51:49-04:00April 2nd, 2019|Food & Health, Writer's Life|1 Comment
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Epic Fail on the Buns

Instead of having a light and airy gluten free burger bun for my shrimp patties,  I ended up with a product that looked like a wheat flat bread. I followed the recipe, but it still didn't work. I consider that an epic fail as you can see by the pre-bake photo. They were an okay option for the shrimp patties, but not what I expected. I made the panisses again and they were just as delicious as the first time. At least something worked. Oh yes, the shrimp patties were pretty tasty, too. Here's the recipe: Shrimp Patties 1 cup gluten free Panko bread crumbs 1 ¼ lb shrimp 2 tbsp mayo ¼ tsp. pepper ⅛ tsp salt ⅛ tsp Old Bay 1 tbsp. parsley, chopped Place bread crumbs into a food processor and pulse them a few times to make them smaller pieces. Next, add 1 cup shrimp, mayo, pepper, salt, and Old Bay into a food processor. Pulse about six times until minced. Add the remaining shrimp [...]

By |2019-03-31T18:24:39-04:00March 31st, 2019|Recipes, Writer's Life|0 Comments
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The Quest for Burger Buns

Let me start by saying my buns didn't look like this on the inside. I was headed to one of my favorite burger places in Raleigh, Burger-Fi. But I knew I couldn't have a traditional bun and was facing lettuce as a substitute. Now I don't know who thinks that lettuce could ever replace a bun on a burger. Nope. Facing burger hell I tried to create a GF bun to take to the restaurant. I found what looked to be a decent recipe. Photo looks good right? Since I don't want to use Xanthan or Guar, which are both bad for you, I found a cool GF product by Pamela's called Not Xanthan Not Guar (NXNG). It's made of potato starch and psyllium husk. It's also low in carbs. I didn't pay attention to the label and did a 1 for 1 sub. I should have reduced the NXNG. The recipe seemed to wet, but I continued on [...]

By |2019-03-29T16:18:14-04:00March 29th, 2019|Recipes, Writer's Life|0 Comments
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Fake Fries

This author's Gluten-Free quest continued this weekend, but I wasn't on the computer. One of the recipes I downloaded last week was for something called Panisse. They are what I call fake fries and are super popular in Provence, France and Italy. Panisses are made with chickpea flour, water, salt, and oil. The batter reminds me of polenta and the process like making eclairs. You chill the batter and then dump it our which then makes it look like tofu. I know, I've sold you on these already, right? Stay with me, they were freaking amazing and gluten free. This is the recipe I used. I dusted mine with salt. You can try a sweet version by dusting with  sugar, cinnamon, and or cocoa powder. If making a sweet version, I would add a teaspoon of sugar to the batter and use grape seed or coconut instead of olive. Panisses 1 cup chickpea flour ½ tsp fine sea salt 2 cups water (divided) 2 tsp olive oil (plus more [...]

By |2019-03-25T12:34:25-04:00March 25th, 2019|Recipes, Writer's Life|0 Comments
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A New Food Journey

For the last four weeks I've been Gluten-Free (GF). Why? I have a problem called EOE and certain foods get stuck in my esophagus. So the allergist and other doctors suggested I try gluten free to see if I have a sensitivity. I have no food allergies so it's not Celiac. It's been really tough for this foodie since, well, it's kinda my job. Did I mention my favorite food groups are bread, pasta, and baked goods? I made a rookie mistake in the beginning and went out and bought all kinds of gluten free products. Little did I know these carry some massive carbohydrates! They promptly went back to the store. I know people with Celiac have to use these, but I have another dilemma. My husband is a lung cancer survivor and I have no desire to change our low glycemic load diet. For those who don't know, cancer loves sugar so our goal is to keep [...]

By |2019-03-25T12:41:03-04:00March 22nd, 2019|Recipes, Writer's Life|2 Comments
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Awards

Winning awards for your books is an extra special moment and hearing your name or book title called is exciting. You feel recognition for something you spent so much time researching and writing. This past weekend I attended the Will Rogers Medallion Award ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas where two of my books were up for awards. The Golden Elixir of the West won the bronze medal in the non-fiction category and my Tinsel, Tumbleweeds, and Star-Spangled Celebrations took a gold in the cookbook category. Needless to say I was and still and thrilled. My fingers are crossed for Golden Elixir because it's also entered in four other book awards, including the coveted James Beard Award. For now, I'll just bask in the glow of my medallions, and oh yeah, write more books. As a bonus I discovered a new brand of some tasty whiskey. It's called TX Whiskey made by Firestone & Robertson Distilling. It's smooth with a [...]

By |2018-10-31T12:07:43-04:00October 31st, 2018|Writer's Life|0 Comments
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Traveling the West

The past couple of months I have been traveling the West. I've been to Montana where I visited the most moving western site I've seen to date: the Battle of the Little Bighorn battlefield. Then I traveled with the Most Intrepid Western Author Posse to Virginia City and Carson City, Nevada. Then we headed to the most riveting ghost town I've every been to: Bodie, California. Its residents just left after the depression and the photos speak for themselves.    Most recently I've returned from Arizona. We started in Carefree, went up to the Grand Canyon and then headed back down to Tombstone. We passed Williams, Sedona, Laveen and spent the last night in Tucson. I ate in the magical historic setting at El Tovar's dining room and spent the night in the secret hideaway known as the Lodge in the Desert in Tucson. Those two meals were the highlight of the trip!   

By |2018-09-20T17:44:01-04:00September 20th, 2018|Travel, Writer's Life|0 Comments
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Traveling and Talking

The past month has found me traveling and talking about my fav subjects! History, food, spirits, and places. I was invited to speak at the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis. When I was first asked, I thought, yippee, Indy. Never been there and had to clue what to expect. Boy was I pleasantly surprised! Nice people, great city, and cool history. The JW Marriott was outstanding. Every hotel should be run like this one. Everyone was pleasant and customer-oriented from the moment I checked in to the moment I checked out. Behind the hotel I found walkways, canals, and a beautiful river to stroll around. Then I dined at St. Elmo's, which is a historical landmark. I had and old-fashioned in their 1933 lounge. St. Elmo's serves a legendary shrimp cocktail and original 1905 Navy bean soup. The service was outstanding and dining in this historical restaurant was pretty cool. Their steak was delicious, but this is a special occasion [...]

By |2018-06-15T06:10:16-04:00June 15th, 2018|Travel, Writer's Life|0 Comments
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