October 9, 2011
I have to say, one of the hardest things about being gluten free is trying to find a good pre-packaged cookie.  Recently when I went to Lake Placid I stopped at the store up the street, I noticed they had a gluten free section with lots of choices.  I immediately went for the chocolate chip cookie area and saw that Kinnikinnick made a pre-packaged chocolate chip cookie.  They are called Montana’s Chocolate Chip cookies.  I immediately opened them when I left the store and tasted one.  I thought I had gotten a cookie that wasn’t gluten free, that’s how good they were!  They tasted very similar to chips ahoy. When I came home from my trip I searched in every store for them but couldn’t find them, so of course I went online to search for them.  Turns out they were on amazon.com for 24 dollars for a package of 6.  I paid around 5 dollars for the box at the store so I felt like I got a good deal and ordered them.   It is so nice to be able to baggie up the cookies I want for the day and bring them with me, I feel like a kid in the cafeteria again.  I will never buy another kind of pre packaged chocolate chip cookie again! If you have children or know of children who eat gluten free check these out! They are a great snack to add to the lunchbox!

I have to say, one of the hardest things about being gluten free is trying to find a good pre-packaged cookie.  Recently when I went to Lake Placid I stopped at the store up the street, I noticed they had a gluten free section with lots of choices.  I immediately went for the chocolate chip cookie area and saw that Kinnikinnick made a pre-packaged chocolate chip cookie.  They are called Montana’s Chocolate Chip cookies.  I immediately opened them when I left the store and tasted one.  I thought I had gotten a cookie that wasn’t gluten free, that’s how good they were!  They tasted very similar to chips ahoy.

When I came home from my trip I searched in every store for them but couldn’t find them, so of course I went online to search for them.  Turns out they were on amazon.com for 24 dollars for a package of 6.  I paid around 5 dollars for the box at the store so I felt like I got a good deal and ordered them.   It is so nice to be able to baggie up the cookies I want for the day and bring them with me, I feel like a kid in the cafeteria again.  I will never buy another kind of pre packaged chocolate chip cookie again! If you have children or know of children who eat gluten free check these out! They are a great snack to add to the lunchbox!

August 29, 2011
Q
heey! oh gosh this is really random :$ but i was searching posts related to celiac hoping to find someone with it! i got my blood test results and tested positive. I still need to go for a biopsy for confirmation but i've been feeling absolutely terrible for the past month. I switched to the gluten free diet a week ago. I was just wondering, how long did it take for you to feel better? and did you have up and down days even after the switch like feel great one day and wanna die the next? thanks!
letsmakesummerlastt
A

hello :) I got sick about 4 years ago with IBS because I was having stomach symptoms that wouldn’t go away.  A year later I got a blood test and had one of the two genetic markers for celiac.  I eventually got an endoscopy and they found I had some irritation in my small intestine. I’ve also never had a colonoscopy.  After that I started eating gluten free and corn syrup free(since that also bothers me) and I felt better within a few weeks.  If you truly have celiac it may take longer, my doc told me people with celiacs could take up to a year to feel better depending on how much damage you have done to yourself.  And yes I do have my good days and bad, depending on what I eat.  Find out what your triggers are.  It might take a while but you will feel better one day! Good luck and feel better!

August 26, 2011
It’s never too early to start thinking about the holidays.  As a late summer hurricane bears down on my area, interrupting the back to school shopping.  I realized that it is less than four months until Christmas. Since my family usually celebrates Christmas day with a ‘mixed’ menu—some gluten free dishes and most with gluten, desserts are always a challenge because with a week’s worth of cooking and commotion in the kitchen, I don’t need to commander the stove just to make a gluten free dessert that only I will eat.  So I usually spend a great deal of time looking for recipes that are flourless.  I have made flourless chocolate cakes, flourless cheesecakes, and while no one would complain about their taste, they aren’t “special looking” enough for my holiday table. A holiday tradition in France is the Buche Noel, the Christmas Log.  I wanted to have a dessert that would be festive and holiday – related.  This recipe is a flourless Buche Noel.  It is a little challenging to make, because you have to roll it like a Swiss roll after you fill it, but if you follow the directions, and work slowly and patiently, you can find it works.  And I promise no one will know this is gluten free. RECIPE: For the cocoa soufflé sheet 6 large eggs separated 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 1/4 cup Dutch Process cocoa Additional cocoa for dusting Chocolate Whipped Cream Filling 1 cup heavy whipping cream (contains 35-40% butterfat) 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 3 tablespoon granulated white sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder   Ganache Topping (bark) 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped 1 cup heavy cream   Make the cocoa soufflé sheet: Position the rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of the jelly roll pan with a piece of parchment or wax paper. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with vanilla and 1/2 cup of the sugar until pale and thick. Set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, with clean dry beater, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually sprinkle in the remaining sugar, continue to beat at high speed until stiff but not dry. Mix a quarter of the egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it. Scrape the remaining whites into the bowl and sift the cocoa over them. Fold until completely incorporated. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake until the pastry springs back when gently pressed with fingertips, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool completely, in the pan on a wire rack. Filling: In a large mixing bowl place the whipping cream, vanilla extract, sugar, and cocoa powder and stir to combine. Cover and chill the bowl and beaters in the refrigerator for at least one hour so the cocoa powder has time to dissolve. Beat the mixture until stiff peaks form. Then gently roll the cake, peeling off the parchment paper as you roll (the cake may crack). Trim one end of the cake at an angle and set it aside. Then place the cake, seam side down, on your serving platter.    Chocolate Bark Coating:   Melt chocolate and cream in the microwave for approx. two minutes. Spread over the top of the bouche noel so that it looks like bark.  It should dry quickly. Refrigerate until ready to serve.     So now that you know what your holiday dessert will be you can get a jump start on that holiday shopping…

It’s never too early to start thinking about the holidays.  As a late summer hurricane bears down on my area, interrupting the back to school shopping.  I realized that it is less than four months until Christmas.

Since my family usually celebrates Christmas day with a ‘mixed’ menu—some gluten free dishes and most with gluten, desserts are always a challenge because with a week’s worth of cooking and commotion in the kitchen, I don’t need to commander the stove just to make a gluten free dessert that only I will eat.  So I usually spend a great deal of time looking for recipes that are flourless.  I have made flourless chocolate cakes, flourless cheesecakes, and while no one would complain about their taste, they aren’t “special looking” enough for my holiday table.

A holiday tradition in France is the Buche Noel, the Christmas Log.  I wanted to have a dessert that would be festive and holiday – related.  This recipe is a flourless Buche Noel.  It is a little challenging to make, because you have to roll it like a Swiss roll after you fill it, but if you follow the directions, and work slowly and patiently, you can find it works.  And I promise no one will know this is gluten free.

RECIPE:

For the cocoa soufflé sheet

6 large eggs separated

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 cup Dutch Process cocoa

Additional cocoa for dusting

Chocolate Whipped Cream Filling

1 cup heavy whipping cream (contains 35-40% butterfat)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 tablespoon granulated white sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

 

Ganache Topping (bark)

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup heavy cream

 

Make the cocoa soufflé sheet: Position the rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of the jelly roll pan with a piece of parchment or wax paper.

In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with vanilla and 1/2 cup of the sugar until pale and thick. Set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl, with clean dry beater, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually sprinkle in the remaining sugar, continue to beat at high speed until stiff but not dry. Mix a quarter of the egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it. Scrape the remaining whites into the bowl and sift the cocoa over them. Fold until completely incorporated.

Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake until the pastry springs back when gently pressed with fingertips, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool completely, in the pan on a wire rack.

Filling: In a large mixing bowl place the whipping cream, vanilla extract, sugar, and cocoa powder and stir to combine. Cover and chill the bowl and beaters in the refrigerator for at least one hour so the cocoa powder has time to dissolve. Beat the mixture until stiff peaks form. Then gently roll the cake, peeling off the parchment paper as you roll (the cake may crack). Trim one end of the cake at an angle and set it aside. Then place the cake, seam side down, on your serving platter. 

 

Chocolate Bark Coating:

 

Melt chocolate and cream in the microwave for approx. two minutes. Spread over the top of the bouche noel so that it looks like bark.  It should dry quickly. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

 

So now that you know what your holiday dessert will be you can get a jump start on that holiday shopping…

August 26, 2011
I know my blog is about living gluten free, but I also can’t eat tings with corn syrup.  If you can eat gluten free, you must read the food labels very carefully.  Your eye can spot malt, soy sauce or wheat and barley.  Because I get a very nasty reaction to High Fructose Corn Syrup, I must also look for HFCS in everything I eat. What I have found is that HFCS is in all non-diet sodas, with the exception of natural sodas, Sierra Mist Natural and Pepsi Throwback Edition.  It is in most candy, except for plain chocolate.  Part of the reason this sweetener is so popular is the US government’s corn subsidy.  By enticing farmers to grow corn, HFCS is cheap for food producers in Canada, the same candies are generally made with cane sugar.  One candy I was seriously missing since I because ill was York Peppermint Patties.  That “cool summer breeze” is made with corn syrup, probably because of the texture the white center has.  There is a way to make your own peppermint patties.  It has very few ingredients—evaporated milk, powdered sugar and melted chocolate, but they are just as good as or better than the York brand. The first time I made them I did not realize how fast you had to work.  They were melting while I was making them, the second time I followed this recipe and learned that chilling the patties would be helpful.  This is technically gluten free and for people avoiding HFCS, this is a peppermint treat to cool you off on a hot summer day. RECIPE: Inside: 2 cups confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1/4 teaspoon peppermint oil (do not use peppermint extract and be sure it is labeled for internal use) 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 tablespoons evaporated milk Chocolate Coating: 9 ounces semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 1 tablespoon shortening   Mix the inside first, place in refrigerator for 30-60 minutes until mixture hardens enough to roll into balls. On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil (I think parchment works better) sprinkle powdered sugar over paper to prevent patties from sticking. Then roll mixture into balls then flatten (with a cup or your palm) to about 1/3 inches thick and 1 ½ inches wide. Place cookie sheet in refrigerator for another 60 minutes until patties are hard enough to dip into chocolate. Melt chocolate and shortening (if you want them to have a shiny coating) and quickly dip the patties on both sides and place them back on the cookie sheet. Then put back in the fridge until they are hard again. About 30-60 minutes. These need to be refrigerated and can last up to one month if properly stored.  

I know my blog is about living gluten free, but I also can’t eat tings with corn syrup.  If you can eat gluten free, you must read the food labels very carefully.  Your eye can spot malt, soy sauce or wheat and barley.  Because I get a very nasty reaction to High Fructose Corn Syrup, I must also look for HFCS in everything I eat.

What I have found is that HFCS is in all non-diet sodas, with the exception of natural sodas, Sierra Mist Natural and Pepsi Throwback Edition.  It is in most candy, except for plain chocolate.  Part of the reason this sweetener is so popular is the US government’s corn subsidy.  By enticing farmers to grow corn, HFCS is cheap for food producers in Canada, the same candies are generally made with cane sugar. 

One candy I was seriously missing since I because ill was York Peppermint Patties.  That “cool summer breeze” is made with corn syrup, probably because of the texture the white center has.  There is a way to make your own peppermint patties.  It has very few ingredients—evaporated milk, powdered sugar and melted chocolate, but they are just as good as or better than the York brand.

The first time I made them I did not realize how fast you had to work.  They were melting while I was making them, the second time I followed this recipe and learned that chilling the patties would be helpful.  This is technically gluten free and for people avoiding HFCS, this is a peppermint treat to cool you off on a hot summer day.

RECIPE:

Inside:

2 cups confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/4 teaspoon peppermint oil (do not use peppermint extract and be sure it is labeled for internal use)

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons evaporated milk

Chocolate Coating:

9 ounces semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon shortening

 

Mix the inside first, place in refrigerator for 30-60 minutes until mixture hardens enough to roll into balls.

On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil (I think parchment works better) sprinkle powdered sugar over paper to prevent patties from sticking. Then roll mixture into balls then flatten (with a cup or your palm) to about 1/3 inches thick and 1 ½ inches wide.

Place cookie sheet in refrigerator for another 60 minutes until patties are hard enough to dip into chocolate.

Melt chocolate and shortening (if you want them to have a shiny coating) and quickly dip the patties on both sides and place them back on the cookie sheet. Then put back in the fridge until they are hard again. About 30-60 minutes.

These need to be refrigerated and can last up to one month if properly stored.

 

August 21, 2011
The lemons that come to us in the summer are yellow and plump with juice.  I love to squeeze them into iced tea to sip on a hot day.  I was inspired to make a lemon dessert again because of the lure of the lemon’s bright flavor.  This time, the craving was for a lemon bar. Lemon bars are easy enough if you can eat gluten.  There are recipes with flour crust, graham cracker crust or a shortbread crust.  Not so much when you have to eat gluten free.  Because there are so many combinations of gluten free flour a baker can mix together, getting the taste to not be dominated by one particular flour or texture is really hard. So in order to embark on this making adventure, I had to sift, if you will pardon the pun, through hundreds of recipes on line and in cook books so I could find what would be the best tasting base.  I opted for shortbread.  Here’s how I did it… Shortbread Crust: 1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 grams) unsalted butter room temperature 1/4 cup (30 grams) confectioner’s (powdered or icing) sugar 1 cup (130 grams) all purpose flour 1/8 teaspoon salt Lemon Filling: 1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar 2 large eggs 1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh lemons (approximately two large lemons) 1 tablespoons (5 grams) grated lemon zest 2 tablespoons (25 grams) all purpose flour This was a recipe I found on the Joy Of Baking.com.  It also had a video attached so you can do it just right.

The lemons that come to us in the summer are yellow and plump with juice.  I love to squeeze them into iced tea to sip on a hot day.  I was inspired to make a lemon dessert again because of the lure of the lemon’s bright flavor.  This time, the craving was for a lemon bar.

Lemon bars are easy enough if you can eat gluten.  There are recipes with flour crust, graham cracker crust or a shortbread crust.  Not so much when you have to eat gluten free.  Because there are so many combinations of gluten free flour a baker can mix together, getting the taste to not be dominated by one particular flour or texture is really hard.

So in order to embark on this making adventure, I had to sift, if you will pardon the pun, through hundreds of recipes on line and in cook books so I could find what would be the best tasting base.  I opted for shortbread.  Here’s how I did it…

Shortbread Crust:

1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 grams) unsalted butter room temperature

1/4 cup (30 grams) confectioner’s (powdered or icing) sugar

1 cup (130 grams) all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

Lemon Filling:

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh lemons (approximately two large lemons)

1 tablespoons (5 grams) grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons (25 grams) all purpose flour


This was a recipe I found on the Joy Of Baking.com.  It also had a video attached so you can do it just right.

July 29, 2011

Making the case for a crunchy gluten free snack

I have to admit it.  I love to snack.  I can’t really eat much at each meal, so I graze and snack throughout the day.  I have to watch my fat intake because it really bothers my stomach and I need to keep insoluble fiber consumption low. 
 
After four years of gluten free living, I was excited when Glutino’s gluten free pretzels became widely available about two years ago.  They offered the crunch and salt that I had not been able to eat for a long time, but at a steep price.  The bags were big; I would open them and eat a portion, but who can eat an entire bag of pretzels alone in a few days? 
 
Much to my pocketbook’s delight, Snyder’s of Hanover, the pretzel company began selling their own gluten free pretzels and at a price comparable to regular pretzels, and an expert pretzel-snap, so that eaters cannot tell the difference.  Even the calorie count for a portion is the same as a pretzel made with wheat (40 sticks is a portion). (http://www.snydersofhanover.com/Products/Cid/1/Prid/318/)
Pretzels are a great choice for the crunch factor a snacker might want.  They are low in fat, unlike potato chips, and low in insoluble fiber.  Now if Aunty Annies soft hot pretzels could get on board with gluten free, I would be a happy camper.


A crunchy sweet snack I have learned to love are Mud Buddies made with gluten free Rice Chex®.  A few simple ingredients that are usually on hand help serve my sweet tooth and crunch crave at the same time.  In about 15 minutes time, you can have enough to share with lots of friends. 

Mud Buddies Ingredients include:
9 cups of gluten free Rice Chex
1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup peanut butter
¼ cup butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups powdered sugar

Steps:
1.      Put cereal into a large bowl
2.      In a second 1-quart microwavable bowl, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter without a cover for one minute on ‘high’.  Then stir. You might need to microwave about 20-30 seconds until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon re-sealable food-storage plastic bag.
3.      Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. When stored in airtight container in refrigerator this snack will last for two weeks. When put on the table to share with friends, it will last for about ten minutes.

July 6, 2011
Just in case anyone wanted to know what the box of King Arthur’s Gluten Free cake mix looks like.  It is very hard to find.  I tend to find it at our big Stop and Shop supermarket.

Just in case anyone wanted to know what the box of King Arthur’s Gluten Free cake mix looks like.  It is very hard to find.  I tend to find it at our big Stop and Shop supermarket.

July 6, 2011
Who doesn’t love their birthday? Next to Christmas it’s the most fun day of the year.  And of course, an important part of birthdays are the traditional birthday cake.  As someone who can’t eat gluten, I started to dread my birthday, until King Arthur came to my rescue. King Arthur’s gluten free cake mixes are actually tastier than Betty Crocker’s gluten free mixes. What’s more important they are actually tastier than regular Betty Crocker mixes which never taste as good as a cake from scratch. King Arthur’s chocolate cake saved my birthday.  I woke up to the smell of two chocolatey layers of cake in the oven. My dad was trying to help and decided to make the mix.  Of course, he ‘accidently’ used the vanilla extract that has corn syrup in it, which I am sensitive to.  But it was such a small amount, I wasn’t going to let it spoil my cake or birthday. No, I was going to have home made bakery style white frosting on this cake later on. And even better, I was going to make my whole family eat gluten free. They were not upset about it. As a matter of fact, the next day, I was trying to find the leftovers and found they had ‘shrunk’ quite a bit overnight.  My sister, who is not really a cake eater (she has to have a Carvel cake for her birthday), even liked it. The King Arthur’s gluten free chocolate cake mix is so much like a scratch chocolate cake that I feel it is worth the extra money. Especially for my birthday.  Gluten free mixes are all expensive anyway and I don’t like to mess with all the different flours and xanthan gum for questionable or inconsistent results. I have put the recipe for the butter cream here.  The secret is using half shortening and half butter, with sifted confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract and a few table spoons of milk.  The contrast of the buttercream was the perfect match for the chocolate King Arthur’s cake. Buttercream Recipe: 4cups powdered sugar 1/2 cup room temp. unsalted butter 1/2 cup crisco shortening 1 tsp vanilla 4 tbsp. milk or light cream *Stores in fridge for 10 days if not using right away, put saran wrap right on top so it doesn’t harden.

Who doesn’t love their birthday? Next to Christmas it’s the most fun
day of the year.  And of course, an important part of birthdays are
the traditional birthday cake.  As someone who can’t eat gluten, I
started to dread my birthday, until King Arthur came to my rescue.
King Arthur’s gluten free cake mixes are actually tastier than Betty
Crocker’s gluten free mixes. What’s more important they are actually
tastier than regular Betty Crocker mixes which never taste as good as
a cake from scratch.

King Arthur’s chocolate cake saved my birthday.  I woke up to the
smell of two chocolatey layers of cake in the oven. My dad was trying
to help and decided to make the mix.  Of course, he ‘accidently’ used
the vanilla extract that has corn syrup in it, which I am sensitive
to.  But it was such a small amount, I wasn’t going to let it spoil my
cake or birthday. No, I was going to have home made bakery style white
frosting on this cake later on. And even better, I was going to make
my whole family eat gluten free.

They were not upset about it. As a matter of fact, the next day, I was
trying to find the leftovers and found they had ‘shrunk’ quite a bit
overnight.  My sister, who is not really a cake eater (she has to have
a Carvel cake for her birthday), even liked it.

The King Arthur’s gluten free chocolate cake mix is so much like a
scratch chocolate cake that I feel it is worth the extra money.
Especially for my birthday.  Gluten free mixes are all expensive
anyway and I don’t like to mess with all the different flours and
xanthan gum for questionable or inconsistent results.

I have put the recipe for the butter cream here.  The secret is using
half shortening and half butter, with sifted confectioner’s sugar,
vanilla extract and a few table spoons of milk.  The contrast of the
buttercream was the perfect match for the chocolate King Arthur’s
cake.

Buttercream Recipe:

4cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup room temp. unsalted butter

1/2 cup crisco shortening

1 tsp vanilla

4 tbsp. milk or light cream

*Stores in fridge for 10 days if not using right away, put saran wrap right on top so it doesn’t harden.

June 8, 2011

Cravings

 

Sometimes I just get bizarre cravings, which are made worse by the fact that I eat a gluten free diet.  This week everyone in my house was in agreement for once.  Wouldn’t a piece of lemon meringue pie be delicious?

I did not opt for a traditional baked crust.  Instead I prepared a gluten free graham cracker crust.  This type of crust requires more time.  The curst needs to chill and set before you put filling into it really has to be set.  Gluten free graham cracker crumbs aren’t as dry and crumbly as regular ones.  Once you add butter, they are really mushy.  Press them into a pie plate and give it at least an hour.

For the filing I used Dr. Oetker’s lemon pie filling.  It is gluten free and has no high fructose corn syrup.  The filling uses two egg yolks and you can use the excess whites for meringue.  There is nothing between satisfying my craving for lemon meringue pie except a little bit of time.

I actually thought this might work as a crust less pie.  If I put the filling in an oven proof pyrex custard cup, could I just bake it with meringue on top? This would be a faster way to satisfy an ‘urgent’ need.

Finished Product:

May 22, 2011 • 4 notes

My gluten free life

I have wanted to write a blog about my gluten free life for a long time. There are many gluten free blogs written by people with Celiac disease.  About four years ago, after a bad stomach bug, I never recovered.  At 19 years my life changed completely.  Everything I ate made me sick.  I stopped going out.  I registered for school and could not sit through classes, so I had to withdraw.

The next year of my life was spent seeing doctors, a naturopath, having acupuncture, all helped little.  I finally encountered a physician who tested me for celiac disease and he found I had one genetic marker for the illness. He suggested I begin eating a gluten free diet.

At first, eating gluten free was a nightmare. I learned quickly that gluten free prepared foods are expensive and usually pretty awful tasting.  For a while I was buying frozen bread at a health food store, which cost over eight dollars a loaf.  I craved pizza, Italian bread, stuffing and bagels.

Four years later, there are lots more choices in the supermarket.  Little findings in the supermarket get me excited.  For example, soon Rice Krispies will be gluten free.  I would like this blog to be about sharing my four years of experience.  I can share my misadventures in the supermarket and kitchen to save people a great deal of expense.  Because I was sick without a firm diagnosis for over a year, I am also able to share the story of my diagnosis.  Maybe someone struggling to find the cause of their own digestive disorder can learn from my story.