12 Months on....

So i came back to this blog i created for myself to put my creativity into and discovered i created it just over 12 months ago, and have only made 2 entries in total!

Well i guess it's time i gave this little beauty the attention it deserves.

After reading the previous 2 posts i had put on here i realise it has also been 12 months since i was put on a waiting list to get those tests done to rule out Celiacs and have had some major health issues thrown in over the course of the past 12 months.
Add in a change of doctor, who is a much more helpful and knowledgeable gp.
Also add in the talk of rheumatic disease which led me to neuro scans and way too many blood tests to try and pinpoint which form of RD it could be (still awaiting an official diagnosis), almost 2 months off work unable to move around and laid up in bed with throbbing headaches.
And now lastly after returning to work after finding a helpful medication back in April, i am now heading back to the rundown, painfilled person i so often am.
I just got the results that i have degragration, pinched nerves and worn discs in 5 different places through my back which may or may not be fixable, and are causing some terrible side effects.

So i have decided i am no longer sitting abck and awaiting the big fix to come along, i am going to get out there and cook up the storm that i have been dying to do for months and start enjoying every little acomplishment i can achieve while i have a chance.

This means i will be adding some new recipes a lot more often as i give them all a try, and will start putting the focus completely on my passion for food.

I hope my new positive outlook will keep you all entertained on this blog and i look forward to hearing your input as the blog grows into the beauty i know it can be.

The difference ricotta can make in a batter

We are running a little short on cash this week, and with payday being another 2 days away, the pantry is starting to look a little bare.
Well that isn't entirely true, i have shelves loaded with flours, pasta in various shapes and sizes, i'm even sure there is over 100 different condiments, jams and sauces in there too - but nothing i could put together to make a complete meal.
The fridge is out of meats, and most of the fruits and salads are gone too, except a few bananas that i always keep on hand because they are Jaime's favourite treat - however there were still some delicious eggs, plenty of fresh milk and my favourite yoghourt - Jalna vanilla flavoured yoghourt, along with a new tub of ricotta i purchased on our last shopping trip in the hopes of trying out something new with it.
So i did some searching around and found some recipes for ricotta pancakes, and adapted them to suit what i had on hand.
Here's the recipe:

(not gluten-free but easily adapted)

1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarb of soda
Pinch of salt
2 tbs (40g) caster sugar
125g fresh ricotta
1 cup (250ml) milk
1 egg, beaten
25g unsalted butter, melted
1/2 lemon, rind grated, juiced

Oil spray, to fry

Sliced bananas, yoghourt and honey, to serve as topping
(I used Yellow Box Honey because i love it's fruity flavour)

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Sift the flour, bicarb and salt into a bowl then add the sugar and give it a little mix.
In another bowl combine the ricotta, milk, egg melted butter and lemon and mix it up until all the lumps are gone.
Slowly whisk this into the flour mixture to make a smooth batter.

Heat a large frying pan with a little of the oil over medium heat, and pour in about 1/3 cup of batter to make a rounded pancake. You should be able to cook 2 pancakes per batch in the frying pan. Cook for around 3 minutes on one side, until bubbles form in the batter then flip over and cook for another 1-3 minutes.
Remove from the pan and cook 3 more batches up.
serve with a generous dollop of yoghourt topped with slices of banana then drizzle your favourite honey over the top.
Eat immediately and savour the delicious taste.


You can use any fruit you like as a topping for your pancakes, i have a friend who is allergic to bananas (and peas) so perhaps strawberries or pear slices would be a good alternative.

The ricotta really makes this one of the best pancake batters i have ever tasted.
It is so thick and crunchy, yet the texture is light and airy, it almost melts away on the tongue.

The road to answers??

So, my very own food-blog - now where to start?
I suspect a little introduction of myself would be in order first of all, and keep in mind i am very new to all of this.

I first stumbled upon the delightful world of food blogs incidentally early last year, whilst researching recipes for new cupcakes i could bake. I have a bit of a cupcake fetish, which i am sure will definitely show itself to you all over time.
The first food blog i ever came across was Cupcake bakeshop by Chockylit. Such a divine woman with an incredible knack of piecing together the most unconventional recipes for cupcakes i have ever seen. I was sad to discover a few days ago that she has decided to close down her blog, due to personal reasons i can certainly relate to.
However, i do think it was fitting that her final recipe was for Lime Tart Cupcakes, what better way to satisfy my hunger for her recipes than to finish with a Lime related cuppie. Of course the delights of me, a perfect stranger to her, were sure to have been the reason behind the decision of using that as the final recipe.

Now, you would think that from stumbling upon that food blog all those months ago i would, by now, be thoroughly immersed in food blogs of all flavours and textures, however it wasn't until around a month ago when i was doing some research for a friend who had just been diagnosed with Celiac disease, that i came across a blog that has quite possibly changed my life.

Gluten-Free Girl came up in a long line of search entries when i hit up google. This is a food blog by Shauna James Ahern who was diagnosed with celiacs a few years ago, and the more i read of Shauna's story the more things started to resonate in my head - could it be possible that i too have celiacs??

I have been battling with various health issues all my life, always feeling tired and rundown, catching every little cold or flu that came my way and being laid up with it for much longer than everyone around me, headaches that occur almost daily that build up to a throbbing beat by late afternoon, tummy issues i won't dare go into on a food blog, memory problems, severe drops in my iron levels, etc etc..
I have been to several doctors over the course of my 28 years and tested for what already seemed like everything under the sun. The results always came back the same, my sugar levels were fine which ruled out their suspicions of diabetes, cholesterol was on target, white cell count always a little high - common since i am always courting a cold, but nothing abnormal.
iron levels through the floor - "take more multi-vitamins, that will fix that and you will be fine".
Well occasionally i do "fix it" and i do feel better, but never to the degree where i am feeling great - just less rundown.
They always come back with the same answers, i must be stressed, depressed or suffering from Chronic fatigue symptom. Take some happy pills, take more vitamins - you will feel better.

It's only been in the past couple of months where i have changed doctors once again, that i am starting to be tested for a wider range of possible causes. CT scans and ultrasounds have revealed i have a small sinus problem and also gall stones, neither of which are causing my main issues, just adding to the problems, and so my doctor suggested we start looking into food allergies.
This was around the time my dear friend, Danielle was diagnosed with celiac from a blood test, and after doing research for her on what that involves seeing as her doctor was a little vague with the answers and a visit with the dietitian is still a couple of months away, i found that my symptoms seem to be more than a little fitting as well.
My doctor suggested celiacs not long into our next consultation before i even mentioned it myself, which makes me wonder if we aren't on the right track or if i am getting my hopes up for an answer that i am looking too hard for. Has celiacs disease become the new buzz word, such as CFS was a few years ago?
She suggested i try going gluten-free for a week or two and see if i feel any improvement, and oh boy did i! My brain fog seemed to shift after a few days and i found myself wanting to cook big delicious meals, lovingly once again. Instead of being curled up on the couch after work, too tired to cook anything, i was planning roast chicken, risottos, rice dishes - and loving it. The headaches went away almost instantly and for once i didn't have that throbbing pain in my head each evening.

Upon returning to my doctor and reporting these findings, she feels it necessary that i undergo some testing from a gastroentologist - who will be conducting an endoscopy and colonoscopy on me sometime in the next 90 days, as well as blood tests to confirm the celiacs.
The downside to this is that i must have gluten in my system for the diagnosis to be made effectively, which is involving me needing to eat at least 3 slices of bread a day.

I'm back to feeling sluggish, and i have just come down with the cold that everyone i work with is battling. Let's hope these tests can be done real soon and i get some answers.

Real answers.

In the meantime, i have been enthralled in reading more of Gluten-Free Girl's entries, and am loving her down to earth approach on her diagnosis, returning to cooking foods that are naturally gluten-free, wholesome, and delicious. Instead of living on pre-packaged foods with the Gluten-free tag line.
She has been inspiring me to get back to my kitchen, where i have always felt at home, and start cooking some of her delicious meals for my family and friends.
I even ordered a copy of her book.

I figure, even if i don't get a diagnosis of celiacs disease, a little more natural based foods can't hurt anyone, and i can always prepare some delicious recipes for my friend.