Paper and Plastics and Foil, Oh My!

In the midst of prepping Easter dinner, I realized that I was two pans short for all the cooking I planned to do. The gluten-eater I live with had just what I needed, so I automatically whipped out my trusty roll of tin foil and made those pans safe:

Shiny and wasteful

I do this a lot. If I'm at a friend's house and need to heat something up in the oven or am visiting family and need to make a meal, out comes the tin foil. I also use more paper towels than most humans, as I can't safely use the tea towels and sponges others have used in their gluten-containing kitchens. And plastic baggies? Don't even get me started. I keep Ziploc in business! (Though I plan to invest in some of these soon!)

Having been GF for 10 years now, I long ago shook off the guilt from this over-consumption. It's what I need to do to eat safely and I just can't be apologetic about that. For some reason, the wastefulness just really struck me on Sunday.

Lest you think I'm completely environmentally UN-friendly: I have a collection of excellent containers that I reuse every day from - you guessed it - Ziploc.

Food storage perfection

These are the perfect size for  snacks and meals, even soup - because they are screw top! I frequently schlep saucy foodstuffs halfway across the city, with nary a drip or spill. And the other day I stopped in at a favorite GF bakery spot with an empty container - and they nestled a lovely cupcake in it! No need for a wasteful bag or box - and I made it to work with an un-smooshed and perfectly frosted treat. (Ok, ok - so maybe I had a bite or five before I made it to work.) A fellow customer saw me do it and was delighted by the container design. Realized I should probably share my indispensable container choice with my GF peoples, too.

I do realize that I'm still talking plastics here. (If it helps, these are BPA-free.) When I lived in a more rural area and drove everywhere, I definitely used glass containers more. But here in the city, I need things that are lightweight and easy to pack every day. These puppies definitely fit the bill.

Easter Joy (Cupcake Style)

Easter is my favorite holiday. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Valentine's Day - they can all be fraught with some baggage for people, heavy with the weight of family or personal history. There are gifts to buy, big plans to be made, and family politics to navigate. The big holidays, they're during the cold winter months, involve much travel and schlepping of food and gifts. Valentine's Day? Eh. A Hallmark holiday to be borne. But Easter? Oh, EASTER! It's easy. It brings chocolate and SPRING! As a little girl, I always got a new Easter dress, usually in some pastel color. Easter is fun and light - all about kids, sweets, and the shaking off of winter. (And, yes, I realize it means waaaay more to some folks - just not to this girl.)

While I no longer receive an Easter basket (though let's remedy this, yes?) or new pastel dress, I still love the holiday dearly. So this year I hosted a little dinner for gf friends at my place. I did the fairly traditional roasted dinner, i.e. pork, potatoes, and asparagus. But I was really excited about dessert. Growing up, the church my family went to always had one of those coconut lamb cakes after Easter service. I wasn't able to whip out a lamb mold, but I did get my cupcake on:

Cute AND delicious

Won't lie: Betty Crocker helped me in the kitchen. I was an excellent baker in the BC (before celiac) days, but have yet to get the from-scratch gf baking itch; I'm perfectly happy to use mixes at this point. I just added sweetened shredded coconut to the mix, made a cream cheese frosting, and rolled the frosted cakes in more coconut. (Left a few cakes plain vanilla, like the guy on the left, in case others didn't share my coconut nostalgia.) The cakes, they were a hit. Tradition renewed, gf style!