Cooking with Grammy

Let's back up a bit shall we....

So when we first were told to start the diet, I was VERY overwhelmed with what to offer Spencer. His diet basically consisted of waffles, bread, pancakes, oatmeal square, poptarts, ice cream, yogurt, PBJ sandwich, grilled cheese, milk and fruit. THAT'S IT! As you can tell, it was all ridden with the things he can no longer have. What in the world and I going to feed this boy!? Well, being the forever optimist that I am, I think to myself, YEA he LOVES fruit, I can just give him fruit. Okay, after a few days of a fruit diet, I started to get concerned that ALL he was eating is fruit. Well, fruit is good for you and all, but can a kid live on fruit alone? I say no.

So I do what any daughter would do....I say with a BIG smile on my face (and the Sullivan nod)...."Mom, I have a project for you!!" If you know my mother, you know that she LOVES, THRIVES OFF OF and LIVES for projects! For Pete's sake she remodeled her entire kitchen in the middle of some really brutal Chemo! She is also a bit stubborn and loves a good challenge. You can't tell my mom something isn't possible, because she WILL find a way! She's really AWESOME like that. (LOVE YOU MOM!!)

I give her the run down of the diet and ask her if she wouldn't mind, in her spare time, trying some recipes for me. Oh LORD, did she try some recipes!! Within 2 days she made him a wonderful "wheat" looking bread, choked full of grains and stuff. It smelled awesome and he loved it. She also sent us home with some homemade GFCF chocolate chip cookies. They tasted a little "off" to me, but he loved them! The next day my older sister was coming to her house to "hang out" with her. Rather than having a girls day and truly hanging out, they spent the afternoon experimenting with a white bread recipe in a bread machine. I really should let her tell these stories, because I'm not real sure what all went down. By the next time I saw her, she had gone out and purchased a bread machine (the first one she used was borrowed from a neighbor), tried three different recipes, returned the bread machine and said, they weren't "fit to eat". But alas, she did have for me the most wonderful white bread, made the "old fashioned" way, in the oven. It looked awesome, and tasted pretty good. If you have ever tasted GFCF stuff, it all has a very slight "off" flavor, but little Lou (that's what we call Spencer sometimes) doesn't mind it a bit! At this point, I'm starting to feel very hopefully that we CAN have "bread" again!!

Today, I sit with freezer FULL of GFCF treats for Spencer made by the loving hands of Grammy. They include:
Strawberry Bread
Zucchini Bread (sounds weird, but is DELICIOUS, sort of like a spice bread)
Orange Cranberry Muffins
Chocolate Brownies
Chocolate Chip Cookies (Version 2)

All these are very tasty and if anyone reading this is GFCF, email me I will be happy to send the recipe your way.

This post really is a tribute to my awesome mom!! Without her helping hand (and a little push now and then) I would have given up a LONG time ago! Mom, thanks so much for all you have been to me growing up. You have the spirit of a fighter and I do to thanks to you! You and Dad have always made us feel we could do anything and to NEVER give up! Spencer is 8 and I know many people may think he is too old to recover, but I will not give up!

Until next time, peace, love, hope and prayers!

T

So do not fear, for I am with you;do not be dismayed, for I am your God.I will strengthen you and help you;I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10