Hey all. Just wanted to post an update. Sorry — I’ve been busy w/other things for the last couple of months. I was busy moving back from Saipan, a small rural island in the Asia/Pacific region, to California. It has been pretty stressful selling all our stuff, packing, dealing w/all the insects, all the while maintaining an steady, allergen-free supply of food for my son. Traveling w/allergen-free food and all the emergency medications on a plane can be frustrating, to say the least — LOTS of scrutiny from TSA, USDA ag inspectors, and whatnot. Yes, we were the ones slowing you down w/the boxes and boxes of medication and food we had to remove and get inspected by the TSA people. We were the ones required to get patted down because we dared to travel w/unopened boxes of soy milk for our allergenic-son. And no, I could care less if I’m “slowing” you down. LOL

I haven’t really been keeping up to date w/Giant Hippo in recent months, so my apologies to those who have written to me. I promise I will write back as soon as possible. Right now, we are living amid cardboard boxes, sleeping on the floor, etc. I am extremely thankful we are back home, as we now have access to a greater variety of produce, fresh meat, and allergen-free supplies. Plus, I no longer have to cook on camp stoves and bake in a crazy, wildly unpredictable oven! YAY!

In addition to getting over jet leg, getting set up, and getting settled in, I’ve been busy setting up the kitchen and getting it stocked w/the basics. I’ve been working on a bunch of recipes, some of which I find really exciting and interesting, but I want to test them out before posting them. I generally don’t like to post recipes till after I’ve tested them multiple times.

Oh — one more thing — I had a few posts that recently published, but they were not supposed to be published. I scheduled them but in the midst of this crazy move, forgot to update them before they automatically posted. I’ve since removed them so I can review and get them polished. I’ll post them as soon as I can get some time to work on the blog.

Thanks for your patience. I promise I’ll get back to blog, but right now, I’ve got to focus on getting food on the table for my family. My plan is to get a few days ahead (by baking and freezing bread, making stuff in big batches, etc.) so I can get some time to work on answering emails/comments and posting new recipes I’ve been working on.

And if you want to know what’s on the menu today in my sunny southern California home, it’s farmers market day today, so that means:

breakfast
lemon grass chicken jook (rice porridge)

lunch
fresh peaches and pears
bruschetta w/balsamic vinegar and olive oil

dinner
southern red rice casserole

Tomorrow, will be making pico de gallo, a fresh, light salsa, with the Cherokee and Kellogg heirloom tomatoes we bought at the farmers market. The pico de gallo will go over some carnitas wedged in corn tortillas made from Maseca (still looking for a gluten-free source of fresh masa).

OK. heading out to the markets to buy a few more ingredients. I hope everyone is enjoying their food, family, and friends. Much love to everyone who has risen to the challenge of cooking gluten- and allergen-free.