Dancing in the Kitchen with Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef (and a GIVEAWAY!)

I am over the moon about my brand new cookbook, Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef: A Love Story with 100 Tempting Recipes, but not just because of the brilliant recipes that lie within.  The recipes, no doubt are amazing, I can tell that by texture alone (I have been without my sense of taste for nearly 4 months now), but I can also tell by the goofy grins and squeals of delight by my little ones.  Still, that is not why I am excited.  I am excited because of this (please watch the following short video.  Not only is it inspiring, but my review will make more sense).:

This video captures so much of me and my own story that it is eerie.  I suppose that is why I adore Shauna so much, I feel like I really know her.  Shauna and I were diagnosed with celiac at just about the same time.  I too, met my husband online, and the way Shauna and Danny are with little Lu, is exactly what I strive for everyday with my kiddos.  It’s not always easy, but the rewards run deep.  Get your kids in the kitchen, eating real food, from the very beginning. We, as parents, have an extremely powerful influence on the way our children will come to view food over their lifetime.  With that influence, comes an enormous opportunity to give our children the gift of enjoying pleasurable, nourishing, real food.  You will not only be giving them the gift of a healthier tomorrow, but you will build lasting memories that they will take with them, forever and always.

Like Danny said in the video:

I like to cook food because it gives people joy in the belly.  We’re cooking together, it’s slowing down and enjoying the whole process.

When I was diagnosed with celiac on April 22nd, 2005, I was stunned.  In the course of 30 seconds, the time it took my doctor to hand me my diagnosis, my entire world was turned upside down.  I had no idea what I was going to eat for my next meal, let alone how I was going to manage living the rest of my life, with even the slightest bit of joy.  I initially felt very alone in this new gluten-free world of mine, that is until I made a new “friend,” someone who was brand new (at the time) on this journey too and her enthusiasm and positive outlook was infectious.  Who was she?  Her name was Shauna James, the Gluten Free Girl (before she met her chef). 😉

I decided to take a stroll down memory lane, and looked up Shauna’s first post as a newly diagnosed celiac.  While I couldn’t relate to her words back then (have I really been doing this for over 5 years already?), they embody my personal truth today, especially this:

If I feel this good after ten days, what am I going to feel like in a year? It’s possible that I have never really met myself.

It’s possible that I have never really met myself. I don’t know about you, but that statement gave me goosebumps.  I cannot tell you how many times I have thought those very words of myself.  I may have been diagnosed with CD in 2005, but I can trace active celiac back to when I was at least 12 years old, perhaps my entire life.  Knowing what I know now about this master chameleon of a condition, I have often pondered what my life could have been like, had they only known (my diagnosis was overlooked for so long, because I have atypical celiac disease, so doctors missed all my less obvious symptoms).

After stumbling around for a few years, like a babe learning to walk, I finally caught up with Shauna in the enthusiasm milestone department.  I LOVE my life today, and I now experience the true sensory pleasures of cooking and sharing great food that brings me and my family “joy in the belly” too.  Thank you Shauna and Danny for showing me that all I needed to say was YES! 😀

Seared Shrimp with Garlic-Almond Sauce (above), page 195.

Following the recipe directions to the tee, I finally made restaurant quality shrimp!  Somehow, I ALWAYS overcook it, but this time was different.  This time, my shrimp were perfectly tender and succulent…not a rubbery bite in the bunch, YES! 😀

Fresh Gluten-Free Pasta (above and below), page 60.

This was the pasta that inspired me to find an allergen-friendly pasta recipe, so even more people can enjoy the experience of homemade pasta, there really is no comparison!  I think that using the substitutions I suggested in my Gluten-Free, Allergy-Friendly Pasta post could also be applied to Shauna and Danny’s recipe for fresh gluten-free pasta.  It was their in-depth, detailed instructions and suggestions for substitutes that made me feel confident enough to even try in the first place (so if you have other dietary restrictions, do not let that prevent you from ordering this cookbook)!  I am looking forward to making more gluten-free toasted ravioli and pizza rolls with Shauna and Danny’s pasta recipe, YES!

Crusty Bread That Even Those Who Eat Gluten Might Like (above), page 180.

THIS is the bread I was raving about in my International Food Bloggers Conference Recap post!  Now, I can make it whenever I want, YES!

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Brownies (above), page 261.

OMG!!  I had never made homemade brownies before I made these, and I will never use a packaged mix again!  The brownies stuck around for only a few hours, it’s a good thing they are simple to make, YES!

You’ve gotta get this cookbook!  Not only is the food fantastic, but this cookbook is the type I have been wanting my entire cooking life…one that teaches you how to cook.  Almost all of the recipes come with Suggestions and Variations, the baked goods have weight measurements included for you (this really is the KEY to successful gluten-free baked goods, and I have only recently figured this out.  I still have a lot to learn, but who better to teach me than Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef)? 😀

Don’t just take my word for it though, check out a few more reviews from my fellow bloggers:

Ginger Lemon Girl (Carrie is giving away a copy of Shauna and Danny’s cookbook, visit her Facebook page for more details)

Celiacs in the House (Wendy is also giving away a copy of Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef: A Love Story with 100 Tempting Recipes, the giveaway ends tonight, September 20, 2010, at midnight, so hurry up and enter)!

Glügle Gluten Free

Celiac in the City

The Cinnamon Quill

Justcook NYC

Healthy Green Kitchen

Seeing that I am a “share the gluten-free love” kinda girl, how can I boast about Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef: A Love Story with 100 Tempting Recipes and not share a copy with one of my fantabulous readers??

But wait, there’s more.  I want you to get as excited about living gluten-free as I am!

I want you to wake up everyday and say:

YES!! (That is Shauna’s super cool tattoo in the above photo).

If you read my post summarizing my time in Seattle at the IFBC conference, you may recall that I mentioned I would be giving away some of my conference swag and an autographed copy of Shauna’s first book, Gluten-Free Girl: How I Found the Food That Loves Me Back…And How You Can Too.

Well, the time has come!

To celebrate the release of Shauna and Danny’s new cookbook, Gluten-Free Girl and The Chef: A Love Story with 100 Tempting Recipes, I am personally giving away the following prize package:

One lucky reader will receive everything in the above photo…Yes!!

**This Giveaway is now closed**

To enter for a chance to win a FREE copy of Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef: A Love Story with 100 Tempting Recipes, a signed copy of Gluten-Free Girl: How I Found The Food That Loves Me Back…And How You Can Too, and part of the IFBC conference swag I received courtesy of Sur La Table, all you have to do is:

Leave a comment to this post about something you can do today that says a resounding YES! (a positive attitude is indeed infectious…so come on, join the ‘glutadoodle’ movement with me)! 😀

PLUS, share the link to this review and giveaway on at least one of the following (mention which one you did in your initial comment):

• On your Facebook page

• On Twitter

• In a Blog post

Tons of Bonus Entry Opportunities (strictly optional, but if you decide to do any, be sure to leave a separate comment for each additional task that you complete, this is how I keep track of all the entries):

• Follow Gluten Free Girl on Twitter

• Follow Gluten Free Chef on Twitter

• “Like” Gluten-Free Girl on Facebook

• Follow adventuresgfmom on Twitter

• “Like” Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom on Facebook

• “Like” Ginger Lemon Girl on Facebook

• “Like” Glügle Gluten-Free on Facebook

• “Like” Celiac in the City on Facebook

• “Follow” Midlife_Celiac on Twitter

• “Subscribe” to The Cinnamon Quill‘s blog posts by email.

• “Follow” justcooknyc on Twitter

• “Like” Healthy Green Kitchen on Facebook

Using the Random Number Generator, I will pick the winner on Friday, September 24, 2010, Good Luck! 😀