Cup of Coffee with Katie

For obvious reasons I have never been and can never be a member of the Boy Scouts...however, I would say by default I live out their motto better than most of them probably do: BE PREPARED. Although, I just learned today that apparently the Girl Scouts of America claim this same motto; somehow in my brief (and I mean very brief...I was not the best at activities which required socializing as a kid) stint as a Brownie, I never learned that was our motto.  Regardless, I don't think 2 words could better sum up my subconscious approach to life. You can ask anyone in my family. I was the one who immediately located life vests and lifeboats when we boarded the Hudson Ferry, took note of emergency exits in movie theatres, and committed the escape routes on the back of hotel doors to memory within minutes of arrival. Whether it was cute or crazy, it was who I was. And though I like to think I've made great strides in the decades since those days, I'll be the first to admit that ...

Upon glancing at the calendar this week, I realized that 2014 is now more than half over. I also realized I've written an unacceptably small number of love shout-outs; hence, I made a list of topics I need to address before the year is through. (Of course, I'm also optimistic enough to believe there will be additional items added to the list before the 2014 calendar is removed from its place of honor in my kitchen on December 31st) And here is the next item on the list: Glory Days Grill . Now to be completely honest, my love affair with Glory Days dates back to before my food allergy days when I could blindly consume any item on the menu; due to that fact, I can also personally attest that every dish is beyond scrumptious! Furthermore, the delicious dishes and wide array of choices were just the beginning. The true reason I fell in love with this little sports bar/grill is because of the people who populated my time there in the early days. As you may remember, I moved to Bal...

You're welcome. I know you may think I'm kidding, but I could not be more serious. Potato salad is one of those summer staples; that dish which just screams SUMMER!, FAMILY BBQ!, and AMERICA!. And yet, for many of us food-allergenic types, potato salad is off the table. Its main ingredient, other than potatoes of course, is egg-filled (and often soybean-laced if it's a generic brand) mayonnaise. Not to mention the fact that people love to get creative with this side dish and add everything from cheese to breadcrumbs. I blame the influx of cooking shows which seem to have turned everyone into an aspiring Julia Child. Regardless, potato salad and I parted ways some time ago; even when it was just gluten I was avoiding, I steered clear of this dish at parties. One never knows what a creative chef added to the mix...and even if there were no gluten-containing ingredients, the bowl always ends up sitting in close proximity to the pasta salad bowl and the chance of their spoo...

Today marks the anniversary of one of the longest-running relationships I have to my name: Katie and Celiac. Yes, on this date back in 2011, I watched hours of Gilmore Girls in a waiting room with the Saint in a Sundress before they wheeled me in for the procedure that would finally yield an answer to my mystery symptoms. I still remember waking up from my anesthesia-induced nap with a scratchy throat, some high-definition photos of my poor eroded intestines, and a new lease on life. Granted, the official confirmation didn't come until a few days later when I fielded the phone call from my doctor en route to see the final installment of the Harry Potter series. I'll be honest, it remains one of the more surreal evenings of my life: seated in a sold-out movie theater, surrounded by kids (and some adults too) dressed in their finest wizarding garb, watching the end of an era in fictional entertainment while my brain tried to process the end of an era in my own life too. Well, h...

That's right...today is another red-letter day in my life. Before we get to why, let's backtrack. When last I left you, I was off on phase 1 of my summer adventures. I traveled as far north as the Poconos and as far south as Alabama. I efficiently packed weeks of Katie-safe meals/snacks to sustain me for the journey and I came to a remarkable realization:  it really isn't that hard anymore! I thought back to my camp experience last year (which you may remember came about 2 weeks after my corn diagnosis) and I laughed to myself thinking about just how far I've come in a year. Granted I also think it may have something to do with the fact that the world has also evolved in allergy-friendliness. I mean the Walmart in Alabama had a gluten-free section: I was literally rendered speechless. Then the restaurant I went to with my mom and sister in the Poconos had both gluten-free and vegan menus. Now I am by no means trying to sound elitist here...but seriously if it's reac...