Introducing Annette Marie of Best Life Gluten-Free! Annette will be sharing her gluten-free recipes here on the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) staff blog.
My name is Annette and I live in the “Garden State,” the lovely state of New Jersey! I was actually a New Yorker most of my life, growing up there and learning to cook and bake at the hip of my Italian-American Mom. (I must admit that when I was twelve, I wasn’t too happy to forgo the soda shop after school in order to learn how to make marinara sauce!) But looking back, I’m glad she did it.
Like many others, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease after much suffering, pain and anguish, wondering what could be wrong with me. As a kid, we visited the doctor so often that when he saw me he’d exclaim, “Well, it’s the belly-ache kid!” Later in my life I had 3 ulcers and always suffered with stomach issues in one way or another.
For years I was embarrassed, frustrated and down-right mad! Why couldn’t they fix what was wrong? However, unlike some people with celiac disease, I wasn’t diagnosed as a child…nor as a teen…nor even as a young woman. Mine was diagnosed well after 50! Talk about a medical mystery!
It was so severe that I was unable to make a 30 minute drive without plotting the route and discovering if there was a shop with a restroom nearby.
Thank God for the gastroenterologists, who have been caring and supportive, have provided information, guidance and so much more. Yes, it was difficult the first few months, but I took it on as a challenge to be met.
That’s why I’m really hoping to “Pay-it-Forward” by helping anyone who may need some guidance or reassurance. My recipes are both “semi-homemade” and “scratch,” and if I can provide photos along with as much description as I can to help you get cooking gluten-free, then that’s what I’ll do.
My biggest message to people with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) is, please don’t feel isolated. More and more, it seems as if gluten intolerance and celiac disease are coming to the forefront. And thank goodness for strides being made in our behalf by organizations like the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness.
Here is just one of my gluten-free recipes that I’m so excited to share with you!
Cheese-Filled Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
Cream Cheese Filling:
Dough Ingredients:
Crumb Topping Ingredients:
Directions:
That’s it!
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