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1. Hello !
   I’m a french journalist student and I’m doing an article about the celiac disease and the gluten controversy.
   I found your blog very interesting that’s why I’d like to ask you some questions for my work, if you agree.

   1) Do you think the celiac disease is well manage by medecine nowadays ?
   2) Did accept your disease was difficult ?
   3) Do you like, and buy gluteen free products ? Or do you prefer cook for yourself ?
   4) According to you, is eating gluten free healthier for everybody ? Or is it just a trend (for people who don’t have celiac disease) ?

   Feel free to add whatever you want. And sorry if I made language mistakes ;)
   Thank you by advance !

   Reply

   1. Hello Natacha!

      I’m sorry, I can’t speak about celiac disease specifically. I tested negative for celiac 8 years ago. My gluten-free diet is for similar symptoms, however. I would have felt relieved if I had tested positive because I really wanted to know what was wrong with me. It is difficult to navigate eating a gluten-free diet, but it’s gotten much easier.

      I use some gluten-free prepared products like pasta and certain baking mixes (Pamela’s Products are my favorite.) But for the most part, I bake and cook from scratch. I have yet to make certain things as good as I can buy them though. Bread and rolls, for example. And the Pamela’s cake and baking mixes are so much better than the ones I’ve experimented with making from scratch.

      I do not think eating GF is healthier for everyone. I sincerely miss eating whole wheat, barley, and other non-GF foods. I think eliminating fiber-rich whole grains without needing to can be detrimental to a healthy diet. You really miss out on those nutrients unless you can replace them with quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, and other whole grains or pseudo-grains.

      Eating less white bread and other processed foods containing gluten is always a good idea, I think. The starches and flours used in most gluten-free products can be very low in fiber and are just as “white” and processed as junk food. I try to avoid those particular types of products anyway.

      While I think the gluten-free eating has definitely become a trend, at the same time it’s brought to light just how many people have celiac disease and may not have known it. I know of friends and acquaintances that have been diagnosed as recently as a few months ago that had no idea they had celiac. Luckily it’s much easier now that it was even ten years ago. I first heard about gluten-free diets when I met my best friend 13 years ago. Her husband was diagnosed with it and I had never heard of such a thing. I learned a lot via my friend, so it really helped me when I made my transition a few years later.

      For me personally, it would be a lot easier to eat gluten again. I have “cheated” here and there over the years, but I always regret it. I imagine that a lot of people who are eating gluten-free because they are part of the trend won’t continue for very long. It’s really hard to stay dedicated. It’s expensive. It’s hard to eat out, especially when traveling. And it requires the utmost attention to ingredient lists and hidden items where you normally wouldn’t even look. But, I feel better eating this way, so it is worth it for me. (But I still miss wheat bread, and I suspect I always will!)

      Reply

2. In honor of Syttende Mai, I made Hardanger Lefse from your recipe today. It’s the first time I tried it. I found it to be much sweeter than “regular” lefse, but VERY good. My wife says she likes it better. Thank you for sharing it.

   I found that when I rolled it out, no matter how thinly I rolled it, it came off the skillet almost a 1/4″. The taste and texture was fine, but the lefse came off the skillet thicker than what I’m used to. Is this normal for Hardanger Lefse?

   Thanks again for the great recipe. My wife and I have each enjoyed a piece this afternoon and plan to have a piece for dinner. :-)

   Reply

3. Hi! I can’t across a blog post of yours where you mention you were going to get to grow cloud berries. I’m in Boise too and was wondering if it worked out for you. I was searching for to grow them here and that’s how I found your site. Great stuff!
   Heidi

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4. Hi, I wanted to take the time to reach out as I was going to give a friend your crime for lemon and lavender cookies. I’ve been making them since 2010 and although I can’t find the page on here (I had it saved and the link to your old blog of course doesn’t work) to share directly with her I wanted to thank you for it. 11 years of this simple, special cookie that’s brought me joy so many times. I don’t know if you’ll see this but again: thank you.

   Reply

   1. Was this the recipe? https://cafejohnsonia.com/2008/04/how-to-glazed-lemon-cookies.html

      Reply