These Black-bottom Cupcakes are a family favorite. I made them gluten-free, and for what its worth I added a little fruit and some greens to each one too :) They are simple to make, delicious, and no one can ever tell that the gluten is gone! Come back in a couple of days for the recipe!
Picnics will be taking place in
neighborhoods all over America & Canada in honor of Labor Day. Who doesn’t love an old-fashioned
tureen-style smorgasbord where everyone brings their favorite dishes to
“pass”…well...I’ll tell you who, the one with Celiac Disease (CD) or any other
special dietary need. No one wants to be
‘that one’ hounding everyone about what’s in their dish; “is that malt vinegar
or distilled vinegar that you used in your coleslaw?” Person replies with:
*blank stare*
It is really easy to dread these
types of events all together and rightfully so, crumbs can hide almost anywhere
and it’s never a good idea to take your chance on something that may be
contaminated with gluten. I hate missing
out on a party, though, so I resolve that issue by always bringing my own gluten-free food and utensils
to ensure that I can enjoy my friends and family without the threat of getting
sick. I, in true
Celiac fashion, go to any non-gluten-free event with my own meal prepared and
always try to do some research beforehand about the event’s theme and the type
of food that will be there so that I can make something similar.
Instead of being preoccupied during
the party trying to figure out with what and how each dish was prepared, I can
spend my time enjoying the party and even talking about CD with anyone who
wants to know more. While some people
are shy about Celiac and don’t like to talk about it, I love to share my
experience with others and most importantly with my family. Since CD is an ‘inherited’ disease that is
passed through genes from one generation to the next, I have made a concerted
effort to be an open and honest point of contact for anyone in my family that
has questions about CD.
One of the ways in which I try to
include my sometimes (actually, most of the time) stubborn family in my
gluten-free way of life is to bring something g-free that I’ve made for
everyone to try. Most often, for anyone
who has not tried anything gluten-free, they do not fully understand what it
actually is, so of course most recoil in disgust. How
could they possibly eat that cupcake without gluten in it?…upon further
questioning I always find that they actually have no clue as to what purpose
gluten serves in that cupcake, but the mere thought of something being “so
different” and foreign to them is enough to keep them away like it’s the plague! While I always reassure them that on a very basic level
they eat a lot of gluten-free foods (fruits, vegetables, meat!), I usually tweak
a family favorite picnic staple to be gluten-free just to show that foods
modified to be gluten-free can still be delicious. ask someone (usually my mom or my sister) to put it out amongst the spread of gluten-full (I refuse to use the word ‘normal’ or ‘regular’) items.
*Before bringing a g-free dish (or any item for that matter) to
an event, always test it yourself to make sure that nothing funky happened to it...you don't want to give anyone a real reason to turn
their nose up to gluten-free food!
Once I get to the party and my (and my brother's) food is safely set aside, I ask someone (usually my mom or my sister) to put my g-free dish out amongst the spread of gluten-full (I refuse to use the word ‘normal’ or ‘regular’) items. My brother, husband, niece, nephews
& I love to sit back and watch everyone enjoy the gluten-free dish. We keep a Sunday-night-football-sportscaster style
commentary going about the smiles, sighs of satisfaction & second-helpings that
result from the food that, unbeknownst to them, is gluten-free! Our most favorite part, though, is to reveal
that, for example, the cupcakes (reference the photo up-top...I've made those cupcakes multiple times to fool gluten-free naysayers) they just ate with such bliss and delight (the ones they said they would never eat without gluten) were the gluten-free
version they swore they could never enjoy!
I hope you find little ways like
this to enjoy your gluten-free social life. When
you just don’t feel up to being ‘the outcast’ or ‘the one asking all the
questions about the food’ find a fun way to help make gluten-free the
mainstream at the next event, share it with everyone…and maybe wait to watch
them all enjoy first before you tell them its gluten-free!
Happy Labor Day…here is to a day
of safe, healthy & fun gluten-free day of relaxation & partying!
Be well,
Lacey
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