Apps for that and eating wheat free

“Yah there’s an app for that” is a phrase I have embraced.

My husband and I were hold outs on the smart phone technology craze. On the bell curve depicting the adoption and diffusion of innovation, the Farmer Boy and I are certainly in the Late Adopter and more likely in the Laggard category of consumers of technology. I am proficient on my computer and the Kindle Santa got the Mini-Me for Christmas, but turning on our family laptop gives the Farmer Boy hives.

We only got these smart phones because they were free. Now I don’t know how I will ever go back to a standard phone once this iPhone 4 dies or becomes technologically obsolete. I’ll probably have to get a JitterBug phone… and I will hate it and plot ways to get another smart phone.

I say all of this because recently the Farmer Boy and Mini-Me decided to pursue a wheat free diet in an effort to become healthier and to see if that would cure an almost constant stomach ache they both have. I am in favor of being healthy, and embrace a good cooking challenge whenever I can. This, however, is a challenge that is becoming a tough one to keep up with… Eating out is fraught with issues depending on how sensitive you are to wheat and where you are eating.

I was relieved to see that there was a reasonably priced app that covered a bunch of national resturants when I had the kiddos in DesMoines at the Iowa State Fair. The fair was also kind enough to have a document that told what food stands had wheat free entrees. It made the two days we spent on the fairgrounds much easier, but it was hard to not eat corn dogs and the sandwiches without the oversized buns looked like a ripoff after paying $8 for them.

When we got home, I bought an almost $5 loaf of bread to watch my daughter not eat the BLT I made her on it. The Farmer Boy gave it a good shot, but even he only had one BLT when he would have usually had two or three. The truth of the matter is…wheat free takes reprograming your taste buds and the initial efforts of recipe development are still work. I say work because dishes are involved.

I’m also struggling with this challenge, because my part-time gig turned into a full time gig July 1st. I’m really having a hard time getting the basics done around the house… I should be changing loads in the washer and dryer, sweeping my filthy floors or sorting through the totes that have sprung up in almost every room in my house that are holding random collections of things and papers that haven’t found a home or been tossed in the trash. I should not be blogging about our life… but this is cheap therapy.

I have been thinking of writing a gluten free cookbook for a couple of years, because I’ve been playing with wheat free recipes since we found out the Farmer Boy’s older brother has celiac disease. I love figuring out how to make family favorites work for him, but that’s a Saturday’s playtime, not an everyday life change. I’m also not willing to make two meals everyday…the Mini-Farmer Boy and I aren’t seeing an issue from wheat…other than eating too much of it has made me fat. So I will keep going and I will do what I can. Who knows maybe I'll be able to cross off publishing a wheat free cookbook from my bucket list before I am 40.

Here is a recipe for crockpot cream corn that is gluten free and doesn't require any specialty ingredients. I made it in a smaller crockpot while we were at the State Fair last week. It was pretty tasty and would be a great way to have that creamy love of my life for bigger family gatherings. Enjoy!

Crockpot Cream Corn

The groceries:

1 large bag of frozen corn

½ Cup milk

1 - 8 oz. block of cream cheese,

¼ C butter, melted

1 T Sugar

½ t Salt

¼ t Ground black Pepper


The Process:

Pour frozen corn in crockpot.

Cube the cream cheese and scatter across the top of the corn.

Combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over the corn and cream cheese.

Cook with the lid on, set on High for 3 hours.

Stir very well after cream cheese has softened. This will hold on low for several more hours.

Note: be sure to read the label if you are avoiding wheat, some cream cheeses can have modified food starch in them... curses on those manufacturers! I like to use the crockpot liners for casserole style dishes because I don’t like to scrub browned bits of food out of a crockpot. Just lightly spray the inside of your crock with cooking spray and place the liner in the crock.

You could double and possibly triple this recipe in the 7 qt crock pots for bigger gatherings.