Gluten-Free Wonderland?

Don't know if I've mentioned this here or not, but I've been wheat-free for almost two years.

It is simultaneously great and sucky.

Great because I don't have that brain fog and pervasive nausea that I would get when eating wheat.

Sucky because I really miss a nice loaf of crusty bread, the texture of real semolina pasta, and - more than anything else - cookies and other baked goodies.

I know, I know, there are a kajillion websites with recipes for gluten-free treats, and gluten-free cookies and other snacks can be found at any Target or grocery store.  But have you actually tried any of those store-bought gluten-free foods?  And not just foods that aren't normally wheat-free.  I mean things like cookies, pasta, or bread.  Seriously - have you tried any of them?

Yes, they are much better than they were even a year ago, but let's be brutally honest:  most store bought gluten-free foods are pale substitutes for the original.

Sure, I could make my own bread, cakes, and cookies (I happen to have an excellent recipe for gluten-free chocolate chip cookies that is pretty easy to make), but I am a full-time mom to three young and very active boys.  I don't have the time to sort through the bazillion recipes, make test batches, and figure out which ones taste the best and are easiest to make (not to mention which recipes will pass the non-GF taste test).

But, I may have found a solution.  I just found out that there is a magazine called Gluten-Free Living.  I haven't had the opportunity to get my grubby little paws on a copy (yet), but I would imagine that it includes things like recipes, tips on finding hidden sources of gluten in restaurant menus and food labels, and that sort of thing.  I would really like to have a subscription to GFL.  I can, and if I am lucky, it won't cost me a cent.  See, this blog called Gluten Free Frenzy is giving away 25 free subscriptions to Gluten-Free Living.  I want one!  Please, please pick me!!!

Any gluten-free success stories (meaning they passed the Hubster/boys taste test) will be posted.