C-what?! Disease and my last glutenous meal.

The Disease
I bet most people don't go to college and find out that they have a life-altering disease within their first semester. Yeah, I consider myself pretty accomplished already. It all started with the subject header of an e-mail (Student Health Services is sooo advanced) saying that I probably had celiac disease. I held my breath as I opened the e-mail, but I found myself no more enlightened after reading it than when my eyes had set sight on the subject header in my inbox. I panicked for a brief minute (what the heck was celiac disease? Was I gonna die?) before I remembered that Google existed. According to Google Health, "Celiac disease is an inherited, autoimmune disease in which the lining of the small intestine is damaged from eating gluten and other proteins found in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats." A few months later my diagnosis was confirmed by a biopsy, and I became Wheatless Welch, eating what no Welch has eaten before *dun dun dun*

The Wheaty Goodness and Denial
Okay, I didn't particularly care for rye. Good riddance. Barley tasted good in stews, but when does a college kid ever eat stew anyway? But wheat, oh glorious carbohydrate that powered my nightly 2am study sessions and 4am weekend snacking sessions, how could I give it up? Oh Honey Nut Cheerios, oh pizza, oh Wasa crispbread, oh Triscuits, oh Ritz crackers, oh PASTA, oh PB&J sandwiches, could life go on without them? I would soon find out in a do or die experiment. At least I would have ice cream to cope. But first, to make a wonderful last meal commemorating wheaty goodness.

I decided on Monkey Bread, a favorite holiday breakfast of our family. I've been told it's called monkey bread because you have to pick it apart piece by piece to eat it, like a monkey supposedly eats. Great to keep kids occupied and make them forget about opening presents until you've finished cooking the rest of breakfast (goes well with quiche and fruit), as I've been told by my mom. It's insanely delicious! So for those glutenous folks who might read my blog, here's the recipe:

1. Cut 4 tubes of Pillsbury biscuit dough into quarters.
2. Mix cinnamon and white sugar in a ziploc bag or empty bread bag.
3. Toss several biscuit quarters at a time in the bag to coat with cinnamon and white sugar.
4. Melt 1 stick of butter and 1 cup brown sugar. Bring to boil. Add 1 tsp vanilla.
5. Put biscuits into greased bundt pan. Top with butter mixture.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes

It was so delicious this was all that was left!

The Project
Jesus once said "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God,'" - Matthew 4:4. Yes, it's possible to live sans wheat bread! Just one problem - I don't know how to cook many glutenous meals, let alone gluten-free ones. Don't worry though, I'm not your normal college-kid-turned-celiac, I'm superhero Wheatless Welch! I'm going to attack this gluten-free life head on, and even get college credit for it. For my Oberlin College 2011 Winter Term project, I will cook my family a gluten-free dinner every night for a month. Gluten-free chef, here I come!