Hippity Hoppity…

…Easter’s on it’s way!

Sorry—-couldn’t help myself with that one. But really it is on it’s way, as in 1 week from today. I decided this year to host Easter——it’s the one unclaimed holiday on both sides of our families. We used to always host Easter pre-Covid times, but those were also pre-diabetes and pre-celiac times…so it was a little bit easier. But now that things have settled down a bit, it seemed like a nice tradition to start back up. Plus it’s kind of nice having total control over the menu to know that everything will be gluten-free.

Brunch is always my favorite meal to serve when we host. There are so many things that you can make ahead and have ready waiting the next day, which means no one is stuck in the kitchen the entire time cooking. Plus who doesn’t love a good mimosa bar on a holiday!?

I’ve been poking around on different websites looking for options of what to make. I don’t limit my searches to gluten-free websites though. I just sub in where needed. From trial and error, I’ve learned which 1:1 all purpose gluten free flours work the best when substituting in a recipe. You’d think it’d be just as easy as going to the store and buying a flour, but nope. Nothing is simple. Turns out each brand has their own blend of different gluten-free flours. I once tried one and it was mainly tapioca flour based, and tried using it to thicken a gravy. It was like 2 tablespoons of flour, and it took my gravy and made it into this nasty, gummy sauce. So don’t be like me; pay attention to what flour blends are actually in the 1:1 blends that you buy, OR if you’re feeling really spunky, make your own blends. The 3 main brands that I’ve settled on are King Arthur, Bob’s Red Mill, and Better Batter. The first two work really well as a substitute for just about anything it seems. I’ve found the Better Batter works just a bit better when I’m making an actual bread. But for Easter Brunch, I’ll stick to King Arthur and Bob’s Red Mill.

Obviously I’m most excited to make the desserts for Easter, but I have to round it out a bit. Here’s the menu that we’ve decided on so far. I’ve linked the recipes with each item, and put where I plan to sub in something gluten-free when needed.

• French Toast Casserole (made with a Schar baguette that I dry out in the oven for a few minutes after cubing it)

• Breakfast Casserole 

• Bacon

• Cinnamon Coffee Cake (from the America's Test Kitchen cookbook)

• Fruit Tray

• Assorted scones

• Baked Ham (spiral cause we fancy)

• Scalloped Potatoes (using Bob’s Red Mill to thicken the sauce)

• Roasted Asparagus

• Tossed Salad 

• Carrot Cake

• Lemon Meringue Pie (but made with a gluten-free pie crust)

• Pecan Bars (using Bob's Red Mill flour)

• Chocolate Cream Pie (again using the gluten-free pie crust)

• Easter cut-out cookies (I leave out the cardamom)

• Mimosa bar 

• Juice, sugar-free koolaid, diet soda

Whew…Gluten-free foods are covered. Now for the diabetes part, ‘cause we can’t forget that little tid bit. It’s tough to know exactly what she’ll eat when we have holidays. And I know she’ll likely go a little higher than I want her to because of how many desserts there are—-plus I’m sure she’ll have already started eating some candy from her Easter basket before it’s even time for brunch…but, we’ll do our best to keep her levels steady. Here’s the plan that seems to work fairly well so far for most holidays or big events: about 30 minutes before we serve brunch, I’ll have her bolus for about 50g of carbohydrates. Between the French Toast Casserole, and the coffee cake, she’ll get to 50g and it’s a decent starting point. I try to let her pick her food out the same way everyone else does. I want her to feel as excited as everyone else does when they get to fill up their plates with whatever they want to. But once I see what she’s put onto her plate, I’ll do some ball-park math in my head, and have her bolus for what is on there, minus the 50g she already bolused for. I don’t typically extend boluses on the holiday, because she is having so many simple carbohydrates that will raise her blood sugar quickly. But honestly, even if I overestimate and give a little too much insulin during the meal, I’m not TOO worried about it. This kid loves carrot cake and cream cheese frosting more than any one I’ve ever met. If she starts to go low, she gets to eat a little dessert early——don’t tell her that though! She’s no dummy and will catch on to my plan quickly! I have zero intentions of having Starburst around that morning to treat any sort of low blood sugar. More than likely, she’ll be fairly steady and we’ll have to bolus again during brunch, about 30 minutes before we pull out the desserts.

That’s the plan at least. I’ll let you know how it actually goes.

Happy Easter!