The matzo disaster!

Deciding to ignore my sensitivity to wheat and bite the matzo proved to be a BIG mistake. The Seder was on Friday and I ate about a half a matzo, and two matzo balls with Marti's incredible matzo ball soup. As of Saturday afternoon my hands were covered with an itchy (keep me awake half the night itchy) bumpy, raised, angry rash and this morning my eyes look like I was repeatedly punched in the face by a demented kangaroo...

This is mistake I will not repeat! Talk about the bread of affliction! What was I thinking? 

On the bright side, I have concrete proof that I cannot go near the stuff. My wonderful body is telling me  "stay away from wheat, it's poison". Okay wonderful body! I hear you! Loud and clear! Can you please make the itching go away now? I get it, no really...I do...

Passover without Matzo is like....

The grain free world really isn't so terrible once you get used to it! I have to say that 14 weeks later, I don't even think about bread, pasta, oatmeal, etc. But tomorrow is our Passover Seder and I have been trying to think of a way to create a grain free matzo...ground nut meal? Coconut flour? Dehydrated flattened mashed veggies. When I stopped eating wheat, I discovered that there were spelt matzo...and one can always replace a matzo with something unleavened made from rye or oats. But grain-free?  

I have cooked the chicken Tagine, made the macaroons and charoset, gotten out the Seder plate (which is, in reality, one of my my Episcopalian grandmother's hors d'ouvres trays) and have all of the plates and wine glasses at the ready. The guests all have assigned dishes, Matt will pick up horseradish and more wine tomorrow.

Tomorrow, part way through the ceremony, I will put a smear of sweet apples and ground pecans and almonds and a dollop of horseradish onto a 100% wheat matzo. I will bite through the sweet and hot and crunchy and sour and experience the joy of spring and renewal. I will taste all of the Seder's at Pamela and Daniel's home, when Kora was the youngest child and asked the questions and hunted for the afikomen. And on Saturday morning, it won't matter one lick. Matzo isn't a gateway drug, it's just the bread of affliction...