Whether it’s a dietary choice or due to allergies, more and more people are going gluten-free. Here are some tips for keeping gluten-free dishes completely uncontaminated by gluten, even in a standard gluten-using kitchen.

For more about gluten, check out Friday’s post, All About Gluten. For gluten-free baking recipes, look in Anne Byrn’s new book The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free

• Always wash pans and utensils well with soap and hot water. Place pans and utensils that come into contact with wheat gluten in the dishwasher.
• Decrumb drawers that hold baking utensils so as not to cross-contaminate them.
• Or, set up a separate drawer or pantry for your gluten-free utensils.
• Set aside a separate cutting board for baking gluten-free.
• Have a separate sifter, spatulas, wooden spoons (older cracked spoons can hold flour in the cracks), and beaters for the electric mixer for gluten-free baking.
• Cover baking sheets with aluminum foil before making cookies.

After spending a summer with a friend who was gluten intolerant, I was amazed to learn that gluten can pop up in unexpected places. So reading ingredients on the back of boxes, marinades and dressings was necessary at all times. Anne Byrn’s The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free offers an amazing array of cakes, cookies, muffins and brownies – all gluten-free, and often with a lactose-free option as well!  She also explains what gluten is, as well as where it can lurk in food…

What is gluten?

Gluten is the protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. It is a sticky substance and when used in baking helps hold bread, cakes and pastries together and encourages them to rise as they bake. Gluten is not found in rice, corn, millet, amaranth, and teff. Oats, also, do not contain gluten, but because they are grown and transported in bulk, they may contain trace amounts of gluten from wheat, barley or rye. To make sure oats are gluten-free, look for proof on the package.

Where can gluten be hidden?

• Malt and malt flavoring
• Soy sauce
• Some soy milk products, make sure to check labels
• Some modified food starch
• Some dextrin
• Some store-bought vanilla cake frosting
• Lipstick
• Play-Doh

I have lost and gained hundreds of pounds on Weight Watchers and other diets. So when the New Year came, and with it, a predictable resolution to lose weight, I decided to try something different. My husband, Michael, and I want to make this the year we get back down to where we were when we got married 17 years ago. Fifty pounds less of each of us. Wow—100 pounds. (That’s the weight of my 84-year-old, former ballerina mother-in-law when she’s fully clothed and soaking wet.)

With the holidays’ epic sugar consumption behind me (Mallomars, take me away!), I decided to try the G.I. Diet (that stands for Glycemic Index), and to put my husband on it as well. In three weeks, he has lost 10 pounds, which means I may soon have to kill him as punishment for his gender-enhanced ability to lose weight. On my end: I’m not a big fan of the scale, but I already feel better than I have in years and am wearing a size smaller pants. After my three weeks on the diet, I did finally find the courage to step on the scale and face the music. Five years of denial meant it wasn’t going to be pretty. But at least now I get to reap the reward of seeing my number go down each week as my clothes get baggier.

In the past, I always resented my husband when we dieted together—basically, it felt like I was dieting for both of us! But now something is different. He keeps telling me that this diet makes a lot of sense, and that he doesn’t feel deprived. There truly is so much you can eat on it: lots of lean protein, veggies, fruit, good carbs, some fat (including small portions of nuts). Pretty much the whole 9 yards. And the book is so easy to follow, with charts outlining the foods to avoid (red light), be wary of (yellow light) and eat freely (green light). Basic premise is to keep your glycemic index in check, and therefore, stop craving sugar and all those yummy carbs that turn to sugar in your body.

Michael is finding the no alcohol till you hit your target weight daunting. So he cheated with some red wine and a vodka gimlet, which made him much happier (and me too, because it cut down on the griping!), and didn’t seem to impede his weight loss. We love that the diet suggests that you don’t treat it as a “straitjacket.” “If you are on the program 90% of the time you are ahead of the game.” I can’t do without my tablespoons of half and half in my caffeinated coffee—and I don’t have to!

So we’ve made it through 25 days on this diet (but who’s counting?), and it honestly doesn’t feel like we’re on one. I actually think I am eating more than I have in years!

As my husband says, “My wife is the best cook in America.” Perhaps I am. (We’ve certainly got the pounds to prove it. Sigh.) I’m still cooking, which I think is the key to success of any diet, but with much less fat and more fiber than I used to, and no sugar. Instead of bad-carb overloading (I never met a carb I didn’t like!) and ordering in Chinese, I’ve tried the recipes in the book, including Homey Oatmeal, Minestrone Soup (I used fresh dill instead of parsley or basil as suggested, and it worked just fine), Cream of Spinach Soup, Chicken Paella, Berry Crumble, Basmati Rice Pudding, and this delightful thing that tastes like cheesecake filling. Really tasty stuff. So clearly, I’m feeling very inspired right now.

I’ll let you know how we’re doing down the road, and wish me luck to stay the course! Tonight, G.I. Spaghetti and Meatballs (2/3 cup is a whole lot more than you think! My favorite is Barilla Enriched Pasta with Fiber, ALA Omega-3 & Protein). Viva Italia! Stay tuned.

ALERT: PAPERTOY MONSTERS HAVE BREACHED THE WORKMAN BLOG FIREWALL!!! This post may not reflect the opinions of Workman Publishing Company. (But then again, maybe it does…)

<monsterhack> [Begin transmission] </monsterhack>

Nom Nom very excited about Papertoy Monster Day, so excited that Nom Nom hacked himself into the Workman blog to make this post for you. HEE HEE HEE. Nom Nom loves red wine and long walks on the beach, and Nom Nom is the biggest, greenest sewer rat monster you’ll ever meet. Nom Nom also loves dancing (modern and interpretive). Oh, and Nom Nom LOVES TO EAT CITIES! Mmmmm, asbestos. NOM NOM NOM.

Nom Nom heard that the biggest and tastiest city in the world is called the Big Apple, so of course Nom Nom had to visit. Nom Nom was hoping to snack upon a variety of bridges, trains, and, of course, some of the tallest, most scrumptious skyscrapers in the world. The pointy bits of the Empire State Building–they are a delicacy to Nom Nom.

But the city was very cold for this Nom Nom. Nom Nom does not like to eat popsicles of architecture. Frozen trees are not delicious. They do not taste like broccolis. (Nom Nom love broccolis.) So Nom Nom set out in search of tastier things…

Nom Nom traveled to Brooklyn to nibble on some brownstones…  even though it was cold there, too, they were still tasty. MMM BROWNIES!

Nom Nom visits Brooklyn to snack on the brownstones. The snow made for a tasty frosting.

On the way there, Nom Nom saw a pretty view of the river. Nom Nom also spied a long, long highway, which probably tastes like licorice.

Nom Nom poses in front of a tasty-looking highway.

Nom Nom heard that bagels are a popular thing to nom in the city, so he tried one. Nom Nom likes cream cheese. Nom Nom plans to schmear some on the buildings in Philadelphia when he visits there.

Nom Nom likes to eat bagels, but not as much as he likes to eat Guggenheims.

Nom Nom is a bit of a celebrity in his part of the world (Nom Nom’s mommy says it’s not bragging if it’s true.), so he had to stop for a glamorous photo shoot with a top New York photographer…

Nom Nom refrained from eating the photographer and (most of) the photo equipment.

Nom Nom was inspired by the art and graffiti all over New York, so he stopped to doodle a self-portrait…

NomNom manages a portrait before chowing down on his piece of chalk.

Then, Nom Nom was hungry again, so he went to get some hot sauce for his next snack: the Statue of Liberty. Nom Nom could not pose for a photo with Lady Liberty, because he ate her too fast. Oops.

Nom Nom sneaks some hot sauce; he loves to eat buildings when they are wrapped up in a tortilla.

Nom Nom rode the subway to feast upon many more New York landmarks.

Nom Nom is not sure he likes to be underground.

Now Nom Nom is very tired from all his travels, but also very full. BLURP. So Nom Nom is going to settle in for the night and watch some TV.

Nom Nom's favorite show is Iron Chef.

Nom Nom loves New York!

–NomNom, who would like to give a shout out to the Workman editors and assistants who gave him a tour of their fine city (and who helped him learn to read and write for this post)–Megan, Krestyna, Avery, and Liz.

The in-house studio here at Workman never ceases to totally blow my mind. These guys and gals made close to 1,000 mock-up Papertoy Monsters so that our publicity and sales teams could introduce them to the world well before the book’s publication.

We showed you a glimpse of the studio’s monster-making efforts back when the book was first launched, and you got a personal introduction to monster Heidi. Now the studio has made a sweet stop-motion video showing the start-to-finish process of making a Papertoy Monster.

A huge “YOU ROCK” to Phil and the gang in the studio for putting this video together, and for devoting hundreds of precious hours of your lives to making these little guys. They’ve invaded the Workman office, bookstores and bloggers’ desks across the country, and of course, our hearts. And judging by the buzz we’re hearing, this is only the beginning!

Today is Papertoy Monster Day!

An invasion is underway. Papertoy Monsters are creeping and crawling into bookstores and homes everywhere.

This “fun cardboard creature making book,” according to Boing Boing, is ready to enter your life.

Want to know more?
Watch the video!

Find out which monster you are!
Take the quiz

Download some monsters to make at home.
Two Valentine’s Day Papertoy Monsters:
“Be Mine” Cupid and Monster Mutant Cupid
The Super Bowl Papertoy Monsters: SuperBowl Ghouls
Plus, a creepy little bloodsucker: Lil Vamp

Follow the monsters on Tumblr. On Twitter. On Facebook.

Share your monsters with the world: submit your pictures

And of course, buy the book!

Happy Papertoy Monster Day. Let the invasion begin!

A guest post from Barbara Ann Kipfer, author of 14,000 things to be happy about (1990, 2007)

January is a beginning, time-wise, but it is also smack-dab in the middle of winter—a happy thing for some, not so much for others.  The “big” holidays are over, which is also a relief for some and a downer for others (bills to pay, decorations to put away, etc.).  But just like any other month or time of year, you can train yourself to notice the fun and funky details of life, the little things that say you are awake, aware, and alive.

In case you didn’t know, today is Blue Monday, a made-up date for “celebrating” the most depressing day of the year. The date was determined by an elaborate formula involving weather, debt, time since Christmas, time since failing our new year’s resolutions, low motivational levels, and the feeling of a need to take action.

To that, I say “Huh?”

We can choose to accept and appreciate the weather conditions, vow not to spend so much money when the holidays roll around again, eschew New Year’s resolutions, and find inspiration to learn and do things no matter what all the outside circumstances are.  After all, happiness is in your head, so turn it on and enjoy! With that in mind, here are 25 things to be happy about for January:

1. replacing all the smoke detector batteries on the first of the year
2. every horse having the same birthday, January 1
3. the one leaf still clinging to the tree
4. setting five goals for the year on January 1 and achieving them by the next December 31
5. the symbols of January: carnation, snowdrop, and garnet
6. enjoying the canned fresh fruit from the previous summer
7. soaking in an Icelandic hot spring in January
8. buying a bicycle in January
9. shimmering rooftops under the January moon
10. the slow curl of smoke from the chimney
11. the wind-whistling days of the month
12. eating fresh corn on the cob in January
13. a Hawaiian luau
14. the blinding whiteness of mid-January afternoon
15. walking through a warm greenhouse on a dreary day
16. Knowing January is just a rest stop on the walk toward spring
17. a fireplace fire
18. a January night that engraves itself on your senses
19. skim ice, the thin layer of ice on the water surface
20. looking left at the past year and right toward the new
21. being a homebody
22. plowing through thick novels
23. shopping at the annual January sales
24. trying new recipes for savory soups and yeasty breads
25. celebrating Common Sense Day, January 29, by doing something nonsensical

For more things to be happy about, check out Barbara’s website: www.thingstobehappyabout.com.

In celebration of today’s Workman Shorts launch party, Mindy Weiss—celebrity party-planner and author of The Wedding Book and Your Dream Wedding on a Budget (Barnes and Noble, Amazon)—has created us a custom cocktail! So, bottoms up! Cheers! Slainte! Prost! Salud! (How do you say “cheers” in Twitterese? We think as long as it’s under 140 characters, it’s a-ok.)

The @Twittertini

2 oz Skyy Melon Vodka
1 Honeydew Melon
1 Cantaloupe Melon

Cut up both melons and add to blender. Blend well and strain. Add Skyy melon vodka to a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes. Add about 2-4 oz of the blended melon juice. Shake well, and strain into a cocktail glass. Add a melon ball for garnish, and serve.

From the moment this book was presented at last season’s launch meeting, there’s been excitement of MONSTROUS proportions here in the office. Months before we had our hands on finished copies, we could tell how unbelievably cool the 50 pop-out patterns were going to be. Now that the book is actually here, it’s tough not to proclaim our undying affection for Papertoy Monsters to anyone who will listen.

Is it the grotesque cuteness of these little guys that we love so? The hilarious, often relatable personality traits of each one? Their unique life stories? Maybe we just love how easy it is to turn a flat piece of paper into a lifelike friend fiend for our desks.

While we swoon away over Icy Huggy and Wingy Wingy, check out this video from Castleforte, our amazing author and curator. It’s made us fall in love with Papertoy Monsters all over again!

We’re having a party!

Follow along at http://tweetchat.com/room/wkmnshorts

RSVP below!

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