Heaven in a Pot of German Dumplings...

My Grandma Shanahan used to make the best German Potato Dumplings.

God rest her soul, she was a good cook.

My sister requested a special dinner for her birthday: Pork roast and German Potato dumplings.

Doh! My heart sank. Since I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease (Gluten Intolerance=No wheat, oats, barley, etc.) I have had to give up many of my favorite foods.

However, I refused to watch my family licking their lips and digging into dumplings the size of softballs, covered with gravy and served with tender pork! So I took matter in my own hands.

With my trusted Sous Chef (my husband), we change my Great-Grandma Miller's recipe substituting wheat products for gluten-free products.

The end result? Absolute heaven!

I will try not to eat them all before our special dinner tomorrow.

Granted they aren't 100% like Grandma Shanahan's.

No one cooked like her. No one can duplicate her leaning on the cupboard stirring a pot, chatting endlessly with us. The smell of caraway seeds rose to your nose as soon as your cut open these delicious potato, bread and flour morsels. We would sit at the kitchen table devouring our meal and Grandma would bring out a hot bowl of fresh dumplings. No one could duplicate the lighthearted banter between Grandma and Grampa during a meal. "Sit down Jeanne!" "Can you get (insert item here) Jeanne?" "For God's sake Jeanne, sit down!" "Jeanne, we need more gravy". "Jeanne, could you sit down and eat already?" They were a hoot!

You may be able to substitute the wheat products but you can't substitute the love and history that Grandma put in her food.