My name is Elizabeth Davis and first and foremost I am a Christian, devoted wife and mom. I have been happily married to my husband since 1994. We have been so blessed with two of the most beautiful, loving and gifted children. I have been a licensed child care provider in my home since 1995. We live on our family's farm with our beloved horse, a rescue Shih-tzu, a rescue kitty and a bunch of laying hens. Our days are filled with caring for our family, the day care children, all of our animals and our farm. There's no place I rather be than our farm and two of my favorite hobbies are baking and gardening. My life is a true testimony to the saying, "God plants you where you bloom best!"
I started my gluten-free journey in December of 2009 after two years of endless tests and I have to admit a lot of frustration. Going through all of that indeed brought me closer to God and truly taught me to keep the faith. Thankfully one doctor, who had been urging me to go gluten-free for months, diagnosed me with extreme gluten sensitivity with extreme genetic risk of Celiac through genetic testing and the fact that Celiac is in my family. While another auto-immune disease specialist diagnosed me with Celiac, even though the biopsies were negative - I know there is strict criteria for diagnosing Celiac - so I have totally accepted the fact that I encompass the "gray area" of gluten related disorders. Once I removed gluten from my diet, my doctors and I could not believe how beautifully my body responded to a gluten-free life. All of my issues including: inflammation throughout my digestive tract, vitamin deficiencies, low bone mass, and the dreaded digestive/gastro issues have at the very least improved if not disappeared. The ONLY THING I changed was removing gluten from diet, so without question I know a gluten-free life is the only way for me to live!
Before going gluten-free I absolutely loved bread and I'd have to say I still do thanks to T.G.I.G.F!. There was nothing better in my book than a grilled cheese, toast with butter and honey, or breaded chicken tenders all of which I thought were out of the question. I tried an endless amount of mixes on the market but couldn't find one that reminded me of regular wheat bread/flour or produced a coating for veggies, chicken or fish like I was used to. One of my day care families, knowing how hard I had been working to create a gluten-free loaf of bread, gave me a Zojirushi bread machine as a gift and said, "we are absolutely certain you can come up with just the right recipe and we can't wait to try it when you do!" I will be eternally grateful to them for having more faith in me than I did in myself. It took almost 2 years of trial and error to get the recipe just right (my laying hens loved the loaves that didn't pass my taste test, so nothing went to waste)! Hence, T.G.I.G.F! Thank God It's Gluten-Free! Baking and Bread Mix was born, my brother Will is the one who came up with the name after many hours of brainstorming. T.G.I.G.F! Baking and Bread Mix creates a tender, almost cake-like, loaf of bread that does not crumble in your hands and it can be made in the oven or bread machine. It does the job with sandwiches, toasts beautifully and makes the best bread crumbs. Our mix also makes delicious gluten-free baked goods and is the perfect addition to any gluten-free kitchen! Thank you for taking the time to read about our family and our mix. Have a blessed day!
Elizabeth Davis
Owner, T.G.I.G.F!