I receive quite a few emails each day. In fact, one of my biggest internal debates is how to read everything (I’ve given up on responding) and still maintain life outside computerland.
You see, I don’t think computers are necessarily the best thing for my health. And yet. They are so much fun. And so very efficient. It is an ambivalent love affair that I have with the lovely little laptop that sits upon my desk. So, I make it a priority to live real (in 3-D) and not invest any more energy than necessary in life online. Still, I spend an inordinate amount of time in the virtual world and have practically made my peace with it.
Along those lines, in order to give you a teeny tiny glimpse into my wild cyber world, I would like to share a couple of messages from readers. And keep in mind, the only constant in messages from readers is that nothing is constant; this online life is full of the unexpected –one of the many things I love about it.
Here is one message that was sent to me via email by way of my contact form:
Please contact me at 303-555-5555.
I would like to know where you are buying your almond flour? After checking into it myself I have found that the price of the flour is off the charts!!!!! The most expensive flour I have ever heard of. Whole foods does not carry it in bulk and neither does the Vitamin Cottage aka, Natural Grocers. You can buy it pre-packed in either store for a whopping $7.00 per cup which is 16 oz. Not very cost effective.
-Linda
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When I receive something such as the above, I wonder what I am doing wrong and how I could better help. Although I do have a list of several vendors that sell more cost effective brands of almond flour on my site (see the ingredients page), I question what I need to do differently to get information to people. If you have any ideas, feel free to leave them in a comment below!
Then there are ones such as this:
I’m interested in using coconut flour, but if the taste is very coconutty I’m worried I wouldn’t like it, your thoughts?
-Elizabeth
I’m at a bit of a loss when I receive this type of question because I think taste is such a subjective thing. I don’t think that the items I make with coconut flour taste like coconut, however, I could be wrong. Again, I would love to hear from readers what your thoughts are on the taste of coconut flour.
Then there is this one that I received yesterday in the form of a comment from a reader about my vegan eggnog post:
…I think it should be called “vegnog” :-)
-ML
Now that’s fabulous! I read the above and the only thing that comes to mind is –why didn’t I think of that!
And finally, there is this totally outrageous card that I received from another reader:
This is one of the nicest things I have ever received. Some absolutely amazing person (Cindi!), took photos of her child eating one of my recipes at his birthday and went out of her way to send me a card. In the mail!
This made my day, no make that month.
Thank you Cindi, you are incredible and I totally appreciate your hunting down my snail mail address and sending me this gorgeous card with your adorable child. What could be better?!
So there you have it. An ever so small glimpse into the missives I receive on a daily basis.
Never a dull moment; loving every minute of it,
Elana
Linda Scarpo says
I made your Irish Soda Bread, and the batter was very thin, couldn’t form it in a circle 1-1/2″ tall. It kept spreading. I baked it anyway, and it came out like a large cookie. What went wrong?
Elana says
Linda, this is what happens when you add liquid to the recipe :-)
Lorne says
I am new to the almond flour world and am somewhat confused. I recently came across a site that didnt think that almond flour was safe to bake with on a regular basis. The web site is Empowered Sustenance and the topic is “5 reasons to avoid almond flour”. I am not being critical. I just want to know why this site is incorrect. Thank you.
Elana Amsterdam says
Hi Lorne,
Thanks for your comment! For some folks almond flour is not a great choice. For me it is perfect –high in good fats and protein, just what I want to eat. I wrote this post which explains in detail why I love almond flour. Check it out for more info:
https://elanaspantry.com/10-great-almond-flour-recipes/
Golly, if you compare almond flour to wheat flour (which I do in the above mentioned post) it’s beyond a win! Of course eating any one food all the time is not a great practice and I avoid mono-diets and keep it mixed up with loads of different types of healthy foods every day.
xoxo Elana
jyoti says
I literally teared up reading your homemade card. So sweet and I can understand the joy of finding you and your recipes. I have two more weeks of school this term and am so looking forward to going home and baking up a storm for the holidays.
I found it easy to find the almond flour through your site, so I have no suggestions there. And like you said, taste is suggestive. I have a friend that can identify anything that has coconut in it because she despises it. But like some of the comments posted, its really too hard to tell when the flours are combined and she ate the passover torte without a wince!
Thanks for all you do Elana!
Debbie says
Elana,
Here’s one more idea regarding purchasing almond flour for less money. I live in central California where almond growers are plentiful. At our local farmer’s market, one of the growers sells almond flour for about $4 per pound: good for me, good for local agriculture. Since the grower processes only almonds, there is no risk of gluten contamination. As you say, it is good to pop out of the virtual bubble from time to time and check out what’s available in the real world–although I am quite thankful for Elana’s virtual Pantry, too! :)
Ania Aguero says
Elana,
I have cooked with coconut flour for years and I don’t find any coconut taste in the muffins, breads, and cakes I make with it. So, rest assure that when you say that, it is a true statement. I just want to tell you that I think you are incredible and dream of the day I could meet you in person. I have made many of the recipes from your book and even though each one has been incredible,the one that I keep going back to again and again (which I can’t remember if I got it out of your book or your website)is the sandwich bread recipe. This week I visited some friends in Ohio and brought a loaf. They made it disappear in one sitting and want the recipe. I now enjoy good sandwiches which are so healthy and taste wonderful. Thank you again for all the work you do. I can’t wait to try the Matzah balls when I make my soup. Have a wonderful day,
Ania