For Betty.

I feel indebted to Betty Crocker.

When I found out about my gluten intolerance, I was mostly relieved to begin recovering from what had been an 8-month health battle. But I also felt about 2% sad that baking would never be easy again. Before going gluten-free, I baked almost every day. After going gluten-free, however, I was lucky to bake once a week.

The bottom line - if you've ever tried baking gluten-free from scratch, you know it's not easy. A recipe for chocolate chip cookies may call for up to 15 ingredients. At any given time, I could be storing 6 different types of flours in my freezer. It takes a lot of time, a lot of energy, and a lot of money.

Then Betty entered the scene.

Betty, with her new gluten-free baking mixes for chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, and brownies.

Betty, who doesn't call for strange ingredients like xanthan gum or arrowroot starch - only butter and eggs.

Betty, who allows me to strap on my apron, turn on some jazz music, light a candle, and bake away. 

Betty, who encourages me to pull out my wooden spoon and whip that mix into a thick, rich batter.

Betty, whose brownies taste so good fresh out of the oven that I can't even tell they're gluten-free (and I forget to take a picture of the final product).

Betty, who makes gluten-free baking feel less like a science experiment and more like the best kind of Saturday afternoon.