1.5 c of packed brown sugar
1 c butter
2.25 cup flour (1 cup sorghum, 3/4c tapioca, .5 c arrowroot, 1/4 tsp gelatin, 1/2 tsp guar gum)
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 TBSP vanilla
Optional: 1/2 tsp cinnamon, chocolate chips, nuts of any sort, etc.
Melt butter and sugar in a sauce pan over low heat until butter is completely melted -- this will help carmalize some of the sugar and blend the butter well. I added my vanilla at this stage, essentially making very gooey caramel. Add in the eggs to the sugar mixture after the mixture has cooled back down to room temperature (don't want to cook the eggs in the warm caramel). Mix in the flour. Makes a 9x13 pan. Cook at 375 for about 20 minutes.
Monday, May 2, 2011
May flowers?
Well, with the end of April we're mostly over our showers here. We haven't had any tornadoes or t-storms really. We're also entirely out of the possibility of freezing. This means they've put the dreaded speed bumps back in the parking lot and we've also got some green stuff sprouting on trees and such.
Besides for the weather not a lot is new here. This past weekend we did some yard work for an elderly couple. Our small group got together and we managed to get a LOT done in not a lot of time, as is typical of dividing and conquering something. I was only allowed to do simple things -- like install the batteries in the solar powered lights, skim the pond (ah, good old swimming pool cleaning days) for leaves and leave the koi alone, and as Chris said, "entertain the old people." Chris helped dig up some dead grass (funny, when you salt your driveway and that gets on the grass, the grass dies), dead bushes, etc. He also helped trimmed some branches from trees. Here's a picture of some bleeding hearts the lady had that were around the pond. I found them to be spectacular flowers.
The other thing I did on Saturday was go to a gluten-free, allergy friendly expo. It was nice to walk around and see some of the different foods that are becoming available for gluten intolerant people. I found several things out there that I can eat -- mostly new stuff that will have to be special ordered off the internet. It was always interesting because I kept reading labels, and the people manning the booths were like, "it's gluten free, promise," (since anyone who watches for gluten reads labels religiously regardless of the advertisements on the front since the FDA hasn't standardized labeling -- there is a petition going on at www.1in133.org if you're interested) and would always give me a sympathetic look when I'd say that I was looking for more than just gluten. I did manage to get a subscription to "Living Without" which is a magazine with recipes and articles on recent research in the food allergy/intolerance community. This past issue, the April/May one, has an article on the eosinophilic disease that I have. Here's a link to the article if you want to read up on it: http://www.livingwithout.com/issues/4_13/Life_Without_Food-2400-1.html. It really is amazing to both Chris and me to read articles about eosinophilic disorders and literally check off symptoms that I had before we started messing with my diet. I personally love that the article is titled, "Life Without Food," as that's what it seems like at first. Then after a while you realize what foods are acceptable and go from there. The only real symptom that we can't seem to get rid of is the dysphasia (something stuck in throat feeling.). It was the last thing the GI doc and I were working on, and we had hoped that getting some allergy shots for my environmental allergies would help. While the shots have helped my environmental allergies, they haven't so much helped the swallowing problem. I suppose my new GI doc and I will get on that here in a few months once things settle down. Or, who knows, maybe it will just go away after Ripley comes.
Speaking of food though, yesterday we went to breakfast with Chris's dad. He was in town for a seminar and we were able to meet up with him for breakfast in Chicago. I didn't do my typical spiel with going out and managed to get some minor contamination. I could tell pretty quickly, and it has made me not feel so well today even. It was nice to catch up with Chris's dad and share in the excitement that is waiting on Ripley.
Well, I'm off to do laundry and fun stuff cleaning out the car so we can get the seat base in at least. We're contemplating having the car detailed since it has been a while, and quite frankly since we use it mainly for long car trips, it could probably use it. I'm also sorting through swag picked up at the conference and trying to find good websites that might help me along my journey. I've got to pre-register as well, but that involves talking with strange doctors for an unborn baby, and that just seems weird to me, though apparently it happens all the time.
Besides for the weather not a lot is new here. This past weekend we did some yard work for an elderly couple. Our small group got together and we managed to get a LOT done in not a lot of time, as is typical of dividing and conquering something. I was only allowed to do simple things -- like install the batteries in the solar powered lights, skim the pond (ah, good old swimming pool cleaning days) for leaves and leave the koi alone, and as Chris said, "entertain the old people." Chris helped dig up some dead grass (funny, when you salt your driveway and that gets on the grass, the grass dies), dead bushes, etc. He also helped trimmed some branches from trees. Here's a picture of some bleeding hearts the lady had that were around the pond. I found them to be spectacular flowers.
The other thing I did on Saturday was go to a gluten-free, allergy friendly expo. It was nice to walk around and see some of the different foods that are becoming available for gluten intolerant people. I found several things out there that I can eat -- mostly new stuff that will have to be special ordered off the internet. It was always interesting because I kept reading labels, and the people manning the booths were like, "it's gluten free, promise," (since anyone who watches for gluten reads labels religiously regardless of the advertisements on the front since the FDA hasn't standardized labeling -- there is a petition going on at www.1in133.org if you're interested) and would always give me a sympathetic look when I'd say that I was looking for more than just gluten. I did manage to get a subscription to "Living Without" which is a magazine with recipes and articles on recent research in the food allergy/intolerance community. This past issue, the April/May one, has an article on the eosinophilic disease that I have. Here's a link to the article if you want to read up on it: http://www.livingwithout.com/issues/4_13/Life_Without_Food-2400-1.html. It really is amazing to both Chris and me to read articles about eosinophilic disorders and literally check off symptoms that I had before we started messing with my diet. I personally love that the article is titled, "Life Without Food," as that's what it seems like at first. Then after a while you realize what foods are acceptable and go from there. The only real symptom that we can't seem to get rid of is the dysphasia (something stuck in throat feeling.). It was the last thing the GI doc and I were working on, and we had hoped that getting some allergy shots for my environmental allergies would help. While the shots have helped my environmental allergies, they haven't so much helped the swallowing problem. I suppose my new GI doc and I will get on that here in a few months once things settle down. Or, who knows, maybe it will just go away after Ripley comes.
Speaking of food though, yesterday we went to breakfast with Chris's dad. He was in town for a seminar and we were able to meet up with him for breakfast in Chicago. I didn't do my typical spiel with going out and managed to get some minor contamination. I could tell pretty quickly, and it has made me not feel so well today even. It was nice to catch up with Chris's dad and share in the excitement that is waiting on Ripley.
Well, I'm off to do laundry and fun stuff cleaning out the car so we can get the seat base in at least. We're contemplating having the car detailed since it has been a while, and quite frankly since we use it mainly for long car trips, it could probably use it. I'm also sorting through swag picked up at the conference and trying to find good websites that might help me along my journey. I've got to pre-register as well, but that involves talking with strange doctors for an unborn baby, and that just seems weird to me, though apparently it happens all the time.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Yum! Is all Chris or I can say. We haven't had them yet, as they are still baking, but they smell wonderful and the dough was delicious enough that I've been given the green light to try making them again. Here's the recipe:
3/4 C sugar
Zest and juice of 2 lemons (I made it with only one and they really should have had 2)
2 cups of flour (I used 2/3 each of tapioca, sorghum, and brown rice + 1/4 tsp gelatin + 1 tsp guar gum)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 C sour cream
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c butter melted entirely
2 TBS poppy seeds
Mash the zest and sugar together then whisk in the rest of the dry ingredients + the poppy seeds
Mix the liquid ingredients together thoroughly (lemon juice, eggs, sour cream, vanilla, butter)
Divide into muffins -- makes about 12. Bake at 400 F for 18 or so minutes. They are done when something inserted into them comes out clean (like any baked good really).
For a glaze: take the juice of 1 lemon and suspend as much powdered sugar as it will hold (about 2 cups from what I've been able to read) Obviously the glaze can be omitted if you just like the muffins plain -- no big deal.
On the Ripley front: everything was "normal" at the doctor's office today.
If you try this recipe and use a different mixture of flours and find one that turns out particularly well then please let me know!! I like the sorghum and brown rice flours not being "white" and much more complex in terms of digestion, so they stick with me a bit longer. I'm going to experiment some with different flours, but the mix I found here is quite tasty -- it just used the last of my sorghum flour.
3/4 C sugar
Zest and juice of 2 lemons (I made it with only one and they really should have had 2)
2 cups of flour (I used 2/3 each of tapioca, sorghum, and brown rice + 1/4 tsp gelatin + 1 tsp guar gum)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 C sour cream
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c butter melted entirely
2 TBS poppy seeds
Mash the zest and sugar together then whisk in the rest of the dry ingredients + the poppy seeds
Mix the liquid ingredients together thoroughly (lemon juice, eggs, sour cream, vanilla, butter)
Divide into muffins -- makes about 12. Bake at 400 F for 18 or so minutes. They are done when something inserted into them comes out clean (like any baked good really).
For a glaze: take the juice of 1 lemon and suspend as much powdered sugar as it will hold (about 2 cups from what I've been able to read) Obviously the glaze can be omitted if you just like the muffins plain -- no big deal.
On the Ripley front: everything was "normal" at the doctor's office today.
If you try this recipe and use a different mixture of flours and find one that turns out particularly well then please let me know!! I like the sorghum and brown rice flours not being "white" and much more complex in terms of digestion, so they stick with me a bit longer. I'm going to experiment some with different flours, but the mix I found here is quite tasty -- it just used the last of my sorghum flour.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Easter Monday
This week it is actually raining, not snowing. :) We had a beautiful Easter though in that it didn't rain. We also had the clouds break for some brilliant colors during sunset. We celebrated Easter with a couple who go to church with us. It was great fun and we ended up talking for hours. I kind of had to convince Chris to go, but we ended up having a blast.
This past week hasn't really been eventful. I mean, we've done a lot, accomplished a lot, but nothing "major" it seems. We are officially "office" less now, with the 2nd bedroom having been successfully converted into Ripley's room. Chris was excited to finally be able to stick Ripley stuff in Ripley's room. Now to get that all arranged and ready to go. Our desks are now in our common room. I'm actually on Chris's computer as mine is still in pieces from the move. Since my desk hadn't been sealed in a while and we realized that it really really needed to be sealed, we re-sealed it while it was in pieces. We now have wonderful fumes throughout the house, but thankfully it is warm enough to open windows and doors and get lots of ventilation. :) The wood was quite dry, so it is a good thing we resealed it, it will make dusting that much easier (hopefully, you know for when I find time to dust). We will hopefully be getting the computer and stuff together tonight after Chris gets home, we shall see. Chris also never quite realized exactly how much stuff my desk holds. He knew it held a lot, but not nearly as much as it does. This means we'll have to find other homes for it (either in ours or other people's) if we ever want to get rid of my massive desk.
The other quite entertaining thing that happened was Chris has decided that I need to go into labor on a Friday. He can maximize time off that way, so he asked Ripley if that could please be arranged. Since I hit "term" (37 weeks) today, anytime I go into labor from here on will be allowed. We will be seeing the doctor weekly (on Wednesdays), so here's hoping it all works out for Chris's plan.
Anyway, at this time I'm off to do more laundry and house cleaning. This is a weird way of working, and I'm really glad that it isn't something that is forced on me by society -- I may try the "house wife" role for a bit, and hopefully it will grow on me as Ripley grows, but we'll have to see. If only this blasted economy would pick up and have available chemist jobs...
This past week hasn't really been eventful. I mean, we've done a lot, accomplished a lot, but nothing "major" it seems. We are officially "office" less now, with the 2nd bedroom having been successfully converted into Ripley's room. Chris was excited to finally be able to stick Ripley stuff in Ripley's room. Now to get that all arranged and ready to go. Our desks are now in our common room. I'm actually on Chris's computer as mine is still in pieces from the move. Since my desk hadn't been sealed in a while and we realized that it really really needed to be sealed, we re-sealed it while it was in pieces. We now have wonderful fumes throughout the house, but thankfully it is warm enough to open windows and doors and get lots of ventilation. :) The wood was quite dry, so it is a good thing we resealed it, it will make dusting that much easier (hopefully, you know for when I find time to dust). We will hopefully be getting the computer and stuff together tonight after Chris gets home, we shall see. Chris also never quite realized exactly how much stuff my desk holds. He knew it held a lot, but not nearly as much as it does. This means we'll have to find other homes for it (either in ours or other people's) if we ever want to get rid of my massive desk.
The other quite entertaining thing that happened was Chris has decided that I need to go into labor on a Friday. He can maximize time off that way, so he asked Ripley if that could please be arranged. Since I hit "term" (37 weeks) today, anytime I go into labor from here on will be allowed. We will be seeing the doctor weekly (on Wednesdays), so here's hoping it all works out for Chris's plan.
Anyway, at this time I'm off to do more laundry and house cleaning. This is a weird way of working, and I'm really glad that it isn't something that is forced on me by society -- I may try the "house wife" role for a bit, and hopefully it will grow on me as Ripley grows, but we'll have to see. If only this blasted economy would pick up and have available chemist jobs...
Monday, April 18, 2011
April Snow Showers?
Apparently it snowed in downtown Chicago today -- so Chris got to walk to school in the snow. He wasn't very happy about this as it is the super heavy wet snow that permeates everything and makes umbrellas useless. There got to be about an inch of accumulation, so no one in town was super happy from what I can tell. We didn't get any snow out in Aurora, just a lot of rain. We've gotten a lot of rain lately though so our rivers and run-off lakes are flooding, again.
Yesterday we had our last baby shower. It was with the cafe people and a lot of fun. Laurie and Bill made all of the food and made it so that I could eat everything. They look at it as a challenge, so it is fun to have someone else go through the process we go through all the time, even if it is just for a day. We got lots of good stuff -- diapers, clothes, books. We now feel confident enough that Ripley can come and we'll be okay. We have enough that we can get by and figure out what we truly need, versus what is just "nice to have" based on our consumerist society.
Other Ripley news -- we met with the OB again today and will be meeting with one in the practice weekly until Ripley comes. We're really in the final stretch. She said I am about 50% effaced and a little dilated, which she says is really good, especially for a first baby. We have one week left before Ripley is considered "term" so the rest of this week is getting more stuff in order for that to happen if Ripley decides to be an Easter baby. As always, the heartbeat was difficult to hear because Ripley kept moving. Ripley also had hiccups that we could hear on the doppler.
In other non-Ripley news, Chris is continuing to look for a new position when he has free time. I'm also looking, but not as seriously as before as I can't really accept a position at this time. Besides, after we've looked at taxes and such, unless I can get a well paying job, it may not be financially responsible for me to be working after Ripley gets here. We're playing it by ear so we'll see what happens. Well, I need to go get some dinner as it is apparently time to eat. Hope all is well with you.
Yesterday we had our last baby shower. It was with the cafe people and a lot of fun. Laurie and Bill made all of the food and made it so that I could eat everything. They look at it as a challenge, so it is fun to have someone else go through the process we go through all the time, even if it is just for a day. We got lots of good stuff -- diapers, clothes, books. We now feel confident enough that Ripley can come and we'll be okay. We have enough that we can get by and figure out what we truly need, versus what is just "nice to have" based on our consumerist society.
Other Ripley news -- we met with the OB again today and will be meeting with one in the practice weekly until Ripley comes. We're really in the final stretch. She said I am about 50% effaced and a little dilated, which she says is really good, especially for a first baby. We have one week left before Ripley is considered "term" so the rest of this week is getting more stuff in order for that to happen if Ripley decides to be an Easter baby. As always, the heartbeat was difficult to hear because Ripley kept moving. Ripley also had hiccups that we could hear on the doppler.
In other non-Ripley news, Chris is continuing to look for a new position when he has free time. I'm also looking, but not as seriously as before as I can't really accept a position at this time. Besides, after we've looked at taxes and such, unless I can get a well paying job, it may not be financially responsible for me to be working after Ripley gets here. We're playing it by ear so we'll see what happens. Well, I need to go get some dinner as it is apparently time to eat. Hope all is well with you.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Now for something completely different...
So Chris has been wanting chicken, but chicken does not sound good to Ripley unless it is dressed up. I'd like to have some chicken too, so tonight I'm going to try a chicken enchilada casserole. I know that in high school a friend of mine had a great recipe that she used, but I've forgotten it. I've been searching the internet for recipes, and think I'm going to have to combine several of them together.
For starters though, I'm going to have to make my own cream of chicken soup. From what I can gather this is quite similar to making chicken stock, just a bit more involved. I'm just trying to decide if I make enough for 2 casseroles (freezing half), or simply one to try it out. It looks easier to make 2 casseroles worth of the soup, so I'll probably do that. I'm also curious if I add a lot of the spices to the soup, will I need to add them to the casserole -- thus making the casserole a bit easier to make and such. I'm also tempted to essentially make the soup what will be layered with tortillas, since I think they all get mixed up anyway. So we'll then have layers of tortillas, chicken mess, and cheese. I'm thinking this can work. If I can get it to work then I'll have another non-baking recipe to add to my cookbook. I'll take pictures and let everyone know exactly how it turns out.
I realize that I'm truly becoming one of those cooks who adds "what looks right." I'll add some chilis, cilantro, and salsa to the cream soup, and probably go from there on taste. It makes it difficult to share recipes with people, but it works well in terms of cooking stuff so that it tastes good. I realized this as a lady asked for my hummus recipe. I told her she might be better searching on the internet for a recipe that only had chickpeas, tahini, salt, and lemon because she'd have better ideas of proportions and such.
Anyway, to go make the soup mess before Chris gets home. That way all I have to do it put it all together and bake it when we're ready to eat. :)
For starters though, I'm going to have to make my own cream of chicken soup. From what I can gather this is quite similar to making chicken stock, just a bit more involved. I'm just trying to decide if I make enough for 2 casseroles (freezing half), or simply one to try it out. It looks easier to make 2 casseroles worth of the soup, so I'll probably do that. I'm also curious if I add a lot of the spices to the soup, will I need to add them to the casserole -- thus making the casserole a bit easier to make and such. I'm also tempted to essentially make the soup what will be layered with tortillas, since I think they all get mixed up anyway. So we'll then have layers of tortillas, chicken mess, and cheese. I'm thinking this can work. If I can get it to work then I'll have another non-baking recipe to add to my cookbook. I'll take pictures and let everyone know exactly how it turns out.
I realize that I'm truly becoming one of those cooks who adds "what looks right." I'll add some chilis, cilantro, and salsa to the cream soup, and probably go from there on taste. It makes it difficult to share recipes with people, but it works well in terms of cooking stuff so that it tastes good. I realized this as a lady asked for my hummus recipe. I told her she might be better searching on the internet for a recipe that only had chickpeas, tahini, salt, and lemon because she'd have better ideas of proportions and such.
Anyway, to go make the soup mess before Chris gets home. That way all I have to do it put it all together and bake it when we're ready to eat. :)
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Laundry, Laundry and more Laundry
Well, the theme of this week has been to wash all the Ripley stuff that we've accumulated. We're really not doing that much more laundry, but it has been entertaining. We started by including some stuff with a half full load of our stuff. This excited Chris immensely, almost like he was waiting for me to ask him to help cut tags and all. It was quite nice to have him so enthused about cutting tags and making sure everything is clean and ready for Ripley. Since I had a shower on Sunday (the small group ladies put one together for me) I washed a lot of that stuff on Monday as well. We got receiving blankets, washcloths, and several outfits, so it was actually 2 loads of stuff. Yay for lint traps!! I needed Chris to help me move the load from the washer to the dryer, and he was shocked that Ripley was ever going to fit into those -- he thought they were too small. I kind of held it up to my abdomen and since it was a onesie, showed him how it might fit. It is funny that Ripley will be in the small "newborn" size for a very little time, yet since they mess those outfits more often than later outfits, you need a TON of those super small ones. Having done some laundry and gotten some of the stuff together we feel we can at least house a Ripley at this point. We'd like to have a few more things done, but since we've got less than five weeks left, we'll see what we manage.
At the shower on Sunday it was a good bit of girl time for all the girls in the 20s & 30s. The boys tend to get together and play poker, or do this or that, but often the women don't get the same opportunities. As always, since there are multiple small groups in the age range, the interaction of the people in different groups is interesting. We try and do at least one thing a month that is the entire 20s & 30s group, but most of the time it ends up separating into the different groups. Playing sports though helps to bridge the gap between the different groups -- so it makes me miss volleyball from the winter even more. I'm not playing softball at all though, unless they are dire and need a sub sometime come July. The summer also brings more cross-small group opportunities because of the different sport nights. I know last summer we played ultimate frisbee on Friday nights and it was a lot of fun. We started doing that towards the end of April, so hopefully soon we'll start getting those e-vites again. It will be cool these days, but a lot of fun. I know this week we have the probability of snow, so it probably won't happen. Our days are getting significantly longer, so it helps to play later in the evening.
We are hosting our small group tonight, so I'm really just taking a break from cleaning stuff. I've got most of the stuff done -- except the floors. We'll see how those go. I also need to run to Babies'R'Us and return some of the shower stuff from Sunday. We had one of my friends give us four different "baby medical kits" and since we don't have room for all of them they will all go back. We've already got the stuff in different forms.
This coming Sunday is the third shower of the month. This is one for the cafe people. It will hopefully be more of a party for the cafe, a chance for everyone who works at the cafe to get together, so we'll see how it goes. It is co-ed so Chris gets to go. He's not thoroughly excited about that, but he can at least take pictures.
No more procrastinating for me. I've got floors to attend to. Hope all is well with you.
At the shower on Sunday it was a good bit of girl time for all the girls in the 20s & 30s. The boys tend to get together and play poker, or do this or that, but often the women don't get the same opportunities. As always, since there are multiple small groups in the age range, the interaction of the people in different groups is interesting. We try and do at least one thing a month that is the entire 20s & 30s group, but most of the time it ends up separating into the different groups. Playing sports though helps to bridge the gap between the different groups -- so it makes me miss volleyball from the winter even more. I'm not playing softball at all though, unless they are dire and need a sub sometime come July. The summer also brings more cross-small group opportunities because of the different sport nights. I know last summer we played ultimate frisbee on Friday nights and it was a lot of fun. We started doing that towards the end of April, so hopefully soon we'll start getting those e-vites again. It will be cool these days, but a lot of fun. I know this week we have the probability of snow, so it probably won't happen. Our days are getting significantly longer, so it helps to play later in the evening.
We are hosting our small group tonight, so I'm really just taking a break from cleaning stuff. I've got most of the stuff done -- except the floors. We'll see how those go. I also need to run to Babies'R'Us and return some of the shower stuff from Sunday. We had one of my friends give us four different "baby medical kits" and since we don't have room for all of them they will all go back. We've already got the stuff in different forms.
This coming Sunday is the third shower of the month. This is one for the cafe people. It will hopefully be more of a party for the cafe, a chance for everyone who works at the cafe to get together, so we'll see how it goes. It is co-ed so Chris gets to go. He's not thoroughly excited about that, but he can at least take pictures.
No more procrastinating for me. I've got floors to attend to. Hope all is well with you.
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