Mardi Gras King Cake (gluten-free!)

We had only a small memento of Mardi Gras this year - a King Cake alone.  I was tied up with appointments, and Tyler and Paul went to Boy Scouts.  So no party.  But I had the presence of mind several weeks ago to order a gluten-free King Cake from Sweet Ali's in Glenview.  It was beautifully made, and included the requisite plastic baby (added after baking, of course). It was really delicious!  I was worried about that, and even considered getting a regular cake in addition, but the whole family liked it.  Sweet Ali's is an excellent bakery.  We are fortunate to have them so close.

There's that baby

om nom nom

Vegan Muffies

So, this Easter I wanted to make a lamb cake again.  But Robert is vegan, so I thought I'd try a vegan lamb cake.  Long story short: the lamb cake didn't work out so well, but the muffies I made with the extra batter were pretty good.  I found the batter recipe here.

Lent Is Upon Us (But First, A King Cake!)

Prior to Ash Wednesday this year, we did not have a Mardi Gras party as we did last.  But I wanted to try making a King cake.  I found this one:

It included a little plastic baby; note that you are not supposed to bake the baby in the cake. They recommend just placing it under someone's slice of cake, but that is dumb.  What I did was this - once the cake was cooled, I wheedled the baby into the seam where the cake had been rolled up after adding the praline mixture.  Then we frosted it, so no evidence was seen. Of course, I made sure Tyler got the plastic baby piece.  However, he was not impressed (thought it was creepy - it sort of was!).  I did not try it since I am avoiding gluten, but Paul, Kristin, and Tyler all seemed to enjoy it.

The cake, all decorated.

Inside Tyler's piece, the creepy baby.

Before I wrapped up the rest of the cake, I stuck the baby on top.  

Can you tell I had fun with this?

Christmas Was Lovely

This Christmas was one of the best I have ever had.  It was mostly stress-free, pleasant happenings, happy memories.

Christmas Eve - I only had to work a half-shift, then came home to eat and rest before Mass. I sang with the choir.  We started before the Mass.  We sang a lot of different music, some very difficult, some familiar.  It was a lot of work learning it.  But we sang well.  The whole Mass was very beautiful.  Then home to finish up wrapping and do the stockings.  Julie outdid herself by baking tons of cookies for Santa.

Christmas Day Morning - Ty woke us up early, very excited.  We opened gifts.  I got a bottle of Jo Malone Orange Blossom (I have been wanting it for perhaps a year!).  It smells divine. The Little Boy was happy with his gifts.

Christmas Day Afternoon - Cooking!  Kristin made her usual lasagna.  I made the dark and soft restaurant rolls and seasoned the Tofurkey to bake.  Robert and Sierra made all of the sides, with me just helping here and there with chopping, and then minding everything while it baked.

Christmas Dinner - How beautiful.  It was candlelight and china, tasty wine and unusual beer provided by Sierra, and the food turned out great.  The conversation was pleasant, no fighting amongst the siblings, and I think everyone enjoyed themselves.

It was a blessed season.

Ty places the star.

The tree, all decorated.

Orange Blossom Deliciousness!

A Little Corner - With Kitchen Step-Stool (And Little Boy)

My kitchen is coming together more and more.  I wanted to some sort of bar stool or chair so that someone could sit in the kitchen.  For example, when I have a friend over and I am still cooking, the person could sit and talk to me.  This often happens on Movie Night, when I pick up my friend Lisa before Movie Night starts and I still have food to finish up before the rest of the guests arrive.  Or, when Tyler needs a snack or breakfast, he could sit there. When not in use it would sit against the wall to be out of the way - an important consideration, since Kristin walks past this area from her room to the main floor of the house.  When I first suggested this idea, she was concerned about the space, thinking I planned to put a couch or something there!

I was thinking of a chair step-stool that my mom used to have in her kitchen.  I wanted that, because I also need a step stool to reach the higher cabinets.  There are vintage ones out there, and new ones in the same design.  However, the new ones are black or red.  As much as I love the vintage design, I did not like those colors for my kitchen.  But the same company that makes the vintage-y ones (Cosco), also makes a more modern design in white. So, I got that.  It works perfectly.  Here is Ty waiting for his snack (egg, over-easy) to be finished cooking.

Muffins For Ty

Yesterday, Tyler requested I make him some chocolate chip-vanilla muffins.  I've never made them before, but found a nice recipe.  He loved them (as did other family members - the muffins were gone by last night!).

I love baking in my new kitchen!

I made a dozen, but this was all that remained by the time I got to this photo!

An Unexpected Benefit

I discovered this morning that I can hook my colander on the edge of the new kitchen sink to drain my blueberries. Happy day! 

Spice House Haul

There is a wonderful spice shop not too far from our house, called The Spice House.  You can find anything there.  Any unusual spice that your recipe may call for.  I recently went there with my grandson to get some more vanilla beans to use with our homemade vanilla kit.  It was fascinating.  I ended up getting more than I came in for:

Two Gluten-Free Dessert Ideas

I have tried going gluten-free previously on health cleanses I have done, and I have always felt great during these times.  This time, however, my doctor has placed me on a gluten-free diet due to lab results showing an auto-immune problem (nothing super-serious, but requiring medication and lifestyle changes).  This has not been too bad (three weeks so far), but I was concerned with Christmastime and treats.  I recently tried two gluten-free desserts.  Both were very easy (one requiring no real baking skills at all!).

First I tried gluten-free amaretti cookies.  These were very good, and especially important, as our go-to meal for any holiday is a butternut squash lasagna that calls for three amaretti cookies to be crushed into the squash mixture (Obviously, we would need to make two pans of the lasagna - one with regular noodles, the other with gluten-free noodles).

Some of the amaretti cookies.  I made a few plain ones for the squash recipe.

Next I wanted to try a gluten-free pie.  I was completely lazy on this one, but what can I say, I have been working a lot lately.  I ordered pie crusts and some all-natural pie filling.

These pie crusts were pretty good, but ever-so-small.  

I will try to find a larger crust for next time.

I loved this filling.  Not too sweet, and no corn syrup, gluten, or other undesirable ingredients.  You can find it on amazon.  Caution, these are large jars - more than enough for one pie each, and the link is for a four-pack.  It might be best to buy a single jar to try.  But I was glad I ordered four, because I will definitely use this again.

Fruit from the Garden

After a dreadfully cold winter, a rainy and cold spring, we are exhausted.  However, the plentiful rains were much appreciated by our cherry tree and our raspberry bushes.  We have been enjoying a bumper crop of each.  My friend Dorothy came over with her family and picked four large Ziplock bags of cherries to make "Drunken Cherries" (brandied cherries).  Julie and Grandson picked a huge bowl of cherries for us.  Every day Paul and I go outside and eat raspberries right off the shrub; Paul takes some to work with him.

I finally pitted the cherries, and found the best and fasted way I know of so far: Instead of picking up two at a time and smushing them until the pit pops out, I now stand by two bowls, use my thumb to split the cherry, take the pit between thumb and forefinger and drop into the bowl to the right, put the good part in the bowl to the left.  This is at least twice as fast as my old smushing method.  Then the cherries can be cooked with the other ingredients for cherry pie filling.  (Note: as you are cooking them, observe carefully for any pits that might have inadvertently snuck into the good stuff.  I found five in my pot, in spite of how careful I was.)  The pies were delicious!

Cherry Tree

Raspberries

Homemade Cherry Pie.  Yum!

Easter Table

A long, but beautiful weekend: the Triduum, tons of choir music to sing each day of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Saturday Vigil Mass, working a day shift Easter Sunday morning, and then coming home and cooking and baking with family for our meal.  I am grateful for Christ's sacrifice and Resurrection, for family, music, and good food.

Reflections on Christmas

Christmas was lovely this year, except that I became ill on Christmas Day.  I had a stomach bug.  But my family took over and made the dinner.  Fortunately I was able to sing at church on Christmas Eve.  I rested all Christmas, briefly watched the gift exchange, and then later was able join the family for Grace and candle lighting, that is all.  But it was a lovely season.

We had some snow.  Donnie could not resist venturing out.

Our tree was beautiful.  This is my favorite ornament.  

I wore my hair in a blinged-out fashion.  Sparkles!

We sang the Hallelujah Chorus at the end of Midnight Mass.

 

Then we came home and ate some figgy pudding with a chocolate Brandy Alexander sauce.  

Then Santa came!

Our Advent Wreath candles were replaced with pure white candles on Christmas Morn.  

Welcome Baby Jesus!

Chocolate Outing in Chicago

We took a little trip to downtown Chicago to go to the annual Chocolate and Dessert Show at Navy Pier.  We had a wonderful time!  Wonderful sights and tastes.  Here are the highlights:

Free samples!

One of our favorite booths, the Four Brothers Chocolates.  In particular, their Drinking Chocolate was divine.  Of course we brought some home with us.  

There was a beautiful wedding cake display.

And even a chocolate shoe and chocolate lipstick.

Trump Towers served the most delicious hot chocolate with frozen vanilla chips.  Seriously, it was like a drug.  We drank it sitting down, savoring, it brought us to a different place in time and space.  

Vanilla beans!  We bought a "Vanilla Kit" where you prepare the beans by scraping out the innards, adding alcohol, and letting it sit for many weeks until you have your own homemade vanilla extract.  

I particularly liked this little fairy made out of confectionery.  She reminds me so much of Robert's girlfriend, Sierra!  (I hope she did not mind me making the comparison - it was meant as a compliment!)

Here we are, all happy from indulging!

A view from on high.  Finally we took a long awaited ride on the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel - we have been waiting literally years to do this.  Tyler and I were a little freaked out - it went so high in the sky.

It was a happy day, filled with sights, sounds, tastes, and experiences.  I am so glad we went there.  

Scenes from Our Easter Celebration 2013

I had been working on a new toy for Tyler for the longest time.  It was an alligator, made from a 1950's pattern, that I first saw on Anna's blog.  I thought it was so cute!  The vintage pattern was easy to find on e-Bay.  Sewing it was a little more tricky.   But Tyler loved it!  It is such a happy time when a long-worked-on project is appreciated.   

The Gator

I left him out with Tyler's Easter basket after Mass.

Gator Wraslin'

We also made a lamb cake, using Great Grandmother's (Grammy's) pans.  Tyler and Da decorated.

And what would Easter be without the Easter Bunny Kitty?!  With creepy eyes!  (Kristin's Living Sculpture Artwork).

Vintage Baking - Mom's Sweet Potato Pie

We had a very nice Thanksgiving.  We met with extended family early in the afternoon, then returned home for our own Thanksgiving.  Paul and I made sweet potato pies using my mom's recipe.

The recipe, in mom's handwriting (sniff, dabs eyes)

The filling

Paul forming the piecrust

Scenes from Christmas 2011

We had a lovely Christmas! A wonderful blend of church and home. Here are the highlights:

We baked together.

We put sprinkles on cookies.

We decorated the house.

We acted in the church pageant.

We played harp at church on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

We ran downstairs on Christmas Morning!

We opened packages.

We got a fish tank!

And a dinosaur to go inside.

We ate an awful lot of chocolate!

"There shall a star come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel" from one of the hymns our choir sang. It was a lovely time all around.