Climbin' the Walls

Raspberry bars

2011-09-24T13:17:00.000-04:00

You have these times in your life, big or small, when you are searching for the right thing. In my case, it is often the right recipe....

Last night I headed to Trader Joes after work and was looking for something interesting for dinner. I'm perusing the frozen cases and come across organic raspberries for $2.99. Who could resist? Now, I was planning on throwing those into yogurt for breakfast, but baking with them kept popping into my head.

troublemaker

I wanted a bar that was a nice dense cake with pieces of raspberries dotting the cake. Maybe a little sour cream (or yogurt) in the cake a moist crumb and something that was easily portable, since I was taking these to a BBQ. So I hit the google to see if I could find such a recipe. And there were recipes, bars with crumbles, strudel, with short bread crusts, pie crusts, etc...but no such recipe. So I made another recipe Blondie-Brownies and they started cooling on the counter, but I still wanted the raspberry bar. Then my brother called me to catch up. I told him of my small obsession and he said, "why don't you just use mom's pound cake recipe". And I wondered why I didn't think of that. Budder, thanks.

So here goes:

Raspberry Bars
Mix together in a bowl and set aside
(use 150g ~ 1cup of all purpose flour for non GF + the baking powder and salt):

Heading into the oven

20g almond meal
20g coconut flour
20g rice flour
30g potato starch
30g corn starch
30g tapioca starch
1/2 tsp of xanthan gum
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Cream together:

1/2 butter
1 cup sugar

Add and beat well:

1 egg

Fold in:

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
flour mixture

Put into a prepared brownie pan (11x7) and sprinkle a heaping 1/2cup of frozen raspberries over the top and press in lightly. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes (or so).


Out of the oven

They are currently cooling in the pan. I'll let you know how they turned out.


Ready for the BBQ

Post update: these were a definite hit at the BBQ! They were gone in a flash and I could have definitely doubled the recipe. Nice, dense, moist crumb. I will definitely be making them again. Maybe next time with blueberries or peaches...

When life gives you runny sugar cookies...make lemon tarts!

2011-05-01T16:04:00.000-04:00

So I have been on a bit of a lemon kick lately...

The "It's so good I dream about it" Lemon Pound Cake

With Glaze

Lemon meringue cake for Easter dinner (up in the upper right hand corner)


And lastly, lemon sugar cookie tarts, made in princess cupcake liners

With all that lemon going on some deliciousness has definitely been had, as well as some requests for recipes.

So, first off, for the "It's so good I dream about it" lemon pound cake. I got the recipe from Art of Gluten Free Baking and then of course made it my own...

I have found that baking by weight has made my baking more consistent, so I used 130g brown rice flour, 130g rice flour, 80g tapioca flour, and 135g sweet rice flour, instead of the measurements listed. What is nice about this is that all you gluten lovers out there should be able to make this cake with 475g of all purpose flour. I followed the rest of the recipe as described (so I won't retype it here) and then added a lemon glaze.

Lemon glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon soft butter
Juice of one lemon
Milk
Distructions (as M likes to say): mix the butter into the powdered sugar and a crumbly paste will form, then add the lemon juice, followed by capfuls of milk until a nice pourable consistency is achieved. Pour over cooled cake. I keep my cake on the cooling rack when I pour on the glaze and set a cookie sheet below the rack to catch the excess glaze.

sidebar: the cake is a large recipe and while it all "fits" into my bundt pan (read, it hasn't made my oven a complete disaster because I put my bundt pan on a cookie sheet), next time I would make a mini loaf or two with some of the batter to prevent the spill over. It also unmolds quite nicely when you follow the directions and butter and flour your pan.

For the Lemon Meringue Cake, I got that right out of Nigella Lawson's book Feast. And, as most of her desserts are, it is a work of pure genius. So get the book, your friends will thank you.

Now, for the Lemon tarts...
I followed the directions for Cooks Illustrated's "The Best Sugar Cookie" which they have printed in their The New Best Recipe cookbook as well as their Holiday Baking 2007 special edition. It is a great sugar cookie recipe, but when I threw them in the oven this time they turned into one big sheet of cookies. I have some suspicions why, but sometimes a little disaster turns into the necessity for delicious invention...

I took the remaining dough and made mini tarts...


Just in case you forgot what they looked like

I followed the directions for the cookies, even rolled the 1 1/2" ball in sugar and then pressed each ball into the bottom of a muffin tin, lined with princess liners (very important). I baked these in the oven at 375F for 11 minutes and then topped them with lemon curd and popped them back in for 5 more minutes. This really could be done with any jam you desire, but lemon curd is pretty fantastic and easy to make:

Lemon Curd (From Bon Appetit 2004)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons grated lemon peel (in reality I just zest the lemons before I juice them and then use all the zest from the juiced lemons in the curd)
3 large eggs
Now for the easy part: put the sugar, lemon juice, zest and butter into the microwave. Cook on high until the butter melts, whisking every minute or so. Beat the eggs in a bowl, whisk in half of the lemon mixture into the eggs and then whisk the eggs and lemon mixture back into the rest of the lemon mixture. (you do this so you don't cook the eggs too fast). Put back in the microwave and cook on high, whisking every minute until the curd is slightly thickened, but not boiling. It will continue to thicken as it cools. Transfer it to a container, top with plastic wrap to avoid forming a skin on top and stick it into the fridge.

It is quite nice on the Lemon Meringue Cake, mixed into yogurt and on top of sugar cookies!

Going Gluten-free

2011-02-27T13:26:00.000-05:00

Hi! Wow, it is almost March and I have not even posted yet in 2011. I guess it is time to change that! Life is good, work is crazy, but fun, and M is almost done with his architecture exams (big yay!!)

So, I recently have had two friends inquire on gluten-free cookbooks, tips, and tricks. Below, is what I responded with, but I would love to know your opinions too. Here is a couple questions to get you started:

What is the one thing that make your life easier to be GF?
What is your favorite source for information? i.e. what is your go-to?
What is the one thing that sets you back the most? (for me it is sauces and cream based soups)

Bette Hagman is the cookbook author when it comes to GF cooking. I got "The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy" When I first went GF and it was/is awesome, lots of mixes and things so you could mix up a big batch of say, pancake mix, and then use it for the next couple months. It is really helpful to have a number of go-to things ready. I also have "The Gluten-free gourmet cooks comfort foods" it is a good one too.

A different option would be "Gluten-free Girl and Chef" by Shauna and Danny Ahern. I have not gotten this one, but is is receiving some rave reviews from the NY Times and such. I think as much as this is a cookbook, it also chronicles some of the struggles Shauna had with going gluten-free. She also has a great blog.

Last, if you would like to get her a magazine subscription, Living Without is a great magazine. It covers GF and food allergies really well, with new recipes in each issue.

A couple of tips to give your friend:
- figure out a flour mix she likes I mainly use the nearly normal GF mix. You can buy it premixed online, but I actually prefer to use the proportions and mix up my own. that way I can add in more whole grains, etc. But depending on how much of a baker she is, having something pre-mixed is nice. There are tons of other mixes that she can buy, in fact bisquik now has a GF version. I would avoid the Bob's Red mill GF flour, unless she really likes chickpeas. They use a bean flour blend that can really turn you off to the possibilities. Bob's individual flours are great.

- Bisquik, Betty Crocker and some other big names now have GF offerings.

- learn to bake by weight 5oz = 1 cup of flour. By doing that, you can usually substitute G-F flour for any of your standard flour containing recipes

- The best bread out there is Udi's and Kinnikinnick has good baked goods too. Whole Foods has a good freezer section as well.

- Amy's has a good GF rice mac and cheese

- The web has been my true go-to for recipes etc. If you want to give her a link to my infrequently updated blog (I need to work on that). I have a whole list of good blogs to follow. (Look to your right)

So, what would you add?

Chocolate gingerbread

2010-11-21T10:19:00.001-05:00

mmmmm...

Could there really be something quite as wonderful? Yes, and take it to Nigella Lawson to create it. It is fabulous! It made a wonderful birthday cake, rich moist, spicy and chocolate! The transition to gluten-free was easy, I just switched out the flour. Next time I think I'll add a little candied ginger...

Oh, and BTW, Nigella has a GF filter on the recipe search on her site. Lucky day!!

Breakfast

2010-11-21T10:05:00.000-05:00

Oatmeal with candied ginger and dried cranberries

Please Help the SCC preserve climbing areas in the Southeast

2010-11-02T17:37:00.006-04:00

Hey all,
I know I haven't been posting a lot.
But this is important.

The SCC has a chance to win $250,000 to purchase 2 properties and maintain existing trails and climbing areas through the Pepsi Refresh Project. You can vote everyday for the month of November. So please, take a moment for the next 28 days to vote for expanding our climbing areas and preserving some Southeastern wilderness.

Check out the video, made by friends of mine.

Oh, and sign up for a daily email reminder. They promise to only spam you for the month of November :)
(if they do afterward, let me know, although I'll be getting spammed too, so I'll probably already know)

Last if you want to find out more about the SCC check out their website. And get out there and explore some of the fantastic work they have already done!

Here is Amos enjoying Boatrock
(He's wondering why A &M haven't figured out how to get up here yet)

Recent Exploits in the Kitchen

2010-10-03T15:50:00.002-04:00

Giant toasted marshmallow brownies
(coconut pictured, also made walnut, milk and dark chocolate brownie)

German Chocolate Birthday Cake, for...you guessed it Julia.

Brown sugar banana muffins

mango "sticky rice" ice cream

2010-08-22T16:50:00.000-04:00

I just realized that I never posted last year's Miss Mary's Ice Cream Crankin' submission. (Also vegan for the Veg)

Mango "Sticky Rice" Ice Cream**
**Sorry no pics, it was eaten way too fast

mix together and heat over medium low heat until small bubbles begin to form and batter begins to thicken:
2 cups coconut milk
2 cups rice milk
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup sugar
2 tbs arrowroot starch

add and let steep for 5 minutes:
1 tsp jasmine pearl tea

Strain tea out and cool batter in fridge overnight, or in freezer for 4 hours or so.

toast 1/2 cup coconut (about 5 minutes at 350F)

Chop one ripe mango into 1/4" dice and put in freezer.

Make the ice cream according to your ice cream makers directions. During the last few minutes of freezing add the mango and toasted coconut, to taste.

Wow your friends with the fact that this ice cream is vegan.

Salted Coconut Caramel ice cream

2010-08-22T12:18:00.006-04:00

Since the Veg's last day of work was Friday, I made her the long-awaited coconut milk caramels as part of her going away present. For those, I dipped in dark chocolate* and sprinkled toasted coconut on the top. I had some of the caramel left, and Miss Mary's Ice Cream Crankin' was coming up, so Salted Coconut Caramel Ice Cream, seemed like just the ticket.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream (vegan)**
**pictures to follow when it comes out of the freezer

2 cans coconut milk (approx. 4 cups)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Coconut caramels (recipe below)

heat 1 can of coconut milk over low heat with the sugars and salt until the sugar and salt melts. take off heat and add in the other can of coconut milk and the vanilla. Stir to combine and chill.

Once chilled (I stick my batter in the freezer for a few hours), churn according to your ice cream makers directions.

When frozen, alternate layers of the ice cream with the caramel sauce.

Coconut caramels (or coconut caramel sauce)
2 cans coconut milk (approx. 4 cups)
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a sauce pan combine the combine 1 1/3 cup coconut milk with the sugar and corn syrup. Over medium / medium high heat bring to up to a boil, without stirring, and then cook to 245 -250 deg F, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. The mixture will darken significantly during this time.

Add 1 1/3 cup coconut milk and again cook to 240 deg F, or so.

Add the last 1 1/3 cup coconut milk and cook to 220 deg F for caramel sauce or 235 deg F for soft caramels.

Off heat add the vanilla.

I found that this is different than using true cream, as there is a higher fat to water ratio with heavy cream. This mixture takes a while to get up to temp and stirring will lower the temperature of the mixture.

* Dipping the caramel's in chocolate is key for the summer weather in GA. Since coconut oil melts at a low temperature, the caramels will get very "soft" (read spread everywhere) and the outer chocolate shell keeps them in a manageable piece. To dip the caramels, cut into pieces and freeze, take a few of the pieces out at a time and dip into the chocolate.

Chocoholic heaven aka Vanilla Cream Brownies

2010-08-04T21:56:00.004-04:00

I'm sure you're asking yourself, why would something I declare is chocoholic heaven begin with the word "vanilla". The reason is quite simple, a layer of vanilla cream tucked in between a dense dark brownie and a layer of semisweet ganache, give this brownie an edge over pure dark chocolate madness (which I have been known to create). It adds a bit of sweetness and allows the ganache and brownie to play off of one another rather than compete. But, be forewarned, the cream does not make this brownie kids play, it is still on the dark and rich side. Even I can only eat one, although a second is awful tempting...

So try it for yourself.

Vanilla Cream Brownies

Brownie base (modified from "the Fannie Farmer Baking Book" by Marion Cunningham)
preheat oven to 350
grease and flour or spray a 8x8 pan

Melt over low heat:
4oz unsweet chocolate - do yourself a favor and use the good stuff
1/2 cup unsalted butter

Take off heat and add and stir until combined:
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Add in (after making sure the mixture is not hot)
2 eggs

mix well and add in 1/2 cup GF flour with xanthan gum (or for you wheaties out there 1/2 flour) mix well one last time

Pour into prepped pan and bake for 35-45 mins, until the brownies are slightly underbaked as all good brownies should be.

While the brownies are baking prepare the ganache:

Bring to a boil:
1/2 cup of cream

take off heat and slowly mix in:
8oz of semisweet/dark chocolate (or a combo thereof )

once well mixed add in:
1 tablespoon of butter
mix well to combine

Pour into a bowl and lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the ganache and allow to cool completely

Last make the vanilla cream:

To 1cup powdered sugar add:
1/4 cup very soft (or melted butter)
1tablespoon vanilla extract
mix well

add milk as needed to get to a thick, but spreadable consistency

Once the brownies are cool put it all together:
Top the brownies with the vanilla cream and 1 cup of the ganache
Put in the fridge to set the top for 15 to 20 mins and then cut into squares

Banana pancakes and summer peaches

2010-06-12T14:03:00.004-04:00

Wow! It has been a while since I posted.

M and I have had a great couple of months, a nice Easter with our neighbors, and heading to the west coast for my cousin's wedding and to catch up in British Columbia with one of my best friends and her family. Work has started to pick up some more and summer in GA is in full swing. Warm evenings, hot days, and great produce...peaches!!

I have been heading over to ELF (East Lake Farmer's market) on Saturday mornings and lately, the peaches have been fabulous. fresh, juicy everything a peach should be. This morning I went a little crazy with my purchase and now have peaches cut up for freezing and simmering into sauce on the stove and I still have plenty to eat fresh.

Banana pancakes, peaches, and Tuscan blue basil flowers

But I'm getting ahead of myself, I started this morning by making Banana Pancakes. A mixed up concoction that worked out fantastically. I was out of milk and substituted coconut milk and just ran from there:

Gluten Free Banana Pancakes

Warm the following to melt the butter and allow to cool slightly:

1 cup coconut milk
3 tablespoons butter

Mix in:

1 banana - I keep ripe bananas in the freezer (peel and all) defrost in the microwave for a minute or so and the flesh slips right out of the peel
1 teaspoon vanilla

Separate 2 eggs, mix the yolks into the liquids and whip the whites to soft moist peaks

Blend together with a fork:

1 1/4 cup gluten free flour with xanthan gum
1 tsp cinnamon
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup brown sugar (or to taste)
1 tsp kosher salt

Mix the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients, fold in the whipped whites add additional coconut milk to thin if necessary.

These were great to eat on their own, or with fruit as I like, or with syrup for my sugar-loving M.

Now, back to those peaches!

Wordless Easter

2010-04-04T20:02:00.003-04:00

Four years ago today!

2010-03-31T20:34:00.002-04:00

Yup, four years ago, today, M and I said our vows.

Here is a picture of us on Jeju Island, South Korea, where we spent our honeymoon. It was a great two weeks exploring a wonderful country. I hope we have many more opportunities to go exploring together!

A little Atlanta pride in Korea
Originally uploaded by frannylue

Atlanta skyline

2010-03-28T18:53:00.002-04:00

View from the botanical garden last Saturday.

Atlanta skyline
Originally uploaded by frannylue

A cowl

2010-03-21T15:42:00.004-04:00

This is your Brain...

2010-03-10T07:12:00.004-05:00

Just for you Bennwitz.

This is your brain

This is your brain on gluten-free bread

Any Questions??

Oh, and it's good, really good. Probably the best bread I've had since going gluten-free.

Artisan GF Bread

2010-03-09T21:22:00.003-05:00

Artisan GF Bread
Originally uploaded by frannylue

Here is my first attempt at Artisan GF Bread. Looks pretty good, supposedly I have to wait until it is cooled entirely to crack it open...we'll see if that happens.

Recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

* I did change the recipe slightly as I ran short of brown rice flour and ended up adding about 3/4 c of white rice flour to make up the difference.

Hopefully it is taste, because I have 3 more loaves ready to bake sitting in the fridge.

A walk with the Amos

2010-03-06T15:06:00.006-05:00

I think all of Atlanta has spring fever these days. As with the rest of the US, it has been cold and snowy and not how spring should be here in the Southeast. Today was one of those days that lets us know that this cold, snowy, rainy crap isn't going to last forever. Bright blue skies, a shining sun, birds singing and squirrels, lots of squirrels. So after running errands in the morning. Amos and I set out for a little trek around the neighborhood this afternoon.

His goal: to rid the neighborhood of all of those damn squirrels.

My goal: to see if we could get some of the spring fever out of his system.

On a mission...Squirrels

A sign of spring, Amos wasn't impressed

I smell squirrels!!

Squirrels, squirrels everywhere, if only they weren't so fast!!

A glimpse of the Atlanta skyline

Almost home, Amos can smell it

And home again.

At the end of our walk it was, Amos: 0 Squirrels: 100
Maybe he'll have better luck next time!

Chocolate chip cookies with dried cherries (GF and DF)

2010-02-27T15:19:00.005-05:00

Having a few friends whose kids have issues with dairy and heading over to one of their homes to watch curling this evening. I decided to give cooking with coconut oil another try. I found this chocolate chip cookie recipe from the Picky Palate and modified it to be gluten and nut free.

GF DF Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 Cup softened Virgin Coconut Oil
3/4 Cup brown sugar
3/4 Cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 3/4 Cup gf flour with xanthan gum
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bag (12 oz) chocolate chips
1 cup dried cherries, raisins or craisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 375
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, flax seed, baking soda and salt
Using a mixer cream together the oil and sugars
Add the eggs and vanilla one at a time and beat until fluffy
Slowly add the flour mixture to the batter then add the chocolate chips and dried fruit
Using a cookie scoop, or a couple of teaspoons scoop dough onto a parchment lined sheet and back for 9 minutes (or so) until edges are golden and cookies are puffed.

Enjoy! And let me know what you think as I'm continuously modifying and (hopefully) improving my recipes.

Now I'm off to watch some Olympic curling! It is about as close as I can get to being on the ice in GA.

Mr. T says, "Happy Balentine's Day"

2010-02-14T21:31:00.006-05:00

Yes, as children of the 80's Mr T. still holds great influence over M and me. So, in our house we celebrate Balentine's Day, and spend a good portion of the day saying "Happy Balentine's Day" in bad imitations of Mr T.

In honor of the holiday, I made M a dinner of amber jack, sweet potatoes, and broccoli with apple pie for dessert. Here is my recipe for dried apple pie. ( I was too lazy to run to the store for apples and had orange juice to use up)

Mmm...Apple Pie
(if you actually let it cool before slicing into it, it cuts quite nicely into pieces, if you can't wait that long, it is a little crumbly)

Dried Apple Pie
a recipe developed from a mishmash of cookbooks (Cookwise, 1001 Best Recipes, and Bette Hagman)

mix together and put on stove over low heat:
1 cup (170g) of dried apples
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1 1/2 cups water (next time I think I'll reduce that to 1 cup)
let simmer until apples are puffy and softened and the liquid has reduced and thickened

Puffy apples

take off heat and add:
1/2 cup brown sugar (may increase slightly next time)
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tbs butter
1/2 tsp salt
mix and allow to cool

What, don't you put cheese in your pie?
I'm a 'sconi girl, everything is better with cheese

I added about 1 1/2 tbs of cornstarch mixed with a little water to the filling after it cooled

While the apples are cooking away, make your favorite pie crust. I used Bette Hagman's featherlight vinegar pie crust. It is by far the best GF pie crust that I have made to date.

Sweets for my sweets
It is also the only day of the year I would put hearts into a pie crust

Heat oven to 500F, with a cookie sheet placed on the bottom rack.

roll out pie crust, fill, top with top crust, put in generous vents (more generous than mine)

Place pie on cookie sheet and turn oven down to 425F. Bake for 25 minutes. Rotate half way and reduce temp to 375. bake until bubbling and golden, another 30-40 minutes.

In actuality, after that first 25 minutes, I'm no sure how long I baked the pie. I was skyping with my brother and forgot to hit start on the timer, suddenly my house was smelling pretty darn good and I realized that it was probably time to take out the pie. It was also at that point that I realized I had not vented the pie enough. Luckily, I'm not so into looks!

The pie, didn't like the hearts so it popped its top.

It still tasted great.

SNOW!!!

2010-02-12T18:22:00.005-05:00

Hi!
Yup I'm still here.
I'm so far behind in my blog updates that I'm not going to give an excuse. Just know that I am still here.

Anyway it SNOWED!!! today, not the crappy icy kind or just a sprinkle, but those fat fluffy flakes that make you want to bundle up and play outside all day. So Amos and I took advantage of it:

Here he is playing as it is just starting to fall.

After I finished working for the day, we took a walk ran in the play field by the house and took a few pictures of the house. I think the snow sets it off nicely (and obviously some other people do too, as I caught a lady taking a picture from her car)

view from the school yard

view from the street

Well, if the snow sticks around i might just get caught up on my blogging!! Happy Valentines Day and Happy Snowpocalypse 2010!

How to give a cat a shot

2009-11-24T20:11:00.009-05:00

So, November has been an interesting month.

After having some "issues" with the litter box. We come to find out that my sweet lovable Rover has diabetes. Yes, for those of you that don't know, cats, and dogs, can get diabetes.

How could I have diabetes?

Now, I know some of you are thinking, duh Zilla, you have a 22lb cat, of course he can get diabetes! While this is true, he is now under 20 lbs (19.8 lbs thank you very much!). We still have to deal with the fact that he has diabetes.

So, how do you deal with a diabetic cat?
1) monitor his food intake. For us this means trying to determine what Rover eats vs what Fido eats. Ummm...that's not going to happen, so we are monitoring what both cats are eating. We split 2/3 of a cup of food between them morning and night.

2) watch his behavior. Watch for more litter "issues"

3) give him shots! Now, if I wanted to pick which of my "kids" I'd want to give a shot to, it would be Rover, he is the easiest going of the bunch. But, it doesn't really mean that I want to have to give him shots.

the necessary equipment

So, for all those who have ever wondered "How do you give a cat a shot?" Here is your tutorial:
(And it is easier then you think)

1) distract the dog, food usually works. you can skip this step if you don't have a dog

and he looks so innocent here

2) get the insulin out of the fridge and roll it gently on the counter to mix.

3) measure out 2 units. This is accomplished by sticking the needle into the top of the vial of insulin. Turning the whole contraption upside down. Pulling the plunger past 2 units and the moving the plunger up to 2 units and forcing out all of the air. uff-da, say that all in one breath

2 units

4) Give the shot to the cat. We do this by putting the cat and his food on the counter, food is a good distraction for cats too. And then while he is distracted, slide the needle under his skin on the outside of his hip. Here is the demo:

Putting the cat on the counter also prevents the dog from nosing you in the eye, because by now he has finished his food and really thinks he want a shot too!

5) reward the cat for behaving well by giving him a pinch of fish flakes. yummy!

And that is all there is to it! Any questions?

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T12:08:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween!
Originally uploaded by frannylue

Happy Halloween all!

I hope you enjoy good times tonight and stuff yourselves sick with candy!

I had to post a pic of the first pumpkin I have carved in years, unfortunately it didn't quite make it to Halloween. The booger on its nose turned out to be mold :( So, the Amos and I went an buried it in the community garden compost pile yesterday.

Next year...carve the pumpkin 1 week before Halloween instead of two!

May there be much merriment tonight and few belly-aches tomorrow!

Gluten-free going mainstream

2009-10-17T09:51:00.003-04:00

I saw the Betty Crocker mixes in the store this summer. Tried the brownies and they were pretty awesome.

While searching on line this morning, for a good sugar cookie recipe, I found that Land O' Lakes has a GF website too.

It's nice to see that there is more awareness about gluten issues in the mainstream. Oh, and now everyone can make me brownies...no more excuses!

A weekend to myself

2009-10-11T17:42:00.009-04:00

M has been crazy busy at work, and with a deadline approaching has gotten even busier. So, this weekend besides going to a stellar concert with M and friends on Friday, and church followed by Ria's of course, I basically had the house and weekend to myself...

Did I clean? nah.

Did I paint the walls that needed touch ups? no.

How about finish my counter tops? nope.

Did I cook?
Of course.

I started Saturday morning off with a great breakfast of homemade biscuits and eggs. Yum! Kate from Gluten Free Gobsmacked has a great biscuit recipe. I also made a huge batch of chili and some corn muffins, since the weather is starting to get cooler, at least cooler for GA.

After that great breakfast, which occurred at about noon or so, I pulled out my trusty 1960's era Kenmore sewing machine, handed down to me from my Grandma H, and got to work.

My mom had given me this great felted bag for my birthday. I had just one issue with it, stuff. I stuff all my purses full of necessary "stuff", especially when I travel. I had taken that bag with me out west, only to have it hanging around my knees when I finished the trip.

Knowing that it would happen again, I decided to line it. (you can see the lining in the handle)

I then decided what good is a lined bag without pockets. So, I added some of them too.

It now fits all my necessary stuff.

Doesn't hang down to my knees

And has a handy cell phone pocket to boot!

And my sewing escapades didn't end there. Today I attempted my first slip cover. While, I am still deciding if I like the slipcover. It will no longer fall off from various animals taking naps on the couch.

I thought the pillow was a nice little add

Lastly, as soon as I finish hiding the ends, some cold little boy in MN will be getting a blanket.

It took a little while to work out the "knitting on the bias" but I think the end result made it totally worth the effort.

Oh, and for those inquiring minds, the stellar concert was Steve Martin with the Steep Canyon Rangers and Abigail Washburn opening. A great banjo playing night was had by all. We followed this up with a trip to the local for chicken and hushpuppies. Unfortunately, I think the hushpuppies may be off my list from now on, as I suspect there was a little wheat mixed in with the cornmeal. Either that or in my old age I have become a supreme lightweight, ugh.

EGGS BENNIE!!!

2009-09-26T10:00:00.008-04:00

My Budder, his buddy M, and girlfriend C are working their way through all of the eggs benedict breakfasts in SLC. This is a very scientific process, including a rubric. While I was visiting I got to join in the fun...

The Restaurant: The Blue Plate
(you may remember it from Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives if you are a Food Network junkie like I am)

The Mission: Find the best Eggs Benedict in Salt Lake City

So we began by perusing the menu. They had 5 types of eggs benedict, plus a benedict omelet (yay for me!) and a special. They also were really good about sustitutions and add-ins, making the possibilities endless.

Bud chose the traditional - poached egg, canadian bacon, and a grilled tomato slice on an english muffin smothered in hollandaise sauce. Home fries served on the side.

M chose the greek and modified it a little - poached egg, spinach, tomatoes, avocado* and feta on an english muffin smothered in hollandaise sauce, again with home fries on the side.
*On the menu it was mushrooms instead of the avocado

I went with the benedict omelet - a bacon and cheese omelet, smothered again in hollandaise sauce. I did add some broccoli, to make sure my arteries didn't close on the spot.

The service was good, although a little slow. The atmosphere was excellent, great pop art on the walls, a jukebox in the corner playing great tunes. The coffee, not bad, but not Ria's either.

The verdict:

hmm... M's not too sure, although his plate is clean

And Bud gives The Blue Pate a 40/50...not too shabby!

After that Bud and I went back to his place, watched a little football (or napped), and then went on a hike to enjoy the beginning of the color change.

It was a great way to spend a Saturday!

Happy Baby Stella!! and Peanut butter chocolate pillows

2009-08-21T16:45:00.007-04:00

So yesterday, we had a shower for Stella. Who is very cute and very pregnant right now. It was a great time, made even better by the friends who came into town.

Now, while the boys swear they had a better time at the Sweetwater Brewery tour, we had a pretty good time ourselves at Stella's shower.

For the shower, believe it or not, I was asked to make some desserts. I began looking online for some gluten free, nut free, vegan desserts, to try to accommodate all of our various diets and ran across these:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows

Totally SWIPED from Post Punk Kitchen and de-veganized by yours truly, since the peanut butter kind of put an ixnay on the veganay, and the nut free for that matter.
besides, I can only have so much vegan in my life

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows
makes 2 dozen cookies

Chocolate dough:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

3 tablespoons half and half

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour with xanthan gum

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling:

3/4 cup peanut butter

2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar

2 tablespoons half and half

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl combine oil, sugar, maple syrup, non-dairy milk and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Sift in flour, cocoa powder baking soda and salt. Mix to form a moist dough. Chill for an hour.

Make the filling. In another mixing bowl beat together peanut butter, confectioner’s sugar, half and half and vanilla to form a moist but firm dough. If peanut butter dough is too dry add a little more half and half. If dough is too wet knead in a little extra powdered sugar.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bakings sheet with parchment paper.

Shape the cookies. Create the centers of the cookies by rolling the peanut butter dough into 24 balls, my small cookie scoop worked well for this. Scoop a generous tablespoon of chocolate dough, I used my bigger cookie scoop, flatten into a disc in the palm of your hand and place a peanut butter ball in the center. Fold the sides of the chocolate dough up and around the peanut butter center and roll the chocolate ball into an smooth ball between your palms. Place on a sheet of waxed paper and repeat with remaining doughs.

Place dough balls on lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart and bake for 10 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and let cookies for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to complete cooling. Store cookies in tightly covered container.

Very stellar, if I do say so myself. Now back to my mission for a gluten free, nut free, vegan dessert, preferably chocolate. I am currently experimenting with brownies and will post soon about my adventures.

Recipe contest!!!

2009-08-18T18:45:00.008-04:00

So, we are having an open house in a few weeks and I'm looking for yummy gluten free goodies to make and serve to my guests. And since we are in the good ol' USA I decided to request your help in the form of a....

CONTEST!!!

(Oh and for you wheat eaters out there...send those recipes in too, I can convert them to what I have available in my kitchen.)

Both savory and sweet dishes will qualify for the fabulous prizes**

To give you some ideas, my random thoughts for the smorgasbord include:
feel free to build on these ideas or go a completely different route

marshmallows (homemade, of course)
ghetto petit fours (essentially any cake I can cut into small pieces and pour icing over)
cookies (M specifically requested lime sugar cookies)
hummus
veggies
fruit
salsa
guac(?)
cheese dip (midwest style)
tortilla chips
Cheese chunks
spinach dip
beverages (of course, and we'll even have non-alcoholic for the kiddies)

Submitted recipes will be reviewed by my very prestigious advisory panel of Kitchen Goddesses*, who will help me select the final entries to be included on the smorgasbord.

If your recipes ends up on the smorgasbord you will win a fabulous prize**

So enter early and often, remember you can't win unless you enter!!!

Here are the contest rules:
Entries must be received by August 26th. Entries can be submitted by emailing them to zilla.ctw@gmail.com or by posting a link, or recipe, in the comment section of this post. If you post a recipe as part of you blog, please supply a link to the contest in your post. If you actually make the dish, please send me a picture, pixel size dose not matter, but please try to keep all pictures under 1MB. Posts that involve childhood memories or sappy stories my influence the expert panel*, we are human after all, however, the true quality of your dish is what really matters. Use of processed foods is permitted, after all "tater sluts" happen to contain all sorts of processed goodness and are a particular favorite of the expert panel*. If you are really nice to us, we may even share the recipe. All entries will be reviewed by the said expert panel*. If your entry is not selected, no pouting is allowed, although bribing of the judges may be allowed. Prizes** will be awarded to the winners. Honorable mentions may also be included in the round up post. Any questions can be submitted to zilla.ctw@gmail.com or posted in the comment section of this post. Contest void and prohibited in states and countries where this kind of thing is void and prohibited. This contest is not affiliated with anything, besides my housewarming. The Kitchen Goddesses* are not receiving any compensation from acting as the expert panel in this contest,unless you bribe them. They do, however, get to eat the fruits of their labor, as do all the guests.

In other words, just post it in the comments or send it to me in an email. zilla.ctw@gmail.com

*AKA MB and Ash

**My undying love and devotion, but if that is not enough, I'll also post a round up of the smorgasbord*** after I put the house back in order.

***if you don't know what a smorgasbord is you obviously are not Scandinavian, or did not grow up in the Midwest, a link is provided at the top of the post.

where did the summer go?

2009-08-07T19:11:00.008-04:00

A month without internet (at home), madly finishing the house, a new position at the mothership, and suddenly I turn around and realize school starts on Monday. What a crazy month July has been.

So in brief summary here is the last month (or so) of my life:

June 25th. - We can move our stuff in, but cannot stay at the house since we do not have a C/O (certificate of occupancy, in case all of you who are not crazy enough to build a house don't know that). So, M and I are left at the loft with the futon and a few odds and ends.

June 26th. - M's birthday and his sister K arrives to celebrate with us and see the house before she heads home to Hawaii. Oops. No place for her to stay. Thank God for Ash, who says "come and stay with me at MB & D's while they are out of town". This will for ever more be know as the weekend of Poop and Moving. For Ash, who is an awesome friend, not only helped me with the movers the day before, is house sitting for MB & D, and also watch about 50 of other friends and neighbors animals.

Oh, and did I happen to mention that I was holding a surprise party for M at the house that night? Amazingly, we were able to pull it off without him knowing. Surprising him with about 40 people, including A&T who popped into town to stay with us at the urban refugee camp (AKA MB & D's).

M blowing out the candles on his cake, I have MB & D to thank for the use of their kitchen, M's birthday would not have been the same without Jello Cake.

The "weekend of Poop and Moving" turned out to be fabulous fun. The party was a success, we had a great visit with K and A&T, and we all had a fabulous time at MB & D's. (wish you guys could have been there, but I'm not sure where you would have slept!)

July 1st. - We get the C/O...kind of. We get a temporary C/O and are able to move in, but there are a few things to fix before the city will sign off on it. The main one being having a certified letter from our structural engineer that our decks are sound. Should be easy, right? More on that later.

July 2nd. - Just as the Kitties are settling into the new place, we disrupt their lives even more by getting a DOG!!!! We found Amos at Lifeline in Avondale Estates and welcomed him into our new home. While, we all are still adjusting (Amos included), he is a great addition to our four-legged crew.

AMOS!!

Most of July. - THE DECK SAGA
The whole deck saga stems from an incident that happened days before our C/O inspection. You see, a fine establishment about two miles south of us had a deck collapse. My Sister's Room had decided that the back deck off there bar would be a fine place for wrestling. While, according to the reports, they were not wrestling that night, M had witnessed it from an adjacent restaurant days earlier...hmmm.... Lets just say, we aren't planning on wrestling on our decks.

In essence, the impetus doesn't matter, the fact is we had to get that certified letter. Unfortunately for us, our structural engineer never review the deck plans. So, after reviewing them, he determined that they needed a few "minor" tweaks. Let's just say these "minor" tweaks involved things like cutting into our finished ceilings to add more bolts and further securing the supports to the decks and the house. M with help from me and some friends ended up getting the work done, but I am still trying to recover from all the drywall dust that is strewn and has yet to be strewn throughout my new house. And as everyone knows, I LOVE drywall dust. Now, although the decks seemed fine before, they now feel like you are standing on the ground. Wrestling anyone??

M working on the lower deck

The deck repairs continue throughout most of the month, and truthfully, there is still a little drywall patching that needs to be done.

July 30th. - We head to the beach for a much needed weekend. A&W invite a few couples to A's family beach house for a bit of a reunion. It was awesome. We went crabbing and shrimping, swam and walked the beach, M tried his hand at stunt kites and all in all had a fantastic time.

M castnetting shrimp at the beach. I have to say that those shrimp and the crabs that were caught along with them were awesomely delicious.

This leads to August 6th ---- we got the FINAL C/O!!!!! And we close on Monday. After over a year of preparing and building we are finally going to home owners.

FINISHED!!! Well, kind of, but definitely livable. See Amos keeping watch through the front window

Things not mentioned, my battle with Comcast and the decision to go with Clear and forgo cable TV, for a while. My new job, me a papermaker, is now going to be developing soaps, lotions, and potions!!

Getting close!

2009-06-21T18:14:00.003-04:00

I am working on scheduling movers for Thursday. Hopefully we will have our C/O on Tuesday...

here is a couple of pics for you:

Standing in the dining room looking at the front door. I think I am going to love all the light!

The fan in the family room

Walking up to the roof

The front deck

the kitchen...we must be getting close, see I have a dish washer!

I'm sure I'll have plenty of stories with the move. Now, back to packing!

How much does M love me...

2009-06-02T22:40:00.004-04:00

As he said to me last night, "If you had any doubt that I love you, this week should prove it."
And I believed him.

So, I'm sure you're asking, what on earth happened this week??

Well, he literally moved the earth for me.

No, not all of it, but about 12 cubic yards of it up 66 stairs on his back two buckets at a time. Yes, the poor man has been going through back breaking labor to make the roofs of our new house green for me. (or so he says, I think he may want green roofs too, but please don't ask him for a few weeks!)

While, no photos were taken of the yoke system he set up to carry the buckets. (you can picture two 5 gallon pails tied together by a moving strap. The strap was then stretched over a length of 2x4. He then lifted that contraption onto his shoulders and hefted it up the stairs)

this is M filling his contraption with dirt

I did, however, take pictures when I helped out on Sunday.

Here is us covering the lower roof with dirt:

Step 1: Build a pulley system. We used an extension ladder and counterbalanced it with our decking panels for the upper roof and a bag of cement

Step 2: M fills a 5 gallon pail with dirt

Step 3: He attaches it to the pulley system

Step 4: he uses the pulley to haul the bucket up to me.

Step 5: I catch the bucket, take it off the pulley system and attach an empty bucket. (the bucket here is waiting for its trip down)

Proof it was actually me on the roof.

Step 6: repeat, repeat, repeat.

So, in the course of a Sunday, our lower roof went from:

This

to this

and finally this

Along the way it was not all fun and games, but we really pulled through and worked as a team. The only lasting effects are the dirt covered roof and my bruised thighs, from catching the buckets.

BTW, I truly think M had the tough end of the stick on Sunday and he is still hauling dirt tonight. While, he had been behind on his friendship dues...I think this might have caught him up and then some. I happen to see a massage, or two, and some jello cake in his future!

Sugar High Friday "Sweet without the Wheat" Round-up

2009-05-29T17:39:00.006-04:00

Yes it is time for the "Sweet Without The Wheat" Round up. To be fair I am posting them in order of arrival in my inbox...

Nicisme, from Cherrapeno, began with Chocolate and banana ice cream served in chocolate cups. Yum!

This was followed by my college roomate, Jess P. and her chocolate flourless cake. I am going to have to make this one soon!

Then Sarah from, What Smells So Good? followed up with Awesomely Delicious GF Brownies. These brownies with peanuts and chocolate chips look decadent.

In the middle of the month, I took a break from traveling and house building and whipped up these "Special K" bars without the "Special K" I really need to find a new name for them, maybe chocolatey, crispy, peanutty goodness?? I made them as a send off for my co-op as he returned to Tennessee, there was much rejoicing at the mothership.

Muneeba from An Edible Symphony, brought us Beetroot Halwa an intriguing dessert that she claims is good for you. Now, if only I could get M to eat beets!

Cheri, of Snippets, then sent in her take on Tartlette's "The Transatlantic" this one I am going to have to try, salted carmel, chocolate mousse, ganache. What's not to like? Let's just say...ummm...yum.
Renato, of Sugar Nut, turned in Queijadinhas, que-j-what? luckily for us it came with a pronouciation key Queijadinha (Kay-jah-dee-ña). Now, that we have that figured out, this coconut goodness needs to be tried. Besides, these sweet creations contain cheese and as every good Wisconsinite knows, cheese is always good.

Next is Friedl, all the way from Europe, now as her blog Kitchen Fun is gluten free, she had an advantage over the rest. But, I think she still out did herself with these Chocolate Crinkles. I don't think anyone would even suspect they are made with rice flour!

Next up is Kitty from Fahrenheit 350. With her Simple Scratchmade Lemon Ice Cream. This looks like the perfect treat for those hot summer days in Georgia.

Following up with another deliciously lemon dish is Kris from The Back of the Cupboard with her Honey-Lemon Tea sorbet. It looks light and refreshing, not only gluten free it is also dairy and egg free!

Anna, from Life's too Short for Mediocre Chocolate, brings in a summery twist to her Vanilla Bean Risotto Rice Pudding by adding a fresh strawberry compote.

And last but definitely not least is my very own Mum. With her Oatmeal Fruit bars. Made with the very rhubarb I have been trying to find time to play with.

So, thanks for tuning into this month's Sugar High Friday! I want to thank Jennifer, from the Domestic Goddess for letting me host. Find out next month's theme from Mansi at the Fun & Food Cafe!

Mom coming through for me!

2009-05-29T17:25:00.004-04:00

So, with all the craziness in my life lately. I have yet to touch the rhubarb in my freezer, but luckily for me. My mom decided to enter my Sugar High Friday month with the recipe below:

Oatmeal fruit bars

bake at 400 for 25 min 7 X11 pan

The crust and topping:
mix together:

3/4 c butter (softened)

1 c brown sugar

stir in:

1 3/4 c wheat less flour *any flour with xanthan gum will work Mom used Nearly Normal flour
1/2teas soda

stir in:

1 1/2 c oatmeal

Filling:
3c rhubarb cooked with 1/2 cup sugar
at the end of the cooking add 1 1/2 tbls corn starch to thicken

if you don't have rhubarb, you poor soul, 3 cups any jam or fruit filling will work

Pam or grease the 11 by 7 pan

Add half the oatmeal mixture and pat firmly into bottom of pan

spread the fruit over the oatmeal mixture

Add the remaining oatmeal mixture on fruit spread to cover lightly pat into the pan

Bake at 400 for 25 minutes cool ENJOY

I promise I will get to the rhubarb in my freezer soon and I will share with you the tasty results!
Thanks again Mom!

SHF update

2009-05-25T12:20:00.002-04:00

The posts are starting to come in and look delicious! Since today is Memorial day in the US. I'll extend the deadline a few days. I plan on working on the post on Thursday evening (eastern time), so please have everything to me by then.

Here are the rules again:
So here are the rules:
1. Entries need to be submitted by Monday, May 25th, Memorial Day here in the States, make that 5pm EDT on Thursday May 28th, and I will post the round-up on Friday, May 29th.

2. In your entry please include:

a photo of your fabulous dessert (no larger than 500k in size, please)
your name, the name of your blog and a link to it
a brief summary of your dessert
any other information that you would like me to share

Horror of horrors...broken phone on a business trip

2009-05-18T18:59:00.003-04:00

So, I travel a fair bit for work. Such as I was remarking to someone "I haven't traveled in a long time" they replied "How long has it been?" I then realized it had been less then two months. Yup, I travel "a fair bit" for work.

Now, that I am back on my regular travel schedule, I will be spending this week and next in San Antonio have a week in Atlanta and then head to Ft Lauderdale for a conference. Sad to say, this can be pretty standard for me!

So, Friday night M and I go out for dinner at Dakota Blue (note to self: do NOT!!! go to Dakota Blue for a early quiet dinner on Friday nights with your hubby, the entire under 7 population of Grant Park has invaded the place)

Then he drops me off at the airport. Yes, I had to be in San Antonio for Saturday morning. So, I fly through security, grab some books at the bookstore in the terminal and head to my gate. Sit down pull out my phone to call M and let him know I'm all set.

It dials his number and.....nothing.....the little timer is counting up, but I can't hear a thing. No ring, no dial tone, definitely not M's voice on the other end of the line. Hmm... maybe my service is bad??

I try again...the same thing.

Then he calls me...the phone rings and....Nothing.

I check my voicemail...nothing. It is playing, again I can see the timer, but no noise is coming out.

Texting, email, web, those all work, just no basic phone service.

First issue: I am leading this expedition to San Antonio and everyone has my cell number to check in. I'm not going to be able to get their calls.

Second issue: People not in San Antonio are going to want to "check-in" and see how things are going.

Third issue, and most important: How am I going to talk to M????

Luckily, I had one of my partners in crime meeting me at the airport. When the masses in the terminal cleared, I was able to find him and he verified that my phone wasn't working, but his was!!

I spent the next day having people call me and me calling them back on whomever's phone was available. To call M I had to log into the mothership network and use my softphone (voice over IP) to talk with him, a long tedious process.

Yesterday (Sunday) I was able to make an appointment at the Sprint store where they replaced my phone with the same model, updated my contacts and transfered my sim card. Other then a few shortcuts I am back up to speed. all in less than 30 minutes.

The lucky part was that I actually somewhere with a Sprint store and not in the middle of nowhere!

"special K" bars without the "Special K"

2009-05-18T18:35:00.006-04:00

I'm halfway through my month of hosting SHF and have yet to post a recipe. So here goes:

"Special K" bars without the "Special K"

Now, if your from the upper Midwest like I am, you probably have run into these bars at some picnic or family gathering. Unfortunately for me, the cereal Special K contains wheat, but the combination of peanut butter, crunchy cereal, chcolate, and butterscotch chips is to good to be missed! My mom began making them with rice crispies a few years ago, so I could partake, and now I have found an even better substitute, Erewhon Rice Twice gluten free cereal. The cereal, while good by itself usually ends up in these bars at my house.

The recipe:

in a large pot, bring to a boil over medium heat:
1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup (last time, with moving and all, I only had about a half a cup of corn syrup, so I used a 1/4 cup of honey and agave nectar to make up the rest of the cup)

Once boiling, take off heat and add 1 and 1/2 cups peanut butter, mix well

then add 6 cups of cereal, be it special K or rice twice, again mix well.

Press the mixture into a 9"x13" pan creating an even layer on the bottom of the pan.

Sprinkle over the top 6 oz butterscotch chips and 6 oz chocolate chips.
Cover tightly with foil or the lid of the pan for 10 minutes.
Once the chips have melted, spread the mixture evenly over the top of the bars.
Let cool and cut.

If you are feeling generous, share with family and friends. Otherwise hid them well!

Once I get back from San Antonio, I'm going to tackle this:

Rhubarb!!!!

Fresh from mom and dad's garden...I'm thinking Rhubarb bars, Rhubarb crisp, Rhubarb chutney....

Inman Park Festival find

2009-04-27T19:34:00.002-04:00

our new chair
Originally uploaded by frannylue

Our first piece of "new" furniture for our house! A vintage leather and wood recliner complete with an articulating ottoman. Very comfortable and modern. M found it at City Issue's booth at the Inman park festival. After sitting in it and thinking about it some more, we knew we couldn't pass this one up.

Sorry for the poor pic, but we had to get it back to the apartment somehow. Eventually I will post a better pic of it, most likely with M or the kitties in it.

Sugar High Fridays - Sweet Without the Wheat

2009-04-27T18:27:00.009-04:00

Yup, it is my turn to host SHF created by Jennifer, the Domestic Goddess. Little did I know that when I signed up for this, I would be down a kitchen for the first part of the month. Hopefully M and I will shortly be moving into our new home with a fantastic kitchen. The anticipation of the double ovens has me itching to bake something...if only I could find space for all of the stuff currently being stored in our apartment kitchen.

Anyhow, on to this Month's theme:

SWEET WITHOUT THE WHEAT

So, here is the deal, you can create any dessert you want, but it cannot contain any wheat whatsoever. This means no All Purpose flour, no Self-Rising flour, no Bread flour, and definitely no Whole Wheat flour. The idea here is to give all of us with that pesky intolerance or allergy to wheat a chance to make and taste your fabulous desserts, without dealing with the headaches, and stomach issues that come with eating wheat. Be creative, try a pavlova, ice cream, or venture into the world of alternative flours and try working with rice, corn, tapioca or the many other varieties of flour out there.

So here are the rules:
1. Entries need to be submitted by Monday, May 25th, Memorial Day here in the States, and I will post the round-up on Friday, May 29th.

2. In your entry please include:

a photo of your fabulous dessert (no larger than 500k in size, please)
your name, the name of your blog and a link to it
a brief summary of your dessert
any other information that you would like me to share

3. What if you don't have a blog?... Please send the same information to me along with the recipe. I'll be more than happy to include it in the round up.

4. So where do you send all that information to... Zilla.CTW@gmail.com

Please remember to send your entry to me by Monday May 25th. I look forward to reading all of your fabulous entries and making some new desserts!

Gluten-free pizza!

2009-04-17T09:45:00.001-04:00

Gluten-free pizza!
Originally uploaded by frannylue

Yes you read it right....and from a restaurant too!

The Veg had checked out this place called Z Pizza on a recent trip to Austin and gushed over the fact that they had tons of vegan offerings. Including soy cheeze, which as far as this Wisconsin girl is concerned is a complete abomination, but she also happened to mention that they have gluten free options.

It just so happens that there happens to be a Z Pizza by the mothership. So we headed out to see if it was worth the buzz.

Let me tell you, it was.

First off, you could get essentially anything on the menu gluten free. Including pizza, pasta, and dessert. It took me at least 10 minutes to decide what to get. I just stood there and stared at the menu. I finally decided on a pear and gorgonzola pie and a brownie for dessert. The pizza arrived on a cracker thin crust and was truly delicious. The brownie was decadent dark chocolate. Very awesome.

The best part...there is one in midtown too. No need to go OTP to get my fix!

Got Purple?

2009-04-10T11:11:00.001-04:00

Got Purple?
Originally uploaded by frannylue

Yup, Bitter Chocolate sure is bitter...when it turns purple on your window trim!

Quincy, at the Sherwin-William's store, says it will be truer to it's bitter chocolate color, with more coats. But, I don't think M and I are willing to risk it. So I had Quincy match the paint to the gutters. It looks brown to me now...we'll see what it looks like on the windows after today's predicted thunderstorms pass through.

We also decided that the dark brown is a little too dark for the light stucco, but should look great with the dark stucco and the cypress.

Stay tuned for more house progress. Any guesses on the day we will move in???

Floors and cabinets!

2009-04-04T21:45:00.001-04:00

April 3, 2009 - kitchen
Originally uploaded by frannylue

We are definitely seeing progress now!

Both the hardwood floors and the cabinets were installed this week.

M and his dad also took the week and worked hard on completing other tasks. M's dad built deck panels for our roof deck and M spent the week prepping and staining the cypress siding and I am getting to help with that all weekend long. Luckily, we have a pretty good rhythm going now.

The cypress is supposed to start going up on Monday and we will be spending our evenings next week working on the counter tops. We hope to have those finished by the end of next week!

Progress update

2009-03-29T19:29:00.003-04:00

south side of the house
Originally uploaded by frannylue

I went a little crazy with the picture taking, so check out all the action on my flickr site. The drywall is up and the taping is finished!! I toured the whole house today taking pictures. It actually looks like someone could live there soon!

And that is a good thing. T-1month, from today, we are supposed to be in!

I can't believe that we missed BACONFEST '09

2009-03-29T18:49:00.002-04:00

I can't believe that we missed BACONFEST '09
Originally uploaded by frannylue

yes, some times it is good to live in the south.

A whole festival devoted to bacon. Could there be anything better?? I'm sorry I missed it this year and will have to go with all my bacon lovin' friends next year. Wanna join me?

Help, I'm stuck in a mountain of furniture!

2009-03-29T18:46:00.002-04:00

Help, I'm stuck in a mountain of furniture!
Originally uploaded by frannylue

It has finally stopped raining in Atlanta and everyone is out and about. This is what I saw at the grocery store today. I don't know if I've ever seen a stuffed dog quite that big before!

STUCCOED!!!

2009-03-21T09:24:00.002-04:00

March 20, 2009
Originally uploaded by frannylue

I thought you might like to see the outside of the house as well.

Yes, we finally have stucco too!

Drywall and lots of it

2009-03-21T09:04:00.002-04:00

Drywall and lots of it - from the dining room
Originally uploaded by frannylue

Yesterday morning M stopped at the house on his way to work and gave me a call. He said, "I just want to warn you, they are putting the drywall in, everything is going to feel smaller".

I'm of the opinion that it may feel smaller, but it is all progress and needs to be done if we are going to move in by April 29th.
The only room that felt really small to me was the office, everything else is just looking fantastic. This picture doesn't actually do the drywaller's justice as they had the rest of the house practically finished in 1 day!

I have a feeling that by the end of the day today the dry wall will be in and they will begin finishing it.

Oh, BTW, the guys at work are starting a pool for when we will actually be moved in. The only day they will let me have is the 29th. Any takers?

Yes, Virginia, there is insulation

2009-03-21T08:54:00.002-04:00

Yes, Virginia, there is insulation
Originally uploaded by frannylue

Whoohoo!!!

I am actually about a week behind in blogging about this, so expect another post in about 10 minutes, but whoohooo!

I recently, gave our GC a firm deadline. Something along the lines of "we will be moved in by April 29th" and look what happens. Progress and lots of it!!

Stay tune for more exciting news!

A quick story before bed

2009-02-16T22:10:00.004-05:00

It seems like it is yet again one of those nights. M is asleep on the couch and I am here at the computer, tired but not quite ready for bed.

I haven't written down a new neighborhood antidote in a while so here goes. As you all know we are building our house in a "emerging" neighborhood. This brings a lot of culture into my little Midwest born-and-bred life. And the vast majority of it I truly enjoy and appreciate.

So... the other day I was out in the driveway of the house and a minivan stops in the street in front of me and rolls down the window. Now, I am not alarmed, as this happens at least once a week when I am over at the house. People have a lot of questions and some of them they actually ask.

This time in the van was a woman about my age, driving, and a woman who appeared to be her mother in the passenger seat.

This was the woman with questions.

Here is how the conversation went:

"What is that?" She asks, curiously, but not rude

"A house" I answer

"In this neighborhood??" She replies with a head bob and swing I will never be able to replicate. After all, she was born with a sense of rhythm.
"Who's house is it?" she then asks

I say "it's mine"

"In this neighborhood??" She replies with the same bit of cultural attitude
"To sell?" she then asks

"No" I say, "my husband and I are going to live in it"

"you are?" she says, "In this neighborhood??"

By this time I can see that her daughter is frantically trying to shush her. While crouching as low in the drivers seat as she can.

After a few more questions followed by "In this neighborhood??" they bid me a good day and drive on.

I'm sure we are viewed as "those crazy white kids, building that crazy (or possibly godawful) house" But all-in-all our new neighbors have been very friendly and welcoming to us. Sitting on the front steps yesterday, I kept thinking this is going to be a good place to be..."In this neighborhood??" She replies

Oh and just to let all of you know...the roof is finally on!! That means stucco and wiring cannot be far behind. yay!

Mix CD

2009-02-07T12:45:00.004-05:00

So it is my turn to make a mix CD for my CD club, yet another thing that J at work has gotten me into.

hmm.... what to put into it. I started by doing originals and remakes i.e. Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd and remade by Scissor Sisters. After a few of those, I realized that my itunes library of over 15000 songs didn't have all of songs I wanted, and since we all know I am song challenged*, I soon gave up.

*I have the ability to know every single word in a song, sing along with it on the radio declare it one of my many favorites and have absolutely no idea who sang it, wrote it, or what album it came off of. M loves to play "who sings this song with me"

So now, I have started pulling together songs that I enjoy. So far I have:
High and Dry by Radiohead, and remade by Jamie Cullum;
Blue Light by Mazzy Star;
I Will Survive, the Cake version; Galileo, written by the Indigo Girls, done by Blind Man's Bluff, a now defunct acapella group I knew in college;
Closer to Fine by the Indigo Girls;
Dancing Queen by ABBA, another college fave;
Oh, Atlanta by Alison Krauss;
Hot Hot Hot!! and Pictures of You by The Cure.
Oh and of course, the versions of Comfortably Numb mentioned above

Revised it now looks like this:
High and Dry - Jamie Cullum
Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd
Galileo - Blind Man's Bluff
Closer to Fine - Indigo Girls
So, It's Like That - Joe Banamassa
I Will Survive - Cake
Dancing Queen - ABBA
Comfortably Numb - Scissor Sisters
Rainbow Connection - Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
Revival! - Me Phi Me
Spin the Bottle - The Julia Hatfield 3
These Boots Are Made for Walking - Nancy Sinatra
Oh, Atlanta - Alison Kraus
Pictures of You - The Cure
Blue Light - Mazzy Star
High and Dry - Radiohead
Such Great Heights - The Postal Service

Not too bad, but it doesn't have any REM, OAR, KT Tunstall, Mudcat, etc... I guess that is why you can always do one more mix CD!

Cooking Club: Japanese

2009-02-04T18:30:00.006-05:00

So The Veg and I along with a few others from work have this cooking club thing. We get together once a month or so and have a great meal. This last month was a Japanese meal, sushi, soup, and cookies and ice cream.

ummm, cookies and ice cream??

Yes, as you can see we stuck with the traditional meal and I got to make the traditional cookies and ice cream. Actually, they were definitely Asian inspired and gluten-free and vegan to boot. I'm sure you are all on the edge of you seats waiting for the fantastic recipes that follow!

Jasmine green tea Almond Breeze "Ice Cream"

3 cups Almond Breeze
4 TBS Jasmine Dragon Pearl loose leaf tea
2/3 cup sugar
2 TBS Arrowroot

I think that is the recipe, I am currently doing this from my faulty memory*

Bring 2 cups of the Almond Breeze to a boil add the tea and steep off heat for 15 minutes

meanwhile, stir together the remaining sugar and Almond Breeze, bring this to a boil making sure all of the sugar has dissolved add the arrowroot stir in and take off heat. last time I added the arrowroot straight to the hot liquid, I think it would incorporate better if you mixed it with a little of the Almond Breeze with it before adding it to the hot liquid.

Strain the tea out of the reserved Almond Breeze and mix it in with the hot liquid. Chill overnight and then use your ice cream maker of choice to turn it into frozen goodness.
* I think I may have added some vanilla too, I'll have to go back and check.... nope no vanilla added

* Please note the very Asian maple leaf cookie cutter I found at Dekalb.

Now, Black Sesame Cookies with Matcha Tea Icing
totally ripped from this site: justhungry.com made gluten-free and veganized by me and the Veg

The real ingredient list: (modifications in italics)

Black sesame cookies with matcha icing

For the cookies:

50g / 1.75 oz. raw black sesame seeds
120g / 4.25 oz. dark brown muscovado sugar
250g / 8.8 oz. whole wheat or white cake flour (‘soft’ flour) or regular white all-purpose flour (totally skipped this flour and added the "nearly normal" mix I always talk about)
100g / 3.5 oz. unsalted butter, at room temperature (we are going vegan here folks, so some strange margarine took the place along with vegan shortening when we ran out of the margarine. Mom, please stop shuddering at the word margarine, I promise I don't have any in my house!)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 large egg (again vegan, I was going to use egg replacer, but the Veg didn't have any so we mixed a tablespoon or so of tapioca starch with about a quarter cup of water, it kind of worked)
A few dashes of almond extract

For the icing:

8 Tbs. powdered (icing) sugar
2 Tbs. matcha tea powder
1 Tbs. egg white or egg white substitute

* I don't think I measured any of this and just did water instead of the egg white. Oh, and the only matcha tea I could find was double matcha green tea. Hence, the green flecks in the icing.

recipe directions can be found here: Leaf shaped black sesame cookies with matcha tea icing

Believe it or not both were very yummy and will be made again...

Life through the flickering computer monitor

2009-02-03T22:35:00.002-05:00

So much of life seems to happen these days with a keyboard under my fingers and my eyes glued to the screen above. Reading the latest email from a friend, finding out about the cute thing that their child had done, a tragic story of a loved one, the latest plans for a trip or meeting, or a new recipe to try. They all come at me through my email, google reader, or facebook. Drawing me closer to my friends and family, exploring new ideas, sharing the latest news or gossip. But also putting a glass wall up at the same time. Being connected, but not, through the wireless internet.

I curse and adore the technology around me. I love that I feel connected with everyone I hold dear while on the road or sitting in my living room, but also miss the phone calls that seem to be replaced by texts, the facebook post instead of a letter. On the same token, I am able to keep up with so many more of my dear friends by utilizing this cursed technology. And we all know how good I am with the phone call / letter writing thing. I still have not gotten my Christmas presents mailed out!

Lately it seems that life has been through some pretty high highs and some pretty low lows for those around me. M and I seem to be bystanders touched by these joys and tragedies rather than participants lately, but I also know that can change in an instant and you all would be there for me as I am there for you.

So I guess what I am saying is keep posting, emailing, and sharing. The lives we lead are nothing if we do not share the little things and the big things. Please know that I am jumping for joy with your successes and triumphs and shedding a tear, or a few more, for your failures, tragedies and heartbreaks and, as always, saying a prayer. These connections keep us together, even if they come through a computer screen instead of over a cup of coffee. But, if you ever want to truly chat know that I am, at most, only a phone call away.

Crazy stuff in the ATL

2009-01-25T12:30:00.003-05:00

As those of you who live here know, we have had a bit of a crime wave lately in the downtown neighborhoods. This Wednesday is a great way to show support for our community and fight against crime. Please consider going out for dinner at one of the restaurants listed on this web page: http://atlantanstogether.org/

Thanks!!

Oh, not much happening with the house. We are working through some things with our contractor and hopefully progress will happen soon. blech...

2009-01-11T12:36:00.002-05:00

Oh, new pic stolen from M - Atlanta skyline from the roof deck of our old loft.

2009

2009-01-11T11:33:00.005-05:00

Wow, we are already 11 days into 2009. There are so many things that are supposed to happen this year. In a lot of respects 2008 was a year of waiting, planning, and preparation for me, with 2009 being the year of completion.

Craziness!

This year, yes, this year, M and I will be moving into our, hopefully, gorgeous new home, my modern monstrosity.

This year I will be completing my second project with the mothership and launching it globally!! Hopefully getting to travel to all sorts of exotic locals to participate in the launches. By the time the launches are complete, I'll have worked on this project for 3 years. It will be strange not having to work on it anymore. Right now, the project work and the people working with me are my constant companions.

So, in general 2009 is going to be a year of hard work and hopefully celebration.

My New Year's resolution is to be grateful all year and appreciate what I have and what's around me. And, yes, I came up with this only 11 days into the New Year, so I think my procrastination might be improving. To keep my resolution I am going to post about things I am thankful for, starting today.

Coming back from the holidays, after thoroughly enjoying seeing family and friends, I think M and I both realized how much we enjoy our chosen hometown of Atlanta. Atlanta is the place where we truly began our adult lives. We graduated from school here, we got married here, and we are building our first home here. Who knows where our lives will take us next, but Atlanta will always have a special place in our hearts.

There are a number of reasons to love and enjoy "the city too busy to hate", and if you've been following my facebook, I've started listing them, with a totally random numbering system:

#15: Ria's - M's all time favorite breakfast place. We have achieved regular status, and if M could afford it, he would eat there every day. The food is fabulous and the atmosphere screams Atlanta, or everything that makes my Atlanta great.

#356: Zesto's - An Atlanta fast food institution. With locations all over the city, some kind of scary, you can get your fast food fix. While I can't eat about 90% of their menu, the french fries and ice cream are fabulous. With the L5Ps location a short walk from our door, M and I often head up there for a late evening treat. A chocolate malt for me and a cherry shake for him. Although every once in a while, I'll get a NBC (nut brown crown) Yes, I don't think naming is Zesto's strong suite.

#857: MARTA - our mass transit system. In a lot of respects, it goes nowhere, but does have some pluses. For $1.75 I can get downtown for a game, over to Decatur for dinner and a drink, or down to the airport. And, if I wanted to, I could take it to the mothership, although with the trains and buses, it takes me over an hour each direction. My hope is that they will extend the MARTA up 400 in my lifetime, so I can leave my car at home each morning.

What do you enjoy about Atlanta, or your hometown?

Holiday gifts and treats

2008-12-23T10:13:00.017-05:00

I love to give homemade gifts and treats this time of year and now that I am no longer eating wheat, I find myself making even more treats and bringing them with me to parties so I can indulge a little too. One of my favorite treats is peppermint bark. I found a great recipe for layered bark at epicurious.com and have been making it for the last couple of years.

It has the traditional white chocolate and peppermint candies, but then in the middle is this decadent layer of dark chocolate peppermint truffle. It truly makes the candy spectacular.

This year, after making the peppermint bark twice, I decided to mix things up a little with the third batch and make a fruit and nut bar to go along with it.

WARNING! Extremely rich and delicious.

Recipe:
20 oz good quality white chocolate or white chocolate chips
10 oz good quality dark, bittersweet, or semisweet chocolate
5 Tbs half and half
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup (or to taste) toasted pecans, or the nuts of your choice, roughly chopped
1 cup (or to taste) dried fruit, apricots, craisins, blueberries, peaches, etc

prepare a cookie sheet by covering it with foil.
melt 10oz of the white chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Be careful, the white chocolate can seize easily if it comes into contact with moisture.

Spread the melted chocolate in an even layer on the cookie sheet. Don't expect for it to fill the entire sheet. Sprinkle the white chocolate with half of the nuts and fruit, pressing down lightly to adhere. Place the sheet in the fridge for at least 15 mins.

Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate with the half and half, stirring to combine. Once melted and mixed together, remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Allow to cool for 5 mins.

Remove the white chocolate from the fridge and distribute the chocolate mixture over the top. I usually put big dollops all over it and then use and offset spatula to spread it evenly. Put back in the fridge for 25 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, melt the last of the white chocolate, allow to cool slightly and then apply to the bark in the same manner described above. Sprinkle with the remaining nuts and fruit, press to adhere, and put back in the fridge for another 20 minutes or so.

Remove from the fridge and cut into small wedges using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife. If it has sat in the fridge for longer than 20 minutes, return to room temp before attempting to cut into it. Put the wedges into a bag or tin and store in the fridge, or on the porch (if you love up north)

Enjoy!! (and if you get it as a gift from me, pretend you have no idea how easy it is to make!)

We have windows!!

2008-12-21T18:48:00.003-05:00

Yes, about 70% of our windows have been installed and in preparation for heading north for the holidays I have changed my title picture to one taken last year at home. It is the view of my parent's back yard looking down on the Fox river.

A good time was had by all!

2008-12-21T17:47:00.002-05:00

A good time was had by all
Originally uploaded by frannylue

Yes, yet again this year our friends MB and D felt us worthy enough to be invited to their Christmas extravaganza. You know the party is going to be good when MB takes two days off to cook for it.

While, her turkey was phenomenal, the friends truly made the party. As illustrated by, this video where W attempts to take mine and Stella's picture with my phone. How we winded up with a video, I'm not sure. but, I am glad that no phones were harmed in the process.

Thanks again to MB and D!

BTW... the video was taken vertical, unfortunately I can't figure out how to rotate the video, so just enjoy the increased ambiance.

Wrapping underway!!

2008-12-10T21:50:00.001-05:00

Yes, this means that framing is officially done!! Check out my flickr for more pics. And A's page for the M &W working hard on sealing up the place.

Crazy busy

2008-12-05T23:48:00.003-05:00

Tons of things to blog about, but too busy to do it.
So, when I have a chance I'll put new pics of the house up, it is getting wrapped this week!
I'll write about our fabulous Thanksgiving. (Thanks again to our South GA friends, who really are family, by choice!)
And coming home, where it is freezing cold. Yup, I think it was 1 deg F when I got up this morning, with a windchill of -13. Ahh... a lovely WI winter.

House update

2008-11-16T19:54:00.002-05:00

Forgot to tell you, I took about a million pictures of the house today. Check out my flickr site for all the action. We are almost done framing!!

Pumpkin Spice Cake

2008-11-16T19:10:00.004-05:00

M and I met with some friends this evening for a potluck dinner AKA covered dish dinner. Per usual, I had decided to bring a dessert.

I spent the last few days discussing with M what I should make for dessert. This consists mainly of me asking M "what should I make?", he giving me a suggestion, me agreeing with it, and then a few hours later determining that his suggestion won't work. Thus, I end up mulling over ideas until something hits me.

You would think that M would figure my pattern out and start suggesting things he doesn't like. Unfortunately for him, he hasn't but, every once in a while I do end up making one of his suggestions.

This morning during our normal Sunday breakfast at Ria's, I finally got an idea. Ria had two awesome specials this morning, an omelet with mushrooms and gouda, too die for, and pumpkin pancakes with crystallized ginger whip cream.

Totally ripping that idea off, I present you with:

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Crystallized Ginger

Prep a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and set oven to 350 deg F

Sift together: or dump in a bowl and stir around with a whisk for a while
2 1/2 C flour
I used a modified "nearly normal flour" with an additional 1/4 tsp xanthan gum, any gluten free flour with xanthan gum should work. For you wheat eaters out there, use all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves

In a stand mixer, cream together until nice and fluffy:
1/2 C butter
2 C sugar

Add and beat thoroughly:
1 large egg
1 1/2 C pumpkin puree canned or homemade

Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture alternating with 1/3 C water

Fold in:
1/2 C finely chopped crystallized ginger

Bake at 350 deg F for 45 - 50 minutes

Cool and frost with your favorite frosting, cream cheese or buttercream would work well

Easy Vanilla Buttercream from Cook's Illustrated, March & April 2005

cream together:
10 tbs Butter softened
1 1/4 C powdered sugar

Add:
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbs cream I use half and half

beat slowly until combined, then beat on high speed until double in volume

Cookie Day!!

2008-11-11T09:44:00.005-05:00

We all have our holiday traditions where we prepare for the holiday with our friends and families. In my family, we gather for "cookie day" a day where we make cookies for our holiday giving and eating. My mum often invites a friend or two and we share recipes and spend the day baking, eating, and sharing stories. This has been a tradition as long as I can remember.

This year I thought it would be fun to share our holiday preparations. So here is the plan:

Host or go to a holiday preparation event.
Blog about it, add some recipes, if you are willing to share, then send me a link to your blog with a picture and a short description for me to post here.
or, if you don't have a blog, email me with a description of your event that you wouldn't mind having posted, some pictures, and recipes.
Throughout the month of December I will post these events on my blog.

Oh... you probably want my email: frannylue@hotmail.com

I will be accepting posts and emails through December 31st.

Happy Holidays!!

A few shots during the day

2008-11-09T14:58:00.002-05:00

So you can actually see something.

The view from down the street, remember there will be one more story on the back half of the house.

The front of the house, think solid walls (with big windows) and that is pretty much what you will see from the front.

M on the third floor balcony, searching for the skyline view...looks like we may have to go up to the roof for that.

For more pics head to flickr.

Moving on up

2008-11-05T22:03:00.001-05:00

This is pretty much full height in the front of the house, one more story plus roof access to go on the back. I guess we will be in the trees! (Don't worry no trees have been harmed in the making of this house, they have however been pruned a bit!)

Moving above ground

2008-11-04T22:41:00.001-05:00

First floor walls went up today!

Hope you all took time to vote today. M and I were in line for about an hour and a half. We then rewarded ourselves for doing our civic duty by checking out the house and getting breakfast at Ria's before heading to work.

Not only do we have walls, we have a ceiling!

2008-11-01T07:43:00.008-04:00

Or a floor depending on how you look at it. Either way framing has finally begun!

Check out all the action here.

Now, I'm off to do some knocking on doors for Obama. Remember to get out and vote on Tuesday!!

I hate laundry!!!

2008-10-26T09:33:00.004-04:00

Or maybe it is laundromats either way, I'm not a fan.

M thinks that the laundromat philosophy is great! You can leave the laundry until you have absolutely nothing left to wear and then wash it all in 2 hours and spend the next three days folding it! Then you are done for the next month or so, depending on the amount of underwear you have.

I on the other hand, would prefer to have my own washer and dryer. That I could use whenever the mood or need arose. I could do a load here a load there and then sit down and fold it in a matter of minutes. And, if I didn't have time to throw it into the dryer I could wait an hour or two, maybe more, without having to worry about someone stealing my cloths, pulling them out and setting them somewhere. It is all in my control.

So, here at the Bass M has won this battle and we use the laundry in the basement. We honestly do not have room for a washer and dryer in our 600 sqft, and boy do I miss them. M and I have worked out a system here at the Bass, he washes and dries and I fold and try not to bitch too much about how he mixed up the colors, washed at the wrong temperature, etc. And for the most part it works for us. But sometimes the system breaks down.

See, I have this other small problem. Keys don't work for me. Yes, I know, you insert it in the correct lock and turn it and the door magically opens. Not for me, they don't turn in the lock, or I loose them. Although I secretly think they run away and hide on me. Every single door in the Bass is keyed. There are a couple hundred people living here, using their keys day after day and the locks have become super-screwy. I can open my apartment door, a few of the outside doors, but that is it. If I don't walk up to one of the doors that I have figured out how to finagle. I'm stuck. Luckily for me, the laundry room is never locked. Not so with the business center.

Yes, all of that background does lead up to a story.

This morning I get woken up twice by text messages from M. My phone chirps and the cats start running then it takes me forever to get them settled back down so I can go to sleep. The first text was at 5:40 AM. No sleeping in for Zilla. I end up talking to M about 8, his plane to the ATL is delayed and he won't be in until closer to 11:30. Drat! I thought I had gotten out of doing the laundry. "We" decide that I should get it started so that it would be done and I would have clean clothes in San Antonio next week. So, I ask M how much is on the laundry card, he says $10 or $11. So, as long as I didn't do too much I wouldn't have to try to open the business center door.

I gather up about four loads of essentials. Packed them in a couple of duffles after trashing my laundry cart. Another saga in the life of Zilla and M. And went down to the basement in my pjs at about 9AM. Got down there checked the card $6.25, great. I have 4 loads at $1.25 to wash and $1.00 to dry, I'm at $9. I'm going to have to do battle with the business center door in order to refill the card. Happy Sunday Zilla!!

Well, nothing I can do about it. I did say I had 4 loads of essentials. I piled them in the washers got it started and prepared to do battle. I ran upstairs, grabbed my spare keys, maybe they would work better, and some cash. I rode the elevator back down and started fussing with the lock, switched keys, fussed some more. Pulled the door tightly closed, pushed it as open as possible, jiggled the handle. Tried it all again. Maybe I could jimmy it with the laundry card, nope wrong kind of door. After 10 minutes I had no luck. What is a girl to do? Maybe I could stalk the lobby and see if anyone was up to help me. I ran upstairs and looked around. All the doors were dark, after all it was now 9:15 or so on a Sunday morning. If you are not in church or climbing, you should damn well be sleeping and not madly trying to do laundry. I looked at the bookshelves in the lobby, found a couple of good ones, while not a soul stirred. Now, remember I'm still in my pjs, in this case sweatpants and the '08 boatrock comp shirt, looking very attractive, let me tell you! After finding the books, I decided I really didn't want to see anyone anyway. I ran downstairs tried the lock one more time, nope, nada, nothing. And you thought this story would have a happy ending!

When the 4 loads were done, I crammed as many of the essentials into the one dryer I could afford. and brought the remaining clothes upstairs. I currently have 7 pairs of pants hanging in the shower, a rather large load in the dryer, which hopefully will be mostly dry, and a bruised thumb from trying to get into the business center. Better luck next time!

Actually, I think M may be doing the laundry for awhile and I may have to find a course on how to open doors with keys. Do you think that is offered somewhere?

"you're not a digging girl"

2008-10-24T19:21:00.011-04:00

Yes, my husband knows me well.

This past week "we" began our first home improvement project. AKA: "We can save some money and get better quality waterproofing if "we" do it ourselves." Yes, the ubiquitous "we", luckily for me, M knows that "we" really means "he". Not that I am not willing to help, but I have a tendency to make him nervous with power tools. Little does he know how dangerous a kitchen aid mixer can be! But still some how I ended up with a Remington nail gun in my hands...

So, this past weekend M decided that "we" were going to waterproof the basement. There were only a few issues:
1. the supply store isn't open on the weekends, it's not like you can walk into Lowes and get this stuff

2. we both work during the week and the times we could get out of work were not the same

3. M was going up to North Dakota to shoot little innocent flying creatures on Wednesday. Not that I am opposed to him shooting creatures, they are good eatin', but it severely limited the amount of time "we" had to get this project done.

So, with all that in mind M was convinced that "we" could start it on Monday night and he could finish on Tuesday morning while I was at work. He then could be in to work by noon and we both could catch up with respective friends that evening. He would pack for the trip when he got home and we would crash so I could take him to the airport in time for his 6 AM flight on Wednesday. Not a problem, right?

...RIGHT

To start it off, things got started late on Monday. I always have a late day on Monday, but arrange to take my 5PM conference call at home, so I could be over to the site soon after 6. M called me as I was scrambling to finish up at work, Damn those addictive spreadsheets!* He was stuck on 285 trying to get to the supply store.

* yes I truly think spreadsheets can be addictive, I guess that comes with being an uber-dork.

M and I met up about 6:30 and he had gotten the goop and the sheeting to go over the goop, but they didn't have any rollers. So he wanted to head to Lowes to get rollers and a shovel while I was going to head to the grocery store and then meet him there. Oh, and he was still planning to go to the climbing gym that night. We also had the offer to go out to dinner with friends. And it was getting dark.

It was then that I suggested that we could shovel off the foundations together and speed some of this up. But luckily, M sometimes has more sense than me. He looked at me and said, "you're staving" and "you're not a digging girl" Right there ladies, is why I married the man. Yes, he knew that by the time we got back from Lowes with the supplies I would be one whiney, hungry, girl and would work through my hunger, but he would pay for it later.

So, we ended up dropping the goop and supplies off at A&Ws and I went off to dinner with A&W and friends, it is wise to keep me well fed. While, M ran to Lowes and then to the gym for team decrepitude training.

In the morning M got up and "we" got working. By that I mean, I slept a half hour later, got myself to the mothership and sat through about 4 hours worth of meetings. M, on the other hand, began spreading goop on the walls. Luckily, I had outfitted him with some top of the line gloves and glasses from the said mothership.

I talked to M at noon, and he said that it was going slower than he thought, but he was starting to get the hang of it. He figured that he still might get to work later in the afternoon. About 2PM he left me a message, he wasn't going to make it in. I called him back and then waited for him to call me back. The goop was so sticky that he couldn't get the gloves off in time to answer the phone. Yup, the "we" project had officially turned into a WE project, he had determined that he would need my help to get it all done. That is how I ended up with a Remington nail gun in my hand.

I got to the site about 5:30 and M's coworker was there helping him out. It was determined that the coworker and I would begin putting the protective fabric over the goop while M continued to paint it on. We secured the fabric to the walls using the gun. After another trip to Lowes, we finished in the dark and had dinner at ElMyr* at about 9 at night.

*No one blinked when we walked in covered with goop. Yet, another reason to love L5P, no matter what you are wearing, or covered in, someone at the next table is most likely more outrageous than you.

M, after it was all done. His clothes are clean only because he changed before he left the site. He didn't want to ruin his truck. Some day the black goop will be off his arms.

So many, many kudos to M's coworker, we know there were better things he could be doing with his time. Thanks to everyone else who helped especially A&W for allowing us to borrow your garage, so someone wouldn't walk off with a $1000 worth of goop. What would someone do with that stuff anyway??

And please admire "our" handiwork. As soon as they fill, it will only be a fine memory, and hopefully a dry basement!

Beautiful, isn't it.

Oh, and you can check out the rest of the progress here.

We have Walls!!

2008-10-11T10:37:00.004-04:00

Or at least a basement! That in itself is pretty spectacular for Georgia. Yes, that is M checking out the work from above. He was really pleased with how the guys did the form work. All the rebar was centered and construction stuff like that. AKA if M's happy Zilla's happy!

Now, for all you out there that have not been able to make their way over to the site, I have set up some online tours. So click here Mum! That should take you right to the slide show. There is also what the action looks like from the street and general goings-on.

All-in-all it has been a couple of pretty exciting weeks in the our little world. They start framing next week, M is thinking that will take about three weeks to complete.

Happy Birthday Bud!!

2008-10-07T17:42:00.017-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUD!!

I had a great time visiting Bud this past weekend and celebrating his birthday. It was a weekend of sports, fun, and just a few drinks in Salt Lake City. I arrived on Friday night and had dinner with Bud and our Cousin MW. We had a great time chatting and I got to experience my first 3.2 beer, not terrible, not great, just kinda sweet tasting. Bud and I also spent part of Friday watching the curling epic "Men With Brooms". He and I are already planning for a repeat performance at the Stevens Point Mixed next year. (yes, not only did Bud get my fabulous presence as a birthday present I got him a DVD of Men with Brooms)

The next morning we got up an walked in the rain to The Park Cafe. The breakfast was stellar with the potatoes getting my ultimate compliment. Yes, I did not use ketchup, they were that good. We then went to the Tracy Aviary and had a ball. Daddy, they even had a crow!

My favorite bird was the kookaburra, although it brought up one of the many camp songs from childhood:

Kookaburra sits in an old gum tree
Merry merry king of the bush is he
Laugh kookaburra
Laugh kookaburra,
Gay your life must be

After a few minutes Bud made me stop singing it, but it continued to play in my head all day long.

That night, after watching the Brewers win, we headed out to the Tavernacle. I'm not quite sure what Salt Lake City thought of our Wisconsin-style celebration. But, I am sure the dueling pianists have had that much fun in a while. Let's just say, no one got hurt and we made some new friends.

Here we are at the end of the night, a friend of Bud's, MW, me, Bud and some random guy who popped into the picture.

On Sunday, Bud's actual birthday, after watching the Brewers and the Packers lose, we headed up to catch the tail end of Octoberfest at Snowbird. The mountain s were gorgeous, topped with their first snowfall and Bud and I took in a little polka!

While I was away, M was keeping track of the house progress. We now have forms up for the basement/garage and things look like they are coming along.

A tour

2008-09-25T22:47:00.007-04:00

consider me, spinning, in what will soon be our basement/garage...
This is what you would see (moving clockwise):

too bad that I'm not any good at photoshop. Maybe someday I'll figure out how to do a panoramic

Here is the house report:
Footings are scheduled to be poured tomorrow provided they get inspected first.
So far, only a few items of concern:
1. the hole is pretty close to the post oak
2. the footings for the retaining wall appear to be coming up too high for the pervious pavers

I'm sure M will take care of things in the morning.

We are off to a wedding this weekend, then I head to San Antonio, Michigan, and finally to Salt Lake City to see Bud. It is going to be a crazy week!

I have asked M to keep up with the pictures. We will have to see how he does.

Moving Dirt!

2008-09-20T12:02:00.003-04:00

It has begun!

Anybody, need some dirt? A&W are taking some, but we have plenty to go around.

So, A visited the site yesterday and caught our neighbor Mr J (I have a feeling that this is the first of many Mr J stories) guiltily wheeling his wheelbarrow across the street and taking dirt. She said "take all you want, they want you to take it" so he did, but was still feeling guilty. When M and I arrive on site for our first Friday Night Happy Hour, he quickly came out of his house and told us what he did. Then asked if he could take some more. We happily said yes.

But, even with A&W and Mr J and his wheelbarrow. We have plenty of dirt to remove from the site. Anybody want some?

Voting - it is a hard fought right

2008-09-16T22:09:00.005-04:00

I received this from a colleague at work earlier this week and thought I would post it here. So often we forget about the struggles of those who came before us. Whether you are a democrat, a republican, or an independent. Please exercise your right this November.

"This is the story of our Grandmothers and Great-grandmothers; they lived only 90 years ago.

Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote.

The women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote.

And by the end of the night, they were barely alive. Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of 'obstructing sidewalk traffic.'

(Lucy Burns)

They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air.

(Dora Lewis)

They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack.

Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.

Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote.

For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms.

(Alice Paul)

When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/suffrage/nwp/prisoners.pdf

So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because--why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?

Last week, I went to a sparsely attended screening of HBO's new movie 'Iron Jawed Angels.' It is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have my say. I am ashamed to say I needed the reminder.

All these years later, voter registration is still my passion. But the actual act of voting had become less personal for me, more rote. Frankly, voting often felt more like an obligation than a privilege. Sometimes it was inconvenient.

My friend Wendy, who is my age and studied women's history, saw the HBO movie, too. When she stopped by my desk to talk about it, she looked angry. She was--with herself. 'One thought kept coming back to me as I watched that movie,' she said. 'What would those women think of the way I use, or don't use, my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn.' The right to vote, she said, had become valuable to her 'all over again.'

HBO released the movie on video and DVD . I wish all history, social studies and government teachers would include the movie in their curriculum I want it shown on Bunco night, too, and anywhere else women gather. I realize this isn't our usual idea of socializing, but we are not voting in the numbers that we should be, and I think a little shock therapy is in order.

It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy.

The doctor admonished the men: 'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.'

Please, if you are so inclined, pass this on to all you know.

We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so hard for by these very courageous women. Whether you vote democratic, republican or independent party - remember to vote.

History is being made."

A beautiful site

2008-09-16T20:41:00.002-04:00

Follow the progress here.

Permitting?? could it be that easy?

2008-09-12T18:21:00.002-04:00

Yes, after 9 weeks, to the day, we have a permit.

So I asked M, how did it go?
he said it was pretty uneventful.
No parade, no confetti, no balloons from the ceiling. Nothing.

I guess surviving the Atlanta permitting process should be enough.

We meet with the builder on Sunday, hopefully we will be digging a hole next week.

Pictures to follow.

House update

2008-09-07T11:59:00.001-04:00

It looks like we might actually get a permit this week. I'm not promising anything but, maybe this time next week I'll have a picture of a big hole in the ground. I'll keep you posted.

DragonCon 2008

2008-08-30T15:17:00.010-04:00

Now, I think we all know that I'm not much for video games, scifi (unless it is a good book), gaming, etc.

But forgoing all that, Atlanta is the home to DragonCon. A huge conference / party celebrating all things "dorky" (according to M).

DragonCon takes over Atlanta's downtown you can walk down the street and pass a Jedi knight talking to a Klingon, faeries dancing with pirates, and so on. While most of the festivities take place inside the many Atlanta hotels, on Saturday morning they shut down Peachtree and have a parade.

This year I decide to surprise M and take him downtown to enjoy the parade and all of it's glorious dorkiness.

We were not disappointed...

For all of the pictures check out my flickr page
...yes this is just a taste of the glorious dorkiness.

Day off!

2008-08-29T17:29:00.004-04:00

Well, I had a great day. I lazed around in the morning doing my favorite "sick day" things. Sleeping in, lounging in my pajamas with the kitties on the couch, watching the today show...

It was fabulous!

I then got my act together and went down to city hall to pick up our approved plot!! When I got home M was there, he had taken the afternoon off. We ran over to Decatur and had a nice lunch at Taqueria Del Sol and were able to walk our approved plot through Dekalb county. I have to say that the county is so much easier than the city. We walked to the courthouse and got the plot recorded in the plat book and then over to the GSI department and were done in 1 hour! That is so amazing when it has taken the city a full month to get our plot approved.

We then got the copies made and brought them back to the city to be distributed. Spoke with the zoning lady and set up an appointment with her for next week. This forward progress means we might actually be able to break ground in the next few weeks!

How much do you want to be that it will happen when I am in San Antonio??

Lastly, my favorite sister (okay, my only sister) has started a blog http://life-in-lala.blogspot.com/ check it out!

The joys of living in L5P...

2008-08-28T21:39:00.003-04:00

So, M and I had a great night tonight. We got home drove over to the Glenwood and had a nice dinner.

I have to say though, the place looks completely different when you are sober. The last time I was there was (I think) Ash's birthday. I think it was our third or fourth stop of the night. Let's just say a good time was had by all.

(back to tonight)

We sat on the back deck had a nice meal. They have fabulous food. I had a great Caesar salad and M had some rabbit Brunswick stew. Both were very yummy. We then took a little walk through EAV and drove home.

Now, Moreland is under construction, so traffic was a little snarly and we finally were able to turn onto our street. Just as we are about to approach our entrance. A few guys deliberately walked out in front of us. So I honked at them and got called (earmuffs) a fuckin' bitch. I then proceed to try to turn into our drive and another fine upstanding citizen proceeds to call me again (earmuffs) a fuckin' bitch. And give me a 5 minute diatribe on how I almost ran him over. Now, since I just stopped ever so patiently for the a**holes crossing in front of me. I could not have been going that fast. Besides the fact that I was still in the street, not even touching the sidewalk and the guy had to walk towards the car with his fingers raised just so we could hear him. M and I kind of stared the guy down and he eventually moved on.

Anyway, the combination of the two kind of ruined the mood of our night. I just wish people were a little more conciensous of others, even if they are in cars. It seems to me that some people just like to come to our neck of the woods to act "cool". While the ambiance and mood of L5Ps are the few of the reasons we live here. Cool does not equal nasty and rude.

Well. tomorrow's another day. And I took it off. I'm not going to let the interlopers ruin my 4 day weekend.

if 10 eggwhites don't make a meringue, then i'm not sure what does...

2008-08-27T19:32:00.004-04:00

And so begins my foray in to angelfood cake making.

Now, the story begins long ago with my mum telling me that you should make every cake from scratch except for an angelfood cake. "it is just too much work". I watched our foreign exchange student attempted it when I was in junior high and her cake ended up about 2" high. So, I've basically stuck with my mum's advice. Until Monday night.

I've been reading a lot of Sheri's blog It's Just Not Dinner Without Cat Hair (the story of my life too) and came across this recipe. An angelfood cake! Now, M is a texture eater and it has been a real struggle for him with me taking the wheat out of the house. Everything is a "little grainy", "too gummy" or "just not right". When I found this, I thought it might actually work. M loves angelfood cake and it is mainly eggwhites, so the texture shouldn't change too much.

A dozen eggs later (to get 10 egg whites) and a powdery mess from all of the sifting I had one beautiful angelfood cake baking away in the oven. It baked and rose high and actually stayed pretty tall when it was done.

So, how to serve it?? With lightly sweetened strawberries and creme anglaise, afterall I had 10 egg yolks too. And I fully believe that the whole egg should be together. So, I whipped up a quick creme anglaise from my new favorite gastronomy book, What Einstein Told His Cook 2. Unfortunately I did not have the whole milk and used skim instead. I ended up cooking it in the microwave for a bit to thicken. I thickened it too much, but a quick pass through a mesh strainer and the lumps are mostly gone!

So for this month's Sugar High Friday, I submit not a meringue, but a G-F Angelfood Cake with Fresh Strawberries and Creme Anglaise.

Just don't tell A & J that I had a piece before knitting night. I had to get the picture!! And I'll have another when I get there!

My "jet-setting" lifestyle

2008-08-23T12:51:00.003-04:00

So, my boss came up to me last week and said "do you want to go to Neenah next Friday?" Well, usually in those cases it is best to just say "yes". So I did and started thinking about staying over on Friday night and visiting with my sister. Well, that's not quite what happened yesterday.

I couldn't stay over because I was riding up and back on the corporate plane. yup, me with a bunch of big-wigs on a plane for 4 hours yesterday. Now, I have to say, despite the big-wigs. and in actuality they are all really nice people and easy to talk to. This is the way to travel. The plane took off at 7AM, so my boss told me to be there by 6:30. No waiting! No security! no liquid carry-on limits, no lines, and a continental breakfast to boot. The food was way better than first class.

The plane was kind of like what you would see in the movies, with the highly polished wood cabinets and doors, four captain's chairs, and two couches that ran the rest of the length of the plane. Pretty comfy.

Despite the fact that I wasn't allowed to bring my knitting and my headphones and hide in the corner, the ride up and back went well. We mostly just ate and chatted. The Olympics was the hot topic of conversation.

For some reason, I don't think my next trip will be quite so comfy.

Finished!

2008-08-03T12:40:00.003-04:00

The stitch took a little longer than I wanted it to, but the blanket turned out great.

Permitting...will it ever end

2008-08-02T10:53:00.005-04:00

So, M got me involved in the permitting process this week.

He received a call from the zoning people earlier in the week and went in to chat with them. While there he discovered:

He had calculated the height of our house wrong and we were potentially too tall. (the actual definition of building height was buried in the zoning rules so far that it took me an hour and a half to find it)
The lot that we had bought and had surveyed was different then what was in the plat books for the county and the city.
We may be covering too much of the lot with our house. (we hadn't included the driveway or the decks on the upper stories in our calculations.)

At first the lady in zoning tore him a new one, saying stuff like we weren't going to be able to build it and so on and so forth. Then M gave her the low down. Explaining how far behind schedule we are and how we really can't make too many changes now. Not to mention how much we have already invested in this new house. After explaining our situation a little the lady started working with us. I think she began to feel like she was helping "M and Zilla" build their house, instead of some crazy muckity-muck architect wanting to build some modern atrocity. She and M worked out some sort of a plan and M got me involved.

I spent some time (an hour and a half) going through the zoning codes and found the definition of building height. Then my "crazy math brain" started coming up with about a million different ways to calculated it. The best thing about definitions is how many ways you can interpret them. Let's just say M was pretty glad he married me.

So, the next day M and I started working through the math and came up with a couple different scenarios that had the house all within the height restrictions. The main problem is that we are excavating our driveway and garage to hide them from view on the street, giving that side of the house a height of about 10 ft above the maximum height, but luckily for us it is the average height of the building that matters.

M then had me go to city hall with him to talk to the zoning lady. Once we got into see her, I was amazed at how helpful she was. We got the lot coverage out of the the way (we are at 46% and the max is 50%). Now to deal with building height. We were able to get her sold on our method, with a few corrections. Then she went to verify it with her boss. We could see them talking, it was like two people deciding you fate and you had no control. At first we thought it wasn't going to work, her boss didn't like it at all. Then she went to bat for us. YAY!!! M and I sat and watched her work for about 10 minutes and eventually we saw her boss nodding along with her. When she came back she asked us to move the retaining wall forward on the garage side of the house. (a small change that we could handle) That would move up our average grade and we would be within the maximum height.

Now, we just have to get the plat worked out. M called the county and they were already aware of the issue and were working on it on their end. That is supposed to take 7 days, then it goes to the city, another 15 days. Me being the optimist thinks that maybe we will be able to break ground this month, M thinks it may be September. Either way, I'm glad we signed the year lease at the loft instead of the 6 month.

Now for a couple fun notes:

M won his first commission at work. YAY!!! This is a BIG DEAL for an architect, but he is being his usual modest self about all of it. Hopefully in a couple of years we will all be traveling to Resaca National Battlefield and seeing his plan and buildings complete.
M and I had lunch with the fam at Brines, a Stillwater institution, while we were home. One of my all time favorites ever and a true family favorite. If you are there to eat, you can't walk out without having a hot fudge malt (yes, I know the malt powder may not be good for me, but this is a special treat and I felt fine the rest of the day). If you are there to drink, order yourself a bloody and enjoy the beef stick that comes with it. Mmmm......

Obviously, Bud was enjoying his malt.
This may become my new monitor background at work...

Possibly GF Tater tot hot dish

2008-07-30T19:23:00.009-04:00

It is always amazing how often you have coincidences, or near misses. M and I went to the homeland to see family and boy did we see family. My Mum's side had a family reunion on Saturday and we were able to see M's family on both ends of the weekend. We came home Sunday night late, exhausted, but glad that we were able to see everyone. (Pictures of the mayhem are available on my Flicker site for friends and family, I'll probably post a few of the better ones here too)

So, back to near misses, after being at home all weekend I was quite surprised to get a voicemail from a grad school friend that was in 'Sconi visiting her own in-laws. Liz, if we had only known you were in town we could have caught up on Sunday! She called to request my tater tot hot dish recipe (yes it is a hot dish, not a casserole) She is planning on serving this Midwest delight to her new friends out east when they return from vacation.

Now, just so you know, I do think that this hot dish has a certain "low brow" factor to it, with the condensed soup and all, but sometimes comfort is really what you need. I'll post my Jello Cake recipe soon, another "low brow" but delicious excursion into Midwest culinary adventures.

So, here is the original recipe for those that can eat wheat:
2 cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup and a little milk
1 lb of hamburger (I usually use ground turkey)
green beans, fresh or frozen
Onion flakes
Salt and pepper
tater tots

Season the meat with salt, pepper, and the onion flakes and brown
Put the browned meat in the bottom of a 9x11 baking dish
Mix together the cans of soup and add a little milk until it gets to a good spreadable consistency
spread half of the soup mixture on top of the meat
top with green beans and then the rest of the soup mixture
cover the whole mess with lots of tater tots
bake at 350 until warm, bubbly and the tater tots have browned

Here comes the GF (I think) version:

First the ingredients (definitely the tricky part)

Ground Turkey
Peas (or you could have used green beans, mixed veggies, etc)
Onion flakes
salt and pepper (sound familiar)
1 can organic cream of mushroom soup, thickened with RICE flour, instead of wheat flour like the other brands
poultary seasoning (yes, I think it is supposed to be poultry seasoning, Dekalb Farmer's Market isn't known for their spelling)
Olive oil
Worcestershire sauce
garlic powder

It starts out, just like the other version by browning the meat. Since I was using ground turkey breast, I added a little olive oil to the pan. I added the poultary seasoning, onion flakes, and salt and pepper. After browning it, I thought it lacked flavor so I tossed in some garlic powder, and the Worcestershire sauce along with some more pepper. You can really use any seasoning you desire.

Once the seasoning was good. I added the cream of mushroom soup and the peas. After mixing it all together, I thought it looked a little dry, so I added a half a can of milk. Way too much! As you can see it became quite soupy. I tried to remedy this by adding some cornstarch and baking it a bit before topping with the tater tots. It helped some, but next time definitely less milk (if any)

Top with the tater tots and toss in the oven at 350 until golden bubbly and brown

Now, I checked the ingredients on the tater tots and I couldn't see any sign of wheat, but I didn't call or email to confirm. The same with the soup, but after running to the grocery store in the rain after work and searching for soup for a good 20 minutes. I decided both of these would be "good enough". Every normal brand of soup, does thicken their cream of mushroom with wheat flour.

So, on the next rainy or cold day, check out this little taste of the Midwest. I hope you will be pleasantly surprised.

GF Blueberry Steusel Muffins

2008-07-19T14:08:00.020-04:00

Mmmm...

So, I'm headed back to San Antonio this week and decided to treat myself to some muffins for breakfast while I am there. Lucky for me, J from work dropped off some fresh blueberries. yum!

Recipe modified from the June/July 2007 issue of Cook's Country.

Streusel:
1c brown rice flour
1/3c brown sugar
1/3c white sugar
1/2tsp of cinnamon
1/4tsp of kosher salt
7 Tbs of melted butter

Squish the flour, sugars and cinnamon together with a fork, add melted butter and mix until pea size clumps form.

Wet stuff:
4 Tbs of very soft butter
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 c sugar
1 tsp lime (or lemon) zest
1/2c buttermilk

Whisk the egg until smooth and add the sugar, vanilla, and zest, whisk to incorporate. (don't you just love that bowl. It use to be my grandma's) Whisk in the super soft butter. than the buttermilk. My mixture curdled a bit, but don't worry about that.

Dry stuff:
2 c nearly normal flour
1/8 tsp xanthan gum
1 Tbs baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt

Whisk together to sift
reserve 1Tbs of the flour for the berries

Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients, gently fold the two together.
(yup, the bowl even has a pour spout. could it be any better for baking?)
The xanthan gum will make the dough very stiff.

The good stuff:
1 1/2 c frozen blueberries

Since I had fresh berries, I rinsed them off then put them on a paper towel and in the freezer, while I threw the rest of the ingredients together. By the time I was ready for the berries, they were frozen quite nicely. Freezing the berries will prevent them from bleeding all over the muffins and the paper towel made them easy to get out of the pan. Toss the berries with the flour before adding to the batter. Fold in the berries, until evenly scattered throughout the dough.

Getting ready to bake:

prep the pan, you could butter and flour each individual muffin cup, or you could just use the pretty paper liners.
scoop in the dough, press it into the cups with a wet finger
Cover the muffins with streusel, I had a lot of streusel left over, and may make less next time. Although, the stuff is pretty good by itself.

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes

Cool in the pan for 30 minutes then remove and cool the rest of the way.
Supposedly will store in a sealed container for 3 days at room temp...if they last that long

Two seconds later:

Yup, they are pretty good.

Almost nothing to report.

2008-07-15T19:35:00.003-04:00

We went though permitting with the house on Friday.

M brought all the documents in and they passed with flying colors, our GC had a crew ready to dig a big hole on Monday (yesterday) and then M got the bad news.

Although he went through the permitting review and the woman in charge said we were done and everything looked good, we have to wait one to two weeks to get the actual permit. She needs to interoffice the documents to various people and have them email her to tell her that they received them.... did I mention that she is the one in charge, and she already did the review???

Don't you just love the city of Atlanta.
total efficiency.

Happy 4th! (one day late)

2008-07-05T09:43:00.007-04:00

We had a great 4th yesterday. Nice and laid back with some friends. (Thanks MB & D for having us over, the food and company, as always, was fabulous!)

We had talked about going out of town, but with our crazy schedules we never got anything set up. I think staying home might be just what the doctor ordered, some lazy R&R, before we springboard into summer.

We are headed back to the homeland in a few weeks for a family reunion with the house and work this probably will be our getaway for the summer. My aunt and uncle are hosting the family reunion and recently asked for some pictures from our wedding. I had so much fun reminiscing that I thought I would share some of the pictures here. All of the professional pictures were taken by Carl Christie, who did a fantastic job.

M and his sis K, goofing off for the camera

For those of you that weren't there, M and I split our wedding into a weekend of festivities, a private ceremony on Friday, and a low country boil reception on Saturday. We rented out Laurel Hill Bed and Breakfast for the weekend. The two houses had just enough room for our families to stay, giving us a perfect place for the ceremony and reception.

Walking down the isle, or cobblestone path. I'm wearing my grandma's dress.
(the 6th person to wear it)

This may be my favorite picture. I think it captures the ceremony perfectly.

It's legal!

This is just so much my sister and I.

The reception (Dad and Uncle T in the foreground)

Cutting the cake.

More of the reception, the grounds were beautiful.

Cousin M, Bud, and K

At Ted's for dinner on Sunday (notice the people in the window)

All-in-all, it was a great weekend, memorable and meaningful. Everything a wedding should be!

Tired, like my cat

2008-06-28T09:52:00.009-04:00

Yup, I'm tired. After a few weeks of traveling it will be good to be home for a while. The trips all went well and I completed my San Antonio mission with nary a taco in sight.

Although, I was really tempted at the airport when all I had all day was a couple of breakfast bars and the delta wouldn't let me fly standby. I had checked my bag and you now have to "fly with your bags". That bag weighed a gazillion tons. Steel toes and paperwork will do that, I did carry it on on the way down, but I couldn't get it back out of the overhead compartment without some help. It is kind of hard to lift a gazillion pounds over your head. So, I decided not to cart it all over the airport and check it instead. Next time, I'll just be a nuisance to all and drag that bag behind me. Some kind, tall, gentleman will have to help me get it down from the overhead compartment. I'm sure I would take someone out, most likely myself, if I tried to get it down.

These first two pictures are of Rover, as you can see he is tired too. It is tough trying to escape from his human enforced torture. He really feels that it is unfair that we keep him trapped inside of our place. So, he protests. First by crying at the door, and when he is exhausted he just lays there. This usually continues until he gets hungry, a 20+ pound cat has to eat, you know. The crying used to bother M and I, its not like Rover doesn't have a good life. Plenty to eat, plenty of soft places to nap, a sister to play with, lots of cat toys to position so M and I step on them in the middle of the night...you get my drift. Now, we just take out his leash. Rover hates his leash (see #9), but it is the only way we will let him out. That usually stops the crying and no one ends up going outside.

His sister on the other hand, looks pretty cute when she sleeps. Not that she can't be an imp too.

So, to finish up my dining experience in San Antonio:

Wednesday: Chinese place by work for lunch, it wasn't bad, wasn't great, either. The Liberty Bar for dinner. Which once again did not disappoint. We had the fromage plate as an app. With lots of gooey brie and three other types of cheese, dried cherries, and really good almonds to snack on it was delicious. I had a grilled duck salad for dinner. The duck was nicely seasoned and grilled and placed on a bed of greens, dressed pretty simply with a lemon vinaigrette. The salad was also topped with some apple and orange slices and a few more of those dried cherries. Yummy! We then headed over to the mall for the bookstore and Amy's ice cream. (warning: only click on this link if you want to be annoyed)

Thursday: Left over Jason's Deli from a team training at work for lunch. The Barn Door for dinner. After four days I had run out of ideas, so my coworker remembered this place from when he was in San Antonio last. It took us a while to find it, but definitely worth it. Restaurant and Meat Market, and it had good Met. I had a heart attack on a plate for dinner, filet wrapped on house smoked bacon and a twice baked potato stuffed with more of the bacon and cheese. Mmmm... to make it not a complete heart attack, I had a side of mushrooms (with wine and butter sauce) these were awesome too, and a salad, see perfectly healthy meal.

On the way back to the hotel, on Anneathema's suggestion, we stopped at the Olmos Pharmacy for a milkshake, or should I say Bharmacy... yup, not a spelling error. The Olmos Pharmacy has re-opened as the Olmos Bharmacy. My true disappointment in this, was not so much in the bad pun, but the fact that the soda fountain closed at 4 because the night staff didn't know how to make milkshakes. Totally lame, my 5 year old niece could make a fantastic milkshake, if her mom would let her near the blender. I went back to the hotel and had a Haagen-dazs ice cream bar to drown my sorrows.

Last, but not least, my new project:
Don't you love the stitch! It will eventually be a baby blanket for some friends. So far it has been slow going, but I think it will turn out well.

Now I'm off to bake a cake for M's birthday. The old man turned 31 this week.

San Antonio Challenge...

2008-06-24T23:10:00.004-04:00

Yes, on my 4th trip of the year down to the lovely state of Texas and the city of San Antonio, my co-worker and I issued a challenge...

NO TEX-MEX

Now, being here for a week, that is quite a challenge. Especially since both of us are foodies and the tex-mex around here is pretty good, but if you don't watch it, you end up eating beans and rice all week. Here is how we are doing so far:

Monday: hotel breakfast, Chili's be the airport for lunch, Bill Miller's BBQ (at work) for dinner. Nothing stellar, but no tex mex.

Tuesday: no breakfast (I prefered sleeping in and a breakfast bar), Jason's Deli (at work) for lunch, and Boudro's for dinner. Where I had some pretty awesome stuffed quail and a margarita. We did order the house specialty guac for the table, but that doesn't count.

So, no Tex-Mex so far. We did take the intern down to the Riverwalk and the Alamo. Another goal for this trip maybe to actually get to the Alamo before it closes in the evening. I've been there at least 4 times now, but still have not been inside the gates.

Just remember, San Antonio is a tourist destination, or so says the bossman. Even if it is still over 80 degrees at 10:30 PM.

Hmm... wonder why I wasn't rushing down here to spend my entire summer.

One last shout out to the Veg, who chose to go to the Windy City instead of being here with me this week. The "Secret Great Eats" in the hotel room mag, included three restaurants. The Mad Hatter Tea House and Cafe, The Liberty Bar, and P.F. Chang's. While, I'm not sure a chain (P.F. Chang's) can be considered "Secret Eats". On our first trip to San Antonio this year we did end up hitting both of the other establishments for fine meals, thanks to the Veg and her iphone. I'll be headed back to the Liberty Bar this week for another mojito and their fine fromage.

mmm... Berry Tarts

2008-06-23T23:44:00.002-04:00

My entry into this month's Sugar High Friday's is:

Tantalizing Berry Tarts

I took the recipe from one of my childhood cookbooks The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook by Kate Macdonald illustrated by Barbara Di Lella. The recipe in the book calls for raspberries, but I did a mixture of both raspberries and blackberries.

My sister and I loved Anne of Green Gables and the whole Anne series by L. M. Montgomery. I think I read every Anne book out there at least 5 times and still to this day, if I'm flipping through the channels and I see one of the PBS specials I have to stop and watch the whole show. When I think of Canada I think of that precocious red-headed orphan and Prince Edward Island.

The raspberries and blackberries remind me of the summers spent in northern Minnesota. While, not Canada, the BWCA is about as close as you can get. My family would take a week each summer and travel up to a camp outside of Ely, MN. We would spend the week hiking, canoeing, and if it was the season, picking and eating all of the berries we could find. My mom makes the best blueberry pies.

Now back to the tarts...

I of course, modified the crust of the recipe to be gluten-free. I used the rich pastry recipe from Rebecca Reilly's Gluten-Free Baking. I have had mixed results with some of her recipes in the past, but I had dry cottage cheese in the fridge from when M went shopping and neither of us were going to eat it. The crust turned out great, although it did not brown evenly. Be warned though, the tart crust is definitely best day of, after one night on my cake plate it began to get a little soft. Next time I might prebake the crust.

The tarts turned out well, the crust rich and buttery and the filling was sweet and smelled of summer. What a great way for a girl in Atlanta to remember her northern summers!

One last post on the flood

2008-06-21T11:31:00.005-04:00

So,

I've been in Denver, where the mothership makes it difficult for me to get to my personal accounts, unless I decide to lug another computer through security (not my idea of a good time). This does lead me to think about getting an iphone, or an eee pc. Both would be better than lugging a second full size laptop around. If my traveling keeps up, I may have to stop talking about it an actually go out and purchase something.

Anyway, back to the flood.

A few more pics and a video for you. It sounds like everything is beginning to recover in WI, but downstream things are getting a whole lot worse. Bud, finally came through (granted it was last Saturday when he sent me the pictures, I'm the true slacker). He spent most of the weekend watching the flood waters near the house.

Let's just say not normal on this one, do you see the "sticks" in the water behind the tree in the middle, that is the corner post on our fence, usually well above and away from the water.

The fox river begins as a small stream a few miles from here, does this look like a small stream to you?? Normally, it is maybe 10-20 feet across (I have never been good at estimating distance, that is one of the reasons I keep M around) anyway, a whole lot smaller.

This is the last of Bud's pictures. When looking at this one, the bridge in picture 2 is just to the left and running up the picture, if that makes any sense. Either way, the historical marker / sign is not supposed to be in the water. In fact, I can't even tell you where the water is supposed to be, except that it is supposed to be behind the sign and not surrounding the trees on what once was the far bank (including the willow).

One last image, Dad sent me this one this morning. If you have not seen the houses fall into Lake Delton as it drains, this is pretty impressive, pretty scary too.

All-in-all it has been some pretty interesting times for my home town lately. Mum is still not able to get to work on 33, but I think has found some alternatives. The jail escapee was found in Illinois. It is no longer taking hours to get across town. Things are beginning to get back to normal.

More flood pics

2008-06-14T10:13:00.003-04:00

So, now the Rev is helping me out with my quest to document the Wisconsin floods from a far. Here is what she has found:

This is the intersection of I-90/94 with Hwy 33 just east of town. If you follow 33 through town, you will go by Mr Doorknob's house and my folk's place. This is how my Mum goes to work.

Interstate 39, crazy!

The Ducks are still hard at work and now have started rescuing people in my hometown.

Thanks to the Rev, the Portage Daily Register and the Wisconsin State Journal for the pictures.

The Flood Continues

2008-06-13T18:24:00.007-04:00

While some of the water has receded, my hometown got another downpour on Thursday night. Here is my list of the top 4 stories:

4.

The only underpass in town, affectionately called "the subway" flooded

The Rev's Dad, Mr. Doorknob (and yes that is what I call him and have since I was 14 or so) got stopped for the light in Poynette. The only issue being that the light was in Portage, 12 miles away. This was due to all of the flooded and closed roads.

Just to make things even more fun for Mr. Doorknob, his office is on one side of the subway, and his house on the other. I think he may have had to drive all the way out to my parent's house to get home!

2.

The Original Wisconsin Ducks, first used in WWII for military operations. From then until the 2008 floods have been used to ferry tourists around the Wisconsin Dells and through Lake Delton*. Are back at work ferrying FEMA personnel and rescuing people in Baraboo as the Baraboo river continues to rise. You can find pictures here.

* Side note: My one and only Duck Ride was with the Rev where we watched her brother propose to his wife in the middle of Lake Delton. Now that lake is gone. (boy that sounds dire)

1.

Inmate sees the flood as golden opportunity and alludes the police by hiding out in Wal-Mart.

I actually have to give this guy some props. He escaped while they were transporting him to the county jail. Ran a few blocks into "the gully", our local sledding hole, and then some how got all the way across town and into Wal-Mart. There he changed his clothes and is currently still at large.

Thanks again to the Portage Daily Register and the ducks website for pictures.

Hometown craziness

2008-06-12T22:21:00.004-04:00

This picture is about 2 blocks away from where we lived until I was in high school.
Bud works three blocks from here.

The road in front of the local airport.

More flood pictures can be found here and here. Thanks to the Portage Daily Register for the pics in my post. I've asked Bud to take some more when it is safe to drive around. The county has closed some roads so nobody is really going anywhere right now. (except maybe by canoe)

It is really strange being down here with so much craziness going on at home. I talked with Bud and Dad this evening, they continue to be doing well. Mom is up visiting the little ones, well out of all of the excitement.

Almost getting washed away...

2008-06-11T20:07:00.005-04:00

While, my hometown has been under the threat of massive floods and towns around it, such as Lake Delton are making national news. Bud takes it all in stride...

And is photographed by the local newspaper. Yes, Bud (the one on the left) decides to go canoeing down Wauona Trail.

Just so you all know, living on one of the highest points in my hometown my family is safe and unharmed (obviously). My heart and prayers goes out to all of those truly affected and hope that all are able to recover from the storms.

Oh, and if anyone has an in with the guy upstairs, please tell him to send the rain our way. We could use it down here in GA.

Eating with a Vegan

2008-06-10T18:49:00.009-04:00

So, one of my good friends on board with me on the mothership is a pseudo vegan (kind of like I'm a pseudo celicac, who knows, I may be a real celicac?). Anyway, other than the occasional ice cream, or dessert, she eats only vegetables and grains, sometimes cooked. And has since she was about 2.

About once a week or so we break away from the mothership and scavenge for food somewhere other than our lovely cafe by the lake. I thought it might be interesting to give a little review of restaurants in the northern 'burbs of Atlanta. We will rate them for overall quality of the food, ambiance, and experience, as well as, how friendly they are to our imposed diets.

So, today the Veg and I went to JP Sushi this restaurant came at the recommendation of a "creative" friend at the mothership who scorned our current close and quick sushi place Sushi Haru.

I decide on the sushi lunch, at $12.95 it was a little pricey, but when it came it was a ton of food (soup, salad, 8 piece California roll, and 8 pieces of nigiri), more than I would have gotten from Sushi Haru, but also more expensive. Sushi Haru has a sushi bento box for $9.95 (soup, salad, 2 piece california roll, 4 pieces of Nigiri sushi, spring roll and this awesome pickled salad, it is a good size for a lunch with lots of little tastes). The Veg got the tofu udon, I think it was around $9, or so. Those veggies always eat cheap!

So, to better inform you of our lunching experience we are coming up with a list of questions, here is the first edition, including our answers: The Veg in purple, me in green.

One word to describe your meal at JP's: (you can explain why, if you want)
Wasabi! It is the kind of place where they stick a little bit of wasabi inside the sushi. While this can be good, I like to know in advance so I don't add additional wasabi to my soy sauce (yes I know I shouldn't be eating soy sauce, but this little bit of wheat doesn't seem to bother me)
Vanilla: Nothing about my meal set JP's apart from comparable sushi joints.

What did you enjoy most about your lunch?
The texture of the udon noodles; it's hard to get them soft enough for easy slurping, yet firm enough for biting.
I think the miso soup, it was really good and the tofu had a great silken texture.

Was there anything you hated about your meal?
The inari was a little too sweet and I wished the rice inside had some vegetables or sesame seeds mixed in, but "hate" might be a little strong in this case.
I agree, the inari, was rather dessert-like. I'm glad I didn't get the udon

On a scale of 1-10, how was the veganess/celiac-friendiness of JP's?
5. Though to be fair, I only saw the limited lunch menu and I didn't ask about vegan variations of other dishes.
7. As long as you stuck to sushi, there were a number of choices. Other than that, it didn't look like there were a lot of options.

If you were going to take a celeb (living or dead) to JP's who would it be any why?
Hmmm... i'll have to think on that one...
I agree, it wasn't "out of this world" or totally awful, so I'm not sure who I would take.

Was the food worth the price?
Not quite. I paid $9.95 for a bowl of soup and 2 pieces of inari, and I can get a plate of hibachi, soup, and salad from Sushi Haru across the street for $6.95. If the soup were out of this world, I might have said "yes".
I would have liked a cheaper sushi plate as well, I could have easily had enough lunch with half of the sushi...I wonder if they would offer a half lunch?

Is there anything you would have changed about your experience?
Not off of the top of my head Ditto.

What type of lunch place is it:
A. Dine and Dash - short on time and short on money
B. I've got an hour between conference calls and need a good lunch (the Veg agrees)
C. I've worked my ass off this week and I deserve my lunch and a little bit of a splurge
D. Jan, hold my calls, I'm not coming back in this afternoon and spending like I have an expense account

All in all the Veg gives it 1.5 chopsticks and a half a bowl of satisfaction. I give it 2 chopsticks and a half a bowl of satisfaction.

Oh Canada

2008-06-09T21:43:00.004-04:00

So, I have been doing a little recipe surfing lately and came upon the domestic goddess. Jennifer, from Canada has come up with this fantastic idea. SUGAR HIGH FRIDAYS. A perfect excuse to get in the kitchen and whip up some treats to share. (or not, depending how good they are)

Each month a different person hosts and everyone sends their recipes based on a theme. This month, Jennifer herself is hosting and paying homage to her homeland, Canada.

So, join in the fun and submit something that makes you think of Canada.