Wednesday, October 29, 2008

I am getting rather lax aren't I?

Well, more than a week, boy I am really getting lazy here. Awful...... Didn't feel up to doing much the past 3 days or so as I am recuperating from trying to get really sick. Darling hubby gave me his sinus infection to bronchial bug before he left town this past weekend. Well, missed 2 days of work to fight it and Hooray! It looks like I beat it! It never got down into my chest which is a great thing! I still am very tired though as I haven't slept hardly at all the past 3 nights, and I keep waking up at 4am. Guess my bod is trying to tell me that it's that time to adjust the clocks again. The problem is, is that it's really messing me up. I just was sooooo sleepy all day today! And I am amazed that I could function at all without messing everything up that I touched. I did manage to mess up my leave slip though, got the timesheet right, but did a backwards thing between annual and sick leave. Thank god for the gals in payroll! They keep me honest!

I did work a bit on baking and the cookbook while I was home sick. Used the new type or brand of gluten free flour mix that I ordered before we left on vacation. It's all in there, and you are just supposed to use it like regular flour with the only adjustments being made in the liquids. So I used some with my favorite spices and made some chicken tenders for the freezer. I guess you coat them in a container with the flour mixture, then chill them in the fridge overnight and then put them on a cookie sheet laid out to freeze. We'll see how they are when hubby gets back. I also made a slightly different buttermilk bread with a split top with melted butter. I am not sure about that one though will probably taste it tomorrow. The loaf looks beautiful though so we'll see. And before my energy ran out I was craving plain cake doughnuts, so I made some, with a slightly different recipe than my last one, I wasn't impressed as much with how they turned out, I honestly don't think they taste as good. The usual mix I use is by Bob's Red Mill and the base is beans, so things are a bit heavier but I like the flavor. This new stuff is from betterbatter.org, so I'll see how it turns out on the bread. Although I did a little math, the Bob's Red Mill mixes are a bit cheaper when buying in bulk, but the loaves haven't turned out quite as pretty as this last one. Oh well, we'll see!

The critters.... ah life is better with pets, or so some would say. I might be inclined to agree most days. It's been an adventure since hubby left on his trip last Sunday. For starters, the dogs, who mostly love to be around the hubby more, are behaving much better when he's gone. And actually want to be around me. Lil'Shit is probably the most clingiest lately. I know he's losing his hearing and you have to get his attention either by a loud sharp noise or visually to get him to do anything.

The cats, 2 of them think they own me, and the other owns hubby, have been an entirely entertainingly different matter. I finally figured out what Yummy, (hubby's owner) has been playing with or chasing when he is racing around on the bed. Seems it's his tail! Most times I think his tail has a mind of it's own as it always manages to keep moving and ends up under a foot coming down, and now I think he thinks the same. His tail is always moving, and when he is on the bed, he attacks it like it's some alien or such. He'll watch over his shoulder and when it "swishes" around he goes for it. He manages to catch it about a third of the time, then when he does catch it and bites he jumps like someone got him and his expression goes from surprised to indignant. I catch him playing like this in the evenings when I'm in the bathroom getting ready for bed or in the mornings getting ready for work. And this has become highly entertaining, he just gets so wound up! And for a fat cat, he's fast!

Now for Mushy, poor old man, I don't know where I'd be without him today. He truly has been my lifesaver for a long, long time. Seems that now he's developing separation anxiety now. He has had some wonderful changes in him since this last spring when I was learning the Tellington Ttouch. He was never a cuddler, he might have snuggled on a cold night with me in bed, or slept near to keep me alive if I was choking at night, but he came out of his shell with the Ttouch. Now he is a cuddler and is addicted to the touch. Also as of this last vacation he has become very possessive of me when I got home. Some days he'll tolerate the other animals loving on me, other days he is so possessive he'll swat everyone even hubby! Well I guess he really didn't like that I was gone for over a week, because after I got back from the airport and dropping hubby off for his flight (the airport is 65 miles away) he really got frantic and clingy and needy. He had to be held and didn't want to be put down, he was adamant about that! OUCH! I think he saw me helping hubby pack and then we left together, and perhaps thought I was leaving again.

I think that over the last 2 days he's finally starting to calm down. But still keeps me in his sight paths. I am not sure how he did today with me going back to work, and when I sat down for a minute after getting home and feeding everyone, he was right there wanting to lay on my chest and shoulder. Now a cat with separation anxiety! I love though how we've bonded even closer through the Ttouch, and I regret not learning this sooner to be able to have more time with him. It's not easy to have 2 wonderful pets, that you love very much, who are in their twilight years. I endeavor to do my best by them throughout these remaining years or months, love them, and keep up the Ttouch.

Well good news, hubby gets back day after tomorrow! Hooray! I am happy about that, maybe I will get some sleep now!

Monday, October 20, 2008

remiss in posting.... oops!

Well it's been over a week since I posted anything. So bad! Been a strange week though.

With all the hoo ha over the elections, (btw I did my civic duty and voted this past Saturday), I am glad I don't watch the TV. The negativity, ignorance and hate coming from the republican side of things is awful! and depressing! And that it isn't helping the economy at all is even worse. You read about all these people losing their homes and livelihoods and you pray it never happens to someone you know or are close to. However, today it did hit close to home for me. A coworker/friend is losing her house and it's awful! This shouldn't be happening. And she was not one of those who overbought or got into trouble with an ARM or Balloon mortgage, she is a divorcee by herself with a small house that she doesn't own the land under, she commutes perhaps 30 miles a day for work, and has a horse that is her lifeline and sanity. But in our area, boarding stables here are a gigantic ripoff, 400 a month for one horse not always including feed. Anyhow, she came to work with us in Feb this year, and makes more gross than she did previously, but our HR has made it mandatory that everyone will pay into state retirement. It is this deduction that is causing her to make less take home than before, and she cannot meet her bills. And the state retirement agency said it wasn't mandatory, but our HR says it is, and no one is helping her. She is such a compassionate animal person, she would rather lose her house than her horse who she loves, and is scared that if she has to give him up he'll end up in the auction yard. So I am networking with everyone and everything I can, because this is not right that good hard working people who are responsible should lose their home and so much more.

And yes, I am on a rant.... I just hope I can help in some way.

And on now to foods.... LOL We found an excellent sauce for us needing wheat free stuff, and it was reasonable at Costco. It is made by Simply Natural and is their Scampi sauce. It is delicious and we like it with Chicken or it can be with Pork too. So here's the simple meal we do with it.

Chicken Scampi over Brown Rice
6 to 8 fresh or frozen chicken breast tenders placed into a covered corning dish with enough sauce to cover. Cover the dish and bake at 35o for about 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve over brown rice.

It's a fast easy wheat free meal to make, and if you cook the chicken in the sauce pan by sauteing it can take less time if they aren't frozen. It also makes excellent leftovers for lunch too.

Now since Hubby can't have tomatoes either anymore, I have to figure out good non-tomato sauces for pastas, and not all cheesy stuff. I also need to figure out something for lasagna which was his favorite dish. Fun! I like challenges!

I do have to say though, overall I am feeling so much better and more alert (if the dogs ever let me sleep), and more energetic. It is also nice to not have the strange side effects I was having when I ate wheat. I still need to severely cut back on my corn consumption also. But overall, I know when I got something I shouldn't have immediately because my body reacts so quickly with bloating, or such, or not so nice or pain free results. We have a theory about why we are all so intolerant of alot of our foods anymore. I feel alot of is because of the chemicals to "bleach", preserve, and prolong shelf life, being stored that long with the "soup" that is used to make it so appealing and last longer is bound to change it so much our bodies find it toxic, and even if we do get it fresh, the body still perceives it as toxic. That and irradiating everything certainly can change it genetically so it is no longer what it was and is not compatible with us any longer. We have so abused and mucked things up it's sad. All for convenience. I know we have through planting, grafting, and cross pollination changed our crops genetically to improve the crop, but get real, fish genes into tomatoes? When in nature or without our current science would that ever happen?

Oh well, I am crashing here and it's time for lights out, put the dogs up and find my pillow that is calling me. :)

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Home, Sweet Home again!

Well we got home today at noon. I am never getting up that early to catch a plane again! 4 hour flight, left at 9 est, and we got up at 4am! Because we had to return the rental car, and that could have taken quite awhile, and then security at Orlando can take almost as long as some of the ride lines at Disney! Turned out we only got turned around a little finding the car return, and walked right through security. Waited about 2 hrs before we could board. Wasn't too bad, but we were hungry.

I discovered that with the exception of the sit down dining places in Disney, there isn't much out and around Kissimmee/Clermont area for those of us needing to dine without wheat. :o( I am positive that one (possibly more) meal(s) had some wheat in them because my HS hit me within 24 hours, granted it was a small one, and let go pretty quickly. I just need it to finally heal now. And besides the food was simply soooooo much better in Disney. I think the most amazing meal I got to have was lunch in the Brown Derby in Disney Hollywood Studios.

We had fun, got overheated as the humidity was high even if it was in the low to mid 80's and had afternoon showers most days. I have some new favorite rides, and there are new ones since I was last there 10 yrs ago! Unless you are deathly afraid of heights and dropping a ways.... I would strongly recommend these, Soarin in Epcot, you simulate this amazing hang glide; Everest Expedition and Kali River Rapids in Animal Kingdom, (you do get soaked at the Kali ride); and of course the Tower of Terror, based off the Twilight Zone episode; and the Rockin Roller Coaster with Aerosmith, both in Disney Hollywood Studios. The Rockin Roller Coaster is one that will leave you breathless! WOW.....

Anyhow, while it was fun to go, I am happy to be home again. We are footsore and tired because you never sleep as good as you do in your own bed. And we missed having alot of foods we just couldn't get there that we can at home. I know though, we'll be going back within a year, I just wish perhaps it could be in January, when it's less hot and less crowded. Epcot was a zoo as was the Magic Kingdom. I just don't enjoy the crowds anymore, must be getting to be a fuddy duddy I guess. LOL

Now off to make that WF/GF mac and cheese hubby is craving! :)

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Vacation, 2 days in, and already can't walk.....

Well..... we got here. Had supper the evening of arrival at one of our fav places in Florida, Sonny's bar-b-que. This one wasn"t as good as the one in Jupiter, but it was yummy and lots to pick from for those of us with no wheat.

Spent yesterday in Epcot, First we did a little cafe thingy in The Land for "breakfast", it wasn't really what I wanted, the only thing we OMG!could have was a scoop of scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage. Couldn't have the bread or biscuit. So I was a little bummed about that. This is the month of the Food and Wine Festival here in Epcot, and most of the wine tasting booths, even though they offer a few regional food items from the country of the wine, they were all things that had flour or such, like pastries, or quiche, or baklava. Well you get the idea. So there wasn't much at the small food vendors or the quick cafes that I could have, bummer huh? Anyhow we were all the wIon't know how ay in the back of the park by Japan when we had to do the power walk all the way back up front to the building we were to be at for the cheese tasting, americana. The cheeses were fabulous, but they were to be paired with beer. Can't have that either except for the wheat free ones like Red Bridge by Anhueser Busch. But we did taste an absolutely amazing bleu cheese out of Oregon, called Crater Lake Blue. Wow!!!! and I don't like bleu cheese as a rule but this was to die for. Then sis and hubby took me on the Mission to Space ride and did the extreme. OMG! I got so sick and disorented, I don't know how I didn't loose all that wonderful cheese. Then we headed off for some supper. Unfortunately I believe there was some communication error and the park was much more crowded than earlier, so we didn't make reservations and ended up in Morroco for supper. They don't have much wheat or GF to select from for supper. Sad really, because we love middle eastern foods. And by that time I was also in ALOT of pain across my hips. And the poor waiter needs a bit more education between wheat and gluten. ah well, it wasn't my first choice for supper because I knew there wouldn't be much to select from. Needless to say we hit the Taco Bell on the way back to the condo for the fillers.

Today we did lunch at the Rainforest Cafe in the Animal Kingdom, I had a very very very yummy chicken asian salad. YUM! Hubby had their Volcano Nachos, LOL very mild, not heat to them really especially since we come from the land of thermonuclear chilies and food. So funny, but they were tasty. Did the Kali Rapid raft ride, got totally soaked, and then went to the Mt. Everest ride, WOW! So fun, but I must have done something to my foot and hobbled back out to the car as hubby had to go get checked in for his conference. Wonder if we'll go for the all you can eat lobster and crab for supper tonite.... mmmmm, now that is GF and I could eat alot of that.

Well that's all for now


I'll be hobbling through the week.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Just over 23 hours and counting....

Woo Hoo! Vacation is almost here! Hooray! However, I am not overly impressed with Southwest right at the moment. I have been unable to print my boarding pass and check in online. Grrrrrr, and when I spoke to rep, they said they didn't know why, but that I would have to check in, in person with my ID, that I must have been randomly picked for this. Sheesh..... Now I really need to make sure to check in early to be assured of a seat. I really, really hate this...

Moving right along...... My bread turned out fabulous with the full adjustments to the original recipe. Much fluffier and taller. And my new flour mix arrived last evening. Alas though, it will have to wait until I get back from Vacation to try it out. Bummer.....

It's been a strange week starting Sunday after Hubby left for Seattle. Got some news I never ever figured I would get in a hundred years. And it threw me for a bit of a loop and took me a couple of days to figure out. But as of last evening it led to contact with some people from the past whom I've missed and it was all good. So we shall see how it works out.

So the ticket thing I guess is just the icing to a weird week! LOL.... And I am very focused today on making it through today and all the stuff I need to accomplish tonight before heading out. I am so excited to have some time off from work!

Well off and running again.... let me leave you with this image which I truly believe says the state of things for the US at this point in time, it's from one of the sister sites for my favorite site that keeps me sane. LOL






Sunday, September 28, 2008

Now it's too quiet.......

Well, I guess I have all the time in the world to bake today. I am home alone, hubby left for Seattle this morning. It's gonna be a long quiet week. So now I wonder what trouble can I get into?

I found a new Gluten free flour blend that I ordered some of and will try it out. You are supposed to be able to use it just like regular flour, in any recipe, and the only change will be the increase in liquids. I can't wait to try it out, and hope that it bakes lighter than the bean based blend I have been using. Which we love by the way. Also on this gals' site (the one who makes the flour) there is a contest to bake a better pie using that flour. I guess I need to get out my ex-mother in-law's really buttery/flakey crust recipe and try it for my Maple Sweet Potato Cheesecake Pie. I got the pie recipe from a diabetic cookbook and it uses pure maple syrup for the sweet in it. Not much of it even. And boy is it yummy! So when I make it with the crust recipe and it turns out yummy, I will post the recipe here and try for the contest. Oh the web address for this gf flour mix is: www.betterbatter.org
It ended up per pound being cheaper than what I have been using. If it is as great as it is purported to be, I will be ordering from them from now on. :)

A couple of Sundays ago, I ordered some brown rice pasta from another company, one who makes their own I assume that is wheat and gluten free. I have been trying to chase down this company as I still haven't received my order, and when they did respond they only said they sent it Monday, not which Monday, and they ship UPS. No tracking number, nothing. I am not happy. I guess I should have stuck to the one place I ordered the Tinkyada brand from. Stupid me.

I found at Trader Joe's today some brown rice tortillas, so will try them this week also. I also found they have wheat/gluten free frozen waffles and pancakes for the toaster. So will try them also. And wonder of all wonders! LOL... we found one of the wheat free brands of beer. RedBridge by Anhueser Busch. It isn't bad actually and I actually like it, especially very cold. But it's made from Sorghum, not hops and barley. It's nice to know now that I can enjoy a beer still once in a while. :o)

Ah well, time to go bake a bit I guess! LOL Wonder what mess I should make now? LOL LOL

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

I think I could be in trouble.....

And it's ok, because I can blame it on the brother. :D I don't know how he finds these sites, but this one is good! And the extreme brat in me put my sis-in-law's name in for it. LOL Want to get your name on the net and run for President in good fun? then go here, watch your video and share it with friends.

http://www.tsgnet.com/pres.php?id=357563&altf=Sipoeb&altl=Sphfst&lap=2

Too funny! Well done! the person(s) who put all this together are creative geniuses. :D

Now, who else can I pull this on? LOL LOL

Well the weekend baking, Saturday went fab, Sunday, hmmmm, 1/2 not so good, the other half was great.
Thought I would try to convert a tortilla recipe to GF. Well that was a fiasco. no way that was gonna work, maybe if I had put some Xanthan gum in. So I punted with the failure dough and threw in more liquid, and X-gum, and lemon juice and attempted to make Hamburger buns from there. They feel a bit solid despite rising well, so we'll see. The buttermilk scones on the other hand are excellent!

I have decided though that perhaps trying to make the tortillas may be more work than I am willing to fight with. I have limited counter space so it isn't easy to do many things that require rolling. And so found a company online who makes them with brown rice flour. And our local organic food coop carries this brand. I am most certainly willing to pay for them, less hassle for me and ready any time I want them. :)

So baking other things though or making meals without the wheat flour I am willing to work with. I did also discover that one company makes wheat free graham crackers also sold at the coop, I will have to get them to make my graham cracker crust for the Maple Sweet Potato Cheesecake pie for the holidays. We just love that pie and it is a diabetic recipe I got last year. It is so yummy and creamy. And we love it better than plain old pumpkin pie. Some how though for regular pies I don't think I'll have problems making the pie crusts and converting them. So we will see how the holiday baking goes. May have to make little pies, and maybe if I feel ambitious enough make Pecan Pie.

On the soft chocolate cookies that are more like cake morsels, I realized this evening cleaning out the pantry of all wheat items, that I have some cream cheese frostings in there, so..... I can frost some of those cookies for an added sugar zing! Woo Hoo!

You know, if anyone wants a recipe, or has one they would like converted, let me know, heck, I'll give it a go!