Thursday, May 16, 2013
We have a new GF bakery in my town. Guess where I'll be going?
I’m subscribing to Gluten Free Living Magazine and Living Without, reading library books and buying the few that look promising.
I couldn't have picked a better time to implement these changes. The two back to back colds I'm getting over? My friend caught the last virus I'm kicking 8 wks ago. She's been sick with sinus and ear infections all that time, multiple trips to doc for meds that didn't work. They finally did a CT scan and gave her steroids which are working, but making her wired. Six prednisone will do that.
Yep, mighty glad.
Do the Fates need a comeuppance?
A reader said:
>Oh, and I wanted to kick Surge, hard, until pretty close to the end of the book. I'm still mad at Providence, Destiny and Fortune, too. Do they get a comeuppance at some point for or by the girls .. pretty please? Just a small boot in the kiester? Something to make me feel better about how the girls ended up where they were with no warning, instruction or explanation.
It's a delicate balance, writing a character who's been jailed for a really good reason and showing the process of redemption. I knew Surge would be a challenge, and Alicia totally fulfilled the Fate's directive to give him a good kick when she saw him. I think we were all happy she got in a few good ones. Surge was house trained at the end, but Alicia has her work cut out for her. Good thing she's a strong woman. Bad boys need tough love.
I'd advise her to wait before having kids. She needs her energy to hash out boundaries You know, she won't try to wipe out the Eastern seaboard if he won't be a stubborn blow fish, that kind of thing.
There's a lot going on in Wind Burn. I have to defeat the Oracle, help Gale with her transition, restore the balance of power, include cameos of Alicia, Kira & Cara being superwomen... It's a full novel.
As for the Fates, if they were to get what's coming to them, it would almost have to be a novella/s. Let's face it, we're not going to be happy with a rap on the knuckles, even if their means justify the end. Right now I'm focused on their victims so I've got nothing.
You're invested here, readers. What should we do to them?
>Oh, and I wanted to kick Surge, hard, until pretty close to the end of the book. I'm still mad at Providence, Destiny and Fortune, too. Do they get a comeuppance at some point for or by the girls .. pretty please? Just a small boot in the kiester? Something to make me feel better about how the girls ended up where they were with no warning, instruction or explanation.
It's a delicate balance, writing a character who's been jailed for a really good reason and showing the process of redemption. I knew Surge would be a challenge, and Alicia totally fulfilled the Fate's directive to give him a good kick when she saw him. I think we were all happy she got in a few good ones. Surge was house trained at the end, but Alicia has her work cut out for her. Good thing she's a strong woman. Bad boys need tough love.
I'd advise her to wait before having kids. She needs her energy to hash out boundaries You know, she won't try to wipe out the Eastern seaboard if he won't be a stubborn blow fish, that kind of thing.
There's a lot going on in Wind Burn. I have to defeat the Oracle, help Gale with her transition, restore the balance of power, include cameos of Alicia, Kira & Cara being superwomen... It's a full novel.
As for the Fates, if they were to get what's coming to them, it would almost have to be a novella/s. Let's face it, we're not going to be happy with a rap on the knuckles, even if their means justify the end. Right now I'm focused on their victims so I've got nothing.
You're invested here, readers. What should we do to them?
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
A good day's writing is like a balm to my soul. Enjoyed it enormously today. Will post a snippet soon.
Found some good GF sites. Enjoy Gluten Free on a Shoestring (our library has her books) and a couple others. The Gluten Free Asian Kitchen is a good book, too. It's nice to know I'm not the only one dealing with this stuff.
Silly cold is on the run, but still have the annoying sensation of water in my ears. At least my nose isn't stuffed; nothing like mouth breathing to ruin a night's sleep.
Ever have that perfect moment where you and your baby are feeling mellow and a good playlist comes on the radio? Good times. That's the stuff you can't bottle. The older I get, the more value I place on it. Stuff crumbles, dream homes get termites and dry rot, stocks go up and down. Love and memories are what matter.
Hope you make a happy memory today.
Found some good GF sites. Enjoy Gluten Free on a Shoestring (our library has her books) and a couple others. The Gluten Free Asian Kitchen is a good book, too. It's nice to know I'm not the only one dealing with this stuff.
Silly cold is on the run, but still have the annoying sensation of water in my ears. At least my nose isn't stuffed; nothing like mouth breathing to ruin a night's sleep.
Ever have that perfect moment where you and your baby are feeling mellow and a good playlist comes on the radio? Good times. That's the stuff you can't bottle. The older I get, the more value I place on it. Stuff crumbles, dream homes get termites and dry rot, stocks go up and down. Love and memories are what matter.
Hope you make a happy memory today.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
I still get a lot of email about the Dark Lands, but happily the Fire, Stone & Water series is kicking up a lot of interest. Yay! Readers are moving on. It's great that readers could live in the Dark Lands forever, but I'm grateful I won't have to. There are a lot more stories out there begging to be told.
doughnuts are a big deal
Writing has been slow lately. I was almost over the last cold when my son brought a new one home. He kicked it in a day, but I'm a bit slower. It's to be expected when my system has been irritated for a while. What energy I have is routed to research and the kitchen, making sure I have something safe to eat.
The most visible sign of the gluten free thing working are the healing scars. My stomach has been marked up since the birth of my children, and since going GF the scars are finally fading to white. If I unwittingly have an infraction, the edges darken to red again. It's an amazing thing to see this happen over the course of a few weeks, when they've been red for over a decade. If only I could bottle that...
My eldest still has gluten in his lunch, but his bad acne (arms, chest, face, back) is much better since our meals went gluten free. With three hungry teens and a husband, it's taking a bit to transition everyone (bread is something I'll have to learn to make again), but we'll get there.
Last night my husband and I were making GF doughnuts with my mini doughnut maker and he kept raving about how wonderful it was. Mind you, he's a Krispy Kreme addict, so doughnuts are a big deal. It's been a nice moral booster for me, too. I didn't even care about doughnuts that much, until I couldn't have any.
Low blood sugar doesn't seem to be cured via GFCF diet, but that's small potatoes compared to the 16 other things that are. I keep a list handy, to keep me focused. Yesterday was tough, because I was sick and had to cook, and accidently put pepperoni in the pasta salad. ARGH! Milk allergy flared, my throat began to close, and I wanted to have a meltdown. Instead I popped an allergy pill, used the small amount of pasta that was left over (thank you, God) to make myself a small salad. Crisis averted.
It helped that the Senate Bean Soup in the crockpot turned out well, and let's not forget the doughnuts...
The most visible sign of the gluten free thing working are the healing scars. My stomach has been marked up since the birth of my children, and since going GF the scars are finally fading to white. If I unwittingly have an infraction, the edges darken to red again. It's an amazing thing to see this happen over the course of a few weeks, when they've been red for over a decade. If only I could bottle that...
My eldest still has gluten in his lunch, but his bad acne (arms, chest, face, back) is much better since our meals went gluten free. With three hungry teens and a husband, it's taking a bit to transition everyone (bread is something I'll have to learn to make again), but we'll get there.
Last night my husband and I were making GF doughnuts with my mini doughnut maker and he kept raving about how wonderful it was. Mind you, he's a Krispy Kreme addict, so doughnuts are a big deal. It's been a nice moral booster for me, too. I didn't even care about doughnuts that much, until I couldn't have any.
Low blood sugar doesn't seem to be cured via GFCF diet, but that's small potatoes compared to the 16 other things that are. I keep a list handy, to keep me focused. Yesterday was tough, because I was sick and had to cook, and accidently put pepperoni in the pasta salad. ARGH! Milk allergy flared, my throat began to close, and I wanted to have a meltdown. Instead I popped an allergy pill, used the small amount of pasta that was left over (thank you, God) to make myself a small salad. Crisis averted.
It helped that the Senate Bean Soup in the crockpot turned out well, and let's not forget the doughnuts...
Sunday, May 12, 2013
GF Doughnuts for Mother's Day :)
Got a mini doughnut maker for Mother's Day and made GF doughnuts! My tweaks to make it dairy free worked, so that was cool. The family is steadily munching away at them. (You'll have to check out her book for the vanilla version).
Still battling the tail end of a cold, but I'm having a great weekend.
Chocolate Cake Doughnuts, GFCF
Still battling the tail end of a cold, but I'm having a great weekend.
Chocolate Cake Doughnuts, GFCF
Ingredients
1 ½ cups (210g) high-quality all-purpose gluten-free flour
¾ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it) I used flax seed instead
7 tablespoons (35g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder, divided
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar I used a tsp of lemon juice
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
⅔ cup (145g) packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled I used coconut oil
4 tablespoons (55g) canola oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (14 tablespoons) heavy cream, at room temperature I used chilled and skimmed coconut cream
Frosting:
1 cup (115g) confectioner’s sugar
2 to 4 teaspoons milk or buttermilk Used coconut cream instead
I added a tsp of vanilla
She goes on with her directions, but I put the eggs and sugar in the food processor and slowly added the oils and cream to make a mayonnaise-like emulsion. I then added the dry stuff and whirled. Much easier and quicker, plus it made a very stable batter.
¾ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it) I used flax seed instead
7 tablespoons (35g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder, divided
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar I used a tsp of lemon juice
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
⅔ cup (145g) packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled I used coconut oil
4 tablespoons (55g) canola oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (14 tablespoons) heavy cream, at room temperature I used chilled and skimmed coconut cream
Frosting:
1 cup (115g) confectioner’s sugar
2 to 4 teaspoons milk or buttermilk Used coconut cream instead
I added a tsp of vanilla
She goes on with her directions, but I put the eggs and sugar in the food processor and slowly added the oils and cream to make a mayonnaise-like emulsion. I then added the dry stuff and whirled. Much easier and quicker, plus it made a very stable batter.
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350° F. Grease a mini doughnut pan or muffin tin and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, 6 tablespoons cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, nutmeg, and brown sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the butter, oil, eggs, vanilla, and cream, beating to combine
after each addition until combined. - Fill the doughnut or muffin wells about 3/4 of the way full.
Place in the center of the oven and bake for about 8 minutes, or until the doughnuts are set and just lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. - While the doughnuts are baking (or cooling), make the glaze. In a small bowl, place the confectioner’s sugar, remaining 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, and 2 teaspoons milk or buttermilk and mix to combine. Add more milk or buttermilk by the half teaspoon until you have a smooth, but pourable liquid. Working quickly, dip the top of each of the slightly cooled doughnuts in the glaze, turn back and forth a bit to coat well, invert the doughnut so the glaze is facing up, and allow it to set on a piece of parchment paper.
- The glaze seals in moisture, so glazed doughnuts will keep quite well on the counter for a few days. Freeze any unglazed leftovers.
- Variation: Bake these doughnuts in a BabyCakes Mini Doughnut Maker. Instead of preheating your oven, warm the doughnut maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Follow Step 2 above to make the batter. In Step 3, fill the bottom of the wells completely with batter, then close and secure the lid. Allow to bake for 3 minutes. Open the doughnut maker, and remove the doughnuts with the remover tool included in the package. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, and return to Step 4 of the recipe.
- From the book Gluten-Free on a Shoestring Quick and Easy: 100 Recipes For the Food You Love—Fast! by Nicole Hunn. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright (c) 2012.
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