Jenny

Today I'm off to the bookstore to pick up a copy of Jenny McCarthy's new book, Louder than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism. Jenny's been promoting her book on various talk shows, getting out the message that help is out there for families affected by ASD. Among other things, Jenny writes about her experiences with the GFCF Diet--and I'm always interested in hearing about other families' experiences with the diet.

I'm a bit behind in picking up this book--I meant to do it last week. So to say that I'm chomping at the bit to get this book in my hot little hands would be an understatement. Lately I've been up to my eyeballs in homework (I'm drowning in logic problems and chemical formulas over here!) and rehearsals. A chance to sit and read a book of my choosing will be such a treat. Flamenco Dad and I have 2 shows this week, and after that I'll be able to give Jenny's book my attention.

Cookies Anyone?

Sorry that my posts have been sporadic as of late; this school business was tougher than I thought it would be. I'm enjoying myself and the classes are actually interesting; but I've been studying like a mad woman, yo.

I took a break from studying for tomorrow's science test and baked some cookies for Miss Z and her brother. The recipe for these cookies comes from Special Diets for Special Kids, which is a wonderful cookbook for GFCF, kid-friendly cooking. The cookies have a delightfully chewy texture reminiscent of oatmeal cookies. They include puffed rice cereal, which is what gives it that lovely mouth-feel. I used Enjoy LIfe Foods Chocolate Chips for a bit of chocolatey flavor.

My kids really dug these cookies--Ayden ate four of them! I know, I know, bad mommy right? But I only fed him two; he managed to sneakily get hold of two more cookies on his own. Zoe was thrilled to see that the recipe made a large batch, so she knew there would be plenty to take to school. How many does the recipe make? Well that depends on how large you make them. I spooned them onto the baking sheets in generous tablespoonsful, and the recipe yielded 36 cookies.

Rice Puffies (recipe by Lisa Lewis)

1 cup GF flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. Xanthan Gum

1 egg

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup CF margarine

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cups puffed rice cereal

1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together dry ingredients. Cream margarine, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg. Stir in flour mixture, then cereal and chips. Spoon onto baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until light brown.

Six

Please take a moment to remember all the souls lost on this day six years ago in New York, New York; Shanksville, Pennsylvania; and Washington, D.C.

I Fried

A while back I saw a fellow gluten-free blogger posted about gluten free onions rings. Sheri had seen a recipe on the Food Network site for onion rings that were batter-dipped using a batter made with rice flour. Sheri simply replaced the conventional beer with Redbridge and voila! Onion rings that even the most finnicky gluten eater could enjoy. Well, Flamenco Dad heard me rave about the notion of making these tasty treats; fast forward to a six pack of Redbridge that somehow ended up at my house...you know where this is going, right?

The original recipe comes from Food Network babe Tyler Florence. So, given that I'm kinda sweet on him, I was on board with trying this recipe here at Casa Flamenco. I don't fry too often, but this was definitely worth the effort--and certainly worth making again. I served it along with some roasted herb chicken (hey I wasn't going to fry the entire meal) and some organic sweet peas. Oh yeah, and I had a bottle of Redbridge with it. Yum!

Happy Anniversary

When I married the handsome fellow in the picture, I became the luckiest girl in the world. Happy Anniversary to the guy who still gives me butterflies.

A Quick Treat

Zoe asked if I could bake something tasty and gluten and casein free for her to have as a snack. We were headed to a barbeque and we knew there would be a limited amount of food she could eat there. I was a bit pressed for time this morning, so I whipped up a quick batch of blueberry muffins. I used the recipe for Sue's Rice Muffins, which is on the package of Bob's Red Mill White Rice Flour. I had some organic blueberries in the freezer, which I thawed out and tossed with the muffin mixture. They were done and ready to eat in a flash! And, unlike the last time I made these, I didn't overbake them; so they had a wonderful, light texture and were quite moist and tasty. I love them because they're not ridiculously sweet, unlike some others. And blueberries are so delicious and good for you, they made a welcome addition to the final product. We've got some muffins left over, which was great news for Zoe--tomorrow she gets to take one in her lunchbox tomorrow.

Eight Random Things Meme

Y'all, I've been tagged! Another GFCF mom, GFCF Mommy, has tagged me to post an "8 Random Things About Me" meme. And it's just what I need to help me get the blog juices going.

The rules for this meme game are:
1. Let others know who tagged you.
2. Players start with 8 random facts about themselves.
3. Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts.
4. Players should tag 8 other people and notify them they have been tagged.

So here are my eight random facts:
1. I am an absolute crazy-obsessed Wizard of Oz freak. I don't eat at McDonald's, but my niece who works there has brought me all the little Madame Alexander Wizard of Oz toys that came in the Happy Meals. She is now my favorite niece of all time. My husband says I have a disease--and yet (enabler that he is), he bought the the 100th anniversary annotated version of the book. Hello?

2. Even though I'm rather short (barely 5'4) I have BIG, wide canoe feet. When I was a kid, my dad teased me and said I had Fred Flinstone feet, LOL! My dad and I never saw eye to eye on things, but he was totally right about the feet.

3. Speaking of those feet, you'd think that since they're big I'd have more support beneath me to keep me steady. And you would be wrong, because I can be one clumsy girl. It's a wonder that I can stay on my feet in dance class, I can barely navigate my living room!

4. I have got not-so-secret crushes on Alton Brown, Tyler Florence, and several of the other Food Network dudes. I loves me a guy that knows his way around a kitchen. Except for Bobby Flay--that guy's a real "Richard Cranium"(hope you don't mind me borrowing that, Attila).

5. I have what I believe to be an extremely cool tattoo on my shoulder. It took me two years to muster up the nerve to let my grandma see it--but she thinks it's pretty snazzy too. I never told her that I had my belly button pierced as well; it might have been too much for her to handle. Besides, I had that removed a little over ten years ago, at my doctor's insistence--I was seven months pregnant at the time and my belly button looked like it was about to pop and tear at the site of the piercing.

6. When I was a teenager, I had the chance to go on a tour of Europe with my school--and my parents said no. Merde! I missed out on two weeks traveling through London, Paris, Barcelona, and Rome. Trust me, I'm still mad about it. Mom, I hope you're reading this.

7. I am a beauty product junkie. Particularly when it comes to hair products. It must stem from the fact that I grew up in a beauty parlor. I love all manner of yummy smelling hair stuff. Some people say that the smell of cookies baking in the oven reminds them of their childhood. For me it's the smell of peroxide and hairspray.

8. I never learned to ride a bike. I grew up in the ghetto, and my parents refused to let me play outside to learn. And good luck learning to ride in an apartment. My husband bought me a bike (and a super-cute matching helmet) several years ago and I'm afraid to ride it. WTH?

Okay, so I know I'm supposed to tag 8 other people, but most of the other bloggers I know have already done this. If you haven't, then consider yourself tagged!