By the Time This Is Over...

I will have pulled every hair out of my head! Internets, I miss you; but I'm in the grips of research paper hell. Luckily, this paper is due on November 1st, which means I'll be able to devote my attention to the upcoming birthdays (Zoe, Flamenco Dad, and me--all in one week), NaBloPoMo, my gfcf kitchen, catching up on the blogs, online shopping, and all my shows that have been recorded for my viewing pleasure. Can't wait!

Call Me Crazy

It's back! And I'm going to attempt this yet again (maybe this time I will actually make it through the month). National Blog Posting Month starts November 1st, so there will be much bloggage here next month. I'm thinking ahead and making sure there will be no excuses for missing a post. Not even when I'm away in Georgia next month for our short little family getaway--the focus of those posts will be about our travels, and how we fare while travelling gfcf. So sign up and join me and all the other participants as we go for 30 posts in 30 days!

Tall, Grande, or Venti?

I've mentioned on more than one occasion that Flamenco Dad is a complete coffee snob. As a result, he has spoiled me to the point that coffee from most retail establishments now takes like what I suspect sewer water would taste like.

Bless his heart, my hubby orders his coffee beans online and grinds them every time he makes coffee. Swoon! Have I mentioned that in the twelve years we've been together, I can count the number of times I've made coffee on one hand?

For years we've been ordering from this coffee purveyor in New York (we found them while strolling through Greenwich Village while we were out on a date). Recently we decided to give the folks at Boca Java a try, and have been very pleased with the results.

Never one to rest on his laurels, the man been searching for even more ways to get his coffee on with even fresher-tasting results. And so, this arrived via UPS yesterday. Oh, and so did these. So last night my husband came home from work and, not unlike a kid in the proverbial candy store, proceeded to roast his first batch of coffee. I think I heard him squeal in delight once or twice.

My entire house smells like a coffee house--not a bad thing, right? I told my mother-in-law that I'm going to have to set up some tables on the front lawn, slap on my apron, and go around taking orders a la Flo from Alice. In the meantime, I'll be in the kitchen baking scones, lemon squares and the like for the handsome, and somewhat obsessive, coffee elitist I married.

Can You Feel the Love?

I am pleased to announce that I am the recipient of some sweet blog love! Thank you!



My buddy Annie has awarded me these two blog awards. Annie and I became acquainted on an online forum for stay-at-home-moms. Annie isn't on that forum anymore, but I feel so blessed to have been able to stay in touch with her and form a friendship online with someone I've yet to meet (oh, how 21st century!). Ironically enough, Annie and I live within a modest driving distance of each other but still haven't met. Someday, when the stars align--and our kiddies cooperate--we're going to have to meet up for tea and girl-talk.

So, now it falls on me to share the love with some of the other bloggers who move me, make me laugh, and just brighten my day!

Lynn at Free to Eat. She is a food (and other life stuff) blogger like me. She's got a musical family, also like me. What I love about her blog is that Lynn's wonderful spirit really comes through in what she writes and creates in her kitchen. One day Lynn's family and mine are going to get together for a little flamenco and Navar jam session!

Carmen of Mom to the Screaming Masses and The Elff Diet. Carmen's got a gaggle of children, and is still sane enough to put together a coherent thought. Oh, and she's lost over seventy pounds and is sharing her wealth of knowledge with the entire world. Go girl!

Ali at Divine Domesticity. She's a fantastic cook. Her food is not gfcf, but her creations really motivate me to experiment in my own kitchen. She just gave birth to an adorable baby girl, and is revealing all the stuff about first time motherhood that nobody bothers to tell you about before your kid is born.

Kelly at Mocha Momma. She works as a dean at a high school (which should qualify her for sainthood or something). Kelly's got a razor-sharp wit, and I just love, love, love her blog.

Attila the Mom at Cheaper Than Therapy. ATM is hilarious, smart, and so REAL. Her posts are funny, touching, poignant, and sometimes snarky. I've adopted some of her Attila-isms in my daily vernacular (ex. Richard Cranium, Asshat of the Week, etc), which is a testament to how much I enjoy her writing.

Ooh, I feel all warm and fuzzy!

Zucchini Bread

I really like quickbreads, and there are several reasons for that:

1. They don't contain yeast (a bonus if you have some yeast sensitivity), which is great because you don't have to wait for bread dough to proof .
2. Quickbreads have wonderful, homey flavors and a moist, almost cake-like texture.
3. They're a fantastic way to sneak healthy ingredients into your kids' diet that they might otherwise not want to try.
4. Have I mentioned the cute little mini-loaf pans? No? I know, I know, it's a sickness how obsessed I am with kitchenware.

I baked some zucchini bread for the kids yesterday, which was a big hit with Zoe (not so much for Ayden, but at least he tried it). I used a recipe from Cooking Free by Carol Fenster. I've referred to the book frequently in this blog, and that's because it's just that good. For those who must avoid things like eggs and sugar in addition to gluten and casein, Carol includes some recipes which avoid these products as well.

I took photos of the zucchini bread, but am unable to upload it today. One of the kids (or both) broke the USB cable that connects my printer/card reader to my computer; don't ask, I nearly popped a blood vessel when I saw that the cable was broken. Again. Once I replace it I'll post the photo.