Cookies

I've decided that baking with gluten is for wimps.

Gluten is cheap, easy, gives the right texture and best of all tastes great.

Boy, do I wish I could still be wimpy.

But my digestive track thinks otherwise.

With the drizzly weather yesterday, I stayed inside and baked.  I'm trying so hard to perfect gluten free cookies.  I want cookies that taste great, but that also look like their gluten filled counterparts.  

I'm getting closer every time.

Peanut butter cookies also known as "The Cookie"

This recipe is from Steve's sister.  It is fantastic made with wheat flour...fantastic.

I've found that peanut butter cookies are the easiest to transition to gluten free.  The peanut butter adds stability and texture, so I started with these.   I tried a new medium and used Pamela's Gluten Free Baking Mix for flour.  We have used Pamela's for pancakes and have found it has the best flavor and texture (not grainy), aka- my kids will actually eat them.  I had to use a few extra tablespoons of Pamela's to get the right texture of cookie dough, and then I cut the leavening agent in the recipe by 3/4th.  Pamela's comes with baking soda already.  I was thrilled with the result.  The look right, and they taste pretty close to the real thing.  Most gluten free flours have a wang to them that reveals itself as an aftertaste.  Pamela's pulled through and the aftertaste was minimal.

My second challenge yesterday was Molasses Cookies- Steve's favorite.

I have tried a few times with this recipe and have been unhappy with the grainy cowpie results. 

I used my knowledge with the peanut butter cookies and cut the baking soda by half.  It was worth a try after so many failures.  I also used a new flour called Maninis.  It is not rice flour but a combination of crazy grains I don't know how to spell.  On the packaging, it recommends using 1/4 oat flour if making cookies or brownies for a denser texture.  I used in one molasses cookie recipe 2 1/4 c Maninis flour and 1/2 plus 3 tbls oat flour.  The above picture was the result.  The cookies were a little dry and HAD to be loosened from the hot pan as soon as possible or they stuck like crazy.  But...after adding a layer of vanilla frosting and sitting overnight, these babies are perfect.  (as perfect as you can get without wheat flour.)  They are a little grainy however due to the oat flour, but it's not rice flour grainy so I'm happy.

 And the resident cookie monster is happy too.

Two recipes down...hundreds to go.

Spring Break in all its Glory

We had glorified plans for this week.  

It included:

 playing outside,

 working in the yard,

and enjoying spring time sunshine.

It did not include:

Rain.

Cold.

Sickness.

Spring Break through us for a loop this year.

All of our neighborhood friends are enjoying their week long vacation in beautiful southern Utah.  We wish we were with them.  However, people tend to go to the dentist when they are out of school and Steve tends to like work.  So, we are here in Twin.

The boys have played video games non stop for the past four days.  I've encourage this practice by purchasing new players for Skylander.   Saylor has been battling a bad cold for the past week and woke up yesterday morning with a ruptured eardrum.  She is now on antibiotics and codeine.   The codeine is making her rummy, but luckily the antibiotics are kicking in and she is feeling better.  The nonstop Dora on netflix is helping too.  We are all freezing due the to gloomy weather and I have my heat turned up and I'm planning on baking cookies just for the warmth. 

But...I am not ungrateful.  This week has been slow and I've caught up with a few things such as house work.  I'm enjoying staying home and not having bedtimes or homework.  I'm excited for summer and the freedom it can offer. (...if I don't sign my kids up for too many activities.)

Bring on the warmth spring.  

We are ready!

New Starts

We're pretty excited around here!

Sawtooth Dental is finally...finally starting their new building. 

The digging has begun this week and Steve and I find any excuse to drive by and see the progress.  When the weather gets better we are planning on walking there nightly as the site is only a mile away from our home.  We can't wait for Steve to be in his new facility.  

The basement. 

Where I plan on taking pictures every week to mark the progress.

Where our money will be going for the next three decades at least.

(in addition to our mortgage and dental school loans)

Bring on the debt baby...Daddy needs a new dental office!

My husband is trying to win a roof top tent because I won't let him purchase one.  I would rather have a fence...or new furniture...or a cruise...or the entire Dillard's shoe department (I've discussed this before).  He has manipulated my children into helping him make this video with promises of fabulous summer camping trips.  I'm all for it because that means I can go to Boise and shop with my sister while the boys are hanging out in their crazy superfluous camping equipment. 

 Please enjoy this video and go to CVT's facebook page and say you like it.  It will help me buy shoes indirectly and you all know how shoes make me happy.

P.S.  I'm not a total camping scrooge, I wrote the dang poems to help Steve out.  I'll do almost anything for new shoes.

Science Fair 2012

Scenes from where my brain has been for the past month.

The fair was very successful with:

 Over 200 projects entered 

Over 250 students participating 

18 judges taking time away from their professions and families to help us out 

45 Jimmy Johns sandwiches

2 dozen cookies

More paperwork than I'd care to admit and even more iboprophin.

A few tears from parents of children who won and fewer complaints from parents whose children did not

One recognition letter from our district superintendent

I'm almost finished for the 2012 science fair school year. 

I've just got thank you notes to write and trophies to order.  

(that is what spring break is for)

Jackie O. has nothing on this girl

We have a star in the making.

Big glasses are in you know.

As are pouty faces.

But smiles are so much cuter.  Especially little gopher teeth smiles.

 Where did you learn to pose like this sister-girl?

 What is that...a spin on the cat walk?

Ghee Whiz.

Um, yes...I'm old enough to model.

Now pay me the big bucks.  I've got a medical career to pay for.

 (We're aiming high for our girl.  Science classes or bust!)

Showing some love for the adoring fans.

Totally changing the subject...how do I get myself in these messes?

Pair of flannel gray leopard pajama bottoms:  $20

Brown leather flip flops:  $18

14 year old lavender fleece jacket:  I don't remember.

Bose Stereo System:  We won't talk about it.

Ability to threaten embarrassment to 11 year old son by promising to turn up the music and dance in pjs in front of his middle school:  Priceless.

He told me I wouldn't do it.  He said I would be to embarrassed.

I turned up the music, danced while driving and promised him I had no shame and that dancing in front of his friend meant nothing to me.

He cracked a smile and retorted that I wouldn't do it...but ran to the school like a scared little girl the minute I stopped the car to drop him off.

He. Knows. I. Mean. Business.

And that my friend, is half the parenting battle.

*********

Made Bisquick GF biscuits this morning for breakfast.

Steve took one bite and asked, "Where did you make these, the beach?"

(gritty gritty gritty)

We won't be buying Bisquick GF mix again.

Still working on those science projects

And the science projects continue.  

This is Colby's first year doing a project (obviously) and I must admit, I think kindergarten science projects are the best.  They are simple, who cares what they are about...and the kid is bound to get a trophy because there are only four kindergartners entered this year!   (I'm in charge of ordering trophies and you better believe all four of them are getting one!)

Colby's project involved chocolate chips.  We won't give anything away before the big fair, but his project was tasty.  A whole slew of neighbor kids showed up at the house to help out.

 He hung in there helping until the bitter end.  What a science trooper.  

(Don't worry, I won't tell the judges that he pooped out on the last four taste testers and played with his friends in the back yard while his mom finished out his experiment.)

 This shot slays me.  Colby is so studiously taking scientific notes in the background.

 Andrew is in 6th grade and for the first time in four years is not doing a science project (thank goodness!)  But he kept himself busy with a project of his own.  I think I can officially say that we have too many Star Wars Legos.   Andrew does not agree with me.  He took on the "Doritos Philosophy" and told me yesterday that "They keep making them, so I'm going to keep buying them."  Build all you want...we'll make more!  

Sorry Andrew, I don't want to keep paying for them!

Everyday Stuff from this Last Week

Only few things I can actually recall this week.  I've spent most of my time working on science fair stuff and just holding down the home front.  I'm looking forward to having my brain back in a few weeks.  But until then, I'm just riding the wave of insanity and loving the fact that the fair is not as daunting as years past.  Experience gives me the ability to not freak out. 

 10 days and counting...but whose counting.

Other than the science fair, here a few things that happened in the past few days.

Steve and I were in Target Thursday morning and found this beauty on clearance.  Steve is a sucker for a pretty face and brought it home for his favorite girl (not me). 

 Here she is realizing how much responsibility it takes to pay off a mortgage and keep up your own home.   (Adulthood sucks the fun out of everything.)

This picture is just because I am a naughty person.  

This is George.  

George is our grumpy neighbor.  He likes to yell at people and complain about loud dogs and fast cars.

We find him hilarious.  Mostly, because he wears this caution vest to cross the street to get his mail. Because...cars going 10 miles an hour are out of control!  I've vowed to get a picture of him in action ever since I saw the bright yellow and orange.  Steve alerted me to his movements, but I couldn't get the lens on my camera fast enough to catch him in the street.  For an old feeble guy, George is speedy.   To combat George's grumpiness, I wave and smile really big whenever I drive too fast by his house.   

Carter's second grade dinosaur project was due this week.  Steve and Carter mastered the perfect newspaper and masking tape triceratops creation.  I'm very happy Steve handled this one; I could not have been so creative!  Hurray for Dads!  The dinosaur gets a fancy layer of colored paper mache at school on Monday.  I can't wait to see it.

Carter and Andrew got all fancied up on a non-Sunday and participated in piano festival for the first time yesterday.   They have worked hard the past few months on their assigned pieces.

I'm proud of their hard work and ability to endure my constant reminders (not so nice at times) to practice.

I'm also happy that the money we are forking out to educate our children musically is not going to waste. 

Here is a closer view of their scores.

Yes...they both got superiors.  But don't ask Carter about it because he will tell you his numerical score was higher than Andrews.  (little sibling rivalry going on)   When we were walking out of the CSI fine arts building to leave after their judgings, Andrew's teacher told me how proud she was of him.  Apparently, his songs were much above his playing level and he pulled them off with style.  I'm proud of him too.  

Long long ago when I was young and in piano lessons (I think it was before electricity) I competed and got an excellent at piano festival.  I was devastated and vowed to never do it again.  I think I was a little dramatic back then...no...not me!  I think I may have more nervous for my children to compete than they were.  I'm thrilled they found success yesterday.

Lastly for this past week is that we stared Carter's science fair project.  He counted M&Ms with the hypothesis that green would be the most common color.  To find out his results of counting over 350 M&Ms...you will have to come to the Perrine science fair on March 21.

When his was done collecting his data, I let him eat it.  He chose to eat the contents of Bag 18...it had the most M&Ms in it!

Quote of the Day

Conversation with my eldest at 7am this morning

Andrew:  Hey mom, you hair is wet.  Why is your hair wet?

Me:  Andrew, why do you think it's wet?  (While thinking...use your brain kid, why would a person who gets up early to shower before scriptures have wet hair...think about it...think about it...)

Andrew:  Did Dad give you a swirly?

Bread and Butter

I made bread this morning.

No big deal right?

WRONG!

This. Is. A. Big. Deal.

This bread is gluten free...and delicious...and is not grainy or dry.  Miracle.  It's soft, chewy and actually has a bread texture.  It has bite to it.  Most GF breads I have tasted disintegrate in your mouth...what's the fun in that?

 I pulled is out of the oven right before I left for church.  I had to wait three long hours before I could taste it.  I broke my fast with two huge slices slathered in butter.  Ahhh...life is good.

I found the bread mix in Boise at a gluten free store.  They have a bakery and I usually purchase their fresh baked peasant bread and hoard it in my freezer.  It is only used for the sacrament and for when I just really need a slice of buttery toast.  When I went to the bakery yesterday, they were all out of their fresh bread.  The the sales lady smiled and said, "You know you can buy the mix right?" 

 WHAT?  

NO...I DIDN'T KNOW!

I purchased a five pound bag of bread mix for...yes...$22. 

It was worth the money.

And, Jolyn...we can buy this stuff online for less than $22 and they have an all purpose flour too!

While I've been inside stuffing myself with bread and butter, my kids have been playing outside.  It is close to 60 degrees today and there is no wind.  It's beautiful.  My kids are wearing shorts and Colby asked if we could get out the pool.  They also "cooled off" with freezer-burned Creamies left over from last summer.
 It's obviously been winter for a long time.
I think I can officially say, we are ready for spring!

Almost Friday Phone Dump

I should be in bed.

But instead, I'm dumping my phone camera.  For some reason it helps my science fair headache that I think will be permanent  for the next three weeks.

Fashion Place Mall on the way to St. George.  

There was a Fiat, and the boys wanted Steve to test drive it.  I think they discourage that in malls.  Too many scantily clad teenagers might get injured in the process. 

 Not bad for a phone camera.

 Her Highness and her Noble Steed.

 Chick-Fil-A on the way home to Idaho.

I only ate fries...but got sick anyway.

I'll stick to the diet soda only next time.

Colby's sweet magnet building skills.

And yes, those pants are in the trash as we speak.  I don't do holey jeans. 

 Colby's healed arm x-ray.

Still looks a little iffy to me!

We are officially on a splint for three weeks...and then Colby can go skiing.  

(I am freaking out in fear!)

 What else is there to do but take pictures while waiting in a Dr's office?

Good one Colby.  I love you! 

 Oh, and I love you too Say Say!

 Where I ate lunch today.

Shady, yet delicious.

And...I did not get sick, gluten or otherwise.

Why I am not taking Andrew to the store with me for a really long time.

He was obnoxious to a new level!

I'm so saving this picture for a wedding video payback!  I'll get you Andrew, and your giant moose too!