Changes, the good kind

Lots of things are changing around here. One of my favorites is the fact that I am getting to spend lots of time with Larkspur. I basically missed this past year with her and we are making up for that now. 

I have also gone gluten free.  I tried this awhile back but couldn’t stick to it.  The events of the past weeks left me with little appetite making it easier to do this time around. I really feel good about all this willpower I have discovered.  I have had this idea in my mind for some time that I wanted to try eliminating gluten and see how I feel, but I guess my bigger source of motivation is Seth.  I have been wanting to get him back on a g-f diet for some time, but I think that it would be easier if we just all did.  Too bad easier does not equal cheaper as well.  Just to see if either Seth or I have a detectable intolerance to gluten I did order some very fun sounding (sarcasm) test kits from Enterolab.  I am testing myself for gluten intolerance, and Seth for both gluten and casein.
Anyway, I think the other reason that things are working this time is that I am letting myself buy some gluten free convenience items such as gluten free baking mix.  When I had Seth on a gluten free diet before, I was grinding a lot of my own flours and it was so time consuming.  I actually broke a Nutrimill grinding soybeans, but luckily that company is so great that they sent me a new one.
The real truth is that I discovered that my favorite brownies taste almost better made with Pamela’s gluten free baking mix than with regular white flour, and that makes being gluten free way more appealing for me.  Brownies are very very important.
Here is the recipe:
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs, separated
generous 1/2 cup Pamela’s baking mix (only mix I can vouch for in this recipe)
1/3 cup cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9 x 9 square baking pan
beat melted butter, sugar, and vanilla, and then beat in egg yolks
combine flour and cocoa powder and add to above
beat egg whites until stiff and then fold into mixture
scrape into pan and bake until they reach the level of gooey you like.
When I made these brownies with regular flour, baking time was 20-25 minutes, but it takes longer gluten free, so start at 20-25, but be prepared to keep resetting the timer if your tester stick comes out too wet.
Note that this recipe doesn’t include baking powder because that is included in the Pamela’s mix.

And Jonny and I have a new late night date activity.  Mancala!  It was about time we learned to play considering that we not only have this set, but we also have a handcarved playing board from Liberia, and a handmade set from New Mexico as well.  We figured it out a couple of nights ago and have been playing every night since.

And last thing:  If you haven’t read The Help yet, you should!

Okay, I lied.  This is the last thing.  I made this for breakfast today and have to share:

I got the recipe from Real Simple, and modified it a touch.
Basically, I combined about 2 1/2-3 cups black beans (leftover from yesterday’s crock pot of beans)
about a cup of salsa and a half can of Ro-tel and brought it to a simmer, then I added four whole eggs, one in each quadrant of the pan, and put the lid on.  Once the eggs were cooked through (I am not a fan of runny yolks), about four or five minutes, I added chopped green onions, fresh cilantro, and a bit of monterey jack cheese.  This was very very good.  I want some more right now.

Okay, for real, last thing:
Today is my first piano lesson.  I have wanted to learn to play my entire life.  Who cares that I am over thirty.  I’ve got to start sometime or never at all.  This is my year!!!