Gluten-Free Experimenting and Gardening

Hello Everyone. The motivation to write hit tonight! I hope everyone has survived the heat wave that came through. Our hottest day in the cities was 103° and our conditioner is currently broken. I somehow managed to survive!

Sooo, the past 3 or 4 weeks, no matter where you see me in my home, this book is sitting close by because I either just sat down to read it or I just set it down from reading it!

I've been experimenting.

This next photo is of rice and potato flour bread machine bread. It IS HEAVY! I didn't get the recipe from the book titled above though. I got it from the AiA cookbook, which I ordered. Soooo, the bread.

Heavy.
Slightly flavorless.
Biscuit-like.
Excellent with peanut butter and honey!!

It just needed a little more salt and sweetner. Oh, and butter. Next time I'll add an egg, lighter flour and more salt with butter instead of oil. You can totally tell how heavy it turned out. Brick similarities.

This next loaf - Flax Seed - turned out much better.

Fluffy. Just look at the photo!
Light.
Flavorful.

I added pumpkin seeds and that was good, but I used Bob's Red Mill all purpose gluten-free flour. I'll never use that again. They used two bean flours in their flour mix and it left and under-taste that I couldn't get over.  I gave the loaf and the flour to my mom. She seemed to like it. :)

I plan to keep experimenting. I have to. I can't give up my breads and muffins.

I've been eating gluten-free for a while now and started to experiment with eating foods that contain gluten. Most recently, I ate some split pea and ham soup from Campbell's. I ate about 1/2 cup and I started getting the worst stomach cramps. I used to think this was from MILK! I will still experiment, however. I haven't had any cramps from milk, I'll mention.

I woke up at 4:15 AM this morning and couldn't get back to sleep for some reason.

So I did a little gardening bright and early - musta been before 8 am. Yup, I was shovelin' rock. Do I care about my neighbors? Ummm...no.

I added 4 new plants.        

My gardens in the back yard are doing nicely. They survived the heat. I took this photo before the hot heat though. My Lupine is too cute when it is just a baby! It looks like baby corns or asparagus.

That's about all for food and gardening. Nothing too strenuous. I'll be starting a second part time job soon but I still plan to keep writing on the blog. That's what I seem to do - keep on keepin' on! The sewing bug will come around again, I just know it.  It's part of my nature. :)

Until next time... happy days!

Gluten-Free Bars & The Abbey Bag

Hello again Friends and Family. :)

I thought I would try and get a post before 7 days have passed, but it didn't work out that way this time. But I did better than 12 days! Thanks for coming back!!!

I'll just mention that my time at the doctor on Friday was a good meeting. I feel like she paid attention to my plight. She sent me to the lab to draw several viles of blood. We're starting with checking my vitamin levels and cholesterol and other stuff. After I get results back, we go from there.

In the meantime, she's encouraged me to venture into the gluten-free diet. I've been as gluten-free as I can get for 4 days. I still learn a little more each day. I have even made a trip of the health food store to get ingredients for a new way of baking. I stopped at the library and got some gluten-free cookbooks. I browsed my personal collection first and tried a recipe. This is my first purposefully gluten-free baked dish - Pecan Shortbread Bars. My husband LOVED them. Directly out of the oven, they crumbled as I cut them. I put the lid on after they cooled and about an hour or so later, they cut nicely. Ed thought they needed to "rest" a little before cutting. Perhaps so. Here's the recipe I used:

Gluten-Free Home Made Pecan Shortbread Bars

• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup fine white rice flour {(next time I'll try the brown rice flour, as it is more nutritious.}
• 1 cup tapioca flour
• 3/4 tsp almond extract {I ran out of vanilla}
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tsp xanthum gum
• 1 cup chopped pecans {I used 1 and 1/2 cups. :)}

Directions: Heat oven to 350°. Grease 9"x13" pan. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg. Add flour, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in 1/2 cup pecans {I added the entire cup}. Press dough in bottom of pan. Sprinkle last of pecans over the bars and press lightly. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Makes 32 bars.

Here's how mine turned out. Delicious! They were great with ice cream too! :) Okay, enough of baking.

On to sewing! Here's the wallet I made to match my tote. I added a pearl snap closure. I took the photo before I added that though... isn't it cutsie?! {I just realized that I haven't photographed my tote yet!}

Of course I have to share a picture of my new used sewing machine. It sews a little to the left of the foot, so I have to pay attention when I follow a drawn line. I do like the clanking of the mechanical machines. I'm thinking about decorating it with some glittery beads or something. I didn't spend a ton of money on it and I feel like I have a license to DECORATE now! :)

And you might remember that I am making a Sunbonnet Sue quilt with my mom. Here are some of my blocks.  I plan on appliquéing other cutsie stuff on the blocks with her, for example, stars, hearts and little critters. That's why some of their heads and hands are placed differently.   My favorite Sue is the one with the dark pink hat on.

I'm also working on a "Thread Catcher". This pattern is The Abbey Bag.

I found some emery sand at Northern Tool and Equipment. It's not called emery sand for sand-blasters. They call it Aluminium-oxide. :) It's mostly made from the material called Corundum {a stone?} and other particles are added. It's actually quite expensive. It's more expensive than I had originally planned for, but I wanted it badly, so I purchased it. Now I can make gifts with it. 

Here's the bag part. I'm practicing my blanket stitch for my Sunbonnets. =D

I'll finish this up tonight, I think. It was fun to make. I feel like I can tackle more time consuming projects if I work on them in mini-sessions. I've been working on this pin cushion for two weeks, maybe...? I see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Well, that's all I have for today. Thanks for hanging in there with me! More Sunbonnets to come later. I'm also working on a different owl pin cushion with fabrics that are similar colors to my Abbey Bag. Oh, and I suppose I will be sharing a little more gluten-free recipes as I experience new ones. If you know of great gluten-free links, please leave them for me. I like the "tried and true" links. :)

Have a wonderful rest of the week everyone. See you again soon!

Blue Haven Brown Bread

Greetings friends and readers! I've been thinking. I used to publish more tutorial"ish" entries on my blog. Lately, I've been so busy that I've been posting my finished results of whatever the project is. My question to you is: would you like more of a tutorial or do you prefer the end result. Please send me an email to tawnya {at} wizardgir1 {dot} com or, of course, leave a comment to let me know either way. Maybe you don't have an opinion and you just like my logo! that's fine too! But, if ever you develop an opinion that you want to share. My ears are open. :)

Spring break is over for our school district. I was working different hours, so again, I was thrown off schedule. The only craft I dabbled in was making a delicious Blue Haven Brown Bread. I got the recipe from "The Best of Irish Breads & Baking", which was written and published in Dublin, Ireland. COOL HUH?!  I will share this recipe.

Blue Haven Brown Bread
Ingredients:
1 lb./ 450 g/ 4 cups wholemeal flour (whole wheat)
2 tsp/ 2½ US tsp salt
1 tsp/ 1¼ US tsp black treacle (molasses)
1 oz/ 25g/ fresh yeast
12 fl oz/ 350 ml/ 1½ cups of tepid water

Mix the flour with the salt and set it to warm in a cool oven. I just placed it on the burner that the heat releases to warm mine up. Mix the treacle/molasses with a little of the water in a small bowl and stir in the yeast. Leave it in a warm area. I placed my bowl near the warm burner.  I used 1/2 cup water for the yeast mixture.

Grease one large pan or two small ones and put them in a warm place, also. In 45 minutes the yeast will froth up like mine did in the photo above. Stir it well and then add the remaining water - 1 cup.

Stir the mixture into the flour to make a fairly wet dough. Mine wasn't wet at all so I added more water. I didn't measure, I just turned on the tap and ran it in the bowl until it looked right.

After it's mixed, place it into your greased pan for 20 minutes to rise. The book says it should double in this amount of time. I let mine rise for 45 minutes. It rose a little higher, and totally filled out the pan, but I don't know that I would say it "doubled". While it's rising, preheat oven at 470° F/ 230° C/ gas 8. When I was satisfied with the rise of the dough, I put it in the oven for 40 minutes. The instructions say to bake for 45 to 50 minutes until nicely browned and sounds hollow when tapped.

Cool on a wire rack. And here is the finished bread! YUM.

This is a nice heavy bread. Serve with butter and honey! (Or if you're on a diet like I am, serve with jam.) I do want to mention that this bread is pretty salty. Next time, I might put 2 teaspoons or 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt into the mix. I don't know if breads are more salty in Ireland or what. I'll have to browse the other recipes.  I would totally make this bread again!

Hope you try this recipe because of the ease. If you do let me know if you do anything different. :)

I don't have much on the agenda for this week - other than attending the gym and working on my white crocheted scarf. If I get a bug to work on my quilted tote, I might do that.

Well, until next Monday... have a wonderful week!

Restringing and Puffed Flatbread

It's a new week and it's the END of February. Didn't this month fly by quickly? Geez, it seems that I just made Edward's Valentine's Day card. :)

I had another busy week last week, but I managed to get a couple hobby things done. A lady at work told me about a magnetic bracelet she purchased that was falling apart. I told her that I would take a look at it for her and restring it with a clasp, if I could. Here's the bracelet strung on the stretch cording. You can see the elastic broke. 

Here's the finished piece with a sterling silver toggle clasp. I didn't realize that she wanted a magnetic clasp. I brought it in today and it fit beautifully. I was worried because I had added about an inch with the clasp length. Apparently she works with a child who gropes and pulls at her accessories and needs them to be "breakaway" style. I brought it home to restring it with a magnetic clasp. I'll work on that after I'm finished here. :)

In addition to beading, I also made bread! Baked Puffed Flatbread to be exact. This bread tastes so incredible and the texture is amazing - firm on the outside and soft in the center.

Here's the recipe. 

1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for brushing
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup plain yogurt (I used vanilla)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Directions
In a medium bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water. Add oil, sugar, and yogurt. Mix with wooden spoon until combined well. Add wheat flour and 2 cups of bread flour. Mix until flour is incorporated, about 3 minutes. Turn out of bowl onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 12 to 15 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Squeeze dough gently with full hand: if dough is sticky, sprinkle with flour and knead just to combine. Place dough in medium bowl with plastic wrap in a draft-free spot. Let rise until it doubles 30 to 45 minutes.

Turn dough onto a floured work surface and cut into 8 balls. Let rest for 5 minutes. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a flat circle - 4 inches in diameter. (Mine aren't uniform.)

Brush tops of circles with water and then sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Use a rolling pin to set the seeds on the surface of the dough. About 30 minutes before baking, adjust rack to lowest position and line rack with a pizza stone or baking sheet at 500° F. Bake dough for 5 to 6 minutes.

When it's done it will puff up and the bottoms will turn golden brown. Transfer breads to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.

Serve warm.

Serve "Edward" style - butter and jam. This bread is very easy and could easily be made into flat rolls for a gathering of sorts. 

I still want to get some sewing in, but I just haven't had the time to get started. I have some new ideas and when that happens, I feel bombarded. I know, I know, I do it to myself and I have to get a grip. I need to write down my ideas so I don't feel pressured. After this week, I don't have any sub jobs for two weeks. I plan on getting some sewing in within that time. Laura, you are right, beginning a dress may motivate me to lose those pesky pounds!

I didn't intend on baking a new bread this week, so we'll see what comes of next week.

...until then, happy days to you!

Pumpkin Spice Balls

This late morning I decided to make Pumpkin Spice Balls.

Cookie Recipe:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 cups flour
1 cup chopped pecans

Glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp pumpkin spice
3 to 4 tsp milk

Preheat at 325. Blend w/ mixer: butter, pumpkin spice, sugar and vanilla for 30 seconds. Add the rest and stir. Roll into 1" balls and place 2" apart on sheet. Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until bottoms are lite brown. Dip into glaze after completely cooled then let glaze set for 1 hour. Keep at room temp for 3 days or freeze for 3 months. =D










These are delicious! They melt in your mouth and give you that nutty texture to chew. Mmm...one of my holiday favorites but I didn't bake much this holiday season. I'm catching up now. ;-)

I'm off to card-making or scrap-booking now. Toodles!