Murphy's Law

Well. My Saturday definitely seemed to start with things not going like I had planned.

Example 1: I was wide awake at 8:05. On my Saturday. 

Example 2: I planned on bringing a peach and blueberry cobbler to a friend's baby shower this afternoon. I started to cut the peaches and realized that every single one of them was gross. Smooshy (is that a real word?) and tasted like each bite was filled with sand. Ick. I didn't have time to go the store so I quickly dug through the freezer to see what I could see. I found some strawberries in there and (after a quick call to my momma) found myself making a strawberry/blueberry cobbler. Honestly, it sounded weird to me.  I wasn't sure how the strawberries would "hold up" in the oven. It was going pretty smoothly until I mixed the berries together.

 

 

Example 3: After the berries sat for a few minutes (while I made the topping) they became very very juicy. Can't use regular flour to thicken it up so I went to get some cornstarch.I guess I didn't screw the lid back on right the last time I used it because it came off and dumped puffs of cornstarch all over the place.

 

In the cabinet.

On the counter (and the floor that you can't see).
And in my hair.

I finally got it all cleaned up and assembled this crazy sounding cobbler.

I meant to take a picture after it was baked but I was kinda in a hurry since I had to end up washing my hair (due to the cornstarch incident).

It actually ended up tasting really good. I got several compliments and it was eaten up. Great success!

I didn't get a lot of pictures at the shower, but did snap some with a few people who might be happy to "make the blog."

It ended up being a really fun day, but my goodness it started off rocky.
Happy weekend!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

The weather today was absolutely beautiful.

One of those days where you keep your kids outside a few extra minutes at recess so you can all enjoy some much needed sunlight. I am so extremely ready for spring. Actually, I'm really ready for the summer. I bet I say that 10 times day. To anybody that will listen. 

Today, as I was sitting on the patio of a fun little neighborhood restaurant with a good friend I found my self humming, "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood." Maybe its because I'm around first graders all day. Or maybe I'm a geek. I don't know. Something about the warm sun on my back and the breeze that made me put my hair in a ponytail just really got to me.

Anyway, yesterday I did some planting. I wouldn't say I have a "green thumb." At all. I've killed two bromeliads . That's right. Two. My good man is talented at growing things though. 

You can read a little bit about that here. 

Anyway, I planted me some pansys and I'm going to try my hand at some strawberries. Just being outside yesterday while my good man worked the grill was good for the soul. The birds and buds. The smoky smell of hamburgers grilling. A cold class of sweet tea. Feeling the breeze through the screen door. Driving with the window down. Ahhhhh.

Have I mentioned that I'm ready for spring?

I don't want this to turn into an all gluten-free all the time type blog. But I do have a few followers (wow, that makes me feel cool...no, seriously) who are trying out the gluten-free thing.  I know in the beginning of my gf world I really appreciated advice from other people who had gone through it all before me.

For a little over a year now I have been on the hunt for a decent gf chocolate chip cookie mix and I think I've finally found it. We needed something sweet last night and I just happened to have this mix in the back of the cabinet. I would actually tell you to make it even if you aren't gluten free...it was that normal. Even my good man liked them-and went back for another. SCORE! 

The brand is Cherrybrook Kitchen and they have  a pretty helpful website here.

            (I just realized these are dairy and nut free as well so maybe someone really can find this info helpful).

Also, for year now, I've been mourning the loss of Poppyseed Chicken. I stole the recipe from Kelly's Recipes (which you can find here).  Back then I learned the hard way that cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup both have wheat flour listed as an ingredient. Nevermind the delicious Ritz crackers on the top that are off limits too.

Look what I found at Whole Foods a few weeks ago. It says "GLUTEN-FREE" right on the side.

The other night I used the soup and Glutino gluten-free crackers to make me a Poppyseed Chicken.

I can't lie. The night I made it- it was just "okay." It tasted fine...maybe even normal but the consistency was different...which happens a lot with gluten-free cooking.

I'm happy to report that I ate some for lunch today and it was SO MUCH BETTER! Something happened in the fridge that made that Poppyseed Chicken delicious! 

Hopefully, someone out there can benefit from some gluten-free (and apparently dairy and nut free) chocolate chip cookies and some gluten-free Poppyseed Chicken.

I'm off to eat some Poppyseed Chicken for supper.

Happy Thursday!

Stick it on your frigerator door

Anybody else have a fridge that looks like mine?

 Covered with kids and happy memories?

I love it. I really do.
The problem is that my good man does not. At all.
It's not my fault though...I come by it honest. Very honest (ahem Mom AND Dad).

Either way, almost everyday I hear some comment about our "Redneck Whitetrash Refrigerator."

I happen to know that George Straight approves of showcasing things there. You know ....Sign it at the bottom of the page. Stick it on your frigerator door...
 Good stuff! 

Anyway, now I'm curious. Do you put stuff on your frigerator door or am I really just "Redneck White Trash?"
For the record, I really think I'm okay with being Redneck White Trash.