We'll call it a success

I'm sure MommaLlama will post more details which I'm sure you all await with baited breath. I'll give a quick update to hold you over.

The first loaf of gluten free bread came out quite well. The second loaf was a little less, uh, fluffy. However, it was a raving success with the children because it had cinnamon. These children are certainly not picky eaters, which is a huge blessing. MommaLlama has ideas for fine tuning the technique next time. Overall, quite a success.

And we had a nice time just being out together on Saturday. My little sister came to watch the kids, and we headed out in the hurricane (not too bad, only got two inches of rain). We went to B&N and found a couple of books. Grabbed some coffee and learned how to shop gluten free. We went to Central Market which had a decent yet very expensive selection. Then we went to Sprouts and they had better prices, but less stuff. Then we tried Tom Thumb and they had practically nothing. There are a couple more stores we want to try, but we did find enough of the speciality flours to blend together and bake the previously mentioned loaves of bread. We also got a new loaf pan, and found a good deal on long sleeved t-shirts and casual pants for the kids at Kohl's. It was a lot of work, but we are feeling a little more confident. Pre-made bread, cereal, etc. is very expensive, but making things ourselves will actually not be too bad on the budget. Just more work.

Mmmmmm....

A couple photos of my rotisserie chickens from today. This is a very easy and delicious meal. Also pretty cheap as whole chickens are much cheaper per pound than cut-up pieces. These were each about $4. And I reckon they must be fairly healthy, right? We also had a really good ham coated with a mixture of bourbon and brown sugar before baking (a la Martha Stewart on Conan O'Brien).

Seder Meal

Tomorrow I'm going to make a Seder meal! We've been a part of a Seder Potluck in the past (we did a little of the Seder stuff, then it was a free for all on normal potluck stuff), and I decided that we... our little family could actually do the whole meal.

So I've been doing the research, pulling together the recipes, and gathering the bits and pieces I will need! We even found an appropriate red wine... King David no less!

What's on the menu?

Here's a list... I will share pictures tomorrow or Friday after all is said and done!
-Roast Lamb (by the way, a lamb roast is rather pricey... yikes!)
-Spinache Cassarole
-Green Salad
-Rice Seasoned with herbs
-Ratatouille
-Matzoh
-Haroseth

I'm following the information at this website! It's a big undertaking (especially now that I'm not feeling 100%), but I really think that the benefits are much greater than the work to provide a special Holy Thursday celebration!

What are your plans?

Busy busy...

That seems to be the name of the game today as well. After an early morning jaunt to the store for ingredients, it was time to get goin' on the cooking for today's party. Our 2nd annual Daddio family Christmas gathering at Grandma's house (because we don't take part in their Christmas Eve Present Extravaganza, they started a whole new thing so that we would come for that). On the menu: Crab Artichoke Dip, and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookies.
Bobcat was my trusty sidekick in the kitchen. He chopped crab and artichokes, red peppers, and even minced come garlic. I think it helped that I had a small bowl of peanut M&M's on the island as we worked... and if I remember correctly there was also a small glass of egg nog as a reward for such a helpful attitude!

The end result was both pretty and tasty! (I should probably note that in the finished picture, the beer and wine belong to momma and daddio :-)