Madness, mayhem, chaos, exhaustion....

Need I say more?

But when you look at this face....


It's all worth it.



Cue the "duh...duh, duh..." music:

"Momma, what's this?"

"Oh, shit. Damn you, Momma!"

As you can imagine, getting in the kitchen to crank out something faster than a salad or sandwich has been nigh impossible with Gidget around. Heck, even sitting down at the keyboard must involve Princess Piddle.

Needless to say, I have been hankering for some real food. Not boxed mac and cheese, not a handful of crackers, not anything that should be eaten standing up so a certain puppy that shall remain nameless can stick her face in your plate or bowl.

Yesterday was filled with the first vet visit for my girl and a chiropractic appointment for me. And lots and lots of naps, both dog and momma. She just kicks my ass. I am supposed to take her visiting at the office this afternoon, but that means I need sustenance.

So I grabbed a Pamela's Wheat-free Bread Mix and managed to turn out focaccia. I ran to the store (gasp - puppy went into the playpen. Yes, we bought a play pen. Shut up.) to pick up a few things that had been making my mouth water with just the thought.

Momma can't live by junk food alone.

Chicken Sandwiches on Focaccia
Makes 2

2 squares focaccia
1 good-sized handful arugula
2 roasted red pepper halves (buy 'em if you don't have time to roast - I sure as hell didn't)
2 slices provolone cheese
2 thin-sliced chicken breasts
Olive oil
Paprika
The juice of 1/2 lemon
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Sea salt
2 tbsp roasted garlic mayo
Thinly sliced red onion

Prepare the chicken first so it has time to marinate: place the breasts in a bowl; drip the lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil over the top, then sprinkle paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and sea salt. Go lightly here - no more than 1/8 tsp of each and even less of the paprika. Cover and place in the fridge for half an hour.

Drain the roasted red peppers and pat dry. Set aside. Wash the arugula if you haven't already. Dry the leaves either in a salad spinner or on some paper towels, if Gidget hasn't taken off with the roll.

Preheat a skillet on medium heat with about a teaspoon of olive oil; add the chicken and saute until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side (more if you use chicken thicker than 1/2 inch).

Slice the focaccia squares in half through the middle. On the crown, place 1 tbsp of the mayo, then a few rings of red onion, a slice of roasted red pepper, then half of the arugula. Place one chicken breast on each heel and top with a slice of provolone. Combine the tops with the bottoms and inhale delicately.

Or...we bring her home 3 days early

I am planning on getting no sleep tonight. When I found out that 2 litter mates left yesterday and the other is leaving tomorrow, the only reason I would have to not bring her home is the near-definite lack of sleep. So Gidget is home.

Heaven help me. Knock her out all night with no whining.

She is already a momma's girl.

A Mexican-y lunch

I was in the mood for quesadillas, but I didn't want to make anything I had done before (other than the corn tortillas, of course. Those I will be happy to make again and again). I found a recipe on Epicurious that I liked, but it involved going to the store. So I tweaked it.

This recipe would probably fill eight 6" tortillas, but I made teeny weeny Gidget-sized ones (FYI If I haven't mentioned it already - she comes home Wednesday) because I am betting that this will be damn good as a chip dip. I wanted some left to snack on later.

Pinto Bean & Cojita Quesadillas
Adapted from a recipe found on Epicurious

1 15 oz can pinto beans, drained
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley (better with fresh, I am sure)
1 heaping tsp chili powder
1 scant 1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, peeled
8 corn tortillas
2 cups grated cojita cheese

In a blender or food processor, combine the pinto beans, onion, parsley, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Pulse until well combined but still a little chunky. Place into the fridge for an hour so the flavors can meld.

Prepare your tortillas if you are making them from scratch. If not, hang out for a while. Snuggle with the animals or something.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread a tablespoon or two of the bean mixture onto one tortilla, sprinkle a good amount of cheese (3-4 tablespoons), and then place another tortilla on top. Continue until you either use all your tortillas or the filling is gone.

Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are crispy.

Tapdancing tongue and tastebuds

It was worth waiting an extra day to make the recipe that was rolling around in my head. I had intended to make it yesterday but....well, migraines happen.

Short and sweet post tonight - just the pictures and recipe.

Rolled Flank Steak

1 pound flank steak
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled, cut in half, and then sliced thinly
8 ounces button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup red wine
1 tsp worcestershire
2 dashes hot sauce
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a skillet over low heat, melt the butter and olive oil together. Add the onion and coo, stirring occasionally, until they are very soft, about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook until they release their juice, about 10 more minutes. Add the wine, worcestershire, and hot sauce. Mix well, then bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid is gone. Turn off the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

While the onion/mushroom mixture is cooling, prepare the steak by releasing your frustrations with a mallet (aka tenderizing). Believe me, you need to do this - flank steak is a tough cut of meat! Spread the mustard over one side of the steak. Pile the onion/mushroom mixture down the middle of the steak (go the long way instead of the short way). Gently roll the steak into a "jellyroll." Place into a baking dish and place into the oven. Bake for 1 hour for medium.

Serve with lumpy ol' mashed potatoes.

Interview by Flamenco Mom

Flamenco Mom emailed me 5 interview questions at my request. I thought it was a cute idea - a chance to get to know whose stuff you're reading!

1. What is your favorite meal to cook? Well. I just love to cook, period. But if I had to pick something...it would have to be cheesecake. Because no matter how it looks coming out of the oven, you can cover it up with something and it still tastes good!

2. You've just won the Publisher's Clearinghouse Sweepstakes, darling. What do you do after Ed McMahon hands you the giant check? After picking myself up off the floor since I never win ANYTHING, I would call the boss, then pay off all our debt, then start the ball rolling to open a natural foods store. Oh, and buy myself a rose-gold Powell flute.

3. You, The Man, and the pets have to get out of town - fast - and you're not sure when (or if) you're coming back. What do you load up in the vehicle? Family pictures. Everything else is covered by insurance or can be shipped.

4. Where would you go on your ideal vacation? I would just stay home and spend time with the boys and Gidget. Maybe take a short jaunt to see my family up in Wisconsin.

5. If you could choose between living in the mountains or living near the ocean, which would you choose? Oh boy. I am a solitary soul, so probably living in the mountains, but I reserve the right to own homes in both places - I did win the Publisher's Clearinghouse, right?

So if anyone out there wants to participate, post a comment with the request for me to interview you. I will email you five fresh questions. Update your blog with the answers to the questions. Include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

A recipe brewing, tasting, and animal porn

Since I forgot to take the flank steak out of the freezer when I stopped at home for lunch today, the recipe that is creating itself in my head will have to wait until tomorrow. I promise, it will be a good one.

As I mentioned briefly the other day, I went shopping. The kind that I have fun doing. Grocery shopping. I know, I am sick and twisted. I went back to the little natural foods store in Joliet on Saturday morning so that I could really poke around to see what they had. $170.00 later, I had Kinnikinnick hamburger buns, frozen bread, and a bread mix, hot dogs, bacon, 2 different kinds of honey, cookies, vitamins, colloidal silver nasal spray.....and a bunch of other stuff that I can't think of right now. I hauled out one of the hamburger buns for dinner Saturday and I decided that the Ener-G buns I have are better than these Kinnikinnick ones. The bread, however, is very good. I had a very satisfying ham sandwich for lunch yesterday.

For dinner yesterday, I had a visit with Gidget instead of food. And it was worth it. The Man and I ran out to pick her up a little before 5 and took her back to her dog mom at 7:15. It was a lot of fun having her here, although the cats may disagree with that. We played and played, napped, and played some more. I know I am in trouble because when she peed an inch away from the puppy pad (I should mention that it had been a good 2 hours since her last potty break by this time), The Man and I looked at each other, said, "She piddled," and giggled like a couple of school girls. We need to definitely get past that, don't we?

Humorous happenings during the visit:

As long as Baby can go up to Gidget, he is pretty much fine. He sticks his nose in her hair/fur, sniffs, and backs away (but no more than a foot or two). If she goes up to him, we have a hiss-y fit.

During nap time, Gidget and I were kicked back on the couch. Within seconds of bringing Gidget into the house, Vester was under the bed. When she crashed, Vester ventured out and hopped into my lap to snuggle. "Um, mom? There's a dog there!" Pupils huge, he darted away. I giggled so hard I woke up the dog.

We bought that stuffed squeaky toy thing that Baby tried to take over - I introduced Gidget to it yesterday. Damn if she didn't attack that thing right off the bat and cart it around, even though it's bigger than she is.

The innocent face with the toy. This is before she peed on the carpet.

She wanted you to see her butt, too. This is immediately before peeing on my carpet.

And of course, because I can't leave the boys out:

Baby in the kitty carrier that's too small for his big ass. He's crammed in there, but content. He goes in there all by himself. To think that when it comes to a vet visit, he won't go near it...

Vester sunning himself on the back of the couch this afternoon. I made this afghan the week of my father's triple-bypass surgery a year and a half ago.

Getting unannoyed

Funny how a good night's sleep, some chocolate, and some retail therapy will reposition your outlook on the world. Or on your blog.

I regained patience today...well, as much as a woman can with PMS. The Men are staying out of my face due to a healthy love for life. It's amazing how quick they learn, isn't it?

Snarky comments aside, the blog is much closer now to what I want. If only I could figure out how to get my banner to stretch all the way across the page.

Getting VEDDY, VEDDY annoyed

Giving up for the night. See, this is what happens when you plan with a new template. Grrr....

Sorry about the double header, but if I keep playing with this tonight while simultaneously being PMS Bitch of the World, my laptop may have a free flight to the backyard.

Tonight I really hate Blogger and CSS code and computers and...where's the damn chocolate?

Nothing fancy but sure is good

Happy Friday the 13th!

As promised, I made my pizza for Catherine's round-up last night instead of today...just in case. I don't like to tempt the whammies LOL

On a side note, Gidget's caretaker is going to allow me to bring her home for a few hours whenever I want until we bring her home for good. I really want to get the cats used to her as much as possible before G-day.

Over the last couple of weeks, I thought about the different kinds of pizza that I haven't had since going gluten free. One day, I will attempt a deep-dish Chicago style, but that isn't what I wanted for dinner last night, especially since I wanted to eat before 8:00. So I stopped at the store on the way home, grabbing some scallions and chicken.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

1 GF pizza crust (I used an Arrowhead Mills mix)
1/2 cup GF barbecue sauce
1 cup cooked chicken, shredded
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1 large ball of mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Prepare your pizza crust as directed; if you make a crust instead of using prepared, make sure to prebake it since it doesn't take long to bake once you get the toppings on. Spread the barbecue sauce over the top of the crust, arrange the chicken over the sauce, and sprinkle the scallions over the top of the chicken. Place the cheese on top and place into the oven. Bake until the cheese is melted and begins to brown, about 10 minutes.

Catching up

Rather busy recently.

1. I had a huge project going on at work. It's not over yet, either, but the bare bones are in place so the hard part is over. Thank goodness.

2. Puppy shopping. And I thought the cats were spoiled! The Man and I had so much fun on Friday afternoon, wandering through the pet store to get stuff for the new addition. I took a list with me to keep us in check on the spending, and we pretty much stuck to it, but we went a little overboard buying stuff she won't even play with for a while. And the squeaky plush toy we now own has been appropriated by Baby the Cat. I put it on top of the new dog crate; Baby moves it to the middle of the living room, licks it like crazy, then goes to a different room after becoming bored. I pick it up - he puts it back. It's a mother/child power struggle.

3. Girl stuff. For almost 2 weeks now. I must be getting anemic because man, am I tired all the time. I am boosting my iron-rich foods in hopes that it will help.

4. Haunted barn planning. We are trying to get the entire plan for 2007 together so we can meet with the owner of the pumpkin farm and get the ball rolling earlier this year.

5. Easter.

6. The Chicago Cubs Home Opener Party, held yesterday here at the house. I spent the weekend scouring the house in preparation for the party and started cooking yesterday morning at 5:30. We had a great time even though the Cubs lost.

So while all of this was going on, I still have a couple of recipes and pictures. So here they are.

Thursday's dinner was a crockpot thing. Well, not a thing. You know what I mean. I made garlic, cheddar, and sour cream smashed potatoes to go with the country ribs I cooked in BBQ sauce and boy, did it hit the spot.

BBQ Pork in the Crockpot

4 pounds country ribs
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
A few shots of Tabasco
1/4 cup worchestershire
1 cup ketchup
1 cup water

Place the ribs into the bottom of the crockpot. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a saucepan on the stove. Heat over low heat, stirring until well combined. Pour over the ribs, cover the crockpot, and choose your desired time setting. I put mine on 10 hours and came home to pork goodness.

Ham Glaze

I didn't take a picture of the Easter ham. Sorry about that. I had a couple of men acting like unfed vultures when I pulled the ham out of the oven, so I sliced it up and fed them for my own safety.

1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp allspice
1/4 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring well to combine, until bubbly. Remove from heat and allow to cool. The sauce will thicken; use to baste a half-ham every half hour it's in the oven.

Not a recipe - Gidget Update

Gidget's caretaker brought her over here yesterday for about an hour. Oh, how sweet and snuggly she is! I introduced her to Baby and Sylvester; it went a lot better than I expected. Vester wanted nothing to do with her, not even with the bribe of treats. Baby, on the other hand, stuck his nose right into her fur (this was before I even showed her face to them), took some good sniffs, then sat down, right by us. There were a few half-hearted hisses from the big beast, but other than that, everywhere Gidget and I went in the house, Baby followed. I feel so much better knowing that my boys will probably be okay when we bring her home.

A few new pictures, taken with a camera this time instead of a phone:

Gidget next to a 4-oz cat food can. Man, is she tiny!

Gidget and the mohawk

After work yesterday, even with a screaming migraine, I managed to stop by and see my puppy. We have decided on the name Gidget for her. As we go through these last 3 weeks before she comes home, I want to see her as often as possible so she gets used to me and her name.

According to her caretaker, the puppies are growing their teeth and Gidget has been testing them on her brothers and sisters. Quite frankly, she's becoming a little shit. Which is fine by me.

Her caretaker held her for me so I could take this picture with my cell phone. One of these days, I will have my camera with me so I can take a decent picture.

If you look closely, you can see the white mohawk at the top of her little black head - which is why she is being held in the direction she is.

Being putzy

Man, I have been slacking off in a lot of areas lately. I have been taking the easy road with cooking, have barely maintained the house, barely updated this site... The only creatures in the Just Not Dinner household to benefit from my slack-age are the hairdroppers, who have enjoyed snuggling with their lazy momma.

Ah, to heck with it. Everyone's entitled to a little down time, right?

Tonight, I updated my GF blog links - sorry to anyone I missed. I have been finding and reading more and more sites, logging my bookmarks, and never updated my link list so the rest of the multitudes () that read Just Not Dinner can know about them too.

I have no choice but to get the house in shape during this weekend - The Man and I are hosting our second annual Cubs Home Opener Party on Monday the 9th. This means I get to take a day off of work to wait on a bunch of men drinking beer and yelling absurdities at a TV. But I can be somewhat happy about it because The Man is on vacation the whole week, so any messes that happen will be cleaned up by him for a change!

I am trying to come up with snackies that will have them begging for more (something they have come to expect from me and I just can't disappoint). Of course, this is the first time we have had any sort of party where I didn't have wheat flour in the house. We will be having the standard cheese and ritz crackers (the package will remain on our back porch and will not be brought into the house or the wrath of Sheri will arise), salsa and tortilla chips (both GF), homemade caramel corn, good ol' Wisconsin-style brats (I will make my own 'soaking sauce' with Redbridge - really looking forward to that!), and pizzas will be brought in.

I want to make some sort of warm/hot snack - any ideas out there?

So. Even though I haven't been cooking, I sure have been eating. So here are a few things I have tried over the last week.

Bakery on Main's Apple Raisin Walnut Granola. I had this for breakfast yesterday. It's pretty good and stayed fairly crunchy after a dousing in milk. I also snacked on it dry for breakfast at work this morning and again, pretty dang good. I was a little disappointed in the cinnamon amounts used - when I am eating a granola, especially one with apples in it, I really want to taste cinnamon and that's not the case here. But still very good. I will be on the lookout for more flavors to try.

Oskri Cashew Bar. See the Oskri granola bar I posted about a while ago. In my opinion, it's basically the same bar.

Mi-Del Arrowroot Cookies. Anyone else over the age of 30 get cravings for animal crackers? This was a case of "I came, I saw, I bought" while wandering the store looking for a snack. Thinner than the gluten-y animal cracker, the taste is similar to the "real thing." These could probably use a little more sweetener, but they help me kick the animal cracker craving. As a matter of fact, the bag is sitting open on my end table right now - for every sentence or two I type, another cookie gets stuffed in the gaping maw. Now, the package states that this product is produced in a factory...blah, blah,blah...., but it also states that their gluten free products are routinely tested to ensure gluten free status.

Somebody take these damn things away from me.

Tacos...sort of!

The Man loves tacos. Granted, he's never tried a gluten-free taco...but he loves tacos.

I do too. I haven't had a good one since going gluten free since I didn't want to take a chance on the taco seasoning packets. The few times I made them, I just used Mexican spices and created something similar, but it's not quite the same, you know?

I hit that store I found, which is called For the Good of It, located in Joliet. It's fairly small and has a pretty teeny GF section. They had The Gluten Free Pantry's taco seasoning, so that's what started this recipe brewing in my head. I found the Kinnicknick items (not very many) but was in a rush; I plan to go back and take a good look at everything they have on a weekend, maybe this one, to see what I can see at my leisure.

Anyway. Catherine over at Gluten Free Guide is having a GF pizza round-up next Friday, April 13th. Since I am about the klutiziest person on earth, I don't take chances on any Friday the 13th. So here's my pizza now. Of course, in keeping with the "rules," I am technically supposed to post a pizza on the 13th, so I will probably come up with something new and just make it on Thursday instead.

Remember, we are big on Halloween, have 2 black cats, and I am a major klutz. No sense in pushing it on such an auspicious day.

But this pizza flippin' rocks. I ate it with a fork because...well, I happen to like this shirt.

Taco Pizza

1 GF pizza crust (I used 1/2 the recipe for the Arrowhead Mills box mix)
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup refried beans
2 cups cheese of your choice (cheddar, monterey jack, cojita, etc.)
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup GF taco seasoning
1 pound ground sirloin
Any other toppings you'd like

Make your pizza crust about 1/4 inch thick so it holds the weight of the toppings to come. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brown the ground sirloin in a skillet over medium heat. Once browned, add the taco seasoning (add water if directed), mix well, and continue to cook until thickened slightly.

When the oven is hot, place the crust into the oven to bake for about 10 minutes to take the rawness off. Remove from the oven and then layer as follows:

Refried beans - spread evenly across the crust
1/2 the taco meat - you'll have the other half left for another day
Onions
Tomatoes
Other toppings
Salsa - "sprinkle" with a spoon
Cheese

Place back into the oven for an addition 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and is beginning to brown.

Eat hearty.

Unbutton your pants. Pretend to be Al Bundy (you know, stick the hand in the waistband of your pants and stare at the tube, making snarky comments to anyone and everyone).

Everything's uphill

While I love getting new frames, I kind of hate getting used to new glasses. If my eyes have changed enough, everything appears to be going uphill until my eyes get used to them. I have been walking uphill everywhere I go since about 5:30 tonight.

I have been told that my new Prada frames look "sassy." And I am happy to wear what is probably the only Prada attire I will ever be able to afford LOL

I asked for and got my glasses prescription because I am curious. I will have to stop back to get my actual uncorrected vision, if I want it (you know, the 20/20, 20/40, or whatever). Legally blind is 20/200. The doc has told me more than once that I am well beyond that, but I still want to know the actual numbers.

Anyway.

Browsing the Kinnikinnick (sp?) website this morning, I found a natural foods store that carries their products only 15 minutes or so from here. So I hope to head that way in the next few days to see what's what. I want to see if I can get my hands on quinoa flour, amaranth flour, and other flours that I want to try without having to buy in bulk, just in case I don't like it.

Last night, I made one of our favorite light meals since it was so beautifully warm outside. My parents found the original recipe somewhere; I naturally have tweaked it to suit my tastes. And believe it or not, The Man actually liked the fresh basil and didn't disturb my flute practice session (whalin' out some Claude Bolling's Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano) to ask me what the hell the green things were.

In a little more than the time it takes to boil pasta, this is done.

Lite Smoked Sausage Italiano
From...somewhere

1 GF kielbasa (Wellshire Farms is GF)
8 ounces GF spaghetti
1 tbsp olive oil
1 package button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
Salt
Pepper
6 to 8 good sized grape tomatoes
A small handful of fresh basil leaves

Make the pasta according to package directions. Slice the kielbasa into 1/2" coins. While the water is coming to a boil for the pasta, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. When hot, add the kielbasa (cover if you don't like cleaning grease off of everything; if you don't care, let 'er rip). Stir fairly often until the meat starts to carmelize a bit. Then add the mushrooms and reduce the heat to medium.

Don't forget to put the pasta in the water!

Continue to stir the meat and mushrooms until the mushrooms begin to reduce in size. Drain the pasta and then add to the skillet with the kielbasa and mushrooms. Toss lightly. Slice the tomatoes into quarters and the basil into thin strips (stack the leaves, roll them into a 'tube' and then hack away). Add both to the skillet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss everything together one last time.


On yet another side note, I designed the floor plan for the 2007 haunted barn last night. Have I told you lately that I have a devious brain? Bwah....ahh....ahhh...

Welcome Spring!

It's 78 degrees outside, the windows are open, and I am wearing a pair of shorts. It will cool off by the end of this week and there's a chance of rain every day, but who cares - we have spring warmth today!

This is a simple spring dessert that we used to have at family gatherings. I am not sure which relative brought the recipe into the fold.

Glorified Rice

2 cups quick-cooking rice, uncooked
2 cups pineapple juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 small container whipped topping
1 can fruit cocktail

Combine the juice and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat; stir in the rice, cover and remove from heat. Pour the cooked rice into a bowl and place in the fridge to cool. Once the rice is cool, drain the fruit cocktail and stir into the rice. Add half the container of whipped topped and mix together.

The new addition

I finally got to meet our future addition yesterday afternoon.











Really bad picture taken with my camera phone. You can barely see her. And no, that is NOT my house LOL



She has a little mohawk running down the top of her head - she's so CUTE!


Got any name ideas for a girl dog that won't even be 10 pounds full-grown?





So far, we have:





Gizmo - I think this is more of a boy name


Gidget


Mimi


Putchies - guess who came up with this one - you got it - THE MAN - I told him there is no way I am sticking my head out the door and calling for what sounds like "Butt-Cheese"

Cooking with dilated pupils

Why do I have dilated pupils? Pick one:

(1) Sheri has become a drug addict.
(2) Sheri lives in the dark.
(3) Sheri had an eye appointment today.

If you guessed (1), I am probably one of the most anti-drug people you will ever meet. I don't even like to take my necessary prescription medication or something as simple as Advil.

If you guessed (2), I only live in the dark when I have a migraine or if the power went out.

If you guessed (3), you can just imagine how huge my pupils are. I had to drive my stupid butt home after the doc dilated my eyes, holding those cheesy sunglass things up to my face because they're too wide for my head and don't stay. It's a good thing I live less than a mile from the optometrist's office.

But I have some kickass Prada frames on order and I am also getting a trial pair of extended wear soft contacts. I have worn contacts since I was 17, but I have only worn the gas-permeable kind because no one made soft contacts for nearsightedness and astigmatism together. And, well...I am blind as can be, without correction. In fact, when I take my glasses off, I am legally blind and can't see 2 inches in front of my face. But over the last couple of years, someone made soft lenses that correct both problems. The doc said that my gas perms (which I am keeping - there's nothing wrong with them) will give me better vision, but when I explained that I have issues at night....

...more than once, I have scared at least a year off of The Man's life because I woke up in the middle of the night and panicked because I couldn't see. Imagine it - 2 or 3 AM - pitch black room - wife sitting straight up in bed shrieking like a banshee.

...the cats like to knock my glasses off the nightstand, necessitating a search of the floor in the dark just so I can pee.

So he said that I could try the extended wear, but under no circumstances am I to actually leave them in for the 30 days advertised. I am kind of excited and hope they work out, because the thought of waking up in the morning and being able to see without groping for a pair of glasses...well, I haven't been able to do that since third grade. I don't even know what my glasses prescription is anymore.

So, I have been shying away from daylight since I got home. A simple dinner was in order, one that didn't involve a run to the grocery store. I ruminated on what to make while I tried on frames; he dilated my eyes, then I slapped in my contacts long enough to see to pick new frames, then I popped them back out so he could do the evil shine-the-light-through-a-mirror-while-you-look-in-every-direction thing.

So here's dinner. To go with, I made The Gluten Free Pantry's French Bread and Pizza Mix as French bread. Blech.

Somehow I feel like I have posted something very similar before, but if I didn't I couldn't find it anywhere. If I did, sorry. If I didn't, try it. You might like it!

Shrimp & Parmesan Spaghetti

1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp butter (not the lightest recipe in the world -sorry)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
8 ounces gluten-free spaghetti

Prepare the spaghetti per the package directions. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water.

In a skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the garlic, stirring often to insure it doesn't burn; saute 1-2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink, about 4 minutes or so, depending on the size of the shrimp. Add the cooked spaghetti, pasta water, basil, parsley, and cheese to the skillet, tossing well to coat. Serve immediately.

GF Kolache

Growing up, when I figured out that my mother was cranking out kolache, I got really excited. I love these things! I assume the original glutenous recipe came down through her side of the family.

I was flipping through cookbooks early this morning, in the mood to bake but not sure what I wanted. I looked at doughnuts, cakes, cookies....and then I saw a recipe for danish. Hmm. I wonder what would happen if I tried to convert the family kolache recipe to gluten free?

After a little research as I haven't really tried to convert a recipe like with this much flour before, I started out by pulling a bunch of flour containers out of the fridge (the top shelf is devoted to GF flours now).

Flour dusting the countertop is a call for Baby, who loves flour. He would have licked the area clean if I hadn't come running to nicely chuck him to the floor.

While these don't taste quite like what I remember, nor are they as pretty, they are still tasty.

This recipe is considerably easier with a stand mixer as the dough gets pretty stiff.

Gluten Free Kolache
Adapted from the family recipe

1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
2 tbsp shortening
2 packages yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups white rice flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
4 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 can cherry pie filling (Wilderness brand is GF) or other favorite filling

Combine milk, shortening, yeast and sugar in the mixer bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes. Lightly beat 2 eggs with the salt and vanilla; add to the mixer bowl. Using the paddle attachment, give it a whirr for a minute to mix together. In a separate bowl, mix the flours and xanthan gum together. Slowly add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl until the dough starts to get stiff (stop adding flour at this point). Switch to the dough hook attachment and start adding flour again. Once you have all the flour mixed in, cover the dough with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for an hour.

After the dough rises, roll into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Allow to rise again for another 30 minutes.

After the second rising, use a spoon to push down the centers, leaving a 1/2" rim around the outside. Fill with a spoonful of pie filling.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is preheating the dough rises a final time.

Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Am I done playing yet?

I dunno. Since I am unfamiliar with CSS and all that crap, it's been a day of "cut-preview-repaste-if-it's-the-wrong-thing." I am happier with the look now than I was, but am still unhappy. Anybody good with this stuff? I have questions...or need help...or something.

A friend of ours got married today at noon. I went to the ceremony at his home and when the food started coming in, my mouth started watering from all the wonderful smells wafting through the house. And I just knew that I couldn't eat any of it. Damn it. Big Irish family, so you can imagine the goodies that were laid out today of all days. Damn it.

I stuck it out for 2 hours and then came home to eat, realizing that with all that great food sitting there, the 2x3 granola bar in my purse wasn't going to cut it. I swung by the grocery store on the way so I could make something I have been craving for a few days.

We had tuna casserole a couple of times a year when I was growing up. I had never had tuna other than in that casserole until high school, when a girlfriend introduced me to tuna salad sandwiches. I was hooked from that moment on. I remember getting yelled at once by Dad because I had made tuna salad with the can of tuna they had bought to make casserole with that week.

Two of my lunches this week consisted of a small container of tuna, mayo and onion, which I ate on rice crackers. Yummy.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

6 oz gluten-free pasta (I used Tinkyada spirals)
1 good sized tuna steak
1 can gluten-free cream of mushroom soup
1 can peas
1 to 2 tbsps cornstarch
1/2 cup freshly grated mild cheddar cheese
Sea salt
Pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Salt and pepper both sides of the tuna, then put into a baking dish and bake for 15 minutes, or until cooked through and it flakes easily with a fork. Set aside to cool. When you can touch the steak without burning the skin from your fingers, break it into small pieces.

Cook the pasta according to package directions (add a pinch of salt to the water before adding the pasta). Drain well.

Drain the can of peas.

Heat the soup in a saucepan over medium heat; when it comes to a boil, add the cornstarch and whisk madly until it's dissolved and the soup starts to thicken.

Combine the flaked tuna, pasta, peas and soup in a casserole dish. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper, then sprinkle the cheese on top. Cover and bake for 20 minutes.

Variation: Sometimes I use shrimp. Oh, and you can mix the cheese into the soup and put buttered bread crumbs on top instead.

Under contruction

Playing with the template.

Have patience and forgiveness. And maybe pity. And definitely a Redbridge.