Dear neglected blog,

I regret that we’ve not spent much quality time together lately.I’m so sorry, but I’ve been busy with other things.I do promise, however, to be back soon with lots & lots of stories to tell…stories of costumes for a playstories about a son in that play…Maybe even a tale of a new baby quilt!

Just be patient please, for this storm to pass. I’ll be back – I promise!

a fruitcake revisited

Way back in October I made my gluten-free Golden Fruitcake for that month’s Improv Cooking Challenge. It was delicious!I’d baked a second, larger cake to soak in apricot brandy for Christmas. Many people asked for an update on that cake.It was delicious! Actually, it was totally & happily consumed: piece-by-piece & crumb-by-crumb… it was all I could do not to suck the remaining brandy out of the cheesecloth received very well by fruitcake fans & foes alike.

gimme a lil’ quiche

Ack! If only you knew how I’ve been craving that quiche… These nine or ten months that I’ve been avoiding gluten have been really hard on this pastry-loving girl!

I finally put together my own “All-Purpose” flour blend.

 

I used this pie crust recipe from King Arthur Flour, kinda… I didn’t have Instant ClearJel or xanthan gum, so I subbed a tablespoon of cornstarch and guar gum for the xanthan.  I found the dough to be a little soft & a bit oily looking while it baked; so I believe I’ll try it with just 1/2 cup butter next time.I sautéed a pound or so of spinach with a chopped onion & about 5 cloves of garlic in olive oil. (Many people use frozen spinach & wring it out, but I cringe at the thought of the nutrients lost from the vegetable… I just scraped the entire very wet mixture into the prepared crust.) I sprinkled over that about a cup of shredded Manchego. Next I beat 6 eggs with about ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon sea salt and a cup of whole milk. And then poured that over everything. Baked it in a 375° oven for about 30-40 minutes until the crust & cheese turned golden.

 

ummmmmmm – there were no leftovers… 

the one about a new plate on my shelf…

I love my Aunt Margaret! I know I have mentioned her before. She loves people and has such a genuine concern for their eternal destination. I remember as a very young girl seeing her off on a train soon after she graduated from nurses training. She was setting out to meet a boat to take her to the other side of the world where she would serve as a missionary nurse in the heart of Africa. Eventually she “retired” from there and landed in Portugal to share her Lord with college students. Years later she “retired” again, but is living & serving her Savior in the city where we live. She is faithful with her choir and other church organizations. And she’s been led be a compassionate counselor of young women seeking assistance at a crisis pregnancy center.

OK! All that set-up to talk about me! Or rather, one of the Christmas gifts she gave to me this year.You know my love for all things cobalt.You’ve seen many of my plates.And I’m sure I’ve shared my “shelf from around the world” with you before…

I had space for one more, I guess.

I love it.It’s from her.It’s from Portugal.It has a special place on my shelf & in my heart. 

a mom moment

There  are those instances in a mom’s life where her heart swells up with so much love & pride there’s no place for it to go but to spill over in tears.

The Sunday before Christmas was one such day for this momma…

Our middle son decided it was time to publically proclaim his own personal faith.

Alec

I pray he will always be able to say with such boldness, “Yes, sir!”