Thursday, December 21, 2006
I Forgot
The Countdown is On, Baby!!!
It's been a challenging week before Christmas here. Everyone at Casa de Flamenco is sick. The kids have strep throat, hubby had some kind of nasty funk, and I'm afraid my bronchitis decided to rear it's ugly head again. Good news: the kids and hubby are on the mend. Bad news: I'm still wheezy, and I don't mean like "the Jeffersons".
We're sticking to a low-key holiday this year, and I'm so glad we made that decision. We're going to have just a few extra dinner guests, since my sister-in-law and her hubby and two kids will be joining us. I'm sticking to my guns about making a totally gfcf dinner; though I did give my sister-in-law the green light to bring a dessert of her choosing. I'm serving a turkey, gfcf stuffing (thanks to Gluten Free Girl for the recipe), sauteed spinach with peppers, sweet potato casserole, salad, and a gfcf pineapple upside down cake for dessert (recipe courtesy of Cooking Free). I'm thinking of making some type of holiday cocktail, like a cider or coquito(a traditional coconut and rum drink made for the holidays).
While our family has been recovering from being sick, we've spent a lot of time watching Christmas specials and Veggietales DVDs. It's been fun; I barely notice my dying Christmas tree anymore. I've got a few last minute people to shop for, and then I will be all set.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Joy to the World
I'm having visions of us with a tree reminiscent of the one in "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Anybody have tips for trying to keep my tree alive until the 25th?
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Versatile and Delicioso
Growing up in Puerto Rican home, I never had the pleasure of eating food prepared with this Harina PAN. This is a pre-cooked white corn flour which is used throughout Latin America in preparing a variety of dishes. The dishes have different names, but they are remarkably similar in their preparation and in their accompaniments. This flour, combined with some warm water and salt, comes together to form a masa. It's the same as how fresh tortillas are made. The masa is then shaped into round patties, and fried in a pan or griddle.
The yummy part comes when you slice these things open (like pitas), and fill them with all kinds of good stuff. In Venezuela, the patties are called arepas. Many people fill them with scrambled eggs and/or cheese. Believe me, it beats an Egg McMuffin by a mile. In fact, the arepa filled with egg and cheese was my first intro to this wonderful treat.
While I was a student at the University of Miami, I made friends with a lovely girl named Gabriela, who was born in Costa Rica but was raised in Venezuela. Gabi and I eventually became roommates, and one day she made this for breakfast. I made her swear that day that she would make this for me at least twice a week. Of course, she had to teach me how to make the dish as well. She did, but she found it funny that I had to be taught to put together corn flour, water, and salt.
In El Salvador, the dish is called pupusas. The patties are served as an accompaniment to a meat dish, usually either a stewed beef or pork, served with a delicious slaw. Now, I've been meaning to head over to this Salvadorean restaurant not far from me--and you'd better believe this is what I'll be eating. From what I've heard, Los Angeles has a tremendous array of Salvadorean restaurants to try; so if you're in that area, check it out.
I've been trying to figure out what a good American equivalent would be to arepas, to give people something to compare it to. I guess if you've ever had hoe cakes that's getting pretty close. Think of a delicious corn fritter, then slice it open and fill it with one of your favorite things. That's about as close as I've been able to get to an American version.
Tomorrow morning it's going to be arepas with scrambled eggs at Casa de Flamenco. My kids have renamed these crabby patties (a la Spongebob Squarepants). Hey, whatever gets them to eat their breakfast, right?
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Rocket Man
To say that we were excited about what we saw would be the understatement of all time. My kids were cheering and just absolutely giddy with enthusiasm. My husband had seen a launch before, but for the kids and me, it was the first time. I've still got a huge perma-grin on my face; my kids are beyond thrilled. Zoe is on the other computer as I write this, looking at the NASA site, learning about the astronauts and the mission. Ayden wants his own rocket ship. I wonder if they sell one at Target?
*The photo above comes from the NASA website. Believe me, I'm not that good a photographer.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Clearly Marked for Your Convenience
I decided to send them an e-mail today to see if they would consider making a product that lists gluten-free/casein free (hey, kill two birds with one stone). Besides, since putting "dairy free" doesn't mean the same as casein free many times, I figured there'd be no harm in asking the folks at Jeeto. I'm curious to hear what Jeeto thinks about my proposal. Hopefully I'll hear from them soon--and I'll be sure to update on this site to let everyone know what they had to say.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
And Because I've Got All the Gifts I Need
Because They're Just Too Adorable
And We're Off!
So prep is underway for our Christmas celebrations (plural). We're having a quiet dinner for five (DH, me, kids, and mother-in-law) Christmas Eve/Christmas Day; we're driving to my mom's on the 28th to do the holiday with my family; and we're having all the in-laws over to celebrate on Jan 5 (MIL and I will be cooking for that one). It is my intention to make our dinners at home completely gfcf so that I don't have to make a million different dishes. I've been inspired by other gluten free and gfcf bloggers (thanks, ladies), so I have faith that I can do it.
I'm going to do my best not to stress over the holidays. My husband and I joke that my major meltown of the year always happens sometimes between the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Orange Bowl; this year I'm going to try to buck the tradition and have a serene holiday and really enjoy the season without getting wrapped up in all the hooplah.
Now that my little guy is three, he is WAY into Christmas. And my daughter is loving teaching him the ropes of the whole naughty list/nice list. I must confess that I am using Santa and threats of lumps of coal as a motivator for good behavior. Okay, so mother of the year I'm not.