The Year of the Snake . . .

I heard it was the Year of the Snake and it did not have anything to do with our politicians currently in power! Since my son lives overseas, we tend to think more along the lines of anything Asian. I put my embroidery machine to work but only had a pattern for a Chinese dragon - a snake with legs, perhaps?

My son is all-American but currently became a co-host on a couple of radio programs in Taiwan. It was fun to find his first hosting performance on-line and listening to how he did. From a mother's point of view, he was perfect. Although he is fluent in Chinese, the station deals with an international audience and it is in English. It was amazing to hear the call-in audience and learning they were from all over the world including several state in the US. You never know where the baby they put into your arms ends up in the world!

Wheat Flour Need Not Apply . . .

The first thing that comes into mind when you think 'gluten-free' is how will I ever bake, again? The next thing, if you adventurous, is to heat up the keyboard as you search for ways and means to get around the one missing ingredient. There are many versions of what to use to replace wheat and everyone has success with one or the other. Making dough without wheat is a different process and texture change. It is not, however, impossible. Right now, my favorite blend is pretty simple to make and the ingredients are easy to come by without breaking the bank.

Simple Gluten-Free Baking Mix
2 1/4 cups white rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch
2/3 cup tapioca flour
3/4 cup glutinous rice flour (sweet rice flour)
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons xanthan gum

Mix the ingredients and store until you use it. The 'sweet' rice flour isn't really sweet, just has a slightly different effect on the overall mixture. You will find that a pound of xanthan gum will run around $11 but don't succumb to sticker shock. It lasts a long time as you only need two teaspoons for this mixture. If you are making a recipe using brown rice flour, alone, you will add about the same amount, too. One pound goes a long way . . . and if the recipe calls for it, you need it!

Compared to about five years ago, a google search will turn up a multitude of recipes for baking cookies and cakes. My best advice when deciding on a recipe is to read all the remarks in the comment section following most recipes. That way, you get input from people who have actually made the recipes and get insights into what really worked in the long run, possible changes, or suggestions.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cookies

These are great for snacking or slipping into the school/work lunchbox. They are
simple yet tasty and mix up quickly. An easy recipe for a new baker in the
kitchen!

Vanilla Buttermilk Cookies
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons very cold butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix together the dry ingredients. If you are using a mixer, combine the flour
and butter until the mixture is grainy not smooth. Combine the vanilla and
buttermilk. Add the buttermilk mixture gradually, stirring it until it comes
together into a soft dough.

Roll out the dough to about 1/2-inch thick. Cut into round circles with your
choice of a cookie cutter size. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets about an
inch apart. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes depending on the size of your
cookie and the oven. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

A drizzle of lemon icing wouldn't go amiss if you are feeling extra festive!

More Gluten-Free Crackers

Although we don't need to go gluten-free, the diet has greatly improved my
husband's digestive health which makes us wonder if his might be slightly
celiac. Anyway, I enjoy a challenge in the kitchen and am always looking for new
and unusual ways to incorporate new recipes into our menu.

Just tried this very simple, basic cracker. It is plain but addicting and goes
well with dips, salsa, or just snacking alone.

Gluten-Free Crackers
2 cups white rice flour
1 cup sweet rice flour (also known as glutinous rice flour
1 cup tapioca starch
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
Approximately 1 - 1 1/2 cups very cold water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, combine rice flours, tapioca starch, sugar, baking powder, and
salt. Mix a few seconds to incorporate the ingredients.

Add the shortening and mix until mixture resembles coarse meal. While running
the mixer, add bit of water until a workable dough forms. Go slowly on the water
because it is easier to add more water than take it away, again!

Between two sheets of parchment paper, roll out half the dough to very thin. Cut
out circles (or whatever shape you like!) of dough and place on prepared baking
sheets. They can be placed rather close as they don't spread during baking. With
a fork, prick tops of each cracker.

Bake until the crackers start to turn pale golden brown. Depending on the
thickness of your crackers and the oven, this could take 15 to 20 minutes. Keep
an eye on your first batch to gauge the time.

Cool on a wire rack and store in a sealed container. They should last about four
days but only if your family doesn't know where you hide them.

Aftermath of sewing . . .

 Although I'm enjoying the challenges of learning how to embroider on my sewing machine, I only have eight sewing bobbins and end up having to waste thread here and there when I need one color and all the bobbins are filled with every color but that color. Most of the designs I've tried have  eight to ten thread changes. My end of the day clean up around my sewing table looks just like this picture. Times like this when I'm glad my husband talked me into buying a portable dust buster!

Satire for the Day . . .

I didn't check Snopes on this but I'm sure it's true.


WASHINGTON, DC - Sources close to the White House have learned that Barack Obama is planning to run for the office of Pope when the College of Cardinals convenes to elect a successor to ailing Benedict XVI at the end of this month. Calling on the promise of Equality for All, Obama is said to firmly believe that the time has come for a non-Catholic to occupy the Vatican's highest office.

Foreseeing a looming citizenship issue he states that he has discovered an Italian birth certificate that proves he was born in Rome before he was born in Kenya. "That Hawaiian birth certificate never has been worth what I paid for it anyway", he noted.

Continuing, he concluded, "And there's no way that a handful of cardinals could be more expensive to buy than 10 million voters in Michigan." Further questions should be directed to Obama's Papal Campaign Manager, Abdul Azheem Khan.

Prayers for our Pope . . . present and future . . .

 Pope Benedict XVI bid us all goodbye today as he left the residence to the new pope. Many prayers are needed as the cardinals come together to determine and vote for the man who will be our next pope.

I remember the whirlwind of Pope John Paul II's death and the announcement of then Cardinal Ratzinger's appointment as our Holy Father eight years ago. Time goes by quickly and he had an amazing and tiring time as our Pope. Many people fear he has started a trend in leaving office when either he or the world got tiring. As I've mentioned before, I like the way our pastor put it . . . He said that when his grandmother turned 90, she was still very active and lively but decided to stop driving on her 90th birthday. Why? Because she felt herself inept? No, she wanted to stop on a high point before she crashed. Now, she wasn't planning on ever having a crash but didn't want to find herself more aged than she felt while behind the wheel of the car.

I think Pope Benedict felt the same way. The world isn't getting any better while he was getting older and less able to keep up the hectic pace. He wanted to make sure the Church was in good hands and, after much prayer and deliberation, decided he was no long the man for the job. I feel he showed more strength in this decision than he would if he had plodded along for the remainder of his life knowing his strength was no long in line with what needed to be done.

I will miss Pope Benedict. He was born and raised in the German town next to where my mother was brought up. I am, however, praying that his influence over the last eight years will help the cardinals make the best decision possible when selecting the new pope.