Hello November

It's hard to believe that it is November already! I feel like it was just yesterday when I was welcoming Justin home and now October is gone too. Last weekend we went to an '80s themed Halloween party. 

My hubby's costume was totally rad: a mullet, glasses, and a laser background! The background was inspired from Pinterest. I took a laser background that I found online and made a poster at Walgreens. We glued it to a box and connected a backpack so he could wear it. We configured the straps of the backpack to go through the back of his sweater so you wouldn't see the straps. 

We dressed Iivana up as a ladybug this year on Halloween. She wasn't a fan of the little hood with the heart antennae, but she did look adorable! (Remember last year, she was Minnie Mouse!)

She enjoyed a new rope toy that was sent from her Grannie and Uelo too. 

Whenever I think of Halloween, I think of beef stew. My mom would make it every Halloween! It was a tradition that I wanted to share with Justin this year so I called my mom up for the recipe. I made it the night before and Justin came home at lunch to put it in the oven so it would be ready for dinner.

It was actually a pretty easy recipe to make too; it just takes 5 hours to cook so you have to plan accordingly. Below, I'll share the recipe. It's my grandma's recipe and makes me think of my childhood. I made one minor adjustment to make it gluten free!

Beef Stew:

• 2 lbs. of meat (I used precut stew meat. But my mom says she has also used round steak or even sirloin.) 
• 4-5 potatoes (I like to use a crinkle cutter and cut them into about 1 in. chunks.)
• 6 large carrots (I used baby carrots and cut them in half. I used about half a 1 lb. bag.)
• 1 big white onion (cut into rings)
• 1 small can of peas (I ended up using about half a bag of frozen peas.)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• slice of bread cut into small pieces (I used the ends of 2 slices of Udi's bread that I had in my freezer. I cut them into small pieces and it worked great.)
• 1/2 tbsp. of salt
• pepper to taste
• 4 tbsp. of tapioca (sprinkle in)
• 46 oz. can of V-8 (use about 2/3 or until all the stew is covered)

Mix all the ingredients together and bake at 250 degrees for 5 hours. 

Finishing First Week & Football Foods

A successful first week of school is finished! However, I am utterly exhausted. I always forget how much walking and talking I do that my body isn't used to (from being lazy all summer). The week was spent learning the rules and establishing classroom procedures. My students really enjoyed this Post-It note activity that I came across on Pinterest. 

The week ended with the start of college football for my MSU Spartans! Check out Iivana's fabulous new jersey.

Despite being tired from the work week (and looking that way too), Iivana and I were ecstatic about the game and Sparty's win. It wasn't the prettiest, but I'll take it.

This photo cracks me up! Iivana is crazy. I was trying to take a picture with her...but she wanted to show you her pearly whites.

I tried to continue the tradition that Justin and I started by making football appetizers for the game. (Check out some of the finger foods we made last year: here, here, and here.) I decided to make a pizza inspired appetizer. Remember I bought some pizza crust mix at Marshall's? My random mixture that didn't follow the box recipe, didn't turn out the way I had hoped. It was still edible, but not great.

My experimented creation wasn't worthy enough to share all the details. But these gluten free pizza puffs are a much better recipe to share. I've made them before and they are soft and delicious!

Traveling, Birthday, & Food

Well, we hung around the hotel while they fixed the van. Iivana enjoyed looking out the window at the hotel.

She especially liked laying in the bed.

We had a late start on Thursday due to the fixing of the van tire, and spent the night in Indiana. We arrived in Michigan on Friday, July 6, my hubby's birthday. I was even able to Skype with him! I sent him a package for his birthday that included a microwaveable brownie packet in a mason jar with a candle. The brownie mix is gluten free, Pamela's individual packets.

I also filled the package with balloons, an idea I saw on Pinterest. In each balloon, I included money or a note. Apparently I didn't keep track of the money and only sent him $11. His co-workers wondered if there was a significance to the number 11. (No, just a zany wife!)

For dinner on Friday, we enjoyed some Carlo's Pizza, a local place right by my parent's house.

Of course my pizza was gluten free. I ordered mine with mushrooms and green peppers. The crust was thinner, but tasted decent. It must not have been too bad, because I ate half of my pizza for dinner.

Iivana has been adjusting to my parent's house. She has more room to roam around, so we've been trying to think of ways to contain her. She managed to squeeze through the chairs anyways. She is loving all the attention from my mom and dad.

And now I'm brought to today. Sipping on Biggby coffee, I was working on comps for my master's most of the day. They are due tomorrow! Hopefully this will mean more regular updates in my future.

Just the Facts

May 1st brings Celiac Awareness Month. You know how much I love Pinterest and Udi's! I couldn't help but pin several of their facts about celiac disease. Check out more of them here.

No pills, no crumbs, and no cross contamination.

So many undiagnosed out there.

My sister! And quite possibly more family members who have not yet been tested.

Eek, for me it was 18 years! I'm glad there is more awareness now.

Here's more information about celiac disease.

Sweet & Spicy

I needed to get out of the house today, so I made a trip to Central Market. Every time I'm there I look at the beer selection for new GF beers. I'm usually disappointed after scanning the GF beer section. (I really just need to be honest with myself. There aren't going to be new GF beers every month.) Then I check out the cider section, since most ciders are naturally gluten free. I don't ever recall seeing this brand before: Angry Orchard; maybe they are just new to Texas since it is made in Ohio.

There were three different flavors being sold at Central Market. I decided to pick the one that sounded the most unique. I chose Apple Ginger, but the other flavors were Traditional Dry and Crisp Apple. I'm interested to try the other flavors too. At my first sip, I really wasn't sure I was going to like the Apple Ginger. The ginger seemed strong and I second-guessed picking this flavor to try first. With each sip, I enjoyed the cider more and more. It was definitely different from other cider flavors that I've drank before. Overall I liked the Angry Orchard Apple Ginger Cider.

Justin must have been on my mind today! Yesterday we were talking about brewing our own hard cider and I bought some today. And then I decided to make some jalapeno poppers! Justin and I love to enjoy finger food/appetizers. I think I needed some comfort food today.

Of course my inspiration for the recipe came from Pinterest. I actually followed this recipe for easy baked jalapeno poppers step by step. (I omitted bread crumbs which are only a suggestion.) I halved the recipe of course because I'm only making for one! But I still ended up with a ton of left overs. First I washed 5 enormous jalapenos. Seriously I need to use jalapenos more in recipes because these only cost 51 cents.

I cut them in half.

Then I deseeded the jalapenos.

I whipped up the filling by combining the cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, and cilantro. I was lazy and didn't really measure any of it. I eyeballed it and may have used more cilantro than the recipe called for, but regardless they came out delicious and tasty.

The amount of cheese mixture I made was the perfect amount. I didn't have any left over, but had enough for each half to be filled to the top.

I baked for 15 minutes at 425.

They came out golden brown and ready to eat.

I paired the poppers with the Angry Orchard and it made a sweet and spicy combination. I was proud of the pairing that I created on my own. These poppers were simple and easy to make. The filling was light and airy. The cilantro is a nice touch to freshen the taste. I can't wait to make them for my hubby when he comes home. I see these as a great game day treat.

Miss and love you hubby.

GF Glazed Doughnut Muffins

I am a procrastinator. I always have been, but I always manage to get what I need done. With that said, I have a final paper due for class. However, it's not due for a week, but my initial intention was to have it done and turned it at class tomorrow. I'll tell you this: that is definitely not happening. Oh well, I still have plenty of time.

So what did I do to avoid my paper? I haven't baked in a while and pinned a new recipe yesterday that intrigued me, but I would have to make it gluten free. I followed this Glazed Doughnut Muffins recipe. Of course, I subbed the flour with Cup 4 Cup gluten free flour. But other than that I followed everything just as the recipe said. It was fairly simple! 

I was also excited because I had the opportunity to use my new owl measuring cups from West Elm. I found the West Elm site through Pinterest because there are no stores in the area here. I actually ordered them back in early March but haven't had the chance to try them out until now!

The batter was very elastic-y.

The recipe said to fill 12 muffin cups. Mine were overflowing with my sticky batter. I even had an extra glob that probably would have made one more cup. If I make these again I will use more cups and put less in each one.

As you can see, my doughnut-muffins were out of control!

I dipped them in the glaze twice. Look at those glistening doughnut-muffins!

I have 12 of these massive creations. I should probably take some to my gluten free friend at work so I can share my hard work.

Unfortunately I don't have my hubby taste tester to tell me if he thinks they are comparable to gluten filled foods. So my review is that these are moist, fluffy, and so doughnut-like. Making them in the muffin tin makes the process a breeze but still gives the sweet flavor. These are almost a cross between muffins, doughnuts, and cake! I'm not a huge frosting person but this glaze is on point! The glaze pairs perfectly with the cinnamon & nutmeg spice. I am also joyful that the Cup 4 Cup flour was an equal substitute and that these turned out.

Felt Flowers

Yesterday I went to the craft store to pick up some more adhesive to finish up my curtains to add to the dining area. While I was there I got the idea to create my own flowers for Iivana's collar. She used to have one but it recently saw it's last day and fell off.

This was her old flower.

I made her a double combo of two different flowers. I followed tutorials that I found on Pinterest to make each flower. The pink flower tutorial was from here. The red one won't open the link. I basically cut a swirl and cut half circles. I wound it together tightly. I used regular cheap felt that I bought for 29 cents a sheet. The one blog recommends wool felt, which I think I'll try next time. The wool felt looks nicer. I was just playing around to see if they really were easy to make and both flowers were! 

Then I cut a piece of elastic and hot glued it to the other side. I covered it with a small flap of felt and glued that as well. I didn't take pictures of this process because to best honest I wasn't sure if it would work or hold.

Then I hot glued both flowers to each other. Once I let them dry, I checked to see if they would fit her collar. They fit beautifully.

I'll see how long these last, but I figured it would be a less expensive option that buying her a new one. I can make her different ones and switch them out on her collar. I'm excited to try some different flower types and with better felt.

GF Food on the Wall

I'm a picky pinner. When I see things on Pinterest, I only pin it if I think it is something I will really do. When I saw this idea, I knew the perfect place for it and instantly pinned it for home decorating inspiration.

I ordered the 12 x 16 colored mats for $16, however the shipping cost practically just as much! I figured it would be easier and save me time by ordering them from the place that was suggested. I'm glad I did too because I love the colors! I bought eight 12 x 16 in frames from Michael's when they were running a buy one get one free sale on frames. They're poster frames so they are probably not as nice as the Pottery Barn ones that were suggested to use. However, I saved some money buying ones that were cheaper; each frame was about $6 for me. 

Justin offered the suggestion to use food themed pictures since this project was going in the eat-in kitchen area. I loved the idea since I'm constantly taking pictures of our gluten free foods. I picked several different food pictures and decided which ones looked best in black and white. Getting the photos printed, buying the frames, and ordering the colored mats was easy. My biggest nemesis became hanging the frames. Justin's not here to do it for me either so it was either let the frames sit for six months or try to figure out how to hang them evenly on my own. Before I began to hang them, I measured the space I had to work with and realized the configuration I saw on Pinterest would not work in the space I had. If I hung them in 3 rows, they would be too high or go below the table, so I decided to hang them in two rows of four.

I laid the colors out on the table and started to hang. But then I was quickly stalled...it looked like this for a few days. I wasn't sure how to make sure they would be evenly spaced and level.

I made a trip to Lowe's to purchase a laser level. I took this picture with the directions, because despite being a teacher I hate reading directions. Ugh, I had to figure out how to use the laser level. (Also in the background you see a paint stick, I tried to make a picture hanging contraption that I also saw on Pinterest. It didn't work though because the one paint stirrer wasn't strong enough to hold the picture.)

I was happy to invest about 20 bucks in the laser level. It made the process so much easier. The red laser made a level line that I could follow. Then I measured with a ruler to make the spacing between each.

My first row looked even and pretty darn good, if I do say!

I moved the level down and left 2 inches between each picture.

Even with a glare, the pictures look amazing! (My photo taking abilities make it appear a little crooked.) Can you place each picture with a blog entry? They all have made an appearance before.

Viola, the only bad part is the glare in every picture. I'm not a master photographer and the sun shines through the doors near this area.

After hanging the pictures I was inspired to do a little more decorating in the room. I ordered a black and white rug. I'm trying to do black and white with the pops of color. Currently I'm working on some curtains to add too. Hopefully those will be done soon. I also want to add a bright colored buffet, but will need to wait until Justin returns because I want to buy a cheap one on Craig's list or from a flea market to redo.