Dealing with Stress

I've been a little stressed. To keep it simple,

1. Iivana (see explanation below)

2. The end of the school year = very, very silly kids

3. Of course, always in the back of my head is my hubby's absence 

My darling Iivana:

A week ago as I was putting Iivana to bed, I noticed a big swollen bump on her hind paw.

I was worried. She was either bitten or stung by something in the backyard, but I'm not quite sure by what. I frantically attempted to take these pictures and send them to Justin for his opinion on the situation.

So the next day I made her an appointment at the vet. They confirmed she was either bitten or stung, but they knew as much as I did about what little critter it could be. They gave me some ointment and asked if we still had her e-collar. Remember this? The doctor said she would need to wear it so she wouldn't continually lick the wound.

Well that blue, comfy one didn't block her from licking her paw. She could easily reach it, so it wasn't much help. Over the weekend I went and bought her a plastic one. However, I have one smart pup. While it is difficult, she still figures out a way to maneuver her foot under the range of her mouth.

The plastic one is not very comfortable and she runs into everything. I also recently ordered her a thundershirt and thought it might relax her so she'd forget about her foot. She doesn't mind the thundershirt, but she still remembers her foot. I couldn't resist taking a photo of her like this.

When I'm home with her I don't make her wear the plastic e-collar. But I have to keep a close eye on her. She'll try to go in another room and lick her foot because she knows if she does it near me, I will yell at her and spray her with water. I think it looks to be healing.

But honestly, I have no idea if it is getting better. I'm hoping it continues to heal because I am supposed to board Iivana this weekend. I have a girls' weekend in Houston planned!

But don't worry people! I have ways to deal with my stress.

1. A weekend out of town is planned!

2. I worked out today.

3. I received some letters from my hubby today and also some travel information on Michigan. Yes, Justin signed me up to receive not only Pure Michigan emails but an information packet as well. I couldn't help but smile when I saw it in the stack of mail.

4. I bought a Kindle Fire and have been reading more. I just finished the The Hunger Games. I'm excited to continue reading the series. Plus, I've also enjoyed playing Draw Something.

5. I still am showered with lots of attention! My sister called me. Another sister emailed me. I talked with two of Justin's co-workers this week as well. Everyone is checking up on me. Some neighbors invited me over for a BBQ. 

6. I blogged! I don't know how I manage to neglect my blog again for so long because writing also provides a release.

Only 6 1/2 more days with my kiddos! I think when the school year is done I will feel a huge sense of relief. Not only should everyone continue to keep Justin in their prayers, please pray for my students to be well behaved for the final countdown.

Gluten Replacement

So I'm sitting here half watching TV and half playing on my computer (I was supposed to be cleaning.) When all the sudden during a commercial I hear "gluten free." I'm used to the Chex commercial, which I love.

But this was definitely a different commercial. There was a man riding a bike with bread on his head. Luckily I have a DVR so I was able to rewind and watch it over!

Intrigued, I began to look for more information and came across this on Dow's website.

Being Celiac Awareness Month, it's good to see more awareness on TV. While I like the idea, I do have lots of questions about this plant based replacement. I know Dow is a chemical company, so I wonder how natural a gluten replacement would be. But some delicious tasting bread would be nice too. Are there any companies using this ingredient? I really just saw this commercial 15 minutes ago, so I really haven't had much time to research it...but I was excited about the idea. Anyone know anything else about it?

Also...Happy Birthday to my GF sister! Love you and hope you were able to enjoy a gluten free cake.

Rainy Thursday

I'm reaching the end of the work week which means the food supply in the house seems to be diminished. Plus, I've been trying not to buy that much junk food. So when I get a late night sweet tooth craving, I start to raid the pantry looking for something to fulfill my craving. Tucked away by the flours I found a single serving package of Pamela's Chocolate Brownie Mix. It was a freebie that I scored at the GF Expo. Ah yes, I found something sweet! Just like the package says, instant gratification.

It's the perfect solution because it is quick and only one serving, which means I won't be eating brownies for a week. You simply mix in oil and water.

Pop in the microwave for 1 minute.

Out comes a warm single serving of brownie.

Storms have been brewing the last couple days. It's been fun with my students to have it thunder and lightening while we read Harry Potter. But my backyard, really doesn't enjoy being flooded. There's no in between here in Texas; it is either a monsoon or a drought. I also don't enjoy muddy paw prints through out the house.

And I'm really starting to get annoyed with Direct TV! Bad storms and rain always mean that my satellite goes out. No Office for me. I'll have to try to find it online over the weekend to watch.

Late Night Treat

I usually don't eat much gluten free bread. But for whatever reason this weekend, I felt the need to make some late night cheese bread. 

I followed the simple directions on the back of the box. I only had to add oil, cheese, eggs, and water.

I think the cheese is what makes these so amazing.

These aren't an exact replica of the bread at Fogo, but an easy version to enjoy at home.

The bread is delicious when it is warm out of the oven. The left overs taste amazing in the microwave for a few seconds too.

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.