Pate a Choux

I've been on an intense journey, this past year (and little bit), since I started to learn how to cook without gluten. The internet has been a wealth of information - tips and tricks - recipes - scientific explanations...

and so it is that, after a year of trial and error, I've finally got the knack of making light and fluffy, tenderly crisp, melt in your mouth pate a choux! Now, if only I could figure out the 'how sugar works' part - scientifically - on a stove, I mean....

Practice! Practice! Practice! and study!

...a good excuse for a New Year's Tea with champagne cupcakes and croquembouche!

When I figure more of it out, I'll let you in on what I've learned. ;)

Rubbing my hands with glee, I foresee a year of tea parties and entertaining of all sorts.

xo

Christmas...

I was thinking this morning about how it is that, the more we're active and busy and up doing things, the more every thing turns into a blur, and, the more that we spend time being still, the more time seems to slow down and be orderly. At least for me, anyway. This Christmas, I had lots of time to pray until the last week, then, with the Open House on the Wednesday before Christmas, singing at our Vesper's Service on Sunday and celebrating the actual holiday (which was celebrated, this year on the 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th consecutively - oy!!), everything turned into a quick march and we slid right on through and, here I am, wondering what just happened. It was a pleasant holiday with lovely memories - lots of small things that I was grateful for. The most stunning part of this Christmas for me was that I had so much more energy than ever before! I did get very tired but there were no headaches and no crises of exhaustion. What a beautiful thing - completely different from the past twenty years and a tremendous gift in and of itself!!

I think that, also, this year, what stands out in my mind is how much fun I had in the kitchen. After a year of cooking without gluten I have much more experience and converting the recipes and trying new ones was a ton of fun. Sadly, there wasn't much time for picture taking but I'll tell you that, at the open house, there were sugar cookies, linzer bars, gingersnaps (heavenly!!), cherry filled and plain fudgey brownies (a special hit), homemade eggnogg, my famous cheese ball and, very prettily, gingerbread spice cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and sugared cranberries (inspired by Linda Lomelino of 'Call Me Cupcake'). Christmas dinner was very, very satisfying, also. The greatest relief being a tasty gluten free stuffing!! Add in a dash of presence of mind and a huge dollop of laughter and it was a lovely Christmas, indeed!!

Wishing us all everything that is merry and bright in the new year...

xo

Pssst! Wasn't sure if anyone would be interested but someone is; so.... Gluten free stuffing recipe! ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

We got about a foot of snow, yesterday, and it's stuck to the trees and the winter world outside is just gloriously beautiful. Meanwhile, I'm working away - all cozy and festive - in the kitchen. Thanksgiving dinner is next door at Grandma's house but I am making a smaller gluten free version for myself. (Grand experiments with stuffing, don't you know.)

There's just something about the way that the stark, cold winter white outside makes our home look so richly comfortable and pretty on the inside!

Warmest wishes to your home from ours!!

=)

xxo

(Okay, gotta get back to my turkey - it's literally calling me! Well, okay, the timer is.... ;) )

Lake water lapping....

   

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee;
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

~W.B. Yeats

cranberries...

Down... down... down.... to the lake....

An evening spent at 'The Fells' on Lake Sunapee in New Hampshire.

xo