Don't get too excited... yet.

So much to say, and yet, not a single coherent sentence seems manageable. A quick look inside my head will leave you wondering when the hurricane hit, and how you somehow missed it on the news. Not to worry though, the cleanup crew is scheduled to arrive tomorrow and hopefully I'll be all sorted out before the end of the week. I may even post some training tips or something of the sort.

Spent the weekend at my Dads - always an adventure, though things seem to be going a little smoother than they used to which is nice. There's less yelling, and usually no fighting. I think I'm learning to walk that line between speaking my mind and pissing the stepmom off entirely. Seems it lies somewhere in with compromises and good humor - who'd have guessed.

Anyways - while here, I made gluten-y bread for the first time in, oh, 6 years, maybe longer. Decided on a bubble bread that has always been fun to make. The recipe comes out of a book my Dad has had around for ages - as long as I can remember anyways - and is very easy. I won't be posting it here, since it not GF and I forgot to take pictures, but a google search should yield some decent results.

To leave on a high note - we got the grant! More on that later... but for now, something pretty to look at:

In. My. Living Room. = No. Excuses.

A second attempt - Carrot Muffins

This is my second try at gluten-free carrot muffins. The texture is better this time around, I still find its missing a little something flavor wise, but its still an improvement from the last batch. A tad more ginger might be just what it needs next time. I don't put nuts, raisins or coconut in my carrot muffins as neither or The Boy like them, but feel free to add them if you'd like.

I have found that adding a little whey powder to my baked goods gives them a more 'normal texture' while boosting the protein content ever so slightly. I figure that since gluten is a protein in wheat, and that's whats missing in all my flours, the addition of a different protein would make up for some lost texture. I may be completely wrong on the science of that, but it seems to help with a lot of my baking, so I keep it in. Whey powder doesn't taste good on its own, so depending on how much you use, you may need to up the spices slightly.

Carrot muffins

1c gluten free flour
3/4c brown sugar
2tbsp whey powder (or use 1/2tsp xanthan gum)
3tbsp ground flax
1tsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
3tsp cinnamon
1 1/2tsp nutmeg
1/2tsp salt
1/2tsp ground ginger (I used grated candied ginger this time)

1 1/2c carrots grated
1/4c vegetable or grapeseed oil
1/4c yogurt
2 eggs lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350F and line or grease 12 muffin cups. Combine all dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center and add in the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined. If you're like me, you'll taste here to make sure there is enough spice - add more if needed. Fill muffin cups and place in oven. Cook for 20-25min until tester comes out clean.