Glorious Fun

Oh, it has been a glorious week so far, and it is only Wednesday!

I’d love to just blurt out all the goodness that God has been bestowing on us as of late, but I will take my time and parse it out properly over the next few posts.

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day. I spent it with my daughter, doing not much of anything, just mom and daughter stuff. We made gluten free peanut butter cookies (recipe to follow) and she highlighted my hair . . . wait for it . . . wait . . .

PURPLE! And so now with my natural silver/gray, I’m sporting the Sacramento King’s colors! Too funny. That one’s just for you, Dale! (Okay, so it doesn’t show up all that well in this picture, but my hair is tinted purple on the ends.)

Those of you who know me personally might notice something else about the pictures. I’m losing weight, although I am not sure how much because I have not stepped on a scale since Portland. Needless to say, I am down a few sizes. Yea! And it is simply melting away without all the usual starvation and torture. What’s my secret, you may ask? Well, when we started our journey, we basically changed our entire lifestyle. That, and I give thanks to God for this, another blessing in my life.

Okay, so I am blurting out an awful lot of the goodness all at once.

On to the cookie recipe. It is the simplest and most delicious cookie recipe ever. Even if you are not gluten intolerant, you may want to try these. They are amazing.

GLUTEN FREE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla

That’s it, unless you are hankering for chocolate with your peanut butter, then add some chocolate chips and you are good to go.

Bake for 10-12 minutes in a 350 degree oven, and I promise they will disappear right before your eyes, even before they have had a chance to cool. Better double the recipe, folks, it is that good.

Love and blessings to you all,

Jenni and Ken

Blessings Abound

Okay, so this hasn’t been the best week for creating works of art. It is becoming more difficult. I am not lacking imagination, but I am definitely running short on supplies and money to replace them.

Darn medical bills. And other bills. I pray for my son to get a job so that things won’t be so tight, but so far no such luck. It is difficult, three adults living on one retirement income. I am thankful we are here to help my son now when he needs us most. And I am thankful he is here to help us, too. If only we didn’t need to eat so often . . .

Even so, I count my blessings daily. And they do come daily.

I prayed for less pain when doing my writing and artwork, and my best friend and her boss gave me an office chair so that I would not have to sit in an uncomfortable kitchen chair.

Our Jeep broke down. I prayed to God that I did not know what we were going to do. He answered my prayers by arranging for another good friend to lend us their second car.

I prayed more about how we would be able to afford to fix the Jeep. Yet another friend stepped in to offer his free labor and know-how. Still praying about the cost of parts, but I feel confident in the Lord’s workings.

Out of the blue, a neighbor a few houses down offered us a lug and a half of pears from his tree. He even picked them for us. I am very thankful for his generosity. Once canned, they will provide fruit for us through the winter. (That’s my son’s best friend William [another blessing] helping me sort the pears. There’s nothing wrong with our skin; it is dappled shadowing from the umbrella.)

Our neighbors in the other half of the duplex have also been a godsend. They are getting married in a few weeks, and knowing our talents, they have hired us to cook the wedding feast, design the invitations (below), and photograph the wedding. I will also be doing a family portrait for them. This could not come at a better time for us, financially.

There are so many blessings, large and small, in our lives right now. All this brings me to tears. The love we’ve been shown by friends and strangers alike, it overwhelms me.

Another blessing is that our apple tree produced its first abundant crop. From half the apples, I made three pies, and I still have the other half of the honey crisps to munch or to make more pies.

Being gluten intolerant, I made these pies with a sugar cookie crust and a crisp topping. They are amazingly tasty.

I have only managed a few finished pieces this past week, though I have been drawing and have come up with plenty of sketches to paint later, once I can replace some of my supplies.

The imagination is a wonderful thing. As I was painting yard sale signs for Ken, I asked if I could have a few of the smaller plywood boards. These, I will paint upon with acrylics. Below, Ken is adding a second coat of base paint for me. Of course I had the tough job of sanding them smooth, myself!

All the family gets in on the action.

After all the week’s work and prayers and praises, it’s no wonder Tink and I passed out last night.

Spring In Victoria

My eyes are itchy and dry. My nose is red and running. I’ve sneezed so much I fear the longevity of my tongue may have been shortened, having bit it and bashed it against my teeth so many times. 


Springtime allergies, oh how they plague me.

But oh, how I love Spring. It is my favorite time of the year. New growth. New life. New and ever-changing possibilities in a fresh and brightly colored world.
 
Today my allergies weren’t so terrible, thanks to the misty weather. Being true Northwesterners (with webbed feet☺), we ventured out despite the drizzle, walking far too far for this old body. I ached terribly when we returned to our hotel, and I definitely earned the soak in the hot tub, which we immediately took upon our return.

It seems nobody else cared to soak outside whilst it rained. Why, I simply joked we were macaques, and I turned my face to the cooling mist as my aching muscles relaxed in the hot water. It was gloriously refreshing.



Victoria was beautiful, but I won’t trouble you with too many more words, when pictures can tell the story much better. This is the Gatsby House, a restaurant and hotel behind.

The Peace Tulip Garden across from the Empress Hotel provided an opportunity for a multi-sensual experience. Not only did we see the beautiful flowers, but breathing in deeply, we could smell their sweetness, and coincidentally, bells chimed in the background, rounding out the experience. I stood there with my eyes closed for several minutes, just breathing in the beauty.

We enjoyed a leisurely rest in a quaint little café on Douglas. They make a great latte and an equally great gluten-free “survival bar” (the top treat). Actually, we enjoyed many leisurely rests, wherever we found a dry seat!

The “back entrance” of our hotel which leads directly to the waterfront walk. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

Back in our unit, Ken prepared an awesome halibut and bok choy dinner. We were definitely famished after our long day.

It has been spectacular here in Victoria. I may never want to go home. Tomorrow we will venture toward Fisherman’s Wharf. See you then.

Mom’s Cinnamon Rolls, Redux

For the past several months, I have been craving my mother’s cinnamon rolls. This craving was made especially sharp because I cannot have the gluten or cinnamon; therefore I can no longer have my mom’s cinnamon rolls.

During the past Christmas season, I also missed my mom very  much.  She passed away in 2008. Maybe that is why I was really craving the cinnamon rolls. I wanted my mom. I wanted the warmth of her kitchen. I wanted the laughter we used to share as we made those cinnamon rolls or bread together. I wanted all those things I can never have again.

Life is funny that way sometimes. We always want what we cannot have. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

But, alas, I cannot have the gluten. I know this but I do cheat sometimes. Those Voodoo doughnuts we can get here in Oregon cast their magic spell, and I fall on my knees, sick from eating just one. I am sick for a whole week after just one delectably gooey doughnut.

Cinnamon. I love cinnamon but it does not love me. My migraines are not worth its spicy goodness.

And finally, I cannot have my mom back. I can dream about her. I can remember her each time I make borscht or clam chowder. And I can cry when I cannot quite get her recipes right.

Even with all these obstacles facing me, I still longed for Mom’s cinnamon rolls. So, I did the one thing I could do: I found the next best thing. I found a gluten free cinnamon roll recipe here, and instead of sprinkling cinnamon on the filling, I sprinkled my newest spice friend, cardamom. It doesn’t quite have the bite that cinnamon does, with its slight bitterness, but I am growing to like it, and it tasted absolutely wonderful. They were so tasty, I forgot to take a picture first!

And the tray of actual cinnamon ones, well, you’ll see they are almost gone already.  They could not keep their hands off, even though I insisted that particular tray was for our gluten free neighbor. I did manage to save a few for her.

While savoring each bite, they took me back to my childhood kitchen at mom’s elbow, which is really what I was after in the first place.

Comfort Foods

 

The other day, I talked to my Dad again. We’ve been talking often lately, which is a good thing. Only this time he had bad news. It did not catch me completely off guard, however, because when he was in the hospital a few weeks ago, I half expected a diagnosis of lung cancer to be the end result. What took me by surprise is that the doctor believes that it has already metastasized. This I was not ready for. It complicates matters more than he needs them to be.

When I am upset, I can tend to be destructive. I used to throw things, scream, and pitch fits like any overgrown two-year-old. In my maturity, I have learned to channel my frustration, my bitterness and tears, into cooking or cleaning or something along those lines. Loud music when I know I can get away with it. Crying in the shower when I cannot.

For dinner that evening, I took my aggression out on the poor chicken breasts which I had thawed earlier. And I made a huge mess of potatoes to go with. Starches, no matter their origin, seem to be universal in their comforting ability. Potatoes. Rice. Pasta. Bread. Pastries. My all-time favorite comfort food is mashed potatoes with white sauce. If I happen to have some frozen peas that I can throw in the sauce as I am making it, all the better. That night, however, I did not make mashed potatoes, though I could have easily taken more of my frustration out on mashing them to bits, that is, if I had a masher in the rig.

RECIPE: Pounded Chicken Breasts

This is the simplest way I know to make chicken breasts. And the best part is that they come out moist and tender, instead of dry as chicken breasts have a tendency to be.

Hold the chicken breast so that you can easily cut it in half, making two thin filets from each breast. Next, lay a piece of plastic wrap on your cutting board. Place one filet on top and fold the plastic over it. Take your handy dandy meat tenderizer (something no kitchen should be without) and whack the heck out of the filet until it is thinner. Turn it over and do it again. Pound each breast filet in the same manner, and feel your pent up anxieties as they leave your body.

Heat up a skillet, and add a few tablespoons of oil to the hot pan. Dredge the pounded breast filets in flour (I used rice flour to make then gluten free) and place them in the pan. It only takes about two minutes or so on each side for the filets to cook. Salt and pepper to taste.

Fixing them this way makes them about as low in fat as you can get, and still be flavorful. It is quick and simple, and there isn’t a lot of extra calories from sauces or dips to moisten the chicken after it is cooked (unless, of course, you want to add a sauce).

I served them with red potatoes prepared with bell peppers, mushrooms, and onions. Wild rice is also a good choice. We also had a green salad on the side, with home-grown tomatoes. (What would life be without home-grown tomatoes?)

Once I was finished cooking and eating, I wasn’t as upset about my father’s health situation.

A warning, be careful not to turn your back when you make such wonderful smelling food, or you may return to find your plate has been sampled already.

RV COOKING 101: Chicken Soup with Dumplings

My stomach has not been too keen on all the spicy and acidic foods we have been eating lately. Tomato soup with pepper jack cheese. Homemade chili beans, which I made a little too spicy for my taste. Lazy man’s chile rellenos. And salsa, salsa, salsa on everything else. I was on a hot kick, and now I am paying for it. Chicken soup is just the remedy the doctor ordered.

CHICKEN SOUP WITH DUMPLINGS

Boil half a chicken with a generous amount of chopped carrots, celery, onions, and garlic. Add salt, pepper, and thyme to taste. When the chicken starts to fall off the bones, add some whole kernel corn and beans (frozen or canned). Mix up some Bisquick dumplings according to the directions on the box, except you can substitute sour cream for part of the milk. I used gluten-free Bisquick. Simmer with the lid on for at least half an hour, and then enjoy.

RV COOKING 101: Lazy Man's Chile Rellenos

I woke up this morning to the wonderful sounds and smells of Ken making breakfast. How lucky I am to have a man who knows how to cook. He was making chile rellenos, the lazy way. And as a bonus, the “lazy way” also means they are gluten free!

First, you take a large can of whole Ortega chiles and choose only the largest six or seven peppers out of the can. Set the rest aside for another day. Cut some pepper jack cheese into large sticks (or mozzarella, Colby, or plain jack, whatever your preference, except cheddar). Stuff each pepper with a generous hunk of cheese. Grease your baking pan and preheat the oven to 325. Scramble four eggs, add a little milk and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the peppers. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes. Enjoy with some hot corn tortillas and maybe some fried potatoes.