It’s 2010. Maybe It’s Time to Embrace Technology. Really.

I’m working on a video (GASP) product review, featuring Zoe and Ayden as guest commentators. Since I didn’t eat the products for the review–because my babies ate it all before I could get to it–I thought letting the kids do the review would be a terrific idea. Ice cream cones are a weakness of mine, so it’s probably best that I didn’t indulge anyway. Thanks for looking out for your mom!

As soon as I figure everything out, I’ll post it here. ETA: sometime tomorrow evening. Stay tuned.

Comfort Food: Chili

Note: I initially posted this recipe at 5 Minutes for Special Needs back in October of 2008, and felt it was high time to share it here too. The link to the original post can be found here.

Okay, so I feel a bit guilty. It was rather cruel of me to post photos of sunny beach days while virtually everyone in the U.S. is freezing their behinds off. I’m sorry.

To make up for this, I’ve got a recipe for some good old-fashioned, stick-to-your-ribs comfort food. This is perfect for a cold winter’s night. Chili makes for a delicious, hearty meal. It’s fast and simple to make, and it can be served with some of your favorite accompaniments. My husband and kids love to eat it with tortilla chips or steamed rice.

Steak Chili with Beans

1 ½ lbs. chuck steak, cubed
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbs. canola oil
1 Tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. cumin
1 cup GF beef broth
1 eight ounce can tomato sauce
1 fifteen ounce can beans (kidney or pink), rinsed and drained
Salt and pepper to taste

Over medium heat, warm canola oil in a large pot. Add cubed beef and brown on all sides. Add onion, pepper, and garlic. Cook about 5 minutes, until vegetables are softened. Add chili powder, oregano, cumin, broth, and tomato sauce. Bring to boil, reduce to medium-low heat, and cover. Allow to simmer about 20 minutes. Add beans and cook an additional 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with tortilla chips, steamed rice, corn tortillas, or salad.

Thinking Warm Thoughts

I know that some might think it cruel of me to post beach photos in the middle of winter; I mean, it’s freakin’ freezing out in most of the U.S. right now. I prefer to put a more positive spin on things: perhaps envisioning warm summer days on a sandy beach will trigger some sort of mind/body response, thereby enabling one to think warm thoughts and actually FEEL warmer.

…

Yeah, I’m not buying it either.

We spent a lot of time on the beach this summer. It is a bit of a drive from our house to the Gulf, but since Flamenco Dad works at a school near the beach I would drop him off at work and then continue on to the beach with the kids. My hubby’s not exactly a huge fan of sand in the shorts (but who is?), so I didn’t feel too badly about leaving him behind whilst the kids and I frolicked in the water.

My son absolutely loves the beach. Ayden would have gladly gone every day this summer, but his mom made him go do pesky things like visit museums and stuff.

Zoe loved it too, although she was pretty upset by the horror that is GETTING SALT WATER IN YOUR EYES! I had to keep reminding her that while Mama can do many things, controlling the elements ain’t one of them.

Still, we did have loads of fun enjoying the surf and sand, building castles and enjoying the fresh air. During these cooler winter months, our thoughts turn to the delightful summer days to come.

Project Ginger Redux

Project Ginger was such a huge success last year that the family decided we would try again this year. We opted to make a smaller house this time around, using a template for a saltbox house rather than last year’s colonial model. We ended up making two houses this year, one to demolish on Christmas Eve at my house and one that we gifted to my mother on Christmas Day. When I told her of our family tradition of smashing the completed house to bits at our Christmas party, Mom looked at me like I was nuts and replied with an emphatic  ”Oh, I just can’t!” Mom took many pictures of what she called “an edible masterpice,” and I’m hoping to get those photos from her soon, because my photos leave a bit to be desired.

I’m not sure if Mom tore her gingerbread house apart or not. Mom held a party for her employees the Saturday immediately after Christmas, and my gingerbread house was the centerpiece on the buffet table. The staff was really thrilled with it, and they were also a bit surprised to find out that it was homemade (Even people who haven’t seen me in years recall that I am not exactly what you’d call a crafty gal). The clients also thought it was quite lovely and festive.

That darn house may still be intact today. I have no idea and, frankly, I’m afraid to ask. Not sure I’d want to know if there’s a two-week-old gingerbread house languishing in my mom’s beauty shop, the scent of peroxide and hairspray replacing the house’s original gingerbread/Necco wafer fragrance.

The candy selection this year was better than last year’s–I guess that’s because I planned far enough in advance this time to get the candy everyone wanted. This year we bedazzled our house with DOTS, Mike ‘N Ike, Jelly Belly Jelly Beans, and the Necco wafers for the roof shingles. And we didn’t eat too much of the leftover candy. Okay, maybe we did.

My kids’ favorite part of the this whole exercise was–believe it or not–the little gingerbread boy and girl who stand guard at the front of the house. Ayden insisted on having a little Ayden and Zoe as part of the presentation, and I think it really works, don’t you?

It’s a Celebration

Zoe successfully made the transition from elementary school to middle school with virtually no drama at all. She had a day or two during that initial warming-up period where she had a bit of a meltdown (a very noisy gym made for a difficult session of P.E.), but it’s been a smooth transition for everyone involved. Before the switch to the new school took place, however, some much-needed partying was in order.

Yes, that is my daughter, getting her boogie on. She had a fantastic time at the party, which was held for all the fifth graders as their official send-off from elementary school. I made it to the party a bit late, and that was a real shame because I got several eyewitness accounts from teachers, parents, and students informing me that at one point Zoe jumped onto the stage and was dancing while all the kids were shouting “Go Zoe! Go Zoe!” Sadly, there is no photographic evidence to speak of, but this picture says it all…the girl was puttin’ on her “A” moves.

Here is Zoe and her BFF Kaitryn. The girls are in different schools this year, which meant that each of them was flying solo in a new school, but they remain very close. We’ve had several visits with Kaitryn and her family, which is really great. The girls have been thick as thieves since the end of the second grade so it was tough to see them separate; Zoe is glad she still has her BFF even if they aren’t in the same school together.

This milestone was, of course, bittersweet: it’s difficult to accept the fact that my little one has moved on and is growing into a young lady. At the same time, words cannot convey how much I marvel at Zoe’s accomplishments over the past several years. She is a fighter, and her commitment to never giving up on herself  is something I find truly amazing.

“Go Zoe! Go Zoe!”

In Which I Begin to Play Catch-Up

In looking at the photographs we took in 2009, it came to my attention that I have many, MANY things that I wanted to blog about…but didn’t. Circumstances being what they were, i.e. I was busy studying my butt off for the past year, it became increasingly difficult to set aside the time to write and post about some of the things we had been doing here at Casa Flamenco. To remedy the situation, I have made an executive decision: rather than post the absolute longest 2009 retrospective ever written–one which no sane human being would want to read–I’m going on a blogathon. I’m going to try and catch up with all the posts I meant to write to go with the good (and sometimes not-so-good) photos we took this year. Unfortunately that means that some of the things I’ll be posting here don’t exactly fit the season in which we currently find ourselves.

Case in point: these frozen chocolate bananas I made with the kids.

A summertime delight, to be sure; but it’s not something that many of you out there would want to eat right now since it’s something like zero degrees outside. I made these sometime in June, I think. They are delicious and GFCF, since I used allergen-free chocolate chips and a bit of coconut oil to make the chocolate dip; also the jimmies (sprinkles) are Zoe-safe.

Just a few bits of advice if you’ve got a hankering for this frozen dessert: first, resist the urge to use very ripe bananas…they will fall apart when you attempt to put the popsicle stick through them. Second, freeze the bananas first before dipping them in the chocolate. This may seem like a no-brainer to some of you, but it took me several (read: failed) attempts to figure out that the chocolate sticks better-and begins the hardening process faster-on an already frozen banana. Finally, do allow these to freeze completely before eating; otherwise, the chocolate will start melting everywhere, which is definitely not good eats.

I realize that this doesn’t exactly scream “Winter Dessert,” but after eating so many Christmas cookies, fruit cake, or whatever you may have been chowing down on this holiday season, a taste of summer may be just the type of thing you’re looking for. Now if I can only find those darn popsicle sticks.

A Gluten-Free/Casein-Free Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, Flamenco Dad and I will be packing up the kids and spending the holiday with my side of the family: my mom, stepdad, grandma, and brother. The kids are looking forward to some serious turkey eating and many rides on my stepdad’s ATV. Before I start getting angry letters from folks about the safety concerns, let me assure one and all that no one rides at an excessive rate of speed, the kids always ride with a responsible adult, and Florida has some of the flattest terrain I have ever seen! You’ve heard of making a mountain out of a molehill; here we make mountains out of anthills.

So since my mother has graciously offered to host the dinner, that means the bulk of the cooking is out of my hands. That can be good and bad: good, because my mom is a good cook (so you know the food will taste good) and also because that means less prep work for me; bad, because I don’t always know what is going to be on her table until I get there. Mom doesn’t put butter on anything, so Zoe’s safe there. And Mom doesn’t stuff the bird…also safe. Not only that, but there is usually some variety of rice and/or salad that is GFCF. Awesome. But other than that, the ingredients of the other foods at the table present challenges for Zoe, so one must always arrived prepared.

And that’s where I’m hoping you come in.

I am in need of some inspiration! I figure it would be a good idea to bring a side dish and a dessert item that I know are Zoe-friendly. So tell me: what GFCF goodies are you putting on your Thanksgiving table? Please leave your comments here, or send me a note at flamencomom [at] gmail [dot] com.

P.S. Your suggestions will come in especially handy in the coming weeks. Here at Casa Flamenco, we are not only hosting Christmas Eve, but we may be having a graduation party here at my house this month as well! Yes, that is my not-so-subtle way of saying the end of school is in sight; but also I haven’t decided on whether to just go out to lunch with my family after the graduation ceremony, or if a larger celebration is in order.

You’re Not There

So I arrive on campus this morning, pretty pleased with myself because I actually did all my assigned reading for today, and I stroll into my first class. And when our 9:30 start time arrives and my faculty advisor walks in instead of my teacher I figure my professor is out sick for the day.

And then the advisor tells us that our professor will not be back. Because Dr. Morris died over the weekend.

And then I realize that I’m about to hear the same awful news in my next class, because he is the instructor in my next class too.

Dr. Morris was a lovely person; and he seemed far younger than his 83 years. He was still teaching into his eighties–it was what he loved to do. He had a brilliant mind and was well liked by all the students at the university, a university where the Professor had just commemorated 45 years of service.

Teachers come into our lives from the time we are young children, and we sometimes forget that they have lives that extend outside the classroom. It’s almost as if we think our teachers exist in some kind of vacuum, never to change, grow old, or die. I, for one, still have an image of my kindergarten teacher in my mind: she’s sort of preserved in that moment in my life. And in my naivete, I seem to ignore that she has grown and changed just as I have–just as all her students over the years have.

Many times we forget to thank them for the hard work they do and the personal sacrifices they make to serve as educators, mentors, advisors, and (sometimes) psychologists. Thank you, Dr. Morris. I’m sorry I didn’t have more time in your classroom, but I am grateful for the time I was able to benefit from your wisdom and knowledge.

Lots of Random Stuff

Oh, hello there. Today I looked at this blog and realized that the last time I posted on here was, oh, sometime in JUNE?!!! Naughty, naughty blogger. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to write, but there’s just been so much happening around here lately that it’s hard to get myself to write about something. I just want to go on and ramble about all kinds of stuff. So, to shake the cobwebs off I thought I’d give a few brief updates about what’s going on at Casa Flamenco.

Zoe started middle school, and I’m proud to say that I didn’t cry. Go Flamenco Mom! And Zoe’s doing really well. She had a mini-meltdown in P.E. during the second week of school, but she’s been doing really well otherwise.

I submitted my application for my degree last week. Yes, the end is near! Sort of. But I am graduating in December. Next stop, graduate school!

We’ve tested out all the Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Mixes, following the no-butter instructions available on the Betty Crocker website. What do I think of the mixes? Well, here’s a hint: if Betty Crocker were a real person, I’d kiss her full on the mouth as a show of my gratitude. I might even let her get to second base.

I booked our family vacation this week. We’re traveling in October–to Disneyworld. I know, it’s not what I would typically plan for our autumn trip–I usually like to take the family to someplace more remote, a la the woods. But we got a free 3-night stay at a resort in Orlando, so we figured it would be a good time to hit some theme parks. Besides, Ayden’s never been to the Magic Kingdom. I suppose it’s about time we took him: I think it may be a law that if you live in Florida, you must take your child to the House of Mickey at least once.

A Passion for Pomegranate

I must have been about 8 or 9 years old when my dad handed me what I thought was a pretty weird-looking piece of fruit. I asked him what it was; and he casually replied, “It’s a Chinese apple. Wanna try it?” I watched as my father pried the piece of fruit with the little reddish purple pellets open, and I asked, “How do you eat those things? Are you supposed to eat THE SEEDS?!” Note: whenever a child thinks she is about to ingest seeds, images of a tree growing inside her instantly trigger a sense of terror/disgust. Dad dropped a few bits of fruit into my hand, and I nervously took a bite.

I have been hooked on pomegranates ever since.

I wait every year for them to come into season, and I scoop ‘em up by the bunch at my local market. The cashiers always look at them with some skepticism, and ask me the usual questions: how do you eat it? Aren’t they a pain in the neck to open? Don’t they stain your fingers, clothes, and anything they happen to land on? Well, they may be a challenge to open; and they may stain my fingers and clothing (sometimes); but they are so tasty, with that little burst of tartness that explodes when you bite into one of those little red gems.

Lately, when I can’t get pomegranates at the supermarket, I’ve had to make do with the occasional pomegranate martini. Which are delicious, by the way—those of you that can partake in alcoholic beverages of that variety may want to give it a try. But I digress.

I’ve purchased a few types of pomegranate juice at the health food store, but the flavor seems a bit, well, off. Sort of muddy, I guess. When the folks over at POM Wonderful offered to send me some of their juice to try, I jumped on the chance. I’d seen it at Publix, but was reluctant to pick it up because it was more expensive than the other brands I had tried, and I didn’t want to spend the money on it, only to be disappointed later (Hey, we’re living in some tough economic times, and I’m a bit of a high-maintenance gal—I try to save a buck where I can so that I can spend more money on shoes. Or makeup). I figured why not? I don’t have anything to lose with free juice, right?

So, the POM people came through, and a case of the stuff arrived at my house, along with lots of interesting literature about the health benefits of pomegranate juice; additionally, there was some info about medical research and POM 100% pomegranate juice. In the studies cited, regular consumption was found to improve cardiovascular, prostate, and erectile health. Not only that, but it is an antioxidant powerhouse, surpassing red wine, grape juice, blueberry juice, cranberry juice, green tea, vitamin C, and vitamin E in its antioxidant punch. More information about the research studies can be found on POM’s website. It all sounded good, but how did it taste?

We flew through the case; and Flamenco Dad, Zoe, and I loved it. The flavor was spot on: tart, not too sweet, and fresh-tasting. It didn’t have that muddy, dull flavor of some of the others pomegranate juices I had tried in the past. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I do. Now I’m buying it every week to store in my fridge, and I drink it once every day—and I am working it into my grocery budget.

*Note: I do not receive monetary compensation for product reviews—I’m just here to share my opinions about products both good and bad.