Quiche – Gluten-Free

Posted on August 19, 2022February 1, 2023 by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

I’ve been gluten-free for about 7 months. And while I do feel more energy and less brain fog, I do still struggle sometimes with what exactly to eat. I finally got some gluten-free cookbooks from the library, which I’ve been slowly making my way through. But even when I don’t use the recipes from these cookbooks, they remind me that there really are a lot of GF possibilities.

This quiche is from the Internet, but I used the GF flour blend from Cooking for Your Gluten-Free Teen. I loved the simplicity of the crust on this recipe, since most of the others I had found involved lengthy refrigerator times. Maybe they turn out a little better (?), but I was perfectly happy with this recipe. More than happy. The whole family loved it, even the one who doesn’t usually like to try new foods. Also, I didn’t even roll out the crust (shhh!). I simply pushed it into the pan and spread it around to fill all the spots. Again, maybe it would be slightly better with a rolled-out crust, but a made quiche is far better than one that seems like too much hassle.

For fillers, I used some leftover bacon, deli ham (which I cooked briefly first), cooked onions, cheese (of course), and green olives. Wow! I want to make bunches of these and freeze them. I want to bring them on one-night trips so we have an easy, affordable dinner. I love it! With every slice I served, I imagined the high cost of getting such a decadent gluten-free, organic quiche at any food establishment. And while we will still support our local, awesome, conscious food places when we can, it sure is nice to have our own homemade version as well!

A Different Sort of Tiramisu

Posted on July 13, 2022February 1, 2023 by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

Recipe

I don’t really like Tiramisu. <Gasp! What? Say it isn’t so!> I remember when it was all the rage in the late 80s/early 90s, and I felt almost embarrassed to admit my dislike for this popular dessert. Perhaps I should give it another Green-Eggs-and-Ham try sometime, but I’ve just never felt inclined.

THIS recipe does not remind me of traditional tiramisu much at all. Perhaps some would even be appalled at its comparison. But this lovely gluten-free treat is crazy yummy. I’ve only made it twice – once on New Year’s (a great new tradition, I think) and once on the day we celebrate the Italian branch of our family. The trick I’ve learned is not to eat it right away –Torture, I know. But, I don’t find it as good when it’s fresh, even after it’s done the necessary cooling time. Both times I almost gave up on it. But once it’s sat in the fridge for awhile….Oh, Wowza! Dangerously delicious. I highly recommend these tiramisu bars as a celebratory treat!

(I used espresso powder from King Arthur for the coffee bit.)

Update:
This is now a New Year’s tradition for us, and it is so wonderful to look forward to!!

Time Travel at the Swings

Posted on June 5, 2022January 26, 2023 by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

We’re at the park on a perfect May day. The sun and clouds take equal turns in the sky. The breeze is quiet and peaceful. The temperature rests in a perfect Goldilocks balance. And the soft creaking of the swings in front of me doesn’t grate, the way some are apt to do. Their gentle rhythm and volume simply remind me to stay present.

But ‘present’ is fleeting. In the distance to the right, there’s a group of 12-year-old girls laughing and playing on the tennis court. They are young and spirited, but old enough that, even from a distance, I can see they prefer this time with friends, away from their parents. My own 9-year-old daughter is in front of me on a swing, giggling with her brother next to her. Her dad is pushing the swing, and I am in front of her, teasing as I tap her feet. She is happy here in our bubble, but my heart knows this moment is not forever. I time travel to the not-so-distant future when she’s ‘over there,’ choosing to spend these blissful moments with friends instead.

To my left at the swing set is a set of new parents, placing their young one in the bucket swing for the first time. They all delight in this occasion and remain tightly close to one another. I don’t remember all the milestones from my children’s lives, but I do remember this one. I know this moment. The excitement and quiet fears of putting our babies in the playground swing for the first time, watching their every movement or reaction so we can react accordingly. My 4-year-old is only two swings away, pumping his own legs, balancing his body effortlessly on the belt swing, giddy at the prospect of swinging as high in the air as his sister. He is no longer the baby being pushed in the cradle swing, dangling towards the front, relying on us keep him going or help him stop.

Our family, who tends to shy away from crowds and people, is not accustomed to being around others at the playground lately. This time travel to the past and the future overwhelms my heart and tears begin to roll down my cheeks as I smile. The memories of babyhood and the glimpse of the future are almost too much to bear. The creaking of the swings in front of me somehow seems to grow louder. The rhythm of the back-and-forth seems to speed up, and with it, the passage of time. I feel the forward momentum of my children’s lives. And my own. Time seems to rush by with each *creak*, *creak* of the swings. The tears become sad and almost out of my control.

But then. Then. Somehow my heart settles. The swings’ dizzying time-travel tune seems to magically slow to its previous rhythm and volume. Time is passing, yes. I hear it, I see it, I feel it. But this here? This moment. This day. These ages…. This is perfect.

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Rubik’s Cube and Possibilities

Posted on April 29, 2022August 28, 2023 by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

Last weekend I learned to solve a Rubik’s cube! No, I am not a genius, and, Yes, I did use the YouTube to learn how to solve it. Nevertheless, I’m quite proud of myself. Our kids had received mini cubes in their Easter baskets, and that afternoon I just decided I was going to learn. (Side note: Do not learn on a mini cube; they are frustrating as heck to learn on.)

I grew up in the 1980s, so, of course we had a Rubik’s cube in our game cupboard. I probably half tried it a few times, but I think I knew the task was out of my reach, so I never put much time or thought into it. When the Rubik’s cube gained in popularity once more and YouTube was a resource, I still didn’t really care enough to try learning. But, for some reason, magically, it was time. (Ok, ok. I’m procrastinating on a big project right now, but that’s besides the point.)

I went from being super amazed and proud at solving the cube at all to realizing I could do it in 5 or 6 minutes. What?! By the third day, my time was down to about 3 minutes. And now, a week later and after combining two methods, I’m consistently under 2 1/2 minutes. I’m certainly not a “speed cuber,” nor do I necessarily aspire to be (ok, maybe a little), but I’m feeling pretty rad about all of this.

But one of the coolest, unexpected side effects of learning The Cube is that I am looking at all the other seemingly difficult things I’ve wanted to learn or accomplish, and it all just seems so….possible. Learn ASL? Sure, I can do that. Working towards my first-ever splits? Yeah, I got that. Knitting socks? Of course. Writing a book? No problem. Threading a Serger? Why not. Getting through another day of meltdowns and tantrums? Easy peasy.

There are 43 quintillion (!!!) possibilities on a Rubik’s cube. Which is totally insane, right? So, if I can solve that in less than 2 1/2 minutes, just think of all that I could accomplish.

Dance Update

Posted on April 27, 2022February 6, 2023 by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

Two years ago, just 2 months into Covid shutdowns, our daughter told me she’d like to stop doing ballet. After years of showing a passion for dance, she had finally just started lessons. (Come on!) We had found a wonderful, supportive studio, and my daughter’s wish to stop really threw me. I wrote about it here.

But, dancing in a dance studio and dancing in our foyer with a computer screen are very different things. She was so young and so new to ballet to be able to cope with the Zoom world of classes. And, so, with a heavy heart and a very big effort to keep the faith that she would find another creative outlet that fit her so well, I supported her decision to stop. Of course we talked about it, and I was honest about my feelings and concerns, but, ultimately, I wasn’t going to ‘force’ her to stay. (I don’t think anyone could force this girl to do anything anyway.) So, she left the Zoom classes at the end of the session, and she didn’t talk about ballet classes for a whole year. Occasionally she’d dance in the living room, and she started expressing her love for dance through other dance forms, but ballet class seemed to be history. And then one day, I don’t know why, it wasn’t.

She asked if she could take classes again. I was beyond thrilled. Turns out we had missed a dramatic year of ballet anyway. The classes had fluctuated from in-person to Zoom, masks to no masks, with some families on board with the studio’s constant efforts to stick by the state’s protocols, and some who were a little less understanding. Our return timing felt perfect.

I’ve watched our daughter progress these last 8 months or so, growing in her skills and confidence and expression. Every night at dinner we share a highlight of our day and a proud moment. And, without fail, every single ballet class day since she went back, our daughter tells us class was her favorite and proudest part of that day. As a parent, my heart is warmed to see our child have something she loves so much and feels so proud of. I know that there may be future times where she wants to stop, and I’m not sure how we’ll handle those. I know there may be other things our kids ask to stop and never want to return to (even if they’re the things we, parents, really love). But, ultimately, I know these are their journeys to live. And as much as my over-thinking, worrying mind likes to interfere, I know at some point I just have to trust that their Life journeys will unfold exactly as they’re supposed to. In the meantime though, I’m just going to sit back and enjoy the dancing.