Another Evening of Girls and Baking

Thursday evening was another gluten-free baking workshop hosted by Alea at My Real Food Life, and it was another success. The agenda for that night was: gluten-free pumpkin waffles, gluten-free batter for chicken (or whatever), gluten-free tortillas, gluten-free chocolate cake, and lastly gluten-free rosemary crackers. I must say that the crackers were quite fragrant and could be smelled throughout the kitchen, even before being baked. The fresh rosemary was the prominent fragrance of the evening.

Like the first workshop, it was great to hang out with others with similar difficulties, frustrations, and moments of joy. People meshed really well chatting about family, work, the weather, and of course what they were making. Some returned from the first workshop and it was like seeing an old friend.

Even though hands were busy mixing, chopping, and flipping there was ample time to chat.

  

Lots of time when goodies were being baked.

 

There was a guest appearance by Peter from Judy’s Magic Mixes. It was great to hear him speak about their (him and his wife) learning, what works, what doesn’t, the demand of products out there. It was great to have him there and he was patient in answering many questions. He was my partner in making the pumpkin waffles so it was nice to pick his brain a bit on the subject of gluten-free flours.

Everything tasted so good and went quickly. Unlike last time there weren’t many leftovers to take home, but that’s a good thing. We couldn’t resist our handmade wares. It seemed at every bite you could hear ‘Mmmmmm’ or ‘Oh that is so good’.

Girls and Baking

This week has been an interesting one. The weather finally got better and I’ve been going out for more walks. It’s peaceful walking along the river hearing the water lapping against the shoreline. There are usually geese in the distance or flying overhead honking away. Something about it is peaceful. I’ve also been quite busy in the kitchen; with many successes too. As a result, all of this has put me in a bit of a better mood.


This little guy also put a smile on my face on Thursday. Every time I passed the window I got a glimpse of him. He enjoyed the sunshine all morning.

Thursday my friend and I also dropped off some gluten-free brownies for a charity bake sale out in Kemptville. I worked hard on those (and the six pans) to make sure they were perfect. I hope they sold; 1) to assist the cat sanctuary and 2) because they were my gf brownies.

In the evening I had a fun night with a bunch of girls (women actually) in a kitchen baking to our hearts content. Alea at My Real Food Life organized a gluten-free baking workshop and man, was it a nice way to spend an evening. All of us were different, but one thing linked us: we were all gluten-free for one reason or another. There was a mother-daughter team (the daughter was diagnosed a year ago), two friends who were both GF (one because her son was celiac), and a woman who was going or had gone gluten-free because she felt better. The rest of us at some point found out what gluten did to our bodies and made changes accordingly.


While stirring, rolling, and sifting, we asked each other questions about one’s diagnosis, talked about products and restaurants, and so many other things.

As our endeavours finished and were ready to eat, topics shifted to our frustrations, both in being celiac and in being diagnosed. I counted myself lucky as my GP at the time was more than happy to brush me off onto someone else. Her loss, but my gain in working with someone who could help me go along a correct path for my body. And more recently, luck would put me in contact with someone, who again, helped me work out what I needed to do and how to accomplish getting my body healthy again. But many, here and elsewhere, are not.

No matter what our cooking skills and knowledge beforehand we all came away with something – whether it be a recipe, a helpful tidbit, or some new contacts. I’m pleased with my cooking skills, but I figured ‘What the hell. I might just learn something new.’ (by the way, I like going through life with this mantra) and I did. I learnt that I can help my bread rise by using the oven on a really low setting, especially if I lack a ‘warm spot’ for it to happen naturally.


A nice day indeed, and finishing it off with a bunch of like-minded women (and good food) was the icing on the gluten-free cake.

A Meal Before a Meal

This evening we’re off to my in-laws for a birthday dinner for the Honey. She’s got a BBQ planned, and as always, I’m a tad concerned what I will be able to eat. As a vegetarian I usually end up with salad and potatoes, and some raw veggies beforehand. Since I eat fish my mother-in-law will often have a frozen salmon fillet for me, microwaved until it resembles leather. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the effort. But I always leave hungry. I understand I have a larger appetite than many other women. In fact, my university buddies would comment in awe on what I could pack away while still retaining an athletic-type build. But with my in-laws, I’ll say its age. I’ve heard that as people age they don’t eat as much.

As a result, I have something to eat before I go. I started this about a year ago after stating my frustrations to the Honey. He suggested having a bite before venturing there and I must admit it was a brilliant idea. Today, those little eggplants were calling me along with a peanut sauce that is lip-smacking. Both recipes come from the Moosewood Cookbook and are meant to go together, but I find the peanut sauce is also great for Pad Thai, and anything else that might benefit from it. My sister recently tried it and won’t go back to a bottle Pad Thai sauce.

Chinese Peanut Sauce
Makes 1 cup
½ cup good peanut butter
½ cup hot water
2 tbs GF soy sauce
2 tbs sugar
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp cider vinegar
1-2 tbs cilantro, miniced
Cayenne to taste
Place peanut butter in a small bowl. Add the hot water and stir patiently until uniformly mixed. Stir in remaining ingredients and mix well.


Eggplant and Peppers in Spicy Peanut Sauce
Serves 6                 30 minutes to prepare
1 medium eggplant, unpleeled and cut into 1x2” pieces
1 large bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 recipe Chinese Peanut Sauce
Bake eggplant until tender (about 15 minutes). During the last 5 minutes add the pepper to the baking tray. Cool the vegetables to room temperature then add the peanut sauce.
* With the return of summer temperatures I sauteed the veggies so I didn't have to turn on the oven

Summer and Teens

We’re starting week three of the summer program I’m working with right now and I think I got lucky again. The team of teachers I’m supervising are a great bunch and are working so well together not just as a whole, but in their own two-person teams. The students themselves have taken to improving their English beginning on day one, which I heard is a first. It hasn’t all been rosy and there have been a few hiccups here and there. A custodian found beers cans jammed in a toilet, and today I had a scare when he saw two boys smoking a joint out behind the cafeteria. What a relief it was when I heard them speaking English without an accent – they weren’t ours.

Since I’ve been working with private classes of government students for the last year it’s been a nice change working with a younger group. And I mean groups as well. If I’m in the office, I hear people passing by talking about the activities posted on the boards. When I’m in the halls I get smiles and hellos and overhear conversations about their lunch or what they did in their workshops. And it’s all in English! It’s wonderful to see them making an effort and doing the best they can to communicate to people they only met a week ago. Of course, I’m not totally naïve. We have a strict English only policy and with three strikes the student is sent home. Once the first written warnings started near the end of last week, the other languages quickly began to dwindle. But there are a few who are determined to speak their first language.

Observations have also begun for the teaching staff, last week they were informal pop-ins, and this week is a full 30-minute visit with written documentation. As a teacher, I love getting observed as I feel I can always learn something new and get some insight into my classes. And of course, when it goes well I love to hear all the good things. As a supervisor, I still like to observe so I can see what other teachers are doing and help them in their professional development. I also like to leave a lesson with a great idea; pinched from the class I just saw.

These observations, whether formal or informal, can help me connect with the teachers I’m supervising. I’m not just some person sitting in an office, or someone disconnected from the world of teaching. I’m also a colleague, one who just happens to be taking a two month break from the classroom. Something I miss about teaching groups is the ‘fun stuff’ you can do. Some of the things I’ve seen this week is: a class making fantasy neighbourhoods (discussing what should be there and why); an ‘unknown person’ interrupting a class, creating a ruckus and stealing something so the students could write a mock police report; debates about police and protester behaviour at the recent G20 summit and legalizing marijuana; and presentations about anything and everything.

Even though I’m in an office for most of the day, I take every opportunity to speak with my colleagues and see how their doing and listen to their successes. They also know I have an ear for the difficulties and can offer some help. They have also learned that my ears are also for great ideas they have and to pass along. You have to love teamwork. And the team we’ve got is a great one.