GF cupcakes

I have completely come to terms with my new gluten-free lifestyle, now I just need to learn to make it the best it can be. At the American Library Association conference in New Orleans, two of the premier gluten-free chefs were demonstrating cupcakes from their new cupcake cookbook. Although I wasn't able to make the demo, my friends made sure that I got a (signed) copy of the cookbook and a cupcake sample.

The sample was delicious and the book looks amazing! I can't decide which cupcakes to make first...S'mores, chocolate peanut butter, bananas foster, snickerdoodle? So many options...and I'm excited about the possibility! My new life is looking sweeter all the time...

Berger Lopez: hero

Guess who got a new charger for her DSLR camera? That's right, and you know what that means...more and better photos of the pups!


I think it's appropriate to take this opportunity to give Berger some props. Two weeks ago, Puggie found a space under a few pickets in the fence (that are completely hidden by a patch of thick shrubs) and she escaped. When we go inside and the dogs don't follow, we'll leave them out for a few more minutes and usually they come up on the porch on their own, which is a lot better for our sanity than calling and calling and calling and being ignored. So the fact that she didn't come in didn't really throw up a red flag.

When I went outside to call her again, I could hear her choking and I panicked. Our yard is a jungle - seriously. A jungle. So I wasn't even sure where to start searching. Before long, the choking stopped and I had no leads. That's when hero Berger stepped in. He started running this big circle around me and then between the shrubs and the fence, and back again and again. Every time he would pass me he would bark, then he would bark as he passed the fence. When Jose came out into the yard, Berger widened his circle to encompass Jose.

Nobody loves Berger more than me. And nobody loves a good Berger joke more than me. He constantly does things that would have you question his intelligence - he'll turn too fast and hit his snout on the wall or bark at sounds he hears on the TV. And in general, the look on his face says that the lights are on, but no one is home. Bright-eyed and clueless. We love him, but that's just the reality of Berger. So he's running this circuit and I asked Jose if he thought Berger was trying to point us in the direction of those shrubs. I almost laughed at the thought...but when I got down on the ground, I saw the open slot in the fence, and I knew.

I told Jose she had gotten out and he was able to run into the next yard and retrieve her. I was completely stressed out that she could have been gone, gone, gone...and amazingly impressed with Berger. So impressed. He has never done anything like that before, never exhibited those kinds of perception or communication skills.

I will never, ever make jokes about Berger again. He's a smart dog and a great brother to Puggie. I think his actions indicate that he cares about her (although Jose offered the alternative - that Berger was jealous that she could fit under the pickets, so he snitched). Either way, he saved Puggie and he got a series of delicious treats for the rest of the day.


Wherever I go, he goes...my buddy and me!

the evolution of basil

bright summer cowl

This is a summer cowl I made from 2 of the 4 skeins of Katia Colibri that my friend Melissa gifted me. I cast on about 60 stitches with my size 11 needles and knit in garter stitch for what seemed like forever...then I cast off and whipped the ends together to create the circle. Simple, bright, funky. Love it!

And thanks again to Hol for modeling!

doggie souvenirs

I stopped into Doggie Style, a very cute shop in Philly with anything and everything your dog could want. I was at the peak of missing Berger and Puggie, so they racked up. What can I say? I'm soft.

In addition to actual bones stuffed with beefy, cheesy deliciousness, I got them an array of beautiful cookies...

I had to get the burger one for Berger. He liked it very much.

Berger has a Steelers jersey and seeing as how part of Puggie's name came from Troy Polamalu, it seemed only fair that she also get some game day gear. When I saw that the shop had a Steelers tee in her size, I seized the opportunity.

Was she very, very cute wearing it? Yes.

Did she hate every second of it? Yes.

The sleeves were not a good shape/fit for her and she let me know about it. So I got a few pics in and now the shirt will be going on eBay. Hey, she got delicious cookies and a bone out of the whole thing, so don't feel too bad for her.

garden progress

Jose pointed out that I haven't posted about the garden much recently. Truthfully, it's just starting to blow up. I think we're a week or two away from bountiful bounties of unimaginable proportions.

behold, the container squash...some of it...

a few of the squash in the regular planters...

is it just me or are these zucchini leaves gigantic?

big, big tomatoes...

we have lots that are this size, but none are red yet...

Philly superstitions

While in Philly, one of my locally-based colleagues shared a bit of local lore about the Comcast Center - Philadelphia's tallest building. Philadelphia's City Hall is topped with a statue of William Penn with his hat held high in the air. For a long time, that statue made this building the tallest in Philly. In fact, legend has it that there was a gentleman's agreement not to build any structure in the city taller than Penn's hat (548 ft). Well, the Comcast building (974 ft) easily exceeded - and almost doubled - City Hall. Someone noticed that none of the local teams had won a championship since the Comcast building had been erected, so a small William Penn statue was placed at the top of the tower - lo and behold, the Phillies won the next World Series.

We stopped into the center for a bit before dinner and in addition to the photo above, I got a few more shots of the building's amazing features.

There are continuous digital shows on the wall behind reception...

And walker "statues" on the beams overhead. A little creepy, but also cool...

And very nice greenery outside. I do love an urban garden...

I know not if the story was true, and if it is, whether it was a coincidence or an actual broken curse. I do know that the building is intriguing and worth a look if you're in Philly.

gluten-free and out on the town!

I found out about my gluten allergy just days before leaving home for some time in Philadelphia. I was worried about finding gluten-free options, what those options would taste like, and whether my normal friends would be able to find something appetizing on the menu as well.

M and I read up on some of the local gluten-free fare (Gluten Free Philly is a great site!) and we decided on an Asian-fusion place called Sampan. Their GF menu looked just as good to me (well, maybe if it had dumplings) as the regular menu did to M. It's a small plates style restaurant, so I had the kobe beef satay, veggie fried rice and pad thai. The portions were so plentiful that I had the leftovers for lunch the next day.




Not to be outdone, M took photos (which she refers to as 'food porn') of her own (non-GF) dishes: Korean bbq satay, soup dumplings, and pork buns. I think the photos live up to the name.



So, "what's the point?" you ask? The point is that we had super-crazy delicious food and you did not. BUT if you're in the Philly area or plan to be, Sampan is a must-try!

roasted red pepper hummus

I'm trying to do a better job of following a recipe to the letter the first time I try it and then making enhancements/alterations in subsequent attempts. This was my first hummus try and I would say it was successful overall. I used a 4.5 star recipe from allrecipes.com, and I've tweaked it a bit and listed my version below.

3 cloves garlic
15 oz garbanzo beans
1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup lemon juice
a touch of lemon zest
2/3 cup roasted red peppers
1/3 teaspoon dried basil

In food processor, combine garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon zest and juice. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add roasted peppers and basil; process until the peppers are finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer hummus to small bowl, cover and chill until you are ready to serve.

the sweet life of Berg the doggy

If you could trade places with anyone in the world for one day, who would it be? My answer is simple: Berger. His life is amazing (and I'm not just saying that because it's the life I provide). He sleeps as much as he wants, whenever he wants, and almost wherever he wants (including the comfiest dog bed in all the land - thanks, Grandma!). He has an amazingly delicious looking variety of treats and a disgustingly wide array of toys. But most importantly, he's simple. All it really takes to make Berg happy is some sunshine, a stick, and a roll in the grass.






Humans over-complicate everything.

Are you hungry?

Puggie gets pretty excited about mealtime.

wedding cowl

This time last year I took a yarn painting class from Nancy Shroyer at the Carolina FiberFest. I used the colors from my wedding as inspiration for the first skein I painted and I've changed my mind 20 times in the past 12 months about what I should knit with it.



In the end I chose a basic cowl pattern from the 2010 issue of KnitScene Easy. After I finished the project, I realized that Nancy's daugher, Lisa Shroyer, wrote the pattern. So the mom taught me to dye the yarn and her daughter provided the perfect pattern - what a small knitting world we live in!


I think it turned out pretty well. For Christmas last year, Jose gave me a pair of earrings that match the yarn perfectly, so now I just have to wait for some cooler weather and then work up the nerve to wear such vibrant colors! Perhaps I'll debut it publicly on our sixth anniversary this September.

See the 2nd skein I dyed and the final project I knit with it here.