Food deviations

As I closed my fridge this morning, lamenting the lack of "real" food within, I caught sight again of the pounds -- yes, pounds -- of flours that are easy on my friend Amy stocked in it.

Amy is our own gluten-free goddess, and it just doesn't seem fair to bake for a tailgate when she can't even partake in the goods. So I hit Wegmans to stock up on gluten-free baking fare to make pumpkin muffins for last weekend's Homecoming.

We have no photos (I know, I know, never a photo), but it won't be the first time we go gluten-free this football season, so we'll take a few next time.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share the recipe, from Gluten-Free Goddess. Here's the link. However, I'm not a huge pecan fan, so I skipped topping them with nuts and went with maple cream cheese icing.* Yes, I did. Oh, and I added chocolate chips to the batter.


Rich and Amy dug them. I'm wondering if Amy has already eaten all of the dozen we left behind with her at Penn State yet. I was too busy lamenting that I can't eat the icing all the time to really notice the muffins themselves, but they did bake up beautifully looks-wise. (Come on! Bourbon vanilla extract!)


I've discovered that cooking and baking within the HoB's kitchen is really quite convenient. And my KitchenAid mixer is no longer just a very pretty decoration.

*Maple Cream Cheese Icing

8 oz. softened cream cheese or vegan cream cheese
3-4 Tbs. softened unsalted butter or vegan margarine
3-4 Tbs. pure maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp. bourbon vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar (more, if needed)

Beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add 3 Tbs. of the maple syrup, and vanilla. Add in the powdered sugar a cup at a time; beat until smooth. Add another tablespoon maple syrup, if needed. Add more sugar, if needed.

Honey-do list*

*I've got a few things I'd really, really like to get done before the cold sets in/Mom and Aunt Connie arrive.

1. Get a water heater before I have a panic attack.

2. Fix the boiler before I have another panic attack.

3. Finish the second bedroom. Tonight or tomorrow, I'll get the second coat of poly on the floor, then let it dry for a few days before painting the trim and moving stuff back in there. You know, make it an actual bedroom.

4. Rent a truck and get my mattress out of the Quinns' garage.

5. Use said truck to get the mess out of the backyard and take all that sand to the dump.

6. Finish hanging up the few pieces -- mail/key organizer, signs and mirrors, etc. -- that really need a home already on the walls.

7. If I'm feeling really frisky, finish painting the upstairs hallway and get started on painting the risers.

8. Call a landscaper. This one's currently up for "discussion." But that big circle of dirt in the backyard isn't going to seed itself.

9. Call a housecleaner. Not up for discussion.

10. Maybe, perhaps, get the baseboard heat installed in our bedroom. Otherwise, Rich will keep sleeping with a knit cap on his head and I'll have to continue surrounding myself with small furry animals.

Sunday morning

From this ...

To this:

Saturday was a flurry of exhausting activity for Bich; when we look out the back window, we either despair at how much we have left or realize just how much we got done, depending on the moment. (We're not talking about the Penn State game, in case you're wondering.)

Before we finally get to aerating and seeding, we need to get rid of most of the sand from the old pool, then get some topsoil to fill it in. Thankfully, we don't need a lot ... but this sand is killing us. 

Yay, digging?

I kept telling Rich he was digging too deep, but he wasn't listening. It's like he has a vendetta against the sand. ("Die, sand, die!!!")

Underneath that tarp are bags upon bags of sand. I suppose this means we're prepared in case of a hurricane.

Lots of dead plants and small trees dug up -- still not done on that front. That poor hydrangea will probably be dug up soon, too.

Believe me, this looks a lot better than it did. A rose "bush" was one of the victims here, but it had been poorly placed and wasn't going to survive (certainly not with me as its caretaker, but it really didn't have a shot).

This back corner on the other side of the house was weeded, and we used some old bricks to flatten out the area and give us a better spot for the garden hose. This will be swept up today; it should look at least decent after today.

We find more detritus in this yard, I swear.

After we decided we'd done enough in the yard -- i.e. before we fell over -- we hit Lowe's for anchors and screws for my pot racks. Rich got these anchors and screws from Toggler, and after drilling a few holes, laughed and said, "I feel like I'm forsaking my heritage."

Funny-looking plastic things sticking out of walls.

Rich, being handy. (He really is.)

Thanks for loaning us your drill, Leeza!

Getting there.

Success! Rich got both pot racks up, with a couple of small hiccups in between, but he did it. Go, Rich. 

We then put on the new slipcovers. No, I did not have the energy to steam them or wash them first.

New pillows! Aren't they fun?

Not much of a change, but they're so clean and hole-free. 

So we finally hit the sack in a ball of exhaustion. I woke up early, like a kid on a second Christmas morning, and grabbed my beautiful toys, just waiting for a space worthy of them.

OMG, aren't they pretty???

The Babs Commemorative Wall (from Mom: kitchen cart, pots and pans, wax melter, clock).

Loooooooove.

Who's coming to dinner?

Oh, gosh, this is just fabulous. Other than an eventual kitchen renovation (new cabinets, major appliances and floor), we're pretty much done in here.

Saturday morning

A little update before a little work before a little football.

This kitchen cart comes from Mom -- thanks, Mom! -- and hopefully today

we'll put up the pot racks above it.

And here's the second bedroom. Today or tomorrow, I'll put the second coat of paint down on the floor (yes, it was meant to happen last night, but ... I didn't).

The floor. It's not perfect, but I decided I like it that way.

Walls: Behr Premium Plus Interior Paint in Flint Smoke
Floor: Behr Premium Plus Porch & Floor Paint in Cool Granite