Onion Tears

I've been doing much more cooking from scratch, instead of frozen or canned, and I've been using more onions. I'm not sure if using my food processing to chop them makes the tears more, but I've been crying quite a few onion tears of late. Tonight I'm making a chicken penne dish, and I hope it turns out well. I've come to the conclusion that the kids simply don't enjoy my cooking much no matter how much I do.

The kids enjoyed Christmas, and got presents they enjoyed. I surprised Evan with an MP3 player and pj bottoms. I got several books, including 2 belonging to series I read voraciously and season two of Bones, which I rather enjoy. I made baked sweet potatoes and yams topped with raspberries, poached pears, a green bean casserole, and home-made dip to go with a veggie tray. All turned out well, and I am never going back to canned sweet potatoes. Fresh are so much better. I listened to the stories of one of my friends' father, which I enjoyed.

My car isn't starting, so now I have to get it fixed, darn it. It's probably the fuel pump, not that I know much about cars.

Here's looking forward to a new year.

Children

It's the day before the Christmas Eve, and the kids are driving me nuts. Rael wants to watch one of the cartoons he likes, so he's being as noisy as possible. Aeia's wearing a Santa hat and refuses to take it off until after Christmas, yelling whenever anyone pulls it off or tries to grab it. Tasmia is in a lovey-dovey mood and gets fussy if she's not being held. Lash seems to believe that if he just takes forever often enough, that he'll eventually never have to do the dishes again.

Baking went well. This year my best friend wanted to learn to bake. I think that with practice and confidence that she'll do fine. I've been baking since I was 9 or 10, with minimal help from adults. The trick really is to know what is essential to the recipe and what you can fudge (like how much vanilla). Also, knowing the correct way to measure flour is absolutely necessary, as adding the wrong amount can ruin the recipe. You have to spoon the flour into the cup and keep the flour loose, using a straight edge (like the flat of a knife blade) to straighten it out on top to get off the excess.

I just made oven-fried chicken that turned out really well. I used a breading of 1/3 cup potato flakes (the thin kind, not Potato Buds), 1/3 cup flour, 1 Tablespoon paprika, probably 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon Kickin' Chicken, 1/4 teaspoon sage, and 1/4 teaspoon tarragon. I may leave out the sage when I make it again, and may kick it up with a little cayenne, but it was yummy. Tasmia kept coming back for more too. Aeia of course doesn't like it. She doesn't seem to like my cooking much.

But back to festivities. Evan and I participated in a Secret Santa holiday party that ended up not going well. Evan got a gift he much appreciated (Mamma Mia!), but one person accepted a gift without giving a gift. Very tacky and rude. I was going to bake for someone, but I learned that very day that she has Celiac's Disease. I have a repertoire of all of one gluten free cookie, which I save for whenever one particular friend of the kids visits. It's a peanut butter cookie, and I find that it dries out my mouth. It doesn't give me joy, and what's the point of baking something that doesn't give you joy?

The gifts are all wrapped and piled under the tree, and Rael asks hourly to open his presents. Tasmia enjoys looking at them. Aeia is obsessed with size (Rael has the biggest gift, and Lash also has a couple big gifts, but all she has is small gifts, including the smallest one of all).

Happy Holidays everyone. And if you're upset that I didn't use a different greeting, well Bah Humbug to you.

My Day Hasn't Been Great

Today wasn't so hot, but I'm not letting it get me down. I ran late repeatedly. I dropped things. I had someone invade my personal space repeatedly, but not in a way that I could really complain. I upset a friend; we talked and are mending. I didn't sleep well. The kids have been obnoxious, as tweens and toddlers can sometimes be. I ran out of snacks and am so not in the mood for a grilled cheese sandwich.

A couple of weeks ago, having a day like this would have left me crying in the shower, but I'm not there today. Somehow I continue to have joy and hope in my heart. It's nice being an optimist again.

Severity

So I saw the doctor again today to learn about the severity of my allergies. I also somehow missed writing down two allergens: Olive and Pigweed. Turns out the worst offenders for me are Timothy grass (aka hay) and Bermuda grass. The more moderate offenders for me are alder, white birch, oak, olive, sycamore, pigweed, ragweed, and Russian thistle. The mild allergies are corn, peanut, sesame seed, American elm, and mugwort. I'm glad to know that my food allergies are in fact mild, but I still plan to avoid them as much as possible.

Adjusting

I have a doctor's appointment Thursday to discuss the severity of my various allergies and perhaps to find more resources. I've gone through a bunch of cookbooks, found a few substitutions for common corn products, and have calmed down considerably. While daunting, avoiding corn, peanuts, and sesame seeds is highly doable, and I don't have to utterly change my diet.

I may end up baking all of my bread products (except sour dough) from scratch. Foods of the Oriental persuasion will be the most difficult, as most every sauce has an ingredient I should avoid. Eating out may end up being too much of a hassle, especially fast foods. Seriously, the ONLY item on the McDonald's menu that I can eat is a side salad sans dressing. I'm so not a salad fan.

The best thing I can do is to make all my own food from scratch using only fresh ingredients. Good thing I like to cook! My need to avoid corn should actually lead to a healthier diet, which is a good thing.

I still need to look for corn-free ketchup, but I can also make my own if I must. I still have a corn section for everyone else. After all, it's foolish to throw out perfectly good food that someone still wants to eat. I plan to go shopping on Saturday and stock up on corn-free staples, though of course I need to plan a menu before I head out, and I'm also thinking about asking for babysitting.

The older two are still enjoying telling me what I can't eat, so I plan to have them help me read labels. Fun stuff.