Jennifer Apodaca's Blog, page 42

Friday Five

TGIF! Time to share five random things about our week!

I have not made sourdough bread yet, but I’ll introduce you to my sourdough starter, Ryn-N. He’s really excited for his debut. I even had to move him to a clean jar and put a name tag on him. The first picture is Rye-N right after I “fed” him. The blue rubber band marks the level he’s at then. The second pic is him doubling in size after 6 hours, which means he’s a very active sourdough starter!This is a gluten free bread I made yesterday. It was made with my expensive flour from Italy. I should have browned it more under the broiler, but I wasn’t sure the pan I was using could handle the broiler. The bread came out good, but I think it’ll make an even better pizza dough! I took this before I cut it because the sun was going down and I was losing natural light. Wizard has been working on the sprinkler system for the hill. So the builder put one in, but it’s not adequate. Wizard took it out and was putting a better one in with four values so that we have options in the future. This project turned into a challenge for a lot of reasons, but today he got that part done. I am so proud of him! With all the frustrations and rain delays, he was patient, and he willing to walk away for the day when necessary. We have reached a age where projects we want to do take more planning, time and patience (and a few more sore muscles!) to accomplish but we’re doing them! Well he this part, he did, I just ran to Home Depot a few times to pick up parts But next week I get to move rock around so yay me!This week I had what I hope was my final scan. This was to take a closer look at my gallbladder function and it looks good (my gallbladder is getting pretty arrogant at how many tests she’s aced, LOL). That great news. I’m hoping the doctor will agree with me that we can continue to try to manage this with diet and no more labs, tests or scans for awhile. I mean, if we keep this up, I’m going to start glowing in the dark from the various doses of radiation! But seriously, I’m not complaining, I was pretty sick and they were all taking my symptoms seriously. I’m very grateful as that is not always the case for everyone. I have to add that if sucky digestion and a restricted diet is the biggest problem I have, I’d say I’m pretty danged lucky. At least what I eat is something I have full control over, and I have time in my life these days to deal with that. Not everyone is that fortunate and I’m vividly aware of that. I am feeling better, stopped losing unintentional weight and have more energy. That’s progress.It’s supposed to rain today. It’s projected to be very heavy in other parts of the state, but we’re not expecting too much here. There’s what appears to be a bigger event coming next week, but we’ll see as that can change. Rain is a good thing, I just hope it’s not too much in the areas already dealing with too much rain or snow.

Bonus! Maggie wants to say hi! Don’t let her all her gray fool you, this dog can fly when she runs and jumps onto the hill. It looks like she floats through the air! I wish I could catch it on video! She might be getting older, but she can still got some moves! (She made me say that!)

 

That’s my 5 plus a Maggie bonus. Now I’d love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a fun and safe weekend!

The post Friday Five first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

My Happy Surprise!

So yesterday was just one of those days. Nothing bad, just one irritation after another. And then this came:

My thoughtful sister-in-law knows that I love baking and that I need to go mostly gluten-and-dairy-free for awhile, so she sent me this book. She and her adult daughter do a lot of baking together and they love this book, so I’m confident I will too. It’s full of beautiful pictures and interesting recipes. I can’t wait to read through it all and pick out the ones I want to try first.

But even better is how sweet and caring a gesture this was. It made my day and week so much better! I’m so very grateful to have such a kind and thoughtful sister-in-law.

How’s your day going?

The post My Happy Surprise! first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Weekend Roundup

So I ordered a freeze dried mature sourdough starter Rye-N is still alive….I think. But I screwed up his feeding yesterday due to my trying to do too many things at once. I think he might survive my boneheaded move with a little extra care and a few more days. But when I saw my daughter-in-law this weekend, she recommended this particular starter so I figured I’d hedge my bets

Anyhow, the weekend was good. Busy, of course, but we seem to thrive on that lately, LOL. Saturday morning we had some people over to sign some papers. It wasn’t anything big, just finalizing a few things on our house. But they are dog lovers and Maggie made two new best friends! She loved them. Then later, we took Maggie and went to see middle and his wife. Maggie was thrilled to see even more people she loves. We had a lovely afternoon just hanging out, playing with Jett and Hazel (my two grand dogs) and and visiting. Maggie was tired when we got home!

Sunday I did a bunch of things that are boring to talk about. I did run by youngest’s house to say hello and visit Phoebe (another grand dog).

This is going to be another busy week, but better than being bored!

How was your weekend?

The post Weekend Roundup first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Friday Five

TGIF!! Let’s jump into sharing 5 random things about our week. Here’s mine:

Boy were we surprised! Wednesday we had high winds, rain, hail and finally SNOW in the afternoon! It was only for about 20 minutes but very fun for us. I’d say it’s the perfect amount since we have no real desire to live in the snow I am once again getting my Humira after weeks of it being held hostage for a supposed deductible that was in the thousands. I spent weeks on this, calling four different entities involved (it’s very complicated), and one doctor appointment. My doctor by the way was furious, but there was nothing he could do to fix it. What’s a little frustrating is that I don’t know specifically who of all the people I talked to actually fixed it, but I am very grateful to them for doing it. It just goes to show that sometimes even when we can’t see instant results, things are being done behind the scene. And that “keep trying” often works.I’ve officially named my new starter attempt Rye-N. He’s clearly a boy, if I ever make a gluten free starter, then that one will be a girl. And speaking of hobbies, lets transition to talking about yoga. My latest is an attempt to get better at yoga pose transitions. Specifically I want to do a better jump up from the down dog pose to forward fold. But my age and the titanium plate in my neck do not make this the most realistic goals Wizard just shakes his head when he sees me watching instructional videos on this. But to his credit, he doesn’t laugh out loud. While I might dream of doing it, I’m pretty good at knowing my limits once I start to try it. I really don’t want to get hurt!Yesterday oldest called in the afternoon when he was driving somewhere. It was a fun conversation about nothing in particular. Some of it was stories he was telling me that had me laughing. But I just took a moment to appreciate that even heading into his super busy tax season — he’ll find time to check in with us. Oh and then I laughed when Wizard called youngest daughter-in-law to see if it was snowing where she is too. She answered with, “Yep it’s snowing here too!” I just cracked up. It’s not like he calls her a lot, but she definitely knew why he was calling Youngest son had gone into work (as opposed to working from home) that day and missed it.Today I’m meeting Biker Witch for coffee, and tomorrow we’re going out to see Middle Son, his wife and my two beloved grand pups, Jett and Hazel. This has been a priority for Wizard and I for about three weeks now, so we’ll be really glad to see them!

So that’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

The post Friday Five first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Let’s Name My New Starter!

Yesterday, I’m made another sourdough starter. This one is made from rye flour. I was debating between wheat and rye, and made my choice based on being to buy a smaller bag of organic, stone ground rye flour, than I could of organic wheat flour. (To me, the term “organic” is just a short hand way of quickly identifying flours free of bleach or any other additives that can kill off the very yeast I’m trying to cultivate.)

I have sooooo many types of flour these days. All Purpose (aka AP flour), unbleached AP, bread flour, a couple gluten free flours, rye flour and something else I can’t remember. I’m going to buy an organic wheat next. And I’m coveting a very specific brand of gluten-free flour that is not made in the U.S. and therefore expensive, but that is supposed to made even better gluten free bread and pizza dough.

I never imagined I’d have so many different kinds of flours, LOL! Or that anyone ever needed all these flours.

But back to my starter. I want to see if I can succeed cultivating the starter and then make a decent sourdough bread. What’s funny is right now, I’m still on low gluten diet.  I’m technically on the low Fodmat, but I focus mostly on limiting gluten, dairy and animal products. I always think in terms of of limiting, not eliminating entirely, so I don’t feel deprived or overwhelmed. But gluten is definitely on the “Be Very Cautious” list right now (per my doctors, this isn’t me just trying to make life difficult — my stomach does that without my input, LOL). So, sure, now is the totally the right time for home made sourdough!

On the upside, since it’s a fermented bread, it could be more digestible than regular gluten bread. But for me, it’s really just the challenge. Sourdough is supposed to be hard to make, so why not make it?

So now that I’ve begun another starter, I need to name him so he’ll grow and thrive. Right now he’s a young rye flour and water slurry that I must be coaxed into a powerful wild yeast. Any name suggestions?

The post first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Weekend Roundup

We didn’t get snow here, but the hills and mountains around us have snow! Sunday we got a break from the rain, and it was picturesque here. We only get this kind of beauty once every few years, so I love it, which is also why I keep harping on it.

Saturday it rained all day, so I kept busy with little chores like cleaning cupboards, doing some yoga, and made my simple pizza dough. I’m getting better at pizza dough, but still can’t get it on the pizza stone, LOL. I want a bigger stone and a pizza peel, but I’m not going to invest in that just yet and keep practicing. I want to try some more advanced doughs, and try gluten free. Once I have more experience, I’ll have a better idea what I’ll need. Then I watched a movie while Wizard watched Motocross. The movie was “We Have A Ghost” which I really enjoyed. It helped that I had zero expectations, and was able to suspend disbelief. But it really did crack me up. It followed the whole typical ghost premise of a ghost stuck and someone helps free him or her, learning life lessons along the way. Still I enjoyed it.

Sunday I had a great time seeing an old friend. We have to get together more often! Hours flew by. I also managed to pick up a new pair of sunglasses for a whopping $9.99 because I have a record of abusing my sunglasses I was quite pleased with that too. But mostly, I’m just happy to see a friend. Friends are priceless, and now that life is calmer, I need and want to make more of an effort.

Then I rushed home to get some bread mixed and proofing and take Maggie for a second walk because the day it too gorgeous (although cold!) to waste. We have a few more days of rain coming in, and both Maggie and I get restless if we don’t get in enough exercise.

So that was my weekend, now I’d love to hear about yours!

The post Weekend Roundup first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Friday Five

TGIF!! Here we are at the end of the another week. I hope all of us in the path of the current storm stay, warm and safe! Okay, time to jump in sharing five things about our week.

Today is Freaky Friday. How do I know? We are supposed to have a snow day today. In Southern California. It’s totally freaky. Yesterday was cold with wind, rain and hail, so why not snow? To be fair, we have had snow before, it’s just rare enough to be an event.The weather has caused me to postpone plans to get together with Bike Witch today. I’m gonna be really annoyed if it’s just turns out to be a light rain as I haven’t seen my sister in a while. When we made this plan, the storm was supposed to have already moved through, but it kept getting pushed back until Friday looked like the worst day. We’ll get together next week.Yesterday I baked gluten-free bread and gluten-free cookies. I knew it was going to raining so I planned it. I also made stew to go with the fresh bread This is a small problem to have, but I needed to schedule another scan, and there are only two locations in the entire county who can do this scan. The only date I could get is the one date I already had my hair appointment booked for. Otherwise I had to wait until late April and that’s just not an option for me at this point. It’s so frustrating because this is probably the third time I having to change my hair appointment for medical tests. That should be almost statistically impossible, LOL! Fortunately my hairdresser is very nice, and hopefully since I’m giving her almost two weeks notice, it won’t cause her problems. I just feel bad doing this to her. Plus it’s weird that my entire month of March is open for this test but they could only do it that one day.  It’s also possible I am really tired of labs, scans and tests Or medical people looking at me like this: Sunday is forecast to be our first dry day and I have plans to go to lunch with a friend I haven’t seen in years! I’m really looking forward to that.

That’s my five now I’d love to hear yours! Have a safe and fun weekend!

The post Friday Five first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

What’s Everyone Reading?

What’s everyone reading or listening too?

I have a women’s fiction book (a real book) I may start when the rain hits the week. On audio, I’ve listened to:

Someone Else’s Shoes by JoJo Myers. For me, it was okay.

Nowhere Girl by Cheryl Diamond a nonfiction about a girl born into a family on the run around the world. She never had an legitimate identification or even a country. Her battle to overcome that was interesting. Her family life was incredibly sad. But I have a one unanswered question in that book that really bothers me.

And now I’m listening to The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer.

I really need to listen to more fiction!

So what are you reading or listening too?

The post What’s Everyone Reading? first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Weekend Roundup

A good weekend overall. The weather was decent, although we are supposed to get rain for a few days this week.

So a funny story. I found a gluten-free recipe for artesian bread that I was excited to try. Since we were having youngest over his birthday on Sunday, I made the bread on Saturday for that. The bread came out decent, but something was bothering me. It nagged at me all night long in a vague way I couldn’t put my finger on. It wasn’t until the next morning when I went into my pantry and it hit me — I’d used bread flour instead of gluten-free flour! I guess since I was technically making bread, I just automatically reached for my bread flour, which has MORE gluten than regular all purpose flour. Insert huge eye roll here.

But it turned out fine, I remade the bread Sunday morning with the gluten-free flour. I was pretty happy with the way it turned out. Everyone else seemed to like it too.

And here’s the cake I made for youngest:

It’s supposed to resemble his dog, Phoebe, who is a golden retriever

How was your weekend?

The post Weekend Roundup first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Friday Five

TGIF! Friday showed up again! Okay, let’s get right to sharing five random things about our week. Here’s mine:

I bought a book I was excited to read, and yet it’s sitting on my side table untouched. I rarely just sit down during the day, mostly because the tinnitus will drive me crazy, so I’ve gotten in the habit of staying in motion (that’s not a bad thing!). But at some point, I’m sure I’ll start reading and get hooked as it’s by one of my fave authors.So I went to another specialist this week for my stomach. I was dreading it for a lot of reasons — one of them being that I was going to have to explain the whole backstory. But I knew I had to do it, so I gathered up copies of all the tests I’ve done so far and went. Much to my surprised this youngish doctor came in the room, and without any notes, was able to tell me the results of all my scans, labs and procedures and the conclusions the previous GI doctor had reached so far. Then he asked me a series of specific questions and listened to my answers. I was surprised and pretty impressed. As I’ve said before, the most scary things have been ruled out. I’m doing better right now, and carefully watching my diet. This appointment was to get established and do a few more tests to work out the root problem, but his will take months. The point is I’m really impressed with someone who does their job and does it well.Wizard and I went out to dinner last night as a late Valentines. We haven’t been out in a long time, and we were absolutely shocked at the wait time! We thought we were going early, but still had to wait more than 30 minutes. We had a good time though. But I honestly wondered how many people eat at home anymore???I made fondant yesterday. This involves marshmallows and powdered sugar and it’s a HUGE mess. I really should have taken a picture, including me covered in the white powder! But even though it’s a huge mess and is major pain with all the kneading and pulling like taffy, the homemade fondant is soooo much easier to work with. I made this just to have on hand for future projects.Youngest had a birthday this week, and we’re having him and his wife over Sunday to celebrate. I’m looking forward to that! So is Maggie Hopefully he will like the cake. A gluten-free cake doesn’t have the same crumb, rise or structure as a cake that has flour containing gluten, but it’s still pretty good.

That’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

The post Friday Five first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.