Hey, good morning! It’s very nice to see you. I hope you had a great week.
We’re wrapping up our holidays with some sort of bug that’s hit our house. Yowzers. During the daytime Friday, I felt normal. Good even. I went to the UPEI gym and bought a membership to the running track and celebrated with what I felt was a pretty successful 20-minute run.
Henry had been coughing and feeling quite unwell since New Year’s Day, but we had kind of figured he had a worse version of the little cold the rest of us had the week previous. It wasn’t until Friday night I realized we were dealing with something new.
After supper, it hit like a freight train. Body aches. Chills. Fever. Headache (wow). I do not know how I did it, but I managed to get up Saturday morning to deliver papers and grab some groceries. I went into some sort of autopilot, moving slowly through my tasks, secure in the knowledge I’d spend the rest of the day on the couch wrapped up in a blanket.
And that’s what I did. Erin and Jane are on the same schedule as me. Henry is on the up-swing. Only Alice seems to have dodged it so far.
I’m feeling a little better this morning, so I’ve got a few stories to share.
There’s tea (oh, there’s tea). Let’s do this.
Bagels!
I’ve been gluten free since 2016. What seemed like a culinary prison sentence in the early days has really been a bit of a blessing. I’m a much better cook with much more diverse foods to draw on than I ever was before.
I don’t eat a lot of gluten-free bread products for a couple of reasons. 1. They’re so expensive. 2. For anyone who actually remembers what wheat tastes like, they’re always disappointing. It’s hard to get excited for a food that’s measured on a scale that peaks at “well, they made an attempt.”
There are some delicious alternatives that aren’t pretending to be wheat. Sesame rice crackers are so good, I don’t miss wheat crackers. Corn tortillas are a delight. Besides adding a bunch of different taco recipes to my arsenal, they’re just great for sandwiches. For the most part, I feel like I’m eating well and not missing out on much…. except for one thing.
Bagels.
Oh bagels. So chewy and lovely. Despite the fact that gluten is the natural enemy of my tummy, I acknowledge that it is a miracle. In no other food is that miracle more apparent than in a bagel.
This week, Erin made me gluten-free bagels. I told her she didn’t need to. I told her I’m content with the foods I have on hand. I said if she had some extra time for baking, she should make something for herself and the kids.
She didn’t listen.
The result… were the first good bagels I’ve eaten in 8 years. They were chewy. They had lovely rise. She covered them in my favourite sesame seeds and sprinkled a bit of course salt on top.
I’ve given the recipe out a few times this week, because I cannot stop talking about them. You can find the recipe on the The Gluten Free Austrian. Her recipes look really nice, and if they’re half as successful as these bagels, I’ll try them all. I think my first stop may be sourdough…
Bingo
Henry wanted to have a New Year’s Eve party at our place, so Erin and I took the opportunity to find a cheap off-season rate at a cottage just outside of town. We were away for less than a day, but it was so nice.
After making and cleaning up supper, we got down to business: we played SCRABBLE.
In this game, on my opening move, I played my first and only Bingo of my life. I was able to use all seven tiles on my plinth, giving me a 50-point bonus.
Erin always beats me at SCRABBLE. You would think this 50-point buffer would be enough to give me a bit of security. In the end, I did win, but by just 3 points.
I had a whole other section I was planning for here where I was going to teach you how to properly peel an orange, but I’m afraid I’m running out of gas. That’ll have to wait for next week.
Thanks for hanging out with me for another Sunday morning. I hope you have a great week.