I’m sure many of you have noticed that I haven’t been posting as much lately- and if I hadn’t set some posts to auto-post last week ahead of time, you would have found the Book of Yum extremely quiet. The reason was… early Sunday morning, about a week before my due date, I went into labor. After some frantic time trying to get last minute things taken care of, we drove to the hospital. I was admitted, but the fun was only just beginning. What we hoped would be a relatively simple birth got more complicated when stubborn little Baby Yum refused to come down. We tried induction measures but after 38 1/2 hours were advised to proceed to a C-section. Doh. The latter was not the most pleasant experience in the world, but hearing my daughter’s bellows made it all worthwhile, and seeing her little face and kissing her little cheek while she squinted at me was a moment I will always treasure.

Things were going beautifully until about the third day when we intended to check out early. A random stats check of baby’s temp revealed baby had a fever and she got whisked off to the NICU before we even knew what was happening. After every test known to man was performed on our helpless darling, she was finally proclaimed a “well baby” and we got to bring her home at last. I’ve never been so glad to be home in my life. Don’t let me even get started on the stress of staving off formula-crazed nurses and keeping them supplied with pumped milk.

Even then things were stressful as I’d completely run myself into the ground and caught a cold. (Perhaps her original cold?) I had few symptoms besides a slight fever but was terrified of getting her sick again. Now several days later the DH seems to have it- but so far our darling Baby yum is still well…all fingers and toes crossed.

We welcomed Baby Yum to the world on July 13th at 8:21 pm, at 7 lbs. 5 oz.

We love our Baby Yum!!!

Here’s a recipe I threw together when I was suffering nutritionally and stressing about feeding the baby. Nutritional yeast is supposed to help provide lots of vitamin B and may even help with lactation. Maybe it was just because I’d had one too many Amy’s meals, but this snack really hit the spot. If this is a bit much for you, you can try nutritional yeast sprinkled on popcorn with margarine or butter and a dash of wheat-free tamari, or try one of my many nutritional yeast tofu recipes, or try a similar recipe with gluten-free pasta, canned tomatoes, margarine and nutritional yeast that I also enjoy. You can also grind up blanched almonds half and half with nutritional yeast in a spice mill (or non-coffee use coffee grinder) and sprinkle it on almost anything. Yum! and Nutritious too!

Momma’s Nutritional Yeast Vegan Cream of Spinach Side Dish  Vegetables  American

Ingredients Large handful, bowlful of fresh spinach pat of vegan margarine nutritional yeast, to taste garlic pepper or salt toasted pine nuts, walnuts, or pecans for extra protein Directions Microwave spinach until soft. Add pat of margarine and evenly distribute. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast, seasonings, and toasted nuts and combine thoroughly. Notes Nutritional yeast is a nutritional powerhouse of B vitamins, perfect for new mommas that don’t have time to really cook yet. Nutritional yeast is also said to help with lactation. Best for vegan palates and for those looking for a jump start in nutrition- not gourmet, but I found it very satisfying.

Rating:  6 Original Source:  Contents of my brain, please do not replicate without permission. Recipe ID:  1436 Added:  July 23, 2009 Last Modified:  July 23, 2009

This week the Gluten-Free menu swap is hosted by Cooking and Uncooking with an intriguing “leftover” theme. I also always enjoy posting my menus with Org Junkie. Don’t forget that Cheryl is temporarily housing the Gluten Free Menu Swap at her blog GF Goodness.

Last week was crazy, and so the menu I had planned didn’t work out except for our Christmas menu, which we followed fastidiously. Let’s try this again!

Menu
Monday: Mexican
Chebe fajitas with refried beans and pepper saute

Tuesday: Salad
Meal-sized Salad with Mexican recipe leftovers and baked tofu strips

Wednesday: Holiday
Reg. Potato, Sweet Potato, and Zucchini Latkes with Applesauce
Chowder

Friday: Japanese
Avocado Sushi Rolls

Very Special Daring Baker Post with Recipe for Gorgeous French Yule Log

This was a very busy week but I did post an easy recipe for Almond Praline (Trust me! Easy! and So tasty!)

More pictures of Ra and Neko frolicking with their Christmas presents…

-Sea

I found this over at Cheryl’s blog, Gluten-free Goodness. It’s a vegan 100 list and I thought it sounded like fun… Let’s see how it goes.

Here are the rules.
1) Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.

2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.

3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

4) Post a comment here once you’ve finished and link your post back to this one.

5) Pass it on!

Here goes!
1. Natto- hello, did I live in Japan. Don’t like it though. ;)
2. Green Smoothie
3. Tofu Scramble
4. (vegan version???) Haggis ??
5. Mangosteen
6. Creme brulee- erm, non-vegan version
7. Fondue- both vegan and non-vegan versions
8. Marmite/Vegemitestill not clear if one is gf
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Nachos
12. Authentic soba noodles (what is an example of inauthentic? Japanese versions include wheat along with the buckwheat, usually. I have used the exception to the rules..)
13. PB&J sandwich It was a stretch… but, yes
14. Aloo gobi
15. Taco from a street cart- sounds like there would be gluten in there somewhere
16. Boba Tea- gotcha, the tapioca pearl stuff. Yup, love it
17. Black truffle (if only white truffle oil counted)
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Gyoza- GF homemade, semi failure.
20. Vanilla ice cream – I’m walking on the wild side here!
21. Heirloom tomatoes- growing them now!
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Ceviche
24. Rice and beans – so exotic!
25. Knish
26. Raw scotch bonnet pepper i think. a tiny nibble.
27. Dulce de leche
28. Caviar- Yes! even a vegan version (i think)
29. Baklava - not yet. But i have a GF recipe
30. Pate- yum yum, vegan mushroom pate. Love it.
31. Wasabi peas they usually contain wheat.
32. Chowder in a sourdough bowl (only if Chebe counts)
33. Mango lassi love these…
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Mulled cider
37. (GF)Scones with buttery spread and jam
38. Vodka jelly not sure. but if i did, many years ago, it wasn’t vegan.
39. Gumbo Homemade, of course.
40. Fast food french fries In& Out, you are my friend.
41. Raw Brownies
42. Fresh Garbanzo Beans
43. Dahl
44. Homemade Soymilk
45. Wine from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more-not unless someone loves me more than I know. I doubt it.
46. Stroopwafle? what?
47. Samosas
48. Vegetable Sushi
49. Glazed doughnut
50. Seaweed
51. Prickly pear- can’t remember
52. Umeboshi
53. Tofurkey - contains gluten, i think
54. Sheese- is this a brand name? if so, no. If general fake cheese, then yes.
55. Cotton candy
56. Gnocchi
57. Piña colada
58. Birch beer
59. Scrapple i forget what this is. so no.
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores!
62. Soy curls?- not sure if they curled or not.
63 Chickpea cutlets- yum
64. Curry
65. Durian
66. Homemade (vegan) Sausages
67. Churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake- not yet.
68. Smoked tofu
69. Fried plantain
70. Mochi
71. Gazpacho
72. Warm chocolate chip cookies – has anyone not? really?
73. Absinthe
74. Corn on the cob
75. Whipped cream, straight from the can yes, but vegan versions were homemade
76. Pomegranate
77. Fauxstess Cupcake- gluten, yes? NO
78. Mashed potatoes with vegan gravy love this
79. Jerky- not sure.
80. Croissants- not sure if they were vegan.
81. French onion soup
82. Savory crepes
83. Tings ? huh?
84. A meal at Candle 79
85. Moussaka- yes, but it wasn’t that tasty
86. Sprouted grains or seeds
87. Macaroni and “cheese”
88. Flowers
89. Matzoh ball soup-gluten, so no.
90. White chocolate – but not a big fan
91. Seitan- contains gluten. is gluten. Seitan is Evil, to quote the Celiac Chicks.
92. Kimchi
93. Butterscotch chips
94. Yellow watermelon
95. Chili with chocolate
96. GF Bagel and Tofutti
97. Potato milk
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee- on our honeymoon, baby
100. Raw cookie dough just last week! and yes, it was vegan!

Oh no! I totally forgot about that meme thing!

How embarrassing! Katie from GlutenFreeKatie tagged me for this meme all the way back in February. And… I have been so busy that I didn’t get to it until May. (And, let’s be honest, I’m just barely squeaking in at the end of May.) I thought it was sweet of her to think of me, so I’m going to swallow my shame and complete the darned thing. Here Goes. Oh, by the way, I did one of these before- a meme called 8 random facts. Since this is a “seven things” meme it should be that much easier, right? Right? Oh dear.

This is the rule of 7:
1. i must link the tagger to my blog and list the rules;
2. i must share 7 weird bits about myself
3. 7 new bloggerites must be tagged and must be made aware with a comment in their blog.

Hmmm… seven weird things about me. Let’s see how eclectic I can be with this.

1. I’m a language junkie. I have studied Spanish, Japanese (modern, classical, and a form using all Chinese characters called Kanbun), Chinese (modern Mandarin and classical), and reading French. Before you get too impressed, let me just say that Japanese is the only language that I can use in interesting or useful ways. Pretty much the only thing I can do with my Spanish is ask how someone is and where the kitchen is. muy mal, no? If I had time I’d love to pick up a bit of Korean, and I’d also like to do a refresher in Chinese. It’s been a long, long time since I took it in college.

2. I’m a sucker for romantic comedies and Star Trek and/or sci-fi. Surprised?

3. My favorite thing to do in college was dance all night and eat coffee ice cream. Yup, I was a wild child.

4. I’m an academic, or working on being one, anyway. I’ve just finished my coursework in a PhD program and am just about to start studying for exams until my eyeballs bleed. Oh, good times ahead. I am in a religious studies department and I focus on modern/contemporary Japanese religion and I am interested in rituals. Weird enough for you? haha.

5. I have a thing for boys with goatees. I think it all goes back to my days at an uber-liberal arts college in the rainy Northwest. If by chance he’s holding an espresso in one hand and a volume of Kant in the other hand, then it’s all over. If you hadn’t noticed, the DH has a goatee. ;)

6. Seven is a lot, isn’t it?
6. My thumb isn’t especially green, but I love to grow organic heirloom tomatoes on my balcony every summer. I name all the plants and yes, have been known to talk to them (but only if they look mopey). Scared yet?

7. I hate jazz music, tap dancing, and clowns. Is that wrong? I really did give all three a fair shot. Please don’t ever take me to a show featuring clowns tap dancing to jazz music unless you want to see me go absolutely bonkers.

Ooh, and now I get to pick people to participate in this here meme:

1. Manda at Asparagus Thin
2. Jacki at Cooking Illustrated
3. The Good Eatah at the same
4. Cheryl with Gluten Free Goodness AT GFandHealthy.com
5. The Gluti Girls
6. Becky at Radish Boy
7. Thomas at GFCF Experience

Dear bloggers,
If you don’t have time to participate, no worries. I deliberately picked some GF blogs that I have only recently discovered in the hopes of getting to know some new (to me) bloggers better. Well, except for you, Thomas. I’ve known you for a while now but would still enjoy reading your meme. I hope to read all of your fun, weird facts soon! -Sea

I know the holidays are over now… *sniff* but what is your favorite family tradition for the holidays, in the kitchen or otherwise? Any gluten Christmas treats you’ve converted to be gluten-free? Please share in the comments!

Shared with Gluten-free Holiday Carnival

Gluten-Free Julekake Norwegian Christmas Bread Bread  Alternative Grains  European

Ingredients 1 pkg. Rob’s Red Mill GF Bread Mix 1 2/3 cup warm milk (cow, rice, or soy ok) 1 whole egg + enough egg white to make 3/4 cup altogether 1/3 cup butter or margarine 1 tsp cider vinegar (or white wine) 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 tsp. salt 2 tsp or more fresh cardamom seed 2 cups raisins 1 cup fruitcake mix Directions Dissolve one pkg of yeast in 1/3 cup warm milk. Heat the remaining 1 1/3 cup of milk (or soy milk) in the microwave in a medium bowl. Add 1/3 cup butter or margarine, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and one tsp of salt to the hot milk. Add to your mixing bowl. Crush about 2 tsp of fresh cardamom seed in a mortar and pestle. When the milk mixture has cooled, gradually add flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast milk-mixture, eggs, and vinegar and mix with beaters for 2 1/2 minutes. Add 2 cups raisins, 1 cup fruitcake mix and cardamom and mix for at least 30 seconds. Place dough in foil lined, buttered bread pan. Brush top of dough with some warm milk. Sprinkle a mixture of 2 parts sugar and one part cinnamon on top of each loaf. Let raise in warmed oven for 35-50 minutes or until dough has risen over the pan. Bake at 375 oven for 35-45 minutes, covered with foil until crust is nicely browned. You can take off the foil for the last 10 minutes if you like. Let cool and slice off a piece to enjoy some Norwegian heaven! Notes *if fruitcake mix is out of season, you can use 3 cups of raisins with good results.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Adapted from my FIL’s family recipe. A priceless family treasure. Do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Thank you. Recipe ID:  1168 Added:  January 3, 2008 Last Modified:  December 23, 2010

Yours,
Sea