In hopes that others can learn from my GF mistakes:

I'm pissed off with how much gluten-free stuff costs. Flour mixes, baking mixes, pasta, beer, bread, crackers, granola bars, cereal, tortillas...you name it and it's at least three times the cost of normal stuff. GF beer completely at utterly… Read full post »

My Turkey Chili Recipe

It's evolved a lot over a few years, and my husband and I really like this version. It comes together quickly (except for the brown rice, but leftover rice or microwave pouches of rice could be used if you're short on time), and it makes lots… Read full post »

My love affair with the hot caffeinated beverage began when I was twelve. Most people would probably consider that to be too young to start drinking coffee, and when you factor in that I am today the same height I was… Read full post »

An attempt at seeing humor in dealing with infertility. Probably a bit snarkier than I intended.

A list of things I've heard while dealing with it (somewhat exaggerated for effect):

“My sister's cousin's boyfriend's best friend's neighbor's dog walker tried to conceive for like, ten years, and… Read full post »

When I was in the sixth grade, the doctor told me I needed glasses. I only noticed my declining vision whenever I looked at the board at school, so I didn't see it as necessary. I didn't tell my parents what the doctor had said, and they didn't make me get… Read full post »

Pregnancy tests are total and utter crap. Bullshit. Useless things we buy for twenty bucks and then pee on.

Here's the thing – the packaging and the advertisements all looove to boast about how you can take their tests “5 days before your missed period” and that they're… Read full post »

So here's the thing – I've got a question about road rage. Twice in the past week I've been flipped off and screamed at by another driver. And really, both times it wasn't my fault. No, really! Neither time. Here, I'll prove it:

The First Honking

I was turning… Read full post »

Dear Dr. Google,

I really need to stop using you. I “you-ed” a new vocabulary term for my ever-expanding list of medical words I didn't really want to know earlier today. It's seven syllables long. Hysterosalpingogram. I have to take a breath at the halfway point just to… Read full post »

In the early/mid-nineties, I was in the fourth grade. I used to help my mom with the grocery shopping, and one afternoon I watched as she made a shopping list. She would automatically divide up a slip of paper into different sections for produce, meat, dairy, and so on, all without… Read full post »

My cousin is recently divorced. We have always spent Easter Sunday together, snacking on appetizers, laughing at things our crazy grandmother says, and sharing jokes and stories from work. His kids are teenagers now, and for the first time in that twenty-year marriage, his wife didn't come to Easter… Read full post »

I took a risk this afternoon with this one, but the results were really tasty. My poor, newly-gluten-free husband is really bummed out about being, well, intolerant of gluten. The largest hurdle is GF beer; we've only found one that's drinkable. So after a rough day's work, he can come home… Read full post »

Everyone loves green bean casserole, and even though that canned version does taste pretty good, this “real” version brings the difference up to night and day. Yeah, it is that good. But damn it's a lot of work. So, I experimented and I think I have found a method that still… Read full post »

When I was in college, I worked at the mall. It pretty much sucked, but it served as a source of money. One quiet afternoon, I walked around the store, cleaning and rearranging displays. It was slow, and the other employee on with me was near the front. I stepped back… Read full post »

It hasn't completely begun yet, but in about two weeks the real testing will start. Since my husband and I started trying to conceive a year ago, I can honestly say that I never thought we'd be at this point. I thought it would take three months or so and then… Read full post »

My grandmother was born in 1924. My mother's mother, she was the daughter of Italian immigrants in Boston. Her father designed clothes, and she was always dressed like a mannequin, even as a child. They did well, and even managed to actually do somewhat OK during the Depression.… Read full post »

A short story from last summer:

I grew up without air conditioning. It was always something I dreamed of having in my home, but my parents just didn't see it as a necessity. My family wasn't poor, and my parents certainly weren't cheap; they just truly did not see the… Read full post »

On September 11, 2001, I was a senior in high school. And in that high school,the third period of every day was a school-wide study hall.

There is a company called Channel One, and this company gives free TVs to schools if the schools agree to show a 5-minute program… Read full post »

It's enough to drive someone crazy. We're entering Month #11 of Let's Make a Baby. I kind of thought I'd be really good at this, you know? I take my vitamins every day. I quit drinking coffee – and I was a 2+ mugs a day kind of person. I quit… Read full post »

An open list of demands to my neighbors:

1. Your patio/porch/balcony is not a private place from which to make phone calls. We can hear you, and it's really annoying.

2. Take your clothes out of the washing machine/dryer within five minutes of the

… Read full post »

My parents used to think I was watching porn while I was actually watching the Disney Channel.

When I was a kid, my parents had one of those black boxes that got all the channels for the TV in their bedroom. Downstairs in the family room, we had basic cable.… Read full post »

I wrote last week that my husband and I were trying to cut our grocery bill way down. So I went to the regular, non-organic supermarket armed with coupons and my usual list. I got a five-pound bag of carrots for $2.50 – half the price of Whole Foods – and… Read full post »

I have a confession to make: I can't iron.

Which is not to say that I “don't” or am “unable” to iron – I am perfectly able and equipped with two functional arms, an ironing board, a container of water, and, of course, an iron. What I mean… Read full post »

In an effort to spend a bit less at the grocery store, I made my own cold cuts yesterday.

My husband and I prefer to buy organic foods when we can, and we're limited in options to a Whole Foods and the organic section of Stop n Shop. I guess… Read full post »

An attempt at low-gluten/low-fat banana bread:

 Here's what I did:

• 3/4 cup sprouted flour
• 3/4 cup regular flour, minus two tablespoons
• 2 Tbs ground flaxseed
• 2 1/2 Tbs powdered buttermilk
• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3
… Read full post »