Food stuffs (but not the fun kind)

 I tried making gluten free practice pies for the first time today -

Other people in my family are trying to go gluten free for their health; I am following along because, at this point, I really have no idea what causes anything in my body, and the food in my house is the food I am going to eat.

I have done gluten free before, so I'm not holding out a ton of hope - I have, in fact, gone everything free - literally, for a time I was almost hospitalized because everything I ate caused a reaction. One summer I lived on Gatorade and Saltines. Another, while I was supposedly 'clearing' my allergies with a very sketchy acupuncturist, I lived on fruit and french fries, because I was apparently allergic to every other food in creation. I've been allergy tested for everything - but my test results - as always - come back in some form of completely screwy "I can't decipher this" gobbledygook that the allergist generally just throw up their hands and say "I'm not really sure what to tell you to avoid, because ... well... you have to eat food." Whatever; I'm used to it.  I can only say that the reason I started drinking bottled water in college was that the allergist said to me - "You are so allergic to so many things, I wouldn't be surprised if unfiltered water was causing half of your problems." I don't know if it was or not (obviously not because I have developed 65,000 other problems since then), but I still drink bottled water.  Tap tastes funny.

Anyways, the point of this post was supposed to be about making GF-pie crust for the first time, and how, really, pie crust is my baking nemesis in the first place - It's so... temperamental. And the butter has to be chilled and the real rolling pin is too heavy* and why can't the crust be as easy as the filling!!! Also: note to GF-companies: you start producing some of that ready made pie crust and you might as well be printing cash come Christmas, I promise you. Because pie crust is hard, man.

I made two mini-pies, one for here, one for my sister's house, just to see how they came out... I'm going to try it in a few minutes, but it's not as pretty as normal crust (not quite as golden colored or flaky, somehow).  As long as it doesn't taste like sand, I'm going to go with it. 

If you guys are GF and want to share some of your favorite recipes, please, feel free.  And if you're not, that's ok too, I'll take them (my brother is so not going to go for this, so I'm going to have to stick to some of the regulars).

Also, I did not know that turkeys could have gluten in them - that is very strange and makes my brain hurt.  Apparently, they can inject gluten-y substances into the birds for... flavor? I don't know; looking at it made my brain go, whaaa? Just a little something I learned today that I'm passing on to you.

(Insert The More You Know star and ding here)


*Spoonie tip - I use a pretend-play rolling pin now; It used to belong to the kid's playdough/pretend kitchen sets, but it is the right size and weight for me, so now it's mine.

Got a lot accomplished today

but I'm exhausted now. (Shocker!)  Today was the kind of day when I spent so long making lunch that I was too tired to eat it by the time it was ready.  So, I ate it for dinner.  Eventually.  And it wasn't any special, elaborate lunch either - just roasted vegetables - but between the chopping and peeling (not to mention getting everything else off the only area I can use can reach for chopping and peeling), I nearly had to lay down on the floor in the kitchen once I got them in the oven.   Plus?  Squash skin are like impossible to slice into - I felt like I needed a hatchet.  Or a hammer.

 It was obviously a low energy day, and a high energy activity.  (Probably not for other people, but definitely for me.) 

Aside from that, I did some cleaning in my room, got the floor in the library picked up since we'll be having company this weekend as a cousin is getting married on Sunday, and wrote more than 2000 words for NaNo today. 

So, if I could nap, it would definitely be time for that.  Instead, I'm going to watch Jeopardy! and hope that there are some good categories.  Night all!