Getting in the Swing of Things

Well, I have been pretty quiet since the holidays.  I was sick for about 2 weeks following our trip to Tennessee right after Christmas.  Then--school!  That's right.  I have started attending Davis College full time.  In fact, my husband and I take 2 classes together and 2 classes apart.  Classes started last Monday, right after I got better from being sick.

I have really been focusing on figuring out a schedule for our family that works and just trying to get into the swing of things--going to school, leading Girl Scout troops, doing homework, cleaning and cooking, ministry, etc.  I have to admit that I haven't done much baking lately.  It's all I can do just to cook dinners.  The cook at school does a great job at making gluten free lunches for me (and the kids when they come to the campus to do their schoolwork in the library on Mondays and Fridays).  He is really wonderful.

I may be taking a little break from baking, but it will only be temporary while my family gets in the groove of our life right now.  I am already starting to do a little baking.  I baked a cake using Betty Crocker's Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix and made an awesome Cinnamon Vanilla Frosting with the help of my friend, Rob.  His mother gave him a great recipe for a Buttercream Frosting that we modified to fit my family's diet restrictions.  Mind you, it is not in the least bit low-carb or healthy because I did use confectionary sugar, but it sure tasted great!  It was for a football party, so I decided to go ahead and give my family a break from healthy food and let them have a little junk.  The funny thing is that only 3 of us ended up eating any of the cake, voluntarily!  I think it shows progress that the kids would choose to say, "No thanks.  I'm not that hungry and don't need all that sugar right now!"

For those of you who feel that an occasional unhealthy sweet treat is ok, I will share the recipe, but you'll have to wait awhile until I decide to make it again.  I have to make sure I have all the measurements right before sharing.  I will probably make another cake sometime in February, either for my anniversary or for Valentine's Day.  Perhaps I will decide a yellow cake with Cinnamon Vanilla Frosting would be perfect for the occasion.

In the meantime, stay warm.  Check out my recipe for Hot Chocolate on the recipe page.  I'll post a new recipe soon.