Welcome 2010

It is the first day of the new year and I am looking forward to what the fates have in store for me.
2009 was a memorable year and while I would not change anything, I am glad it is over.
I started the year by wanting to take a photo each day... that only lasted 30 odd days. I started substitute teaching. I had pneumonia, I was luck enough to get two contracts teaching at two different schools, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, I knit my first pair of socks, I went to Florida and Disney with Matt, started speaking french again, had my first summer off as a teacher, started taking and loving yoga classes, and severely sprained my ankle.
There are so many things that are going to happen in this next year and I'm sure the year will fly by as quickly as the last. I do have some dreams and hopes for this coming year.... to get a full time permeant placement, to hopefully go on a fun trip, to maybe even get a new car and possibly apartment. As for resolutions.. I don't really have any. I want to continue putting myself first with my diet, exercise and wellbeing. I want to continue to eat healthy (which isn't really a choice but a necessity.... No Barley, Rye, Oats or Wheat due to Celiac and limited Milk and eggs due to slight intolerance/allergy).

I've been having some trouble with gluten-free baking. I'm okay with the everyday cooking but its when I try to make bread or other treats that I am having some troubles. In "normal" baking, gluten (found typically in your flour) is what gives viscosity and extensibility to the dough. If you have added yeast (say for bread) then gluten allows for the carbon dioxide bubbles given off by the yeast to be trapped, making it rise. After baking, gluten stabilized the final shape of whatever you are baking. This makes gluten free baking hard. You have to use various different types of flour (corn flour, rice flour, tapioca flour, potato flour, etc.) So far I've been experimenting with different brands of mixes (think like a cake mix). Some have turned out alright but others.... well not so good. I find the dough can be really sticky and hard to work with when mixing or shaping into a loaf of bread or into biscuits. Most have turned out in the end pretty edible but not great and nothing like the "real" thing. Oh well.
I was very lucky to be gifted with a lot of gluten free products for christmas, mixes and such, so I can't wait to try some of them.