Another conversation

I got to meet Mary, an email friend, face to face.  It was lovely to meet her!  Lovely person.  And she has the sweetest Malinois in the world.  Meet  Ms. J: 

 

 

Unlike many Malinois, this pretty girl is delighted to meet new people and to be given fur-loosening scratches.  She also gives kisses and even jumped up and hugged me.  Yeah, I would have given her my car at that point.

 

Two beagles and a wire fox terrier, however, weren't as delighted with my new friendship.  When I walked through the door, there were three little black noses giving me a going-over. 

 

HRHTM:  Um...is there something you want to tell us?

Me:  What?  No.  What would I have to tell you?

Bailey:  How about why you're home late from work?  Smelling like [sniff sniff]  Is that Malinois???

Me:  Well, yeah, but it's not what you think.

Maddie Mae:  Ohhhh.  It's not what we think.  I see.  I get it.

Me:  No, really, I was visiting Mary and she has a great dog and I was just petting her a little--

All three:   [groan]

Bailey:  Petting her.  Uh huh.

HRHTM:  What, are we not ENOUGH for you?  You need more dog than we can give you?

Bailey:  I mean, after all we've meant to each other, this is how you act?

HRHTM:  And judging from the amount of fur on your clothes, I guess we're just not fuzzy enough.

Me:  Guys!  Seriously!  Come on.  It was a few pets.

Maddie Mae:  A few pets?  A few pets?  Oh, and let me guess.  "It didn't mean anything.  You thought about us the whole time."  [shaking her head]  I don't even know who you are.  No!  I'm done.  I am too old for this crap.

 

 

And all three walked away.

 

I think I'm sleeping alone tonight.

It worked!!!!

My friend Courtney came over today, bringing with her the husband and the two furry children.  Her youngest, Oreo

 

 

is in love with Roommate's boy beagle.  It was deeply meaningful play date.

 

Because Courtney and her fella were in my house, I had to make something to offer them.  After all, if you come to my house, dearest, you must be hungry.  After a couple of hours of romp-n-play, the dogs were ready for a lie-down and the grownups were ready for a cup of tea and slice of cake.

 

Mmm.  Cake. I believe I've mentioned one of my favorite sources of cake recipes is The Caked Crusader's blog.   CC [superhero that she is] posts recipes that make my mouth water and the size of my derriere increase.  One of the recent recipes grabbed my attention and screamed, "MAKE ME FOR COURTNEY!!!!"

 

Why for Courtney, you may ask?  Okay, you didn't actually ask, but really, you might just be holding back on asking.  Go ahead.  Ask.

 

Oh, so glad you asked!

 

Courtney is one of my friends with food allergies.  She's allergic to:

• glutens
• eggs
• dairy
• nuts and
• yeast.

I've baked bread for Courtney before [no, it wasn't easy] and made cookies.  But what I really wanted was to make this cake.  It seemed like something she would love.  The problem?  Butter, eggs and flour. 

 

So what to do?  Don't worry, I'll tell you.  You know how I love doing that. 

 

First, I mixed a quarter cup of ground flaxseeds with three-quarters cup of water and let it sit.  It turns into a gooey, weird mess that works as an egg substitute.  Nooooo, not by itself!  Just in baked goods.  Don't try to scramble this.

 

Gack.

 

Second, I used coconut oil in place of butter.  I hadn't used it before, but it was a pretty easy substitution.  And the delicious coconutty smell of it made me want to sit on a beach while rubbing on suntan oil and sipping a mai tai.  Which would result in my getting hammered, hung over and sunburned to a freaking crisp.

 

It's better that I do my baking in the kitchen.

 

Finally, I used a really nice gluten free baking flour by Bob's Red Mill.  A lot of gluten free flours use almond flour, which would cause Courtney major discomfort, but BRM does a great job with nut-free flours.

 

But look!

 

 

It worked!!!  Courtney's hubster even had a second piece.  And then fixed my computer.  And then took care of the dogs.  What a guy.  Courtney should totally marry him.  Yes, I told her that, too.   

 

Puppy play date, Sunday sunshine and cake.  I love it when a plan comes together.