There are still a few things I have to work to get my head around:
1) calling where I live “Port”… not “The Port”, or “Port Perry”. Just “Port” .. as in “Are you coming to Port to visit us this weekend?”. Strange.
2) No Starbucks… enough said
3) Cutting grass more than once a month
4) Memories of clearing a driveway for 2 hours with a snow-float … shudder
5) The irony of moving to a small town with “Perry/Parry” as part of the name.

I’m being a little cheeky of course.  Now that the stress of buying and selling is over, it is time to focus on the move.  It isn’t going to be easy!  There will be a new school for the kids, a new community, and a new house that needs a lot of work to be comfortable.  I have to remember to continue to focus on the positives:  A new school for the kids, a new community, a new house …  but most of all, treating this as the big adventure it is!!!

Ingredients

For the topping:

• 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3/4 lb. cranberries (1 340G package)

For the cake:

• 1 1/2 cups GF flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (ensure it is pure and GF)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

For the whipped cream:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbs. confectioners’ sugar

Directions

To make the topping, butter a 9-inch round cake pan. Put the butter and brown sugar in the prepared pan and place the pan over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved. Scatter the cranberries over the butter-sugar mixture. Set aside.

Preheat an oven to 350°F.

To make the cake, in a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well. Using a silicone or rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk.

In a bowl, using a whisk or an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Using the spatula, fold the whites into the batter.

Spoon the batter over the cranberries in the cake pan, spreading it evenly. Bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake. Invert onto a serving plate, let stand for 5 minutes, then lift off the pan.

To make the whipped cream, in a bowl, using a whisk or an electric mixer, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Stir in the vanilla and confectioners sugar.

To serve, cut the cake into wedges and top with the whipped cream. Makes one 9-inch cake; serves 8 to 10.

Ingredients

2 cups (500 mL) Kinnikinnick Gluten-Free graham wafer crumbs (Available at Superstore in Whitby)
3/4 cup (175 mL) butter, melted
1 can (300 mL) Eagle Brand® Regular or Low Fat sweetened condensed milk (Eagle Brand is Gluten-Free)
1 1/3 cups (325 mL) chopped pecans (Optional – leave out for a nut-free version)
1 1/3 cups (325 mL) semi-sweet chocolate chips (Chipits Semi-Sweet is Gluten-Free)
1 1/3 cups (325 mL) flaked coconut

Directions

Combine graham crumbs with butter; press evenly onto parchment-lined 13 x 9″ (3.5 L) baking pan.
Pour Eagle Brand evenly over crumb crust.
Sprinkle with pecans, chocolate chips and coconut; press down firmly.
Bake in preheated 350ºF (180ºC) oven* 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool thoroughly and cut into bars. (Store loosely covered at room temperature.)

• Helping Dad drag in the Christmas tree through the basement sliding glass door.
• Bowls of mandarin oranges and homemade ‘Bits & Bites’.
• Candles, candles and more candles.
• Lots of family constantly coming through the house for parties, dinners and coffee & dessert.
• Visits to and from Uncle Doug & Aunt Millie’s house.
• The Christmas Eve buffet and the friends and family that were always there with us.
• Watching the snow pile up outside, hour after hour from a squall off ‘The Bay’.
• The smell of baking item #34 coming out of the oven in preparation for Christmas.
• The bags of candy we used to get after the Sunday School Christmas program.
• My Mom’s Christmas To-Do list
• Christmas Day walks with anyway who wanted to join (family or friend)
• The smell of the flickering Kerosene lanterns
• The sounds of Christmas: Roger Whittaker, Mannheim Steamroller and many others

I am now all grown and these memories are something to cherish but they have also become traditions that I want to pass down to my kids.   I hope that one day they look back on our Christmas traditions with fondness, whether it be baking a special dessert for Christmas, putting up lights outside in the snow, listening to music while sipping hot chocolate or decorating the tree.

I also think about my Mom a lot more during the Christmas season.  I am pretty sure that is a normal emotion!  It starts every year for me when we place a Christmas poem written by my Mom’s best friend in the branches while decorating the tree.   Here is an excerpt:

I see the countless Christmas trees
around the world below
With twinkling lights like heavens stars,
reflecting in the snow
The sight is so spectacular,
please wipe away your tears,
For I’m spending Christmas in heaven this year.

I hear the beautiful carols that we all held so dear,
But the songs you sing just can’t compare,
with the angels’ choir up here.
I have no words to tell you,
of the joy their voices bring.
It is beyond description to hear the angels sing.

Mom loved Christmas with her family and we sure do miss her!

This week has also been a little tough in the food / gluten-free department because of my accidental “gluten poisoning” of the kids. Nothing like feeding my Celiacs a big batch of regular pasta! Luke threw up for hours and Abby showed no signs of any problem (what a strange disease!), much like it was before their tests.

I was telling the kids at lunch one day this week about the rare times I got to stay home from school and eat lunch with my Mom (rare because we took the bus to school). For whatever reason, the memories of toast and Campbells soup bring back such nostalgic feelings. There is something about opening a can of Campbells for lunch!

With all this in mind, I was really happy to see that Campbell’s put up a list of all their GF foods. For all that are interested, here is the link to their site:

You can download the product list Campbells Gluten Free Product List

Ingredients

1 lb. Hamburger
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 medium onion chopped
1/2 cup celery chopped
1/2 cup green pepper chopped
1 cup carrots chopped
2 cups of potatoes cubed
2 beef bouillon cubes (grab the GF variety at the health food store)
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp peper
1/2 tsp paprika
6 cups hot water
6 cups cabbage

Directions

1. Brown the hamburger
2. Add the remaining ingredients
3. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few hours (until the cabbage is nice and soft)

Simple to make and it freezes great!

Siri dictating my blog post - No corrections!

I suppose that I went into this iPhone upgrade with low expectations and have come away impressed. That doesn’t happen very often in the world of technology. This field is notorious for over-promising and under-delivering. Siri is definitely a pleasant surprise!

Asking Siri if I should wear a jacket today

The Lock Screen
The barren wasteland that was the old iOS lockscreen has been replaced with one that provides notification on the latest info flowing into the phone. Emails, Calls, Calendar Appointments… anything that used to put up a notification bubble will now post to the lockscreen. A quick swipe and you are viewing the info in the native application.

Quick Camera Access
The addition of the quick camera button on the lockscreen is great for those moments when you want to take a quick picture. It is great not having to unlock the phone and open the camera app (which usually takes so long the moment is gone).

The Android Blind
A great feature which is a direct rip-off of Android is the pulldown blind that shows notifications. Gesture down from the top and a blind appears showing things like weather (by GPS location), calendar entries, email, etc.

Twitter Integration
Twitter is now built right into iOS. Want to tweet from an application, you are already signed in and ready to go.

iCloud & Wi-Fi Syncing
Outside of charging you really never have to plug your iDevice into a computer again. Finally a proper attempt from Apple at utilizing the cloud to store important info that can be synced across devices/computers. I am looking forward to having all my important info available to me without manual intervention!

Messaging
Basically BBM for iDevices. When standard data services are available it will utilize built in protocols to send messages between iOS devices. If not, then SMS is used. It is seamless and only noticeable by the colour of the text bubbles. Read and respond notifications just like BBM.

iPad Split Keyboard
For those moments when you are in portrait mode and don’t want to move your hands. Simple idea but so very functional.

As I have mentioned before, this is not a review… just some observations. I’m looking forward to the final release of iOS5 (and iPhone5).