The GGA Project -- Day #342 "Flour is Overrated Anyway"

I had two reasons for taking on yet another baking project today.  First of all, I wanted to thank my neighbor Sharon--who has been a wonderfully supportive friend this past year, though I haven't seen her often--in a way that she could enjoy.  Secondly, I wanted to include my coworker Isela in the treat that is bringing baked goods to work to share (I refuse to call this sabotage, just because we are in the middle of a Biggest Loser challenge ;)  )


Both of these women, you see, have special diets.  Hey!  I can relate to that.  I have a (semi) special diet!  And it means a lot to me when people remember that and do what they can to include me when there is some kind of group eating going on.


Today's New Activity: Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake


I have to say I've been totally reluctant to travel even two steps down that gluten-free road.  Knowing that people have been working for years to make vegan food taste good and haven't come all that far (in my opinion), I thought the chances the relatively young gluten-free movement had arrived at a tasty place were bleak.


But when I came upon this recipe after a "best gluten-free desserts" Google search, I thought the positive reviews were too many to dismiss.


Who on earth would imagine that this

would have its origins in these?!

Yes, those are chick peas/garbanzo beans.  And that is not to say that the recipe called for chick pea flour. I mean I literally liquified these very beans in a food processor, threw in a few other ingredients, tossed it into the oven and called it a day.  It took only these 5 ingredients (plus confectioner's sugar for the top),

10 minutes of prep time, and 40 minutes in the oven and bam!  That was it.  It was the easiest cake I've ever made (and shockingly it DID come out like cake, or like a less dense version of a brownie).


To my shock, my parents (who are generally pretty freaked out by the alternate-version-of-real-food things I eat as a vegetarian) not only tried but dug the cake well and truly.  Monkey too (not that he's picky when it comes to dessert).


Unfortunately I learned that Sharon, my inspiration for trying the recipe in the first place, also avoids sugar since learning how much better she fairs as a result, so I'm gonna have to do a little more detective work if I want to try and thank her in any kind of culinary way again.  But it's good to know that yummy gluten-free recipes really do exist, especially since so many people are embracing the diet these days.  I'm definitely holding fast and tight to sugar though!

The GGA Project -- Day #249 "So Many Letters, So Much Time"

Two weeks ago I mentioned attending the housewarming of my friends, Lynh & Maribel.  Tonight I got to return to their lovely home for


Today's New Activity: Super Scrabble Night


First of all, it's been years since I played Scrabble on a real board.  Scrabble vs, computer and also Words with Friends have been the name of the game in recent years.  And that's bad because it totally dumbs me down as a Scrabble player.  With those versions you risk nothing when playing words since there's nobody to challenge you.  The programs simply prevent you from being able to play words that aren't in the Scrabble dictionary.  It was difficult to go back to risking a challenge for playing a word I only *thought* was a word.


But beyond that, it was really fun.  The math was a bit of a mental workout when we got 3 hours into it, but even that was a nice change of pace.


The thing that makes Super Scrabble super is that the board is larger, there are many more tiles, and there are quadruple letter spaces (!).  So yeah, playing this version was definitely a commitment.  Thankfully nobody present was the take-twelve-minutes-strategizing-the-BEST-EVER-POSSIBLE-PLAY type.  We'd still be there now.


Our friend Sharon came too, along with her now 4-month old, sweetest, happiest baby in the world, Calvin.  It was a wonderfully mellow night with some wonderful, mellow people.  Thanks, Lynh and Maribel!  :)

The GGA Project -- Day #169 "Chinese for Celebrate"

And who in the world could resist a celebration of this little guy?!

I can't.  So when my friends and new (second-time) parents Sharon and Rodrigo invited me to celebrate Calvin's arrival, I accepted.

Today's New Activity: Red Egg Party!

I'd never heard of a Red Egg Party, but it's a Chinese tradition that celebrates the one-month mark of a new baby's life.  I love the idea, because a baby shower happens before anybody gets to meet a new arriver, and the 1st birthday seems too long a time to wait to really celebrate a new life.  The first couple of weeks or so of a baby's arrival can be a little stressful--the adjustment period--but having a party one month into the whole thing seems perfect!

Oh my god, look at that feast!  All the food (except for the chow mein) was prepared by Rodrigo's parents, who used to own a restaurant and know all about making vast amounts of yummy food.

It was interesting to be among the invited guests at a party that was comprised entirely (with the exceptions of Sharon and I) of Portuguese-speaking Chinese folks.  Rodrigo's family has a fascinating history.  His parents were born in Mozambique, which was a Portuguese colony at the time.  Then, when civil war broke out, they relocated to Brazil, which is where Rodrigo was born and lived until they moved to Portugal.  Ultimately they ended up in the Bay Area, California, which somehow attracted a great many people from the same town in Mozambique.  Sharon told me that Rodrigo's parents had known a lot of the party guests since childhood.  I just love stories like that.

Anyway, we sat talking and catching up.  Sharon and Rodrigo just bought a house, so they have double the cause for congratulations.  Also, their older son Oliver is the happiest, spunkiest little guy, so it was just all around wonderful to spend the afternoon with this family.

Also, I just love spending time with Sharon and Rodrigo because they are refreshingly laid-back parents.  They, of course, take great care of their children, but they don't take the whole thing too seriously.  They have good senses of humor about themselves as parents and about their children.  You never feel like they are trying to compare or one up or emanate the idea of parental perfection.  It's purely enjoyable and relaxing to hang out with them.


Congratulations to Mama, Dadi-o, and big brother Oliver on your super cute new hang-out buddy.