Gluten-Free Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes

I recently started experimenting with gluten-free baking because I have several friends who can't eat my regular cupcakes.   One of the things I have really enjoyed about my baking adventure this past year is how much I have learned along the way by reading baking blogs and websites, so I started my search for gluten-free recipes the same way. I found websites such as this one, offering tips for gluten-free baking success, as well as numerous recipes to try.  I started with a flourless chocolate cupcake  that I topped with lightly sweetened whipped cream and a strawberry, and that was pretty scrumptious, but not very cake-like.  It was more like eating a rich, decadent truffle!  Nothing wrong with that! But I was still looking for something more like my regular cupcakes. 


I found a couple of recipes that sounded good, and actually combined and tweaked parts of them until I came up with this recipe.  It is moist, fluffy, and chocolate-y, perfectly complemented by the smooth espresso buttercream! 

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Espresso Buttercream

1 c. Gluten-free flour blend ( King Arthur )

½ c.  brown sugar

½ c. sugar

½ c. Dutch-process cocoa powder ( Callebaut )

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

 ½ tsp.xanthum gum 

2 eggs

½ c. milk 

½ c. canola oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

½ c. hot coffee

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   Line muffin tin with 16 paper cupcake liners.

In large mixing bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, white sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt and xanthum gum.  

 In another bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, oil, vanilla.   With mixer on low, add to the dry ingredients and blend for 1 minute, until thoroughly combined.   Pour in hot coffee and continue to mix for another minute. Scrape sides of bowl with spatula and give a few good stirs to mix together.

Scoop into cupcake liners, filling no more than ¾  full.  Bake for 16-18 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool slightly, and remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Espresso Buttercream

2 sticks ( 1 c ) unsalted butter, room temp.

4 c. sifted powdered sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. instant espresso powder ( or instant coffee)

1/4 c. milk or water

Dissolve espresso powder in milk or water. Set aside. In lg mixing bowl, beat the butter until fluffy.  Add powdered sugar and salt, and mix on low speed until combined.  With mixer still on low, add the vanilla and the coffee liquid and mix thoroughly.  Increase speed to high and beat frosting for 2-3 minutes, until smooth and fluffy.   Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes.

*Top with a chocolate covered espresso bean.  :-)

 ENJOY!

Liberty Homeschool Basketball Tourney 2012

Last week was one of our favorite weeks of the year - the HSPN East Coast Homeschool Basketball  Tournament at Liberty University, in Lynchburg, VA..  This year the tournament attracted 82 homeschool teams from VA, NC, SC, GA, TN, NJ, MD, KY, and IA, and is hoping to expand even more next year.  We have gone with our Lighthouse varsity teams every year since the tournament began in 2007, and just last year started bringing our JV teams as well.  This year, Mark was coaching our Varsity Boys team and Jason, although he was a Middle School player all season, came along as a backup player for JV.  He actually got a fair amount of time on the court, PLUS he entered and won the Middle School Boys 3-point contest, with 14 swishes in 60 seconds!

We stayed at the Kirkley Hotel in Lynchburg, and I have to say it was the most pleasant hotel experience we've had yet!  I know having a bunch of families with middle school/high school age kids descend on your business can be a little nerve-wracking.  Kudos to the staff for making the teams feel welcome and for providing great service, as well as having a very well-kept and CLEAN hotel.  We'll definitely go back.

Also, Liberty University really goes above and beyond to accomodate this tournament during their Spring Break every year, providing access to all of its courts and recreation facilities.  We are always very impressed, and appreciate the hospitality that is extended to homeschool families from across the eastern US.  I'm sure it is good for their institution, as they are making an impression on potential future students.

 I didn't take any pictures, but thankfully some of my friends did. And my daughters did, although I have not seen those pics yet. ( hint hint )

Jason

3-pointer

JV teams congratulating after a game

 Middle School 3-point contest

Varsity Boys

 

A school banner that echoes are purpose.

Varsity won 3rd place in the 5A bracket - to place 15th out of 32 teams. We were pretty happy with that.

The Relaxed Eclectic Homeschooling Lifestyle

It is incredible to me that this is our 17th year of homeschooling!  But then again, I can hardly remember NOT homeschooling, we have been doing this for so long.  We started homeschooling in 1994 with a 9yr old, 6 yr old, 4 yr old, and 1 yr old. Our 5th child came along a couple of years later, and now my children are 26, 24, 22, 18, and 13.  My oldest two have graduated from college, my third will be graduating from college this spring, and my fourth will be starting college in the fall.  I am now homeschooling just one child, and we are right around the corner from entering that homestretch called high school with him.

When my kids were younger, I was constantly reading books about homeschooling, poring over homeschool catalogues and websites, listening to my collection of homeschool workshop tapes/CDs, and writing and rewriting plans in notebooks and scraps of paper all over the house.   I wanted the best possible education for my children, but I also fought an inner battle over what I thought that should look like!
I didn't just want to find a great curriculum and learn how to create a great transcript. I was looking for the deeper, more fundamental underpinnings of what it meant to be educated, and what I, and more importantly, God, saw as the BIG PICTURE.  This was my quest and bit by bit, I started to assemble a philosophy of education and of homeschooling that translated into a fairly relaxed homeschooling lifestyle that didn't really fit into any neat "category".  I wasn't an Unschooler, I wasn't following the "Charlotte Mason way", I wasn't truly following a Classical model, but I pulled inspiration from all these things. I was and am an Eclectic Homeschooler.

Eclectic = adj.; not following any one system, as of philosophy, medicine, etc., but selecting and using what are considered the best elements of all systems.

Not only that, but I started to develop an approach to home education that did not relegate "school" into a particular place or time or activity.  Probably because I am by nature an easy-going, unstructured person, I came to embrace my children's education as something that occurs all day, every day, in a wide variety of ways!  As far as I'm concerned, just about everything we do is educational in some way. Now, I do use curriculum and I do strive for excellence, but I also take into consideration the gifts, abilities, and differences of my children.

The pillars of our relaxed, eclectic homeschooling lifestyle are Knowledge, Character, Service, and Relationship. 

Knowledge includes study of the Bible as well as the academic subjects like math, history, science, and  language. The Bible speaks much about the importance of knowledge, wisdom and understanding

. 

Prov 2:6,9-11  For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.... Then you will understand what is right and just and fair--every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.

Prov 24:3-4    By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.

Proverbs 9:10  "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

I use an eclectic mix of curriculum.  This is our 8th year using Tapestry of Grace, and I love the rich variety of reading in history, literature, Bible, worldview, and philosophy. We participate in a weekly TOG Co-op with a dozen other families also using that curriculum, for reinforcement and enrichment of the material learned each week.

We have worked through all of Basic Winston Grammar this year and will now start on the Advanced Winston Grammar program.  For math we are using Teaching Textbooks for Pre-Algebra, moving into Algebra I in another month or so.  Flexibility is one of the things I love about homeschooling, and allowing a child to work at the pace that is best for him.  Sometimes that means taking longer than a "school year" to finish a particular level, sometimes is means finishing early and moving ahead to the next thing. 

Because reading is very draining for him, he has been doing an online earth science program called PLATO this year rather than the more reading-intensive Apologia that my other kids all used in middle school. However, I am having him start the Apologia General Science book now, halfway through the school year, and reading it while listening to the audio version on Mp3, to start preparing for taking a weekly class in either Physical Science or Biology next fall in 9th grade.  I am trying to increase his tolerance for reading by giving him the extra support of reading along with listening to the audio, to help with retention.

Writing is also a struggle, so we have done mostly journal writing on a topic, and I have recently added in IEW Character-Based Writing Lessons.

I generally do not grade assignments or give tests. Don't worry - my kids get that experience a few times before graduating from high school as they participate in group tutorials or takes classes at the community college, but otherwise I don't find it necessary.   I do not require my son to start school at a certain time and finish at a certain time Now that he is a teenager, he has rediscovered a love for sleep, so most days I get him up around 9 or 9:30am..  I usually give him a bit of structure to follow during the day in the form of a checklist.  We do some work together, I  read aloud some of the history or literature or other enrichment books. Then he works on his own.  In between working on a math lesson, writing in a journal, or reading about the ancient Philistines he might play his guitar or watch Sports Center on TV.  He is an athlete and most days include some kind of ball practice or game.  We play board games, watch educational DVDs, label maps, do puzzles, go on field trips, host a monthly geography club.

Character is what I want my children to be, not just what I want them to know.  I want them to be honest, responsible, kind, compassionate, humble, courageous, diligent, fair, loyal,  faithful, patient, generous, discerning.
A lot of this teaching is through conversation throughout the day, and this is where homeschooling gives an edge, just by virtue of the amount of time I spend with my children. Deuteronomy 6: 6-7 says "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."   All day long I reinforce my expectations with my children that they treat one another with kindness, that they are truthful, that they do their work with diligence, that they act responsibly. We also read about the lives of people who exemplify these qualities, or watch movies that depict these things. I am deliberate about making sure my children understand that a person's character is who they are inside, how they act when nobody is looking, and that it matters, because God's Word says it matters. 
Psalm 15

LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
   Who may live on your holy mountain?

The one whose walk is blameless,
   who does what is righteous,
   who speaks the truth from their heart;
whose tongue utters no slander,
   who does no wrong to a neighbor,
   and casts no slur on others;
who despises a vile person
   but honors those who fear the LORD;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
   and does not change their mind;
who lends money to the poor without interest;
   who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

   Whoever does these things
   will never be shaken.

Service is something I value highly, and goes hand in hand with character. I know I must be deliberate about helping my child develop an attitude of selflessness instead of selfishness. As a family, we are heavily involved in homeschool group leadership and homeschool sports leadership.  Our children help in many ways with that, from sorting uniforms to designing certificates and programs to giving input into decisions. They see their parents making sacrifices to spend time investing in others - setting an example is so important in this area, as much more is "caught" than "taught".   Other opportunities for service come through church, missions trips, and our community -  packing shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child and volunteering at the Regional Processing Center in Charlotte; helping at the local food pantry; serving in the church nursery; sending money to pay school fees for a child in Uganda. Service also happens at home as family members chip in to help around the house. Again, being deliberate about using these opportunities to MODEL and TEACH is key.

Relationship is probably the most important aspect of our homeschooling lifestyle. Life is about relationships. Our most important relationship is with God, then with our family, then friends and those in our circle of influence, and then beyond. 1 Corinthians 13 speaks of love as greater than knowledge, greater than charity, greater than faith. Love is character put into action to reach the hearts of people, to draw them close to one another and ultimately to draw them to the One who is Love.  Homeschooling allows us as a family to build strong relationships with one another.  Just spending time together is not enough, because people who spend lots of time together can still have terrible relationships.  But when we spend time together and practice love, encouragement, kindness, selflessness, forgiveness... when we show affection and understanding, when we laugh together and fill a treasure-box of memories and shared experiences, and even when we discipline and hold one another accountable - this is where relationships blossom and thrive.  Good, healthy relationships need time and work as much as learning algebra or spelling needs time and work.

Knowledge. Character. Service. Relationships. These are what are important to me and my family, and the foundation of our homeschooling lifestyle.

What Am I Doing?

My friend is writing a book.
I am helping her.
I know nothing about writing a book.

What am I doing? 

Basically, I am her editor/proofreader right now. She is writing a testimony of the amazing miracles God has performed in the life of her family over the past 10 years, to which I have had a "front row seat", so to speak.  She wrote the first draft, and now I am going through it and not only correcting grammar and phrasing mistakes, but also cleaning it up, taking out parts, rewriting sections, etc.

I'm feeling a bit over my head, but my friend called today and said she and her whole family were really excited by the changes I made in the Introduction and first chapter. So I'm feeling that at least I'm going in the right direction with it.  Whew.
There is a bit of a time crunch to get this done as soon as possible and to the publisher so that she can have it ready for a conference she is speaking at in a couple of months.
Gulp!

I will fill in more details later, but if you happen to think of it, I'd appreciate your prayers.

Starting with a Personal Trainer . Oh My.

"Is there anything you don't like about exercise?

That was one of the questions from my  young, bubbly, athletic personal trainer at our first meeting yesterday morning.  I couldn't hide the snort, but then smiled.

"The pain."  

I actually like to exercise, and I told her that.  I enjoy physical activity and pushing myself and reaching goals and feeling fit.  The problem is the pain that it takes to get from fat, flabby, out-of-shape me to svelte, toned, strong and healthy me.  Yesterday was only my physical assessment -  weight, body measurements, flexibility test ( sit on the floor with legs straight in front and reach for toes ), strength test ( lady push ups and crunches ), and cardio test ( resting heartrate, then 5 minutes climbing on and off the step platform, then heartrate again ) .  

I. Am. Sore.

I have been going to the gym about twice a week for a few weeks now and doing about 30 minutes on the elliptical machine.  That doesn't make me sore.  Pushups, crunches, and step platform = another story.  Which is the whole point of the personal trainer. Sessions with a trainer at the Y  is actually a Christmas present from my oldest son - the Army captain who can deadlift 400 lbs and thinks CrossFit is fun.  It is something I requested, because I knew I needed an additional push to both get my knee/leg strength back after surgery and to get this 51-yr-old body heading in the right direction, which is out of the chair and into the gym! 

I really like my trainer - so far - after meeting her for just one hour. Her name is Carrie and she is a mom with 3 young children, and she had knee surgery when she was in college.  So she can relate. Sort of.  She is about as big around as my upper arm.  But she is sweet and I think we'll work well together.  Whatever that means. 

She didn't tell me the results of the tests and measurements yesterday - thankfully. I think they have discovered that telling people the results right away sends them spiraling into the pit of depression and running away as fast as they can waddle!  So she is saving those numbers for a later date, when hopefully I will have improved so much that I will be ecstatic at how far I have come!  We are "starting" on Monday. 

My first goal - which is very reasonable - is consistency.  It is absolutely true that in order to get stronger and healthier you have to actually DO something on a regular basis, and not just think about it.   So I have to make myself go to the gym or go for a walk or do Dance Dance Revolution on the Wii at least 4 times a week. And Carrie will be keeping track of whether I do it or not!  Accountability is good. 

A long time ago, when I was in my teens and twenties and even early thirties, I was in good shape! I was a size 10 when I got married.   I played sports, swam, ran, went to dance aerobics class. If you are exercising somewhat regularly now and are in decent shape, DO NOT STOP.  Make it a lifelong priority!!!  Because  I got busy with kids and life and money was tight and I stopped making exercise a priority and I gradually put on more and more weight until my wedding ring no longer fit and had to be cut off and I hardly recognized the woman in the dressing room mirror.   I would start to walk or try to exercise with a video or go to the gym for short bursts, but I wouldn't stick with it.   And the older I got, the harder it got.  And then my left knee started to hurt, a lot, and I ended up having surgery to trim a torn miniscus last September. I am amazed at how long it takes to recover from what seemed like minor, arthroscopic surgery thru a couple of teeny tiny incisions.  I still struggle with stairs and getting up off the floor, even after finishing 8 weeks of physical therapy. 

So. Here I am at 51, about to start again to see if I can reclaim that lost person.  The one who felt strong and energetic and looked halfway decent in a pair of jeans.  Why?  Because I miss being active and I hate feeling like a slug.  Maybe recording my progress here for the world to see ( okay,  maybe not the world, but Mom and the couple of other people who actually read this ) will motivate me to stick with it this time. I'm hoping that having a cheerleader/personal trainer to hold me accountable and also give me a routine to follow will keep me going as well.  I watch The Biggest Loser on tv, and marvel at the intensity of those workouts and what those people accomplish physically week to week!  Part of their success is having someone showing them how to exercise and standing there screaming at them to NOT GIVE UP!   I can't imagine Carrie will be screaming at me - sure hope not!  But she will be teaching me and encouraging me to push myself and do more than I would do on my own.  So I have high hopes. Here we go.

50 Fun Facts About Me

 This is a reprise of a list I wrote  several years ago. Just for fun.


1. I was born in Meriden, CT in 1960. My parents moved back to my dad's hometown of Uxbridge, MA within the year, and bought a house up the road, in Mendon, when I was 3. They still live there.

2. I love chocolate!

3. I was married on my birthday, as was my mother.

4. My mother and I made my wedding gown.

5.. I am the first-born daughter of a first-born daughter of a first-born daughter of a first-born daughter. .

6. I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour when I was 13.


7. My husband and I first met in 4th grade, when we both played trumpet in the elementary school band. 

8. Our first official "date" was our high school Senior Prom.

9. I've always loved being around children. I carried around the babies at all the family gatherings, and did LOTS of babysitting in high school.

10. My favorite books when I was young were Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Karen by Marie Killilea, and The Family Nobody Wanted by Helen Doss.  I read a LOT.

11. I am one-half Italian, one-fourth Scottish, and one-fourth English.

12, My first paid job, besides babysitting, was as Assistant Recreation Director at our little lake-front town beach in Mendon when I was 14. I continued to work at that beach every summer for the next 8 years., as a lifeguard, swim instructor, and then as the Beach Director.

13. I was in the Synchronized Swim Club in college.


14. My favorite candy bar is Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.


15. I would rather go to the mountains than to the beach.

16. I dabbled in gymnastics as a teen. I took a gymnastics judging course when I was 18, and actually judged one high school meet.

17. I sing alto.

18. I remember where I was when the space shuttle Challenger exploded. I was vaccuuming the bedroom of our apartment in Boca Raton, Florida, listening to the radio, and keeping one eye on my toddler.

19. My dream house is a solar log home with a big wrap-around porch and a huge yard!

20. I am afraid of heights.

21. When I was 10 years old, my family ( mom, dad,  4 kids ) camped around Europe for 6 weeks in a Volkswagon Campmobile.

22. I hate horror movies and lima beans.

23. Fall is my favorite season.

24. I have had surgery three times ~ to remove my tonsils when I was 5, to remove my gall bladder when I was 42, and to repair a torn miniscus in my left knee when I was 51.

25. I do not drink coffee.

26. I love to bake.

27. I had a crush on David Cassidy when I was in Jr. High ( who didn't? )

28. My husband and I went on a Caribbean Cruise for our 10th wedding anniversary.

29. My favorite board game is Scrabble.

30. I am allergic to shellfish - more specifically, bivalves ( clams, oysters, scallops ).

31. I played field hockey in high school.

32. I was a cheerleader in my senior year of high school, and my future husband was on the basketball team.

33. My middle name is Marie, after my paternal grandmother.

34. When I was little, I wanted to be a teacher or a doctor when I grew up.

35. I collect souvenir pins.

36. So far, I have visited 27 states and 10 countries ( and just driving through doesn't count).

37. I love family camping! I do require toilets and running water, however.

38. The most amazing thing I have ever seen is the Grand Canyon.

39. I prefer Diet Pepsi to Diet Coke.

40. My favorite color is blue.

41. My favorite subjects in school were always English and Art.

42. My first job after college was as an assistant in the Public Relations office at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

43. I started homeschooling in 1994, with a 4th grader, 1st grader, 4 yr old and 1 yr old.

44. I am right-brain dominant!

45. I am very easily distracted. It takes me forever to get through a project, like cleaning my bedroom, because I keep getting sidetracked.

46. I have done both free-lance calligraphy and portrait drawing at one time or another.

47.  I have been a full-time mom since my oldest child was born, but I have also sold Tupperware, worked part-time at a fabric/crafts store, taught private swimming lessons, taught art, and baked cupcakes.

48. I enjoy handcrafts, like crossstitch, knitting, quilting, etc, but don't take the time to do them anymore. I need to work on that.

49. I don't watch much TV, but do enjoy  "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition", " Cupcake Wars", "American Idol", and  "NCIS".

50. I am a terrible housekeeper ( something to do with the right-brain, easily distractible thing....)

Welcome 2012!

We rang in 2012 at the annual New Years Eve festivities at our friends, the Nemitzes.
The parents played Family Feud and Catch Phrase while the kids played games upstairs - then we all gathered in the living room and kitchen for the big Countdown! 

Everyone toasted with New Year with sparkling grape juice - even the Campbells, who joined us via Skype from Vancouver, BC!

 

The kids finished off the night with sparklers out on the lawn.  

Good night everyone!  I wish you all extraordinary blessings in 2012.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I really do love Christmas and all the festivity, wonder, anticipation, and trappings of the season.  Driving down the street and seeing a house decked out in Christmas lights makes me smile and, my kids will tell you I'm prone to shouted outbursts of "CHRISTMAS LIGHTS!!" 

Although I don't go head over heels with decorations, I adore setting out my nativity sets, wreaths, and candles, and will sit contentedly admiring the Christmas tree, letting the memories that each ornament brings wash over me.

The smells of gingerbread, lemon peel, cloves, and peppermint whisk me back to happy childhood days baking cookies and Christmas treats with my mother, and more recently with my own brood.

Holiday cards from friends and family far and near grace the door frame between my dining room and loving room.  I appreciate the effort it takes to get those cards in the mail, because my own cards have not made it out the door even 3 days after Christmas - but I rationalize that they will be appreciated all the more after the busyness of Christmas settles down.

Christmas music playing on the radio - or iPod,  and Christmas movies like "It's a Wonderful Life",  "The Nativity Story", and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" all put me in the holiday mood. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service with my family, welcoming Christmas Day as the clock strikes midnight, is another meaningful tradition.  Most of all, I love being surrounded by my family.  Four of my five children are nestled again in their beds, while the fifth is nestled in a cot in a tent with 30 or so other soldiers in Kuwait.... but at least we got to Skype on Christmas Day!!!

I hate shopping, as a rule, but I love giving gifts to the people I love. I did the Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh gifts again this year, and it really helped give me direction and purpose in choosing meaningful gifts for my family.  Gold gifts = the "big" gift that is valuable or desired;  Frankincense = a gift related to spiritual growth or worship;   Myrrh = a practical gift for the body.   Stockings are filled with small items like toothbrushes, candy, toiletries, socks, gum, batteries, magazines, pocket knife, Starbucks and iTunes gift cards, ice scrapers, and football cards. I knitted these Christmas stockings years ago, when my kids were babies - they are nice and stretchy.
:-)

Sarah and Amanda both were busy with the yarn and crochet hooks this fall, and Eric and Mark were the glad recipients.

 

 

 Is it really worth all the hoopla?  Is Christmas really worth the money, energy, time, and effort it demands?  Well, it depends on why you do it.  If it is something to check off the To Do list as you trudge through the calendar, then you might not think so. 

If the trappings of the holiday obliterate the reason for the celebration, which is the unmatchable gift of Christ the King, our Savior, then it's probably not. 

But if you view Christmas is a special gift - an opportunity - to engage in meaningful traditions and create cherished memories with loved ones, then it is priceless, and as enchanting for me at age 51 as it was when I was 5.  I thank God for loving me SO much that He sent His one and only Son, so that through Him I can be assured of everlasting life!  I thank God for the rich treasure I have received in family, friends, home, and traditions.  With Christ at the center of it all, Christmas is not a chore or cheap commercialism or something to endure, but a wonderful, delightful time of celebration and commemoration.  It's the birthday of the King!

Even as we give to one another, we remember the poor, the sick, the widows, the orphans, and give to help them as well... through The Salvation Army Kettle, Operations Christmas Child, TOMS shoes, sponsoring a child in Africa through Ten Eighteen, Inc.....

Because of Jesus - who He is and what He has done - it truly is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.    I hope it has been for you too.