PW Pizza

There is a restaurant attached to Vin de Set called PW's Pizza and they offer gluten-free pizza.  Their crust isn't as good as this one, but 1) I don't have to make it and 2) I get out of the house.  Yay!

The beer (Zwickel lager) is from the local Urban Chestnut Brewery.
Yum.

 From their website:

Zwickel, Reverence Series #1:
Our flagship lager, pronounced ‘zv-ick-el’, is an unfiltered, unpasteurized, German classic that finishes as a smooth-drinking, vitamin rich (from the yeast), naturally cloudy bier. Hops: Hallertau Malts: Two-Row & Pilsner ABV- 5.1%, IBU’s- 19, OG – 11.5 Plato

Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper

The Popeye and Olive Oil Pizza.
roasted garlic olive oil, spinach, roasted red pepper & goat cheese
It was outstanding. (This one wasn't gluten-free).

Yum

I had an outstanding meal 10 days ago.  I took photos, but I forgot to post them, so here we are...

Anyway, I wanted to show these photos because the food was exquisite AND delicious AND beautiful AND AND AND.  The company and ambiance were wonderful.  Really, it was a great evening.

Perhaps we can do this again soon?  (Hint, hint!)

I am seriously disappointed to see only 20 glasses on the table.



Is that a chip I see in the water pitcher?



Where are the handmade dough ornaments?

Gaudete Benefit Gala  - next year.

Awwwww.

Fortunately for us the only ingredient not in this is salmonella.



Good ol' St. Nick.  :)



Christmas at St. Francis de Sales Oratory

Ah, Christmas. There is so much hustle and bustle, especially when there is a Gaudete Benefit Gala a week before.  So, grab a cup of coffee (or for some, malt liquor) and enjoy my photo montage of Christmas Day.  The first photo was taken around 12:05 a.m. Christmas Day at St. Francis de Sales Oratory in St. Louis and the last was taken around 7:00 p.m. at Uncle John's house.  I *did* sleep between 5:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.

Procession.

Prayers for Archbishop Carlson.
Look at all of those beautiful poinsettias!

You can see the side altar where the creche is located.

Going to the side altar.

Creche.

My view from the choir loft.

Ah!  An Italian dinner!

Salsiccia. An Italian sausage that we pronounce Sa-zee-tsa.
We also say Pasta Gazoogoo. We're Sicialian, ok?

No Italian meal would be complete without these.

Hootiecootie might know these wines.

And then Santa visited us at the end of the evening.

I hope you all had a blessed Christmas Day and

continue to enjoy the remainder of Christmas!!

Gluten Free

One of my poor daughters has developed Celiac's Disease and has had to go gluten free (no wheat, barley or rye).  Her symptoms were many, the worst being the pain.  Luckily I have a pretend MD and diagnosed it.  The real MD confirmed it with fancy tests and procedures.  And that's why she makes the big bucks.

Think about all of the things you eat that have wheat in them - crackers, bagels, breads, pizza, soy sauce (yup!), cereal, Cheez It Mix...  The list is endless.  Then, think of the things that could have morsels of gluten in or on them - the toaster, the peanut butter jar, the utensil drawer!  Arghhh!

My good friend, Lady Modesty, attempted and succeeded in making an appetizing gluten-free bread for my dear daughter.  You can find her trials and tribulations (and success!) with making bread here: Gluten Free White Bread.

The worst part of all of this has been the fact that she could not receive communion until we came up with some sort of solution!  One of my amazing priests took it upon himself to solve this dilemma and for the first time in 2 months she received our Lord today.  My priest ordered low gluten hosts and they are kept separate for her.  She has to receive communion either first or last.  The word on the street, however, is that they have the consistency of a potato chip, taste a little like corn and take a long time to dissolve.

Life is always exciting around here, that's for sure.  I need to go wipe out my fork compartment now.

Nighttime vs. Daytime

I link to a few blogs over on the right.  I should add a few more and I'll get on that.  But, for now, let's look at 2 of them because I, Mother Crab, ended up sandwiched between the two.  Let me explain.

The Timman from St. Louis Catholic invited me, my super significant other, and someone who shall remain nameless, but I'll just call him Captain Awesome, to Arch Madness with him and his lovely wife.  The excitement of the evening was palpable as it was college basketball and some guy's knee moved to the outside of his leg.  I don't think it's supposed to do that.  But I digress.  I've decided the theme of the evening was beer.  And they were big.

Captain Awesome's beer

This may have been Captain Awesome's other beer.
It took 2 men to hold it, it was that big.

The following day I was invited to a lovely tea party where Natalie from Vin de Peche made all of the food.  I will tell you that the homemade scones, homemade wine jellies (from Mrs. H - she rocks), creme fraiche, warm mushroom salad (yum!), cookies, strawberries, lime custard, and tea were OUTSTANDING.  The theme of this outing wasn't beer.  Juxtapose, if you will, the photos and see for yourself.

No beer here.



If you close one eye, that glass in the back looks like it could be filled with beer.
But it's not.

 

Look at the attention to detail with the butter! 
Mrs. Mc. really outdid herself with her table setting.
That is not a pitcher of beer on the left.



Natalie's wonderful beer cookies, paired with beer strawberries and beer lime custard.
Outstanding.

Now, before Timman gets a complex, I want him to know that I really had a great time at the game.  Once I was there I realized that I really do not get out in the general public much.  My life has become somewhat  insulated and I attribute that to my agoraphobia, stage in life.  Little kids = Tired mom.  And, Timman's wife considered the basketball game a date so I know SHE doesn't get out much either.  Kindred spirits we are.

Spoonlighting.

So, I am acquainted with a high-school girl who has a cooking blog.  She uses wonderful phrases such as, "WhaCha!" and "Um, hello, bacon!" and it's funny.  It's really funny.

She is attempting to cook/bake her way through The Silver Spoon cookbook (Italian equivalent to The Joy of Cooking) through high school. The photos are lovely and the stories about her successes and failures are quaint.

You need to check it out here: Spoonlighting

Cookies!

So, I made cookies today and they were just awesome!  They consisted of two amazing, chocolate-ish wafers filled with this delectible, white, something (lard?) filling.  I taught the kids how to take apart the cookie and eat the center first.  Crazy!  We even decorated each and every cookie with a complex pattern.  Here, why don't you take a look at our creation:

Have I mentioned I'm not the cook/baker in the family?

73 degrees here today! Time to grill!

With apologies to my non-meat eating friends (and I can only think of 2 - one is in Germany (rhymes with Main Heart) and the other in Brazil), I present to you what happens when I get a hankerin' for some steak on the grill and put a call in to my hubby.

JJR hearts beer.

Is this too rare?

The wildest thing is that my back yard is still covered with ice!  What a wild winter!

My favorite dessert

Those of us who are blessed to be Italian are likely to have had an Italian grandmother who made yummy food.  Every Christmas my Sicilian grandma would make cannoli and they were THE BEST cannoli ever.  In fact, I even have her small, wooden cannoli shell shapers.  Of course I've never made my own cannoli shells, but I COULD if I were so inclined.  Really, I could.

But I haven't. Sigh.  I mean, I've made my own filling, but I am daunted by the prospect of making a cannoli shell.  Hmmm.  I might have some foodaphobia here.

I bought some of these luscious yummies on the Hill (the Italian part of St. Louis) last year and they were downright gross. Oh! I was so disappointed! And they were TWO DOLLARS APIECE!!!  Ack!

So, my next adventure is going to include this gal who might help me.  Stay tuned.  And while you're at it, drool over this:



My sister loves cannoli as much as I do.
I think she's in the background trying to eat all of them, or just trying to ruin my photo.