Christmas Reflections

It occurred to me this morning that my parents have given me the best Christmas gift of all. They have given Fred and me the freedom to choose how we want to craft our Christmas holiday with our children. Intangible, it is nonetheless a very generous and meaningful gift. Think about it---some of you are weary and worn, coming off a holiday so fraught with unspoken, unrealistic, unnecessary expectations. Note: only some of these expectations are put out by family; some we create for ourselves without realizing it.

It has taken us fifteen years of life together to craft our Christmas rituals and traditions.

Before Thanksgiving this year, Fred and I sat down to make a list. (I can't take credit for this; it is part of the Frazzle-Free Christmas I referred to in my Christmas card post.) On our list we were to discuss all available rituals/plans, and decide as a family those in which we would like to participate. I decided today to reflect on this list and see if we need to tweak anything for next year.

Purchase Christmas Gifts /Cards Early
This was the first year I've been serious about this, and it paid off. Fred and I had the kids' Christmas presents purchased before Thanksgiving. Then, when an unexpected gift or errand popped up during the two weeks before Christmas, it wasn't such a big deal---because I didn't have to tack it on to a huge list of other things to do. I may have spent a few more dollars this way since I wasn't shopping on Black Friday or the December sales, but sanity is priceless!

Advent Traditions---Advent wreath, Advent calendar, etc.
Since we are Christian, Advent is a time of preparation, a time of waiting. Beginning the Sunday after Thanksgiving (roughly), we have four weeks of preparation for Christmas. We light Advent candles and have devotions at dinner. The kids have Advent calendars with Bible verses leading to the birth of the Savior. Four weeks of preparation helps keep Christmas from sneaking up on you.

This is probably a good place to point out (get ready for a shock) that our family doesn't choose to put emphasis on Santa Claus. Although it goes against popular culture, Fred and I decided before Jewel was born that we were going to teach her the truth about Saint Nicholas---of his kindness and generosity that was born out of his family's faith in Christ---and how we can follow his example by sharing gifts with family, friends and those in need. It has served us well. Jewel is a perfect joy to watch at Christmas; she revels in each celebration and seems at times to overflow with excitement about what she terms "The best season of the year!!!"

(I have to put a disclaimer here for family and friends who are reading---just because we don't do Santa doesn't mean we have a problem with people who do. We simply choose to approach Christmas a little differently.)

Family Reunion
Fred's family has a huge Christmas party the first Saturday each December. The only catch is, that means a drive to Maryland or Virginia. Could be stressful, but isn't, because we adore the members from that side of the family. I think it also helps that we know exactly when the reunion will be held, so we can mark it in the calendar months ahead of time. The reunion is definitely a keeper.
Christmas Tree/Nativity Set/Train
We had planned to set up the tree and the train on the same day. That didn't happen, and it worked out better that way. The kids are at an age where a little excitement goes a long way! For next year we will plan to set the tree up on the second weekend of December, with the train following on the third weekend.


Live Nativity
We had hoped to find a local live nativity at a church. We inadvertantly ended up at the live nativity that follows a local Light-Up Night parade. It was fun to see the camels, but the kids didn't get as much out of it as they would a live nativity set up for teaching at a church. I'd like to research my options more for next year in this area.
Christmas Program
Jewel's school does a different Christmas musical each year, followed by a recitation of the second chapter of Luke. Their music teacher turns this into a phenomenal event---not to be missed!

Christmas Open House
With Haven on the way to completion we wanted to hold an open house for neighbors. We set a date back in November for an open house the third weekend in December. Two weeks before, I bailed. I think it has something to do with the fact that our family has two birthdays in December. I just wasn't up for holding another party, so I did the smart thing and never sent invitations. We will be holding the open house in February or March, which will be a much better time for a party.

Rite Aid/Hartwood Acres Light Display
This was the first year that we drove down for the lights at Hartwood Acres. We had a great experience! Tuba Boy took a nap during the 45-minute drive to Hartwood, but we were able to wake him for the lights. If you've never gone, the 3 & 1/2 mile route is ablaze with light and is a sight to behold. Definitely a tradition to keep.





Train Museum Show
Tuba Boy and Fred traveled to a local train show, and Granddad is still planning to take Tuba Boy to the train museum. This is something we had to reevaluate this year, as Jewel is not quite as enthralled with trains as she used to be. This seems to be a tradition that we will alter---maybe change it into "The boys go to the trains, the girls go do xyz." I want Tuba Boy to go since he enjoys it, but I don't want to drag Jewel along, as that would translate into a poor experience for all.

Christmas Eve/Christmas Day Church Services
Our Christmas Eve service was a true pleasure. We were blessed to have R out from Lutherlyn to preach. It was the candlelight service; Tuba Boy asked to hold his own candle this year. Seeing the kids sing along to my favorite Christmas hymns brought an unspeakable joy to my heart.
Christmas morning brought freezing rain, so no Christmas morning service. I would have been more disappointed had we hadn't had such a fantastic Christmas Eve service. As an additional note, if we want to go to Christmas morning service next year, we will have to get up earlier. The kids didn't roll out of bed until 7:30 this morning. It would be difficult to open presents and leave by 9:00 a.m. for church.

Christmas Day Itinerary
We have evolved to opening our presents as soon as the kids wake us up. We gather for a thank-you prayer next to the nativity scene, then the kids unearth the treasures in their stockings. They move on to their bigger presents, which they know are from us, and usually are three to four in number. (Part of that is budget constraint, part is wanting to depart from Affluenza...) Something we encourage is to open a toy and spend time playing with it before ripping into the next gift. It takes longer to open gifts, but it's more pleasant for everyone.
We move on to my parents' house to open presents with them. (For us this is conveniently located next door.)
I hosted dinner this year. I enjoyed preparing the meal for my family, but I'm not locked into preparing certain holiday meals. It's nice when everyone can take turns between being a host and a guest. The next time I cook Christmas dinner, I'm going to aim for a later mealtime. I aimed for 2:00 p.m., and my 20-lb. turkey wasn't ready until 3:30 p.m. Something that turned out well was a recipe I found for rolls that you make the night before and allow to rise in the refrigerator overnight. Another giant success (at least as far as Tuba Boy was concerned) was the inclusion of Grandma's Applesauce Jell-o.

Christmas Day Hike
Hiking on Christmas was something that Fred and I decided to include early in our marriage. With kids, church, presents and dinner (and limited daylight), this just isn't feasible anymore. So we'll put it on the shelf for now, and retrieve it in the future when we have a little more time in our day.

Christmas Day Feast For Songbirds
A few years ago Fred and I set out to establish a few Christmas Day traditions that didn't revolve around receiving presents. In one of Jewel's Barney picture books the characters set out a feast for the woodland creatures. We've focused mainly on putting out food for the songbirds, with great success. This year we were visited by Downy woodpeckers, Black-capped Chickadees, Titmice, Nuthatches, Cardinals and Juncos. It's a great tool for teaching about giving to others, for caring for creation.


Tuba Boy, arranging birdseed for our feathered friends.

All in All...
Looking back, I have to say that this year's Christmas was my favorite to date. I feel like we've really honed in on what's important to our family, without feeling pressured to participate in things we don't really care for.

Take five minutes. Make a list of what you do at Christmas. What do you enjoy? Put those things on the calendar for next year. What are you ambivalent about? If it won't create World War III, get rid of it! Stick your list in a place where you'll be sure to spot it right after Thanksgiving. You'll be on the right path to creating a meaningful holiday with the people who matter most.

Merry Christmas!
xoxo

7 Reasons to Choose a Blue Roof

The blue steel roof is one of the visually distinctive features of our home. Although beautiful, it was initially chosen for function. Here are seven reasons to invest in a steel roof.

Steel panels are...

1. Long Lasting
Galvalume* panels boast a 25-year warranty, with a 30-year warranty against chalk and fade of the color of your choice. Panels are available in 18 different colors.

2. Fireproof
Steel panels are noncombustible.

3. Waterproof
Steel is impervious to water. Snow and ice are shed in the winter.

4. Recyclable
The panels are made of 25% recycled steel and are recyclable.

5. Quiet
Contrary to popular belief, steel panels provide a quiet roof. The mental image of rain drumming on a metal roof comes from barn roofing, where the noise originates from open framing and no insulation.

6. Affordable
Although a steel roof may initially cost more, costs are lower over the life cycle of the roof.

7. Ideal for Rainwater Collection
Haven was designed around a system of cistern tanks that serve as our sole water supply. According to Suzy Banks and Richard Heinichen, the best roofs for rainwater collection are metal (16).

We chose to purchase the Galvalume* steel panels and construction supplies from American Building Components. (*Galvalume is the trademark name of the coating applied to their bare sheet steel products.)

Readers who have been with me from day one know why our roof is blue. Fred and I traveled to the Big Island of Hawaii in July, 2005. Many of the homes there have metal roofing in a variety of colors. The color that I identify most with Hawaii is a tranquil blue. While I knew it would be an impossibility to transplant my life to Hawaii, choosing a blue metal roof for my new home was my way of acknowledging my inner wish to live the rest of my life out at South Point on the Big Island.

Are you curious as to what the runner-up color choices were? I thought so!
Life Under an Ivy Green Roof
Life Under a Burnished Slate Roof
Life Under a Burgundy Roof
Life Under a Koko Brown Roof

Koko Brown? Yeah... I've put up with too much brown in my life. For me, I'm happy to write from under my blue roof.

xxoo





American Building Components
www.abcmetalroofing.com

Banks, Susan and Richard Heinichen. Rainwater Collection For the Mechanically Challenged. Texas: Tank Town, 2004.

One of Those Days...

Today was one of those days.

I had to send my computer in for a service call. (Nothing drastic, just an update.)
Tuba Boy woke in a foul mood & proceeded to tantrum over things that seemed miniscule to the rest of us.
I had to meet with the tree service people who had run over one of my Christmas tree saplings.
I attempted a gluten free version of gingerbread cookies. They were an utter failure.
I let Tuba Boy watch too much TV.
My computer repair man was out of the office today. So my computer will need to leave again tomorrow.
Noone was happy about what I cooked for dinner. Including me.

Boy, did I miss you guys!

Fred and I have had several conversations about social media. Friends constantly ask when he will join Facebook, which really bugs him. He feels his life is very full, that Facebook would just be one more thing for him to crowd in an already busy day. I have quite the opposite experience. As a mom who works from home, my blog and my Facebook account serve as a very important link to my world. I am updated in events on the local and global level. I connect with friends from different parts of my past as well as web-friends I have never physically met.

Today, when my computer was removed for a mere eight hours, I realized how much I value using the internet to connect with my community. I felt a loss when I was unable to check in at lunchtime, missed working on blog posts during Tuba Boy's quiet time.

To my friends on Facebook and Life Under a Blue Roof---you are important to me. I appreciate you and I just wanted you to know.

xoxo

Seriously, Why Straw Bale?

When I began working on my radiant floor post the other day, I realized that there are so many other posts I need to write for the sustainable part of this blog---top of the list being reasons why a person would try to build a house out of straw. Living in our particular part of the northeastern United States, straw bale construction isn't something you see often. The only exposure most people in this region have to green building is what they may have caught on HGTV. That makes teaching with homes like Terra Dei and Haven Homestead a special joy. To take a visitor from the mindset of "Why on earth would you want to build with straw?" to "Boy, that's pretty cool," is a gift we're blessed to give. Our aim is to share open-mindedness, possibility and vision, not to convince visitors that they could or should build a straw bale house.

Here's the thing, the answer to "Why build with bales?" has already been published many times by experts in the field. Not being one to reinvent the wheel, what I'd like to do is give you a rundown of a list compiled by Paul Lacinski and Michel Bergeron, from their book, Serious Straw Bale. In their first chapter they list eight excellent reasons why building with bales is a viable alternative to conventional construction, as listed here.

1. Beauty
I love that this is the first benefit they give for building with straw, because beauty itself attracts me most to straw bale construction. The combination of straw walls and earth plaster could perhaps be considered the antithesis of conventional home construction---both in types of material and in aesthetics. There is a subtle beauty to a bale wall, seen in the gentle curves and in the way the light falls on the plaster throughout the day.


The above photo is from one of my favorite spots in Haven. Note the rounded windowsills, the deep ledge where one can curl up with a blanket and a book. Above the chair, a truth window bears witness to the origin of the wall.

2. Insulation Value
According to Lacinski and Bergeron, "Plastered bales provide a highly insulative wall at a price that is competitive with quality conventional construction" (p. 5). In layman's terms, bale walls can provide more insulation than conventional walls for around the same cost.

3. Nontoxic
In a world that we have increasingly filled with pollutants, this is a fundamental reason to choose straw bale construction. Straw is a natural material. "Unlike many manufactured building products, they [straw walls] contain no toxic ingredients and are chemically stable. They will release no unhealthy chemicals into your home, and will not emit poisonous fumes in case of a fire" (p. 9). At Haven, we did our best to choose nontoxic building/furnishing materials within our budget at every step. Straw and plastered walls were an early part of this continual process.

4. Use of Resources
When you choose to build a home, you are choosing to use resources. Your choice is to reuse material from previous construction or to use new material. We did some of each. Straw is a new material, but it is one that is readily available in our area. It can be grown in one season. In some locations straw is actually burned in the field as a waste product of agriculture. By using straw, "we might also reduce the pressure on forests (the most important carbon sinks and oxygen producers on the planet) and the demand for relatively energy- and pollution-intensive industrial insulation materials" (p. 10).

5. Economical
In these tight economic times, cost is a factor in everything we do. (Had we known what the last four years would bring financially, I don't know that we would have chosen to build when we did, if at all.) Our family was rapidly outgrowing our two bedroom Cape Cod house at the time. We were faced with buying a larger existing home, building a conventional home or building a straw bale home. We chose to build a straw bale home because we have experience in this area. We knew that if we did most of the construction ourselves we would save money in the process. Building our own straw bale home would allow us to obtain "much more home for our money", as the popular saying goes. According to Lacinski and Bergeron, "Bale construction is getting to be cost-competitive with good-quality stick-framed construction, assuming a tight design that doesn't drive labor costs through the roof" (p. 10).

6. Owner-Builder Friendly
Aptly written, these authors describe straw bale as "well suited to a 'gang of friends' method of construction" (p. 12). Especially for raising the walls, many hands make light work. We were able to place the bales for the first floor using two work weekends. Along the entire journey we have been fortunate to have good friends and family members who took our venture as their own and have been intricately involved in the construction and finishing details of our home. Working with friends saves time and money. More than that, it allows you to build more satisfying relationships with people you thought you knew well prior to building.

7. Fun
Different people have varying ideas as to what constitutes "fun". I wouldn't say that I particularly enjoy many of the jobs in construction, until you get to mudding and plastering the walls. For me, those jobs contain a great deal of creative fun! That is one of the fabulous parts of building your own home: people are free to try out a vast number of different jobs and see what they enjoy the most. There's also something to be said for the "synergy of group effort" (p. 12), stepping back and saying, "Can you believe we accomplished all this together?"


The above photo is an example of my idea of fun. This is the inside of my front door, which leads into a mudroom. Note the rounded walls next to the door, the curve of the interior corner! We were near the end of the interior plastering, and the bare wall was begging for some variation. My inspiration for cutting a niche into the bale wall was taken from Athena and Bill Steen's book, The Beauty of Straw Bale Homes. Todd used a chainsaw to carve into the bale. I used earth plaster to shape a triangular shelf, and the Trinity niche was born. The small mudroom was also the perfect place to apply a darker color of plaster---just for fun.

8. Durable
Bale buildings have been created for almost as long as the baling machine has been in existence. Much of the durability of bale walls comes from proper finishing with some type of plaster. When detailed correctly they are actually fire resistant; "plastered bale-wall systems have outperformed wood-framed walls in fire tests" (p. 13). Rodents and insects have a hard time finding a home in a wall that has been plastered and sealed off. Though we don't worry about it in our area, bale walls have even been tested and considered a viable option for earthquake-prone areas (p. 15).

Many thanks to Paul Lacinski and Michel Bergeron for sharing their collective experience with us in Serious Straw Bale. It is well known in straw bale circles and a book we trusted throughout the building process.

I will say this: the experiences I have had building two different straw bale structures has changed my life for the better. Not only have we created beautiful, safe, warm homes, I have personally learned many different construction skills along the way. An exerpt from the Christmas letter I typed last night: "Words cannot express how we’ve grown closer as a family simply because we endured the building process. The house becomes an excellent metaphor for building our life together, of taking separate agendas and meshing them into one structure that can hold us all."

That's not to say that everything along the building journey has been easy. On another day, I'll be sure to compile a post of "Boy, I wish we had known xyz about building," or "Yeah, that wasn't our best idea." But for today, from the office where I sit, I have a pretty optimistic view of our Life Under a Blue Roof. Thanks for sharing our journey!

Have you ever visited or built a structure of straw bales? Post a comment and let us know!

Cranberry Christmas Rice

Tonight was our Christmas party for the camp where my husband works. It's a wonderful time with many special people. Always a potluck dinner, it's a perfect opportunity for me to supply gluten-free fare.

The recipe I made for tonight was new to me, from our friends at Lundberg Family Farms. It is very simple, yet tasty comfort food. And how fun is it that it is naturally red??? Two friends asked for the recipe, so I thought it worthy of sharing with you.

Cranberry Christmas Rice

1 cup Lundberg Christmas Rice*
2 & 1/4 cups broth or water**
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, sliced into thin wedges
1 tsp Lundberg's Sweet Dreams Brown Rice Syrup***
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 tsp grated orange zest

Combine chicken broth and Christmas Rice in pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 50 minutes.**** Melt butter in a skillet over high heat. Add onion and rice syrup; cook 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Slowly cook onions, stirring often for 10-15 minutes until they are caramelized. Stir in dried cranberries, orange zest and caramelized onions into cooked rice. Serves 4 to 6.*****

*This rice was readily available in the organic/gluten free section of our local grocery store.

**Knowing there would be friends present who are vegetarian, I chose to use a mixture of part water, part vegetarian vegetable broth.

***Substituted an equal amount of sugar, as I didn't have the rice syrup on hand.

****I cooked the rice in my rice cooker, using the same liquid to rice ratio listed.

*****I doubled this recipe with no difficulty.

Thanks for traveling the gluten free journey with me. Enjoy!

Living the Radiant Life

Living in a straw bale house, we get a lot of questions. These range from the comical "Three Pigs" type allusions, to the more serious, "Isn't it a fire hazard to have straw in your walls?" Once people realize that the straw serves as insulation, they want to know how warm the house is. As in all the homes we've lived we keep the temperature around 68 degrees Fahrenheit. We could certainly keep it warmer, but we try to treat heat as the valuable resource it is. Hence my ever-growing collection of wool cardigans.

When people ask how warm our house is, I think what they really want to know is how much energy we are saving. Until we've lived here a year we won't have a definitive answer to that. According to Chris Magwood in his book Straw Bale Building, "Insulation values (commonly referred to as R-values) for conventional residential wall systems typically range between R-12 and R-20, depending on climactic conditions. Straw bale walls have R-values between R-35-R-50, depending on their width." In that way, using straw bales for insulation has allowed us to significantly reduce the amount of energy required to heat and cool a house this size.

Haven Homestead is designed to operate on two heating sources. The first is a radiant floor system, fueled by propane. The second is a woodburning Finnish masonry heater. These two heat sources will work together in the future; the masonry heater is not yet online. We look forward to firing it up next winter, fueling it with wood split from our homestead. This will allow us to dramatically reduce our reliance on propane.

There are many positive aspects of living with a radiant floor. Extremely quiet systems, we don't hear the rush of the furnace turning on, the drone of air whooshing through a register. Gone are the days of itchy skin and nosebleeds from air that is overdried from a forced air system. Radiant systems are also hidden from sight in the subfloor; not only visually pleasing, this also makes them extremely childproof. They aren't prone to large fluctuations in temperature and distribute heat evenly.

For those of you who may have never experienced a radiant floor, ours is an open direct system designed with components from the Radiantec company based in Vermont. "The system uses one very efficient water heater to make domestic hot water for the home and warm water for radiant heating. Radiant heating systems warm the building by locating heating tubes within a large surface area of the building and then circulating warm water through the tubes." (Radiantec Open Direct System Installation, pg. 1) When the construction of the masonry heater is complete the two systems will work in concert, with heating coils for the floor running through the fireplace. This will preheat the water before it arrives at the hot water tank, reducing the amount of heat needed (and the amount of propane used) to bring the water in the hot water tank up to the desired temperature.

Two of the largest advantages for us in choosing a radiant floor heating system were ease of installation and system cost. According to the brochure we obtained from Radiantec, "Installation of radiant heat does not have to be hard, and it does not have to be expensive." They go on to say, "Radiantec Company thinks that the task of installing underfloor radiant heat is the task of a reasonably competent handyman...and that the work can be done with common, readily available tools." I would consider their opinion correct on both counts. Though we did have a licensed plumber help install the hot water manifold, Todd and my father were able to complete the actual installation of the floor elements. Radiantec designed the layout; we placed strapping across the entire subfloor and laid the Pex tubing between the strapping members. We filled the cavities next to the Pex tubing with sand. (Sand was chosen for its excellent heat retention and relatively low cost, as well as the fact that it requires no additional manufacturing, as is the case with cement.) We covered the entire first floor with cement backer board and laid ceramic tile wall-to-wall.

Regarding system cost, our expense for purchasing the components of the system (Pex tubing, manifold, reflective barrier, couplings, pump, all valves, digital temperature display, pressure gauges, etc.) ran around $2,400. An additional $1,696 was needed to purchase the hot water tank, bringing the total component cost to $4,096. (Note, in an effort to save in construction costs, we opted for a less expensive water heater than the extremely efficient Polaris recommended by Radiantec, with the intent to replace it with a Polaris in the future.) At the time we purchased the materials for our system a comparable conventional baseboard hot water system would have cost us approximately $6,500 (Radiantec Heating Systems, pg. 3).

Although it was not my intent to turn this post into an advertisement for Radiantec, we've been very pleased with our team effort to design and install Haven's radiant floor. Radiantec is a member of the International Code Council. They offer assistance designing systems, help with materials specification, and provide detailed installation manuals. They also provide unlimited toll-free technical support for as long as you own your system. Our house is warm and draft-free. As our son is often wont to do, you can walk across the ceramic tile in your bare feet in winter with a level of comfort.


Taken just this morning, featuring Batman pajamas and bare feet.

Resources:

Magwood, Chris and Peter Mack. Straw Bale Building: How to Plan, Design and Build With Straw. Gabriola Island: New Society Publishers, 2002.

Radiantec Incorporated
Box 1111, Lyndonville, Vt 05851
(800) 451-7593
FAX (802) 626-8045
www.radiantec.com

Banana Bread

Another great gluten free recipe from Bob's Red Mill! This was the snack at Jewel's activity last night, and the kids were hungry for more.

Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour*
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon xanthan gum*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts**
1/2 cup raisins***

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 9x5-inch non-stick loaf pan. (For smaller loaves, use three 5x3 inch loaf pans.)

Cream together oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in large bowl.

Add flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder and cinnamon to egg mixture, alternating with bananas.

Beat until smooth.

Stir in nuts and raisins.

Batter will be somewhat soft. Transfer to pan(s).

Bake 9x5" loaf for 1 hour, 5x3" loaves for 45 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes in pan, then turn out to cool completely.****

*I did not have xanthan gum on hand. (I have to drive 45 minutes to obtain it.) Instead, I omitted the xanthan gum and did a one-to-one substitution of Bob's Biscuit and Baking Mix in place of the all-purpose baking flour. (Remember, the biscuit mix already contains xanthan gum.) The substitution was a success!

**Since I was baking this for children, I used a blender to finely chop the 1/2 cup pecans. Jewel is still unaware that I included the pecans, but it enhanced the flavor and the texture.

***I omitted the raisins.

****It's very important to cool this bread completely. I find that there is a distinct smell to the flours in the mix, but they aren't detectable once the bread has cooled. This isn't a bread that I would use while it is still warm. Like most banana bread recipes, it is actually much better on the second day.

Thanks for reading, and happy baking!

Orange Cranberry Bread

This is an outstanding quick bread, courtesy of our friends at Bob's Red Mill.

2 cups Gluten Free Biscuit and Baking Mix*
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp. oil
1 cup orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup cranberries

In a medium bowl, blend together egg, sugar, vanilla and oil. Slowly blend in the orange juice. Add biscuit mix and cranberries to liquid ingredients and blend until just combined. Using a spatula, scoop the dough into a greased loaf pan and spread out dough evenly. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes. Cool in loaf pan for 10-15 minutes, then turn out to cool on a wire rack.**

*Prior to going gluten free, I abstained from any kind of baking mix. However, gluten free baking can be tricky due to the number of more unusual flours and ingredients required. This biscuit mix is produced by Bob's Red Mill and is readily available at our local grocery store. It contains stone gound white rice and garbanzo bean flours, baking powder, xanthan gum and sea salt.

**If I'm taking this to a friend's house, I dress it up with a little bit of glaze. Place 1/2 cup of powdered sugar in a bowl. Stir in tiny amounts of orange juice until it is thin enough to drizzle on the cooled loaf. Leave uncovered until the glaze hardens.

The Best Defense...

According to NFL coach Vince Lombardi, "The best defense is a good offense." In my case, the current best defense is Orange Cranberry Bread.

Let me explain.

I have a sleep disorder called Narcolepsy, which is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, among other things. (More on this later, I promise, for it really is fascinating!) Earlier this summer I came across a researcher online who hypothesized that symptoms of narcolepsy could be reduced by following a gluten free diet.

So for six months now, wheat, barley and I have not been close friends, with pretty fantastic results!

Learning to prepare gluten free food can be a bit of a challenge, only because our American food culture is heavily dependent on processed wheat flour. Since I enjoy both reading and cooking, the research on going gluten free has been interesting and manageable. Purchasing food and eating gluten free at home has become easy. Until now.

Holidays equate visiting, eating at restaurants and homes other than mine. Many of our holiday traditions include comfort food, most of which contains gluten. Although it sometimes frustrates me to have to think so much about what I eat, the payoff I receive through this diet is very high, so I am very motivated to continue.

It is difficult to travel to someone's home and eat one item at dinner. Not only is it just plain tempting to give in, I feel it's awkward for my host or hostess when I explain why I'm not eating, as if they should be responsible for providing customized fare for each guest.

My new secret strategy for maintaining my diet? Turn every event into a potluck! That's where my Orange Cranberry Bread fits in.

Ahead of time, I explain to my hostess why I would like to bring food to share, which is always received well. When it's appropriate (such as a real potluck), I take the time to make a small card designating what I've brought as gluten-free. Often by the end of the gathering, I've learned of one or two other guests who have just started to go gluten-free. By contributing food to the event I haven't just helped myself; I've created an opportunity for networking.

As a way to pay it forward, out of gratitude to those who have helped me, I will be posting my favorite gluten free ideas and recipes. Do you have any gluten free experience or advice to pass along?

In the meantime, check out the recipe for Orange Cranberry Bread. Whether you're gluten-free or not, it's still a knockout, especially accompanied by a cup of cranberry tea.

Happy baking!