Pretty
My new cousin Denise, and the cake Liz from church made them.
Mom and Aunt Jody organized a big picnic so the folks (like us) who didn’t make it to the wedding in Brazil could celebrate Ben and Denise.
What a lovely coincidence that I can still eat rice, beans, manioc flour, mousse de maracuja, brigadeiros (just not those particular coconut ones), Cousin Brian’s churrasco and pao de queijo, because they are naturally gluten free. Happy Person with Celiac here.
Funny
Dan said that the more links to the dessert recipes the happier he’d be, because he loves mousse do maracuja. I’m assuming the more people able to make it, the more he’d get to eat it, but maybe because if I link to it, I won’t lose the recipe myself!
Happy
I don’t often get photos of Ben, so I was glad to get a snap of him at my cousin’s house just before the clam bake (my cousins made sure I couldn’t get glutenned, no thickened sauces, no biscuits or rolls. The only gluten was in desert, and they had mango sorbet for me. I was so touched that with all the dozens of family they had coming, they made sure I could eat just about everything.)
My son Ben was enjoying the multi-generational gathering so much, that he said it was like living in the Summer Wars movie, only without the impending doom, or PG stuff.
My Mom asked us to find things the littles could enjoy at the picnic, so we were experimenting with big bubbles. My favorite recipe so far is this guar gum one. I happened to have guar gum on hand for gf baking experiments. My Mom found it for me at the health food store if you are looking for some. I skipped the alcohol slurry, and whisked the guar gum into the dish soap directly, but I did sprinkle it across the liquid, not dump it into one clump, because boy does it ever want to clump.
My neighbor girls came over to make cupcakes for their sister, gf cupcakes, as that’s the only baking I let happen in my kitchen least I get cross-contaminated and sick. They tasted great, and the girls just enjoyed the fun whatever the flour was.
They were so cooperative, that I pulled out the pastry bags, and made them two colors of frosting.
Real
There was so much frosting on the floor and table that I mopped as soon as the girls walked home.
Dan and the boys drove down to Valley Cottage to help pack my in-laws up for their move to Pennslyvania, where the taxes are easier on retirees.
The main goal was for my guys to pack up the books in Dad-Dad’s library over the weekend, but they got them all boxed up by Friday lunch! 77 boxes! Way to go guys! Next then they started on Mom-Mom’s to do list, and got her to Thursday before they drove home Sunday night.
They made sure to climb the hill behind their house for the last time, and that day it was clear enough to see to NYC.