Over the weekend I was handed some Christmas cake at a friend’s barbecue. I don’t like Christmas cake. But such was my overness with having to say no to festive food, I asked if I could eat some of the left-over ingredients – the walnuts and apricots – to feel part of the action.

So I figured it might be good to source me some “bubble-kid” Christmassy gluten-free treats. So I can go armed into this festive week. With a plate.

As an aside, the people I’ve met “virtually” over the course of this year via my gluten-free networks have proved some of my favourite people. Something about having an auto-immune disease, I think. It forces you to get real. And connect. And share. Perhaps.

Anyway, wrap your laughing gear around these….

1. Pear and Hazlenut Frangipane Tart

The glorious Aran from Cannelle Vanille shared this one. That’s her pretty pic above.
Gluten Free Pie Dough

1 cup (140 grams) superfine brown rice flour
2 Tbs (20 grams) potato starch
2 Tbs (20 grams) tapioca starch
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter, cold and diced
1/2 cup (125 ml) ice cold water

Place the first five ingredients in the food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine. Add the cold, diced butter and pulse 10 times until the butter is cut into the flours. Add the ice water while pulsing. You might not need all of it so reserve a couple of Tbs until mixed. The dough should stick together when pressed but not be too wet.

Form the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and flatten it a bit with your hand. Refrigerate the dough for about 1 hour.

Roll out the dough to about 1/4″-1/8″ thickness and fill the tart mold with it. If the dough cracks, don’t worry, just pinch it back together. It might happen if it’s too cold. Return the tart mold to the refrigerator for another 20 minutes or so while preparing the filling.

Roll the leftover scraps and cut shapes with star cookie cutters. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake at 375F for about 8 minutes. Reserve.

Pear and Hazelnut Frangipane Filling

1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (110 grams) cane sugar
1 egg
1 cup (110 grams) hazelnut flour
1 Tbs (10 grams) tapioca starch
pinch of salt
1 Tbs dark rum, optional
7 forelle pears, halved and core removed

I found this read really very inspiring – about a Melbourne-born guy who earns $47,000 a year, one-third of which he gives away to charity. He’s also set up a movement Giving What We Can encouraging people to give 10 per cent of their earnings away. Could you do this? Could you take the plunge and just….give? It’s a good time of year to think about this.

It’s got me thinking about how tightly I hold on to “my” stuff. I get scared things will run out. I accumulate like a squirrel, mostly due to my upbringing of scarcity. Although also because I get sucked into the messages of our culture – to acquire and accumulate. But it’s dumb. I don’t need or want any of it. Eventually it shits me and I do a massive give away. One’s brewing at the moment….

It’s all or nothing, generosity. Once you’re in the space of giving, it’s effortless. But if you hold on, it’s hard to give 20 cents to a busker. We’re encouraged to grip. It takes a certain firm, conscious elan to slide into generous flow. But once you’re in it, EVERYTHING feels breezier. I think you just have to start. By giving away your lunch. Or handing out stuff you were going to sell on ebay to friends instead. It feels good. So on you go.

This week I’m awesomely skeptical

I don’t know if you’ve ever had an ontological debate about what gives a squirrel’s life meaning with an 82-year-old skeptic… who also happens to be one of the world’s most famous magicians and escapologists, who broke Houdini’s record for remaining sealed in a metal coffin under water for 104 minutes, and who toured with Alice Cooper in the ‘70s performing the “guillotine routine” on stage?

It’s pretty fun.

I met Canadian James Randi, known in his magician days as The Amazing Randi, on Friday while he was here attending the Australian Skeptics’ annual Amazing Meeting (that’s seriously the name). In a moment of the kind of synchronicity that skeptics frown upon, it was the day after celebrity psychic John Edwards, a target of skeptical thinkers, spoke in the same room. Amazing!

The whole experience was rendered more surreal by the fact Randi looks like he’s stepped from warlock central casting – stooped and coming up to my ribcage he sports a long white beard, wireframe spectacles and a comically cocked eyebrow. And is delightfully enthusiastic.

James Randi and me

I just got this pic sent to me from Tito Media, one of the paparazzi photo companies. The shot sums up my week.

1. I saw Oprah. I loved that a few of her “ultimate guests” read my blog and contacted me to say hi. A shout out to Jocelyn xxx

2. I got talked into getting Love Those Lashes lash extensions. Not usually my thing. I’m not an extension/fussy/lie-down-and-have-a-beauty-treatment kind of lady. But it’s saved me wearing makeup all week. I’m sans slap in this pic…but it doesn’t look it. Marvellous.

3. I rode to Oprah, at the Opera House, which was very handy given the rest of the 6000-strong crowd had to queue to get cabs afterwards. This is a fave bike riding outfit – stretch Gstar jeans (high enough in waist so plumber’s crack not divulged to traffic behind me), singlets (for breathability) and my sling over shoulder bag (holds my laptop; from Country Road). Anyway, this week saw a very large number of passionate bike helmet comments flood to my blog. Read up here.

4. I got good news. Which is why I’m smiling. I’d just found out I’m hosting 7pm Project – filling in for Carrie – later in the month. Very, very excited.

Have a smooth Friday!

xxx

PS You might’ve heard me mention Jo, my assistant. Jo doesn’t know I’m about to put this pic up. She will soon. This is Jo:

I’m excited about a few apps that make life sweeter, better, lighter. I’ve listed the ones I swear by. Please do add yours to the mix below (I’ll do up another post down the track of your suggestions…).

Most of you know about Bump (free) and Shazam (free), yes? The former shares contacts when you bump another Iphone owner’s phone (which also has the Bump app installed). Bump!

The latter is just mandatory. You like a song on the radio. Or in a mall. You press the button. It tells you the name of said song and artist. You can then buy it on iTunes. Shazam!

And I’ve banged on enough in the past about Instapaper (free) for saving and reading Web pages after you’ve moved offline.

Others on my iphoney (be sure to add to the list at the bottom in the comments bit!):

Hipstamatic ($1.19)

This is seriously sweet. A photography app that will – unpredictably, randomly, in an artful way – saturate, blur, sepia your pics. It runs frames around them, makes them look like old-school Polaroids and so on. Here’s an example (the kid isn’t mine…Aldous is my best mate Rosie’s little urchin. BTW, I just noticed the Photo Restoration sign in the background…how synchrolicious!).

Sleep On It (free)

You an insomniac? Don’t know why? This one lets you track your nightly patterns and moods and daytime snoozes,  helping you work out what factors are affecting your sleep and how much sleep you need each night to feel rested and energized and other stuff. It’s also an alarm.

Google (free)

Don’t waste your time with the standard browser – the app is waaaay better and funnerer. You can voice your search – you can say “Caltex” it will use GPS to find you the nearest one.  Handy at trivia nights. Just say the topic and it will find the wiki for it. The recent update allows you to take a photo of, say, a book or DVD or a wine bottle and Google searches for information on it!! So clever. So fast.

Hey all, I’m chairing next year’s Happiness & Its Causes conference 16-17 June 2011 at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre…the day His Holiness the Dalai Lama is speaking (he’s not speaking in Sydney this time). As a special offer I’m able to offer all you lot 15 % discount off the early bird price which closes on the 23 December.

You’ll need to call customer service on 02 8719 5118 and quote “SPEAKER” to claim the discount. The conference program, full list of speakers and brochure are available on www.happinessanditscauses.com.au

His Holiness will take part in the Science of Mind Forum with pioneering emotions researcher Dr Paul Ekman and leading mirror neurons and empathy researcher Professor Marco Iacoboni;  and internationally renowned mental health researcher and Australian of the Year 2010, Professor Pat McGorry. Other speakers confirmed include renowned primatologist Dr Jane Goodall;