Menu indecision

Tomorrow we have a big family party here

to celebrate Mum's birthday.

Not only is it the first time that most of them will see our new upstairs

(so the house needs to look super-clean and great!)

but I also need to feed them all.

I'm not 100% sure of numbers but it looks like there might be 20 or so of us,

coming and going at different times.

And then to complicate things

there is my Failsafe, gluten-free/dairy-free diet

and Dad's new FODMAP diet.

I've been doing my head in trying to find foods 

that Dad and I can both eat,

which are tasty for others to enjoy too,

while considering other factors

like oven space

cooking times

microwave times

etc.

Yikes!!

Anyway ..... thinking I've got it all figured out now,

thanks in part to the new cookbook

I bought yesterday.

Indulge by Rowie Dillon

A big splurge,

but I wanted a pretty cookbook with food that I can eat!

(With a little dairy-free tweaking and other substitutions.)

A cookbook for ME !!!

('cause it's all about me, you know ....)

I love that this book has lots of different pastries, cakes and breads.

So there have been some last-minute changes to tomorrow's menu.

All inspired, I started baking cupcakes last night, 

using the Fairy Cake recipe.

Bland while warm out of the oven,

but much better later on.

They are in the freezer now and will be iced and decorated 

tomorrow morning.

For the birthday cake we will have

the Lemon and Saffron Teacake,

so I'm off to buy some quinoa flour

and a million other things for today's shop,

with more to buy tomorrow.

Don't get me wrong,

I'm really looking forward to 

having my family here.

But it sure was easier in the old days

when we could all eat everything ....