more Carrot Cupcakes & a treatise on white flour

This week's farm share was so completely reasonably sized that I didn't touch it until today.  I hadn't used last week's carrots, though, so I made some Smitten carrot cupcakes.

What is most interesting is that I used real eggs and real butter and real cream cheese.  However, I did not use real white flour, I used gluten-free white flour.  The results are pretty delicious.  The only other real thing I'd mention is that I used my microplane grater instead of the normal sized one, but that was mostly becuase the microplane is easier to use.

My gluten-free flour is specifically for cakes and cookies.  it contains rice flour, brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, and xanthum gum.  It's made in Appleton, Wisconsin and was delivered via my CSA.

I don't like white wheat flour.  It is too much like paste.  Maybe if I lived in France with a constant supply of croissant and crusty well-made white bread... but even then.  I like grains in my bread.  I like seeds and whole grain flavors and even nuts.  I don't want my bread to be squishy like a sponge.  I want crumbly delicious bread.

And a story -- I was in Argentina a few years ago and I got a "Greek Platter" that came with "Pita Bread" but it was not delicious.  My exact reaction was "This Pita Bread is a little bit more like paste than Pita Bread I'm used to.  Come to think of it, all bread in Argentina is a little bit more like paste than I'd like it to be."  Upon coming back to America I realized I had judged too harshly.  All white bread is more like paste than I want it to be.  When I eat it I can't help imagining it turning to paste in my digestive system.  Yuck.

Also, I will confess here, that I am pretty sure I do have a (probably very mild) gluten allergy, because when I make Seitan (which is basically wheat gluten) and mix it with my hands, they always get itchy and a little red.

I can't believe a technocrat is usurping an elected leader in Greece.