I flew home verrrrrrry this morning from Charleston, SC, and landed in time to make it to the farmers’ market right when it opened.  I was feeling ever so slightly hung-over from my friends’ wedding last night (more from lack of sleep than anything else), so my brain was a little fuzzy but my palate craved something healthy.  I picked up my regular weekly items: a whole chicken to roast, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, eggs, and lettuce.

Next to the red-leaf lettuce was a display of kale, which I have never really liked at all.  But, I’m bound and determined to find ways to enjoy eating it because it is so incredibly healthy and jam-packed with nutrients and all the necessary vitamins, and other science-y stuff that’s good for us.

I’ve tried making kale chips, but I just don’t like them.  Not sure why.  It’s a texture thing, I think.  And, I’ve shredded kale and tossed it into soup, but I don’t do it often and it kind of feels like all the good stuff gets cooked out of it by the time I eat it.

So, I took to Twitter and asked for some kale ideas, and MAN did folks give me some really great ideas… which I’m posting below so you can try them, too.

Below the Tweets are links to the recipes suggested in the Tweets, as well as links to some others I found this afternoon.   Have at it in the comments, too.  Tell me how you like your kale.  I really wanna know!

Links to kale recipes that sound really, really good to me:

Kale Caesar with Bottarga
Indian-Style Kale and Potatoes
Kale Caesar Salad
Caldo Verde (Portuguese Kale Soup)
Kale Salad with Pine Nuts and Golden Raisins
Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup
Braised Kale with Pancetta
Italian Sausage and Kale Gratin
Garlicky Greens
Colcannon
Kale and Black Bean Tacos
Kale with Baked Eggs (just sub in rice or potato flour for the AP flour in this recipe)

Look, I love Apartment Therapy and its family of sites… but, COME ON, guys… this might be the dumbest, most nonsensical headline I’ve seen on Re-Nest, ever:

The story is here.

I mean, come on.  Really?

Oh boy, do I hope you all have not been hit with whatever this virus is that seems to be going around.

I’m on Day 4 of it, and AM NOT HANDLING THIS WELL AT ALL.  I am a terrible patient, and am even more cranky than my usual cranktastic self when I’m sick.  Bleh.  This is not fun.

And you know what makes it worse?  That I can’t eat my regular, familiar, make-me-feel-better comfort foods.

– Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup with Saltines

– Campbell’s Cream of Tomato Soup with a Grilled Cheese Sandwich

– Kraft Macaroni & Cheese

– Elbow macaroni with butter

Yes, yes, I know there are gluten-free alternatives, but THEY ARE NOT THE SAME AND I WANT MY OLD FOOD BACK… WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH…..

Ahem.

When you’re sick, what food makes you feel better?  What do you miss, if you’re a no-gluten guy or gal?  What have you found in its place?  Help me out here… I need some inspiration.

Have you seen the new online magazine Kinfolk?

I like it.

I like it a lot.

I also really like Lonny.

What other online-only magazines are you reading these days?  Any good ones we all need to know about?

California Pizza Kitchen is reworking their gluten-free offerings.  Re-training their staff.  Figuring out how to honestly, correctly, and safely serve customers who can’t eat gluten.

Just a little round-up of things to read, look at, listen to:

Udi’s Gluten-free Foods Launches Online Community (I love their breads!)

New York Times: The Elusive Big Idea

Stephanie Stiavetti’s serves up gluten-free brioche on Ruhlman’s blog.

I love Victoria’s site, and I love this animated gif she found.  I need those lights swinging in my backyard.

I love Elise, and I love her even more for this red lentil dal recipe.

Do you read Brain Pickings?  Do you follow Maria on Twitter?  You should.  I’m not usually into things like this, but I loved this post.  It came on a day I really needed to hear (read) these words.

Yay!  An advice columnist who gets it!  (see the last Q&A) (I mean, COME ON. Who is the “friend” who thought someone with celiac needed even more explosive diarrhea in their life.  Jeesh.)

Celiac registry in India; interesting idea.

SUNY: Geneseo student lets her college have it in an op-ed in her student newspaper.

One of my clients has their big annual fundraising dinner tonight, so it’s been a crazy few weeks getting ready for it.  As soon as the dinner is over and I can get home and take off these high heels and peel off this dress, I’m making myself a well-deserved Sidecar.  My recipe is reeeeeaaaaaaallly precise.  *snort*   Ready?  Here we go:

Giant ice cube in glass.

Squeeze juice from two small limes over the giant ice cube.  You can use lemons, but I prefer limes. It’s smoother and more awesome with limes.

Then, pour in three glugs of brandy (or cognac) and two glugs of Cointreau (or Grand Marnier).

Stick your finger in and swirl it around.  Or hey, fancy pants, use a spoon or cocktail stirrer.

Drink.

*    *    *    *    *

Hey, DC folks: My friend, Hank Shaw, of Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook is doing a demo and booksigning at the Dupont Farmer’s Market this Sunday, September 18 at 11 a.m.  You should go meet him there.  Hank is awesome.  Hank is the shit.  Hank rocks.

Oh my goodness, all this rain.  I mean, it was sunny and so beautiful this past weekend, but since I came home from vacation it has been one rainy day after another.  I have been clinging to the remnants of summer with every fiber of my being, but last week I caved into fall and made some polenta with mushrooms.  I’m sure it will be hot and sticky again before the month is out, but for this past week, I embraced fall in my kitchen.

I am a huge fan of Anson Mills polenta — even from before I was diagnosed with celiac.  I prefer the rustic yellow coarse polenta, and I cook it with chicken or vegetable stock, with a ratio of 1 C polenta to 4 C stock (you can use water, but I prefer stock).  I put them both in a heavy pot together and bring them to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 30-40 minutes.  While it’s simmering, I stir every few minutes while it flarps and blorps in the pot.  You’ll know it’s done when the grains become smooth and tender to the bite.  Then, I whisk in unsalted butter, one tablespoon at a time.  Sometimes, I put in just 2-3 tablespoons, and, um, other times I have been known to use up to 8 tablespoons of butter.  Depends on how good or bad a day I’ve had.  DO NOT JUDGE ME.

Then, I stir in some salt, pepper, and freshly Microplaned parmagiano-reggiano cheese (again, I do this differently every time).

While the polenta is cooking, I make Deb’s escargot-like mushrooms because I love them so much.

Then, I top them with chives, or parsley, or whatever other herbs are fresh in my garden.

You might wanna make a big batch of the mushrooms over the weekend, then use them on the polenta during the week… or over scrambled eggs for breakfast.  Or, tossed in a salad.  Or, served with some pasta.

Welcome, autumn…. sunshiny days, cool nights, long sleeves, dark blue jeans, bright moons, crisp air, mushrooms and polenta.  Welcome.

Photo Credit: Paul Warchol

I have a lot of writer and author friends and I feel lucky that, when we’re together, we don’t ever talk about writing.

Like, EVER.

Because we all actually just like to write.  And not talk about it.  I think if any of us used the word “process” we would be smacked upside the head.  Or mocked mercilessly.

I don’t really like to talk about my writing because:

a) I’d rather be writing than talking about it; and

b) see a).

That said, I’ve happened upon some lovely and fun posts lately that talk about writing — and what we do to AVOID writing — and thought I’d share them with you today, if you’re so inclined to read them:

Molly Wizenberg; How we do what we do

Tara Austen Weaver: On Writing

Author Sloane Crosley paints bookshelves to avoid writing.

And, while we’re at it, there are two great books about writing I think everyone should own:

A lot of people swear by Anne Lamott’s Bird By Bird.  I find three chapters in that book incredibly compelling: Short Assignments, Shitty First Drafts, and Perfectionism.   Worth buying it just for those chapters.

Enjoy your weekend….

My birthday was last Friday, and do you wanna know what I did?

I tested recipes for Thomas Keller’s brand spankin’ new gluten-free flour blend, Cup4Cup.

You guys, I am so excited about this product.  I’ve known about it for quite awhile now and have had to keep my lips zipped.  But starting today, it’s available for sale through Williams-Sonoma and I can’t recommend it highly enough.  Its brand name says it all: wherever a recipe calls for all-purpose flour, you sub in an equal amount of Cup4Cup.

I think most of you know I cooked my way through The French Laundry Cookbook and wrote a blog about it, right?  Well, doing that blog has opened up a whole new world of incredible opportunities for me, one of which is getting to test this new product.  [I should note: I am not nor have I ever been paid to test this product.  I am also not being paid to review or write about it.  This is a product I believe in, and am excited for you to try.]

Last week, I was in Napa visiting friends, one of whom worked with Chef Keller on this new product.  We gathered in another friend’s kitchen and made A LOT of food and had A LOT of fun.  I am the only one among them who has celiac and can’t eat gluten.  So, not only were we testing it to make sure I liked it, we were also testing recipes so that we could get our food as close to “normal”-tasting as possible.  I know some people don’t want to cook on vacation, let alone their birthday.  Me?  I feel weird when I go days without cooking.  I get all out-of-sorts and discombobulated.  So, when the opportunity came along to not just cook and spend time with friends, but also test a gluten-free flour blend that is going to enable me to bring certain sweets and savories back into my life?

Yes, please.

Wanna see what we made, and pigged out on throughout the day?

First, biscuits and sausage gravy:

            Do you like our stunt bacon in the shot?

Up next: fried chicken with polenta waffles, fried rosemary, and drizzled maple syrup:

Then, it was time for a little peach pie:

We ended our day with my very favorite birthday cake.  This is a cake that’s been in our family for years: chocolate cake with peanut butter icing.  I haven’t eaten this cake in a very, very long time.

I’ll share the recipes for all this food as soon as I can (I can’t stop thinking about those polenta waffles, and those biscuits!).  In the meantime, though, I can share this chocolate cake recipe because it’s mine.  With a little help from Chef Keller, of course.  Squeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Best birthday EVER!

Here goes:

Chocolate Cake

2 cups Cup4Cup

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

0.5 tsp. salt

1 cup strong, brewed coffee

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

2 eggs

Sift dry ingredients together in large bowl; add eggs and liquid.  Stir until batter is smooth (it will be very thin).  Pour into 2 well-greased 8″ rounds.  Bake 35 minutes at 350F.

Peanut Butter Icing

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons Crisco

1 cup smooth peanut butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/3 cup whole milk

Beat together Crisco and sugar, then add peanut butter, vanilla extract, and whole milk.  Beat until fluffy.

Frost cake after both layers have cooled.  Dust with powdered sugar (optional).

NYT: Gluten-free flour from The French Laundry