Kat's GF Kitchen

Vacation!

2013-05-27T19:18:00.003-04:00

Last week, my husband and I went on vacation to celebrate our five year anniversary (as well as my MBA graduation!). We chose an Eastern Caribbean cruise to Nassau Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Maarten on the Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas. (Albany people - if you are looking for a cruise travel agent contact me and I will refer you to the person we used!).

We had a ton of fun! Some of the highlights:

I was extremely impressed by the dinners on the ship. We had an awesome waiter who made sure my husband had more gluten free bread than he could eat each night.
The breakfasts and lunches, notsomuch. I thought a lot of the food was mediocre. A chef walked around with my husband and showed him what he could and couldn't eat but my husband didn't trust a lot of it - for example they said the bacon was fine, but later in the week we found out they put toast at the bottom of the pan. Be forewarned.
That said, they did have gluten free pancakes, bagels, hot dog and hamburger buns, and even Udi's GF cookies available. Individually wrapped, which was nice.
St. Maarten was by far my favorite island of the three. We went kayaking, snorkeling, and shopping there and had a blast! I also thought they had the nicest beaches. We stuck to the Dutch side.
St. Thomas is supposedly this place where you can clean up and get super-cheap jewelry... I didn't find that to necessarily be the case, or maybe I'm just cheap.
Atlantis, on Paradise Island, is pretty amazing.
The best drink that I had, hands down, was a rum drink in a coconut in Nassau. Yes, in a coconut. Awesome. The second best was on the ship, a strawberry daiquiri mixed with mango sherbet. A-mazing.
The cheesy game shows and events hosted on the ship are often hilarious, and are must-sees, even if you think the description sounds lame. We died laughing most evenings!
We had layovers in ATL airport. The first time was around breakfast time and NOTHING had gluten free dining options. That was OK since we brought food. The second time we were coming from the ship (and are not allowed to bring fruits through customs) so we had nothing and had to pick up some lunch. Places with GF menus don't know enough to not put bread on salads. It took two thirds of our hour-long layover just to get a salad that was supposedly safe to eat. Not impressed.
It was 45 degrees when we got back. When did that happen!?!?

Changing eating habits

2013-05-05T13:35:00.001-04:00

Last year, my husband and I had a lot of fun - and most of that revolved around food. Every social gathering we had - and there was something going on every weekend - revolved around food and/or drinks. When it was just the two of us, we got into a nice Sunday routine of hanging out in the backyard, getting toasted on sangria, and then grilling some amazing food for dinner - ribs, bacon wrapped filets, etc. Always accompanied by sides like loaded baked potatoes, caprese salad, etc.

Incidentally, we also both put a few pounds on during the last year.

This December was an eye-opener for me when I realized a lot of my clothes either didn't fit me or didn't look good. So I did the cliche of, make a New Years' resolution to eat better and drop the weight. My goal - 15 lbs. by May - seemed unbelievably hard. I can look at fries and immediately gain 10 pounds.

And in the beginning - OMG it was hard. I tried to keep all of my beloved starches in my diet - and it left me with puny portion sizes, no free calories to snack, and a grumbling tummy about an hour after dinner. After a week of this misery, I'd hop on the scale and lose... half a pound. Obviously, the plan of making myself miserable to lose weight was a loser.

Next, I joined a CSA after having a talk with my husband. He had to be on board with trying a whole bunch of new veggies, and not letting things go to waste. He was - so our meals gradually became protein- and veggie- based, with starches still there but fewer and farther between. Rather than be hungry, we're filling up on volume of food. We've both lost weight. We both feel better. I'm not yet ready for full-on paleo - I may never be because I like cheese too much - but we're definitely eating a lot "cleaner" than before. And it's also lowered our grocery bill by about 30-50 dollars a week - less packaged crap and junk food filling our cart.

I also made a rule - alcohol only on weekends or special occasions. That saves us money and calories - and also doesn't mess with our sleep schedule during the week.

So what do we eat?

Friday night, we were in the mood for starchy comfort food and made loaded baked potatoes (russet potatoes with cheddar, bacon, fresh chives and some fat free greek yogurt) served with a green salad and water. In the past this would have been accompanied by ribs or some other meat, and wine.
Saturday, we had teriyaki marinated grilled 90% kosher beef. Served with another green salad, and sauteed mushrooms and sweet onions from my CSA. We did have wine with that.
Today (Happy Cinqo de Mayo!) we started the day with Skinnytaste huevos rancheros, and are making sangria and chicken fajitas on the grill tonight - a healthier recipe from America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2011. Dessert: watermelon slices.
Monday: Wood-grilled salmon with green salad. I'll also be roasting some red CSA potatoes with fresh chives, but that'll probably be more my husband than me.
Tuesday: Shrimp cocktail with homemade cocktail sauce (I got fresh horseradish root in my CSA bag) and a huge green salad with egg and garbanzo beans to be extra filling. Dessert: grilled fresh pineapple.
Wednesday: More loaded baked potatoes with salad and aqua.
Thursday: We're grilling chicken with Dino BBQ sauce. Veggie TBD depending on what comes in the CSA bag.
Friday: TBD - it's the weekend!

Purple potatoes

2013-04-21T07:21:00.001-04:00

My CSA came with a ton of goodies this week. I didn't take pictures of most of them because, well, a lot of it was the same ol', same ol' stuff I've been snapping lately. Pea greens, potatoes, lettuces, apples, frozen veggies... however, I was shocked to see a new color when I was cutting up potatoes to roast:

Purple potatoes? Yup. I have found a legit purple food.

I did some reading and apparently these purple bad boys are South American in origin, and pack a pretty hefty nutritional wallop. They're high in antioxidants and have been shown to reduce blood pressure. And, they're rumored to do so without causing weight gain. Does that sound too good to be true or what? (I'm guessing here that we don't have liberty to eat our weight in potatoes and still have to practice portion control in order to get that particular benefit ;-)).

Anyway, my purple potatoes came with a couple more traditional red-skinned potatoes with white flesh. I sliced them all up, tossed them in a bit of EVOO, seasoned with seasoned salt and pepper, and roasted them. They were delicious! My husband thought the purple potatoes tasted the same as regular potatoes but I thought they had a slight nuttier and earthier flavor - I liked them more.

I'll keep an eye out for these in the future.

Fro yo

2013-04-16T19:10:00.000-04:00

In the past year or so there has been an explosion of fro-yo in the Capital Region.

The ones I can list off the top of my head:

Lemon Drop - I love this place. It's convenient (on Wolf Road next to Trader Joes) and all allergens are clearly labelled on electronic screens.
Sweet Frog, which just opened up in Mohawk Commons. This is dangerous - it's close to my gym AND my nearest Chipotle. They also get points for allergen labels on their signs. My husband was a little disappointed in their flavor selection (his only option was vanilla) but to be fair - they had a lot of gluten free options, he just hates chocolate and most fruit flavors.
TCBY, which I believe has the most locations in the area. They get points for awesome labelling on their website, but the stores I have been to don't label gluten free so you either have to ask or have a smartphone on you.
Menchie's, which is opening (soon?) in Rotterdam. I am looking forward to trying them out!
Plum Dandy - this one is still my favorite in Saratoga. I love their homemade whipped cream. And yes, they have signs up indicating what their GF flavors are.
16 Handles - I love this place too. I can't remember if we had to ask about gluten free yogurt or if it was labelled when we went to the Clifton Park location. Trying out the East Greenbush location is on my TODO list, but last week's sleet made me not want yogurt that much.
There are others in the malls too.

Now - this is awesome because a lot of yogurt is naturally GF, it's self serve so you can decide how much or how little you want, and you can make your dessert quasi-healthy by choosing non or low fat versions and adding fruit toppings. It's also dangerous because I always want yogurt - and I wonder how they'll stack up against our seasonal outdoor ice cream stands.

I also suspect the fro yo trend has also had an impact on the cupcake craze of a few years ago based on some of the recent closings that I have seen. :-(

Overall though, in my social circle at least, "let's go meet for fro yo" has replaced "let's go meet for cocktails."

Lots of restaurants

2013-04-14T08:48:00.000-04:00

Happy Sunday!

There was no post last week because we were out of town. Hubby and I went to NJ for the weekend (I bought him Wrestlemania tickets - the event was definitely an experience, I had a lot more fun people watching than I would have thought). We ate a ton of food there - the two highlights were a chain called Cheeseburger in Paradise where we got awesome burgers on gluten free buns and fries. Also, breakfast at Six Brothers Diner, where they have a pretty extensive gluten free menu. I was surprised that my hubby didn't go with pancakes or french toast, but he wanted an omelette with a GF english muffin since that's hard to come by at restaurants around us.

I don't know why, but it seems that wherever we go - California, Boston, NYC, NJ... these places have so many more GF options than our area does. Don't get me wrong - we're definitely getting better each year - but other areas just seem much more progressive. There are no pancake houses with GF options here. PF Changs is the only Chinese restaurant I know in the area with a GF menu. And it's still a crapshoot whether many servers understand what gluten is and what cross contamination is.

This weekend, we tried a Groupon to Simply Grille in Albany. I never heard about them before until they advertised on Groupon and between the prices and the fact that their menu is mostly GF I had to pick up the Groupon to try it. We had lamb and beef kebabs for lunch and they were pretty decent. The basmati rice was my favorite part of the lunch - we'll definitely be back again. We also had dinner at the old standby Bangkok Bistro. I love that place. Wow, we've eaten at a lot of restaurants this week! I really need to work on scaling back on that, because it's hard not to gain weight when we're eating out all the time - and I have 2-3 pounds (depending on the day of the week) to go to hit my May goal of 15 lbs lost since January!

This last week, my CSA subscription resumed too. Yay! Here's my haul this week (not sure why I can't rotate it):

Shiitake mushrooms, kohlrabi, apples, frozen corn and flat green beans, microgreens and garlic cheese nuggets.

The corn was a side dish on Thursday with leftover BBQ grilled chicken before my Zumba class.
We tried the garlic cheese nuggets with dinner on Friday. Verdict: meh. The flat green beans were also for dinner on Friday, sauteed in EVOO with garlic, salt and pepper. They were delish.
The shiitake mushrooms are going in this mushroom soup recipe, I'll just sub the flour for a GF flour.
I'm going to roast the kohlrabi again, since that's so easy and just awesome.
The apples are basically gone, with lunches.
I figure that I'll try the microgreens on more time. I bought some fish to make at home this weekend - I might try that as a garnish (copying Prime from a couple weeks ago).

So, meal plans this week:

Tonight: a cajun-style stuffed pepper recipe with chicken andouille sausage, rice, onions, garlic, and monterey jack cheese - and of course, Red Hot. I love one-dish dinners.
Monday: grilled shrimp with spicy lemon garlic sauce with salad and homemade GF garlic bread. At least, it looks like Monday's the best grilling day so far.
Tuesday: Mushroom soup with salad and homemade GF garlic bread
Wednesday: Pan fried tilapia with Old Bay; roasted kohlrabi and salad. Served with either small cups of leftover mushroom soup or else small baked potatoes.
Thursday: Cleaning up leftovers.
Friday: TBD.

Random thoughts

2013-04-06T07:39:00.002-04:00

No CSA delivery for two weeks. I miss the veggies and am looking forward to getting them next week! I've been making do with grocery store veggies, lots of salads, that sort of thing.
However, I still have not found a way to enjoy kale. I just don't know if I can like it.
We tried O'Toole's in Albany last weekend. Had drinks, nachos, and sandwiches. It's great to enjoy pub food and not feel disgusting afterwards like we do with some other places. We'll definitely be back! Wish I had been able to make the buffet in Queensbury, but it's just too far away on a weeknight.
Bought Groupons to the Melting Pot and Simply Grille. Can't wait to use them.
I need to find time to go to Wednesday wine dinner at For Love of Wine.
Had Easter brunch with family at Riverstone Manor. All of the sauces were GF, which meant that only the obvious stuff (breads, pastas) was off limits. I thought it was a little on the pricey side (though probably all Easter events are), but it was nice.
New fro yo places have been popping up relatively close to my house. I feel this is dangerous. I also feel that it is my responsibility to try them all. ;-)
Grilled for the first time this week! It finally feels like Spring.
Working from home vastly increases my mini egg consumption. Thank goodness I don't have many left. When they're gone, they're gone.
Dinner date last night at 677 Prime. First time I've been there and It. Was. Awesome.
Now that I know what microgreens are, I see them everywhere.
As of this week, I am done with school! No more homework! No more classes! Yay!

Learned a few things this week

2013-03-24T07:56:00.001-04:00

So, I learned a few thing this week!

First, I learned that the Albany Pump Station has a gluten free menu. We had been there a few years ago for a Jack and Jill shower and they didn't have a lot of offerings - it looks like they've greatly improved, serving burgers and sandwiches on gluten free bread, pasta dishes, etc. I used to love that place when we were dating and I'm excited that we can go back and try it again!

Also, a friend told me that O'Toole's is gluten free friendly. There are two O'Toole's restaurants, in Albany and Queensbury. The Queensbury location has a gluten free menu including burgers, fries (in a dedicated fryer), wings, tenders, fajitas in corn tortillas, pasta dishes, etc. They also have a few different GF beers and hard ciders (including Angry Orchard and McKenzie's hard cherry, two of our favorites!). The Albany location calls out GF items on their app and dinner menus. My friend told me she thinks they have a dedicated fryer but I haven't confirmed yet, so definitely check if you go! I can see my hubby and I stopping by for an after-work drink and nachos one of these days, though!

The same friend also told me she heard Juicy Burgers has gluten free buns - I have not confirmed yet, but that would be awesome! Anyone know for sure?

Also - when I went to Price Chopper yesterday I found out that Price Chopper is making their own store-brand gluten free mixes now. I saw chocolate chip cookie mix (didn't pick it up because the hubby doesn't like chocolate) but the box said they have knockoffs of all the Betty Crocker mixes. I foresee a yellow cake or pancake mix taste test in our future... :-)

Finally - the last thing I learned - and a mini rant.

Read more »

Last winter CSA bag

2013-03-24T07:32:00.003-04:00

Happy weekend! Hope everyone's doing well and looking forward to a forecast of 50 degrees or so on Easter! (Let's hope that lasts!)

We've been pretty busy, but mostly with work/school/other commitments. I did get the last CSA bag for two weeks this Thursday. There were a ton of great things in there:

Lots of onions:

Rome apples:

My favorite addition: hydroponic basil and arugula!

We also got a root veggie grab bag (beets, carrots, and a couple of potatoes), frozen butternut squash and frozen kale, and an awesome muenster cheese from Palatine farms. Yum!

So what did I do with all this stuff?

Read more »

Lots of green stuff

2013-03-16T08:10:00.003-04:00

Happy Saturday! Is it just me or did this week go by extremely fast? Our weekend and week were extremely busy, that might have something to do with it. Anyway, here's what we did for food with last week's haul:

Thursday night I tried making daikon pickles. They weren't my favorite, but I'd try the recipe again omitting the oil, because my co-worker said they taste just like Van's.
Saturday night a new-to-GF friend came over. We made baked ziti using Bionaturae GF pasta, Italian bread (and a loaf of rosemary-garlic bread, yum!) and a batch of gluten free cupcakes using Betty Crocker's mix. I had some homemade buttercream frosting in the freezer too, so that worked out perfectly. For greens, I sauteed the frozen green beans we received in last week's CSA in garlic and EVOO.
Sunday I made a roast chicken with garlic mashed potatoes. I also sauteed the mushrooms with some peas in garlic and EVOO for a side, and made brown sugar beets. I'd never had beets before but I've gotta say, I was a big fan. They were delicious.
I also made kale chips from the frozen kale. So far, I'm not that big a fan of kale.
Monday, I made tilapia. I was on a garlic and EVOO kick so I made more of those green beans, and leftover rice in the fridge.
The rest of the week? Leftovers! Love those weeks. :-) For veggies the rest of the week I just took veggies out of the freezer and heated them up.

Here's a peek at what I got this week:

Carrots, pea greens, cabbage, apples, a green basil garlic cheese, and frozen corn and blueberries. (I also received microgreens that I gave to a co-worker).

So, what to do?

Friday night we picked up some red crab on sale at Price Chopper (3 day sales are awesome). I used up the rest of my mashed potatoes (made them loaded with cheese, bacon bits and chives that I had on hand) and then sauteed the pea greens in EVOO and garlic. (I used up that last of my frozen garlic, can you believe it!?) I was surprised by how small the pea greens ended up after cooking them, but they tasted really good.
Tonight, I'm probably not using any of them. I promised the hubby I'd make homemade mac and cheese before we go out.
Tomorrow night, I'm planning on trying this milk can supper recipe from Cook's Country. I saw it in the latest issue of their magazine and it uses the cabbage (since we can't really do corned beef and cabbage without malt vinegar). It looks good and easy too - with lots of leftovers.
The carrots are going right in the fridge - they keep a while, so I have time to figure out how to use them.
The cheese and apples may be lunch today!
The corn and blueberries went right into the freezer. I now have 2 things of frozen blueberries - I need to figure out something good to do with them! Maybe pancakes?

Hope that everyone has a great weekend! I have quite a busy weekend planned - meeting up with some friends tonight to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, doing quite a bit of homework, meeting up with one of my best friends for lunch and to do wedding-related stuff (yay!) and some other stuff here and there. :-)

CSA veggies this week

2013-03-10T19:45:00.000-04:00

Here's my CSA goodie bag from this week:

I got:

Frozen kale and green beans
Apples
Beets
Crimini mushrooms
Potatoes
a Daikon radish

So, what have I done so far?

Friday night, we did Skinny Texas Cheese Fries with the potatoes:
Sauteed the green beans with EVOO and garlic, and the crimini mushrooms
Brown sugar glazed beets - this was my first experience with beets, and YUM!
Daikon radish pickles - Now I admit these weren't my favorite. I added the sesame oil and that's all I could taste. Big mistake. My co-worker did not use as much sesame oil and said they came out exactly the same as Van's. So - next time!
Made kale chips. I don't know if it was the fact that they were frozen first, but I was underwhelmed.
Apples will go into work with us for lunches. :-)

Have a great week!

For a new-to-GF friend

2013-03-08T21:07:00.002-05:00

Putting this together for a friend - have I missed anything?

Brands we use

· Kraft will not hide gluten on the label – so if it does not say wheat, rye, barley or oats it should be GF. This includes all the brands they own – Full list here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Kraft_brands

· General Mills will not hide gluten on the label either, and a lot of their products are labeled GF. This includes all the brands they own – full list here: http://www.generalmills.com/Brands.aspx

o Many Chex cereals including Cinnamon, Corn, Rice, Chocolate and Honey Nut are labeled GF

o Many Progresso soups are GF

· All Boar’s Head products are gluten free. This includes meats, cheeses and condiments.

· 99% of Dietz and Watson products are gluten free: http://www.dietzandwatson.com/gluten-free/ Also, you can ask the PC deli counter people to wash down their station before cutting your cold cuts, or call up and ask them to cut them first on the equipment to avoid cross-contamination.

· Bionaturae pasta or PastaMia pasta is our favorite ($$$ but worth it!)

· Bread goods – try Rudi’s or Udi’s. Usually sold in GF sections/in freezer aisles. Our Price Chopper carries both. Rudi’s makes really good cinnamon raisin bread. Udi’s also makes hot dog buns and hamburger buns.

· Convenience foods – Starfish GF battered cod, haddock, shrimp, etc. is really good and is sold at Price Chopper. Bell & Evans, Tyson and Perdue make GF chicken nuggets and chicken tenders (Bell & Evans at Uncle Sam’s in Latham or Nisky co-op; Tyson at Glenville Wal-mart; still looking for Perdue)

· Frito-Lay list of GF products: http://www.fritolay.com/your-health/us-products-not-containing-gluten-ingredients.html

· Heinz list of GF products (inc. Ore-Ida, Classico, SmartOnes, etc.): http://www.heinz.com/glutenfree/products.html

· Price Chopper’s list of GF products: http://www.pricechopper.com/fresh_ideas/gluten-free

· Hannaford’s list of GF products: http://www.hannaford.com/category/Grocery/Gluten-Free/pc/28272/46486.uts

· ShopRite’s list of GF products: http://shopriteforms.mywebgrocer.com/glutenfree.aspx

· Trader Joe’s list of GF products: http://www.traderjoes.com/lists/no-gluten.asp (they also hav

· Wal-mart Great Value brand products will label all GF items as Gluten Free or Naturally Gluten e an icon on the package itself) Free

· Condiments:

o Hellman’s mayonnaise is labeled GF

o Heinz ketchup is GF (and I believe they have started labeling)

o French’s mustard

o Frank’s Red Hot

o Dinosaur BBQ sauce is labeled GF, as is Sweet Baby Rays.

o Soy sauce: La Choy, Wheat Free Tamari

o Wish-Bone salad dressings are labeled GF

o Ken’s GF salad dressings: http://www.kensfoods.com/glutenstatement.php

· Booze:

o Wine is GF J

o Beer: Estrella Damm Daura and Omission are brewed with Barley and then made GF. There are also a lot of sorghum-based beers out there – Bard’s, Green’s, New Grist, Redbridge, Dogfish Head Tweason Ale, etc.

o Cider: Woodchuck, McKenzies, Angry Orchard (often on tap!), etc. naturally GF

Restaurants with GF menus

· Outback, Carrabbas, PF Changs, Pizeria Uno, 99 Restaurants – most chains will have something if you look for it, but some are more accommodating than others

· Cheesecake Factory does not have GF menu, but ask for a manager and they’ll tell you what you can have

· Delmonico’s has a GF menu with pasta

· Chipotle – everything is safe but the flour shells, and employees will change gloves on request; Moes also has GF options. These are the best fast food options for GF around here!

· Wendy’s has a GF menu – mostly salads, chili and baked potato

· Urban spoon has a great list: http://www.urbanspoon.com/t/79/1/Albany/Gluten-Free-Friendly-restaurants Not all of these have GF menus, but you can ask your sever and they will usually accommodate you.

· Hattie’s in Saratoga/Wilton is working on a GF fried chicken this year – not yet, but we’re so there when it comes out!

· Circus Café in Saratoga has a decent menu.

· Wheatfields has a GF menu (though we aren’t that thrilled with them)

· We have not come across a fro-yo place around here that doesn’t have GF options. Toppings bar is at your own risk (cross-contamination possibility)

Happy weekend!

2013-03-02T08:44:00.002-05:00

Happy weekend!

So this week was pretty interesting. Not a lot of cooking has happened. Mostly because on Tuesday I came down with the latest bug that's going around. I was out sick a bit from work this week and we ended up eating a lot of convenience foods because I wasn't up to cooking.

I did end up making the roasted kohlrabi recipe I talked about last week and... amazing. Definitely a fan. I also tried the frozen corn which was sweet and tasted like it came just off the cob. Perfect with a little Promise and salt.

We also had another... interesting... thing happen on Thursday:

Yup, that's the puggle. On her third bath that night, after tangling with a skunk, and losing. close to our house, so the smell seeped in even with out her. I learned a couple of things:

Up close, skunk spray smells harsh and chemically - almost like burning rubber. And skunk spray can get through anything, even the most stuffed up noses.
A mix of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and Dawn makes a great dog de-skunkifying shampoo
The best way to deodorize a stinking house is to boil a combination of vinegar and water on the stove.

Anyway, back to food.

My CSA haul this week included frozen broccoli and frozen tomato puree (not pictured), as well as parsnips, sweet potatoes and apples:

Pea greens:

And microgreens:

Parsnips and microgreens are new-to-me, and I've only eaten sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving. So, what to do?

We're going to try these loaded baked sweet potatoes for lunch sometime this weekend. I'll make all three sweet potatoes at once, and bring 1 leftover in to work for a lunch. (though I was also looking at roasting them with the carrots and parsnips)
This glazed parsnips and chives recipe will make a good side dish for tilapia.
Any leftover parsnips will get mashed with my Yukon Gold potatoes.
I can't think of anything to do with pea greens and microgreens other than a salad.
The apples will either be sauteed or just eaten! :-)

CSA week two, plus grocery findings

2013-02-24T07:40:00.000-05:00

Good morning and happy Sunday! Hope that everyone had a great week and weekend so far! Our week was pretty busy and I did some "throw together" dinners during the week without many pictures. However, I did get a pretty nice CSA haul this week:

I didn't do the extra fruit share this week - mostly because it was still apples, and living in Upstate NY has spoiled me to want apples when they're in season. Still, I got:

2 kohlrabi (a new-to-me veggie)
Frozen green beans, corn and blueberries
Oyster and shiitake mushroms
A handful of onions
A big bag o' garlic
Stella Vallis Tomme cheese

I also still have a decent amount of veggies from last week:

Onions and potatoes are being stored right now (I also got a free bag of russet potatoes from PC!)
Still have carrots from last week
Still have frozen broccoli from last week

Okay, so what have I done/am planning to do with all of these veggies?

Last week's garlic bulb was gone in a couple of days. I am realizing how much I use garlic in just about everything!
I'm storing the onions and potatoes in modified Trader Joe's paper bags, in cool dark locations, so hopefully they last well until I need to use them.
The carrots are in my fridge - I need to use them up soon.
The pea greens from last week ended up being polished off by me - raw - Sunday as a snack while preparing lunch.
The apples from last week were brought in to work with lunch by my husband and myself. The last of the apples were sliced last Sunday, and eaten with brie.
The watermelon radishes were all used up in salads.
The frozen broccoli, green beans, corn and blueberries are all in the freezer still, so I'm holding off on using them up.
Friday night, we brought a rotisserie chicken home from Price Chopper for dinner. I sauteed the frozen kale with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and used some leftover mashed potatoes. It was good - and an easy meal!
Saturday night I made chicken tortilla soup from one of my light and healthy cookbooks, but the only thing I put in it from the CSA haul were onions and garlic.
The cheese will be tried today, after my boot camp class at the gym! Cheese, once it's opened, never lasts more than a couple of days in this house.
This evening, we're planning broiled steaks with sauteed mushrooms and onions (with garlic) and, if I feel ambitious, homemade garlic and rosemary bread.
The rest of the garlic will get chopped up, mixed with EVOO, and frozen. (Food safety tip: it's important to freeze that mixture, and not refrigerate it!)
During the week I'm planning an cooking tilapia, and making this kohlrabi recipe to go with it: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-kohlrabi/
Carrots may get used in salads. If not, I have to make a soup next weekend!

I also found some interesting stuff to stock the freezer with during my travels on Saturday:

Walmart now carries more gluten free frozen goods! I found Tyson gluten free chicken tenders and nuggets in their freezer and picked up the tenders. I still haven't found the GF Purdue chicken anywhere. Once in a while when we feel like being bad, chicken tenders/nuggets with homemade french fries is a necessary dinner.

Price Chopper had Contessa frozen convenience dinners on sale (Buy One, Get One) last week. I haven't tried them, but they caught my eye and some of them were labelled GF! After reading the ingredient label, they're not that bad for a convenience meal - each package has 2 servings, and they're between 300 and 350 calories per serving. We picked up the Shrimp Fried Rice and Paella meals to store in the freezer for when we need a quick meal.

My first CSA

2013-02-18T08:45:00.000-05:00

I've been toying with the idea of subscribing to a CSA for a couple of years now. I'll admit that the reason I haven't is basically laziness - I didn't really want to be bothered having to go somewhere inconvenient to me to pick stuff up. Last week, though, I started a Field Goods subscription for the first time, and I am really impressed!

As those of you who follow me on social media know, I've been trying really hard to eat healthier this year. So far it's paying off, and my clothes are fitting much better (I even dropped a size when I bought new pants for work a week ago!). But, the fact that Field Goods drops off to a location convenient to my office, combined with the fact that I'd like to incorporate more veggies into my diet, made me sign up.

Right now I'm signed up for a $37 subscription. That gets me:

The "Small" fruit and vegetable share, which they say is good for 1-2 people.
The extra fruit share
The herb and allium share
The cheese share (which is what my husband was most excited about, lol)

All right, so what did I get?

First, not pictured:

We got a Caerphilly cheese from the cheese share. Man, that stuff was good - didn't last long enough to take any pictures.
We got frozen broccoli and kale, which is sitting in my freezer as we speak.
Carrots (which I forgot to take a picture of for some reason)

Pea greens (I've never had these before, but they were good!):

Yukon gold potatoes:

Watermelon radishes, another "new-to-me" veggie:

From the herb and allium share, I got a whole bag of onions, and a bonus bulb of garlic (not pictured):

Also, I got a whole bunch of yummy gala and fuji apples (from the combined fruit and small fruit and vegetable shares):

All right, so what have I made with these so far?

First, there's this awesome salad:

Organic baby greens, pea greens, watermelon radish, cucumber, red bell pepper, carrot, mushroom, and chickpea. That's one good (and colorful!) salad, and I still have some left over for tomorrow's lunch. And I love how the radishes really do look like little watermelon slices! :-)

Then, last night's dinner, szechuan style shrimp. I use this base recipe, but I double the sauce (and obviously use gluten free soy sauce) and add a lot of veggies. In this case, I wanted to use up some veggies that I had on hand, so I threw in snow peas, the last of my red bell pepper, mushrooms and baby corn. I serve it with jasmine rice, and I was so stuffed by the end of the meal that I didn't even have room for more of that awesome salad (but I guess I did get a lot of veggies in the main dish).

Other stuff that I didn't take pictures of - Well, for breakfast a couple days I did a hard boiled egg with a sliced apple, and yesterday's lunch was apple slices and light brie cheese. I also polished off the pea greens (raw) yesterday. Right now I'm storing the onions and potatoes and carrots, and hoping to find something to make this weekend (if nothing else, maybe a chicken soup).

Can't wait to see what this week's bundle brings!

Happy New Year! ... and humbling experiences in the kitchen.

2013-01-01T10:56:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year all and I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! My husband and I were both off starting Christmas Eve, and we go back to work tomorrow. We've enjoyed our relaxing vacation and a lot of fun times with family and good friends, but now it's time to get back into the swing of things - going back to work, eating slightly more healthy (and trying to trim down for an upcoming cruise!) and not skipping as many workouts. :-)

However, I do have to say, I have one complaint about this past holiday (technically, two, but they're rolled up into one). I had not one, but two, incredibly humbling experiences in the kitchen over the holidays. I like to think of myself as a good cook - I may not always cook the healthiest, lightest stuff around but it always tastes good. I haven't royally messed anything up in a long while, but I think it's fair to admit when I do - and see what lessons I can learn for the next time!

The first, was my in-laws' holiday party. My mother in law asked me to bring a couple of things, including my gluten free pepperoni pizza puffs. Based on the number of people we expected to attend, we decided that a double batch would probably be best. Now, I was rushed that day - I came home from bootcamp at the gym and had just enough time to shower and cook before heading out to the party - and I didn't want to cook two separate batches, so I borrowed her mini muffin tins and crammed all four tins in my oven. I cooked them for the usual amount of time, figuring that since more stuff was in the oven I'd check them and see if they needed more time. Unfortunately - I'm guessing due to the fact that the tins were much closer to the side of my oven than usual - I ended up burning about half of them. Not. Cool.

So - lesson one: When doubling a batch of anything, try to keep the amount in the oven the same if possible. And if cramming more in the oven than usual, keep checking on everything starting at the halfway point!

Anyway, the pizza puffs ended up not being quite the catastrophe that they could have been, because the party guest list was halved due to snowy weather. Still, that's so annoying!

The second, was last night. New Years' Eve. A couple of close friends had decided that a low-key night with board games was the best way to ring in 2013. We had a gluten free restriction, a vegetarian (but eggs and cheese were OK), and a white/black pepper allergy. We decided that keeping it low-key was in order, so I decided to make pizzas - I made my favorite white broccoli pizza, along with a half-cheese/half-mushroom pizza and a pepperoni pizza. I also made buffalo chicken dip, Indian relish dip, and put out a cranberry spice cheese with Glutino cinnamon bagel chips (yum - my mother in law found that combination over the holiday, and it's like crack). And I made my champagne punch, as well as a requested toxic party punch (toxic because it doesn't taste like alcohol and goes down smooth, but is extremely potent), so we were all set! We also had macaroons and amarettis from our Christmas baking extravaganza, and friends brought an awesome fruit platter!

First things first - I bought Penzey's pizza seasoning, but when I read the ingredient label I saw black pepper. You know that scene in Bridget Jones' Diary, where her boss catches her on the phone with a friend, and then catches her lying that she was talking to a dead author? .... Yeah, that was my reaction. I texted my friend quickly, asking her if she wanted a pizza with plain marinara sauce, but fortunately her allergy isn't that severe, so she said she'd take a Benadryl and to season away! So I did, but kept it on the light side.

My master plan here was to make the pizza crusts ahead of time, and then just put the toppings on them when everyone got to the house. Sounds good in theory, right? Well, unfortunately, keeping them in the oven on warm for half an hour dried out the crusts so they were hard and rather unappetizing. :-(

So - lesson two: New cooking techniques are better to be experimented on just us, first, And New Years' Resolution: Find out how to make pizza crusts ahead of time, so they can just be taken out and warmed up with toppings, and still taste great!

Ah well. We still had a great time, played games like Cards Against Humanity and Dirty Minds, enjoyed good company and good conversation, and rang in 2013 in style. Even with my culinary mishap.

Final lesson - lesson three: Don't let a kitchen disaster ruin your night!

Hope you all have a wonderful New Year!

Gluten free holiday party recipes

2012-12-06T20:43:00.002-05:00

Happy holidays! I can't believe it's already December 6. Time is flying - and I don't feel anywhere near ready for Christmas!

Anyway - with all of the holiday parties, etc. going on this time of year, I wanted to share some of my favorite go-to holiday recipe bookmarks. These are great if hosting a party, and super-easy to make if bringing dishes over to someone's house as well!

Appetizer: Indian Relish

Link: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/indian-relish/

This is my FAVORITE appetizer recipe. When I'm done following the recipe as-is, I stir in a brick of softened 1/3 less fat cream cheese (I usually use Philadephia, because of Kraft's labelling policy, but the brand probably doesn't matter as long as it's gluten free). Make the night before you want to serve or bring it, and let it chill in the fridge overnight - serve with plain rice crackers. It's delicious in a sweet-then-spicy, addictive sort of way.

Main dish: Chili

Link: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/flatlander-chili/

This is a nice, simple, not-too-hot (unless you customize it) chili. It's great to bring in a crock pot if you're not sure someone's going to have gluten free offerings, and they'll always go quickly! I serve this chili with Scoops, sour cream, cheddar cheese, diced onions and diced avocados and it's amazing - and always goes!

Dessert: Pecan Clouds

Link: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pecan-clouds/

These are a super-yummy, easy and naturally gluten free holiday dessert. I use dark brown sugar for these, and they were also my go-to gluten free "pecan" dessert on Thanksgiving. I use chopped pecans (or chop them myself).

Addictive Snack: Caramel Corn

Link: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/caramel-popcorn/

This is my favorite fall-and-winter recipe. I use light brown sugar for these. It's wonderful, addictive, good for a dessert or a snack, and is guaranteed to be polished off. I usually make these in my turkey roasting pan so I have enough room to stir - it's good hot, but even better once it cools off!

Hope that helps if you're looking for something to make this holiday season!

Gluten Free Pigs in a Blanket

2012-11-18T10:51:00.002-05:00

So, this year my husband and I are hosting Thanksgiving for our families. The last couple of years my mother in law has been hosting Thanksgiving while I concentrate on finals, but this year was our turn. Well, one of the things that we had been thinking of for an appetizer were pigs-in-a-blanket: something that we hadn't had since childhood (when we used Pillsbury crescent rolls). I wasn't sure if I could do these, so I tried a trial run yesterday for lunch:

First, I bought a package of Hillshire Farms cocktail weiners (after checking online and finding out that Sara Lee is another company that promises to clearly label gluten in their ingredients list - while I much prefer companies that go the extra mile and slap "gluten free" on their label, I won't complain here). Then, I rifled through my recipe box and found a pumpkin pie recipe that I had made a few years' back (the last time I hosted Thanksgiving).

Here's the pie crust recipe, from Libby's: http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/143974/Gluten-Free-Pie-Crust-with-LIBBYS-Famous-Pumpkin-Pie-Filling/detail.aspx I hade made this the last time I hosted Thanksgiving, and used the crust for both a pumpkin pie as well as a homemade apple pie for my husband and mother in law. My husband liked the pie, but my mother-in-law informed me that it was not nearly sweet enough for a pie crust and needed a lot more sugar. So, in the recipe box it went, but I remembered how easy it was to roll out the pie crust and figured it might be an easy way to make pigs in a blanket.

It's a pretty easy pie crust recipe:

CRUST
1 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon apple cider or white vinegar
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
The instructions basically have you combine all the dry ingredients, then cut in the butter and mix until it's crumbly. Then add the egg and apple cider vinegar. After that, just sprinkle the water in slowly until you get to the desired consistency - which is to be able to shape the dough into a ball. Now, be careful with the water here - just a smidge too much water and it's much harder to roll. I dusted my rolling pin with cornstarch, and it was very easy to roll out this crust with a rolling pin.
I rolled out the dough very thin and cut with a knife. I then rolled up the weiners in the dough and placed them on a greased baking sheet. Don't over-do Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes - until the dough starts to get a little golden brown. Mine never got golden brown on top, just on the bottom. Don't over-cook them and make sure to check the bottoms after 15 minutes.

Serve immediately, with spicy mustard - we like French's. :-)

Apple Cinnamon Chex

2012-07-06T19:42:00.003-04:00

We're always on the lookout for new gluten free "normal" cereals, and when we heard that Chex was coming out with an Apple Cinnamon flavor, we couldn't wait to try it! I have to admit that I love the fact that General Mills is reaching out to the gluten free community, for example through glutenfreely.com. It's about time that a major company realized how much money there is to be made by properly labeling gluten free food, and I know that I vote with my dollars.

That said - I hate to say it, but as soon as I got my hands on a box of Apple Cinnamon Chex? ... Not that big of a fan. There's a very strong apple taste that overpowers the cinnamon flavor, and it doesn't quite go well with milk. I love their Cinnamon Chex, and think that their current Cinnamon Chex would have been a better place to start for an apple cinnamon flavor.

My suggestion: Combine some Cinnamon Chex with Rice Chex to tone down the cinnamon flavor, and add dried apples to make them "apple cinnamon."

That said - I'm glad that General Mills is innovating and creating new products. Now if only Post and Kelloggs would follow suit and add more options than Fruity/Cocoa Pebbles and Gluten Free Rice Krispies!

Nacho Cheese Doritos

2012-05-31T08:36:00.002-04:00

When my husband went gluten free, one of the things he missed the most was Doritos. Sure, Cool Ranch and some other flavors were safe to eat, but his favorite - Nacho Cheese flavor - contained wheat in the ingredient list.

Every week, for years, whenever he's been in the chip aisle of the grocery store, he's picked up a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos, seen that they still contain wheat, and said "Why!?!?"

... Until last week that is. We went to the grocery store and saw "Contains milk" under the ingredient list - NO WHEAT. Of course, I was immediately paranoid that it still contained wheat and it was a labeling mistake until I contacted Frito-Lay.

I'm happy to say that Nacho Cheese Doritos no longer contains wheat. I still wouldn't feel comfortable buying a bag that said "Contains wheat," and I'd double check the ingredient list to make sure you don't get an old bag, but how sweet - or should I say cheesy ;-) - is this?

Anyway, the response from my inquiry to Frito-Lay is after the jump:

Read more »

Sneak Peek at Elizabeth Barbone's New Book!

2012-03-14T06:00:00.001-04:00

I've mentioned Elizabeth Barbone on this blog before, but for those of you who don't know, she's a local gluten free author, and creator of delicious gluten free recipes. I had the pleasure of meeting Elizabeth over the holiday season at a Price Chopper baking event where she demo'd different recipes including gluten free pumpkin whoopie pies and a chocolate bark which I ended up making for both the cookie swap with the book club girls as well as my in-laws over the holiday!

Anyway, Elizabeth has a new book coming out, How to Cook Gluten Free. I was among those fortunate enough to get a sneak peek at some of the recipes in this book and so far I'm very impressed. One of the recipes that Elizabeth shared with me was for "Powdered Sugar Doughnut" muffins, and I have to admit that my curiosity was piqued. Muffins... that taste like doughnuts? Impossible, I thought. Powdered doughnuts are one of the things that my chocolate-hating husband misses the most since going gluten free, and I knew that if these were even half as good as promised I'd have enough good wife points to score a date to an opening weekend showing of The Hunger Games. :-) So here goes nothing...

Two things I noticed about the recipe right off the bat: first of all, this was a muffin recipe with no butter. Seems almost inconceivable, right? Second, this recipe calls for corn starch (among other ingredients) which I rarely use in baking. Before I continue, I'll offer you a tip: pouring corn starch out of that big plastic Argo container into a small measuring cup? Not necessarily a good idea. Especially if wearing superdark jeans and a black sweater. Moving on...

So, I followed Elizabeth's directions ALMOST to a T (I used a regular muffin pan rather than a mini muffin pan) and ended up with a dozen powdered muffins. I let them cool for as long as I could stand it, and then sampled a muffin while still warm. It was good - my husband and I shared the "tester" muffin and left the rest for breakfast the next morning. Let me tell you - don't bother testing the muffin, just let them all totally cool off. Because the next morning the flavor and texture was EXACTLY a powdered sugar doughnut. The only thing that was missing was a big glob of jam in the middle to make it a jelly doughnut (which will definitely be added next time!). Let's just put it this way. If the rest of her recipes are as good as these doughnut muffins, we're all in for a treat. :)

If you decide to make these muffins on your own, one tip: If you think you've put too much powdered sugar on the muffin, add some more. Some of the sugar will get sucked into the muffin after a day or so. And, well, just as I feel that cupcakes are "frosting delivery services" I feel that doughnuts are "frosting/sugar/filling" delivery services and the amount of what is delivered needs to be maximized. ;-)

OK OK, I was going to write a teaser entry and make you all salivate over this, but Elizabeth gave me permission to post this recipe and share it with you.

Ingredients:

Gluten-free nonstick cooking spray

Dry Ingredients

3/4 cup white rice flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup sweet rice flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking power

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 ground nutmeg (Note from Kat: The piece de resistance!)

Wet Ingredients

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil (Note from Kat: I used canola)

1 large egg

1 package (1 pound) powdered sugar

1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and
preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease the
cavities of a mini mufﬁn pan with nonstick
cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry
ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and whisk
to combine. The batter will be thin.

3. Fill the mufﬁn cavities about half full. Bake for
20 to 25 minutes, until the mufﬁns are golden
brown.

HOW TO COOK GLUTEN-FREE

4. While the mufﬁns are baking, ﬁll an 8-inch
square baking dish with the powdered sugar.

5. Remove the mufﬁns from the oven and
working in batches, place them directly into
the powdered sugar. Gently roll the mufﬁns in
the sugar to cover them. The steam from the
hot mufﬁns will make the sugar stick to the
mufﬁns. Remove the mufﬁns from the sugar
and tap off any excess. Transfer the mufﬁns
to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight
container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1
month.

Makes 24 mini mufﬁns

Cupcake Decorating at Bettie's Cupcakes

2012-03-11T18:25:00.000-04:00

Last week ~~I dragged my husband to~~my husband joined me for a cupcake decorating class at Bettie's Cupcakes in Latham (right in Hoffman's Playland, next to Subway). The theme was Angry Birds, and since I've been known to be addicted to the game on my iPhone I just couldn't resist checking out the class! It was $30 per person (pre-paid by credit card when you make reservations), and they'll let you decorate their gluten free cupcakes if you ask. Which is awesome because then my hubby could eat his artwork! ;-)

This class started out with fondant - coloring and shaping fondant for their bodies, eyeballs, beaks, etc. We hand-kneaded balls of fondant and then colored them with a sort of high-test, thick food coloring. We kept some white, and used green, black, red, yellow, blue, and orange (for beaks).

We used buttercream frosting to fill the cupcakes (just pressing down the pastry bag in the cupcake and slowly squirting filling in - my new favorite cupcake technique) and then as a base for the fondant. Then we used chocolate chips for eyeballs and the pig's snout and ears. Don't these look adorable? (Full disclosure - the tongue on the pig was my creative license and not part of the instructions). The cupcakes tasted GREAT - though unfortunately after a couple of days they got a little stale (in other words, eat quickly or share!). I'd definitely take another class though - it's a fun time decorating these cupcakes and I think I learned a thing or two! Bettie's has a lot of different themed classes announced on their FB page if you're interested!

Valentine's Day dinner

2012-02-09T18:17:00.000-05:00

So, you know that I'm not that big a fan of the whole Hallmark-holiday quality of Valentine's Day. I mean don't get me wrong, there are very few red-blooded American girls who don't like flowers and chocolate, but a) the markup on flowers is so high around this time of year that I could wait and get three bouquets of flowers at different points in the year for the exact same price (and surprises are better anyway - hint, hint), and b) let's be honest here. Target and CVS have already had Easter candy out for a month, and that's WAY better than any Valentine's Day candy sold. Still, we do like to have a nice dinner at home - no gifts - that weekend, and that's what we'll be doing this weekend.

So what are we doing? Well, we decided to do the whole Melting-Pot thing at home and try a four course dinner made up of two different fondues and then dessert. Sounds good, right? We've got a bottle ~~or two~~ of sparkling wine left over from New Years so we'll be cracking that open to go along with everything.

First course: Garden salad, while the cheese fondue heats up.

Second course: A cheese fondue appetizer, using a modified (no wheat flour) version of this cheese fondue recipe or else this champagne-cheese fondue recipe (again, modified so there's no wheat flour). For dipping: gluten free bread, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots

Third course: I found this awesome-looking wine fondue recipe that I'm interested in trying. For dipping: shrimp, beef, portabella and white mushrooms, snow peas, and red peppers.

Dessert: Unfortunately, since the hubby doesn't like chocolate three courses of fondue are out. :-( HOWEVER, I just happened to get the CIA's gluten free baking book this week, as well as a brand new pizzelle press. Sooo... hopefully, that will work out and I can either make gluten free pizzelles or shape them into dessert cups to serve ice cream in... or roll them into a cannoli shape. If the pizzelles don't work out, then we might be playing it by ear.

Gosh, this is a lot of food. Thankfully my boot camp class is the next day to burn off some of these calories!

Rant on Sugar as a Toxic Substance

2012-02-02T18:15:00.001-05:00

I saw, and posted, this article earlier today on whether sugar should be regulated like alcohol and tobacco. A team of researchers from the University of California at San Francisco have decided that sugar is toxic and (slowly) killing us - therefore, it should be regulated along with other dangerous substances. Proposed age limits - no sugary drinks sold to children under the age of 17 - would supposedly curb sugar consumption in children, lessening childhood obesity and improving overall health.

This idea is, in theory, just about as sound as the "flat tax" theory. It sounds passable at first, until you start to think rationally. While I'll completely agree that sugar is addictive and too much sugar is bad for you (and I'll confess that I eat WAY too much sugar myself), are you going to tell me that all sugars are equal? There's sugar in bread - it's food for yeast. Carbs like white bread break down into - you guessed it - sugar! There's even sugar (fructose) in fruit! I'm all for downsizing the prominence of high fructose corn syrup in our daily lives, but demonizing all sugars in the process is patently ridiculous. If you show me a Type I diabetic, I'm sure they have some type of sugar stashed in their car or purse for blood sugar emergencies. If you show me an otherwise healthy, highly active kid who's on two or three sports teams, I'm willing to bet you that a Gatorade after practice isn't going to do any damage. And if you try to take my chocolate away during THAT WEEK, you'd better be wearing protective armor.

If we ban sales of sugar for kids, what's next? Am I going to get hit up by a 12 year old outside the supermarket with a fiver asking me to buy soda? Are parents going to be carted off to jail because they served birthday cake to a group of ten fourth-graders? Are schools and employers going to administer random blood glucose tests? Are we going to completely absolve ourselves of any personal or parental responsibility? Why don't we - as individuals and parents - say "Hey, that Coke should be enjoyed in moderation" and leave it at that?

There are better ways of attacking this problem than nanny-state legislation like age restrictions on sugar consumption and extra taxes on sugary drinks and snacks. How about we look at how much money is being poured into corn subsidies and the relationship of corn production to the amount of available, CHEAP high fructose corn syrup? How about we start funneling money into more local farming initiatives with the goal of making apples, carrots and other healthy foods the cheapest ingredients in our grocery stores? How about taxing corporations that do horrendous things to our food supply in the name of saving cents per pound, damn any potential negative health consequences for our public (pink slime, anyone?)

In the end, I don't think sugar will ever be regulated - I think there will be a horrendous backlash on any proposed legislation (if it ever got that far). That said, I think it's sad that we've gotten this far, to the point where we're so unwilling to take responsibilities for our own actions as individuals and parents.

Superbowl!

2012-01-31T19:29:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's already time for another Superbowl! We're planning on staying home to watch the game this year, though a couple of friends are popping by to watch the game, it'll be pretty laid-back. My husband is a HUGE Giants fan, so of course I'm rooting for the Patriots. (Full disclosure: I have a reputation as a Patriots fan that I just can't shake, when in reality I used to be a Tom Brady fan back in the days before he showed the world what a world-class ass he was by leaving his pregnant girlfriend for a supermodel).

Anyway. I digress.

It wouldn't be the Superbowl without snacks, and that's what the whole point of this blog post is. Snacks! It's the second-best day of the year for gluttony (it doesn't have anything on Thanksgiving), to the point where it just doesn't feel right to watch the game without some fattening food. Plus I have boot camp that morning, so I won't even feel (much) guilty! We'll have four people (I think - that could change), one gluten free, and one vegetarian.

I'll start with the drinks - I'm going to pick up a case of Sam Adam's Angry Orchard cider. If you haven't tried this yet, you should - it's just about the best hard cider we've ever tasted. Yes, it's that good. I've only tried the regular version but it's amazing. That, and we have some leftover Killian's from New Years, and sodas to put out.

Now for food - I'm going NACHOS!!!!

The main nachos I have are sooo easy. I layer tortilla chips with ground beef (browned with taco seasonings), refried beans, jalapenos, sliced black olives, and a ton of melted monterey jack cheese. (I just put it under the broiler until it starts to turn brown). Then, I top it with shredded iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes and onions, and serve with salsa, sour cream and guacamole for dipping!

I'll also be making a vegetarian 5-layer dip with refried beans, sour cream and taco seasoning, monterey jack cheese, jalapenos, olives, guacamole, and salsa. (I'm not sure if that's 5 layers or something else, or what constitutes a layer and what doesn't - but either way, served with tortilla chips it should be yummy!

My husband also really wants to have wings (and who am I to deny anyone buffalo sauce?) so we'll also be doing a batch of wings. For a hot vegetarian munchie, I'm thinking potato skins, sans bacon - but I could change my mind! (Any suggestions!?)

If you're hosting a (gluten free or not) Superbowl party and are looking for some ideas for stuff to serve, some other ideas include:

Chili is a good staple! I swear by this recipe for Flatlander chili.
Pizza - I have a pretty good base crust recipe, though I might suggest a different topping than white pizza for the Superbowl! (How about buffalo chicken pizza? Just make sure to marinate grilled cut up chicken in buffalo sauce overnight for the full effect!)
Standard chip and dip options always work.
My go-to pizza puff recipe is always a hit with non-GF people too (I love it when people request them, because I also know I'll be bringing stuff my husband can eat and enjoy!)

Most importantly - enjoy!!!

Happy Holidays - and Betty Crocker's Ginger Creams, Gluten Free

2011-12-23T14:12:00.000-05:00

Hope that everyone is enjoying a wonderful holiday season with friends and family! I hope everyone eats a ton of wonderful food as well!

My husband and I made Christmas cookies last weekend - one of his requests was a cookie that he had fond memories of from childhood, but we'd never made (even pre-gluten free days). Ginger cream cookies. I dug out my mom's old Betty Crocker cookbook for the original recipe (if you don't have a Betty Crocker cookbook from the 60's, the recipe can be found online here). I only very slightly modified it to be gluten free, but it was delicious, and neither of us could tell it was gluten free - no chalky texture and aftertaste that I associate with many gluten free cookies.

Gluten free Ginger Creams

Anyway, here is the recipe that I ended up using.

Ginger Cream Cookies

1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup water
1 cup white rice flour
1 cup potato starch
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix shortening, white sugar, egg, molasses, and water thoroughly. Sift together flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, baking soda, and spices and blend in. Chill dough until firm.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
Drop dough by teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake about 8 minutes, or until almost no imprint remains when touched lightly. While slightly warm, frost with icing.

Frosting
What Ginger Cream cookie would be complete without frosting? Here, I used what I had on hand and decided to use the frosting recipe from Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom.

1/4 cup Butter, softened
2 cups Powdered Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 Tbs. Milk (I used 2%)

Mix ingredients together with a hand mixer. Frost cookies when cool.

Make sure to store them in the fridge to keep the frosting hard, and take them out a couple of hours before you eat them.