Corn Bread

Easy Corn Bread
2 c cornmeal/flour
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
2 t baking powder

3/4 c rice milk
3/4 c coconut kefir
4 T veg oil
4 T sugar
1 egg

This has Jiffy like taste, it is a batter bread. Grease pan, bake 350 for 25-30min.

Mixed Berry Applesauce

Mixed Berry Applesauce

3 lb Gala apples
4 Granny Smith apples
2 c mixed berries
1 2/3 cranberry juice
2 T lemon juice
1 in ginger
2 Anjou pears

Cook in crockpot 8 hrs.

VERY VERY good!!!!!!!!! If there wasn't such a large amount no one else would get to try this.

Sloppy Joe's

I may have had these once, they were never my favorite. But then I saw this recipe.
This is my adaptation of it, mostly based on what I had on hand, but it turned out terrific!

Sloppy Joe's
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 c minced carrots
1/4 c chopped bell pepper
1 c chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt

1 lb ground beef
4 T ketchup
2 cups tomato sauce (or 1 15-ounce can whole tomatoes, puréed)
2 T worcestershire sauce
1 T red wine vinegar
2 T brown sugar
dash ground cloves
1/2 t dried oregano
dash cayenne pepper
2 t black pepper

Cook veggies and meat with spices separately then add them together. Next time I may just cook the meat first then add the veggies.

Joe Buns
1/4 c millet flour
1/2 c sorghum flour
1/4 c potato starch
1/2 c tapioca flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t xanthum
1/2 t salt
1 T sugar
2 eggs
1/3 c oil
1/2 c rice milk

Mix dry ingredients together then add eggs, oil, and milk. To make the Joe shaped buns, place gingerbread man cookie cutters on cookie sheet, spray well with oil mister (pan and cookie cutter), plop 1/4 batter in each man shape. I only had 2 cookie cutters, so I had to do this in 2 batches. 400 F for 10 min or so. They should be not mushy when done, let sit (2min, until cool enough to handle) before pushing out of cookie cutter and slicing. (based on this recipe)

I will update with pictures soon.

Butternut Squash Soup

So for my first ever butternut squash experience, I made soup. I also managed to tame a rather large pile of assorted vegetables cluttering the kitchen and fridge.

Butternut Squash Soup
6 small butternut squashes
2 T olive oil
1 chopped red onion
2 c carrots
4 celery ribs
3 turnips (or 1 bunch radish)
1 large sweet potato, chopped
4 bay leaves
1 T curry
2 t nutmeg
1/2 t cayenne pepper
salt to taste
6 c chicken stock

Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, roast cut side down for 1 hr at 350, use a pan with a lip and add water to the pan. I did this the night before in a roasting pan with at least an inch of water. Scoop out flesh from skin, set aside. In a large stock pot add oil, onion, and all of the seasonings. When onion is mostly cooked add carrots and celery, saute 5 min. Add stock and remainder and vegetables. Simmer 30 minutes. Add squash and puree-- I recommend a stick blender, but transfering small amounts at a time to a blender will work. It will get spicier each day.

Chicken Tenders

So for awhile now I have been making the occasional batch of chicken tenders and fries. Trying to recreate the elusive taste of Junior's tenders with honey mustard sauce and spicy seasoning. Last night's was the best so far! (and gluten/dairy free) Which was a surprise, since it was really a make do with what we had night, because I was out of my normal go-to flours. As complicated as the directions sounds, it really wasn't bad and clean up was easy. AND I used store bought extra crispy ore-ida crinkly fries, they are totally worth it.

Chicken Tenders
raw chicken tenders
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c soy flour
1/2 c rice bran
1 c soy flour
cajun seasoning
oil for sauteing

This is a 3 step breading process, so you will want 2 plates and a pie plate, or 3 pie plates if you have them. I line up on the counter right to left: raw chicken (I guess you will need one more plate), plate of soy flour (1/2 c), pie plate of 2 beaten eggs, plate of mixed rice bran, soy flour (1 c), and cajun seasoning, then stove. Dip both sides of tenders in each plate, flour to egg wash to seasoning to pan of hot oil. Use a fork to move them between the plates. I don't deep fry, its more like a extra oily sautee. They will crisp up nicely but will take longer than you think, DO NOT turn them until the face done side is crisp, when you push on them with a fork they should be hard when done (versus soggy).



Honey Mustard
2 part Grey poupon mustard (I kid you not)
1 part Honey

Microwave honey in a bowl to liquify, then add mustard.


Make, eat, and enjoy. We did.

Dinner In a Hurry

So I am trying to make dinner simpler these days. Elaborate (chicken saag) meals mean more effort, more dishes, and me more tired for the rest of the evening. So here is one very simple and delicious meal I have made lately:

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti
1/2 spaghetti squash
1/2 jar organic spaghetti sauce
1/4 chopped green pepper
8 sliced mushroom pieces
1/4 chopped onion

Microwave squash 10 minutes in covered dish with 2" water. Meanwhile sautee vegetables (5min), add sauce and bring to simmer(5min). Scoop squash and add sauce.

Dinner in 10 minutes. And while everything was plated and cooling down to an edible temperature I was able to load the microwave dish in the dishwasher and hand wash the pan. Dinner ready and dishes done.

Raisin Cakes

Eh, why not.

Raisin Cake
1 c raisins
1 3/4 c water
1/4 c coconut water keffir
1/2 c butter substitute
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 c muscovado sugar
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1 c chopped walnuts
1 c tapioca flour
1/4 c brown rice bran
1/2 c brown rice flour

Boil liquid and raisins for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add butter, cool. Add remaining ingredients, mix well. Pour into greased bundt pan.
Bake 350F, 25-35 min

Cyanide Poisioning

What the internet says:

1. Peach pits, not likely.
Plants containing cyanide include apricot pits and a type of potato called cassava. Fortunately, only chronic or massive ingestion of any of these plants or pits can lead to serious cyanide poisoning.

2. May cure cancer.
Laetrile, a compound that contains amygdalin (a chemical found in the pits of raw fruits, nuts, and plants) has been purported as a cancer treatment worldwide. One of the side effects of laetrile is cyanide poisoning. The FDA has not approved laetrile as a cancer treatment in the United States. The drug is also made and used as a cancer treatment in Mexico under the name "laetrile/amygdalin."

3. Just in case.
The symptoms of cyanide poisoning are similar to those experienced when hiking or climbing at high altitudes. Such as: general weakness, confusion, bizarre behavior, excessive sleepiness, coma, shortness of breath, headache, dizziness, and seizures. The skin of a cyanide-poisoned person can sometimes be unusually pink or cherry-red because oxygen will stay in the blood and not get into the cells. The person may also breathe very fast and have either a very fast or very slow heartbeat. Sometimes the person's breath can smell like bitter almonds, though this can be difficult to detect.

Sake Sorbet

I first had this in a funky sushi place downtown Barcelona. I have longed to find it since and have asked many people if they had tried it or had a recipe or knew of one I could adapt. Silly me, it is Sake SORBET not ice cream. Something sooo simple, hey it had been translated three times, and a one word difference is how I found this:

Sake Sorbet
1 1/2 c sake
1 1/2 c simple syrup
3/4 c water
1 t lemon juice
1 t lemon zest

Peach Pit Jelly

I got what sounded like a great deal on organic peaches, 60 for $20. That's 3 for a dollar. Sigh, I had to throw a few out. So after eating a few fresh peaches the rest were peeled and chopped and frozen. The peels and pits were made into jelly:

Peach Pit Jelly
Cover peach peels and pits with 2" water. Bring to boil, 30 min, then let sit overnight. Strain and measure.

4 c peach juice
5 c sugar
1 pkg pectin

Bring juice to boil, reduce if necessary to 4 c. Add pectin, bring to boil. Add sugar, bring back to boil. Boil 1 minute, jelly should begin to foam and 'sheet'. Skim off foam, pour into jars. 10 minute water bath.

Okay. This was my first experience canning. And I have to say it is NERVE WRACKING. I'm glad I had such no nonsense, straightforward jelly making instructions. So in that spirit here are my canning instructions--

How To Can:
Put mason jars in dishwasher, wash. Hand wash lids and rings. Move clean mason jars to water bath pot, and boil to sterilize. LEAVE JARS THERE until a few minutes before you are ready to pour stuff into them. Take jars out using jar tongs, pour the water in the jar back into pot, set the jars out on clean dish towel. Dump laddle, funnel, lids, and rings into water bath pot. Remove all from water bath JUST before you are ready to put stuff into the jars. And that is just the prep.

Put clean funnel on first jar, use ladle to ladle in yummy homemade goodness. Place lid on jar, then ring, and tighten. Repeat. Put all jars in water bath pot, bring to boil. Boil for whatever time your recipe calls for adjusted to your altitude. Remove jars from pot.

THIS IS IMPORTANT:
Take a deep breath, you're done, DO NOT PANIC when your jars start making noises. Loud popping noises. This is good, it means they have sealed. Leave them on the counter, check in 24 hours to make sure they have sealed, and then remove the rings. If they haven't sealed, refrigerate them, and give them to everyone you know to eat fresh for the next 3 weeks.


P.S. Peach pits do contain cyanide. Sort of. They contain a compound that when mixed with digestive acids releases cyanide gas. There are no ground up pits in this, but I couldn't find any information on whether the jelly would have those compounds in it. No one has died from peach pit jelly that I know of, and people (the same people) keep making and eating it.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Crumb

Pumpkin Oatmeal Crumb
4 c oats
4 T ground flaxseed
2/3 c brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1 T lemon juice
1 t salt
1 T vanilla
1 stick butter, softened
3 c pumpkin puree
3 c milk

Topping:
1 c nutty nuggets, or chopped nuts
1 stick butter, softened
1 c brown sugar

Bake 10 min 375 in 9 x 11 dish. Add topping. Cook 10 more minutes. Desert or breakfast.

Dishwasher Detergent FINALE

I just bought some. It is great. The homemade stuff just sucks.

Dishwasher Detergent: Part Three

Baking soda plus lemon juice(natural degreaser)
Vinegar Rinse

5 day week

After deciding not to buy groceries, I promptly ran out of things... dairy free butter, olive oil, fruit, nuts, milk, soy yogurt, cheese (for Chris's lunch), almond milk and patience. These do not grow in my garden. But are now mostly restocked. We could have probably made it longer, but after realizing I had lost YET another breadmachine paddle I gave in. I had no snack/easy food, and I really just wanted a banana or even an apple.

Six months, who was I kidding. I lasted 5 days.

Dishwasher Detergent: Part Two

First load of baking soda and salt went well, second not so much.

Dishwasher Detergent 2.0
Washing Soda

Vinegar rinse

This one wasn't much better, but any stuck on food wiped or rinsed away in the sink. I will give this one another try.

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent: Part One

So... those dishes that needed to be washed.

Dishwasher Detergent 1.0
Baking Soda plus dash of pickling salt (or just salt, I have lots of unused pickling salt)

That is it. Shrug. It is supposed to work and we have a sani-rinse and high temp scrub options on our uber-dishwasher to combat my germ-phobia.

AND just to make things more exciting I put vinegar in the rinse thingy. It kills germs and makes things sparkly, just hopefully no volcano like eruptions.

Spending Freeze

How long do you think you could continue to feed and run your household without buying anything? My deep freeze is fairly well stocked and so is my dry goods pantry, so at first I thought six months, with a little ingenuity, no problem.

Then I realized we would most likely get scurvy, and my husband would REALLY have to be on-board with the plan.

So I am going to try it for a week, starting today. And just so you know we ran out of dishwasher detergent 4 days ago.

This first week will be:
1) Seeing if I can stand NOT going to the store.
2) If those crazy make-it-yourself cleaning products really work.
3) Finding motivation to work on all those unfinished projects, seemingly unrelated but with some now extra free time relevant.

And after this confidence building test run, I will begin looking into what else I could incorporate into our garden for Fall/Winter fruit (they whole scurvy thing) and consumable variety.

GF Bread to try

From Karina's Kitchen:

1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup potato starch
1/2 cup millet flour
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/ 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 tablespoon instant dry yeast- or rapid yeast

You'll need sesame seeds for the top (or hemp seeds); set aside for later.

Pour the liquid ingredients into the bread machine pan:

1 1/4 to 1 1/3 cup warm water (at 110 to 115 degrees F)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey- or raw agave nectar to keep it vegan
1/2 teaspoon mild rice or white wine cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
Ener-G Egg Replacer for 1 egg whisked with warm water

Set your bread machine program for 1.5 loaf medium crust. rapid rise cycle - it should be closer to a muffin batter than bread dough, soft but not too wet. Adjust dry to wet ratio with a tablespoon of flour or warm liquid, as needed.

I thought the sides were a tad soft so I placed the naked loaf directly into the oven- on the center rack- and turned on the temp to 350 degrees. I baked it for another 12 to 15 minutes, keeping an eye on it. When I tapped the bread it sounded hollow. Done.

Mason Jar Blender

So I was lamenting that my blender was dirty and in the dishwasher, because I can't clean it any other way without slicing my fingers, same with the food processor. When I decided to look into the Magic Bullet, again. And, again, it was just too expensive and too plastic to work for me. But those interchangeable cups as sooo appealing. So I continued to search and began to find cheaper versions of the same thing, and then some lovely mason jar blender offered at Target.... Glass interchangeable cups, that I could have as many as I want or needed.... but it was MORE expensive than the Magic Bullet. So I started searching for mason jar blenders.

They exist. And have existed for 50 plus years. You have one.

It is all some lie and vast conspiracy to remove from the owner manuals that you can use a mason jar to chop nuts with your blender, or to blend smaller batches of stuff, OR as a REPLACEMENT for your broken blender top!!!!

So I am going to use my new Mason Jar Blender, for free, and enjoy it immensely.

Lemonaise?

So I have been looking for a good and natural mayonnaise... one without icky things like sodium benzoate, corn syrup, or other weirdness. And I wasn't that thrilled at the prospect of making something like this myself, ending up with large quantites of a quickly perishing but seldom used condiment.

Thus Lemonaise with Basil & Tarragon. From the store, yummy and all natural. It is some weird brand that I might not be able to readily get at home but will be looking for: The Ojai Cook. And I have to say a dollop of this and a couple of cups of diced chicken make for a fantastic chicken salad. And I usually like stuff in my chicken salad, but seriously just these 2 indgredient are all that is needed. But I will probably add grapes next time. I just like grapes in my chicken salad, it is VERY good, you should try it.

Coconut and Raspberry Biscuits

This decadent treat is not part of our new diet. But nonetheless tasty, and quickly dispersed to our friends ;)

Coconut and Raspberry Biscuits
(does not make 24)

For the base:
8 T butter substitute
1/3 c sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 t vanilla extract
2/3 c brown rice flour
1/2 c tapioca flour
1 t baking powder
1 t xanthan gum
1/4 c milk alternative

Cream butter and sugar. Gradually add egg. Beat well.
Sift dry ingredients, stir into creamed mixture alternating with milk to moisten. This will have a dough like consistency. Spread into a 9 x 11 greased dish.

Filling:
3 oz raspberry jelly
1 c raspberries

Spread over base.

Topping:
7 T butter
3/4 c sugar
2 eggs beaten
3 c shredded or dessicated coconut
1/2 c brown rice flour

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs, beat well. Add coconut and rice flour alternately. Will be very moist. Dollop over top and then spread evenly. Bake 30-40 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Cut into 24 squares and then cool to remove. But best eaten hot and cut into VERY large squares.

Spaghetti Squash

Okay. This one left me a little speechless. It was delicious and all I could think is that actual spaghetti was someone's poor attempt to recreate this elusive dish, this magical vegetable, and failed completely.

Spaghetti Squash

1. Boil for 30 min., cut in half, scoop out seeds, remove peel, done.
2. Cut in half, roast 375 for 30 min, scoop out seeds, remove peel, done.

The flesh of this squash when cooked separates into individual strands, very small angel hair like strands. They have a little crunch to them, but I think that means we made them aldente', and additional cooking would change that. But it was good, very good.

We sauteed ours with olive oil, onions, mushrooms, and garlic. Then served it as a side dish.

I am growing these. And will grow many, many more next year. They seem to have a short season, but can be frozen cooked for year round enjoyment.

P.S. All of this we talk is because I managed to scald myself removing the squash from the boiling water and Chris had to finish making dinner. so. WARNING Use caution when handling and removing squash from boiling water.

Most Delicious Hummus

I am getting new and exciting recipes from the south beach diet, which features quite a few gluten free yummies. It also seems to present a fairly balanced diet nutritionally, which is nice since I frankly don't know what to eat most of the time. I like having a menu to follow, even if I am not exactly following it. Just guidelines.

Hummus

2 c cooked, soaked, rinsed chickpeas
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 c tahini
1/4 chopped onion
1-2 cloves garlic
2 t olive oil
2 t ground cumin
1/2 t salt

Puree all, add water to thin, approx. 1/2 c water.
Use as dip for sliced peppers and cucumber.
Try not to eat it by the spoonful.

Blueberry Blue

So due to our deep freeze failing, thawing almost everything, there will be a surplus of food and cooking the next couple of days. This is the only appliance we didn't buy from brandsmart, but lowe's so far has an awesome service department.

Blueberry Sorbet

1 bag thawed wild organic blueberries
2 c water
1/2c sugar
splash lemon juice

Boil ALL ingredients until blueberries have further mushed and sugar has dissolved. 10 minutes to be on the safe side. Puree. Cool overnight or as long as you are willing to wait. Add to icecream maker.

Boiled Beef Tacos

Cowboy Beans
(not good, needs work)

1 lb beans, soak overnight
1 onion diced
1 lb ground lamb
1 T worchesterhsire sauce
2 T chili powder
2 t salt
1 t dry mustard
1/2 t pepper
1 can rotel, or chopped fresh tomatoes
1-2 T apple cider vinegar
7 c water

Drain beans, add to slow cooker. Brown meat and onions. Add all to cooker, stir, cook low 8-10 hrs or high for 6. Add more worcestershire or vinegar to taste.

Grilled Chicken Quarters/ Gillespie Chicken

Grilled Steak and Zuchinni

Roasted Whole Chicken

BeerCan Chicken

Pumpkin Pie?

The goal was to make GF pumpkin bread. I had eaten this delicious GF pumpkin bread a while back and the directions were use GF pancake mix and find an online recipe for pumpkin bread. So I read up on pumpkin bread recipes, got GF cake mix, leftout sugar, milk, and butter--but added an egg AND WAY TOO MUCH pumpkin puree, and lots of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. And 1 hour later on a 25 minute cake got a cake like exterior and pumpkin pie interior. Everyone else had creamcheese frosting on theirs. It was eaten but there were no request for seconds.

Maybe my standards are too high, but I count success as requests for seconds and no leftovers.

Watermelon Sorbet

Yummy. This ended up being even better than mango sorbet!

Watermelon Sorbet

1/2 large watermelon, cubed
1 lemon
1 lime
1/2 sugar
1 c water

Make simple syrup, juice citrus, and to watermelon, puree, and 1/2 to ice cream maker and freeze other 1/2 as is for later. An extra large 8 cup measuring cup and a stick blender work really well for this.

Delicious. And something I could probably eat large quantities of, 2 bowls so far, where as I have only split a bowl of mango sorbet.

Mango Sorbet

Just in case you were thinking of skipping out on game night--

Mango Sorbet

8 mangoes
4 limes
1 c water
1/2 c sugar

Squeeze limes, make simple syrup, puree mangoes, combine and put HALF (4 c) in your 2qt ice cream maker. Repeat. AND eat at game night.

June 1 Menu Plan

This is my proposed menu, in no particular order since it involves going to the grocery store, where I may or may not buy the ingredients, depending on whether they are on sale or not. I'm just that stubborn. or frugal. or something.

As for the dried apricots I still haven't found any with out preservatives. I may end up just drying my own, they are in season now. But that is ridiculous. I could just eat fresh apricots, instead of dried apricot cookies.

Crockpot Asian Shredded Pork

4 pounds boneless beef or pork roast
1/2 cup gluten free soy sauce
1/2 cup gluten free hoisin sauce
6 tablespoons ketchup
6 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons Chinese 5-spice powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder (or 6 cloves, minced)

Put meat in cooker. Sprinkle the dried spices directly onto the meat, and top with the ketchup and honey. Pour in the soy and hoisin sauces. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours, or until meat shreds easily with a fork.

Serve over white or brown basmati rice, or over raw shredded cabbage.

Bolognese

1 1/2 cups grated carrots
1 large red onion, diced
1/2 cup olive oil
2 pounds ground beef
2 tablespoons oregano
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 cups red wine
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
salt pepper
2 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes
1 cup milk

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or skillet over medium heat. Add grated carrots and onions and cook for a few minutes. Make a well in the center of the mixture, then add in the ground beef. Cook for a few minutes until brown, gradually stirring it into the carrot mixture. Throw in oregano and basil. When the meat is browned and combined with other ingredients, make another well. Add tomato paste and let it heat. Add garlic and stir to combine. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add red wine. Stir together. Add Worcestershire and stir. Add canned tomatoes. Finally, pour in milk, stir, and let simmer for 30 minutes to 2 hours—however long you need.

Sesame Snap Cookies

Makes 10 cookies

1 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup shelled pistachios
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 teaspoon lemon extract or lemon juice
1 teaspoon agave syrup

Place the apricots in the food processor and process into a paste. Add the pistachios, sesame seeds, lemon extract, and agave syrup and process to mix well.

Scoop the dough by 1 1/2 teaspoons onto a sheet tray lines with parchment and flatten into cookies.

Will keep for a week in the fridge or for several weeks in the freezer (thaw before eating).

Variations:
If you love herbs, try adding 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme or tarragon to the dough. Or add 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger for zing.

Chicken with Shallot-Apricot Sauce
serves 4

For the chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chicken broth

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 medium shallots, peeled and sliced thin
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 heaping tablespoons apricot jam or preserves
salt and pepper

Season each chicken breast with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Cook the chicken breasts for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until they develop a golden brown crust. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and cook for about 5 more minutes, or until the chicken is just cooked through.

When the chicken is finished cooking, remove from the pan, set on a plate, and cover with foil to keep warm. Return the heat to high and add the 1/4 cup of chicken broth, de-glazing the pan and scraping the brown bits from the bottom.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium to large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes, until they begin to get soft and the bottom of the pan begins to brown.

Add the 1/2 cup chicken broth to the shallots, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan while the broth reduces. Add the balsamic vinegar, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for about 5 more minutes. Add the apricot jam and stir to combine. The sauce will thicken but should still be easily stirred.

To serve, slice the chicken, drizzle with the pan juices, and top with the shallot-apricot mixture.

Irish Meat Loaf

Boiled Beef Tacos

2 lb ground chuck
1 t salt
2 T chili powder
2 cloves minced garlic
1 t cumin
2 T paprika

Put in pot, just cover with water. Bring to boil. Stir and mash to break up clumps every 15 min, cook for 1 hour.

Add chopped onion, cook for 20 more minutes. Briefly stir with hand blender. Drain with fine mesh colander return to pot. Some liquid can be reserved and fat allowed to separate in refrigerator. Combine this with cornstarch and add back to meat for a saucier meat.

Irish Meatloaf and Colcannon

This recipe has taken some research, I am trying to reproduce the one and only meatloaf I have ever liked. I interrogated the cook at an Irish Pub to get the recipe, but all I got were the secret ingredients( I hope I can remember all of them), and I have to put it together! So this is attempt 1:

Irish Meatloaf
1 carrot
2 ribs celery
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1 lb ground turkey
1 lb ground lamb
2 eggs
1 t thyme
1/2 t Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c raisins
celery salt
fennel seeds
whole grain mustard
1/2 c rolled oats
3 slices of brown rice bread soaked in guiness and beef bullion

Finely chop vegetables and garlic, saute.
Mix all ingredients together and press into a loaf pan.
Bake 375F 45min, baste.

Baste/Sauce:
1/2 c ketchup?
2 T whole grain mustard
1/2 c guiness
1/2 c balsamic vinegar

Serve with colcannon and mushrooms sauteed in guiness sauce.


Colcannon
1/2 bunch kale
1/2 head cabbage
4 potatoes
1 onion
milk

Cook kale and cabbage in boiling salted water until tender but not overcooked. Drain very well and chop finely. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes, and while they are cooking chop onions and simmer them in milk or cream for about 7 minutes. Drain the potatoes, season and mash them well, then stir in the cooked onions and milk, adding a little more milk if needed. Finally blend in the finely chopped kale and cabbage. Heat and brown the entire mixture gently, then pile in a warmed dish. Make a small well in the center and pour in the melted butter.

Deal!

I just have to say I am now a big fan of Kroger. Despite all of its many undesirable features, you can really get a deal there. In fact my deep freeze is now fully stocked with poultry. All natural, antibiotic and hormone free. I was looking for ground lamb, but the first Kroger didn't have any in stock anymore-- instead they had the previously mentioned chicken for $1.99 lb for boneless skinless chicken breast. So swooped in and grabbed almost all they had. By the way if you do this other shoppers will gather, you must be decisive in what you want or they will decimate the supply of whatever sale thing before you make up your mind. While I was there I did a bit more looking around and found roaster chickens also on sale, again all natural hormone free. This particular Kroger also had the cage free, grain fed eggs on sale too. I think I am misleading you when I say on sale, these are all manager specials meaning that my total at the end was equal to the YOU SAVED part on the bottom of your receipt.

After not finding the ground lamb, I finally ventured over to the local butcher. My sister in tow for support. The first venture into something new requires support. They are very nice. Their prices are not great. They had no lamb.

This butcher is by a different Kroger, so I thought perhaps I would check there, since the other Kroger was just out of stock. They also had the fabulous chicken sale, BUT marked down again for 1.49 lb. This chicken looked old, I'm a fan of a good deal, but if you would have to cook this asap, it wouldn't have kept in the freezer. It had started to get all of that extra juice in the package, those are not the best packages to choose. Instead I bought two of the all natural, hormone, anti-biotic, cage free turkeys. The regular ones were even more on sale, but the whole point of stopping our Sam's Club membership was to get more of the natural organic meats and produce. AND yes they had ground lamb, on sale: 1.99 lb.

Bread Cache

I have been hoarding these recipes, and I am tired of keeping up with the tabs so I am going to group them here, and share pre-tested:

Pizza Crust
Irish Soda Bread
Bread Machine Bread
Focaccia

Sadly I STILL do not have all of the necessary flours, but wonderful things happen like this morning's muffins when I just make do. Pizza crust is a go, but I have already planned the weeks menu, as for the rest 1) I lost my bread machine paddle and am too cheap to pay for the replacement-- I am waiting to find it at a thrift store and 2) millet flour. I have heard good reviews on millet flour, and have even held a bag of it in my hand. But no, alas, I have 5 gluten free flours (7 until this morning when I used up all the white rice and buckwheat flours) and 3 different starches and xanthan gum, but not millet. Heh. So my hesitation over whether or not I had it a home I believe is excusable.

Yummy Muffins

I finally have a successfully made from scratch gluten free recipe. I decided to wing it and just substitute what I had on hand and add a dash of xanthan gum.

GF Yogurt Coffee Cake Muffins*
1/2 c butter substitute
3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 c yogurt
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 c rice flour
1 c buckwheat flour
1 t xanthan gum

topping:
1/2 t cinnamon
2 T sugar
1 T brown sugar

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Mix well. Combine baking soda, baking powder and flours. Add to wet mixture. Scoop into greased muffin tins, layering topping between dollops of mix. Sprinkle topping over each muffin. Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes. Yield: 1 dozen muffins

This was so good, that my test subjects said: "You can eat these?!"

Yes. I. Can.

For you see my dear, these too are gluten free and delicious.

*Original Recipe: Finer Things In Life

Menu Planning

I am not a menu planner. I buy what is on sale and only when it is a good price. But I am going to give it a try, combining the two: sale items with staple items. Mainly as an attempt to clear out my pantry and fridge. Especially since my fridge is now freshly stocked from the Dekalb farmer's Market, and super sale buy from Nu Pak grocer. I don't want any of the yummy-ness to go to waste, and this would be a good opportunity to plan out when to use all of the unusual spices, and dig through the large collection of cookbooks I have acquired.

Saturday:
Roasted Aubergines- Curry Cookbook, North India Recipe pg 71
*marinated Eggplant and Mushrooms overnight for tomorrow

Roasted Aubergines
2 Large Eggplant
3 T veg oil
1/2 t black mustard seeds
1 onion finely chopped
1 1/2 c mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
1 crushed red chili
1/2 t chili powder
1 t ground cumin
1 t ground coriander
1/4 t ground tumeric
1 t salt
1 can chopped tomatoes* I substitute frozen roma tomatoes here*
1 T cilantro

Bake eggplant 440F for 30-35 min, or until soft.
Fry mustard seeds in a large pot with veg oil.
Add onions, mushrooms, garlic, and chili.
Add spices and tomatoes.
Mash roasted eggplant and add with cilantro to the pot.
Boil until thickened, garnish with cilantro.

Marinated Eggplant and Mushrooms
1 eggplant
1/2 c red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic mashed
salt and pepper
12 mushrooms
1/2 c diced celery
1 t fresh rosemary
1/2 c olive oil

Sunday:
Marinated Eggplant and Mushrooms, Passover pg 58
Savory Baked Chicken, Passover pg 157
Quinoa

Savory Baked Chicken
Chicken pieces
juice of 3 lemons
6 T olive oil
salt and pepper
2 t ground cumin
1 t ground oregano
pinch of allspice* optional
1/2 t cayenne pepper

Toss and coat chicken with ingredients.
Bake 450F, 1 hour

Monday:
Fruit Salad
Potato Tortilla, Spanish pg 104
*soak beans overnight for Tuesday

Potato Tortilla
3 potatoes
1 onion
3 T veg oil
4 eggs
garnish with parsley or tomato wedges

Thinly slice potatoes and onion, saute until potato slices are tender, 20 min.
Remove from heat, mix eggs and spices, pour over potatoes and onions.
Cook 5-8 min, setting bottom and lifting edges to allow uncooked egg to go to the bottom of the pan. Invert on plate, slide back into pan. Cook until golden brown.

Tuesday:
Mixed Bean and Aubergine Tagine with Mint Yogurt, One Pot pg 226

Mixed Bean and Aubergine Tagine
1/2 c dried kidney beans, soak overnight separately
1/2 c dried black-eyed peas, soak overnight separately
2 bay leaves
2 celery sticks, halved
5 T oil
1 eggplant, cubed
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 red chillies, crushed
1 t paprika
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 1/4c stock
1 T each chopped parsley, cilantro, mint
salt and pepper

Drain beans, add more water and boil separately 10 min.
In large casserole add 2 1/2c water, bay leaves, celery, beans.
Cook 375F 1 1/2 hours. Drain.
In pan cook eggplant until softened.
Add garlic, onion and chillies onion is cooked.
Add to casserole, along with paprika, tomatoes, salt and pepper.
Cook 1 hr.

Mint Yogurt
2/3 c yogurt
2 T mint
2 scallions, chopped

Wednesday:
Meat Loaf-- recreate Irish Meatloaf
Cabbage and Potatoes

Thursday:
Garlic and Kale

Friday:
Chicken with Lemon and Garlic, Spanish pg 184
Salad with grapefruit

Chicken with Lemon and Garlic
Chicken pieces
2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 t paprika
juice of 1 lemon
2 T chopped parsley
salt and pepper

Stirfry chicken, onion, garlic, and paprika.
Add lemon, parsley, salt and pepper just before serving

Next Week Possibilities:
Chickpeas with Spiced Potato Cakes, West India Recipe pg 131
Beef Biryani, CurryBook pg 146 with Red Lentil Pancakes pg 150
Rice Tortillas, Spanish pg 138
Spiced Lentils with Spinach, South India Recipe pg 113
Menestra, Spanish pg 130

Rainy Days

I really enjoy a nice rainy day. The birds still sing, did you know? And all of the wonderful growing things in the yard are getting quenched, or maybe just drenched. But nevertheless this is a marvelous thing, a reason to celebrate. Celebratory Breakfast:

Baked Amish Oatmeal (easy and delicious!)
1 1/2 c oatmeal
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c milk or milk substitute
1/4 c butter or butter substitute
1 egg
1 t baking powder
2 t vanilla
1 pinch salt

Bake in small greased baking dish at 350F for 25-30 min.
I like to top mine with fresh fruit (especially peaches) and yogurt, but you can cook it with fruit or nuts already added.

Enjoy!


P.S.
Gutters are a pretty good substitute for the sound of rain on a tin roof.

Who Doesn't Like Apple Pie?

One more last minute dinner for company this week:

Alice's Spring Chicken
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
GF Apple Pie

Alice's Spring Chicken
Honey Mustard Marinade:
1/2 cup Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Topping:
2 cups sliced mushrooms (10-12 mushrooms)
salt and pepper
paprika
8 slices bacon, cooked
1 cup shredded cheese
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Marinate 2+ hours, sear in pan, cook in oven.
Top with mushrooms, bacon, and cheese. Sprinkle with parsley.

GF Apple Pie
Pie Crust
1 1/2c rice flour
2t honey
1/2t salt
1t xanthan gum
2/3c butter or oil
(4T water)

This is supposed to be enough for a double pie crust. Instead you omitt the water and plop the wet sand mixture into a pie shell until it resembles a bottom crust, and then take the remainder and shape it into a 3 leaf clover for st.Patrick's day (only 3 leaves because I'm just not feeling that lucky) sprinkle with green sugar and bake. It looks pretty but is still inedible despite the sprinkles. Just remember to NOT MAKE this crust in the future.

Apple Pie Filling:
6 sliced peeled cored apples
1T lemon juice
3/4c sugar
2T rice flour
1/2t cinnamon
1/8t nutmeg

Crumb Topping:
1/2c oat flour
1/2c brown sugar
3T butter substitute

Process in food processor until crumbly. Top apple pie with this since your double crust top was a fail. I am beginning to think that oat flour is the best for baking.

Edible: Two out of Three

On the menu for our gluten free and dairy free dinner with friends:
Sausage and Kale over pasta
Brown rice bread
Vanilla Pudding

Sausage and Kale over pasta
3 Hot Italian sausages, casings removed
1 head of garlic, chopped
3-6T olive oil
Dash salt, dash pepper
1 bunch of Kale, coarsely chopped

Sautee crumbled sausage and garlic, extra oil is added to ensure kale will be thoroughly coated.
When sausage is cooked add kale, toss to coat, cover pan with lid, cook until kale is partially wilted. Serve immediately over angel hair pasta with optional parmesean cheese.

This was great! Delicious!

Unfortunately we served it over multi-grain(rice,quinoa,amaranth but gluten free) pasta, which to give it credit and not to rate it as a total fail does taste like whole wheat pasta. But this stuff is sticky and while cooking managed to break into a billion little 1-2inch pieces. So it didn't really have the presentation of a mound of spaghetti noodles. If you want that with a bright yellow color and that taste like corn use the quinoa noodles. But as far as taste goes this worked out.

Brown Rice Bread
2c Brown Rice Baking Mix
2 eggs
2 T oil
1 T honey
1 1/4c almond milk

I used a mix (Fearn brand that is in the brown and gold box that looks like it came from a health food store in the 70's). I was unable to purchase all of the ingredients to make gluten free bread. No store seems to have all the necessary ingredients in stock at the same time. So I am one purchase of potato starch away from GF bread. Maybe even focacia

It was good even though it was rice, of which I am not very fond of in non-standard form.

Vanilla Pudding* (Or vanilla flavored silly putty, intend for kids that even eat their paste)
6T arrowroot starch
4c almond milk
1/2c maple syrup
pinch salt
2T vanilla
1/2t nutmeg

This was not consumable, even though I upped the vanilla to 2T. It was jiggly after being chilled and folded around your spoon and oozed around like almond colored snot. This was an absolute fail and I am seriously considering NEVER trying another bobsredmill recipe again. What were they thinking?! I will post a good recipe later, I know one exists. It uses EGGS and SUGAR.

Sigh, but we had good dinner companions, who only tittered a little at my pudding faux pas. And then politely asked for more of that yummy brown rice bread with some jam please. There was no leftover Sausage and Kale.

Cooking Gluten and Dairy free

Having been a recipe maven, I am now at a stand still as to what to cook. My most loved recipes need to be set aside for the time being or abandoned. So onward to a brighter future.

We may end up eating out again.

Not that eating out is much easier with my limited choices.

Back to the kitchen.

So over the past year, before discovering my gluten+dairy malady, I have cut out almost all processed foods. Which is a fun adventure in learning how to cook EVERYTHING from scratch, albeit time consuming and labor intensive. But I will have to pause now as I try to interpret what is needed to make a gluten free flour. I hadn't yet gotten to how to make vanilla wafers or pasta. And then there really is no good cheese substitute. But I have found that I prefer almond milk over rice milk, and there are some passable soy products. So instead of bread or pasta, the mainstay of my diet, I now have to figure out new cheese free potato and rice recipes.

Chinese food is a fairly easy conversion. You must keep in mind that a wheat free soy sauce will be needed and a butter substitute. Most breading is done with corn starch, but a fry gizmo is a must for dumplings and rolls.

Salads are a no-brainer, just remember to get wheat free and dairy free dressing when you are feeling especially overwhelmed and forget that you can make your own.

And the spanish tortilla. You make me beg for ketchup.

My big plans to grow beans this summer will hopefully still ensue-- so that I will have beans to make dried beans to make 'beans' instead of buying canned beans. Or I could just freeze them I guess, I'll get to that when there are beans to be had. But last years tomato saving was a success! When we were overwhelmed with 4 dozen tomatoes a week I was able to freeze them fresh and whole from the plant. Whew. So over the fall and winter and now I just take said whole frozen tomato and pop it into boiling water, to remove the skin, and then chop the still frozen middle and then add it to soups and pastas. I still I have an entire gallon freezer bag of tomatoes. By the way you want to do this with romas and eat your heirloom slicer tomatoes fresh. Mmm Mr. Stripey.

Recipes will follow.

Change is in the air, and Trees are Falling

A long awaited change is taking place at the Heilman Home-- our driveway trees are gone. At first glance during our initial viewing of our home to be the were just a curiosity, easily dismissed as the neighbor's responsibility. But once we were the new home owners our new neighbors quickly disavowed any claim to the trees. They were roughly hewn with jagged scars painted over with yellow paint, but spring came and covered all disfigurement with fluffy clouds of white blooms. We spent that first spring inside painting and claiming the house as ours, leaving the yard to rest and tell us it's story. Next spring as soon as the weather warmed up and our house was overflowing with guests and cats, I began to spend a great deal of time in the yard. It's story began to read to me as a jarring haphazard assortment of storylines with no order. The trees got a few trims as they began to sprout out new growth and their yellow scabs faded a little with time. But those blooms reeked, and those trees sprouted millions of baby trees, and war ensued. The on going battle to halt their encroachment via spreading limbs, rapid proliferation of little minions, and their bedeviling bombardment of permantly adherring rotten fruit. There were casualties. But elsewhere liriope was quickly dug out and reset into pleasing sinous lines. Hostas were easily massed and replanted into pleasingly lush beds (sadly lasting only one year before comitting mass suicide to escape devouring slugs). Daffodils and tulips planted for the much needed early herald of spring (the daffodils march on but the tulips went to the slugs and squirrels). There was the mulch saga the ended with the most luscious vegtable beds and park like trails. And now after much despair and blisters, the driveway trees have been slain. I only hope they haven't left a final bombardment of treelings, but even that I will happily face with the satisfaction of knowing it will be the last.

Goodbye my arch foe.