8.31.2007
Pokey Grits
8.30.2007
Holy Mother of Mary
These were fantastic! I mean, truly far better tasting than any macaroni and cheese dish that's passed my lips. I made them alongside a French Onion & Leek Soup. Unbelievable. I was so excited to eat tonight that I forgot to take a snapshot of them for you. But — worry not, I'll be making them again very soon and will take a wondrous shot of me spooning them into my mouth.
8.24.2007
Betty Crocker, Get To Work!
It was a hard afternoon. The few recipes I tried for bread, left me low. Seriously, can't they generate something similar to gluten in a laboratory somewhere? I mean, I know we've got bigger fish to fry with curing disease and saving lives, but couldn't we at least get Betty Crocker to work on this?
The bread was like a yoga brick,with a lot less flavor. It smelled off to me too. The texture was like a really really dry crumbly (not in the good way) corn muffin — again without the yumminess that IS cornbread (love love love the cornbread). It was a horrendous colour too, somewhere around a dry and cakey mustard that was sitting out all day at a picnic. (You forgot, I'm a Designer, I think in colours first). I tried it with butter, then with jam, feverishly trying to mask it's tainted flavor. There must be better out there.
Enter Simply Recipes, my saviour for the day. My rainbow after the rain. Okay, bit sappy, but you didn't eat the bread, did you. ::wink::
I mixed up these muffins from Elise in no time. I had to modify a little bit, well - because I'm a cook and we all know that we as Artists (in whatever fashion) need to feel like we contributed. (Actually, I just dislike raisins. Oh! And I'm not a fan of nuts messing the consistency of my moist and airy muffins - so they went on top) Putting the nuts on top also works out for keeping some nut-free for others with sensitivities. I'm more of a rustic cook by nature so this aesthetically pleased me as well. Yay! I also had trouble locating my standard muffin tins. Shoot! Mini-muffins it is - they are quite fun actually. Yay!
So, here we go, Wheat Sensitives and Wheat Lovers Unite! This is what you can expect.
Date & Pumpkin Cupcakes
Simply Recipes original ingredients in parentheses.
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon honey
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin purée
2 cups Bob's Red Mill's Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup buttermilk*
1 cup chopped dates (raisins)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (pecans)
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
*Note to make your own buttermilk, combine 1/2 cup of milk with 1/2 Tbsp of vinegar or lemon juice. Stir and let stand 10 minutes before using.
Preheat oven to 350°F, and place rack in the center of the oven. Measure out a cup of dates and fill the cup with very warm water, set aside. Using your Kitchen Aid or your own two hands, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add in molasses and honey, mix for about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the pumpkin purée and vanilla and beat until fully mixed in. Drain dates and chop finely, set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to the pumpkin batter, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
Add the dates to the mixture and fold in.
Set paper cupcake holders in a muffin tin. Spoon the batter into the cupcake paper cups, close to the top of the cups. Bake approximately 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely before popping out or frosting - they need to set up.
To Make Yummy Frosting For Cupcakes
Using an electric mixer, mix together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add maple syrup and confectioners' sugar and mix to combine. Once cupcakes have cooled, apply frosting. Top each with sprinkled walnuts.
These cupcakes were devoured by Brian as you can see above he was two in before I even got to frost the suckers. He claims that no one would ever know because they tasted so good. He doesn't lie. He said the bread sucked. Boys are good like that. Let me know what you think, and make sure to stop by Elise's and check out her site.
8.23.2007
A New Eggs A Poach'ing.
The poached egg for me is a childhood memory of being woken by my Grandmother Ruth early in the morning around seven bells. I was asked to get dressed and to meet her in the kitchen. I was a hard kid to rouse. I was cranky. But everyday I got up to my Nana standing in the kitchen, holding a hot curling iron ( She was a Beautician afterall) and making me poached eggs to be deliciously dumped on a piece of warm buttered toast.
I haven't had a poached egg since I was a child. At some point there, in my childhood - I had refused eggs. I stopped eating them because of a science experiment of raising chickens in the classroom that had gone bad. And then, I grew up, moved out, and lost her to a really traumatic and drawn out chain of events. That was 7 years ago, this time of year. And I find that in the times I need strength most, she shows up persistently in my thoughts. Oh I miss her so.
Today reminds me of my Nana Ruth. So today I will make poached eggs. On toast. For the first time in more than 15 years. It's a day of needed comfort and warm memories over warm bread (wheat-free, of course).
8.22.2007
The First Supper
It has taken me awhile to swallow this whole wheat-free deal. Last night I mustered up the courage to cook again. I've been living off rice and beans to get by, (my ultra comfort food) but frankly, I'm sick of it. Hallelujah! I'm quite positive Asian cuisine will be a great place to start. I think some veggie fried rice is in order. Asian food has tons of wheat free standards - rice, rice noodle, rice wrappers, fresh veggies. All good things I use frequently. So I start chopping. Chopping is rewarding. Chopping vegetables is monotonous. It's a good time for meditation. A time to reflect on one of the best things in life. Food. Food is something that nourishes us and brings us together. It's sensory. It's a basic need.
Vegetable Fried Rice
(this version is vegetarian and wheat-free and is easily adapted to accomodate meat)
2 cups cooked brown rice - cold
1 small finely chopped onion
1 red pepper, chopped fine
30 peapods, chopped
1 chopped carrot
can of water chestnuts - drained
can of bamboo shoots - drained
1-2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 packed fried rice seasoning*
3 eggs, scrambled with a bit of milk and set aside
generous bunch of chopped cilantro (can use mint as well) for granish
4 chopped scallions for garnish
*I'd like to point out that I am working on a homemade seasoning mix, but until then, this will have to work.
You will want to use cold rice to make this to get the great texture in fried rice. I use brown rice because it is healthier and also holds up well. You can use Basmati as well. Start out by frying up some scrambled eggs in another small pan, set aside. Then sauté vegetables you have chosen in a bit of sesame oil - we just want to soften them a bit, not cook through. When they are a bit more tender, push into a bowl to wait it out. Add your rice to the hot pan to fry it up. Add more sesame oil if you need to. Add back in the vegetables and toss in packet of fried rice seasoning, mix gently. Fold in eggs. Sprinkle with cilantro and scallions. Add Tamari to taste.
I know I'm sensitive, but a wheat sensitivity? What? Damn.
And know the funny part of it all? That cereal website I've been working so damn hard on for the past 9 months -seriously, I could have made a baby in that time? It's made with whole grains.