Comfort Food

Sometimes I am jealous of my one-year old niece.

She gets to cry whenever she wants, regardless of the situation or the level of appropriatness. Social norms mean nothing to her. This is much of the reason I believe she is such a sweet, happy, darling baby.

Sometimes, at the end of a long day, one where you are so tired and so achy it's unreal that you are out of bed, tears in the middle of the grocery store just seem so appropriate. Because after all, not only are you tired and horrendously achy at the grocery store at the end of a long day, you still have to run another errand, get gas, unload the groceries, put away the groceries, AND make dinner.

I don't know how I held the tantrum off, but I did. Then, suddenly, in the European food section of Giant, nostalgia hit me. And with nostalgia almost always comes inspiration.

After a quick call to Cindy and a few laps around the store for a few more things, I had a wonderful dinner at hand.

The cool thing about food is the way it brings people together. I truly believe this is the biggest reason people hate dietary restrictions so much, whether they know it or not, because not being able to eat certain food makes you feel singled out or separated. Food is meant to be enjoyed, and enjoyed with others. Everyone has to eat, regardless of age, race, culture or beliefs. This is how comfort food is born. Like my mama always said had written on our kitchen table, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."


I love family-style eating. Big plates or pots of steaming foods stuck in the middle of a table of smiling, sharing faces...just like a pizza commercial. I also love one-pan cooking, mainly because I am lazy and abhore doing dishes. So, what could be better at the end of a tantrum day than a simple, comforting, memory-inducing, big-bowl-in-the-middle-of-the-table creamy risotto?


This meal was first made for me just like this; a gigantic bowl in the middle of a table to feed a bunch of college kids studying abroad in Italy. My roommate and I went to Italy during spring break of our sophomore year to visit a couple of our closest friends studying abroad. Let me tell you, these girls can cook. I got to live with them senior year, and they can COOK. Such lucky families they will feed one day. In a teeny little kitchen in Rome we chopped peppers, took turns grating cheese until our arms fell off, ate cereal out of a box labled CHOCO CRACK and laughed until we cried. Then we ate until our stomaches hurt, but still had room to go eat gelatto by the Pantheon.

And so, a tough afternoon was made sweeter with thoughts of going home to a simple, delicious and inspired dinner, the ultimate in comfort food.


Cheesy Risotto, a la Jess and Cindy, tweeked for ultimate laziness
Ingredients

Risotto, two cups

One large red bell pepper, chopped

Grated parmesan cheese (REAL, not Kraft) ;)

Grated romano cheese

Chicken broth, four cups (or water)

One onion, chopped

Garlic, to taste

Prosciutto, to budget

Olive Oil, to taste

(For cheesy risotto a la Taylor, you can really toss in whatever you like. I added peas to mine and am too poor for prosciutto, so I used bacon instead. I also used a little mozerella instead of the romano.)

Saute the onion and garlic in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add two cups of uncooked risotto and stir to coat with oil and heat for about 2 minutes. Add four cups of chicken broth. Cook covered for about 45 minutes, or until soft and the liquid is nearly soaked. You can walk away go take a bath. Just have your husband take a peek every now and then.

At the RICE, silly!

Cook and chop your bacon (microwaves are great!) or slice your ham or whatever else you want to use. Chop the peppers and toss them in the microwave for a couple of minutes until soft (I did it like that because I wanted the peppers a little crunchy). Toss everything together into the risotto and add as much cheese as you'd like. I did about a cup; keep in mind that parmesan has lots of flavor. You may need to add a little more stock for creaminess.

Dump into a big serving bowl and eat a ton while thinking of and missing your froomies. (Roommate+Friend=Froomie.) Close your eyes, dream of the pantheon, and be glad you are not your baby niece, because she hasn't been there yet, even if she CAN cry whenever she wants.

Tricks of the Trade

One of my biggest gluten-free woes has to be condensed creamy soups. They are a) almost impossible to find gluten-free b) the few gluten-free ones that are out there taste funny and c) some recipes just aren't the same without some globulous, salty, creamy goodness. Um...right?

I have a tendency to click around through blogs for the first part of my planning period in the morning. My brain is just not in full gear yet and I love to drink my cup of tea and chill out for a little bit before facing middle schoolers for the rest of the day. In my clicking, I came upon a list of links for "Works for Me Wednesday" at http://www.wearethatfamily.com/. What an awesome list of ideas and solutions! It's like Hints from Heloise times one hundred and fifty, or however many people end up linking.

Well, guess what? The solution to the condensed creamy soup conundrum can be found here, healthier, updated and- get ready- less globulous.

Also, in clicking around on BlossomingSkillet, I found out that my beloved sweet rice flour has yet another use; thickening soups and gravies. Apparently, it's even nicer than regular wheat flour, and anyone who has made a roux with brown rice flour knows how frustrating it can get.

I can't wait to try it out. But clearly, that will have to wait, because for over a week now I've either eaten out, picked up a rotisserie chicken, or had my husband make an emergency mac 'n *shudder* velveeta cheese. I even had a foray with a frozen chicken and rice meal. (If you thought they couldn't go wrong with chicken and rice, you were wrong. They can go wrong. Terribly wrong.) I also just ate a fudgesicle for breakfast because my coworker and I were cleaning out our fridge. Good thing I always have salad on hand, or I may be finished from salty and otherwise unhealthy food.

And people tell me it must "suck to eat so healthy all the time." HAH!

Blackened Salmon

How about another delicious gluten-free recipe?

Ingredients:

Salmon fillet
Honey
Brown mustard
Instant mashed potato flakes (be sure they're gluten-free)
Crushed walnuts (optional)
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Drizzle a 9x13 glass pan with EVOO and place your boneless, skinless fillet (I used a 2-lb. giant because that's what they sell at Costco) in it. Drizzle fillet with EVOO. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.

In a little bowl, mix equal parts honey and brown mustard, enough to liberally coat your fillet. (Probably about a tablespoon of each per pound of salmon.) Brush onto fillet and coat the up side with potato flakes and walnuts.

Place in oven at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes AND COMPLETELY FORGET ABOUT IT FOR OVER AN HOUR UNTIL YOU SMELL SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE OVEN. Stupid Twilight books.



Ok, so it should be called "UNINTENTIONALLY Blackened Salmon." Why did I have to choose the $6.50 a pound (yes, that's why I go to Costco) gigantic hunk of salmon to burn to a crisp? Yes, we still ate it. My husband is so gracious. ("This is delicious, honey! I love it dark and crispy!" Right.)



Seriously though, this is one of our favorite meals. I toss a salad with it and steam some broccoli and it's wonderful. Then we feel so healthy we finish it off with huge bowls of ice cream in bed.



Note: Real cooking times will vary based on your oven and the size of your fish, so just poke it occasionally until it's flaky and cooked through.

This one's for you, Cin:

Food and Friends

...two things I love! Put 'em together...even better.

The hubby and I had been wanting to have a house warming party for basically forever. We bought our house in July and it was more than time. We wanted to show off the fact that after hours upon hours of sweat, blood and tears, our house had gone from this:(Yes, that wall on the right IS crackle-finished. The yellow was even brighter than it looks, and don't even get me started on that wallpaper. For the love of Pete/future owners of your house...don't use wallpaper. Ever.)
To this:

Also, I just turned 25, so the time had come!

After much debate, we settled on a chili cook-off. Planning a big party for a lot of people can be tricky when you don't have a lot of money and you have to eat gluten-free. Chili is awesome because people's recipes are often naturally gluten-free, or can easily be altered to be so if your friends are sweet and dear enough to think of it. (My friend J. even made an AMAZING gluten-free cornbread casserole, when I get the recipe I'll post it.) There's something for everyone! I'm a little phobic of gluteny food in my house, so this worked perfectly. I put out a gigantic bowl of corn chips and lots of little bowls of salsas, sour cream, onion, cheese and jalepenos. Folks brought their dishes in big pots I stuck on the stove or crock pots around the kitchen. Add a salad, make some gluten-free cupcakes, put out plenty of plastic bowls and spoons and voila; food and fun all around!That's not even all of it! (Isn't is special that our gluten-free home has a beautiful tile backsplash of a wheat-inspired still life? We certainly think so. We also thinks it makes an even better statement to draw a big X over it.)


Yes, random things in my house are writing surfaces. Another post for another day.

Aren't they adorable?

We have incredible friends, so catching up with everyone was a blast. Everyone's chili was so good. We meant to take a vote for a winner, but totally forgot. Honestly, I don't know how we would have chosen! Stacy D.'s recipe had cinnamon in the spices that really brought out the delicious flavor, E. cooked the beans in her dish in bacon drippings for a yummy smoky flavor, S.J. and her hubby made their dish pop with hot sauce and bay leaves, my mom added jalepenos to the recipe I grew up with for a nice kick, and C. made a turkey chili that smelled incredible, but I was too stuffed to even try!

So, I'd say it was a success. How about making it annual?

No seriously, it's delicious

I promised a gluten-free chocolate birthday cake recipe, and I make good on promises.

I was really excited to test out my Asian sweet rice flour in a cake. We got our wedding cake from a wonderful bakery in Baltimore called Tenzo Artisan. Her gluten-free wedding cake was literally a dream come true for me, and so delicious. We very randomly stumbled upon her cake shop. We had actually gone up to Baltimore for a gluten-free cake taste test with Renee from Sweet Sin Bakery. Her cake was great and we were all set to go. We thanked her and headed down to Federal Hill for a little shopping. I got to chatting with one of the ladies in a shop and happened to mention we had just been cake testing. She asked where and I told her she wouldn't know the place because they specialize in gluten-free baking. She then said, "Oh, the place around the corner? She's wonderful!" I was confused because the place we'd just come from was on the other side of the city. She gave us the name of the shop (Tenzo) and we decided to drop in. Sure enough, gluten-free dessert galore! We set up a tasting with her and were truly amazed. When I asked her secret, she said, "Sweet rice flour!"

Anyway, both Sweet Sin and Tenzo products are wonderful. The woman who owns Tenzo is a former OB-GYN who decided she loved her baking hobby so much she'd follow it full time. I'm glad she did!
Isn't our little gluten-free cake adorable? She copied the pattern of some of the embroidery on my dress on the bottom layer. We served "normal" sheet cake to the rest of our guests. Our caterer wrapped up extra pieces for us to take with us to our hotel. We saved the top tier and took it with us on our anniversay trip. We had to keep it in a cooler because we were camping, which made it crucial to eat cake at four meals lest it go bad. I hope everyone has the opportunity to eat as much cake as possible in 24 hours before it goes bad at least once in a lifetime. Oh little cake, we have fond memories.

I tried out this recipe for my birthday cake and the result was wonderful. I had been planning to just find any cake recipe and substitute in some of my sweet rice flour, but I this was one of the first recipes I found and it just happened to include my flour already! I felt one happy step ahead. I didn't have any potato starch, so I used 1/2 a cup each of sweet rice flour, white rice flour and tapioca starch. I also used about 1/2 a teaspoon of xanthan gum. You can find the sweet rice flour at any Asian food market.

I made a two layer cake and used whipped cream between the layers. I frosted it with buttercream. The hubby said it was the best gluten-free cake he's ever had! I think he was exaggerating, because that Tenzo cake was seriously awesome, but this really was a close second.

Killer Chocolate Cake
(recipe from www.celiac.com, courtesy of Dave Ross)

Killer Chocolate Cake (Gluten-Free)

This recipe comes to us from Dave Ross.

Gluten-Free Flour Blend Ingredients:
25% Asian white rice flour;
25% Asian sweet rice flour;
25% tapioca starch; and
25% potato starch.

I use no Xanthan gum in these recipes. I buy a 12 oz. bag of each at an Asian store and mix them into a glass container for general use.

Gluten-Free Cake Ingredients:
¾ cup or 1 and ½ sticks butter melted
¾ cup cocoa powder
2 ¼ cup sugar
5 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 ½ cup gluten-free flour blend (above)
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 of an 8 oz. block cream cheese warmed in microwave
1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350° F

Gluten-Free Cake Directions:
Grease and cocoa 9” by 13” pan. Flour it with cocoa instead of flour. In mixer with whip mix melted butter with cocoa till smooth. Blend in sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla, salt, flour, cream cheese, baking soda and powder and mix until smooth.

Blend in the milk, stopping to scrape the sides and mix a little more to be sure everything is well blended. Pour into baking pan and tilt pan to even out the batter. Bake for 45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and set pan on a cooling rack. Leave in pan to cut and serve.

Check it out and enjoy!

I'm 25? Really?

"No!" says 13 me.

"Oh, Feathers, that is so funny. We won't ever be 25," says 11 me.

Today is my birthday. I am 25 and for some reason that is making me not want to have a birthday. So I thought I'd head over to Cake Wrecks to get myself in the mood, at least to make the gluten free cake I'm making. I found this amazing cake picture at the amazing blog:
Gummi Beaaaaaaars! Bouncing here and there and every where! High adventure that's beyond compare! We are the Gummi BEARS!

Gummi Bears was one of my favorite shows as a kid. We didn't have cable though and it was a Disney channel show, so we'd watch it every day when they used to do those two-week free cable trials. (Remember those days?)

When I was really little, I had invisible babies. No, not invisible friends, invisible babies. I used to make my mom wait to buckle me into my car seat while I buckled my babies into their car seats. One of my babies was named Zummi Gummi.

Oh, nostalgia. How precious you are! I'm 25? I used to look like this:



I thought 25 looked like this:
But always, always loved and will always love this:I'm excited to go bake my gluten-free cake with the sweet rice flour I found at Lotte. Recipe to come!

Winter Blues Begone!

Lenny and I were blessed to be able to visit my grandparents in Tampa over the inauguration weekend. We knew the DC area would be out of control, so we decided to skip town and watch the inauguration on television with the comfort of 70 degree weather in the background while DC people stood outside in arctic blast weather. We missed history in the making, but I was fine with that in exchange for this:
That was a lovely 70 degree day! Tampa had been the 80s before we got there, but the cold blast from the west that broughts temps into the teens here at home dropped Tampa to a little colder than average too. I was A-ok with that, given the home alternative!

I'd had a flight voucher with Airtran that had to be used up before the end of January. I've missed out on using up vouchers before, so I wasn't go to miss this one. Not with my affinity for travel! We got down there on a Saturday and left Tuesday night; a perfect mini-vacation! We had MLK Day off anyway, and DC areas schools were closed on Tuesday. We even got to spend the evening with Lenny's family on Friday night- his mom had graciously offered to drive us to the airport at 5 am!


When we got to Tampa, we reveled in the warmth, sunshine, and my sweet grandparents' happy faces. We had a delicious lunch at Cheesecake Factory, then headed to their house in the retirement community at Word of Life. We toured around the grounds a bit, then Lenny and I fell asleep on the couch. We were exhausted because lameo Airtran made our flights for the morning crazy. (We'd had to leave BWI at 6, arrive in Atlanta at 8, chill for three hours, then arrive in Tampa at 12:30. Thanks for the fun, Airtran!) We then went to a cool praise concert at the WOL conference center. The singer, Steve Green, was only okay, but his piano guy was incredible. He did a couple of songs on his own that were awesome, I really want a CD.


We went to church and played mini-golf the next day, then did a little shopping. Lenny and I had a blast going for a spin in my grandpa's electric bicycle golf cart. We had a delicious dinner (my Grandma's a great cook, it runs in the family) followed by these AMAZING "Lava Cakes" she made for dessert. They make non gluten-free folks jealous that gluten-free folk can eat such amazing stuff. I've tried making them twice since, but they haven't quite turned out like hers.

Monday was probably my favorite day. After a delicious breakfast we headed over to Tarpon Springs, a funky, touristy Greek town famous for sponge diving. They have the neatest little aquarium there with lots of demonstrations. I got to hold a python, and Lenny got to touch a baby shark.

The men needed an ice-cream pit stop of course, but then we went for a lovely drive and ended up at Honeymoon Beach. Walking on that beach was the highlight of the trip for me. It felt like winter at home had never existed. I am convinced that two hours holds almost all of the responsibility for my wonderful lack of winter blues this year. We ended that day with a delicious dinner at a southern bbq joint. Lenny loved the sweet tea. Ohh, bbq, I could eat you every day!
Barefoot in the water in January! I love Florida. I love my grandparents even more.


My grandparents treated us to an amazing trip the Big Cat Rescue on Tuesday. A simply wonderful place. I would give anything to be able to work somewhere like that. My grandma knows me so well, she knew I would love it. It was cold though, in the 50s and cloudy, so we went over to Chili's for a warm lunch afterward.

It really was a wonderful trip. I'm grateful for time like that with my family. Lenny and the Lloyds got to know each other better, we all had great quality time, I soaked in lots of vitamin D (something my celiac disease makes me very deficient in, and I think a huge contributor to my tendency for winter blues), we experienced new places, we spent lots of time outside, we played Dominoes, we looked at old family pictures and talked about genealogy, and overall had a splendid time. I'm going to Florida every year in January from now on.

On a side note, this is also the healthiest winter I've had in YEARS. Since the horrible two-week flu at Christmas, I've only had one little cold that my body actually fought off in 5 days.

Cost of plane ticket: $200
Value of trip to health and happiness: Priceless


Lavish Lava Cake Recipe:
Serves 6-7
1-1/2 cups Semi-sweet chocolate chips (or 8 oz. chocolate)
5 Tbsp. butter, plus butter to grease ramekins or muffin cups
3 eggs SEPARATED
1/4 C granulated sugar
2 tsp. finely ground espresso (optional)
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Generously butter six 3/4-cup size ramekins or custard cups, or 7 muffin cups.
2. In microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate and butter on medium power 1-2 minutes until butter is melted. Stir, reheating if necessary, to melt chocolate; Set aside.. Stir egg yolks and 2 Tbsp. sugar into chocolate-butter mixture. Add espresso if using
3. Place egg whites in large mixing bowl, beat until foamy. Combine remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar and cocoa powder. Gradually bat into whites until soft peaks fold over when beaters are lifted.
4. Stir 1/3 of chocolate-butter mixture into whites mixture. Gently fold in remaining chocolate mixture until completely combined. Divide evenly between cups (Can cover at this point and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking).
5. Bake 10-12 minutes until puffy and cracks form on top. Edges should be firm and center moist between the cracks. (bake 13-16 minutes if refrigerated). Cool 3 minutes. Serve in ramekins, or run knife around edges and invert cakes onto dessert plates. Serve hot with ice cream. Dust with cocoa powder if desired.