Garden Pasta

We have a little harvest from the garden. I used an eggplant, a yellow squash, a zucchini, a carrot, 2 small red peppers, some basil and parsley, and added some previously harvested and chopped onion. I cooked them on the griddle with some oil, salt and pepper while I made a ground turkey meat sauce with Classico organic marinara and some more basil and parsley. I combined everything with some Schar gluten-free pasta. Yum! Now I just need someone to do the dishes...

How to waffle

I've made this recipe many times but had less and less success, finally deciding it is possibly the fault of my waffle maker. Last week, we bought a new one, so I was nervous excited to try it again.

My husband Mick asked me if I was going to make "his" waffles now. Um. No. I am not making gluten pancakes on my waffle iron. The best part is that I really don't think I made waffles before, so I'm not sure what "his" waffles are.

I made the recipe (which has a lot of variations/choices) using almond flour, potato starch, applesauce, coconut oil, and water. I also use coconut oil on the iron. I initially forgot and put that oil in my mix too, so I had to double it to correct my mistake. That actually works well since I use an applesauce cup, just shy of a half cup so basically enough, so that it can be room temperature. The waffle maker comes with a cup so I know how much batter to use! Brilliant!

Mick liked them, said they turned out so good, but also had some concern that they are expensive. Yes, I guess a little, but it's so much better for me than having 2 waffle irons and doing my usual pancake process: mine, bacon, his, clean, carefully consider making anything else that day.

We went to his parents' house for nephew A's birthday. I knew they were having pizza so I made my own using the Gluten-Free Creations bakery pizza crust, pizza sauce, Applegate pepperoni, a couple of artichoke hearts, a portabellini mushroom, and Daiya mozzarella "cheese." Of course I forgot to take a photo but I did eat the whole thing. I thought it was pretty good (for me, not for people who can actually eat pizza) although I'm not a huge fan of how the Daiya melts, if we can call it that. But it tastes fine. I thought the crust was decent, cooked pretty well, just not a real thin crust pizza crust. And definitely not a thick crust pizza.

Red pepper hummus

Oh, Bunco night. I always feel like I should go but it's, hmm, something, inconvenient or whatever. But I have a good time and like the ladies so it's good to invest the time in our community.

When you have lemonade...

I made myself dinner to take--shredded chicken and salsa burrito with enchilada sauce and avocado. And a drink, Tito's vodka and lemonade.



hummus ingredients

And then to share, I decided to make hummus. I based it on this recipe but added some roasted red peppers. I thought it turned out very good. The only thing was that it seemed to get thicker with time. The ladies (and the guys who showed up at the end) really liked it and one younger* lady quizzed me on it, she liked it so much!

hummus

*I only point out younger because people ask me if it's all old ladies at bunco. No. There are several ladies younger than me! One of them has told me about her naturopath who "cures" allergies. I'm skeptical but trying to decide if it's worth checking out. At least for the additional testing?

Mashed potatoes!

I'm in love. I'm in love with my new KitchenAid stand mixer.

The object of my affection.

I made mashed potatoes using it and they turned out so awesome. I think I was able to let them whip a lot longer than I would have with the hand mixer.



chicken slathered in mayo, dusted in seasoning

I also made "Shake and Bake" chicken using one of the Namaste coating mixes. Before shaking with the mix, I used mayo instead of egg wash (an idea I recently saw somewhere; I didn't come up with that on my own!) and Cajun seasoning. I cooked in a thin layer of oil and got really good results. I forgot to take a finished photo though!

chicken in coating

I made last minute corn kernels with butter for his and coconut butter for mine.

Update: I took leftovers for lunch and it was still yummy!

Weekends are for being sick. And shopping.

I don't know why being sick makes me want to eat as unnutritionally as possible. (That's totally a word, spellchecker. I'm pretty sure...)

I thought I was having some allergy issues because of the rain storms but I kept thinking I might be getting sick. Wednesday, I scarfed down these onion rings so fast I almost didn't get a photo.

Pause. Resume inhaling.

Thursday I made soup for dinner. I used a mix and a can of chicken so it was super quick. (Since there doesn't exist a canned chicken noodle soup that I can eat.) And it was pretty good.

Friday, I had one of my first experiences being able to eat the lunch that was brought in. There was Boston Market chicken and steamed veggies (and a bunch of stuff I couldn't have). And I had some more soup.

Saturday, I was sure I was sick. I decided on chili and tater tots. Then I realized I could add some cheese and thought some cheese sauce might work. Well, it's my first time using the Daiya wedge (cheese chunk) but I have this jalapeno garlic havarti so I melted it and put it on top. It was a little too thick but it tasted good.

And the chili was very good. Too bad I've only found it at the Country Store.

Sunday, I was feeling better-ish and we were out of dog food, so we went to Costco. My small kitchen appliances have been wilting and dying on me for a while, but I hate spending the money if I can get around it. I can no longer get around it.

My hand mixer died but I had a stand mixer that had a removable hand mixer so I used that. Then the slowest setting on that stopped working a couple weeks ago, so I know it's just a matter of time.

New mixer!

When my husband Mick and his helpers harvested the corn, the Food Saver started needing extra steps to get a vacuum seal and since then has been pretty worthless. But I loved it before then!

New FoodSaver!

My waffle maker doesn't evenly cook the waffles. I'm sure a little of my problem could be the recipe, but not totally. So we got the iron I should have gotten originally.

New waffle iron!

My rice cooker doesn't work anymore but the one they had seemed pretty cheap so we skipped that. I can't believe I got so many new toys tools!

Back in the day, we would have considered a quick stop for dinner, at least for take out. But now, that's just not an option. So we headed home.

For dinner, I had the rest of the chili and tater tots, but made this artichoke cheese dip from the Daiya website. I didn't really measure things, just eyeballed it, and definitely used too much mustard. It wasn't great but not bad.

Mick had cut open the watermelon he picked but said it wasn't really ready to eat but he thought it could be used for something else. By the time I got to it, I decided to just juice it. I'll use it in smoothies this week.

Protein coffee

Ideas come at me all day, every day. It's a little unfortunate, because my brain is a sieve. So I save links and recipes and little slips of paper and post its and magazines and and and...

So when I ran across french press ice coffee and a coffee protein shake, I thought "I must combine these ideas into one awesometastic breakfast beverage for my commute!"

I got an inexpensive french press at Target--my husband Mick talked me into the red one of course. I was out of homemade creamer so I'm using this So Delicious Barista style vanilla creamer which is pretty good but too many additives. It's shelf stable so I'll probably keep some for "emergency" and guest use. I'm using some organic coffee grounds from Fresh & Easy--they have a very nice selection for comparable prices to anywhere else. (I got this package for $5.99, but usually $6.99.) I have been using a chocolate hemp protein powder or a vanilla rice protein powder, either of which works nicely here.

Mmmm. Coffee.

So I like that I mix the coffee the night before and it's ready in the morning. I'll have to work on the proportions and size a little--that's not my usual coffee cup. And I really need to get in some successful baking. But Gluten Free Creations has some pretty good stuff to hold me over on occasion.

...and scones from GFC. Yes please!

Waffle chips and other experiments

I made the things. Many things. Okay, too many things. But with a success rate of terrible percent, I guess I have to make all the things so I can find a few that are worth keeping.

First, I made a batch of coffee creamer. I used the Trader Joe's coconut creamer instead of the "good" coconut milk. It turned out perfect. No separation. (Update: There is still no separation or weird clumping after several days, until a little too much thickness when I got to the end of use.)

These were supposed to be waffles. The waffles taste "amazing" according to my husband Mick; they don't even need syrup. YES, he said that! Unfortunately, out of my entire double batch of batter, I did not have a single one come out in one piece. I'm not sure if I made the batter too thick or what. He thinks I need a better (flipping) waffle iron. I just bought this one like a year ago! Damn!

(Also, I read some more notes on gluten-free waffle/pancake cooking and I think that NONE of the  ingredients can be cold when it's mixed. I used cold rice milk so I should have just used water.)

I also made zucchini muffins. With raisins. They turned out crumbly and dry. He thought they tasted okay but they tasted gluten-free. And like a crumb topping. But the raisins were better than I expected.

 

We decided on burgers for dinner. I made caramelized onions, chipotle mayo (3 large spoonfuls of Earth balance soy-free mayo and 2 chipotles in adobo sauce), and added some tomato slices (from my garden!) and avocado to mine. Additionally, I opened the refrigerator pickles I made recently from cucumbers we grew and pickle juice from my favorite farmer's market pickle vendor. They turned out GREAT! I'm so happy!

 

There is a burger under that avocado, sauce, onion mix!

For the second time, I made butternut squash fries using our homegrown squash, some salt, pepper, organic all-seasons salt, and olive oil. Yep, the man still loves his veggies. Well, at least when they are baked fries.

 

I had peaches from my neighbor's tree that were overdue to be used so I decided to make a fruit crisp. I added some apricots from my last produce box (I've discontinued service since I can't keep up with the produce in my house) and some strawberries from the backyard patch. It seemed tart. And the topping was okay but not quite what I had in mind.

 

I also made a cantaloupe sorbet. (Sorry, no photo.) It is AMAZING. I don't even like cantaloupe. And it is AMAZINGBALLS. He loved it, thought it was the best thing I made.

Jalapeño hummus

I have lots of kitchen experiments planned for this weekend but I didn't get that far today. I made another margarita like last night, so I can stop here, right?

I have little jalapenos in the garden so I grabbed a few to roast and make a jalapeno hummus. Thanks to (Trader) Joe for the idea.

jalapenos

charred

hummus

I used a can of garbanzo beans, some cilantro, half an avocado, the jalapenos, some olive oil, and garlic. I wanted to see if I could leave out the (g/f) tahini but I think it needed it so I'll add it next time unless I think of something else. I like my hummus "runnier" than it came out. Not bad, not spicy either.

(Right after making this, I saw someone doing something similar on a gas stove on Chopped but they stuck the peppers in the fire, right next to it anyway, like down on the flat surface under the burner plate. I'm so trying that next time!)


I also bought some rice tortillas at Trader Joe's; I really wanted a quesadilla like I used to throw together with leftover veggies all the time.

zucchini and yellow squash from the garden

cooking. slowly cooking.

Well, I overcooked the tortilla so it was more tostada-like, but it tasted okay. The Daiya cheese melts but it takes longer (why I overcooked my tortilla). Not bad. I wouldn't serve it to anyone who didn't have to eat like me though.

 

 

Butternut squash fries and strawberry coconut margarita

I don't know about you, but I have the. most. exciting. Friday nights. I work after everyone else has left the office. Or I run errands. Or both.

For tonight's main event, I decided that Trader Joe needed to see me. I knew that would mean no time to spend in the garden but my husband Mick had his helpers at the house with him today and I have "all" weekend. (Where "all" means those combined 2 hours in 2 days that can be spent outside without dying of exhaustion and/or heat exposure. Just picture me crawling across the parts of my yard that are still barren dirt (oops, don't tell the weeds) like I'm crawling across the Sahara desert towards a mirage of water. I raise one arm towards the mirage--a scene straight out of a movie. I know you're jealous that I'm in a movie, but don't be. My lips are horribly chapped from my parched scene.)

Today's harvest

When I got home, I saw that the helpers found the first ripe cantaloupes. I actually had time to run out to the farm quickly for a little garden work before it was completely dark.

It's your time to bake!

Then I decided to try making baked butternut squash fries. I added organic all-seasons salt but I can imagine these with any number of combinations of spices. They are so, SO good. Fair warning--not crispy, but very good. I'm tempted to try them with a blanch before baking...

Leftover chili with "fries"

Mick informed me it was a game night so he'd take his dinner and be in front of his computer. I was on my own. What to do, what to do...

OH HELL YEAH!

So I made strawberry simple syrup from my own fresh strawberries. I think this is actually the first time I have EVER made simple syrup. I know right?! It's totally, hmmm, what's the word I'm looking for...SIMPLE!

Because one OH HELL YEAH! was not enough

The recipe made enough that it did not fit in that glass. I'm obviously not complaining. Just know that you need a larger glass. Also, I recommend fresh limes but I only had one so I used it and supplemented with the backup plan lime juice. Because any respectable tequila slash margarita lover should have backup lime juice at all times. I like this Santa Cruz organics one but we also have the giant bottle of Rose's lime juice. As a backup plan to my backup plan.

I don't know if they carry the coconut tequila anywhere else but OF COURSE Total Wine has it. And I saw that damn commercial where whatshisfacefromtheSopranos says you can use the stopper as a shot measure. I'm pretty sure I was not drunk yet when I tried it. That totally cannot. work. until the bottle is half empty. I'm just saying, there is no reason to be spilling awesome tequila on the counter just cause a commercial says the stopper is a shot measure. A full tequila bottle cannot be horizontal and have the stopper come out and have no spillage. Terrible idea. Make sure your counter is clean if you are going to try it. Because you will want to lick your counter when you spill your tequila. Um, won't you?! You're not going to...wipe. it. up. are you? So wasteful. How are we friends at all? Oh, nevermind, you're licking your counter; we can still be friends.

Make these strawberry coconut margaritas. I'm fucking serious. Go now. Make these. I'll wait. Er...I mean I'm on my way.

PS. Mick said the fries were AMAZING. He loves them. Check him out, eating his vegetables! Try it--you will like it!

Hush puppies

Chili (much spicier than I expected) and hush puppies (from the Arrowhead Mills gluten-free cornmeal package--good consistency after I added a dash of creamer, but needs a little more flavor).

Butternut squash soup trial--curry

I have all these butternut squashes from the garden. So I made soup. I found all these curry recipes so I used some panang curry paste that I already had open.

so pretty

He won't eat it. Not even interested.

 

And it's super spicy. I tried adding some crab to tone it down. I don't know why I thought that would work. It didn't. It's really spicy. I need to remember that when I'm using this curry paste! Damn, this is hot.

 

(Update: he did try it a few days later and thought it was bland. Too spicy. Spicy and bland. WTF. So he's still not interested.)

Sunday cooking

I had a long list of things I wanted to make again or try for the first time. I knew I would have to take it in steps, relax a while between tasks. I cleaned the kitchen and started some laundry. Then I made these teff pancakes for the first time. As someone in the comments suggested, I used all coconut oil instead of including syrup or honey. I also added some pumpkin pie spice halfway through making them and thought that was a good addition.

I also made a package of Niman Farms applewood bacon and it was excellent. Mick liked it too and I made a batch of "his" pancakes for him after recleaning the kitchen. After making his glutinous pancakes, I recleaned the kitchen again, started another load of laundry, and then took a break for while.

I was hoping to make a batch of barbecue sauce, something with the last of my eggplant, some butternut squash soup, and a maybe a dessert, but those things will have to wait to another day.

For dinner, I tried a blackened redfish recipe for the red snapper I picked up at Lee Lee Oriental/International market. I had some extra so I used it on the mackerel too. Additionally, I made some rice, the gumbo veggies with some fresh parsley, file and cayenne, and Swiss chard. Mick really liked the fish seasoning but not the veggies so much. I thought it was good though! I'm quite exhausted now!

Note: when I made these pancakes a couple weeks later, they stuck really bad on the pan. Too much liquid? They still tasted good!

Yellow Eyed Peas

I feel like my appetite is kind of off somehow. I'm hungry but not really at my normal times. I was starving but my stomach also felt unsettled while I was driving to Labcorp for my thyroid fasting blood work. And last night, I was super hungry before bedtime, but I didn't eat then since I was fasting.

At my normal lunchtime, I was completely uninterested in eating, but I knew I'd be hungry later so I ate. Then, late in the afternoon, I was really hungry. And then I couldn't stop coughing. So I wasn't hungry FOR anything. It's a weird feeling anyway.

A few days ago, I made this package of yellow eyed peas that I picked up at the farmers market. I used diced pancetta and Italian seasonings, kind of a mix of recipes I ran across, which I served with some rice. Mick said it was bland. I thought it was okay but not so great. So tonight, I decided to "doctor" it like red beans and rice. I found some Niman Farms (g/f, no nitrates) spicy andouille sausage so I sliced it up, and started it cooking in some duck fat. When it got fragrant and started to look cooked, I added the peas (using a slotted spoon to leave behind the liquid) and a half a bottle of Annie's barbecue sauce. I would have used my own homemade sauce but we don't have any right now! I served the resulting spicy goodness over leftover rice. Mick like this one much better.

It is so cold here, even the east coasters are complaining. I wore a long sleeve Tshirt under a sweater for work along with boots and a scarf. My jacket stayed on my lap most of the day, too. Brrrr.

I'm feeling kinda muffin toppy. I guess I look it too.

Cheater, cheater, chicken noodle soup eater

It's official. I'm sick. I went to work but told my supervisor that I was going to the doctor after lunch and I didn't thinking was coming back. I went to True Food to get a giant bowl of steaming spicy soupy chicken panang curry. And a lot of green ice tea.

Chicken noodle soup

Dr. QM was "gentle" today because of my neck (thyroidectomy incision). But he found several really painful "TMJ" points as well as needing to work on my, let's say gluteus Maximus, lower back and upper neck areas. He loved my recent examples of my honey and one of his helpers showing me their love the way they want to rather than how I maybe need or want. (Although they do get it right sometimes too!) he also mentioned garlic for a cold so I picked up a bottle of garlic pills to take with my double doses of Vitamin C and Zinc.

with jacket

scarf from my sis

I headed home and got stuck in some kind of football traffic for a Bowl game. That tea started screaming at me so I decided to stop at Sam's Club to get OJ and a few things after using their ladies room. I got some basic short sleeve Eddie Bauer Tshirts to replace some that I've needed to discard as well as a coat with a scarf that might work with some black and red sweaters I have that I could not match up this morning. This is what I wore instead.

I took a nap, which included drooling all over my arm. Wow, that was gross. And unusual for me.

Ingredients for cheaters

When Mick got home, I put a frozen lasagna in the oven for him and then made a "quick" chicken noodle soup using a container of Kitchen Basics chicken stock, half a package of Andean Dream quinoa macaroni, a can of chicken, half a jar of mushrooms, some freeze dried garlic, and a large handful of parsley from my garden to freshen it up. I basically just brought the stock to a boil, added the chicken, then the macaroni, then when it was almost done, the rest. I should have added more water but it was good anyway since the stock is pretty good.

My throat is killing me so I'm self medicating with some (too much) Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss Cappuccino ice cream. My ears hurt, my nose hurts, I can't breath through my nose, I have to suck on a candy to calm my throat enough to go to sleep, I hate this shit. I'm concerned that I should take tomorrow off to go to the general doctor but I hate to go for "just" a cold. On the other hand, Dr. QM mentioned that I have a compromised immune system, so I wonder if I need to take preventative measures.

Thanksgiving

We started the 21 pound turkey last night, unsure how long it would take on the smoker. It was done in about six hours. It turned out fantastic, especially the dark meat.

I made the strawberry rhubarb pies, using a medley of recipes, adding a package of fresh blackberries to the second one. I used a combination of arrowroot powder (a heaping 2 Tbsp) and sugar (3/4 cup in the first and 1/2 cup in the second with a package of frozen rhubarb and 2 heaping cups of sliced fresh strawberries. I topped the second one with a crumb mix. They were too wet though. I thought it would work out okay but the first one overflowed while cooking and the topping on the second one soaked up a lot of the liquid. Fortunately, they tasted good, the crust was good, the filling was good, but the pies just seemed a bit soggy. No one else even tried it so I should have done one and done a pecan pie for the second one.

I cut up the veggies for roasting tomorrow while the pies were baking. It was mostly brussels sprouts but I added a head of broccoli, a head of cauliflower, the carrots leftover from the turkey and broth prep, and a red pepper from my garden.

This morning, I found that my 9+ pound ham wouldn't fit in my crockpot. Oops. But there weren't any smaller hams, so what could I have done. I decided to bake it and found comments saying that people had used tin foil to tent the ham when the ham was too tall, so I put my orange slices in the bottom of a glass baking dish, put the ham on top, mixed my pineapple juice and maple syrup and poured in, then used my hands to mix some juice into brown sugar to make a paste and rubbed all over the ham. I baked it for a few hours until the oven was needed to rewarm the turkeys. The ham turned out AWESOME--everyone loved it.

I started the giblets and veggies for stock to make gravy. It eventually reduced by about half. I fished the liver out and ate it. (I know, I'm weird but I like the liver, just not the rest of the gizzards.) In another pan, I put the "drippings" and veggies from the turkey. It included a lot of liquid from the wine and apple cider Mick used in the turkey baste. It reduced some and we later strained both pans and combined them. I added arrowroot powder but forgot that it needs to be mixed with water or something first, so I had to fish out some lumps and then add it again. It thickened up nicely but I thought it tasted too sweet because of the white wine and apple juice. But everyone who tried it seemed to like it. There was a jar of Heinz gravy that was brought with the other turkey.

I peeled 5 pounds of potatoes and 5 pounds of sweet potatoes. I made the potatoes first, cutting up, then boiling them. I saved some of the water when I drained them; I mashed them with a little of the reserved water, salt and pepper. I added some garlic powder and Earth Balance soy-free "butter" and blended with a hand mixer. I added more salt and pepper, some coconut milk creamer, and some fresh chopped parsley. I asked Mick to taste it and he said "perfect." I put them in a crockpot and they were almost gone by the end of lunch.

I cut up the sweet potatoes and boiled them. I drained and mashed them with a little reserved water, adding a dash of salt. Then I used the hand mixer and added some Earth Balance "butter," a few handfuls of dark brown sugar, a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, and some hazelnut coconut milk creamer. I put them in a crockpot. Everyone was asking for the recipe and were shocked that they are non-dairy. Yum!

I put the veggies in to roast after the turkeys were rewarmed. I heard that my BIL went back for seconds, he liked them so much. I also cooked some carrot "coins" with "butter" (coconut oil or olive oil would work too, but I wanted the butter taste) and turbinado sugar. It didn't make a lot but they were gone in no time. I didn't care for the Sprouts canned cranberry sauce--it was fine tasting but got really soft and melty. My FIL brought some from the F&E cold case and it was better. No one ate salad except me--note to self--do not serve salad at Thanksgiving!

There were a dozen kids (and almost as many adults!) and they had a great time so I think everyone who attended will be open to us hosting some holidays. But the family who didn't want to come, didn't. And some who I thought were coming didn't either. I thought it was very successful anyway!

Let there be pizza!

So many people have been disappointed. They tell me about a place they went or drove past that offers gluten-free pizza. Yay, gluten-free pizza. But I can't have gluten-free pizza. It still has yeast and/or eggs. But a while ago, I found a mix at Sunflower Market or Whole Foods--I haven't seen it anywhere else. A pizza mix that has no wheat, eggs, soy, yeast, dairy--can it be? Yes, Namaste Foods Pizza Crust mix is safe for me!

[When I was looking for the link, I saw the mix listed on Walmart and Walgreens websites. Really?!]

It was actually super easy. I forgot to grease my pizza pan like it instructed but it didn't stick so I'll skip that step. Measure the mix (the package makes about 2 crusts), add a little oil (I used Spectrum Canola) and water; mix for 3 minutes with the electric hand mixer. Spread onto pizza pan and bake. Add the toppings and bake some more.

Topped and in the oven--lowest rack

I used eggplant, red and green peppers, and basil, all from my garden, on top of Classico pizza sauce [that I found at Walmart]. I shredded some goat cheese mozarella to add on top. It's a little too sticky so it actually clumped and ended up looking like the mozarella used on margherita pizzas.

Veggie pizza (cause I didn't plan ahead and get sausage)

I thought it was really good. But I haven't had pizza in a year. And I was craving it. If you don't have to eat like me, I probably wouldn't recommend this product. But it is a completely acceptable thin crust pizza crust. And the sauce and veggies made it very, very good.

Chocolate pudding

mixing--the avocados should have been another day riper

I tried chocolate pudding made with avocados. Hmm, that was interesting. It's more like frosting than pudding. I'm not sure if I did something wrong so I think I'll try it again and maybe try another recipe I found at the same time...

that does *not* look as good as it tasted.