If someone brought in cupcakes to the work place 3 years ago, I would have been 1st in line. Like most, I lack the willpower to turn down anything with sugar in it. Today I was presented with this scenario, I didn't even flinch. Impulse eating isn't really even on my radar anymore. After 2 years of being gluten-free, I've lost the urges I once had.
When I was in South Africa last week, I was awakened by a new bread. A gluten-free bread so delicious I had to check about 5 times that it really was indeed free of gluten. It was freshly made, soft, spongy and melted in my mouth. A pure, unadulterated piece of delicious bread. Needless to say I had it at least every other day I was there.
Turns out I don't need cupcakes, I just need Knead.
A couple of weeks ago I was shuffling through the cupboards when I found a half full bag of Bob's Red Mill gluten free rolled oats. I felt a twinge of guilt as the weather is starting to turn warmer and oatmeal season will soon be long gone. Then I was hit by a bit of inspiration...granola!
I found that not only did I have the rolled oats but I also had the remainder of the ingredients to make granola: raisins, nuts, maple syrup, etc. A couple years back my Dad started to make his own granola and taught me how to do it. He followed a very simple Bittman recipe, see below:
Ingredients: 6 cups rolled oats 2 cups mixed nuts & seeds (not salted) 1 cup dried unsweetened coconut 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Dash salt 1 cup maple syrup 1 cup raisins
1. Preheat oven to 300. 2. Place a large baking pan over the stove top on medium to low heat. 3. Pour in oats and stir for 3 to 5 minutes until fragrant. 4. Add in nuts and stir for another 2 minutes. 5. Add in coconut and stir for 2 minutes. 6. Add in cinnamon, salt and maple syrup and final stir before placing in the oven for 20 minutes. 7. Stir every 5 minutes to avoid burning. 8. Once you take it out of the oven and stir in the raisins and let cool. 9. Store in a plastic container in the fridge for lasting freshness.
The recipe makes a decent amount, my favorite things do do with it is sprinkle over cereal or mix with fresh fruit & yogurt.
Sweet Jesus these rolls are good. I've had Sweet Ali's products in the past, specifically their blueberry muffins and brownies in which they sold through Kramer Foods (a grocer in Hinsdale). Recently, they opened up a retail store in the town of Hinsdale...very exciting. On Christmas Eve, my mom and I popped into the store to find a flurry of gluten-free goodies. I bought almost everything: cookies, a crumb coffee cake, muffins, a frozen pizza, ready-to-bake frozen cookies and most importantly the ready-to-bake frozen dinner rolls.
I wasn't expecting much. I try not to keep my hopes up, specifically when it comes to bread. It is just one of the toughest things to get right. I had my first go at the dinner rolls the day after Christmas. We had had Beef Tenderloin on Christmas day, and I thought that the left over meat would make an excellent sandwich. After 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven, my dinner roll was good to go. I placed a little mayo and the meat on top and took a bite. OMG. I hate to be too crazy about these rolls, but honestly I felt like I had just eaten the best bite of food in my life. Since then I've eaten a roll at least every other day (with eggs pictured left). If only I could bring an oven to work, I'd bake up a fresh roll every time I ate lunch.
This being my second gluten-free winter, I still find myself missing my instant Quaker Oats Oatmeal. There is something special about those oats. They are fast, they are warm and they are tasty. I have yet to find an instant gluten-free oatmeal that I like...so I purchased the plain Bob's Red Mill Rolled Oats. They are pretty easy to make (not quite as easy as instant, but what can you do).
Oatmeal: 1. In a medium/large pot, boil 2 cups of water with a 1/4 teaspoon of salt. 2. Add in the rolled oats, stir and reduce the heat. 3. Stir occasionally for about 15-20 minutes. 4. Take off heat, and stir in a little milk and honey.
Last year sometime, I took on the challenge of making Tyler Florence's "Ultimate Bolognese"...and since then my Dad has been asking me when I will make it again. So I did. This recipe is not something you tackle on a week day after work. This recipe has 20 ingredients...enough said.
The recipe is killer though. It has so many layers of flavors. Some rich. Some earthy. Some nice and fresh to balance things out. I challenge you to take a Sunday afternoon and make it for your family. It's not only amazing to eat, it's fun to make (if you have time and a bit of patience).
Ingredients:
2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms, wiped of grit
1/4 pound pancetta or slab bacon, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs rosemary
1 1/2 pound ground pork
1 1/2 pound ground beef
2 cups milk
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups dry red wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound dry pasta (I swapped for Gluten-free Rigatoni)
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving
1 handful fresh basil leaves
Fresh ricotta cheese
Directions:
Reconstitute the mushrooms in boiling water for 20 minutes until tender, drain and coarsely chop.
Puree the mushrooms, pancetta, onion, celery stalks, carrots, garlic, together in a blender.
In a heavy-bottomed pot add olive oil, bay leaves, herbs and cook gently until fragrant, then add vegetable puree and continue to cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes.
Raise the heat a bit and add the ground pork and beef; brown until the meat is no longer pink, breaking up the clumps with a wooden spoon.
Add the milk and simmer until the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Carefully pour in the tomatoes, and wine and season with salt and pepper.
Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat and cover. Slowly simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring now and then, until the sauce is very thick. Taste again for salt and pepper.
When you are ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender yet firm (as they say in Italian "aldente"). Drain the pasta well and toss with the Bolognese sauce.
Serve with a good scoop of fresh ricotta cheese and garnish with some shredded basil, grated Parmigiano and a drizzle of olive oil.
Being female and single...turning 30 was bound to be an interesting day. After many years of having a birthday around the holiday's, I've gotten used to the fact that people are busy. Between family, friends and work engagements, who has time to plan/attend yet another party? Knowing that, I decided to keep this monumental birthday simple. I had my closest friends and family over at my parents house for the same meal that I request every other birthday. Without any stress, I was able to fully enjoy my favorite people and my favorite food to welcome me into my next decade of life. It fit with my mentality as I approach my 30's of keeping things a little more simple than they were in my whirlwind 20's.
Arugula Salad w/ Shaved Parmesan, Pine Nuts and Red Wine Vinegar Dressing
In a sea of cupcake options...Sprinkles has found a way to standout. Beginning in Beverly Hills, this little cupcake shop has exploded into 10 retail locations and a franchise in it's own right. A good question you might be thinking is why am I writing about a "gluten-full" cupcake place? The point of this post is two fold: Sprinkles has made it to Chicago and they decided to offer 1 gluten-free cupcake that just so happens to be in my favorite flavor (red velvet!).
I actually found out about Sprinkles from Williams and Sonoma. They sell Sprinkles cupcakes mixes so that you can make them at home (which was great before I knew that I needed to be gluten-free). The mix is very easy (like Betty Crocker) and tasted amazing. After becoming gluten-free I had given up on my love for Sprinkles and was more saddened than excited when they opened up shop in Chicago...until last week. A friend of mine mentioned that they have a gluten-free cupcake. Could this be true!?!?!
I visited their beautifully constructed website and found out that indeed they have begun selling as mentioned above a gluten-free cupcake. Funny enough, it's my birthday next Monday and my Mom is going to order a bunch of gluten & gluten-free cupcakes for the party. Can't wait! Stay tuned for a report.
Hi I'm Vanessa and I am not a Chef. I am just your average Chicago girl who works in Advertising and lives in Lincoln park who happens to have a love for eating, making, watching and learning about good food. My inspirations for this blog are:
My Mom who is a complete gourmet...let's just say she made my own baby food, My Dad who spends everyday of his life striving and achieving optimal health, The Food Network for being my source of ideas and resource for recipes/techniques,My Best Friend who is a Chef and has always been a great guinea pig for my family's food (FYI the nickname Vbird came from her and therefore appropriate to be used as my sign-off)
