Peet's Coffee

With my Dad spending many years working in California for the Software industry, our family was exposed to many West Coast delicacies. From wine to flat bread pizzas made on the grill, the great state of California has fueled many of our foodie experiences. One treasure that has been imported into Chicago is Peet's Coffee. Unlike Starbucks, you can only find 2 Peet's in the Chicagoland area. Lucky for me, one happens to be 2 blocks away from my house.

Peet's coffee is so much better than Starbucks, that I feel it necessary to share the difference in a pro/con list:

Peet's Pros:
1. The quality of coffee is out of this world. Every cup, whether you brew at home or pick-up that day, is rich and bold and unlike anything you have ever drank before.
2. The staff is knowledgeable, consistent and friendly. They know about the beans because they care about their product and believe in it. The same staff has been working there for years. They always have a smile on their face and are extremely helpful.
3. Every time you pick up fresh beans, they ask if you want a small coffee on the house. If you are not in the mood for coffee that minute, they give you a card for a free cup for the next time you are in.
4. Like most coffee places, they provide pastries, but they offer about 30 of the best looking pasties I have ever seen (no gluten-free options, yet). They are smart. They are in the business of making great coffee, not food. They get their fresh pasties delivered from local bakeries every morning.

Peet's Cons:
1. There are only 2 in Chicago.

Starbucks Pros:
1. You can find one on every corner.
2. Their peppermint mocha is yummy.
3. They sell mini pelligrino bottled waters.

Starbucks Cons:
1. Their drip coffee tastes like burnt rusty water.
2. The shops are always crowded. Often with screaming kids ordering their frozen drinks or hot cocoa.
3. You have like 3 different people help you which can get confusing.
4. The staff is typically young and unfriendly.
5. There pastries are prepackaged soggy and filled with fake chemical ingredients.
6. They toast breakfast sandwiches which causes the smell to stick to your clothes, which is really annoying if you aren't the one ordering it. On top of that, this toasting holds up the line.
7. They claim that their Starbucks Via tastes like their drip coffee. So, what they are saying is that their coffee is really no better than Sanka.

Case in point, if you have a Peet's Coffee near you, please make the switch. When Starbucks first launched, yes they were the best option. That is no longer the case.

You can see that I enjoyed my Peet's coffee this morning (used a free cup card) paired with my Gluten-free pumpkin bread w/ chocolate chips (pictured below). The loaf recipe is adapted from my pumpkin muffin recipe. Just add in a 1/2 cup of bittersweet Ghirardelli chocolate chips and bake in a loaf pan for 1 hour and 10 minutes at 325 degrees.

Blueberry-Polenta Pancakes

If you haven't noticed already that I absolutely love breakfast...you will know now by the fact that I went out of my way to make a special trip to Whole Foods to make breakfast for dinner on a work night to test out a new Gluten-free recipe so that I can vouch for it Thanksgiving morning. On major holiday's my Dad is the breakfast man and has made endless delicious variations of waffles, pancakes and french toast's. My mom dabbles as well and will make moonstruck eggs once in a while.

My dry-run turned out to be a great success. So, for the Mackey family Gluten-free Thanksgiving 2009, we will be indulging in Gluten-free Blueberry-Polenta pancakes (after the Dan Gibbon's Turkey Trot of course). This recipe is courtesy of who else, but the Gluten-free Girl (altered slightly).

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of GF flour (Bob's Red Mill All purpose)

1/2 cup of GF cornmeal (Again, Bob's Red Mill)

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

2 eggs (organic)

1 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (organic)

1 pint of blueberries

Directions:

1. Mix together all dry ingredients with a whisk.

2. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, then add in the melted butter and buttermilk.

3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just blended. Fold in the blueberries.

4. Melt some butter in a skillet on medium (lower if things get too hot). Drop an ice cream scoop amount of batter on skillet (using an old-school ice cream scooper is great). Once you see about 10-20 bubbles appear on top of pancake check to see if bottom is golden brown and then flip (wait a little longer if not browned enough). Once flipped, cook for another 2 minutes or until that side is browned nicely as well (will not take as long as 1st side).

5. Serve with warm 100% real maple syrup and sausage (I served with "The Original Brat Hans" chicken breakfast sausage that I found at Whole Foods).

Steel Cut Oats

Chicago is not known for good weather. For a good chunk of the year the weather is one or more of the following: cold, freezing cold, rainy, icy, snowy, windy or again freezing cold. To combat this weather we not only purchase the appropriate winter gear, we also indulge in comfort foods. For example, in the winter, I often trade in cereal for oatmeal.

When I was a kid, my grandma used to make me Old Fashioned Quaker Oats with milk, honey and butter (my brother claims a stick of butter). As I grew older and didn't have access to grandma's cooking, I replaced her homemade oatmeal with Quaker Oats instant oatmeal (low sugar ones to keep things a little healthy). In addition, my Dad often made McCann's Irish Oatmeal and complements it with fresh or frozen fruit and maple syrup. All of the above were great options before I found out that I had to have a gluten-free diet.

Luckily, Bob's Red Mill (the manufacturer that practically has a monopoly on gluten-free flours and grains) has a Gluten-free Steel Cut Oat product (pictured above). I cook them on a stove-top per the instructions however I've altered it slightly:

1. Boil 2 cups water and 1/8 teaspoon of Kosher Salt on High Heat
2. Add 1 cup Steel cut Oats and stir
3. Turn stove down to low covered for 20 minutes (stirring every 5 minutes)
4. Let sit for 10 minutes
5. Scoop out a serving and add a little milk, raw honey and a dash of cinnamon (or whatever you like best)

Pumpkin Cupcakes

More pumpkin? Yes more pumpkin baked goods. I just can't help myself. When I was researching recipes for my pumpkin muffins, I also stumbled on a gluten-free pumpkin cupcake recipe that I just had to try.

Although the core of this recipe is pumpkin puree like the muffins, the brown sugar in the batter and the cream cheese and maple syrup frosting really bring this recipe to the next level. The cupcakes were so moist and the frosting so decadent...that you will have to try them even if you are not gluten-intolerant.

Ingredients

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup brown sugar, packed


2 Tbsp honey


2 large eggs


1 teaspoon vanilla extract


1 15oz can pumpkin puree


2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder


1 teaspoon baking soda


1/2 teaspoon salt


3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup buttermilk

Frosting ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature


1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature


1/4 cup maple syrup


1 ½-2 cups confectioner's powdered sugar, sifted

Directions:

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350°F, and place rack in the center of the oven.

2. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar and honey, until as light and fluffy as it will be, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla and beat until incorporated.

3. 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.

4. 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 frosting.

Frosting

5. 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.

Makes 16 cupcakes.

RWS 11/15/09: The go-to dish

One of my family's favorite go-to dishes is Linguine with Clam Sauce. Uncharacteristic of my foodie family, we have traditionally made it using a can of Progresso White Clam Sauce (not the creamy one) and added our own spin with extra clams and a little crushed red pepper. It's tasty and fast.

Today though, in light of my new eating regime, my Dad and I took a look at the ingredients and cringed in horror that one of them was MSG. Yikes! But no worries, we had Giada to come to the rescue. Giada De Laurentiis, if you don't already know, is the most amazing Italian Chef on the Food Network. I could probably talk about her for an entire blog post, so I'll spare you the details of my love for her and get back to the meal.

I whipped up the following Giada recipe (altered a bit to make extra saucy and a kick of spice) for my Dad, brother and sister-in law (Mom was out of town) and by the end of the meal everyone was very satisfied and chemical free.

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried linguine (I used Bionaturae G-free pasta)
  
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 shallots, thinly sliced
• 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 1/2 pounds Manila clams, scrubbed clean (or 3 cans of baby clams in water)
  
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced into small cubes
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
  
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon, zested, for garnish

Directions

In a large pot, bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water. Add pasta, stirring constantly in the beginning to prevent it from sticking together. Cook until al dente, about 10 minutes (or one minute less than package calls for).

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. When almost smoking, add shallots and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the clams and wine. Cover and simmer for 8 minutes or until most clams have opened.

Add 2 tablespoons chopped parsley. Whisk in butter to thicken sauce slightly. Sprinkle in red pepper.

Drain pasta in a colander. Do not rinse pasta with water - this will remove the pasta's natural starches. Place pasta into the clam saute pan and mix thoroughly. Check seasoning.

Pour pasta into large serving bowl. Zest lemon over the dish, being careful not to zest the white part of the lemon, which is bitter. Garnish with remaining parsley. Serve immediately.

The restaurant without a sign

For the past year or so my Dad and I have been trying new restaurants monthly around Chicago. It is a great and fun tradition that has opened up our world to an endless amount of new culinary experiences available in the city.

On tap this past week was Bonsoiree. It is a tiny restaurant in Logan Square that offers seasonal foods by course menus only (4, 7 or 13). The funny thing about this restaurant is not only do they not have a sign on the restaurant, they also serve all their dishes in crazy plates & bento boxes (see picture above). Random, but I guess with the competition in Chicago you will do anything to be unique. Other unique things include the fact that they have a pricey course menu set-up, but is BYOB and they accommodate for food allergies. If you are gluten-free, you must call ahead and share this when you are booking your reservation ($25 deposit for all reservations). The place only has about 10 tables, so reservations are pretty much mandatory.

So, on to the food. I must say, for all the unique things about this restaurant, only 1 of 4 of our courses really stood out (from a taste perspective). I won't even mention the 3 that I didn't like or thought were average...I will just mention the soup. This Kabocha squash with Marigolds & Honey Crisp Bisque, Belgion White Chocolate Swirl, Fennel and finished with a paprika oil was just fantastic. It really made the meal. This soup filled my body with warmth and a comforting feeling that lasted for hours.

I found out about this restaurant from a friend who has quite a sophisticated tongue, so I will definitely go back to give it another go...and maybe try the 7 course menu. The ladies next to us had these short ribs that looked to die for.

Swirlz Cupcakes

With the holiday's approaching, it's time to start planning what you are going to bring to all the festivities and dinner parties that you plan on attending. For the Gluten-free or Vegan, you worry that you won't be able to indulge in all the fun foods that everyone else is eating. Also, with the craziness of this time of year, you may not be able to slave by your oven for days at a time to prepare homemade delicious treats.

Although my first Chicago cupcake love was Sweet Mandy B's, I have found are great substitute in Swirlz Cupcakes. This Lincoln Park bakery specializes in Gluten-free and Vegan cupcakes that are beautifully designed and absolutely delicious. I bought some for a family get together recently and they were a huge hit. You wouldn't have the slightest clue that they had alternative ingredients unless someone told you. In addition to traditional size cupcakes, they offer mini cupcakes as well. You can choose up to 4 flavors for a box of 20 for $20. My favorite was a chocolate marshmallow cupcake that was the special of the day. Next stop will be on a Friday for G-free Red Velvet cupcakes...

Faking it

Some people are just not naturally cooking inclined. They either don't know how to cook, are not interested in cooking or may just be lazy. You can spot this type of person pretty quickly by what they bring for lunch. You have 3 types of lunch eaters: The Sandwiches (Subway, Potbelly, Chipotle, McD's, etc.), The Lean Cuisines (frozen/microwavable entree) and the Tupperware's (homemade food). I am of course a Tupperware, however my roommate is a Lean Cuisine.

Last week, with the help of her Mom's guidance and the prepared food section at Whole Foods my roommate made me the best dinner (and Gluten-free!). This was seriously shocking since for the 2 years we have lived together she hasn't cooked one thing...let alone a great meal.

So, how did she "fake it"? Easy. She picked up the following items at Whole Foods:

Appetizer:
Nicole's Gluten Free Crackers (cracker aisle) with Herbed Goat Cheese (Fresh Cheese section)

Entree:
Lemon Chicken (From the butcher, with directions provided to bake at 350 for 45 minutes)

Sides:
Spiced Butternut Squash (From the prepared veggie section already oiled, salted and seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg along with directions to bake for 2o minutes at 400 or 30 min at 350)
Salad (I helped out a little and made my traditional salad with nuts, goat cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette)

Wine:
She just picked up a random wine wine a Whole Foods that was around $20-25. They have a small but good collection of wines.

Congrats Erin!

Red Wine Sunday 11/1/09

If you live in Chicago, you know that our weather is completely random. It can be 40 degrees in September then 60 degrees in November. When the weather is on your side, you have to take the opportunity to grill. This Sunday's RWS was one of those days.

Mom fired up the grill and made my Dad and I some steaks (medium rare of course). Along with the steak, we had a mixed green salad with dried cranberries and candied walnuts, oven roasted rosemary sweet potatoes, and wine of course. We had a French Cotes du Rhone wine (Hermitage) which was delicious. This wine didn't need an aerator, but we used it anyway and once again it made the wine that much better.

For dessert, we had my brownies with a little Haagen Dazs.