If you were to look at my text messages, emails or the nicknames assigned to people in GChat, you might think that half the people I know don’t have actual names. Or that I have friends who fancy themselves celebrities on a mission to have the cleverest of names. Maybe you would think I was a secret agent (actually, it would be pretty cool if you thought that). Read more
Category: Food
Food. Eaten. Made. Discussed. All gluten-free.
Relish 07: A midsummer night’s dream
Conferences, schmoferences
Boy, oh boy, oh boy. I have been conferencing it up this summer. So far there has been BlogHer Food in Austin, WordCamp in Chicago and BlogHer 13 in Chicago and in just a couple of weeks I am going to Weapons of Mass Creation in Cleveland. I was able to eat safely at two of the three I have attended so far (can you believe that WordCamp had gluten-free cupcakes? From a bakery celiac friends trust? I was so excited I nearly cried – but don’t tell the nerds that…). WMCFest doesn’t provide food, so I am going to go armed with an arsenal of snacks. Maybe some of the new grown up items from Happy Family…
But let’s talk.
Can I just tell you that you are an amazing community? You all helped fund Erica from Celiac and the Beast‘s kickstarter campaign for her new book. Y’all are super cool like that. And the words of support when April, Erica and I were all handed death on a plate at a conference last weekend was nothing less than swell. I’m glad you all want me to live and the intestines of my gals to stay in tact.
But, you had to know there was going to be a but, can I ask that we all get a little less militant about food? There is a lot of vitriol surrounding the new Pilsbury products and the possibility of a GF Twinkie. Well, I know these things aren’t healthy. And neither are the cookies that I make. Sometimes you just need to be normal and eat refrigerated cookie dough from a tub after drama with some boy who said he’d call and then never did. I think these items might just be the key to moving on just a smidge faster.
Delicious eats.
I love food. And in the summer, when fresh fruit and vegetables are everywhere, food is even better. Here are a few of my favorites from this month.
It is no secret that I don’t like beets. But everyone I know does, and frankly, they are so dang beautiful. So, try these Sauteed Beet Greens and Spring Onions (01) from Farm Fresh Eats. Some days I feel like moving to the country and eating a lot of peaches…(pardon the terrible music joke). These Moscato Honey Vanilla Poached Peaches (02)from Busy in Brooklyn look like they are made to inspire cheesy pop music (and I mean that in a good way). I continue my love affair with the food from The Tomato Tart’s kitchen with this delightful Gluten-Free Grilled Cheese with Spicy Berry Chutney (03). One day I am going to just show up at her house and demand dinner (I’ll do the dishes!). And last, but not least, these Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes with Fontina and Thyme (04) from Healthy Green Kitchen look like all my summer fantasies.
Little Treats
This month there are no shoes or fun new lip glosses, but there are some pretty nifty other things. Like books. Lots of books.
I loved this book before BlogHer, but after meeting Sheryl Sandberg and hearing her speak, I think everyone with a vagina should read her book, Lean In (01). And so should everyone who knows someone with one. I am currently working my way through Stephen King’s On Writing (02), and I think that if you write, you should probably read it too. I also just started The Ocean at the End of the Lane (03) and I am hooked. Lastly, I just read a piece on the New York Times about the Jerusalem (04) cookbook from Yotam Ottolenghi (author of Plenty), and realized that not only had I not cooked from it, but that I didn’t have it. Don’t worry, I am remedying that situation ASAP.
Coming up
Next month has more travel, a lot of birthday baking and lots more blog posts! But, while you’re here, take a moment to check out my new blog/design project and maybe (just maybe) like it on Facebook? It is a series of inspirational quotes designed to look pretty nifty (since I am a designer in my other life…) Like the one below:
BlogHer 13 Recap: The Good Bits
Please note that as part of BlogHer, I attended sponsored events and received gifts from companies. Those items have no bearing on the content of this post. Besides, I have a swag giveaway at the end of this post.
Boy, oh boy. If you were following Erica and I on twitter & Facebook this weekend, you saw there were more than a few moments of pure awfulness. I was so frustrated that I might have nearly snapped and been rude a couple of times. (But hilariously rude, I assure you.) Aside from being handed death on a plate more than once, there were a few highlights to my weekend.
So this happened.
I spent a good portion of Thursday crying. And even more of Friday. They were the kind of tears that sneak up on you. You are sure you have it all together. You have faced your demons and you are sure that you are A-OK. Then, BAM! Hello tears. Ugly, silent tears. At your desk. Over an email that says thanks. Or a meeting that checks in on your workload. Hello feelings that create a spectacularly terrible day. Read more
The Heat Wave – a gluten-free cocktail inspired by Austin, TX
I mean, it is July. Days are just long enough and evenings fade from gold to grapefruit to navy. The air feels a little bit thicker, wrapping you up in the magic feelings of summertime.
Those golden evenings are perfect for several things. Patio dinners. Book reading in the sunshine on the front porch. And cocktails as the day dissipates.
The best evenings are the ones that involve cocktails, a front porch or patio and a few friends. A few hours spent solving all the world’s problems. Fixing boy situations (because, let’s face it, there is always a boy situation).
The best cocktails for these kind of evenings are crisp, refreshing drinks that play up the flavors of the season. And at the moment, I am loving all things gin. (Which is new to me, I used to think cocktails were best when made with whiskey).
I think you start liking gin when you start getting old. Or maybe I just know how to use it now (and I am not having the kind that comes in a plastic bottle…). Its herbal flavors make it a great base to build on top of.
While a Rosemary Gin Fizz might be nice on a summer evening, but The Heat Wave (a crowd-sourced name) hits the spot. Inspired by a drink I had at 24 in Austin last month, this particular cocktail is slightly sweet but a bit sour. Throw in a little basil to up the herbal aroma and you have all the best of summer in a glass.
The Heat Wave – a gluten-free cocktail inspired by Austin, TX
Recipe Type: Cocktail
Author:
Prep time: 5 mins
Total time: 5 mins
Serves: 1
Inspired by a cocktail from 24 in Austin, this is pretty much a remixed Mojito. Grapefruit, gin and basil, a new summer classic. You could easily make a pitcher full of this cocktail when you have company.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 ounces gin
- 1 1/2 ounces grapefruit juice
- 1/2 ounce simple syrup
- 3-4 basil leaves
- grapefruit wedges to garnish
Instructions
- Fill a shaker with ice, the gin, grapefruit juice, simple syrup and 2 basil leaves.
- Shake vigorously for 30 seconds. You want to bruise the basil to release its flavor.
- Strain into a glass over ice. Garnish with an additional basil leaf or two and a grapefruit wedge.
3.2.1337
A Camping Trip & a Foil Packet Dinner
You might have had a mild inkling that I am not an outdoorsy girl. Particularly if you have seen my instagram feed. Or my shoe collection.
When I was invited to this camping trip, a good friend asked if I even was going to have to buy new shoes so that I had appropriate footwear. (Clearly I own appropriate shoes – this first picture is proof…)
I was very much undecided about a weekend filled with nature. I hadn’t been camping since Girl Scout Camp when I was 10. My idea of visiting nature is a mile or two hike through the forest preserve. Not spending 3 days away from civilization.
Somehow, I let them talk me into going. I am still unsure how that happened.
It started with crazy Chicago traffic, a third person I didn’t know, a broken down car and an emergency car rental. That first car ride is what made our trip. My friend Helen and I bonded with an acquaintance who needed a ride to the camping trip. (This was greatly aided by the Sour Patch watermelon candies that I grabbed on impulse at the grocery store…)
There was a lot of laughter. A little bit of singing. A lot of games. I spent time with acquaintances that I rarely get to see in real life. I bonded with some of the girls over our lack of outdoorsy-ness. We all got a little silly. We even got to watch lanterns released in lieu of holiday weekend fireworks.
So, if I ignore the fact that there were bugs and dirt, it was a pretty ok time. And the food was pretty spectacular.
It had to be the best – people expect things when you blog about food. Plain old burgers and dogs wouldn’t cut it if I was going to live up to my reputation. But I also had to be careful. There were 30 people on this trip, and I had to make sure that I didn’t end up coming in contact with food that would trigger an allergic reaction and necessitate an emergency room trip.
My solution to a crowded grill filled with gluten was a foil packet dinner. Packing up veggies and meat with something to add flavor makes for jealous camping buddies when your food is better than their burgers. This type of cooking is also great for cookouts where there is a shared grill, or for nights when you want to put together a fast and easy dinner using the grill so you don’t heat up your kitchen.
Honey Mustard Chicken & Sweet Pepper foil packet dinner
Recipe Type: Entree
Author:
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 4
An easy to prepare dinner for camping, cookouts and family dinners on the grill.
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken tenders (about 12 tenders)
- 8-12 small sweet peppers, seeded and sliced
- 1/2 cup honey mustard
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Start your grill or fire and let it get hot – it should be hot enough to cook a burger.
- Set out 4, 12″ long pieces of foil.
- Divide the chicken and peppers evenly and center them on the pieces of foil.
- Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of the mustard on top of each group of ingredients.
- Bring the short ends together and roll them down together, then roll up the open sides to create a packet.
- Place on the grill or over the fire, but off to the side so it isn’t directly over the flame, and cook for 20-25 minutes. You want the chicken to get golden brown on the bottom and the honey in the honey mustard to start to caramelize.
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Relish 06: Boys ‘n Berries
Relish is a compendium of things to enjoy greatly and that add a little flavor to your gluten-free life. Because really, summer is all about the berries (and the boys).
So, I’m an old lady now.
Two weeks ago, I turned 29. It was a celebration to remember – all my friends made it out for the night. For my birthday, I treated myself to a trip to BlogHer Food in Austin. I even got to spend an evening in Millenium Park with friends listening to music. And because that wasn’t enough, I hosted the Great Big Gluten-Free BBQ and went to WordCamp (a WordPress conference for work).
But let’s talk.
There were some epic things that happened online in the gluten-free community. First, if you didn’t read this incredibly honest and heartfelt post by KC from GFree Foodie, go read it right now. And if you haven’t supported the kickstarter from Erica at Celiac and the Beast, you should do that. (The rewards include that awesomely designed swag from her blog)
Delicious eats.
There were so many incredible things shared to make this month, I chose a few of my favorite gluten-free summer options. (And some boy bait…)
This recipe is called Blueberry Boy Bait (01) from Alison at A Girl Defloured. I wonder if it actually works? And how about some Mango Coconut Popsicles (02) from Sarah Bakes Gfree Treats? These are perfect for hot summer days. I am going camping this week (yikes!), but these s’mores in a jar with bourbon marshmallows (03) from Sabrina at The Tomato Tart make me a little more excited about the food potential. And this incredible Icy Cold Mocha Chocolate Gelato (04) from Jane at the Heritage Cook will be making its way into my summer cooking rotation.
Other lovely things.
This casserole dish (01) from the Feed line at Target are both stylish and money for a good cause – you win twice! I know I mentioned it last month, but I am so excited about the new box club from Gfree Foodie (02). Go sign up now! Sometimes, fancy lipstick is a luxury we can’t justify, so this new lip balm from Almay (03) is both gluten-free and affordable. Taylor, the teen behind the blog Gluten Away has released a set of cards for diners (04) will all sorts of special diets. Go check them out!
What’s next?
Next month, I am going to meet some food blogging friends at BlogHer ’13 here in Chicago, so if you are going to be in attendance, make sure that you let me know that you will be there! I am also planning trips to some expos and conferences this fall, so keep your eyes on my list of events!
Great Big Gluten-Free Barbecue
I love summer, and all it entails. Festivals. Evening concerts with friends. Barbecues every weekend.
I really love a good barbecue. The friends, the food, maybe a cold gluten-free beer or a margarita.
But the part I love the most? That they are special even when they are last minute. They can be fancy affairs with sandals and dresses. They can be celebrations for just making it through the week. Or they can be celebrations of great love.
Just last week I invited the whole dang family over to celebrate my parents and godparents 35th wedding anniversary. And we had a barbecue. Complete with potato salad, jicama salad and a grape salad. There was meat on the grill and several types of sangria. The whole thing was gluten-free. And it was a dang good cookout. People were just there, celebrating and relaxing. Being family and enjoying some good food.
I want everyone to be able to have a cookout like that, for any occasion.
So, I gathered some blogger friends and planned a virtual barbecue.
There are main dishes, desserts and even some sangria. I brought some gluten-free vanilla on chocolate cupcakes. My friends brought the rest, and we wanted to invite you to the party.
Thanks for dropping in!
Pam from I’m A Celiac made Slow Cooker Pork BBQ
Taylor from Gluten-Away made Gluten-Free BBQ Burgers
Cindy from Vegetarian Mamma made Eggy Potato Salad
Cara from Cara’s Cravings made Fudgesicles (recipe review from the Great Vegan Bean Book)
Betsy from Gluten Free Betsy made Old School Potato Salad
Melissa from Stockpiling Moms made GF Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Alissa from Breaking Up with Captain Crunch made GF Pasta Salad and DIY Sorta Sangria
Iris from The Daily Dietribe made Coleslaw
Alison from A Girl Defloured made Strawberry Basil Paletas
Mel from GeekilyGF made Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches
Erica from Celiac and the Beast dishes barbecue survival advice with Don’t Burn Bridges Or The Burger: Gluten Free BBQ
Gluten-Free Vanilla on Chocolate Cupcakes
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author:
Prep time: 45 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 1 hour 10 mins
Serves: 24
The cake recipe is adapted from The Cake Bible – a book every baker should own.
Ingredients
- For the cupcakes
- 85 grams (3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons) unsweetened cocoa
- 1 1/2 cups (354 mL) boiling water
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 300 grams (2 cups + 1T) gluten-free all purpose flour*
- 1/2 teaspoon xantham gum**
- 434 grams (2 cups firmly packed) light brown sugar
- 11 grams (2 1/4 teaspoons) baking powder
- 4 grams (3/4 teaspoon) baking soda
- 5 grams (1/4 teaspoon) salt
- 237 grams (2 sticks) butter, softened
- For the Frosting
- 2 sticks (225 grams) butter, softened
- 675-900 grams (6-8 cups) confectioner’s sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 cup (118 mls) milk
- pinch of salt
- food coloring
Instructions
- Whisk together the boiling water and cocoa until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, the vanilla and 1/4 of the cocoa mixture.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all the dry ingredients and mix for 30 seconds – just long enough to create a uniform mixture.
- Add the butter and remaining cocoa mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix on low until the dry goods are moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape down the sides.
- Add the egg mixture in 3 parts, mixing for 30 seconds on medium after each addition and scraping down the sides.
- Fill the cupcake tins 2/3 full and bake for 15-20 minutes. Cakes are done when they bounce back after being tapped gently with a finger or a tester comes out clean.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the butter, 450 grams (4 cups) of the sugar, the milk and the vanilla.
- Beat on medium for 3-5 minutes.
- Gradually add the remaining sugar 1 cup (115 grams) at a time, beating for 2 minutes after each addition.
- When the frosting is firm enough to pipe, stop adding sugar and add the salt and color. If the frosting is not pipable with all the sugar, put it in the fridge for 10 minutes – it means your butter was a little too soft.
- Pipe a generous amount of frosting on each cupcake when they are completely cool.
Notes
*This recipe was tested using Cup4Cup Gluten-Free all purpose flour, but will work with your preferred blend as long as you measure by weight. **Omit if using a blend that already includes xantham gum.
3.2.2310
The curious incident of music in the summertime
What do you do when life hands you a whole bag of lemons? (Really, this is not some thinly veiled metaphor for bad days, horrible dates or other woes, it is truly about an excess of lemons). You bake.
When it hands you the metaphorical sort, you stop, gather up some friends and look towards your center.
The second city is my center. My happy refuge. Home.
You see, Chicago is a magic sort of place. The air here is always humming with energy to a bluesy tune. Moving forward at a pace just this side of hectic.
Summer in this city is special. I fill my weekends with neighborhood festivals and nights just a little too late on a friend’s patio. And it is the time of year when you can gather up some friends and head to the park for a concert.
You have to make sure that you come armed with wine, plastic cups and munchies (like the blondies at the bottom of this post – they travel well). And maybe some SPF 80 to keep your pale skin safe from the setting sun.
You’ve gotta roll with the rhythm of the season.
Chicago has quite the rhythm.
I gathered up some new friends (the metaphorical lemonade from last year’s life-lemons), and dragged them out to play on a school night. We listened while my friend Pete and his band played music that hung on the breeze. We giggled while catching up on the unending exploits from lives that fall somewhere on the spectrum of bonkers and ridiculous.
There was talk of boys and work. New beginnings and broken hearts. And most importantly, shoes.
If I can give you some life advice, it would be to talk about shoes with the girls you don’t know when at a spy-themed birthday party for the guy you are sort of seeing and don’t know any of his friends. While it will probably never work with you and that dude (he will dump you over a pair of shoes), you might just find someone you can talk into splitting a bottle of wine with while soaking up a concert in the park.
That is some excellent metaphorical lemonade.
Now back to that bag of actual lemons. Since you have leftovers hanging out from the bag of lemons you bought to make gluten-free lemon raspberry cupcakes, you need to make something that is equal parts lemon and summer delight.
Enter some chewy lemon bars dotted with crystallized ginger. Oh yes, I think that you will win the next party you bring these to (and yes, there is such a thing as winning a party and these will help you do exactly that)
The curious incident of music in the summertime
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author:
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 35 mins
Serves: 18
These lemon bars are chewy, tart and have a kick of spice from the ginger.
Ingredients
- 210 grams (1 1/2 cups) gluten-free all-purpose flour*
- 1/4 tsp xantham gum**
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 stick (4oz / 113g) butter, softened300 g (1 1/2 cups) sugar
- 1/4 cup fresh (60 mL) lemon juice
- 3 eggs
- 3 tbsp lemon zest
- 75 g (1/2 cup) ginger chips (chopped crystalized ginger)
- Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 Celsius).
- Grease & flour a 9×13″ pan.
- Whisk together the gluten-free flour, xantham gum (if using), salt and baking powder.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy.
- Scrape down the sides and add the lemon juice and one egg. Beat until combined. Scrape down the sides and add 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and eggs until you have incorporated all of it.
- Scrape down the sides and stir in the lemon zest and ginger chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Let cool. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
Notes
*I tested this recipe using Cup4Cup gluten-free all purpose flour. Other brands that I am confident would work well are Jules Nearly Normal and Better Batter. Baking mixes such as Pamela’s will not. **If you are using a blend that includes xantham gum, there is no need to add it again.
3.2.1337
When food bloggers take over Austin
Apparently when you go to a conference full of women who blog about food in Austin, you are quite unlikely to find yourself a cowboy. I just thought we should get that out of the way, you know, in case you were thinking about doing that yourself.