The Picky Gourmet

WE'VE MOVED

2010-07-27T16:59:00.000-07:00

The Picky Gourmet has moved to: www.pickygourmet.net
Please update your bookmarks and feeds!
Thanks!
The Picky G

Hello Goodbye Hello

2010-07-19T18:28:00.000-07:00

My dear readers: The Picky Gourmet will be out of commission for a day or two as I launch the redesign of the site. I am working to make it better looking, more streamlined and user friendly and I'm excited for you all to see the NEW Picky Gourmet!
See you soon!
<3 The Picky G

Flowers

2010-07-03T10:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Weekend!

Grilled Ahi Salad with Lemony Greek Dressing

2010-06-23T14:21:00.000-07:00

It's summertime! Everything is better in summertime. The food I find at the Farmer's Markets and even at the grocery store inspires me. Walking through the summer markets I have to slow my brain and remind myself that there are only so many meals I can cook and eat in a day. Just because I love juicy nectarines doesn't mean I need 30 of them RIGHT NOW! I know I'm not the only one who feels the giddiness of summer; as I peruse my favorite blogs, I'm encountering rhapsodic descriptions of strawberries (!) tomatoes (!) asparagus (!) cherries (!) peaches (!) and all the other signs that the good stuff is ripe and ready.

This salad may not scream summer, it isn't packed with veggies, but it isn't too heavy and it's the perfect dinner to eat before heading to the beach for a sunset walk (or cocktail if you're into that sort of thing.) The bright lemon in this homemade dressing mellows the richness of the roasted garlic making it light and luscious. Keeping the tuna cold until you sear it ensures a nice jewel-pink center.
Enjoy!

Ingredients:

For salad dressing:
- 1 head of garlic, roasted until soft and caramelized
- 4 Tbs dried oregano
- 3 Tbs dried basil
- 6 Tbs red wine vinegar
- 3 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp white sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice

For tuna
- 1 1/4 lb tuna steak cut into two pieces
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- sprinkle oregano
- sprinkle salt
- sprinkle pepper

- 1/2 bag baby spring greens or other delicate, leafy greens of your choice

For dressing:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roast garlic by lopping off the top of a head of garlic and drizzling in a decent amount of olive oil. Rub olive oil all over the head of garlic then wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Place onto a baking dish or into a muffin tin and roast for 35-45 minutes. Garlic is done when it is buttery soft and a light caramel color. Scoop out cloves and pulverize with a fork. Add all other dressing ingredients and whisk together or whiz in a food processor.

Rub tuna with olive oil and lemon juice sprinkle with salt, pepper and oregano. Marinate in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes.

Heat a grill pan over medium high heat, when very hot, add tuna, sear 2 minutes on each side for a 3/4 inch thick piece of tuna. Remove from heat and refrigerate until ready to use. Just before you place tuna on salad, slice into thin strips.

Drizzle dressing* over greens then spread tuna over the top. Serve!

*you'll have lots of leftover dressing, keep it and use it for other salads or as a marinade for chicken!

Catering Music Videos

2010-06-17T13:54:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I was lucky enough to be hired as a caterer/craft services person for two music video shoots. I also got to do the food styling for one of the videos. It was an awesome experience; I catered a web series shoot last year as well and though it was stressful, it was well worth it.

So far, all of my catering ventures have been done by myself with some heavy lifting and assistance from my sous-chef and a few friends. There is so much that goes into catering events like these that it can be really daunting. All the shoots I've done have been for between 20 and 40 people which may not seem like a lot but with my tiny kitchen, limited equipment and full-time job, it really adds up.

The hardest part of catering for me is not the cooking but the planning. I spent hours figuring out the perfect dishes for the locations: food that will stay warm but not wilt in the sun if the shoot is outside, options for vegetarians and people like me with food allergies and intolerances. I had to calculate how much food each person would be expected to eat and I had to do all this on an extremely tight budget which meant driving to many, many different stores to get the cheapest available ingredients.

I learned an immense amount from these experiences and I still have a lot to learn. Cooking the food and serving it was fun but the planning and shopping were agonizing. I laughed, cried and lost my mind several times a day while working on this. I don't think people realize that the food that materializes in front of them at chow time, didn't just get whipped up in the kitchen and dropped off. It involved weeks of planning, shopping, prepping and then hours of cooking, packaging, cooling, re-heating, transporting and serving. Hearing that people enjoy your food is so satisfying but hearing people complain makes you want to put them in a choke hold and explain the calculations you used to determine the exact amount of beef, chicken, onions and peppers to buy in order to make fajitas for 30 people. In the end, there were successes (gluten-free triple berry cobbler with ice cream) and failures (cheesecake brownies that didn't cook through and looked like wet tar) but the experience itself was priceless and made me a much better chef and caterer.

The day after every shoot I swear to myself that I will NEVER put myself through the torture of it again but the second someone asks me to do it, I jump at the chance. The bottom line is that I love to cook for people. Watching people dig into a giant batch of baked ziti after they've been working in the sun since 6AM warms my heart and knowing that I am able to feed people well on mere dollars per person makes me feel accomplished. And now I'd like to present the videos I cooked for.

This video for the song World News is by LA/OC band, Local Natives. All the food you see was made by me. If you even knew the blood, sweat and tears that went into making this food...well you'd understand why the food tasted so bad!

I wanted to make food that would pop on camera and look both elegant and trippy. I accomplished this but the one thing the food wasn't was tasty. Crisco frosting piped into parmesan cheese crisps looks a hell of a lot better than it tastes but no one seemed to mind too much. Enjoy!

The second video for the song Neverest is by Chicago band Hey Champ. Fair warning: this video is totally crazy and also features nudity and some slightly frightening visuals so if that doesn't sound up your alley, I won't be offended if you skip it. Being on set and seeing how different the final product turned out was awe inspiring to me. Computers can do crazy things.

Want to know what I served? For the Local Natives I made: garlic bread, Greek salad with homemade lemon oregano vinaigrette, baked ziti with mozzarella cheese, sweet Italian sausage, sauteed onions and tri-color peppers and the failed cheesecake brownies. (plus breakfast and snacks)
For Hey Champ I made a fajita bar with chicken, beef, veggies, corn or flour tortillas, Spanish rice, pinto beans, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, salsa and chips and a southwest salad with corn and avocado with a choice of homemade creamy cilantro dressing or lime vinaigrette and triple berry cobbler with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Also, snacks, coffee and more coffee as this was a night shoot that went from 7PM until 8AM!

Creamy Carrot Pasta

2010-06-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

I've never been a huge fan of cooked carrots. Their mushy sweetness compared to the savory crunch of raw carrots always put me off. I tend to like my veggies on the salty side, garnished with some ranch dip or a nice vinaigrette (or, in the case of artichokes, with luscious melted butter.) For most of my life I have picked carrots out of chicken soup and pot roast. I would always try one but I was usually haunted by flashbacks of pre-school lunches at La Petite Academy where I was coerced with threats of no dessert to eat this nastiness:

I just threw up in my mouth a little just thinking about it. It's gross.

So yeah, I don't like cooked carrots. That's why it was weird when I stumbled upon a cooked-carrot pasta sauce recipe on Tastespotting and it sounded good to me. Really good. I couldn't get it out of my head, I felt compelled to make it. I did. And I loved it. The thyme and parmesan bring out the nuttiness in the carrots and the sweetness is mellowed by the cream. The bacon adds a much needed smokiness and saltiness that make this dish addictive. The leftovers were even good cold!

If you suffer from cooked carrot PTSD, this recipe might be the cure!
(Adapted from this recipe on Cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com)

- 1 lb Carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2-1 inch rounds
- 5 cloves of garlic, whole, peeled
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Sea or Kosher salt
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated, plus more for serving
- 6 strips of Niman Ranch bacon
- 1 pound of gluten free pasta (If you haven't tried Ancient Harvest Corn/Quinoa blend DO IT.)

This sauce works best on curly shapes. I used a mixture of Garden Pagoda shape and Veggie Curls.
- 1 1/2 cups of pasta water

First, cook the bacon. This is my go-to method for making a lot of bacon at once. it cooks evenly, is absurdly easy to clean up and leaves your kitchen free of grease splatters. Also, you don't have to hover over it the way you do when making bacon in a skillet.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
Line a cookie sheet with foil and place a cooling rack on the sheet. Spread bacon out on cooking rack and bake for 20 minutes or until very crisp. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to cool then chop into small pieces and reserve for later.

Increase heat in oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl toss the carrot rounds and garlic with the olive oil, thoroughly coating the carrots and garlic with oil.

Season well with salt and thyme (and pepper if you're into that nasty stuff.)

Roast on a foil-lined about 45-50 minutes until carrots are tender. Take the pan out and stir or toss halfway through the cooking time to ensure carrots cook evenly on both sides.

When carrots are soft and tender, remove from oven.

Cook the pasta in a generous amount of salted water to al dente according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, puree the carrots and garlic with the heavy cream and parmesan cheese in a blender or food processor . When the pasta is done cooking reserve a cup and a half of the pasta water.

Quickly drain pasta and toss into a large mixing bowl with carrot cream sauce, adding pasta water a little at a time until you get a nice consistency and the pasta is evenly coated. Toss in the bacon and stir until it's incorporated.

Serve with a generous grating of parmesan cheese.

FREE BOOKS!

2010-05-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

Guess what? You can get pretty much any book you want FOR FREE, just around the corner from where you live! It's true! You just walk right in, tell 'em what book you want and they hand it over to you. Now, you don't get to keep it forever but you do get to keep it for as long as it takes you to finish it. This free book fantasyland is called "The Library" and though it may seem like I'm being a bit sarcastic here, really, I'm not.

See, I used to spend a lot of my hard(ish) earned money on books. Books that I usually only read once and then added to the ever-growing collection in my towering, wall-to-wall book shelves. My new year's resolution this year was to STOP BUYING BOOKS. It sounds so easy but I was scared. I (shamefully) hadn't used the public library since I was about 13. Sure, I used the school library for projects and reports but for some reason I plumb forgot that there was a public library in every town I have ever lived in that was chock full of the books I was paying $14.95 a piece for! It seems totally crazy when you think about it. Last year I probably spent well over a couple hundred dollars on books. I am an avid reader, I always have a book I'm reading and I sometimes read up to a book a week. Used book stores helped defray some of the cost of all these books but really, I was buying the cow when I could have gotten the milk for free. I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT!

I got a Los Angeles library card a few years ago on a tour of the Central Library in Downtown Los Angeles. They explained on the tour how the LA Library system is streamlined and connected to make it easy to get a book from any LA library delivered to the one nearest you so you can pick it up at your convenience. I got my card on the spot then promptly did nothing with it. That is, until this year when I mustered up the courage to go online and test out this supposedly easy system. Turns out, it was just as easy as they said it would be. I found the book I wanted, put a hold on it and checked back in a day to see if it was ready for pick up. All this from the comfort of my couch! When the book was ready at my library of choice, I swung by and walked up to the front desk where they scanned my library card (which conveniently attaches to my keychain!!!) and handed over my book with a receipt that provided me with the due date. It was that simple.

The pictures in this post are all from my chosen library, the Westwood branch.

I love this place. It is everything you expect a library to be and more. It's incredibly quiet (of course) but also just tranquil and peaceful. It has huge windows that reveal lush green tree tops and bright blue sky, it almost feels like reading in a tree house when you sit near these windows.

There is a great kids area with stunning butterfly wing stained glass windows. The building is beautifully made with interesting materials and sculptures. It has an airy, open feel but also has small rooms downstairs from the main library area for meetings and book groups.

The staff are very helpful and there is free(!!!), underground parking. The switch from buying retail-priced books to checking out exactly the books I want has been almost seamless. Sometimes a book I want isn't available or a transfer from another library to mine takes more than a few days but when you are paying 0 dollars and 0 cents, these minor inconveniences are well worth it. So far I have checked out 7 books from the library, read them all and haven't paid a penny.

If you, like me, forgot about this amazing resource, maybe now is the time to reconsider. Just think of all the money you could save! Check it out: www.lapl.org (get it? check it out?. Punny, I know.)
PS. If you're really lucky, someone will leave little surprises in the books that you get to discover! I've found photos, notes, grocery lists and boarding passes!

GLOW Mango Curry Gingersnap Ice Cream Sammiches

2010-05-12T12:46:00.000-07:00

I'm a blabbermouth. In school, without fail, my report cards came home with notes from teachers about how I was very bright but talkative to the point of being disruptive. My parents were mostly concerned with my grades and since those were always top notch, they never felt much need to squelch my social nature. I still talk. A lot. About everything. I have strong opinions and when I find something I like or something I dislike, people are going to hear about it.
I found something I like. I like it a lot. I think I might even LOVE it.

I found Glow Gluten Free cookies. They are not bland, or sandy or dry or earthy, or stick-in-your-teethy or off in any way whatsoever. I have tried a lot of gluten free cookies and I have not reviewed them here because one thing my parents did attempt to impart to me through my years of disruptive babbling was that if you don't have anything nice to say, you shouldn't say anything at all. So there. Even the very best gluten-free cookies were still good GLUTEN-FREE cookies. These are just good cookies. I would even venture so far as to say these are some of the best packaged cookies I have EVER had. I have to hide them from my non-G-Free Sous Chef and he is a cookie aficionado.

Glow cookies come in four flavors: Snickerdoodle, Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate Chip and Gingersnap. I have never been a fan of gingersnap cookies but I love Glow cookies so much that I was determined to eat every last morsel of every flavor. I decided that I needed something creamy and flavorful to balance out the spiciness of the ginger. I came up with the idea of making ice cream sandwiches using the gingersnaps and homemade mango curry ice cream. The result was catastrophically delicious. I must urge ALL of you out there to not only GET THEE TO LOCALI (or go online) AND BUY SOME GLOW COOKIES but also to MAKE THIS RECIPE ASAP!

Mango Curry Ice Cream Sandwiches

- 6 egg yolks
- 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- juice of one small lemon
- 2 tsp sweet yellow curry powder
- 2 1/2 cups mango puree (I used 10 very ripe Ataulfo Mexican mangoes)

Peel the mangoes then cut them into chunks and puree in blender or food processor until smooth.

Strain through mesh strainer if puree is lumpy or stringy. Set puree aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the yolks and sugar until smooth.

Heat the cream in a saucepan to just below boiling.

Temper the eggs by whisking a cup of the hot cream VERY slowly into the egg mixture. Once you've brought them up to temperature, add the tempered eggs to the cream mixture.

Gently heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring often. The mixture will begin to thicken. Continue heating until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Remove from heat immediately and whisk the mixture for a minute to stop the custard from cooking. Whisk in the curry powder. Strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a metal bowl set over an ice bath.

Stir in the vanilla and mango puree.

Place the liquid, still in the ice bath into the refrigerator. When it's completely cold, pour it into ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers instructions.

When the ice cream is ready, scoop into a plastic container and freeze for at least a few hours to harden.

Scoop one large scoop of ice cream onto a gingersnap and place another gingersnap on top. Smoosh slightly then place in a zipper freezer bag and freeze overnight (this softens the cookie just slightly and keeps the sandwich together better when you eat it.) Enjoy with a glass of ice cold milk, soy milk or almond milk. Cry from happiness.

A Special Day

2010-05-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

Five years ago today, something magical happened. A little baby doggy was born through C-section. A few months later she got on an airplane and flew all the way from Russia to California. For those few months, she was called Mishel. Then one day, I saw this picture:

and this baby doggy was born to me.

After I saw the picture I went to meet Mishel and I knew right away that she was Violet and she was my baby. She seemed to know this too.

I took her home in a box. She peeked over the edge and kept her eyes on me the whole time.

Once I brought her home, she changed my life. She makes me laugh every single day. She likes Oysters.

She is so cute it makes want to cry and sometimes I do because I am corny like that. This is her after surgery to have a benign tumor removed from her foot.

She loves to soak up the sun and prefers to live a life of lazy leisure but...

Deep down she is a wild country dog. When she visits her great-grandparents sprawling farm in Missouri, she comes alive and bounds through grass that grows two feet above her head. She races around the edges of the lakes and streams, dipping her feet in. She surveys the land and dreams of all the fun she could have out there.

This is her dreaming.

She is my inspiration and my muse and I love her more every single day.

Even if she is getting a little white in the whiskers.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIOLET BELLE HIPPO III!

A Homemade Life: Foodie Book Club Post

2010-05-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

*Warning* this post is being written through a fog of cough/cold medication and may be subject to run-on sentences and incoherent babbling. Ahem.

After gnawing through the gristle of "The Nasty Bits" for (never home)maker's Foodie Book Club, it was a welcome respite to dip into the tender sweetness of "A Homemade Life."

Molly Wizenberg's book based on her blog, Orangette, delves lightly into her parent's backgrounds, her childhood, her time abroad, her beloved father's death and ends with the story of how she met and fell in love with her husband while creating the blog that these stories are culled from. Like many blog-cum-books, this isn't heavy material. Sometimes it can feel a bit superficial as one story jumps headlong into the next but these stories are chronological and there is a loose narrative thread based around the themes of food, cooking and finding one's passions.

Molly's writing is lovely. It is lyrical yet not overly flowery or verbose as some food-based books tend to be. She uses her words wisely and well and that helps the scents and tastes float off the page.

This book is filled with enticing recipes. Before even finishing the book, I had to make Molly's stewed prunes. The way she described them made it impossible to resist and they were just as delicious as promised (even if I did take a little license with the cinnamon.)

I was lucky enough to get to meet Molly, she had a reading in LA two days after I started the book. I got to hear her read from the book and answer audience questions at Skylight Books while this cat roamed around inspecting everybody.

She was very funny and warm (Molly, not the cat. Are cats ever funny and warm?) and it was inspiring to hear her talk about going from a hobbyist blogger to a bona fide writer with a column at Bon Apetit.

Molly's book made me want to cook. It was just what I needed after Anthony Bourdain's book made me want to punch someone and a month of illness and exhaustion made me want to sleep forever. If you have any inclination toward the kitchen, I recommend this book and Molly's blog.
Here is a recipe from her book and another from her blog. Both are absolutely delicious and unexpected. I hope you'll try them!

Stewed Prunes with Citrus (and cinnamon, if you like)
adapted from "A Homemade Life"

*I know, prunes can seem scary. They're all wrinkly and brown and they call to mind less than savory side-effects but if you look past those minor details and remember that they are really just dried plums, it's easy to understand how they can be so flavorful, soft and comforting. Be brave, make these and you'll see what I mean!

- 1 small orange or tangerine or 1/2 small orange and 1/2 lemon (I used a Cutie clementine)
- 1 lb quality pitted prunes
- 1 cinnamon stick (I left this out)
- water

Cut the orange in half from stem to tip, then slice it very thinly, peel and all.

Remove seeds as you go. Put the orange slices in a medium saucepan with the prunes and the cinnamon stick, if using. Add just enough water to cover. Place over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, adjusting so the water barely trembles, for 30 - 45 minutes, or until the prunes are tender, the orange slices are soft and glassy, and the liquid in the pan is slightly syrupy.

Remove the cinnamon stick, cool slightly and serve. Or let the prunes cool to room temperature and then store them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.

Serve over greek yogurt with honey or ice cream or oatmeal or anything!

Braised Rhubarb
adapted from Orangette

*Oh my goodness, do I love rhubarb. Growing up, we had bushels of it growing right in our backyard, nowadays I have to venture out the the farmer's market (woe is me!) The color when you cook it is like an 8-year-old-Picky-G's idea of heaven. It is PINK, man. PINK. It has the most subtle flavor and the vanilla and white wine in this recipe play it up to utter perfection. Don't fear the rhubarb.

For the wine here, I used my personal favorite, King Shag Sauvignon Blanc from Trader Joe's.

2 lb. rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 3-inch lengths
½ cup sugar
½ cup crisp white wine
1 vanilla bean, split

Set a rack in the lower third of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F.
Put the rhubarb in a Dutch oven or other deep oven-safe pot.

Add the sugar, wine, and vanilla bean, and stir to mix. I threw in the vanilla pod to give it a but more vanilla oomph.

Bake (uncovered) for about 30 minutes, or until very tender, giving the pot a gentle stir about midway through to ensure that the rhubarb cooks evenly.

Remove the vanilla pod and serve warm or cold, by itself or over something creamy.

Also, makes a delicious fool, combined with freshly whipped cream, parfait style

Crock Pot Balsamic Roast with Sweet Onions

2010-04-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

Crock pots might seem a little old fashioned to those who haven't yet discovered how magical they are. It's true, many of the old crock pot recipes are pretty grandma-esque and gnarly but there are a lot of things you can make in a crock pot that might surprise you. I have big plans for some coconut creme brulee and there is just no beating chili that is hot and ready the second you get home from work.

I came across this recipe on Ask Georgie and it looked too easy to be true. It's CRAZY simple and CRAZY delicious. The beef gets so tender it just melts under your fork and the sweet onions combine with the balsamic and tomato sauce to make a rich and flavorful gravy. Not only is this recipe easy peasy lemon squeezy AND packed with iron-rich protein, it's also crazy cheap! When I made it, London Broil was on sale and I made the whole meal (enough for about 6 servings) for under $10!!! You're killing me Larry!

Recipe Adapted from askgeorgie.com

-1.75 lb top round beef (aka London Broil), trimmed of excess fat
- kosher salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp canola oil
- 1 large sweet onion
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 Tbsp white wine

Season beef on both sides with decent dusting of salt and seasonings.

Heat oil in a large pan until very hot, and brown beef on both sides.

Slice the onion into thick half rings, and place in bottom of slow cooker. Place meat on top.

In a small bowl, stir together tomato sauce and balsamic vinegar.

Deglaze browning pan with water and white wine.

Pour water/wine/pan dripping mixture and tomato balsamic mixture over beef.

Place lid on crock and cook for 6-8 hours on low.

Mmmmm. If you do all these steps in the morning, you will come home from work to a smell that will make your mouth water!

Serve with a nice starchy side like mashed potatoes or my new fave, cauliflower puree (recipe coming soon!)

SIBO and me

2010-04-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

I left you again. I'm sorry. Problem is, I haven't been feeling so hot. It seems like just when I get one ailment under control, another pops up in it's place. I am not here to throw a pity party, I'm mostly here to make excuses for why I have neglected my blog and it's readers.

There are no recipes here and no pictures. It's probably a pretty dry read and if you want to skip it, that's a-okay with me. I plan to have a recipe for you tomorrow and you can check back for it then.

This entry is a bit of a primer on my main health issues and how I ended up here. SIBO (I think) is what caused the symptoms that made me decide to try an elimination diet and what led to me becoming the gluten freebie you now know and love. Once I cut out the gluten, the SIBO seemingly went away for quite a while and I was feeling pretty durn good and pretty durn proud of myself for being able to eschew the ingredient that lurks within almost all of my favorite foods. Now, it seems, SIBO has found me. Even without gluten as it's guide. I'm feeling those symptoms that drove me to the doctor the first time. I will try not to be too graphic but I get asked about this stuff a lot. If you are acutely sensitive to discussions of an intestinal nature, maybe skip this section. I know I use the internet as a resource to find others who are experiencing symptoms like me and I want to add my voice to the growing discussion about SIBO and how to deal with it and I also want to help educate people who might recognize these symptoms in themselves or might just be curious about what people with SIBO experience.

Here are some of the symptoms that have returned to let me know that my intestines are once again overpopulated by sugar-hungry bacteria.
1. Noises. These bacteria like to party and it makes my stomach sound like there are lions in there having a nice long chat about the rain in Spain or something.
2. Gas. I will leave it at that so those of you who know me in real life can continue to look me in the eye.
3. A swinging pendulum of bathroom issues. I think that sums it up nicely.
4. Cravings like you would not believe for carbs of all kinds, rice, g-free pasta, chips, fruit. I want it all, all the time.
5. Tightness or pain in my stomach
6. Feeling like I swallowed a few gallons of wet cement and they hardened in my digestive tract
7. Fatness. The first time I had SIBO I gained about 25 lbs in about a month. It was scary. This time around, I haven't gained that much weight that quickly but I bloat very easily and pants that fit me with room to spare one day will be impossible to zip the next.
8. A hard to describe feeling of being unwell. Just not feeling like myself.
9. Feeling tired and easily worn out

The first time I went through these symptoms I took a hydrogen breath test (then four subsequent tests to determine if my bacteria levels were back to normal.) The test consists of not eating after eight PM the day before then drinking a cup of sugar solution in the doctors office. For four hours you sit in the doctors office, breathing into a tube every twenty minutes. The test measures how much hydrogen is produced by the bacteria in your system processing the sugar solution. The first time I took the test, it was clear to the doctor that I had SIBO. He put me on my first round of very expensive antibiotics then tested me again, My levels were even higher. We tried a combo of two different types of antibiotics and my levels tested higher still. Finally, after months of tears and frustration I had a blood test done on my own time and my own dime (no help from insurance) to determine if I might have food intolerances that might be causing these bacteria to continue to multiply. The test results provided me with some lists, one of food to avoid completely for 6 months, one of food to avoid completely for three months and one of food to rotate and only eat once every three days.

With this information I went on a very strict rotation diet for 6 months. I did not eat any wheat, onions, garlic, almonds and apricots and I limited dozens of other foods. Sounds random, I know but I was desperate at this point. After a few weeks on the diet, the weight began to melt off and symptoms began to dissipate. I went back to the doctor for a breath test and this time, even though I didn't take any antibiotics, my SIBO test was negative, the bacteria levels in my small intestine had returned to normal. My doctor was pretty surprised, he didn't think cutting out gluten would make any difference but it was obvious that it had.

In my research I have learned that gluten intolerance can really do a number on one's body in ways you might not imagine. I am pretty sure my iron-deficiency anemia is caused by malabsorbtion due to gluten intolerance and it seems like there is a pretty clear correlation between cutting out gluten and getting rid of SIBO. All that said, I have been gluten free for about a year now and the SIBO and anemia still seem to be making trouble for me. This week I am scheduled to have a four-hour I.V. iron infusion that will hopefully boost my blood iron levels and re-train my body into producing and holding onto iron. The SIBO symptoms come and go. I have not been 100% gluten free for this year and it's possible that eating gluten even in tiny and infrequent amounts has damaged my digestive tract or caused my digestion to become unregulated, allowing bacteria levels to build back up.

It seems the most common method of treating recurring or chronic SIBO is a very strict diet. My doctor wanted me to go on an entirely liquid diet for 3 months but my insurance would not cover the diet (it consisted of cans of aspartame-rich, sugar-free liquid. Yummy.) Through internet research I have discovered that many SIBO sufferers go on an entirely sugar free diet. This is scarier than it might sound at first blush. No fruit. No grains. No carbohydrates of any kind. SIBO bacteria live off of sugar. That is all they eat. If you want to starve them out, they can't have even a speck of sugar and this is a very tall order. I am not ready to try this diet yet and I don't know if I ever will be. Food is my life. It is my passion, my career, my happiness. I think about food when I wake up in the morning and daydream about it all day. The idea of building a life where I the thing I enjoy most is severely restricted to the point of near elimination is more that I can handle at this point in my life. If my symptoms get worse or become more frequent, I may change my mind but for now, I am just stuck here. I am hoping that the iron infusion might offer some relief for some of my symptoms and I will keep you posted on how I do. My real hope is that I feel well enough most of the time to post recipes and stories regularly without feeling the need to even mention my illnesses or how I feel.
Thanks for bearing with me. Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

Pesto Torte

2010-04-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

I came across this awesome appetizer at my sous-chef's family holiday party. His cousin's boyfriend brought this dish and I gained 13 pounds scarfing it down. I forced him at knife point to give me the recipe and reluctantly, he finally did. His looked better than mine but I think he's had more practice and though this recipe is pretty cool to look at, the real payoff is how good it tastes. It's addictive. Don't say I didn't warn you.
This recipe is perfect for Christmas, it's all red and green and white and...red and green and white. I know it's Easter now and Christmas was forever ago but again, it tastes good no matter when or where you serve it.

You get two for the price of one with this post: the torte recipe AND my pesto recipe. The spinach in my pesto keeps the pesto fresh and green, adds iron and makes the taste a little milder and less bitter. I make big batches and freeze my leftovers to eat later on gluten free pasta or chicken.

Ingredients:

Cheese Mix:
- 8 oz neufchatel
- 8 oz mascarpone

Soften and combine using an electric mixer.

Pesto:
- 2-3 cups basil
- 2-3 cups spinach
- 1/2 - 1 cup pine nuts
- 1/4 cup whole garlic cloves
- 1 cup parmigiano reggiano, cut into small chunks
- 2-4 Tbsp olive oil

Blend in food processor, start with small amounts of everything then adjust to your personal taste.

Sun-dried Tomato Pesto: (I used packaged for this one but here is a recipe for making your own)
- 1 (8.5-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp lemon zest

(Blend in food processor until completely incorporated)

Line a bowl with plastic wrap and secure with a rubberband and spray lightly with olive oil spray. Using a spatula, carefully spread a layer of the cheese mixture on the bottom of the bowl. I tried to make my layers about 3/4" thick.

Next carefully smooth on a layer of the sun-dried tomato pesto.

Add another layer of cheese mixture then smooth a layer of basil pesto over that.

Continue alternating red, white, green, white, red, white until the bowl is full or you run out of one of your dips. Then wrap the remaining plastic wrap around the top layer and place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. To serve, invert the bowl on a platter or plate and remove the plastic wrap. Voila: a colorful and utterly delicious torte! Serve with gluten free crackers or (I know it sounds weird but it's really good) tortilla chips.

The Nasty Bits: Foodie Book Club Post

2010-03-30T15:34:00.000-07:00

I was so excited when Ashley M. at (never home)maker decided to start up an online foodie book club. The two most enduring loves in my life are the love of food and the love of books. I need to start brainstorming on edible books...but I digress. The first selection for the book club was The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain. I voted for this one so I was pretty pleased that it would be the first book I got to read for the club. I love Anthony's show, No Reservations, my sous chef and I watch it religiously and we both read his first book, Kitchen Confidential. I dug in, eager for more kitchen exploits and travel tales. The book was separated into sections based on taste: sweet, salty, bitter, sour and umami. Unfortunately, I think most of these disjointed missives could fit mainly under the "bitter" banner. You know how moms say "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all"...? Well...I will keep this post brief. ;)

Anthony Bourdain is living the high life, as he sheepishly admits just about every other chapter. Despite this fact, he has repetitive vitriol to spew at pretty much every other chef in his position. His ego knows no bounds and his self-indulgent attitude comes at the expense of those who make dining choices he does not approve of (hello vegans, vegetarians!) My edition of the book even had a section at the end where he commented/reviewed each chapter. If you want to make changes, edit! People do it all the time! Maybe I am too sensitive but for me, this book read as alternating chapters of bragging and complaining. The bragging chapters were definitely preferable though still irritating. Yes, I DO want to eat at Sushi Masa, however I will probably not rob someone in order to be able to afford it, as he facetiously suggests.

As corny as this pun is, it's true. This book left a bad taste in my mouth. I really can't wait to move onto the next book, Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life. Just looking at the cover is breath of fresh air after slogging through The Nasty Bits.

Cauliflower and Tofu Red Curry

2010-03-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

Now that we have all made a fresh batch of Red Curry Paste, (right everyone?) it's time to use it in a recipe! This dish was inspired by a veggie curry I saw on (never home)maker. I can't get enough red curry. I love the way sweet creaminess of the coconut milk plays off the rich flavors of the curry paste and cools the spiciness of the sriracha while the salty, unctuous fish sauce adds brightness. Now I'm hungry. I could call for some quick Thai takeout or I could just whip this little number up! It's easy, healthy and best of all, scrumptious. Try for yourself and see, there is no better reward for slaving away (hardly) to make your own curry paste!

Ingredients

- 1 red pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1/2 large head of cauliflower or 1 medium to small head, cut into medium sized florets
- 1/2 block extra firm tofu, drained and cubed
- 14 ounces coconut milk
- 1 - 2 Tbsp homemade (or store bought, you stinker!) red curry paste
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 splash dry white wine
- 1 splash fish sauce (optional)
- 1-2 tsp of sriracha chili sauce (optional and VERY spicy)
- Olive oil

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk together the red curry paste, brown sugar and coconut milk until well combined. Set aside.

In a medium pan, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil until hot. Add your drained and cubed tofu (you may want to pat it down with paper towels to ensure you get all the moisture out that you can) and cook until well browned on all sides (as you can see from the picture, you will want to use a NON-stick pan and plenty of oil.)

Place a steamer insert into a medium to large pot and fill with water to just below the bottom of the insert (you shouldn't see any water.)

Place cauliflower florets on top of the insert and cover the pot with a lid, bring to a boil and allow to steam for 5 - 10 minutes or until softened but still slightly al dente or crisp in the middle.

When the tofu is browned, add the red pepper and sautee a few minutes in the oil with the tofu to let it soften just a bit.

Once the cauliflower is steamed to your desired level of crunch, add the curry mixture to the tofu and peppers, stir to mix then add the cauliflower.

Bring to a strong simmer then taste the curry and add fish sauce, wine and sriracha to your taste.

Reduce heat and cover pan, cook over low heat for another 15 to 30 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Taste again to determine if any additional seasonings are needed. Serve over rice.

Adapted from (never home)maker.com

Reason #328,439 why I love L.A.

2010-03-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

When I tell people I moved to Los Angeles from Boulder, Colorado, I always get the same question: "Why?" The second question most people ask is "Do you ski or snowboard?" The answer to question number two is "HA HA HA HA HA HA HA, no." The answer to the first question takes longer to answer.

Main Street in my home town

Boulder (or Louisville, to be specific) is lovely, as anyone who has been there or lived there will attest. It has stunning mountain views, warm, interesting people, a dizzying sequence of seasons (sometimes Louisville has Winter, Summer, Winter, Spring Summer, Winter then Fall in that order all in one year. Or all in one month. Sometimes all in one day) and all sorts of activities and amusements. I loved growing up in Louisville and I wouldn't trade my childhood there for anything. Not to brag but it was voted the NUMBER ONE place to raise a family by Money Magazine. Still, for me, nothing beats L.A.

Seasons are nice but we all know what the best season is and that is SUMMER! In L.A., if it's not Summer, it's almost Summer or was just Summer and Summer can pop up any day of the year. There is always something to do, every minute of every day. Our museums and beaches and concerts and plays and operas and hikes and restaurants and bars are the best of the best and here for the taking. I could go on and on about all the things I love about L.A. (sushi, driving up PCH, a Trader Joe's on every corner) but I am going to use this post to highlight just one of my favorite things about the city of angels. I mention this feature in almost every post so it's time to go in depth on the topic of...Farmers Markets. You can find a Farmers Market operating in Los Angeles every single day of the week. Two of my favorites are the Santa Monica Saturday Organic Farmer's Market and the Studio City Farmers Market which operates Sunday mornings.

A rainbow of greens

I love the Santa Monica Market because it's all about the produce. They aren't messing around with food booths and handicrafts; this market is for chefs.

You can often spot restaurant chefs feeling up the carrots and crossing things off their huge lists.

You can also find home chefs like me picking out some farm fresh eggs or stunning heads of romanesco.

Beets

There are always tons of samples to be had and the vibe is very food oriented. Sometimes the Border Grill truck is set up in the middle and it's impossible to resist the siren scent of sweet corn tamales and spicy tacos. Mmmmm. One of the other things I love is this market's proximity to the beach. Every Saturday we drive to the top of the free parking structure next to the market and we get to look out over the coastline. You can see the ferris wheel on Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach and the cliffs leading to Malibu. It's breathtaking and reminds me why I live here.

A Beautiful Bouquet in Studio City

The Studio City Farmer's Market is very different. The focus here is not just on produce, though the produce is terrific. Check out these bright berries and gigantic artichokes!

There are also lots of booths with people selling things like aprons made from antique flour bags and toys for little kids. The whole market is very kid friendly and is always packed with strollers and baby bjorns bearing adorable little beebees. One end of the market features some huge bouncy slides and pony rides.

There is a petting zoo with tiny baby animals that I have to be dragged away from so I don't abscond with one of the piglets (it's gonna happen.)

This market is always, ALWAYS good for a B-list or lower celeb sighting. We've ogled Teri Hatcher, Jason Bateman (swoon!) and Eddie Jemison (who?) I love me some celebs but what I love even more is the FOOD.

I'm not talkin' japanese cucumbers and oro blanco grapefruit, I'm talkin' gourmet mac and cheese (not Gfree, sadly), bacon wrapped hot dogs, breakfast burritos bigger than your head, vegan Indian food and sooooo much more.

One of the best kept foodie secrets in LA is hiding out at this market. I will tell you about it soon but first I need just one more weekend of them all to myself...

Make Your Own Red Curry Paste

2010-03-23T14:59:00.000-07:00

Let me begin by apologizing for my prolonged absence from the blog. Over the past few weeks I've been struggling with some pretty ugly headaches. They are not eradicated yet but with the help of my doc, I am working on it. Despite this setback, I want to stick to my promise to post more often so let's start this week right (yeah, I know it's Tuesday, give me a break!)

Spring is here! In Los Angeles, the flowers are blooming, the grass is green, the sun is shining and the fruits and veggies that have been absent all winter are sneaking back into the farmer's market stalls, one by one. Strawberries! Asparagus! Artichokes! WooHOOO! Veggies of all kinds are perfect for today's recipe.

I love Thai take-out but I my sous-chef and I are working on saving money by cutting way down on eating out and ordering take-out. This curry paste lets me make my favorite Thai curries at home! Using fresh veggies and making my own rice, we can eat for pennies and the food is so good, I actually like it better than the take-out we used to get because I can customize it and make it my own. Bamboo shoots: out! Cauliflower: in! SO easy!

I got many of my ingredients from Simpang Asian Market and plain ol Ralph's. If you are having trouble finding these ingredients near you, you might try asking someone from your fave Thai take out place where they get their lemongrass or kaffir lime leaves.

I learned how to make this Thai curry paste in cooking school. My cooking school blog has been in a holding pattern while I work on merging that blog with this one but I couldn't wait any longer to share this recipe with you. It's incredibly vibrant in color and taste, it will stain anything it touches but will also drown veggies, fish, tofu, chicken or anything else in flavor. I like to mix it into some coconut milk and add enough Sriracha to make it a little spicy then go nuts with add ins. I will share a couple of great curry recipes in the next week or so, but first, you gotta make this curry paste! P.S. It's vegan!

Thai Curry Paste

Ingredients:

- 10 large dried red chiles, Guajillos or New Mexican
- 2" section of Galangal or ginger
- 1 tsp lime zest
- 2 whole kaffir lime leaves, chiffonade
- 1 stalk lemongrass, chopped
- 3 Tbsp cilantro stems
- 3 garlic cloves
- 5 shallots
- 1-2 fresh thai chilis (cut of the top and toss in)

Cut tops off dried chiles, cut in half, remove seeds and soak the chiles in HOT water until tender.

Reserve the water to use later in thinning the curry paste.

Pound the chiles, garlic and galangal together until semi-smooth with a mortar and pestle OR blend in a blender.

My blender was not up to this task so I moved everything to the food processor and pulverized it.

Once smooth, add the remaining ingredients and blend until completely smooth.

If needed, add a small amount of leftover chile water to get a smooth paste. (I added too much. My paste ended up with more of a pudding consistency but it still tasted great and works fine in recipes.)

This recipe yields 1/3 - 1 cup curry paste. It will keep up to 2 months in the fridge in an airtight container or zippered plastic bag.

"What the Kale?" chips

2010-03-12T15:10:00.000-08:00

I hope I can redeem myself from my last heart stopping post with this healthierish one. The blogs have been ablaze the past few months with eaters extolling the virtues of kale chips. "Addictive!" they proclaimed, "Taste just like potato chips!" they promised, "You'll eat a whole head of kale in one sitting!" they declared. After falling head over heels for kale in this salad, I knew this snack was going to seal the deal. I bought 3 bunches of kale at the farmer's market, rushed home, cooked em up and...I was underwhelmed. Sad to say. My first batch was too salty. My second was better but it sure didn't make a kale-aterian of me. I think I might try again with curly kale instead of the flashy Cavolo Negro I used but many other bloggers seemed to love the CN. For those of you who still haven't tried this recipe (is there anyone still out there?) here is what I did. Please try it and let me know if you think I'm bananas for not jumping on the highway to kale (I'd apologize for the puns, but I'm not sorry!)

Ingredients:
- 1 Bunch Kale (I used black kale or Cavolo Nero, I think curly might work better)
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Tsp Seasoned Salt*

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350

Remove stems from kale leaves. If using Cavalo Nero, cut leaves away from hard stems, if using curly kale, just cut off the stem at the bottom of the kale leaf. Rip or cut kale into bit size pieces.

Wash your Kale well. Mine was from the Organic Farmer's Market in SaMo and had all kinds of buggies and crusties up in it.

I washed the heck out of it then gave it a long whirl in the salad spinner.

Blot with paper towels and set out until completely dry. Any wetness will cause the kale to steam rather than bake/roast and it will be soggy and not crunchy.

Place dried kale in a bowl and toss with olive oil.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread kale out in one even layer on baking sheet, you may need two sheets in order to avoid piling the kale up.

Bake for 10-20 minutes or until crispy but not brown.

Immediately after removing from the oven, sprinkle with seasoned salt.
Serve right away!

*I made one batch with kosher salt and one with garlic salt and I wasn't crazy about the flavor of those two. They were a bit too bitter and waaaaaay too salty. You can play with whatever seasonings and spices you like. Seasoned salt was my fave.

Unholy, Unhealthy: The Hawaiian Elvis Sandwich

2010-03-10T15:19:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows and loves the classic Elvis Sandwich. Peanut butter. Bananas. Bread. Butter. Heart Attack. Repeat. What I have for you today is an even more artery clogging treat. The addition of Nutella and toasted coconut takes this most comforting of dessert sammiches and makes it better than you ever thought it could be. No need for an involved recipe here, just go with your gut. Then pray that your gut doesn't forsake you for forcing it to digest this calorie bomb.

Ingredients:
- Two slices of gluten free bread (I used Gluten Free Pantry mix in my handy dandy breadmaker)
- 1/2 banana, sliced
- Nice glob of Jif peanut butter (I don't eff around with my PB. Jif is the only one for me. I eat a jar a week. It's a sickness.)
- A thin coating of Nutella (it's got a stronger flavor and will make a huge mess if you use too much)
- A small handful of toasted coconut shavings (take sweetened coconut flakes or shavings and toast them in a skillet until golden brown and fragrant)
- Butter

Instructions: Toast both bread slices until they are just golden brown. This seems crazy but gluten free bread doesn't seem to cook through on the griddle the same way wheat bread does. If you want your sandwich to be evenly cooked and crunchy on the outside, soft and warm on the inside, heed my advice and take this step.

Smear on side of a bread slice with Jif peanut butter then place banana slices on top of the peanut butter.

Smear the other slice of bread with Nutella then sprinkle on toasted coconut. Smush the two pices of bread together and butter the top of the sandwich. Heat a nonstick skillet to medium heat then place the sandwich butter side down in the skillet.

Now butter the naked top of the sandwich. Cook until bottom is golden brown then flip and continue cooking until both sides are golden and the innards are gooey and starting to melt out the edges. Remove sammich from skillet, slice in half diagonally and eat. Nom nom nom.

Guest Post: A Word From our Sous-Chef

2010-03-09T15:51:00.000-08:00

The sous-chef and his sous-chef

Hello Picky G readers! This is the Picky Gourmet’s sous-chef with a special guest entry (a first for this blog, you will always remember what you were doing on this day.) I’ve been asked to share my thoughts and feelings about living with a gluten-free honey, perhaps to give a different perspective on the g-free lifestyle. I hope that this entry is beneficial to both g-freebees and their partners. Here we go:

Before the Picky G. was even diagnosed with gluten intolerance, there were the pains. So often we would try to celebrate special occasions, have late night junk food, or just try out a new restaurant and minutes later my honey would be doubled over in pain, despite how delicious the pasta was. She would consistently describe the feeling of razor blades in her stomach followed by an increase in body temperature and severe itchiness. I would try to come to the rescue with Tums and Aveeno but they really didn’t help. All she could do was sleep it off until the next morning while we both wondered what had caused the tummy ruckus.

Every time this happened, the Picky G. would apologize to me. Crazy, right?! She felt so guilty for ruining our evening or date even though she wasn’t responsible. Plus, any inconvenience on my part was nothing compared to her physical misery. But the worst part for me was not knowing what caused it. I felt so helpless, which is the worst for guys in a relationship, taught to be providers and problem-solvers. Even now if the Picky G. accidentally consumes gluten I know there is literally nothing I can do to alleviate the pain, I can just sit and watch, rub her back or leave her alone while she tries to sleep. I hate it when that happens.

One of many tummy tests Picky G endured

Then came the diagnosis. Immediately following the verdict, I led a clean sweep of our kitchen. The Picky G. was reluctant to throw away her Pasta, instant noodles and of course cheesy rice; she actually wanted me to hang onto it in case she got better. It was a sad day some months later when we took that box of food to the donation center. I swear the Picky G. was looking out the window, waving goodbye to the box as we drove away.

“My girlfriend's a vegetarian, which more or less makes me a vegetarian…

-Pulp Fiction

While the above statement may be accurate for those dating a veg, g-free mates have different options. For instance, I keep a loaf of bread tucked away on our counter, I have cereal in my own cabinet above the fridge, and I get my own munchies and cookies for when I need ‘em. It might not be completely fair but these items are the few exceptions in our house. Plus, I don’t think anyone with a gluten-intolerance would want someone who wasn’t forced into that lifestyle to espouse its snacks.

Trader Joe’s and Whole foods make it very easy to find products without gluten and these make up the majority of our dry goods. Also, we read labels like nobody’s business (even though I recently messed up and bought tortilla chips with soy sauce, damn!). It’s easy to miss things when you don’t feel the resulting agony.

I never try to suggest somewhere for dinner where I know it would be hard to get gluten-free options. I check! And if we do get somewhere and the menu is fit for a gluten glutton, I always suggest going somewhere else before she just suffers through another garden salad for dinner. For special occasions (anniversaries, fancy restaurants) I tell the person on the phone that there is a gluten-free member of the party and I always restate this once we arrive. For casual dining out, the Picky G. tends to take care of this matter; they don’t give you as hard a time if it comes from a pretty girl.

Now, I think I’m in a unique situation because my gluten-free gf is also a foodie. Which means that her favorite gift for any occasion is something food related. But I can’t call up that trendy cupcake spot because more often than not, they don’t provide gf options. Paulette’s Macarons, Babycakes and Vosges chocolates are all fantastic gift ideas for the foodie who can’t have wheat. It makes it all the more special because I feel like the Picky G. has accepted the fact that her treats will always taste a little off, sandy, or bland. These are none of those. Anyone would find these goods delicious and it makes your loved one forget that they are gastronomical pariah. Harsh? Look at how many vegetarian options there are at restaurants versus gluten-free options. And vegetarianism is almost always a choice. Not having at least one delicious gluten-free option in your restaurant is like a building without a wheelchair ramp or a tv show without closed captioning for the hearing impaired. It’s downright cruel.

Also, if you are living with a gluten-free partner, I would suggest coming up with the shortest way possible to explain the situation. “Wheat allergy” works for me. I find myself constantly having to tell people why the Picky G. can’t go to the grilled cheese truck or try one of their Mom’s cookies (family gatherings are the worst). Wheat allergy. Four syllables and you’re done. So much easier than “gluten intolerance” and the follow up explanation.

Finally, I hope that those of you living with a g-free honey start standing up for their rights. It’s easier for us living in L.A. to find gluten-free sections in the store, or bakeries devoted to wheat free wares but gluten intolerance does not just affect the coasts. This is a serious issue for those who’ve had to completely change their lifestyles based on this one affliction. Wheat is so pervasive in our food that it’s easy to imagine that the majority of the gluten intolerant accepts their pain in light of so few alternatives. If you love someone who seems to exhibit these symptoms do not let them suffer! Demand that your grocery store carry gluten-free items, ask your restaurants, look online for companies with g-free products. The best thing you can do is find options because for those who have found a way to live a gluten-free lifestyle the loss of variety remains the sharpest pain of all.

A special dinner made by sous-chef for the Picky G

Easy Gluten-Free Croutons

2010-03-05T15:23:00.000-08:00

One of the conundrums of a gluten free lifestyle is what to do with stale bread. Veteran gluten-phobes know that gluten free bread gets stale before you even get it out of the package. Most G-free bread comes frozen for this very reason. Rather than thawing a few slices whenever I want some toast, I have become a devotee of the bread machine. It lets me have about one day - maybe two if I'm lucky - of fresh, tasty, soft bread. On day three, things begin to go south and my bread usually starts to crumble rather than slice. It's something all gluten-free bakers have experienced at one time or another (or pretty much any time we make bread.) But wait! Don't despair, my friends! When life gives you stale G-free bread, make croutons! (Or bread pudding, yum!)

Below is my easy recipe that will provide you with garlicky cubes of crunchy goodness AND a way to use up those last few slices of bread. This recipe works just as well with plain old gluten-laden bread. These croutons are awesome on top of a green salad or hot soup. They are so easy to make, now there is no excuse to throw out stale bread.

Ingredients:

- Approximately 6-8 slices of stale gluten free bread, cut into 1/2" cubes
- 3 Tbsp melted butter or olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp dried parsley flakes

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Mix melted butter or oil, garlic powder, salt and parsley flakes until well combined.

Place bread cubes into a large bowl

Pour butter/oil mixture over the top then mix with your hands. Make sure all the cubes are well coated.

Spread coated bread cubes on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes. Stir the croutons around and bake for an additional 15 - 20 minutes or until done. Croutons should be golden brown and crunchy.

Test one for flavor and crispness. If needed, sprinkle on additional seasonings while still warm. Store croutons in air-tight container or plastic zipper bag.

Review: Locali

2010-03-04T17:11:00.000-08:00

This weekend I had the supreme pleasure of finding a new hidden gem in the gluten clogged landscape that is Los Angeles. The gem is called Locali. Now I liked this place right off the bat - anything with "Cali" in it has to be good and if you break it into two words, it sounds like I am being discovered: "Lo, Callie!"

I came across this magical wonderland through Groupon. Groupon is a website/daily e-mail that offers coupons for things to do in LA and other cities (restaurants, events, discounts at stores, etc.) The way it works is that a certain number of people have to agree to buy it for it to be valid. If enough people sign up to purchase each day's Groupon, everyone who signed up for it gets it, if not enough people do, no one gets it. So far I have bought some awesome things at great discounts including massages and yoga and pilates classes. I also got a $30 gift certificate to Locali for $15. Sorry for the rambling infomercial-esque explanation but the great deal I got made me love Locali all the more.

When I got the Groupon e-mail I glanced at Locali's website and saw that they seemed to basically be a deli/cafe that offered gluten-free options. That was enough for me. I bought it and have been holding onto it for a few months. Locali isn't exactly in my neighborhood but that won't stop me from frequenting it in the future. When I finally hauled my butt over there, I was impressed as soon as I walked in the door.

It's a tiny place but it's packed to the brim with all kinds of goodies. Not just any goodies, gluten free goodies! Donuts! Cookies! Pizza Dough! Pasta!

They even purvey vegan goodies for you crazy kids who go nuts for the daiya cheese and chia seeds! I was like a kid in a candy store. This place is not just some deli/cafe; it's a fully stocked haven for anyone with dietary restrictions. They even sell hooch! Gluten free hooch! My sous chef and I were not there for hooch though, we were there for lunch so we perused their lengthy sandwich/salad/soup menu and made our choices.

I got The Peaceful Warrior Sandwich (on G-FREE bread!!!) It was a herbed turkey sandwich with arugula, red bell pepper, swiss cheese, mango chutney and a curry spread. It was the bomb dot com.

MQ got a tuna salad wrap with some tasty balsamic dressing.

We both picked crazy sodas from the massive beverage selection.

I got some stawberry buttermilk(!) ice cream for dessert and MQ had an avocado vanilla ice pop from The Popshop (more about these in a future post. Love 'em.)

I also picked up some Glow Gluten Free cookies for the road. I had heard good things and couldn't wait to try them (they rocked my socks.)

We settled in at one of two alfresco tables in front of the store and dug into our meals. We were happy campers. That is probably an understatement for me.

I was giddy. The sandwich was phenomenal and I felt great knowing everything was organic and humanely raised (Food, Inc. has ruined me!) That fact means the prices are a bit steep but they aren't more than you would expect and with the Groupon deal, we made out like bandits.

I will wrap up this post by saying, my effusive review may leave some of you crafty readers smelling a rat but I swear that I have not been given any compensation in return for these words. I just get overly excited when I can share such a great discovery with people who I know will cherish it as much as I do. If you have any dietary restrictions or you just like really tasty, eco-conscious food: get thee to Locali! And please bring me back a sandwich. And some cookies. And doughnuts.

Gluten Free Onion (St)rings

2010-03-03T15:52:00.000-08:00

Watching as Gluten Free Girl has adapted Pioneer Woman's recipes over the past week made me want to share my own P-dub adaptation with other gluten averse folk out there. Reading her onion ring recipe made my mouth water and I knew I had to have these, minus the stomach pain. I have mentioned before that I am not much into purchasing dozens of different flours and carefully weighing out incremental bits of this and that in order to make a near perfect replica of some wheat flour filled recipe. I don't have the counter space or head space for that. That said, I recently invested (99 cents!) in some white rice flour.

I have seen chefs use it before for frying, even when they're cooking for those who can tolerate gluten. Some say it makes the best batter for fish and chips, others swear by it for making roux and I knew it would be awesome for onion rings. It's super fine which results in a very crispy texture. In this recipe I also upped the ante with a bit of cornmeal for extra crunch. I wouldn't use it if I were serving these as a side but as an appetizer (or meal, if you're me) it definitely gives a little something extra.

Ingredients
- 1 whole Large Onion (yellow or sweet)
- 2 cups Buttermilk
- 1 cup Rice Flour
- 1/2 cup Corn Meal (I used the same coarse meal I use to make polenta)
- 1/2 Tbsp Seasoned Salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 quart (to 2 Quarts) Canola Oil (enough to fill your fryer halfway)
- Salt to taste (Add this at the end. I found my first batch to be waaaaaay too salty so I would recommend just using the seasoning salt)

Instructions:

Slice onion very thin.

Place rings and strings in a baking dish and cover with buttermilk and soak for at least an hour.

Whisk together dry ingredients and set aside.

Heat oil to 375 degrees or use your fryer's instructions.

Using tongs, take a batch of onions, dredge them in the flour mixture, shake off excess, and place them into the fryer basket then lower them into the hot oil.

Fry for a few minutes and remove as soon as golden brown.

Set on paper towels to soak up excess oil.

Repeat until all onions are fried then serve with ranch or bbq sauce or my parmesan garlic dip.

Emma

2010-03-02T14:09:00.000-08:00

This is not a food or recipe post, it's a life post. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Up until yesterday, my day job was dog sitter extraordinaire to three special doggies. Today, there are two. It's still so hard to believe because it happened so fast.

The three dogs in my care were: Cannon, the baby, an incredible Australian Shepherd whose looks, intelligence and talent allow him to compete in agility, conformation and herding trials across the country; Jessie, a pale yellow fluff-ball of a Golden Retriever who lives up to her bleach-blond looks with her happy-go-lucky, ditzy, sometimes clumsy nature and Emma, the stalwart mother figure of the gang, a dark Golden with a serious demeanor and the most amazing fetching skills I had ever seen. For over a year now I have spent 8 hours a day with these pups, fixing meals, playing ball, watching them swim and wrestle and just hanging out. I spend most of my time with the girls as Cannon has classes and training sessions throughout the week.

Over the weekend I got a call from the owner of these three, letting me know that Emma was not feeling like herself. She had been refusing food and acting a bit sluggish so she went to the vet where they didn't find anything in her blood tests to indicate a serious malady. They gave her an anti-nausea injection and sent her home. She ate her dinner that night and seemed to be feeling better but by the next evening, her symptoms were back. By yesterday morning she was much worse; she was still refusing food but was drinking water heavily, one of her feet was curled under her and she seemed not to want to walk on it and she even went outside into the bushes to lie down and didn't want to come back in. Emma's owner called to let me know she was taking her to the vet before I arrived for the day. After she dropped Emma off, she called to say that Emma was at the vet and she'd let me know when she heard anything. As we were talking the vet called on the other line. She answered and called me back immediately to tell me that Emma had hemangiosarcoma and was hemorrhaging blood into her abdomen. Emma's owner asked the vet if Emma would make it until the end of the day. The vet said they could not promise that but would try to keep Emma alive until lunchtime so she could come say goodbye. We were both in shock. Friday, Emma had been herself, wrestling with her brother, fetching tennis ball after tennis ball, racing into the kitchen for every meal. Now on Monday, we were having to prepare to say goodbye to her forever, just one week before her ninth birthday. It was unimaginable. We were both familiar with the diagnosis as friends of Emma's owner have had pets pass away from this illness recently. Hemangiosarcoma is a cancer of the blood vessels that is an increasingly common cause of death in Golden Retrievers and other large breed dogs. It causes blood filled tumors to form on the spleen, liver or heart. They can rupture suddenly and cause massive hemorrhaging. It moves very quickly and is difficult to detect because there are no symptoms until the tumors begin to rupture.

I met Emma's owner at the vet along with a close friend who used to sit for the dogs before I took over. We brought Jessie with us so she could understand what was happening, Cannon was at a lesson almost 50 miles away and couldn't be there with us. The vet made it clear that this illness was a time bomb. Emma might feel a little better for a little while but the tumors were present on her spleen and liver and it was only a matter of time until they burst. She was happy to see us but was clearly weak and out of it. The awful decision had to be made, whether to take her home and wait for the end to come or let the vet end her suffering and the waiting game. Any pet owner who has had to make this decision understands the agony of it. Emma's mom chose to say goodbye at a time when Emma was surrounded by all those who loved her the most. It was peaceful but incredibly hard and sad.

It's really difficult to be at the house today without Emma. Her bowl is gone. Her lunch is not in the fridge. She was always quiet and perfectly behaved but you can hear the empty space she used to fill.

Here are some of the great things about Emma:
1. She was AMAZING at fetch; she would hurl herself in all directions to catch a tennis ball and had lightening reflexes
2. She was scared of noises, stepping over cords and anything being where it didn't belong. If a package was delivered and I placed it on the floor, she would stare at it sideways, cautiously backing away from it until it was out of her sight.
3. She moved slowly and deliberately most of the time but acted like a pup when she played, jumping on top of her brother or sister, racing after balls, teasing Jessie by dropping tennis balls into the pool then plucking them out just as Jessie swam over to get them.
4. She loved to roll around on her back in the grass in the sun and did this at least once a day, her tongue lolling out the side of her smiling mouth
5. Though the strongest swimmer of the three dogs, she liked swimming the least and preferred to run around the edge of the pool while the other two swam, teasing them with tennis balls and keeping herself dry
6. Even though she didn't like to swim, she loved to stand on the top step of the pool and soak her feet, even when it was cold and gray outside, she had to get those paws wet
7. She required that you pet her. If you did not comply, she gave you a hardy thwack on the thigh with her paw until you saw the error of your ways and stroked her head
8. She was incredibly loyal and pouted every morning after her owner left like a kid on the first day of pre-school. She also went to the door an hour before her owner was set to return at the end of the day and waited there and would not be budged from that spot until she had greeted her mama.
9. She loved her brother and sister and was loving and protective of them.
10. She loved her squeaky ball, a treat I reserved for rainy days when no one could play outside. She would literally sit on the floor for hours, chomping it incessantly while her brother tried unsuccessfully to sneak it away from her.

She will be greatly missed

Product Review: Mixes from the Heartland Microwave Brownies

2010-02-26T13:16:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago I got an e-mail from a representative of a company called Mixes from the Heartland. They make and sell gluten-free mixes and wondered if I'd be willing to test some products. As a lover of all things free and gluten free, I was elated! I said I'd be happy to try their product and promptly sent them my address. I didn't hear anything back so I was surprised and thrilled when a big old box of gluten free goodies arrived on my doorstep about a week later. The box had a bunch of different mixes in it. I've tried the lime pound cake, roasted red pepper garlic dip and chicken noodle soup but my favorite item so far is the microwave brownie mix.

Baking gluten free can be a real headache. If you want to bake from scratch you need lots of different flours, xanthan gum, scales and good, tried and true recipes. Even with those things there can be a lot of trial and error involved. Since I fancy myself more of a cook than I baker, I have been satisfied to use mixes and pre-mixed flours. There are many gluten free peeps out there who have embraced the garbanzo bean flour and almond meal but I am not there yet. For now, mixes that take minutes to prepare and turn out consistent results are my saviors. The one attempt I made at Gluten Free Girl's "David Leite's Chocolate Chip Cookie" adaptation ended up tasting like sodden grass clippings. I blamed the amaranth flour and gave up on trying to bake my own treats. That debacle just highlights how easy Mixes from the Heartland makes things for gluten free cooks like me.

The microwave brownie mix required just butter, eggs, milk, a pyrex dish and the microwave. In no time I had steaming, soft, chocolaty brownies ready to top with ice cream and a little goats milk dulce de leche.

I would certainly recommend this mix, especially for those new to the gluten free landscape. Sometimes a little comfort food can go a really long way.

Check out Mixes from the Heartland, they have a HUGE selection of tasty, safe and easy to make foods for Celiacs and those with gluten intolerance.

Kale and Blood Orange Salad with Chevre and Hazelnuts

2010-02-25T14:48:00.000-08:00

Buckle up, this post is a doozy.

You know what they say about the road to hell? Yeah. Pretty much.
I started off the year with my healthy, clean detox and I was posting here every day. I felt great, the blog picked up some new readers and things were looking bright and shiny. I meant to keep it all up. Then I got lazy. I started cooking much less healthfully and blogging much less frequently. Both of these facts resulted in me feeling cranky and unhappy. Lucky for me, Fake Lent (I am not catholic, or religious, for that matter) rolls around just about the same time as my new years resolutions are fading to small specks in the rearview mirror*. Even though I am under no religious obligation to observe Lent, I find that it's helpful for me to take this time to retool and reboot my resolutions.

This year I have decided to give up fast food for Fake Lent. It won't be very difficult since pre-Fake Lent I only ate fast food a few times a month, but I wanted to pick something that wouldn't discourage me too much like, say, giving up butter (HA!) Knowing that I can definitely meet this easy challenge makes me feel more confident in undertaking a few other challenges. These are plans that I am not making any promises about but that I have the very best of intentions for. I intend to blog a lot more. This means that the format of my blog my change a bit. Instead of strictly recipes and recipe photos, I want to start doing more for gluten-free mankind (and the rest of you suckers) by reviewing restaurants and products and talking about the food I eat even when it isn't a photo-worthy recipe. I also intend to eat more healthfully and conscientiously. Inspired by Food, Inc, I have become much more selective about the foods I eat and where they come from. I plan to include more seasonal, local and just plain healthy foods in my recipes. OK! Now, I'll step off my soapbox and share an amazingly delicious and superbly healthy recipe that takes advantage of the gorgeous kale and blood oranges that are still in season and easy to get at any Farmer's Market in LA.

This recipe comes from The Bitten Word who adapted it from Martha.

Oooh, wait, I have to hop back on my soap box for a second to talk about kale. Kale rocks. The "picky" in my name sometimes prevents me from enjoying greens the way those granola crunching hippies seem to. Many greens are just too strong for my palate and I avoided kale for a long time because I was afraid it would just be like all the others. It's not! Kale is super mild but has a great crunch. First timers might even try substituting it for iceberg in a plain ol salad with ranch. Don't be like me, don't you dare be like me!(read in dramatic, Lifetime movie style voice.) Try kale before you judge it. Now, back to our regularly scheduled recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds Tuscan black kale or regular kale, stems and ribs removed, leaves shredded
- 4-6 blood oranges, supremed, juice reserved (see instructions)
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped (see instructions)
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 oz fresh goat cheese, crumbled
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions
Toast your hazelnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, swirling them every couple of minutes. Toast until the nuts are fragrant and the skin is beginning to flake off and turn darker brown. When the nuts are toasted, pour them onto a towel or paper towel and make a pouch.

Roll the pouch around in your palm or on a flat surface to remove the bitter skins.

Now roughly chop the hazelnuts and set them aside.

Cut the top and bottom off the blood oranges.

Using a sharp knife, cut off the skin in strips leaving no white bits but also staying as close to the fruit as possible (try not to cut off too much of the actual orange.)

Once all the skin and pith are removed, hold the naked orange over a bowl and cut out each segment, one at a time.

Use a very sharp paring knife and cut along the membrane, just on either side of it. You want to get all orange but no membrane.

Place the segments in one bowl and the leftover hulls in another. When you are finished, squeeze the membrane-y orange carcasses (nice imagery, right?) with your hands or through a mesh strainer to get all the juice out of them, then discard them.

Place washed, dried, stemmed and chopped kale in a large bowl.

Drizzle with vinegar, oil, and reserved orange juice; toss.

Add oranges, hazelnuts and goat cheese and toss again, gently.

Season with salt and pepper. Let stand for 30 minutes before serving.

* I am happy to report that I have thus far successfully kept my resolution to limit myself to ONE bag of Sour Cream and Cheddar Ruffles plus ONE 16 oz container of Ralph's sour cream per month. This is not as easy as it sounds and I am hereby giving myself a hearty pat on the back and an enthusiastic "keep it up!"

Blood Orange Vanilla Sorbet

2010-02-11T15:34:00.000-08:00

This easy and delicious dessert is seasonal in more ways than one. The gorgeous blood oranges are at their peak in winter and the luscious red color of this sorbet is perfect for Valentine's Day.

The tartness and slight bitterness of the fruit is mellowed by the addition of vanilla bean. If you have an ice cream maker, I implore you to make this. It is sweet, seductive and complex, a "grown-up" version of the classic creamsicle flavor.

Ingredients:

- 2 3/4 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice
- Juice of one lemon
- Juice of one lime
- 1/2 cup water to cook with sugar and vanilla and an additional 1/2 cup water to mix with juice
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split
- 3/4 cups sugar

First make a vanilla bean simple syrup. In a small saucepan, place sugar, 1/2 cup water and 1/2 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise and scraped. Heat over medium heat and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Simmer on very low heat to allow the vanilla seeds to distribute and flavor the mixture.

Juice the citrus then strain through a fine mesh strainer. Push out all the juice, don't worry if some pulp goes through strainer, it won't affect the sorbet.

Pour the juice, 1/2 cup water, and simple syrup into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers instructions. (Mine was frozen and ready in 25 minutes.)

Scoop out and serve or put in airtight container and freeze.

Secret Family Recipe Beef Jerky

2010-02-03T15:32:00.000-08:00

OK, OK, this beef jerky isn't actually secret (it certainly isn't now that I am posting it on the internet!) but it is my family recipe. My mom and dad make this jerky a few times a year and it is the best I've ever had. Jerky is one of those things you can adjust to your taste by adding any spices you like but I wanted to make this recipe by the book on my first attempt to see if it was as good as my dad used to make. It is. It may be even better because I cut my meat against the grain for a more tender jerky versus my dad's method of cutting with the grain for chewier jerky, but that might just fall into the personal preference category.
This recipe takes a long time to make; parts of it are labor intensive and it's messy. Even so, if you like jerky or even if you just like meat, you might want to give this a try. You end up with a LOT of jerky when you're done and it could last you for months - that is, unless you are me, my sous chef and our friends - then you will be lucky to stretch it out for two weeks! It just goes to show how tasty this is. It's a great, protein-rich snack that is totally portable. Great for road trips, camping or noshing on in front of Man vs Food. It's smoky, a little sweet, salty, chewy and crunchy. Everything a good hunk of dried out beef ought to be. Thanks to my mom and dad for the recipe and helpful tips!

- 2-4 lbs lean beef (flank steak, brisket, round steak) -I used a round roast, hence all the cutting I had to do. Steaks make it easier but either will work. Also, you don't need choice meat, this was just on sale, you can use any grade you like.
- 1/3 cup liquid smoke
- 1 1/2 tsp meat tenderizer (msg)
- 1 tsp seasoned salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/3 cup gluten free tamari (or soy sauce for you wheat eaters)
- 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce (most made in the US are gluten free but check your labels)
- 1/4- 1/3 cup brown sugar

Trim any thick fat or silvery membrane from the outside of your meat.

If you are using a roast like I did, cut the roast into steaks.

Mine were a bit thin, I would aim for 1" - 11/4" thick steaks.

That marbling made for some mighty fine jerky.

Cut the steaks into thin strips, with the grain for chewy jerky, against the grain for tender jerky.

Aim for about 1/4 inch thick, not much thicker, but if they get too thin they may break apart. They'll still taste good though, I promise.

Mix your marinade ingredients in a bowl until the sugar and salt are mostly dissolved.

Place meat in a plastic zipper bag and pour in the marinade. Marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.

Drain and dry meat. (I missed this step and ended up with meat juices all over my kitchen. Woops.)
Line the bottom of the oven with foil to catch drippings. This is very important. Your oven will probably never be clean again if you forget to do this!

Arrange the meat strips DIRECTLY ON the oven rack, evenly spaced.
Cook in a 150 degree oven 5 - 7 hours, 170 degrees for 5 hours if oven cannot do 150 (My oven only goes as low as 170.)
Leave the oven door ajar for the entire cooking process. Test jerky after 5 hours to determine if you want to cook it longer for a crispier texture.

When it's done to your taste, turn the oven off and let it cool then just pop off your jerky, take out the foil and rinse off your oven racks. Snack away!

Twice Baked Potatoes

2010-01-27T16:05:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm detoxing from my detox, it's time for a cheese smorgasbord! This recipe for extra cheesy twice baked potatoes is perfect for watching sports if you're into that sort of thing or awards shows if you are me and my sous chef and our motley crew of friends. I whipped these babies up for the golden globes along with some pretty darn delicious hot wings. I'm still tweaking that recipe but this one is ready for action. I use neufchatel cheese because it has less fat but when you're eating carb blobs laden with butter and cheese, I doubt it makes much of a dent healthwise. Still, I can't tell the difference between full-fat cream cheese and this stuff and that means one less sit up I have to do (ha!)

These are so good and they travel well. You can make the up to a day ahead and all you have to do is bake them for the second time when you're ready to eat!

Ingredients:
- 5 lbs Russet Potatoes
- Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt

Filling:
- 8 oz Neufchatel or cream cheese, softened
- 1 stick softened or melted butter
- 8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese, reserve 1/2 cup to sprinkle on top of the potatoes before they bake a second time
- sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Potato innards once they've been baked once

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Wash and dry potatoes and pierce each one a few times with a fork. Place potatoes in roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil then sprinkle liberally with kosher salt. Roll the potatoes around and make sure they are nicely coated with olive oil and salt. Bake for 1 hour - 1 1/2 hours, remove from oven and cool for 10-15 minutes.

Cut the top 1/4 of the potatoes off, scoop the potato off the skin tops into a large bowl and discard the skins. Scoop out the rest of the potato leaving a 1/4 inch of potato on the skin so you have a substantial enough potato skin "bowl" that will hold up when you fill it.

Once all the potatoes are hollowed out, add the butter, cream cheese and shredded cheese to the bowl of potato innards. Mash until the mixture is thoroughly combined and not too lumpy. Add up to 1/4 cup cream to smooth mixture. Taste and add salt and cracked black pepper as needed.

Fill the potato shells with the mixture and top with a sprinkle of cheese.

Increase heat to 475 and put the stuffed potatoes back in the oven. Bake until cheese is melted and potatoes are heated through.

You can also add some crumbled bacon or cooked chorizo to the mixture for more pop. This recipe is a huge crowd pleaser.

Voila!

2010-01-20T23:47:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the NEW and IMPROVED Picky Gourmet!
Hope you enjoy the new artwork and layout changes*.
Please let me know what you think!

*Special thanks to Brian for making all these changes!

Dark Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding

2010-01-15T12:51:00.000-08:00

This, my friends, is why I had to detox. I spent much of December gorging on goodies like this awesome bread pudding, steaks in rich sauces, chips and dips and all manner of unholy buttery treats. January is my time to get back on track but I still have to share this amazing dessert with those of you who are NOT subsisting on beet juice and smoothies. I made this gluten free but it's even easier for you gluten eaters out there. You start with a loaf of white bread. I made mine from a mix using my new baby, the breadmaker (If you can't eat wheat, I highly suggest investing in a breadmaker. It has truly changed my life.)

If you've never had bread pudding before, this is a great recipe to try for your first time. Traditionally bread pudding has raisins (nasty!) and nutmeg (blech!) This recipe has chocolate and bananas and is sooooo comforting and yummy. It's great hot out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:

- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 eggs
- 1 cups milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sugar
- big pinch of salt
- 14 ounces gluten free bread, preferably slightly stale, cut into 3/4"-1" cubes (about one loaf, cut it up and leave it out overnight to "stale" it up)
- 6.5 oz high quality, dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- 1 large or 2 small bananas, peeled and cut into small pieces (I cut the bananas into 1/4 inch round slices then halved each slice.)

Preheat oven to 350 F
Cut bread into chunks and fill a buttered large shallow baking dish, around 9" x 13"

Beat the eggs. Whisk in the milk, starting with just a little at a time until the eggs are well distributed. Whisk in the cream, vanilla extract, sugar, and salt. Chop chocolate into chunks.

Mix the chocolate and bananas into the custard mix.

Spread out the bread pieces evenly in the pan.

Pour the custard evenly over the bread and swish it around lightly, trying to get it to absorb without squashing the bread too much. Fill any spaces and make sure the bread chunks are in a single layer.

Push chocolate chunks and bananas into the cracks and spaces and make sure the bread has absorbed enough liquid.

Cover the pan with tin foil and cook until it reaches an internal temperature in the center of 185 F. Then remove foil and cook until edges turn golden brown. Mine took 40 minutes covered and 10 minutes to finish.

Let rest ten minutes and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Adapted from: http://herbivoracious.com

It's Ovah!

2010-01-09T09:36:00.000-08:00

I made it! Seven days of clean, healthy eating.

I started this diet to push the reset button on my body. It worked. Instead of craving big heavy meals followed by sugar drenched desserts, I now want healthier, smaller meals. I woke up today knowing I could eat whatever I want...and I wanted oatmeal and blueberries.

I feel so great about the weight I lost and the healthy nutrients I put into my body. I don't want to undo all that good now that I the rules don't apply. My plan moving into 2010 is to eat healthfully during the week and give myself free reign on the weekends. Now that I have some healthy and tasty recipes up my sleeve, I feel prepared to nourish myself without feeling deprived. Now that my body is used to being properly fueled, I need to keep it up so I can have the energy to work out and the mental clarity to achieve my goals and make this my best year yet.

One benefit I haven't mentioned yet is the financial one. I spent about $65 on food for an entire week! That is nuts! I have been eating great and feeling full and satisfied for less than $10 a day. Not bad.

Now, a recipe: JUICE! I love juice almost as much as I hate cleaning my juicer. It's a conundrum.

This juice gives me huge doses of kale and celery which I do not usually enjoy. My last juice recipe gave me two beets! Juicing really helps me painlessly incorporate the healthiest fresh fruits and veg into my diet. If you have a juicer and don't mind cleaning all 900 parts, give these recipes a try. You'll feel the effects immediately. This is like hulk juice.

Green Juice:

- 1 cup tightly packed kale
- 4 stalks celery
- 2 pears, cut into large pieces
- 1" piece of fresh ginger
- 1 lemon, zest and pith removed (I juiced mine with a citrus squeezer right into the glass)

Juice everything into a glass, being sure to alternate the kale with the other ingredients to help it get through the juicer easily (I follow each small bit of kale with a celery stalk). Give the juice a stir before drinking. MMMMmmmmm!

On the 5th day of detox...

2010-01-07T21:57:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling the effects. The good, the bad and the ugly. I'll tell you about the good and the bad but spare you the ugly.

The good:
- I've lost 6 lbs so far! I can tell that my face looks thinner and I am less puffy everywhere.
- I've learned some tasty and super healthy new recipes.
- I feel more energetic
- I have more mental clarity and focus, I find myself able to get a lot more done during the day
- My appetite has decreased considerably
- My cravings for sweets and salt have gone way down (I still crave cheese but I think that's my soul talking)

The bad:
I've experienced every negative side effect you can imagine from this diet. Most of them started to dwindle by day 5.
- headaches
- skin rashes
- having to pee every 30 seconds
- nausea
- temperature fluctuations
- intense cravings
- having to eat some nasty stuff

Up until today, the good seemed to outweigh the bad but I can feel the scales beginning to tip and I am happy to be moving into the next phase of the detox.

Day 5 went like this:

- Wake up: 7:00, glass of room temp lemon water

- Mug of herbal tea: 7:15
- Smoothie made with almond milk, frozen mangoes,raspberries and blueberries and protein and greens powder: 8:00

- Coconut Water: 11:30

- Asian Pear: 1:00
- Beet, Apple, Carrot Lemon Juice 5:00
- Cucumber Avocado Soup: 7:30

The beet juice was AWESOME! I don't usually love beets (I am learning to like them) but this juice was sweet and sour and just plain tasty. If you have a juicer, you really should try it. The SOUP on the other hand was basically inedible. Maybe I did something wrong or maybe my lime was too old but the soup was really bitter and incredibly sour and salty. Not a great combo. I love limes and can drink lime juice straight but this tasted like thick, salty lime juice. No thanks.

Here is the recipe for the juice:
- 1 large or 2 medium beets, peeled and cut into wedges (if the core is really tough and fibrous, discard it or it can make your juicer cranky)
- 1 lemon, zest and pith removed (I juiced mine with a citrus squeezer right into the glass)
- 2 large carrots
- 1 large apple, cut into wedges
- 1" piece of ginger

Juice everything into a class and stir well, then drink up!

Four down, three to go!

2010-01-06T12:33:00.000-08:00

Detox day four was my best day yet, despite facing temptation the likes of which would bring any foodie to tears.

Tuesday was the day of my weekly cooking class and this weeks subject was yeast breads. Now I can't eat yeast breads even when I am NOT on a detox diet but that doesn't mean that the smell of a freshly baked sticky bun doesn't make my mouth water and sock me right in the gut. Even though I can't eat wheat breads, I still need to know how to make them and I also love school and my classmates and never want to miss a day of class so I geared up with a super hearty, detox friendly breakfast and went to school.
In class we made this:

and this:

and these:

And, this is the one that really hurt my feelings, this:

I took the bottom two pictures but after the pizza nearly caused me to commit hari kari, I got out of Dodge. One of my awesome classmates took the top two pics and sent them to me so I could see how the challah I made came out. Looks delish. I cry.

The important thing to note about all this was that I made it through! I survived and I even felt SO good, I went to the gym for 40 minutes of cardio and came home to do some Wii Fit yoga. The gym went well, the yoga, not so much. Does anyone else have an issue with that bitchy yoga instructor bossing them around? My pants were slippery and I kept losing my balance in tree pose and that skank kept yelling at me to "GET BACK ON THE BALANCE BOARD!" When I flipped her off instead she said "I know you took a break back there but it's important to keep at it." That's when I turned off the game and collapsed on the couch.

Day Four's food was awesome. Here's a breakdown:

- Wake up: 6:30, glass of room temp lemon water

- Mug of herbal tea: 7:15
- Smoothie made with almond milk, frozen black cherries, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries and protein and greens powder: 8:30

- Gluten Free Oatmeal made with almond milk topped with fresh blueberries and toasted pecans: 9:15

- Coconut Water: 1:00
- Miso Soup: 3:30 (I used a packaged mix, don't tell Gwyneth!)
- Dinner of Salmon steamed on leeks, garlic and lemons with spinach and brown rice: 6:45

The oatmeal was hearty and delicious. Even my non-detoxing boyfriend had a bowl!

The Miso soup was surprisingly filling. I only ate half a bowl and I didn't eat any of the tofu or scallions (I cheated by using a mix but I still tried to follow the rules by not eating the soy.)

The best meal was dinner, this salmon is redic. I am thinking about having this meal once a week to make sure I get some of that healthy fish in my diet. Here are photos and the recipe:

- 1 leek cut in half across the middle and then lengthwise

- 1 6 oz. salmon filet (Gwyneth says Organic, mine was not)
- 2 whole garlic cloves, peeled
- a cup of your favorite fresh greens (kale, spinach, dandelion, chard, etc.)
- 1/2 a lemon

Line your steamer with the leeks, lemons and garlic.

Rest the salmon filet on top of the leeks and add a pinch of salt and pepper.

Steam for 11 minutes. Put the greens alongside the fish and steam for an additional 7 minutes.

Squeeze the lemon over the fish and greens and serve.

SOOOOO filling and tasty. You won't believe how much flavor is infused by the leeks and garlic.

Onward and upward to detox day 5!

Day 3 of Detox

2010-01-05T19:29:00.000-08:00

Day three I deviated a bit from the GOOP plan because it's not terribly convenient for me to make smoothies or oatmeal at my job. Instead of having oatmeal for breakfast, smoothie for lunch, and various juice concoctions for dinner, I did this:
- Wake up: 7:00 - glass of room temp lemon water
- Mug of herbal tea: 7:30
- Smoothie made with almond milk, frozen mangoes, raspberries and blueberries and protein and greens powder: 8:00
- Coconut Water: 11:00
- Asian Pear: 1:00
- Butter lettuce, cucumber and avocado salad with carrot ginger miso dressing: 2:30
- Braeburn apple: 4:30
- Dinner: 1/2 can Anderson's Pea Soup (I didn't make my own soup because I was on the go. This soup is vegetarian, gluten and fat free and doesn't have any detox no-no's but I still felt guilty eating it: 7:00
- Snack - handful of roasted peanuts in the shell
- Smooth Move Tea and tsp of olive oil before bed

Cravings for cheese and peanut butter were intense. The worst part of the day was the salad. I was SO looking forward to it but the heartburn I experienced last time I had this dressing was NOTHING compared to what I felt today. It felt like my chest was in a vice. A vice made of fire. With spikes in it. It hurt SO much I could barely breathe. Clearly my body reacts poorly to something in that dressing. I think it might be the shallots or the ginger. I only ate half the salad which left me pretty hungry but I was able to resist temptation and stay strong.

Here is the recipe for the broccoli and arugula soup I had yesterday. It looks gorgeous and tastes almost as good :)

- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/2 yellow onion, roughly diced
- 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets (about 2/3 pound)
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 teaspoon each coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup arugula (watercress would be good, too)
- 1/2 lemon

Heat the olive oil in a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté for just a minute or until fragrant. Add the broccoli and cook for four minutes or until bright green. Add the water, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, lower the heat and cover. Cook for eight minutes or until the broccoli is just tender. Pour the soup into a blender and puree with the arugula until quite smooth. Be very careful when blending hot liquids; start slowly and work in batches if necessary (you don’t want the steam to blow the lid off). Serve the soup with a bit of fresh lemon. Makes two servings.

Detox Diet Day Dos

2010-01-03T19:47:00.000-08:00

Todays detox took roughly this form:

- wake up: 9:30 (slept in! crazy!)
- Glass of room temp lemon water: 10:00
- Giant mug of herbal tea: 10:40
- Smoothie made with almond milk, frozen mangoes, raspberries and blueberries and protein and greens powder: 11:45
- Coconut Water: 1:00
- Handful of raw almonds: 2:30
- Dinner of Detox Chicken and brown rice: 5:30
- Dessert/Snack of CranPeary Granita

I didn't eat enough today because my schedule was out of whack. I woke up late feeling a little yucky and didn't want my smoothie until late. I basically skipped out on lunch and ate lunch for dinner. I don't recommend this but I wasn't hungry enough to stuff more meals into the day. The chicken recipe was not my fave. You really missed the salt and it was too "chicken-y" for my taste. I just don't like poultry no matter how much I try to convince myself I do. Unless it's fried with some sort of garlicky dipping sauce, count me out. I was, however, craving protein so I tried to eat at least half of one large boneless, skinless breast with a heap of steamed brown rice.

I still don't feel like I have loads of energy. I think going to the gym at some point will help. Some yoga might help kick things into gear.

The highlight of today was my granita. This is a recipe I made a couple of days ago to try out my new ice cream maker (X-mas gift from sous chef!) I would tweak this recipe if I weren't using it for the detox but as it is now, it really hit the spot. Leaving the pulp and cranberry seeds IN and not straining them gives this dish an interesting texture. It's more toothsome than your average sorbet or granita but when you're detoxing, that can be a welcome change.
Here is the recipe:

- 1 package (12 ounces) fresh cranberries
- 2 ripe pears, peeled and cored
- 1/2 cup agave nectar, or to taste
- 1/2 cup pomegranate juice (or cranberry or cranberry blend)
- juice of 1/2 of small lime

Chop pears into chunks and put into food processor.

Add cranberries and liquid and blend until completely pureed.

Pour mixture into ice cream maker and turn it on.

Check mixture after 20 minutes. When it's frozen through, transfer to an airtight container and freeze for an additional 2 hours or until it has reached your desired consistency.
Serve!

Adapted from http://blog.fatfreevegan.com

Detox Week: 1 down 6 to go!

2010-01-02T23:41:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day of my week long detox diet. So far, so good!Using recipes from GOOP, I feel great about the food I've eaten today.So far I have lost 13 pounds, my hair has grown two inches and I haveso much energy, I no longer need more than 20 minutes of sleep per day!Yeah, no. Not really. Truth is, I feel kind of crummy. I think this isto be expected. It's called a detox for a reason, out you toxins, out!
Istarted the day with lemon water then some minty herbal tea. Mmmm.Lovely way to start the morning. Breakfast was a smoothie made withfresh blueberries and almond milk with some protein and greens powdersthrown in for good measure. It was super tasty and kept me full for along time.
Mid-morning I had a coconut water. I love that stuff. It has to be icy cold though or it tastes like hot tub water. Gross.
Lunchwas a salad and O! what a salad it was: butter lettuce, radicchio, avocado andcucumber. The best part was the dressing. Here is the recipe:
- 1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 large shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger (easy to peel, use a spoon!
- 1 tablespoon sweet white miso
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seed oil
- 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
- 2 tablespoons water

Pulse the carrot, shallot and ginger in a blender until finely chopped.Scrape down the sides, add the miso, vinegar and sesame seed oil andwhiz together. While the blender is going, slowly drizzle in thegrapeseed oil and the water.

This dressing is SO flavorful. Detox or no detox, I will be eating this dressing a lot in 2010. Unfortunately, it gave me awful heartburn so tomorrow I will remember to take an acid reducer in the morning.

Afternoon snack was a handful of pepitas and sunflower seeds. Meh. Filled me up enough.

Dinner was another GOOP recipe, broccoli and arugula soup. It was ok. Very filling and warm. I am enjoying this diet so far. Feeling full but knowing I am eating healthy, cleansing foods makes me happy. At this point I'm not having any major cravings and I look forward to tomorrow!

New Year Fresh Start

2009-12-31T11:41:00.000-08:00

My body is mad at me. I have been stuffing it with sugar, fat, junk and cheese. Cheese, cheese, cheese and cheese. Mmmmmm. I love cheese. I've been planning for a while to start the new year off with a gift for my cranky, abused body. I am going to do a riff on Gwyneth Paltrows GOOPY detox diet. The recipes are there if you're interested, if I adapt them, I will make a note here. I make no promises but I am planning to blog about my progress daily. I have done (bad) detoxes (master cleanse) before, and though I expect this diet to go much more smoothly since it's a lot healthier, I know that it helps to be able to vent and have some forced accountability so I am going to put it all out there and up here. I encourage anyone who feels inclined to join me and share your experiences and gripes.

I plan to start this whole dealy bob on Saturday Jan. 2. Why not start on Jan. 1? Because you HAVE to eat black eyed peas on New Years Day and detox friendly black eyed peas are not taste bud friendly. The more peas you eat, the better your luck so to ensure the best of luck I will be drenching my peas in yummy vinaigrette and mixing them up with shallots, corn, tomatoes, red peppers and jalapenos and eating them with CHIPS and CREAM CHEESE! Mmmmm. I can taste the luck already!

The gist of the detox is no gluten (obvy), no dairy or soy, no red meat, no alcohol or caffeine and limited salt and sugar. I am hoping that if I start being nice to my body with the diet, gym and yoga time and a massage, I can start the new year with energy, vitality and positivity that will propel me into 2010 and the new decade! LETS DO THIS!

Here is the plan for Day 1:

Wake Up - Glass of room temperature lemon water
AM - Herbal tea
Breakfast - Blueberry and Almond Smoothie
Mid AM - Coconut water
Lunch - Salad with Carrot and Ginger Dressing
PM Snack - A handful of mixed pumpkin and sunflower seeds
Dinner - Broccoli and Arugula Soup

*The inspiring pictures in this post were taken on my grandparent's property in Missouri this fall. Look at my little dog. She's the cutest.

Crispin Pears

2009-12-29T10:33:00.000-08:00

Sometimes my sous chef calls things by weird names. He likes to nickname pretty much everything and for the past few weeks he's been referring to Christmas as Crispin. Whatevs.

That name turns out to be perfect for a dessert I made last night. The dessert is literally: crisp... in... pears. It's ridiculously easy to make but the rich flavor of the pear makes it taste both homey and luxurious. Another bonus is that it doesn't dirty a million dishes and it's easy to make just one serving so you don't end up gorging on the extras or leftovers. We had it for dessert but it would also make a great breakfast or brunch treat for a cold weather day.

Serves 2 (easy to double or triple)

- 1 ripe Bartlett or Anjou pear peeled and sliced in half down the middle
- 1/4 cup gluten free oats
- 2 Tbsp chopped roasted pecans
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 Tbsp brown sugar
- small pinch kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp warm water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together oats, pecans, butter, vanilla, sugar and salt and set aside.

Once your pears are peeled and cut in half, use a melon baller or strawberry huller to remove the seeds
and carve out a nice sized nook for your crisp ingredients to nestle in.

Cut a small disc of pear off the back of the pear so it can lie flat on your cookie sheet without wobbling. Set the pear halves on a cookie sheet with the hollowed out core areas facing up. Mix honey and warm water and stir to thin out the honey a bit. Brush this mixture liberally all over the pear with a pastry brush. Spoon crisp mixture into the hole in the pear and mound it up so you have a good amount of crisp in/on each pear half.

Bake for 25-35 minutes or until pear is turning just golden at the edges and the crisp is a nice, dark golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes then serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Adapted from Acquired Taste

PS After all my whining, I got a new camera! I used Crispin money toget myself a Canon Rebel XS. Now I just have to learn how to work thesucker!

Asparagus and Prosciutto Frittata

2009-12-20T10:46:00.000-08:00

You may notice some disparity between the photo quality of this and previous posts compared to that beaut of an apple cranberry crisp recipe. This is because I borrowed a SUPER fancy (read: expensive) camera from a very nice (read: trusting) friend. Those of you who know how clumsy and accident prone I am know how much trust was involved in letting me babysit a camera worth more than my refrigerator and oven combined. I normally shoot the pictures on this blog with a decent point and shoot camera but the more I compare my blogs to others out there, the more I covet their beautiful, magazine worthy photo spreads. My kitchen is teensy and has zero natural light whatsoever. That is my excuse and disclaimer for the pictures of this recipe which don't quite stack up to the stunning, Pioneer Woman inspired pictures of my last creation.

Now that that's over with, on to the food! After determining that my kitchen was simply bereft without a sturdy, seasoned cast iron skillet, I went on the hunt for an affordable but durable one and found my match at Target for about $18. I scoured the internet for recipes that would make the best use of it and decided that a frittata would be just the ticket. I had been sitting on a gorgeous bunch of asparagus from a local farmers market and I knew that it would be perfect with the addition of some salty prosciutto and a nice nutty cheese. Here is what I came up with. It was delicious and seeing it slide right out of my new skillet was a real thrill; not quite as thrilling as putting the skillet away after just a swipe of a paper towel and NO WASHING! Gotta love that cast iron!

- 7 eggs
- 2 tbsp mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 clove or 1 small clove of garlic finely chopped
- 1/2 yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 lb asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1/4 cup sharp gouda cheese (I used Rembrandt) shredded
- 2 slices proscuitto cut into thin strips

Pre-heat oven to 300.

Heat canola oil in a 9"-12" cast iron skillet over medium heat and add onions.

When they start to soften add the asparagus and cook until bright green and just barely tender.

Add garlic and sautee 1-2 minutes more.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together mascarpone and eggs until thoroughly combined.

Pour egg mixture over the asparagus, onions and garlic. Sprinkle with a substantial pinch of salt and the gouda cheese then top with the strips of prosciutto.

Place the skillet in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes to brown the top. Remove, let cool for a couple of minutes then sprinkle with chives and more shredded gouda.

Slice and eat. Goes great with a simple green salad with balsamic vinaigrette!

Cranberry Apple Crisp (and a sappy story)

2009-12-09T16:17:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid growing up on Caledonia Circle, I was lucky enough to have some excellent cooks in my midst. Sadly, being the picky little bugger that I was, I didn't appreciate most of the culinary talents of the grown-ups in my life until I moved to LA and started work on becoming one myself (a culinary talent, not a grown-up.) My block was home to Italian grandmas that treated me like one of the family and showered me with food and love, a Jewish family next door whose vegetarian feasts tended to clash with my uber-picky tendencies, another Italian family across the street whose patriarch kept me filled with homeade sweet bread, bean soup and PIES, PIES, PIES. Topping of the list of neighborhood folks who attempted to feed me were my long suffering parents.

My mom and dad figured out early on that there was no way I was eating that, thus they taught me how to make iceburg lettuce salads with ranch and buttered noodles with parmesan cheese and we all went on our merry ways; me avoiding most meats, greens, nuts and above all , the dreaded ONION and them enjoying the gastronomic delights of our culturally diverse neighborhood. There was one aquired taste that I enjoyed, even as a kid. I shared this prediliction mostly with my pet rabbits and my habit was fed by my neighbor, the Pie King (side note, he is now the organizer of our small town's annual pie contest!) I loved (and still love) apple peels. The Pie King would stop by our house when he was making a batch of pies and bring with him a big plastic bag full of curly tendrils made from granny smith apple peels that were ostensibly for our rabbits. I was always amazed at how long they were; he usually managed to get the entire apple disrobed in one piece. I would accept the bag of peels on the bunnies behalf and then eat the entire bag, sucking up each peel like a giant spaghetti noodle until my stomach hurt. Only then would any scraps be delivered to the hutches of Razz or Pepper or Honey (getting a theme here? We're food people.)

Last week I decided to use my leftover bag of Thanksgiving cranberries to make a gluten-free (of course!) cranberry apple crisp. This is the first time I have ever peeled an apple like the Pie King used to. I didn't manage to get an entire apple peeled without any breaks in the spiral but I the corckscrews I made and munched brought back a lot of warm memories.

This will be my first Christmas away from this family and I wish I could be there with them to show them that I've overcome my pickiness (mostly) and also to eat and cook with them and learn from their infinite culinary wisdom. This recipe is for them, especially my fellow gluten-free warrior!

Gluten Free CranApple Crisp:

Filling:
- 5 crisp, tart apples (I used a combo of 1 honeycrisp, 2 arkansas black and 2 granny smith) cut into 1/4 inch slices
- 1 bag fresh cranberries (take out two cups to cook, leave the rest whole and uncooked)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp sugar

Topping
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Biscuit and Baking Mix
- 1 cup gluten free oats
- 1/4 cup chopped, toasted pecans
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter
- pinch of sea salt

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

Cook 2 cups of fresh cranberries in a small saucepan with 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar over medium heat until the berries have all popped and the mixture has slightly thickened. Set aside to cool.

Mix cooked cranberries with whole cranberries, vanilla, lemon juice and zest and sea salt.

Add apples and sugar and allow mixture to sit for 10-15 minutes so the juices and sugar mix.

Mix dry topping ingredients with a fork. Melt butter and add to maple syrup then add the liquid mixture to dry ingredients, still mixing with a fork.

Place fruit in baking dish and top with the topping ingredients, spreading the crisp mixture evenly across the top so that no large holes remain.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the juice begins to bubble up through the crust and the crust is browning at the edges.

Serve warm with ice cream. This is a tart treat that is perfect for chilly weather!

The Picky Gourmet Gets Schooled

2009-11-28T11:33:00.000-08:00

Hi ho, Picky Gourmet here (Kermit the frog style.) Those of you whoknow me in real life have surely heard (incessantly) about the factthat I enrolled in a professional series at a local cooking school.Those who don't know me in real life are hearing it now! In September Istarted a 20 week course outlining the basics of professional cooking in thetraditional french style. There are 12 students in the class, all of them sweet, smart and supportive and a teacher and a teacher's aide. The class meets once a week for about fourhours and I LOVE it. It's given me new confidence in my cooking.

Myteacher is a tough cookie but she has imparted so much knowledge and,even more importantly she has hammered home the concept that there aresome rules to cooking but there really are no exact recipes (we'retalking cooking here, not baking. Let's not go crazy), the trick tocooking is to make it taste good and if the recipe says 350 degrees for40 minutes and it comes out burnt, cook it less or at a lower temp! Ifthe recipe calls for an 1/8 tsp of salt and that doesn't bring out theflavor, add more! Breaking free from following a recipe to a tee,separated the cooks from the chefs. And I want to be a chef when I growup! SO without further ado I would like to unveil my NEW blog (don'tworry, this one isn't going anywhere.) If you'd like to glean some ofthe recipes and know-how I've absorbed in class, visit http://pickyggetsschooled.blogspot.com/

I hope to see you there!

Inside-Out Potato Skins or: My Masterpiece

2009-11-23T17:18:00.000-08:00

First, I should make note that my blog does seem to be a bit bacon-centric. I will not apologize for this as I know I am not alone in my love of bacon. Just this weekend I heard a bacon joke on SNL that reminded me that adoration of salty, savory pork is universal (kind of.) This brings me to today's recipe. I did not invent this treat from the heavens, it is the creation of chef Amy Jurist. I was lucky enough to attend a cooking demo at Surfa's where Chef Jurist demonstrated bacon recipes and this one really took the cake

Most bacon lovers enjoy a good potato skin but share the same complaint: why is the potato to bacon ratio so skimpy? This recipe answers the question with a question: what if the bacon was the potato and the potato the bacon?! We start with a bacon cup that mimics the potato skin, holding in all the gooey, cheesy goodness. Next we add crispy hashbrowns, sweet grilled onions, sharp gruyere cheese then top it off with the mandatory sour cream and the optional (they call me picky for a reason) chives. TA DA! This dish is a MAJOR crowd pleaser. I must have made 30 or more of them for my small party and they disappeared in mere seconds.

The bacon cups can be made a day or two in advance and since these get popped in the oven to melt the cheese at the last minute, you can really do most of these steps an hour or two before your party. I hope all my readers out there who discovered me through my candied bacon post will give this recipe a try, it is a bit more time consuming but 100% worth the effort.

- 1 Lb of regular (not thick cut) bacon
- 1 package Roschti Potatoes OR a 12 oz bag of frozen hash browns
- 1 Medium yellow onion, minced
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 lb Gruyere shredded
- 1 bunch chives or green onions minced
- salt and pepper
- 3-4 Tbs olive or Canola oil

Cut the bacon into 2" - 3" strips. Using three pieces per cup, place the bacon into muffin tin cups in order to make small cups. Be aware that bacon will shrink down but don't let bacon overlap the edge of the cup or it will stick.

Cook the bacon cups in the oven until they are firm. After 20 minutes check the cups and push the bacon back toward the bottom of the cup, unsticking any pieces that are stuck to the rim. Careful not to let the bacon burn. Total cooking time is usually 30-35 min.

When cooked and slightly cooled, remove cups from the bacon tin and place them on paper towels so they can drain off fat and cool more. Can be made up to 2 days ahead. Store in muffin tins being careful not to break.

Fry up or crisp potatoes according to package directions and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a large sautee pan over medium high heat, then add the onions and sautee until they are slightly caramelized about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 375.

Fill cups with a tsp of potatoes, a sprinkle of onion and a tsp of gruyere cheese. Bake the cups at 375 for 3-5 min to melt cheese.

Remove the cups from the tin with the aid of a trusty toothpick and place on a serving plate.

Put sour cream in a squeeze bottle and squirt on top or dollop with a spoon if you don't have a squeeze bottle. Sprinkle with fresh chives and serve to the drooling masses!

Chewy Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

2009-10-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

Gluten free cookies can be tricky. In general, gluten free baking is a horse of a different color; it takes some major adjustments and a whole lot of trial and error. Even if you follow the recipe to a T, you still don't always end up with something that tastes good and you rarely come out with something that a person who CAN eat gluten would enjoy. This recipe is different.

When I first cut out gluten, my mom sent me a link to a King Arthur Flour recipe that she had tried and loved and that happened to be gluten free (ironic, right?) I tried it and loved it too but it was really rich and I felt like it was missing something. I made the cookies again and this time I made an oreo style filling and turned them into sandwich cookies. They were SOOOO good but still a tad rich so for round three I whipped up a marshmallowy filling more like what's in a whoopie pie that was a little less sugary sweet. To. Die. For.

These cookies give you options. You can make the fudgy, chewy cookies and eat them on their own, or try one of my two filling options. You can add flavors like mint or peanut butter to the filling for totally different tastes. This recipe is practically foolproof and you don't need to go out and buy a mess of gluten free flours like you do for most g free baking. Try these and let me know what you think!

COOKIES
- 2 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp espresso powder
- 1 cup cocoa powder (Dutch Process preferred)
- 3 lg. egg whites
- 2 tsp vanilla

Filling - WHOOPIE STYLE
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow fluff
- 2 tsp vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean

Filling - OREO STYLE
- 1/2 stick of butter, softened
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla OR 1/2 vanilla bean

Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
Mix all cookie ingredients with a hand mixer (or a sexy pink Kitchenaid if you are lucky enough to have a sous chef who knows how to buy the perfect b-day present.)

Dollop in 1 tsp drops onto parchment lined cookie sheets.

Cook about 8 minutes until cookies spread and cracks start to form on top.
Let cookies cool. THIS IS IMPORTANT, if you try to take them off before they cool, they will break.

For filling, mix all ingredients with hand mixer. Put into a piping bag, if desired.

Flip one cookie upside down, pipe or spoon filling onto cookie and top with another cookie.
YUMMY

Feast minus wheat

2009-10-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I hosted a gluten free canape and cocktail party to test some recipes and demonstrate some of the skills I'm picking up in cooking school. I was still cooking (frying, actually) throughout the night but I had a great time and my guests seemed to enjoy the spread. I don't think anyone would have noticed the lack of gluten had I not shouted from the rooftops that every last dish was GLUTEN FREE! Here is the menu from the magical evening:
Arancini with Spicy Marinara

Bacon Toffee
Otatop Sniks (inside-out potato skins)

Truffled Goat Cheese Deviled Eggs

Mom Style Strawberries (strawberries with sour cream and brown sugar)

Hummus and Veggies
Mini Frozen Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecakes

Chocowich Cookies

I will post the recipes for each of these items in the next couple of weeks. My photos are not so hot for these recipes; there is only so much multi-tasking a girl can do!

If you're anxious to see any of these recipes ASAP, let me know. I'm planning to re-make most of these dishes so I can get better pics for you.

Polenta Caprese Towers

2009-10-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

I miss summer already and it barely has one foot out the door. It's not the sweaty, sticky weather I miss, it's the gorgeous, plump, rainbow hued heirloom tomatoes. You can still find the last of them kicking around farmer's markets and shops but it's obvious that fall is here and the best tomatoes are gone until next year. If you do happen to come across some decent tomatoes or if your garden produced a bumper crop, this recipe will put them to good use, making the most of their tart, umami goodness. I put together this recipe to use up the last bit of burrata cheese we had in our fridge. Burrata is a very soft mozzarella stuffed with cream. It is one of my very favorite things in the world. It's mild, creamy and tender. It brings out the very best in anything you put it on. My sous-chef likes his on warm crusty bread with a bit of sea salt, olive oil and balsamic. Since bread is a no-no for me, I decided crispy polenta would be even better. I couldn't be happier with how these turned out. Try them for yourself and see!

- 5-6 heirloom tomatoes of assorted sizes and colors
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- 1-2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tsp of sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper

- ready-to-use polenta log
- pinch of garlic powder
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 tbsp canola oil
- 4-6 oz package fresh mozzarella cheese (cut into 1/4-1/2 inch slices)
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese (shredded)
- 1 package burrata mozzarella cheese
- 4-6 fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
Slice tomatoes into 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick slices and place in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet.

Drizzle with olive oil and a touch of balsamic vinegar.
Sprinkle minced garlic evenly over the tomatoes.
Mix together sugar, salt and pepper and sprinkle evenly over tomatoes.

Bake for 45 min to 1 hour until tomatoes are softened and beginning to brown at the edges.

Cut polenta into 1/2 inch slices

Heat butter and oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to bubble. Place polenta slices in the oil and cook each side about 10 minutes or until crisp.

Place the rounds on another foil lined baking sheet.

Top half the slices with grated parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of garlic powder.
Top the other half with a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese (NOT the burrata.)
Broil in the oven until the cheese melts; watch closely. When cheese is bubbly and edges are brown, remove and let cool.

Stack: Start with a polenta round topped with parmesan cheese, next place a roasted tomato, next place a plop of burrata, next place a polenta round topped with mozzarella then top with a tomato. Sprinkle fresh basil on top. Voila!

Candied. Bacon. Yehhhhs.

2009-09-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

This recipe isn't much of a recipe because it's too easy to be believed but it is a must try. The savory/salty/sweet combo is hard to describe. The sugar really takes a supporting role, it just highlights the baconey-ness of the bacon and lets it shine. You have to taste it. If you like bacon - get real, who doesn't like bacon; I have it on good authority that even vegetarians dream of bacon - you will flip for this. It's also fat free and has 0 calories!!!*

- 1 Lb regular cut bacon (not thick cut)
- 1 - 2 cups light brown sugar

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Wrap cookie sheet in aluminum foil
Place a cooling rack on the cookie sheet and spray with non-stick spray
Put brown sugar in shallow bowl or dish

One slice at a time, put the bacon in the sugar and press sugar into the bacon.

Once bacon is evenly coated, place the strip on the cooling rack.

Bake until dark golden brown and firm to the touch. About 40 minutes. It should look shellacked and should not feel too tacky or sticky.

Rotate the pan once during cooking to make sure the bacon cooks evenly and watch it to ensure it doesn't burn, it can happen fast.

It smelled so good while it was baking that Violet was entranced.

Now, you may wonder, what do I do with candied bacon? The obvious answer is EAT IT. This stuff is addictive. Once you pick up a slice, it's hard to stop. I am currently tinkering with some recipes that use candied bacon so keep your eye on this page. Also, if you make this, let me know what you think and if you have any questions about this or any of my recipes, feel free to let me know in the comments section.

*not

Ranch Dressing from Scratch

2009-09-03T12:47:00.001-07:00

When I order a salad and am given a choice of dressings, I always order the same one. Ranch. Any true ranch dressing aficionado knows that there is good ranch and there is bad ranch. Bad ranch comes in bottles or little packets at fast food restaurants and is served over iceberg salads with those teeny cubed croutons and unripe tomatoes. Bad ranch leaves a nasty chemical taste in your mouth. It is all tang with no richness. It sucks and it can ruin a perfectly good salad in an instant. GOOD ranch on the other hand is a gift from the gods. It tastes creamy and garlicky and buttermilk-y. It tastes freshly made because if it's REALLY good ranch, it probably is. It makes chicken strips and onion rings a thousand times better and don't even get me STARTED on french fries.

No matter where you go, you can never be sure which ranch you will get, fancy places sometimes serve nasty ranch and holes-in-the-wall sometimes pony up the good stuff. The secret to good ranch is making it from scratch. It's not hard and it's not expensive which is why you can find it at truck stops and diners. I urge all you ranch lovers out there to try this recipe. If you think all ranch dressing is the same, make this recipe and taste test it against any bottle of ranch you get at the store (even the kind from the refrigerated section.) I promise you, this ranch will blow the others away.
I offer two versions of my recipe, one with fresh garlic and one that only uses dried spices that you probably have in your cabinet already. They are both delicious, the one with fresh garlic is a little spicier and a lot more garlicky. Next time you get served BAD ranch, go home and make this. You'll never want to eat a salad outside your home again!

EZ RANCH
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 Tbsp Kosher salt
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp onion powder (add more to taste if you think you need it but wait 24 hours before you add)
- 1/2 tsp MSG*
- black pepper to taste
- dash of Cholula or hot sauce of your choice

Whisk together buttermilk and mayo until smooth. Add all other ingredients and whisk until blended. Chill for at least 30 minutes, taste, adjust seasonings to suit your taste then chill for another half hour before serving, overnight is better. Keeps in the fridge for over a week.

Fresh Garlic Ranch
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 clove fresh garlic (med to large)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Kosher Salt
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 2-3 small stalks of fresh chives (chopped)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp MSG*
- black pepper to taste
- dash of Cholula

Cut the garlic clove into four pieces. Pour 1 Tbsp of kosher salt over the garlic then mash into a paste using a fork. Once the paste is of uniform consistency, place it in a bowl. Add the buttermilk and mayo and whisk until smooth. Add the remaining salt, parsley, chives, onion powder, MSG, pepper and Cholula and whisk together. Chill for at least 30 minutes, taste, adjust seasonings to suit your taste then chill for another half hour before serving, overnight is better. Keeps in the fridge for over a week.

Pictured is Callie's Magic Salad: Butter lettuce, diced red peppers, persian cucumber slices, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped broccoli and cauliflower, slivered toasted, unsalted almonds, shredded cheddar cheese and RANCH.

*Ok. I know what you're thinking. MSG? WTF!? #1 MSG does not give ME headaches. I have tested it. If it gives YOU headaches (or if you THINK it does) simply leave it out #2 MSG makes stuff taste better. Seriously. It does. #3 MSG is gluten free. I understand that MSG is controversial. I am just publishing my recipe exactly as I made it.

Tequila Macerated Berries w/ Lime Whipped Cream

2009-08-25T09:18:00.000-07:00

As summer begins to retreat, I am grabbing on with both hands; willing the long warm days and abundance of fresh fruit and veggies to linger on a bit longer. This dessert makes use of the last of the summer berries, it also screams summer. It's a perfect end to a BBQ and would even make a great picnic dessert if it's prepared ahead of time and kept cool until serving. This recipe may also give one a new appreciation for tequila. It allows you to enjoy the subtle agave flavors without the side effects of a massive headache and wondering why you're sleeping in all your clothes.

- 1 lb. container fresh strawberries (16 oz)
- 1 lb. container fresh blueberries (16 oz)
- 2 containers raspberries (8oz each)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 4 tbsp anejo tequila (adjust to taste but don't over-do it)
- juice of one lime

Start by zesting your time and setting the zest aside for your whipped cream.
Hull and slice strawberries

Slightly muddle or gently smash blueberries with a fork (leave mostly intact, you just want to rough em up a bit so they can absorb some tequila)

Mix strawberries and blueberries and add raspberries
Spoon sugar over mixture and stir gently
Add tequila and lime juice and stir gently
Refrigerate at least two hours, up to 24, stirring once every hour.
Serve with lime whipped cream

- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- zest of one lime
- 6 Tbsp granulated sugar

Measure sugar into a small bowl then zest lime into the sugar. Mix and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.
Put mixing bowl and beaters in freezer until ready use but at least 30 minutes. Fill a large bowl halfway with ice and a little water. Place a smaller metal bowl on top of the ice water in the bowl and pour the cream into the smaller metal bowl. Using electric beaters or a whisk (you must have major muscles and stamina to do it old skool, a whisk attachment for electric hand beaters is ideal) whip/whisk until stiff peaks begin to form. Add sugar mixture and whip until you have light, fluffy whipped cream. DO NOT OVER-WHIP or you will make lime flavored, oily butter. Yech.

Spoon berry mixture into a bowl or goblet and top with whipped cream. This recipe is insanely good and the tequila is very subtle, not at all knock-you-on-your-butt alcohol-y.

Blue Cheese "BCT" Coleslaw

2009-08-17T14:16:00.000-07:00

Those of us new to a gluten-free lifestyle know that we have to be really careful and do our research when it comes to eating almost anything. Gluten hides in unexpected places like soy sauce, salad dressing and even Mc D's french fries! I had read that blue cheese often contained gluten because most blue cheese is made from bread mold. I was pretty sad to hear this because I LOVE blue cheese; I was REALLY sad about it when I had a big bite of delicious coleslaw at a party, not knowing that is was chock full of blue cheese. The one bite I had haunted me. I couldn't stop thinking about that tasty combo of crispy cabbage, tangy blue cheese and salty bacon. I had to have it. I went online to do some digging and found this helpful site.

I could eat blue cheese!?! Hallelujah! I now know that I just have to be smart and search for brands that I know do NOT contain gluten. So far I have had no trouble finding G free options. Shout out to Ralph's for incorporating new labels on their private label products that clearly show whether the item contains wheat (or any of the other eight major allergens.)

You really must try this recipe. It's insanely easy and makes the best coleslaw I have ever had, hands down. Heck, I didn't even like coleslaw until I tried this! I tweak the original by adding halved cherry tomatoes to make kind of a Blue Cheese "BCT" (bacon, cabbage, tomato) slaw. Feel free to leave the tomatoes out if they are not your thing, maybe add something else like avocado chunks (mmmmmmmmm.) This recipe is the perfect side for summer grilling.

- 8 strips of Niman Ranch bacon
- 3/4 cup mayo
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- pinch of celery salt
- 16 oz coleslaw mix
- 1 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Pre-heat oven to 375.
Place bacon strips on a foil lined cookie sheet. Cook for about 20 minutes or until very crispy but not burned. Drain and cool the strips on paper towels then chop or crumble them into small pieces.

Whisk together all wet ingredients, add the blue cheese, sprinkle in celery salt to taste and whisk some more.

Stir in the coleslaw mix and sprinkle in the bacon.

Top with tomatoes, mix gently and serve!

Extra Crunchy Gluten Free Chicken Strips

2009-08-12T08:59:00.000-07:00

*
One thing I miss about being able to eat wheat is the blessed, heavenly crunch of deep fried whatever. I am not super picky when it comes to fried things. Onion rings, fries, calamari, mozzarella, Oreos, Snickers bars, you name it, batter it and fry it and I will eat it (except chicken fried steak: NASTY!!!!)

Though my scale hasn't bemoaned the absence of these delicacies, my tastebuds surely have and thus I decided it was high time I bought a deep fryer. I found the perfect one: sleek, compact and it actually fits easily on my countertop! So what if it can only fit two chicken tenders or about five french fries at a time? Fried chicken doesn't have to be hot to be good! I fired this baby up for the first time to make a batch of crunchy chicken tenders. Now, when I say crunchy I mean you can barely hear your own thoughts when you eat these bad boys. In other words, they were perfect.

*I served the strips with my Blue Cheese Bacon Coleslaw and Parmesan Garlic Dipping Sauce. The Sauce recipe is in this post, the slaw will be my next one.

- 14 boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders (I bought them pre-cut and trimmed but you can also just cut up chicken breasts)

Marinade/Seasoning
(Mix dry ingredients then divide in half and reserve half for batter)
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups buttermilk

Batter
- 1 cup all-purpose gluten free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour)
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp gluten free baking powder
- 1 tsp sugar
- reserved seasoning mix
- 1 can club soda

Crunch
- 6 cups gluten free Rice Chex cereal

Mix dry ingredients for the marinade then divide into two parts.

Put half in a large plastic ziplock bag and save the other half. Pour the buttermilk into the bag and seal it mix the powder and buttermilk well by shaking and squeezing the bag. Put the chicken tender strips in the bag and refrigerate overnight or for at least five hours.

To prepare the coating, place the Chex into another zip bag and squeeze out most of the air then seal the bag. Roll over the bag with a rolling pin to crush the Chex. You want it really crushed. Trust that even crushed into a semi-fine powder, this will make a nice crunchy coating. Once it's crushed up, pour it into a shallow pan (something with sides) for dredging.

To prepare the batter, pour the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, sugar and the rest of your seasoning mix into another shallow pan and mix with a fork until combined. Pour the club soda into the mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. You may not want to use the whole can of club soda. Start with half a can and add until your batter is your preferred consistency. I used a whole can but I wish I had used less and made a thicker batter.

Line a pan or baking dish with plastic wrap to put your breaded tenders in. One at a time, take the tenders from the bag with the marinade and dredge them first in the batter mixture then coat them evenly with crushed Chex. Place each coated tender in the dish. Once the dish is full, add another layer of plastic wrap then put another layer of tenders on top then cover that layer with plastic wrap and so on until all the tenders are coated with batter and the coating and all are securely covered with plastic wrap. Put the dish of tenders in the refrigerator for at least one hour before frying.

To fry: I used peanut oil and followed the instructions on my deep fryer. If you don't have a deep fryer, fill a large, deep pot or skillet with enough peanut oil so that the tenders will be able to float if you place two or three in the pot at a time. Heat the oil to 375-400 degrees F (make sure you use a thermometer.) When the oil comes up to temperature, drop in a couple of tenders. Let cook for about 6-8 minutes. Check your first tender for doneness then figure out how long your tenders will need to cook based on that. Fry the tenders two at a time and place them on a cooling rack to cool. Serve with a dipping sauce like my garlic parmesan mayo!

Garlic Parmesan Dipping Sauce
- 1/2 cup Mayo
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- 1/3 cup Parmesan grated on the smallest hole on a box grater (the one that basically makes a powder)
- 2 small sprigs of fresh thyme (discard the stems and chop the leaves)

Mix together, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and serve!

Crispy, Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas

2009-07-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

I had a can of chickpeas sitting on my shelf for ages and couldn't decide whether to make hummus or the recipe below. I decided on crunchy versus creamy and went with this awesome snack. It makes a great MUCH healthier stand in for popcorn when watching a movie. Give it a try!

- 1 14.5 oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp smoked sea salt (more or less to taste)
- 1-2 sprigs chopped fresh thyme
- pinch of garlic salt

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
Drain and rinse chickpeas then dry them well using paper towels.
Pour them into an even layer on a baking sheet lined with tinfoil.

Roast in the oven at 425 for 20 minutes then remove them and let them cool for a few minutes.
Pour into a bowl and add olive oil, salt, garlic salt and fresh thyme and mix until the beans are all nicely coated.

Pour them back onto the baking sheet and roast for another 10-15 minutes until all the beans are caremely-golden brown. You want them crunchy so make sure they are all nice and dark brown but not burned.

Pull out the baking sheet and let them cool then pour back into the bowl. Once they are ready to taste, tweak the seasoning to suit your palette.

You can play with seasoning on this, try fresh garlic, rosemary, cayenne or cumin. The possibilities are endless!
I used fresh thyme from my poor, struggling herb garden.

Stone Fruit Sangria

2009-07-24T14:35:00.000-07:00

It's hot in LA. It's finally Summer. June was gray and gloomy and we all whined about it so much that mother nature is getting back at us now, erasing all clouds and keeping the sun dialed up to 10. No biggie. Sit back with this delicious fizzy drink and enjoy life in the best city in the USA (although Money Magazine gives that title to my hometown. Represent, Louisville, CO!)

For this beachy, peachy drink I sought out every variety of stone fruit I could find. We got yr peaches, yr apricots, yr plums and more. Find whatever is in season at your farmers market, chop it up and toss it in. You can't go wrong with this one!

- 1 large peach
- 1 large nectarine
- 1 apricot
- 1 black apricot
- 1 red plum
- 1 black plum
- 4 strawberries
- 1 handful of blueberries
- 1 cup peach schnapps
- 1 bottle prosecco

Pit the stone fruit and cut them into small chunks (1/2 inch or smaller.)
Hull the strawberries and cut into smaller chunks.
Place all fruit in a pitcher or bowl and pour the peach schnapps over the top. Mix and muddle gently with a spoon then refrigerate for at least an hour, a few hours would be ideal.

Remove the mixture from the fridge and pour into a glasses filling about halfway. Fill the rest with ice cold prosecco, mix with a swizzle stick and serve immediately.

This stuff tastes easy-breezy but it packs a punch so pace yourself...or just go crazy and knock yourself out!

Bananas Foster

2009-07-21T12:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I just get a craving for something and I absolutely have to make it right away or I'll be cranky and distracted until I do. Does this ever happen to you?

A few weeks ago the thought of bananas foster popped into my head and would not go away. I'd never made it before but I've had it a few times and the idea of gooey caramel sauce and warm sweet bananas with cold, creamy vanilla ice cream would not leave me alone. I had to make it.

This recipe is pretty straightforward with a few easy to find ingredients. There are a lot of variations out there with cinnamon or vanilla but I wanted to let the butter and sugar star. I did add a little kosher salt to bump up the caramel taste but you can add or subtract anything you like. This was the sous chef's first time trying this dish and he gave it two thumbs up.

- 4 bananas, not overripe but not green (I like mine a little tart but they need to have enough sugar in them to get a little mushy and soak up the yummy sauce)
- 1 stick of butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup dark rum
- 2 tbsp banana liqueur
- Pinch of kosher salt to taste
- Vanilla ice cream

Peel bananas then cut in half across the middles. Slice the halves lengthwise so you have quartered the bananas.

Melt butter over medium heat in a skillet or pan large enough to hold all the bananas in without having to pile them on top of one another. (my skillet was too small. It worked OK but would have been better with a larger skillet so the sauce could get a little thicker and coat the fruit more evenly)

Once it's melted add the brown sugar until it's mixed and has begun to melt and bubble.
Spread the bananas in the mixture face down and let them simmer about 1 minute.
Flip bananas over so the other side can caramelize and let cook for another minute.

Pour in the rum and the banana liqueur and tilt the pan toward you so the liquor pools near the edge then light the liquor using a long kitchen match or long lighter. Careful! It may flame up pretty high.
Shift the pan so the booze distributes then let it burn out. Stir a bit to incorporate the sauce and bananas.

Place bananas on top of vanilla ice cream then pour remaining sauce over the top. Serve fast, the ice cream starts to melt right away! So rich!

Gluten-Free Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp

2009-06-30T22:15:00.000-07:00

Whew! I've emerged on the other side of the flood and the blood tests. Results are: New Kitchen and Gluten-Intolerance. So there we have it. Nothing to do but cook!

Lately I've been craving rhubarb. I grew up with a rhubarb patch in my backyard. I generally ate it raw, yanking a stalk out of the ground, rinsing it and munching away. For those who are not familiar with it, it looks a lot like swiss chard or collard greens but with a thicker stalk. The leaves are poisonous but the stalk is perfectly edible and has the texture of celery and a sour/bitter taste like nothing else in the world. Truly singular. I was lucky enough to find the very last rhubarb of the season at the Santa Monica farmers market so I snatched it up along with some small, sweet gaviota strawberries.

I devised a strawberry rhubarb crisp to serve as dessert after a cedar plank salmon and rice dinner. I made all this for a group of friends who were kind enough to act as recipe guinea pigs while I dusted off my apron in the new kitchen.

- 4 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 3 cups rhubarb cut into 1/4" - 1/3" pieces
- 2 1/2 tbsp corn starch
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice (I used a Meyer lemon for more flavor)
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- pinch of sea salt
Topping
- 1 1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Biscuit and Baking Mix
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix fruit with corn starch, sugar, lemon juice and zest and the sea salt. Allow mixture to sit for 20 - 30 minutes.

Mix flour mixture and brown sugar. Melt butter and add to dry ingredients mixing with a fork.

Place fruit in baking dish and top with the crisp ingredients, spreading the pasty mixture across the top so that no large holes remain

Bake for 40 minutes or until the juice begins to bubble up through the crust and the crust is browning at the edges

Serve warm with ice cream (I used Haagen Dazs Five in Brown Sugar flavor. It was PERFECT!)

When it rains, it floods...

2009-06-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

OK, so rain actually has nothing to do with it. About a week ago, my sous chef and I came home from a movie to a kitchen flooded with water. We mopped it up and called a plumber who discovered that our garbage disposal was so old and rotting that he could poke holes through it with a pencil. After a quick disposal replacement, I called my insurance agent to send someone out to look at our now puffy Pergo floor.

They sent out a company to check out the floor and the cabinets. They determined that floor could not be salvaged but the cabinets could. They ripped out the floor and popped off the toe kicks on the cabinets and installed giant fans and dehumidifiers, essentially quarantining the kitchen. Before they left they noticed that there was still some dampness under our dishwasher so I ran a quick load. As soon as it started to drain, the kitchen was again flooded with water. The kind men yanked out the dishwasher and hauled it out to the street and I soaked up flood #2. I figured that at least solved the flooding problem. Now all I needed was a new floor, new cabinet toe kicks and a new dishwasher.

After four days of jet engine level noise and blasting heat from the fans and dehumidifiers, the men came back and took them away. I decided I should wash some of the dishes I had hastily tossed into the sink from the faulty dishwasher and got down to business. As I started to rinse my second bowl, I noticed that my feet were wet. I looked down to see another flood spreading from under the cabinets. I got down on my knees to soak up the water and try to find the source of flood #3 but couldn't figure out where the water was coming from as all pipes, hoses, etc were dry as bones.

I called the insurance agency and told them that a plumber was needed ASAP. They conceded that I should call a plumber but they would only pay for the plumber if the leak turned out to be the fault of the company that pulled out the dishwasher. Plumber can't come until Wed. Still waiting to hear when we can get our new floor installed and the new (expensive) dishwasher can't go in until the floor is installed and before that the leak must be fixed.

After flood #2 our very sweet downstairs neighbor rang the doorbell and brought me to her place to show me the leak in her ceiling where water had seeped through, breaking her phone and cutting out her phone service. I called the phone company to ask them to come fix it (her English is not so hot.) I also bought her a new phone but if there is any damage that needs to be fixed, my insurance company will consider it a second, liability claim and I will be out another $500 deductible.

In the midst of all this, I wait to hear the results of my second Celiac test. At a time when I am trying to keep wheat out of my diet, I am forced to eat out for pretty much every meal.

I woke up yesterday with a painful sore throat and a fatigue that made me have to sit down in the shower.

I know this will pass and I will come out on the other side of it stronger, wiser and with a nicer dishwasher but for now it's hard to see the light at the end of the very wet tunnel.

Ruby Red Grapefruit Avocado Salad

2009-06-06T08:25:00.000-07:00

I once had a salad like this at a catered event and I loved how the creaminess of the avocado was brought out by the zest of the grapefruit. I couldn't wait to go home and try to make it myself The crunch of the butter lettuce and cashews contrast with the softness of avocado. This salad is surprisingly delicious, all the elements play off one another perfectly.

- 2 whole ruby red grapefruits
- 1 medium avocado
- 1 Bag of pre-washed Butter Lettuce w/ Radicchio
- 1/4 cup toasted, unsalted cashew pieces
- 3/4 cup grapefruit juice
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- splash of good white wine (I use King Shag Sauvignon Blanc from TJ's)
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1/2 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 pinch black pepper

Peel and supreme* grapefruits and reserve the unused pieces. Press into a mesh strainer to extract as much of the remaining juice as you can. Place the whole segments in your salad bowl.

*To "supreme": first, using a sharp knife, cut disks of skin off the top and bottom of the grapefruit. Make sure you cut deep enough that the fruit shows. Cut off the skin in strips going from top to bottom, following the curve of the fruit. You want to remove the peel and the pith but not remove too much of the fruit. Once the peel is removed Cut out the segments, leaving behind the tough skin between the segments but cutting as close to that skin as possible. As you remove each segment, set it aside.

Halve avocado and remove pit, slice into thin slices and place slices in bowl with grapefruit segments. Mix gently to coat avocado with grapefruit juice to avoid browning.

For the dressing: Place the grapefruit juice, lime juice, vinegar, wine, mustard, honey, salt and pepper in a blender and blend to incorporate, about 10 seconds, add the olive oil slowly and blend an additional 5 seconds. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Add the greens to the salad bowl with the avocado and grapefruit. Add in the dressing and toss gently to coat the lettuce. Add in the cashews and serve!

BoBerry Biscuits

2009-05-23T16:52:00.001-07:00

*WARNING*
This recipe is NOT gluten-free (apologies to my gf readers out there.)

A couple of friends of mine from North Carolina are constantly singing the praises of a restaurant chain called Bojangles. Their rhapsodic descriptions of BoBerry Biscuits inspired my to dig up the recipe online and surprise them with my best efforts at recreating the BoBerry.

BoBerry Biscuits:
- 2 cups Flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1/3 cup of sugar
- 5 tbs of low-fat butter or margarine.
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup dried (dehydrated) blueberries

Glaze:
- 1 cup of sifted powdered sugar
- 1/8 cup of water
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- ½ teaspoon of fresh lemon juice

Directions:
One hour before baking cut up the butter into 1/8 inch - 1/4 inch slices and place in freezer.

Preheat oven to 450F. Mix salt, sugar, flour, blueberries and baking powder in a bowl. Add cold milk to dry ingredients and mix.

Add the slices of butter and fold them QUICKLY into the dough. You do not want them to melt, they will create the layers in your biscuits.

Once the butter chunks are evenly distributed, move dough to floured cutting board and roll flat to about ¼ - ½ thick (or to desired thickness) and cut Biscuits with a 2" biscuit or cookie cutter. Place in oven and bake for 7-12 minutes, until golden brown at the edges.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the microwave, and paint finished biscuits with pastry brush.
Mix glaze ingredients in a bowl, and drizzle over BoBerry Biscuits.
ENJOY!

If the guys' reactions were any indication, this recipe was pretty close to the real thing. Even if you've never been to Bojangles, I can pretty much promise you will love these babies. They are flaky, buttery, easy to make and the slightly tart coating is bowl-licking good.

Zukesketti

2009-05-19T19:55:00.000-07:00

Since becoming a (mostly) gluten-free lady, the thing I miss most, hands down, is pasta. Yes I have tried potato pastas, brown rice pastas, white rice pastas, corn pastas, you name it. As a pasta snob, I just haven't found a noodle that gives me al dente firmness without being gummy, mushy or having a weird aftertaste. This recipe for zucchini "spaghetti" tastes remarkably like the real thing and best of all, it comes out al dente! You have to try it to believe it. Oh yeah, also zucchini is a vegetable, not a bloat-inducing carb monster. It has Vitamin C, Protein, Fiber, Potassium, Folate, Vitamin A and Lutein. Does your average noodle have all that?

Makes 1 serving
- 2 small to medium zucchini
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup toasted, unsalted sliced almonds
- 14 cup shaved parmesan cheese

Using a mandolin slicer set to shred or julienne, slice zucchini. (This is a little tricky. I've included a picture of the mandolin so you can see what it looks like.) Cut off and discard the ends of the zucchini then set it on it's side on the mandolin. Be careful not to cut off your fingertips as you slide the zucchini into the blades. Rotate the zucchini after a few passes over the blade. Discard the soft, seeded center once you've shredded all the way around. It gets too mushy when it cooks and it's also too soft to slice.

If you don't have a mandolin, simply use a knife to cut the zucchini into "matchsticks."

In a small non-stick skillet heat 1 tbsp butter and chopped garlic until garlic begins to brown.

Toss in the zucchini "noodles" and stir until they absorb the butter and begin to soften, about 1 minute. Add the remaining butter and continue to stir until the butter is absorbed and the zucchini is slightly softened but still firm. Taste it to make sure the texture is to your liking (for me it was about two to three minutes.)

Remove from heat and top with almonds and parmesan and enjoy!

You can also try this with your favorite pasta sauce! YUM!

Cheesy Asparagus Risotto

2009-05-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

I always thought risotto must be really hard to make because I only had REALLY good risotto at fancy restaurants. Turns out, it's not hard at all. The trick is to stay with it. Put on some music in the kitchen and be patient, don't go too far away from the pan. Also: taste! The best way to prevent your risotto from turning to glue is noticing when the rice starts to soften and finishing it up at that point. If you wait to long, you will have asparagus flavored gum. Mmmmmmmm. If you baby your risotto, it will pay off. Also, you can experiment with cheeses. The gouda makes this dish really rich and a bit nutty.

- 10-15 medium to thin spears of asparagus (fewer if you use big ol fat ones)
- 32 oz chicken broth
- Approx. 2 tbs. olive oil
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup uncooked arborio rice
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese plus a little extra to sprinkle
- Splash of good white wine
- 1/4-1/3 cup grated gouda cheese
- 1/4 cup half and half
- finely chopped chives to suit your taste

Break off the tough ends of the asparagus

Set the asparagus in a basket steamer in a pot with water, cover and bring to a boil. Steam, covered for 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of your asparagus stalks. Test with a fork to make sure the stalks are tender but just slightly firm. Remove asparagus and chop into 1/2 - 1 inch pieces and reserve. You can steam the asparagus at the same time as you are working on the rice mixture.

Heat broth in a small pot, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, keep at a simmer.

Heat Olive Oil in a medium pan on medium heat and onions, cook until they begin to soften then add garlic and cook until both just begin to caramelize (the garlic cooks faster than the onions so don't put them in together. Learned this the hard way.)

Add the rice to the onions and garlic and cook for about two minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the rice from burning or sticking.

Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth to the rice and shake the pan around to get the rice to absorb the liquid. As soon as most of the liquid is absorbed, add another half cup of broth. Continue this until most or all of the broth is gone, the rice is tender but not soft and the mixture is thick and creamy. This whole process takes about 15-20 minutes. Add a splash of good white wine to taste. I LOOOOOOVE King Shag from Trader Joe's and it's the perfect wine to drink with this dish once you finish.

As you add more liquid you can try to "flip" the risotto in the pan. It's kind of fun but can also be dangerous so be cautious.

Remove the mixture from the heat and add the cheese, half and half and asparagus. Reserve a few asparagus tips and some cheese for garnish.

Transfer the risotto to bowls, snip some fresh chives on top using kitchen scissors and garnish with the cheese and asparagus tips.
YUM!

Tomatermelon Goat Cheese Salad with Avocado

2009-05-04T09:54:00.000-07:00

I had some leftover goat cheese from my pizza and wanted to use it up in something easy and tasty. I decided to make a summery salad with a tangy dressing and a surprise element. The avocado in this dish may sound a little weird but the creaminess balances out the acid in the tomato and the sharp tang of the goat cheese. The slightly salty dressing makes the watermelon extra sweet and juicy. There are a million ways you could play with this salad to adjust it to your tastes (try basil or fresh mint instead of chives) but it's pretty fantastic as is (if I do say so myself)

For Dressing

- 3-4 oz goat cheese (reserve a bit of goat cheese to put on top of the salad)
- 4 tbsp buttermilk
- 3 tsp. white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. dijon mustard
- 1-2 tsp. sugar to taste
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 2 stalks fresh chives, snipped into teeny tiny pieces
- splash of white wine

For Salad

- 3-4 large Heirloom tomatoes, cut into sections
- 4-5 Cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2" - 1" chunks of watermelon (as much as you like, I used about 2 cups)
- 1 avocado cut into small chunks
- 1-2 tbsp goat cheese

Mix veggies and fruit together in a large bowl.

Whisk together dressing ingredients.

Plop a few dollops of goat cheese on top.

Pour dressing over salad and enjoy!

Freshly Made Corn Tortilla Tacos

2009-04-29T17:52:00.000-07:00

When I found out how easy it was to make corn tortillas, I wanted to make them IMMEDIATELY. I made my honey walk with me to the corner Mexican market and got a blister on the walk back. Totally worth it. I picked up some Maseca corn flour (gluten free natch), an avocado and some soy chorizo.

Shout out to my friend Elizabeth for recommending Reynaldo's Soy Chorizo. SOOO good. WAY less greasy than regular chorizo plus none of the salivary glands (what, you didn't know that's what chorizo is made out of?) I have tried other soyrizo brands and Reynaldo's is hands down the best. This isn't much of a recipe, just the basics to making easy, yummy, warm corn tortillas that you can stuff full of anything you like.

Tortillas
- 1 cup of Masa Harina (corn flour)
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Filling
- 1/2 tube of Reynaldo's Soy Chorizo
- 1 avocado cut into slices
- Sour cream
- Shredded sharp cheddar or crumbled cotija cheese

In a bowl, slowly add water to the masa and salt while you stir. The texture will be slightly crumbly. When the mixture just starts to form a ball, get your hands in there and smoosh. You should be able to easily form a large ball. If the mix is too dry or crumbly, add a tiny bit of water until it comes together. Split the large ball into four equal sized balls. Place a damp paper towels over the balls while you roll out and cook the tortillas.

Cut two pieces of wax paper. Place a ball on the paper and set the second sheet of wax paper on top. Press down and flatten the ball. Roll the ball out with a rolling pin until it is super thin but not so thin that it rips when you try to peel it off the wax paper. You'll get a feel for it.

Heat a dry, nonstick skillet on medium high heat. Toss a tortilla onto the skillet and heat for about one minute then flip with a spatula. Heat the other side for a minute and if both sides are crisp and slightly brown at the edges, pull it off, stuff it and eat it! Repeat with the rest of your tortilla balls.

Soy chorizo is so easy to make. Squeeze it out of the package into a skillet, heat it up on medium high and cook until it gets a little crispy. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

I made these tacos with regular chorizo for a group of friends and they seemed tickled. Try these for yourself!

Herbed Roasted Lamb Shank

2009-04-22T15:32:00.000-07:00

An old friend of mine was given a gorgeous lamb shank and had no idea what to do with it. I looked around for some good recipes and then messed them about to come up with this. This old friend also has a nice camera and some major photog skillz, hence the pretty pictures for this installment.

This recipe takes for ever but the results are so worth the long wait. Be patient and don't give in to the temptation to peek.

- Lamb Shank (you can do this with more than one, we just had one)
- Sea Salt
- Black Pepper
- Olive Oil
- Fresh Herbs (we used Rosemary and Thyme and a few sprigs of fresh Sage)
- Garlic cloves, peeled and crushed (we used about 10. You could always use more)

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees

Line your roasting pan with foil, put the shank in and drizzle it with olive oil. Sprinkle both sides of the shank liberally with sea salt and black pepper. Pop the pan in the oven for 25-30 minutes, you are just browning the shank at this point. It will look delish but don't eat it yet. The best is yet to come.

Turn the oven down to 200, YES 200 degrees.

Crush the garlic with the flat of a chef's knife then sprinkle it all over the shank. Place your herbs on and around the shank then wrap the shank in the foil that was under it. Pull out another swath of foil and wrap it the shank up completely, no holes. You are more or less going to steam the meat that's already brown and crisp so that it will be literally fall-off-the-bone tender.

Once your bundle of joy is all wrapped, put it back in the 200 degree oven for 3 hours. 3 whole hours. Wait. When it's ready, take it out, let it cool a few minutes and open it up. Warning, your house will smell amazing and you will want to yank the lamb out of the oven and devour it with your hands. Don't do this.

For an easy side dish we used ready made mashed potatoes, heated them up with a pat of butter and tossed in the roasted garlic cloves from inside the lamb shank bundle. It was perfect with the herbed, tender lamb.

Bon Apetit!

P.S. Here is my Frenchie Violet enjoying the bone as much as we enjoyed the lamb!

Springtime Pizza

2009-04-19T20:41:00.000-07:00

I had some leftover asparagus from my Asparagus Risotto (recipe forthcoming) and I thought it'd be perfect with some prosciutto. I came across gluten free frozen pizza crusts at Whole Foods and inspiration struck. This was my first time trying crusts like these. They were not traditional pizza crusts, more on the crispy/chewy side but after going pizza free for 6 months, they really hit the spot. This recipe was super simple because most of the stuff I used was pre-made. You could make any of the pre-made bits from scratch if you were feeling ambitious. I was just feeling hungry.

There are no real measurements here, just do what works for you, it's hard to mess up pizza.

- Frozen Pizza Crust (I used Nature's Highlights brand from Whole Foods. If you use a different one, follow directions on box)
- Pre-made Pesto
- Buffalo Mozzarella cut into slices
- Chevre (crumbled)
- Asparagus (about 5 thick stalks or 8 thin cut into 1"-1 1/2" pieces)
- Toasted Pine Nuts
- Prosciutto
- Parmigiano-Reggiano

Let the pizza crust thaw and pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees.

Cook the plain, un-topped crust right on the oven rack for 4-5 minutes.

Remove the crust and let it cool for a minute then top with the pesto, mozzarella slices, crumbled goat cheese, asparagus, pine nuts, prosciutto and then sprinkle with parm.

Reduce the heat in the oven to 425 then put the pizza back on the rack. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until cheese melts and starts to bubble. Remove from the oven, let sit for two minutes then cut and DEVOUR!

Cedar Plank Salmon

2009-04-13T08:35:00.000-07:00

Here is Sous Chef Matt's Cedar Plank Salmon (adapted from Real Simple Magazine)

It's spicy and sweet, moist and flaky. You may want to add a splash of lemon juice for some acid.

You can purchase cedar planks in the BBQ section of your hardware store.

- 2lb salmon fillet
- 1 cedar plank
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbs canola oil
- 1 tbs dried thyme
- 1 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp kosher salt

Soak cedar plank in water for 30-45 minutes

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Line a baking sheet with tin foil, put the plank on top of the foil put the salmon on top of the plank

Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl then rub the marinade onto the salmon and lump on any extra

Cook 20- 30 minutes until salmon is cooked through and flaky

Salt the salmon to taste and enjoy!

*For the side I tossed cauliflower in olive oil and sprinkled with kosher salt then roasted in a 350 degree oven on a cookie sheet for 25 minutes. SO GOOD!

Cooking School

2009-04-11T21:24:00.000-07:00

The Picky Gourmet learned an important lesson tonight: sometimes you can follow a recipe to a T and it still doesn't work out.

My Sous Chef planned to make me a nice romantic dinner of cedar plank salmon and I offered to make a side dish I've been dying to try; cauliflower puree with caramelized cauliflower garnish.

I started with a recipe I had seen on TV and tweaked it by using purple cauliflower (yea antioxidants!) and adding a splash of half and half and some roasted garlic.

I prepped, I slaved, I photographed and I ended up with purple cauliflower soup. Yuck.

I figured out what I did wrong and I still plan to try this dish... another day. Sometimes we all fall off our culinary high horse and have to start over from scratch. I hope I can help readers of this blog by learning some of the hard (and expensive) lessons for them.

PS Sous Chef's salmon was DELISH and the caramelized cauliflower was tasty too. Pics coming soon!

Squashed Mac and Cheese

2009-04-09T13:59:00.001-07:00

This dish is adapted from several recipes I found online. It has hidden squash to make it radioactively orange and slightly healthier than plain old ooey-gooey mac and cheese. The squash makes it a little sweet so make sure you taste it and adjust the salt and cheese to make sure it tastes like macaroni and CHEESE instead of just macaroni and squash.

Also: I made this with gluten-free pasta shells. If you don't HAVE to eat gluten-free pasta then by all means do NOT. I have tried half a dozen gluten-free pastas. Rice based, potato based, you name it. They really can't come close to good old Barilla BUT those among us with wheat-hating tummies must soldier on and fight the good fight. I'd rather eat bad pasta than no pasta so there you have it.

This dish lends itself to many variations, try adding some sauteed shallots or garlic for a punched-up flavor or add fresh peas or chopped red pepper for even more veggie goodness.

Bon Apetit!

- 1 lb macaroni/shells
- 2 10 oz pkgs of frozen squash
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 2 cups extra sharp cheddar
- 2 cups gruyere
- 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup blue cheese
- 1 tbs salt (more to taste)
- 1 tsp. powdered mustard
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan

Cook the pasta until just barely al dente then strain

Preheat oven to 375

Grate cheeses and reserve parmesan and 1/4 cup of cheddar and 1/4 cup of gruyere to sprinkle on top

Mix the squash and the milk in a large saucepan over medium high heat until it just begins to simmer

Add cheese and spices to the squash and milk and whisk together

Pour pasta into the cheese sauce mixture and stir until pasta is coated with sauce

Pour into greased 9"x13" casserole dish

Sprinkle reserved cheese on top

Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until sauce bubbles and top begins to brown

BLT Dip

2009-03-30T22:13:00.000-07:00

This could also be called heart attack on a cracker... or just crack on a cracker. Since I am still not able to eat wheat, it was crack on a potato chip for me. Still, it was damn good and I'll bet it was even better on a Ritz cracker.

This bacon cooking method makes for crispy bacon and easy clean up.

- 1 Cup Mayo
- 1 Cup Sour Cream
- 1 Lb. Bacon
- Ranch Dressing Mix Packet
- 2-3 Plum Tomatoes
- 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Ritz Crackers

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
Line two cookie sheets with tin foil and lay out bacon on the cookie sheet
Bake for 20 minutes or until bacon is very crispy but not quite burned
Remove bacon and place on paper towels to soak up excess grease and to cool

Mix mayo and sour cream with a spoon or spatula until well blended
Add about a tsp. of ranch dressing mix and mix thoroughly

Chop bacon into very small pieces (I tried crumbling but chopping was a lot easier)
Pour bacon into the mayo/sour cream mix and mix well
Add cheese and mix again

Taste. YUM. Refrigerate until just before serving. If you add the tomatoes too early they will get really mushy.

When ready to serve:
Slice tomatoes in half lengthwise and discard seeds and juice (if you leave them in the dip will be watery)
Chop tomatoes and add them to the mixture. Stir well.
Taste and if needed, add a sprinkle of ranch mix
Garnish with some cherry or grape tomatoes cut into small rounds

Serve with Ritz crackers or whatever sounds good

Frozen Peanut Butter Pie

2009-03-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

This pie is really more like a cheesecake. This is my grandpa Bud's fave dessert and my mom used to make a version of it whenever he came to visit.

I recently made this for a pie pot-luck and it was a HUGE hit. It's a little sweet, a little salty and has a great texture. I let it thaw for the party but it was much better frozen.

You can mess with this recipe by making a topping out of chopped peanut butter cups or toffee candy bars. Also since I'm looking to lose a pound or two, I made this pie lighter by using neufchatel instead of cream cheese. If you can't find neufchatel, you can always sub cream cheese. Lastly I used skim milk and light whipped topping.

Bon Apetit!

- 8 oz Neufchatel Cheese (1 box)
- 1 cup Confectioners Sugar
- 1/2 cup Jif Peanut Butter
- 1/2 cup Skim Milk
- 1 tub Whipped Topping (low fat)
- 1 Readymade Chocolate Cookie Pie Crust
- Candy-Shell Chocolate Ice Cream Topping

Soften the cream cheese by leaving it out or nuking it for 10-20 seconds

Beat the cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer until smooth

Add 1/2 cup of peanut butter, keep beating

Add 1/2 cup of milk and beat until blended and smooth

FOLD in the whipped topping slowly with a spatula to keep it fluffy

Pour/spoon mixture into pie crust and freeze, preferably overnight

Remove and squeeze on some chocolate candy-shell topping in whatever design you like

Serve right out of the freezer