broth ice cubes

Stock ice cubes

Two things that are always rattling around my fridge are open containers of chicken/beef/veggie broth and opened jars of spaghetti sauce. I tend to use some and then the rest hang out in there for God knows how long. When I go to grab an open container of these items I never know how old it is and I often end up just throwing it out to avoid eating contaminated food. It gets quite wasteful though so I decided to take control of this situation with a two-pronged plan.

1. Labeling. When we open a jar of sauce, we write the date on the lid. The longest a jar of clean sauce (not touched by a contaminated spoon and not removed from the jar) is officially considered safe is two weeks. The acid in the tomatoes offer some protection, and some people in this house are willing to eat it if it smells ok and looks ok, but I’m just too suspicious for that. Now that the jars are dated, I throw them out after they are open for 2-3 weeks. This has also given the before mentioned people a deadline for using up the sauce they have opened and provides some incentive to use it or lose it.

2. Freezing. If I have most of a jar of spaghetti sauce left, I’ve been dumping it into a plastic container and freezing it. All the leftovers can be used up together the next time I make spaghetti.

3. Ice cubes. I asked for a set of ice cube trays for Christmas. When I open a container of stock or broth, I pour the leftovers into an ice cube tray and freeze it. The next day I dump the cubes into a zip-top bag and label it and stick it in the freezer. I can then add as much broth as I need the next time I’m cooking and I don’t have to worry if it is contaminated. This has saved me huge amounts of money since I often open a cardboard container of stock and use just a little and the rest of the container would end up getting old and being thrown out.

Two things that are always rattling around my fridge are open containers of chicken/beef/veggie broth and opened jars of spaghetti sauce. I tend to use some and then the rest hang out in there for God knows how long. When I go to grab an open container of these items I never know how old … Read more

Ice Cream Cake

Posted by Brette in Food

ice cream cakeFor my birthday this year, I decided I wanted to do what we do for everyone else in the family – have their favorite dinner at home. So I made exactly what I wanted, exactly the way I wanted it. It was wonderful to do that for myself. For dessert, I decided I really wanted an ice cream cake. And since my husband and I are both gluten intolerant, it’s something we haven’t had for years. With the help of a springform pan, my Gram’s cake recipe, my favorite ice cream and some gluten free cookies, it was actually very easy to make. The chocolate cake made a dense fudgy layer. I’m a sucker for chocolate and peanut butter together and I also love almonds, so this met all of my cravings head on!

1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 cup Miracle Whip

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour (I used gluten free)

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup boiling water

7 oz bag of crunchy chocolate cookies or wafers (I used gluten free), crushed

2 pints peanut butter ice cream

1/2 full size container of chocolate ice cream

chocolate sauce

almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix cocoa, salad dressing, sugar, and vanilla. Dissolve the baking soda in the water and alternate adding that the flour and salt to the chocolate mixture until combined.

Spray a 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray and add the batter. Bake for about 20 minutes, until a cake tester comes clean.

Cool completely.

Soften the peanut butter ice cream and spread on top of the cake. Sprinkle the cookies on top, reserving about 1/4 cup for later use. Freeze until hard, at least 2 hours.

Soften the chocolate ice cream and spread on top of the cookies. Freeze until hard, at least two hours.

Spread the chocolate sauce on top, using enough to cover the top (about 3/4 cup). I used generic version of Hershey’s and I would recommend using something else, more like hot fudge sauce, that is thicker and will harden better.

Sprinkle the remaining cookies on top. Make a ring around the edge with the almonds. Freeze until hard, at least two hours.

Run a hot knife around the edge of the pan before freeing the springform sides. Run the knife under hot water before cutting each piece.

You can use any kind of ice cream, sauce, or nuts for this. You could also swap out a vanilla cake for the chocolate cake, but if you do, use only half a recipe so you get a thin layer.

 

For my birthday this year, I decided I wanted to do what we do for everyone else in the family – have their favorite dinner at home. So I made exactly what I wanted, exactly the way I wanted it. It was wonderful to do that for myself. For dessert, I decided I really wanted … Read more

Salted Rutabaga 11-2-2014 7-10-22 PMI’ve been reading about about baking things in a salt crust. It’s supposed to yield extremely moist and tender results. I saw a rutabaga roasted in a salt crust in a magazine recently and decided to give it a go.Salted Rutabaga 11-2-2014 7-21-17 PM

First I gently peeled the outer wax off the rutabaga. Then I mixed about 2 cups of salt with 2 egg whites and some fresh grated ginger and garlic (one clove). I preheated the oven to 400. I put some salt in the bottom of a baking dish for the rutabaga to sit on then I plastered the rest of it onto it. I baked it for 2 hours.

Salted Rutabaga 11-2-2014 7-24-38 PMWe cracked the salt crust, lifted the rutabaga out and cut it into pieces. I poured some brown butter mixed with more grated ginger, grated garlic and salt and pepper over it.

The rutabaga was definitely very tender. It didn’t turn the very bright yellow it becomes when you boil or roast it which was interesting. We found that the edges were extremely salty and the inside didn’t taste any different than it usually does.

The verdict: this wasn’t worth the effort. I would only recommend it if you really hate cutting up a raw rutabaga (which can definitely be challenging).

I’ve been reading about about baking things in a salt crust. It’s supposed to yield extremely moist and tender results. I saw a rutabaga roasted in a salt crust in a magazine recently and decided to give it a go. First I gently peeled the outer wax off the rutabaga. Then I mixed about 2 … Read more

stuffed delicata1I came home with delicata squash this week from the CSA and wanted to do something with it, other than just slicing it up and roasting it or sauteing it. I ended up hollowing it out and stuffing it like a zucchini which let me use up more CSA veggies and resulted in a really flavorful dish. It’s also pretty to serve. Use spinach if you don’t have kale. Add some chorizo or pancetta in place of mushrooms if you like. There are lots of variations possible with this one!

5.0 from 1 reviews
Stuffed Delicata Squash
 
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 1 delicata squash
  • 2 leaves of kale
  • 2 large button mushrooms
  • green top of a scallion
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • ¼ tsp Italian seasoning
  • ¼ cup shredded mozzarella
  • 2 tsp Parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 and prepare a baking dish or baking sheet by spraying with cooking spray
  2. Cut the squash in half the long way and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash in the pan.
  3. Cut the kale from the center rib and plunge it in boiling water for 3 minutes, then drain and squeeze dry.
  4. Add kale, garlic, mushroom, scallion, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to a food processor and completely the combine.
  5. Stuff the squash then sprinkle both cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and allow the cheese to brown, Serve

 

I came home with delicata squash this week from the CSA and wanted to do something with it, other than just slicing it up and roasting it or sauteing it. I ended up hollowing it out and stuffing it like a zucchini which let me use up more CSA veggies and resulted in a really … Read more

ranch potatoWarning: you’ll want to eat too much of this. I’m going to have to relegate this recipe to a once a year situation I think. It’s THAT good.  You end up with crunchy potatoes with a kicky ranch sauce with plenty of cheesy goodness.

4.5 from 2 reviews
Crazy Good Ranch Potatoes
 
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds potatoes, cut into bite size chunks (skin on)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 6 tbsp butter, melted
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 cup light mayo
  • ½ cup light sour cream
  • ¼ cup buttermilk
  • 1 tbsp dried dill (or fresh if available)
  • 1 tbsp fresh chives
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • top of one scallion (green part)
  • ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp Italian herb mix
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 and prepare a 9x12 baking dish by spraying with cooking spray.
  2. Add the potatoes to the dish and pour the butter on top, seasoning with salt and pepper.
  3. Bake for 1 hour.
  4. While it's baking, place the other ingredients except the cheese in the food processor, with more salt and pepper. Completely blend the ingredients and allow to sit while the potatoes bake.
  5. Pour the mixture over the potatoes and add the cheese. Toss to completely coat and then bake another 10 minutes

 

Warning: you’ll want to eat too much of this. I’m going to have to relegate this recipe to a once a year situation I think. It’s THAT good.  You end up with crunchy potatoes with a kicky ranch sauce with plenty of cheesy goodness. 4.5 from 2 reviews Crazy Good Ranch Potatoes   Print Serves: … Read more

Why I Cook

Posted by Brette in Food

GreekChickenwOrzo2Lately there has been a lot of discussion in the media about family dinners. In case you didn’t know, family dinners will apparently solve all your family’s problems – from health issues, to mental health, to school performance and more. There has also been a glut of cookbooks lately that claim to make cooking family dinners easier and more accessible. Then there has been the backlash by plenty of women who say that these books do nothing more than set unreasonable expectations.  Family dinners have become a battlefield in the media.

As the author of two cookbooks, both of them created to make cooking a little more fun, a little less stressful, and a bit more kid-friendly, I understand both sides of this discussion.

I do believe family dinners can be an important part of parenting and connecting. Over the years we have had so many interesting and important conversations at dinner. Eating together creates a sense of intimacy and forces you to be face-to-face with your family. It’s a time to check in with each other, to plan, to discuss politics and religion, and to just feel a bond. But you can achieve this whether you make the food or get take out – making the food yourself is not the magic in this equation. It’s taking the time to look at each other and listen to each other that makes dinner matter.

I 100% agree with the women who talk about what a drain it is to have to make dinner every night. I too have that feeling of dread when 5 pm rolls around. What am I going to make? How am I going to pull yet ANOTHER dinner out of my hat? It was even more challenging before our daughter left home. She eats only chicken and fish. My son strongly prefers red meat and will not eat fish at all. I was often making two dinners. It’s exhausting. The planning, shopping, organizing, time, and energy that goes into making dinner most nights is at least a part-time job. And there is pressure and expectations involved. If you make your kids arrange their lives around dinner time, you have people expecting you to feed them. If your spouse comes home hungry, planning on you to provide food, you’re on the hook. You can’t just skip it. By trying to do the “right” thing and make dinner regularly, we set up a vicious cycle of pressure and expectations that can really feel very oppressive.

There are nights when my husband works late. I admit I have a huge sense of relief on these nights. I don’t have to cook! There is no point in making a full meal my teenage son will only pick at. Instead, everyone is on their own for dinner and I always turn to one of the following fall backs for my meal: a baked potato with raw veggies, a salad, or a homemade veggie pizza on a piece of gluten-free flatbread. Those are my three perfect, easy meals that I can happily eat. The husband and son turn to their own personal fallbacks and everyone is happy. I eat in front of the TV (shh! I know that’s yet another taboo) and the husband doesn’t eat until late at night (another bad thing, supposedly). We all survive and don’t die of malnutrition. My teenage son has yet to become a delinquent because he has to make his own dinner maybe 3-4 nights a month. These nights are the exception not the rule in our house. If I had ONLY these three solo meals as my options, I would get really tired of them quickly.

Although I love to get a night off, I continue to attempt to make dinner almost every night. Just because I’ve written cookbooks doesn’t mean it comes easily to me all the time. Writing a cookbook is nothing at all like making dinner for your family. In fact, in the months when I was writing my books, both on crazy short deadlines, I didn’t make dinner!  Dinner was leftover test dishes. The only reason dinner ever gets made here on normal nights is because I make lists. I make lists of recipes to make. Then I make a list of what to buy that week. I keep staples on hand for my tried and true easy favorite recipes. I’m not out there making my own pasta and encouraging yeast to rise on any regular basis. I open jars and cans. Sometimes I even use frozen French fries (gasp). This ensures I can usually figure something out, if I am able to tear myself away from work soon enough to get it made in time. I don’t look forward to making dinner all the time. Some nights I totally dread it. Some nights I don’t mind because I’m hungry and what I’m going to make is going to be good. And sometimes, I really love it. I like to try new recipes, flavors, and techniques on occasion. I don’t want to be in the kitchen for hours on most nights, but sometimes I like to spend a Sunday afternoon making my own spaghetti sauce, trying to figure out how to make gluten-free croissants (still unsuccessfully), or baking a pie. Doing that is a hobby and a way that I relax. Cooking dinner on a nightly basis is NOT however. I work all day. I have responsibilities and people who count on me. Making dinner can be a complete annoyance at times.

As hard as it is to get something on the table every night, I would much rather make my own food than buy takeout or prepared foods or go out to eat often. Honestly, I find most of these choices to be subpar and I don’t want to eat food that is just bad. Of course there are amazing restaurants, but who can afford to eat out at those on any regular basis? Given the choice of a bad frozen lasagna, lukewarm takeout pizza, or a greasy rotisserie chicken, I will almost always choose to throw something together myself. There are rare nights when I surrender and we go out or order that underwhelming pizza. But I almost never buy store-prepared food. If I have to go to the store to buy that I might as well buy something I can cook quickly myself that will taste infinitely better.

When it comes down to it, I cook dinner because food matters to me. I like to eat things that taste good and are good for me and I’ve yet to find a way to achieve those two things any other way on a regular, reliable basis. Cooking for me doesn’t mean gourmet meals most nights. It doesn’t mean inventing a new recipe every night (or even often). It means pulling something together that tastes ok and gives us nutrients with as little of the bad stuff as I can manage (and I regularly succumb to cheese so I’m no saint). And the only reason I am able to do this is because I have the skills. I was taught how to cook as a child. I had grandmothers and a mother who knew how to make great food and they taught me. My husband never learned to cook and if he were on his own, he would rarely cook. So much of cooking dinner is about what skills you have. If cooking isn’t something you know how to do or are comfortable doing, then don’t do it!

We eat dinner together because it is part of our family culture and something we are comfortable with. There are definitely other ways to connect with your kids. It doesn’t have to be dinner. It’s what works for us and if other parents can achieve the same thing by sitting next to their kid on the subway, watching movies together, or throwing a football together, I’m all for it. I also don’t judge people who don’t like to cook.  If you hate it, don’t do it. Eating out or buying food isn’t the end of the world. Everyone has to do what works for them. This shouldn’t be another woman on woman war (like stay-at-home vs. working moms or the whole debate about “leaning in”). We pick and choose what is right for own families. Some people think cleaning your own house is non-negotiable (not me! I will pinch and save to be able to afford a housecleaner). Some think that exercising as a family is a must (not us – we each do our own thing). Others limit screen time for their kids (not us either). You pick and choose the family life that works for you. So, I cook (most nights). And sometimes I hate it and sometimes I love it, but in the end, it’s just who I am.

Lately there has been a lot of discussion in the media about family dinners. In case you didn’t know, family dinners will apparently solve all your family’s problems – from health issues, to mental health, to school performance and more. There has also been a glut of cookbooks lately that claim to make cooking family … Read more

BrazillianCheesePuff5Every couple of years or so we find ourselves at a Brazilian BBQ restaurant – sometimes called a churrascaria. If you’re not familiar, gauchos come around with hot rotisserie meats cooked on skewers and carve pieces off at your table. There is also a huge buffet of hot and cold items (and this is not your Old Country Buffet – it features creative salads, and there are always fish and potato dishes). These restaurants are a huge hit with my family because my teenage son can eat as much meat as he wants. My husband and I, who are both gluten intolerant, have tons of options. Our daughter who eats only chicken and fish has enough to choose from also.

One of our favorite things at these restaurants are the Brazilian cheese puffs they bring to the table. They are gluten-free, light, airy, and cheesy. They are also incredibly easy to make, with just 5 ingredients. Who knew? I’ve made these a few times and they are always a hit. They also reheat well in a toaster oven.

1 egg

1/3 cup olive oil

2/3 cup milk (I used lactose-free)

1 1/2 cups tapioca flour (look for this in the gluten-free section of your store, or in the baking aisle)

1/2 cup grated cheese (I used cheddar)

1 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 400 and spray mini muffin tins with cooking spray.

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until completely combined.

Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through.

Makes about 30.

Every couple of years or so we find ourselves at a Brazilian BBQ restaurant – sometimes called a churrascaria. If you’re not familiar, gauchos come around with hot rotisserie meats cooked on skewers and carve pieces off at your table. There is also a huge buffet of hot and cold items (and this is not … Read more

GFGTT_finalToday I’m announcing the publication of my Kindle book, The Gluten-Free Guide to Travel. To the point (28 pp) and nicely priced, this is a complete guide to traveling on a gluten-free diet, whether you are celiac, gluten intolerant, or simply choose not to eat gluten. Based on my travels in the US and abroad, I’m offering tips on how to find great gluten-free meals, what to pack, how to get help finding food, how to communicate your diet in other countries, and tips about things such as cruises, tours, airplane food, and road trips.  I also discuss how to manage traveling with gluten eaters. Traveling gluten-free is easier than ever before, so it’s time to read this ebook and hit the road!

Today I’m announcing the publication of my Kindle book, The Gluten-Free Guide to Travel. To the point (28 pp) and nicely priced, this is a complete guide to traveling on a gluten-free diet, whether you are celiac, gluten intolerant, or simply choose not to eat gluten. Based on my travels in the US and abroad, … Read more

peach teaThe worst thing to happen to me this year was the K cup coffee machine we bought. Ok, it wasn’t the worst thing, but it got me hooked. We discovered Snapple Peach Iced Tea K Cups. I rarely drink anything but water, but I was seduced by these. First of all, the K cups are just so darn cute. And making that machine go is like playing with a toy. And the peach iced tea that comes out is just so magical. We started buying lots of boxes of it. Not cheap! This also meant we were throwing out a lot of those cute little K cups once they were empty. <insert guilt> The machine we bought to primarily use for serving coffee to guests had become a PROBLEM. I read the label of the peach iced tea and was not happy to see it had artificial sweeteners. Not good. So I decided to just make my own. It was a huge hit. The husband and son are just guzzling it by the gallon here so I’m making batches of it all the time. Now that I’ve got the routine down pat, I thought I would share it. What’s great about this is that you can play with the recipe and use any kind of tea (any flavor as well as decaf or regular) and any kind of fruit nectar to switch up the flavors. I buy the fruit nectar at my grocery store in the aisle with the Goya brand products and Hispanic products. They have peach, pineapple, mango and passion fruit flavors and they come in tall cardboard cartons. You can use loose tea if you prefer and then just pour the heated tea through a fine sieve when pouring into the pitcher. Here’s the insanely easy recipe. If you want your iced tea really strong, add more tea to the recipe.

10 cups water

1 cup sugar

8 tea bags (I have been using 3 green tea and 5 Irish breakfast tea, because I have a lot of these, but other flavors I’ve tried have been great as well)

1 1/2 cups fruit nectar (I’ve been using half peach and half mango)

Pour the water and sugar in a large pot and turn it on high. Pull the tags off the tea bags and put the bags in the water. Heat the water until it is about to boil (it’s fine if it starts to boil), stirring occasionally. Turn the heat off and let it steep for about 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Pour the fruit nectar into a gallon sized pitcher. Add the water. Stir. Allow to cool to room temperature then refrigerate. Serve cold, over ice. Before you blink it will be gone.

The worst thing to happen to me this year was the K cup coffee machine we bought. Ok, it wasn’t the worst thing, but it got me hooked. We discovered Snapple Peach Iced Tea K Cups. I rarely drink anything but water, but I was seduced by these. First of all, the K cups are … Read more

Corn Fritters

Posted by Brette in Food

10-CornCakes4We are deep into corn season here in western NY state. All the farm stands are selling it. I love corn on the cob, but after a few weeks I start to look for other ways to use it. One problem I have is I tend to make too much corn on the cob so we have leftovers. This recipe works with fresh, uncooked corn or corn that has been cooked. I really loved these little fritters. They were crunchy with some sweetness. If you want to jazz it up, switch out the cheese for something else (I think a pepper jack would be fun) or eliminate the cheese and add some curry powder.

2 eggs

1/4 cup flour (I used gluten-free)

1/4 tsp salt

pepper to taste

the green top of a scallion

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese

2 cups corn, cut off the cob

Pulse the ingredients in a food processor until combined. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and make the fritters. You can make these the size of small pancakes or just drop a heaping tablespoon of batter. Flip them when they are brown on the bottom and cook until the second side is done and the fritters are set.

We are deep into corn season here in western NY state. All the farm stands are selling it. I love corn on the cob, but after a few weeks I start to look for other ways to use it. One problem I have is I tend to make too much corn on the cob so … Read more

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