Friday, April 29, 2011

Remembering Grandma Dot & Her Prune Cake


My sweet Grandma Dot was one of the best bakers I've ever met and I miss her so.  All of her different cookie bars were chewy heaven on earth and her Forgotten Meringue cookies were addictive.  Her cakes, though, were her specialty.  Her prune cake with mocha icing was The Cake but something I just wouldn't try as a child.  After all, prune cake doesn’t really sound very appealing to most kids and it sure didn't to me. Perhaps if it had been called it something different I would have tried it sooner and I know I would have loved it instantly.

Grandma loved a strong, hot cup of coffee with a piece of her cake.  My  hubby enjoys coffee as strong as Grandma did and she loved nothing more than putting on a pot of coffee and serving him a large piece of cake.  I loved that even after we moved all the way across the country every time he travelled back to California on business he would stop in and see her. There was always cake and coffee waiting for him.  It made me so homesick knowing they were together but it made me really happy, too. I know she loved those visits.

I found a copy of Grandma's recipe that she had typed up in an old recipe card tin a few weeks ago. I was thrilled.  Earlier this week I calculated revising Grandma's recipe with coconut flour, but then I noticed the Pamela’s Classic Vanilla Cake Mix at the market and realized that would probably be most like Grandma’s version.  What helped me decide to go with it were all the variations listed on the side of the package - it looked very easy to adapt and flexible.

I had originally planned to make a two layer cake like Grandma always did but realized I’d given all my cake pans away when I became gluten intolerant couldn't use them anymore.  So more cupcakes it was! 



Grandma Dot’s (Gluten Free) Prune Cupcakes
Preheat Oven to 325 - line 20 cupcake tins with papers

One Package Pamela’s Classic Vanilla Cake Mix
1/2 cup butter, softened or melted
3 eggs
1 cup prunes (cooked and chopped)
2./3 cup prune juice (liquid from cooking)
2 Tablespoons Cocoa
2 teaspoons total spices (see note)

Place all ingredients in the Kitchenaid bowl and beat on medium for two minutes and then filled 20 cupcake liners nearly full.  The heaviness of the prunes keep the cupcakes from rising too much higher.  Bake until just done - mine took 20 minutes - and let cool.

Now it's time to make the icing.  If you should happen to see this outside your kitchen window you might want to go outside and check things out. Climbing Tree with a sharp saw. Sigh. 

Grandma’s Mocha Icing

½ cup Butter, softened
3 cups  Powdered Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cocoa
4 teaspoons Strong, Hot Coffee 

Place all ingredients in the Kitchenaid bowl and beat on low until just incorporated and then at medium high for about two minutes.

I absolutely loved the familiar smell of the cake baking.  The mocha frosting is so fast and easy.  I think this will be a new tradition every April 29th.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Remembering My Grandma Lee & Her Famous Baked Spaghetti

Grandma Lee & Me

Friday would be my grandmothers’ birthday.  Yes, I have the punctuation in the proper place.  Both of my grandmothers were born on April 29th and I've been thinking of them a lot this week.  And, of course, thinking of the food my grandmas cooked and baked. Both were famous for different dishes – don't all grandmas have a specialty?  Grandma Lee’s coleslaw was my dad’s very favorite thing.  Her baked spaghetti was mine.  It was a Christmas Eve tradition and a big helping of her spaghetti on a plate with salad and bread was the most kid friendly meal ever. There were always lots of other foods on the buffet, but I would be hard pressed to remember any of them. 

I often make a baked vegetarian layered pasta (that I’ve been meaning to post) and realized that I could tweak it into a gluten free version of Grandma Lee’s Baked Spaghetti very easily.  Even easier was turning it into a one pot meal and making clean up a snap.

Gluten free pasta certainly varies in texture and quality.  Some of it has great "real pasta" texture when cooked and some of it turns to a mushy mess if you boil it just a tad too long.  By mixing the sauce with plenty of water and quickly adding pasta before baking you can use less expensive brown rice pasta which will absorb the sauce and bake up beautifully.  No stirring makes all the difference.  You can use this method stove top as well - which is what I often do with penne and marinara you just won't have a crispy browned top.  Using cast iron (as I did) when cooking tomatoes leeches extra iron into you food which is great if you need to boost your iron levels. 


Grandma Lee’s Gluten Free Baked Spaghetti
 Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a six quart or larger stove top/oven safe pot brown:

1 lb. Ground Beef
1 Medium Onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of Garlic, finely minced

When browned add:

1 teaspoon Oregano
½ teaspoon Dried Red Pepper Flakes (optional – Grandma wouldn’t have)
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon Salt
1 28 ounce can Organic Diced Tomatoes in Juice
2 tomato cans full of water

Stir well and let it start to simmer.

Then take:

1 lb. Brown Rice Spaghetti and break it into pieces.  Stir into the pot and push any stray strands of spaghetti under the liquid.  Make sure your lid is oven safe and cover.  (If you have any question about that you can use foil to seal the top).

Place into oven and bake for about 30 minutes. The pasta should have absorbed a lot of the liquid by now.  Remove lid and bake for 30 more and let the top get nicely browned and a bit more liquid evaporates.  This took about 30 more minutes. 

We served it up with a salad and Joe had a big gluten free roll.

The verdict?  Joe loved the texture of the pasta, the browned top and flavor but not so much the diced tomatoes – he’d prefer a puree.  I liked the chunky diced tomatoes but think the puree would be a bit more like Grandma’s so that’s what we’ll do next time.

Next post - Grandma Dot's cake. "The Cake".  I found her hand typed recipe earlier this month and cannot wait to play with it.  Can I make it gluten free???  Will it still taste the same? =D

Monday, April 25, 2011

Gluten Free Atlanta – Heading Home & IKEA

Catching up on laundry and Easter festivities got the better of me for the last few days.  Back to Atlanta and last Thursday…..

We had so much fun with the cousins, doing touristy fun things and enjoying great meals out. I felt blessed to spend more time with Chris and blessed that travelling gluten free has gotten so much easier for us.  As Joe and I packed up the hotel room I made nachos for lunch and sandwiches for the drive home.  We packed up the cooler and even remembered the ice packs in the freezer to keep everything cold until dinner on the road.

We packed up the car and navigated to Zoo Atlanta with only one wrong turn!  After Monday’s hours of being lost this felt like total success.  Zoo Atlanta is a very small zoo, but so beautiful.  In all the zoos we’ve been fortunate enough to visit I’ve never seen Pandas as close up and seemingly happy as Zoo Atlanta.  The Red Panda napping in the sun on his roof was the sweetest and the Orangutans were enormous shaggy somehow gentle looking beasts.  Since Chris had to work a few hours after our hotel check out time the zoo was a great way to get some walking in before our car ride home.  Joe’s such a biology/zoology buff that I always learn so much about the animals we see, too.  Fueled by my success to the zoo, we zipped right up the freeway to Chris office with time to spare.  Next time a g.p.s. would make all the difference!

This just cracks me up.

Anyway, after picking up Chris we drove several hours toward home and ran into IKEA on the way home.  Oh how I wish IKEA wasn’t 2 ½ hours away from me.  The guys were tired but indulged me a few minutes – a very few minutes in the store.  There were a couple of things I needed for my kitchen and something gluten free I wanted. 

IKEA carries a gluten free tart called Almondy and they are so good.  They are served in the IKEA cafĂ© so you can try a slice before you buy any whole tarts. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed as IKEA used to carry two other flavors of Almondy tarts but only stock this one now. Under the IKEA name there are now two very similar tarts of different flavors.  They read clean but are not marked gluten free like the Almondy brand so I didn’t bother with them until I can research them.



One of the Almondy Tarts made it to our Easter dessert table yesterday.  Two more are safely hidden in the freezer. =D



Friday, April 22, 2011

Gluten Free Atlanta – Day Four – Hotel Eats and Repeats


Wednesday was our last full day in Atlanta and it was great from start to finish.  There were threats of severe thunderstorms all day but we never saw a drop of rain. The light cloud cover kept the temperature just about perfect for walking and site seeing. Joe and I had a quiet morning catching up in the hotel room and Aunt Carrie picked up Joe and dropped off Kate just after lunch.    



Joe had a great time with Carrie and Kim and really enjoyed the Fernbank Museum exhibits and especially liked the IMAX Storm Chaser Movie. I love the pics Carrie took.  How they folded Joe up in the photo on the right just cracks me up.






I had the best time with Kate just wandering through the High and getting to know my fantastic niece. The museum is huge and has beautiful collections of varied art - we really had a great time looking at sculptures, paintings, etchings, furniture - even a blue glass iron from the early 1900's was interesting and surprisingly beautiful.






Kate is a super talented painter so it made perfect sense to take her picture with this sculpture of a painter. I loved hearing her talk about art and painting - she has learned so much and has such a gift.  It was really a nice way to spend the last of our cousin time together and made it all the harder to say good bye. 






Back at the hotel Joe was ready for a snack.  We made him a giant plate of nachos with groceries we’d brought from home.  In fact, many of our meals and snacks in Atlanta had been brought from home.  When we travel, which isn’t terribly often, we usually stay at a Residence Inn which a small kitchen.  We bring a cooler filled with groceries and plan most meals there. 

The kitchen in Atlanta, like most of them, had a two burner range, microwave, fridge and dishwasher.  There is usually a very basic set of pots, dishes and utensils.  You may want to pack up your own knives for slicing or specialty items like a peeler to make any meal prep a bit easier.  Since I don’t use a microwave at home and don’t worry about using for such short periods of time very occasionally it’s always fun to do microwave popcorn and other quick to heat items. If you choose not to use one, you’ll need to plan meals around the burners.

Staying in a hotel with a kitchen makes travelling so easy. You can know what you’re eating is gluten free and you can eat at times most convenient for you.  Our hotel had a breakfast buffet each morning. There were a few options that appeared to or certainly were gluten free and it would have been easy to ask the kitchen staff but I preferred to have the banana bread or bagels I packed instead.  

For this trip I made a large casserole sized lasagna style pasta, cheese bread and rolls, banana bread, Kombucha, cookies and trail mix.  We packed cans of black beans, chips, cheese and some other odds and ends.  I find that kombucha helps keep our stomachs “happier” on the road. =D  There were grocery stores nearby to pick up some salad makings and sandwich fillings.

When it comes to dining out I usually do a search such as “gluten free Asheville” or “gluten free Atlanta” and generally find a lot of local restaurants and chains that will work.  Often there are reviews you can check out as well.  A couple of weeks ago I happened to ask a fellow Feingold member who lives in Atlanta if she had any recommendations.  Yeah Burger was one of Sarah’s tips and it turned out to be one of our favorites.  She also mentioned some things that were already on my list which confirmed them as good choices, too.

Planning ahead is always a good idea when you’re gluten free and really isn’t any harder for road trips.  Searches, friends, even hotel staff can give you great leads and make gluten free eating safe and fun.  I'd love to hear more ideas on gluten free traveling - so please comment if you have them!

I almost forgot to mention dinner!  I received a text from Chris while at the museum cafe with Kate asking if I wanted onion rings for dinner, so back to Yeah Burger we went!  This time I tried a chicken sandwich on gf bun and, of course, onion rings.   The chicken sandwich had a mild rosemary flavor - not my favorite herb - but it was still great.  The bun was completely out of this world. It's probably a good thing there is not a Yeah Burger within 400 miles of me!  The onion rings were as good as I hoped and so addictive.  


Our last night in Atlanta was a great one and I'll remember it with this picture Joe took of us at Yeah Burger.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Gluten Free Atlanta - Day Three - R Thomas Deluxe Grill & Chipotle!


Several years ago I read The Body Ecology book by Donna Gates.  It was there Donna discussed the unique  R Thomas Deluxe Grill in Atlanta.  It sounded like such a fun and healthy place to visit.  Getting to finally visit was a kick.  Joe and I walked there from the hotel yesterday and it was pretty easy to spot.  It was a gorgeous, sunny day in Atlanta and Mr. Thomas was out front working in the garden and was mulching and tinkering a few feet from us as we ate. That's him in the white shirt and jeans.
Love the crazy garden decor!

The restaurant is small and eclectic.  As you walk around the garden to the entrance there are cages of beautiful birds and shelves full of flowers and herbs.  


The enclosed patio is colorful and has a definite hippie vibe.  The staff is relaxed and attentive and also very knowledgeable regarding gluten free needs and other allergies. 



You can tell what type of place it is the moment you sit down.  The Celtic Sea Salt and Organic Pepper Grinder are a dead give away.  The sugar container had only raw sugar and natural stevia.  I got a bit excited about that.  Not one artificial sweetener to be found.  


The menu is varied and while there is something for everyone it is a very “healthy” restaurant.  I personally love that and they cook like I cook so it was a treat.  They happened to be out of a couple of our first choices but it wasn’t hard to find something else.  That said we ended up with some odd choices but it was really a yummy lunch. Joe enjoyed a big plate of hot wings and a huge mango smoothie.   



I had flax chips and guacamole and a salad.  Flax chips and crackers are so good and really easy to make but for some reason I haven’t done that in ages so I jumped at that one.  The salad and dressing were amazing – curls of daikon radish, cucumber and carrots were so crisp and fresh.  The southwestern style dressing was flavorful but not too spicy.



This is the kind of place you can go to several times and never have the same type of meal twice.  I would go back in a heartbeat.

After lunch we walked back to the hotel, grabbed the car and took off for the Georgia Aquarium which was just astounding.  

Then we cut through Olympic Centennial Park to take the CNN Tour which was a fun and fast behind the scenes look at how they produce 24 hour news.

We scooted successfully back to the hotel – no small feat for me and the Atlanta traffic and once Chris got home we went to meet the cousins at Chipotle.

Chipotle

Chipotle is our favorite local fast food – healthy and natural and easy, easy gluten free meals.  Pretty much everything on the menu is gluten free except for the flour tortillas used for the burritos.  Like our local Chipotle, the one we visited near Atlanta had a staff well aware of gluten free diners.  They switched out their gloves and communicated the need to keep our meals separate.  Joe’s crunchy tacos and my burrito bowl (all the burrito fillings but no tortilla) were the usual Chipotle deliciousness but I didn’t take a picture.  We were having too much fun catching up with family we don’t get to see nearly often enough.




Monday, April 18, 2011

Gluten Free Atlanta - Day Two - Mellow Mushroom


The plan for today didn’t quite go as scheduled but it was a great one anyway.  Got a “little” lost and arrived at the cousins way too late to drive up and visit Kelsey’s beautiful campus and go to the Mellow Mushroom near there. It was great to get out of the car finally, see our family and crash for a bit.  Kate showed me her new painting which is amazing and I'd love to show it to you but I need to make sure she's okay with that.  We got to meet their new cute little cats. But because we were soooo late everyone was pretty hungry. Aunt Carrie knew of another Mellow Mushroom very near their house so we still made it for pizza with Carrie, Kate and Kim. 


Kelsey called during lunch and we got to pass the phone around – not quite as good as her being with us but still very nice.

Joe catching up with Kesley

I was very impressed with Mellow Mushroom.  Our waitress was friendly and knowledgeable about gluten free orders.  Just a bit of the kitchen was visible from our table but it was enough to see the care the kitchen staff took.  They changed gloves and opened the pre-wrapped crusts as far away from the other pizza making as possible.  Our waitress carefully delivered our gluten free pizza after the cousins’ pizza was already on the table.  No chance of the gluten containing pizza getting crumbs on ours.

Joe ordered a plain cheese and I had some artichoke hearts on mine.  They were huge and really enough for two people - if one of those people is not Joe. =D  Joe made fast work of his – it was a little crispy – almost like a flat bread and really good.  Mine wasn’t browned so was still soft and foldable - which is exactly what Joe did when he helped me finish it.
Notice the girls are hiding behind him?


After the huge lunch we went back to the cousins and hung out, did a little shopping and got to fit in part of Kimmy’s softball game.  Yep, that’s my niece sliding safely into home!

Way to go Kim! 

Tomorrow we are planning to get to R. Thomas Grill for lunch.  I first read about it about seven years ago and can’t wait to check it out.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Gluten Free Atlanta - Day One - Yeah Burger


Delicious burger on gluten free bun conspicuously missing.

Today Joe and I drove to Atlanta with Chris to see the sites over our spring break.  I already miss Marc and Elle Belle at home but it's exciting to be able to get see the cousins and check out this beautiful city.  We're fortunate to spend some extra time with Chris during his work week, too.




Thanks to the amazing Sarah of Sarah Kate's Bakery our first stop after checking in was Yeah Burger.  Yeah Burger is an all natural burger spot that any burger lover would go nuts over. Bison, Beef, Turkey, Chicken or Veggie - all natural, mostly local.  They looked great.  But I didn't get one.  Wasn't the least bit interested despite the gluten free buns and toppings.  I only wanted one thing.  The one and only thing I still miss after my six plus years being gluten free.  GLUTEN FREE ONION RINGS!  Yes, gf onion rings made in a dedicated fryer.





Joe's big dogs on teeny gf buns!




Chris tried the burger on a whole wheat bun and an onion ring/fries combo while Joe woofed down two all natural beef hotdogs on gluten free buns.  I assume they loved their meals because they were gone in seconds.  I probably should have asked them but I was far too preoccupied with my onion rings.  Chris' meal wasn't gluten free so no pics of that. =D


Are these gorgeous or what?


They were crispy and crunchy and just greasy enough. The side salad was really fresh. Somehow they worked together and made for a wonderful meal.  It may finally be time to break down and buy my own deep fryer because I certainly can't wait another six years to enjoy more!  Actually I won't have to wait that long - we'll be back to Yeah Burger this week. =D

Tomorrow - Mellow Mushroom gluten free pizza with the cousins!

Monday, April 11, 2011

Meatless Monday Burritos & Siesta Sunday Pics!

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous and we were able to enjoy a Siesta Sunday with our favorite neighbors.  The Feks came over for dinner and it was nice enough to eat outside and too early in the season to be bothered with bugs!  
Olive's first Fiesta meal!

I think she likes it!



Big brother Ev had his very own Ev sized table and enjoyed Chris' special salad!







We love this boy!
We grilled chicken for tacos, made a huge pot of beans, fresh salsa, green sauce and guacamole. 

After dinner spinners were flying from the maple (with help from Chris and Joe).... 

Ev & Mike did their best to catch them!

Joe helped Ev shake the tree.
Chris helped, too!


Olive and Chris contemplated the garden for a while.



Ev with the beautiful garden stake he surprised me with yesterday!  I am the luckiest ChaCha ever!



Olive and Gabby had some girl time.





Olive is SO BIG!



It really was a great, relaxing way to spend the last part of our weekend.

~~~~~

I have to admit that the second best part of our fiesta and siesta meals with the Feks are the leftovers!  The point of this Meatless Monday post is reinventing leftovers into a satisfying vegetarian meal. These burritos are one example.

The Tortilla Factory Gluten Free Wraps make great burritos.  They are the closest we’ve found to large flour tortillas.  I soften them quickly on a large cast iron skillet, fill with our favorite burrito filling and roll.  We went more than a little crazy with these when we found them – it was so nice to have a “real” burrito texture and flavor. 

Joe, being the burrito purist prefers beans (or beans and meat but not on a Meatless Monday) and cheese.  Any and all veggies on the side.














I, on the other hand, like to stuff mine full of veggies and beans and spoon some of Gabby Green Sauce and dollop some ChaCha’s Salsa and Guacamole on the side.

I cooked up some kale and carrots in a bit of olive oil to add to my burrito- maybe not for everyone - but I loved it.



Burritos can be filled with anything you want and really don’t need a recipe but here are our two favorite Fiesta Friday/Siesta Sunday sauce/salsas to top your own burritos.

Gabby’s Green Sauce
Gabby’s Green Sauce is best freshly made.  It gives a fresh, hot blast to any Mexican food.

1 large bunch Cilantro, wash carefully but just tear into pieces, stems are okay
1 Serrano Chili, sliced down the center and deseeded
4 ounces Lime Juice
½ teaspoon Cumin Powder
½ teaspoon Salt
Dash of Garlic Powder

Blend on high until completely liquefied.  Store in fridge until ready to serve, shake before pouring.  Keeps about two days if it lasts that long.  The cilantro and lime cut the heat of the chili a bit so it isn't as hot as you’d think.  

ChaCha’s Salsa


2 cans (14 – 15 ounce size) Organic diced tomatoes or equivalent fresh tomatoes in season (divided)
1 large onion, chopped (divided)
1 Serrano Chili sliced down the center and divided
1 ½ ounces Lime Juice
1/ teaspoon Cumin Powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 to 2 cups Cilantro, chopped

In order to get the texture I like I put most of the ingredients into the blender (reserve one can of tomatoes, half of the onion and all of the cilantro) and totally puree them.  This will ensure the spices and chili are evenly dispersed.  Then I add, in this order, the other can of tomatoes, the chopped onion and the chopped cilantro and barely mix it on low.  I stop it as soon as the cilantro moves down to the bottom of the blender container.  Any longer and it will be pureed.  It will still taste great but we prefer a little more chunky salsa.  Vary your chilies from Jalapeno to Habanero to vary the heat.