Easy Unwind Ahh-melet

Brrr!  Baby, it's cold outside!

And it's busy these days!

Recently I got home from my Zumba class to an empty house. 
I wanted a nice dinner but no fuss.  It was just me that night.  Hmmm....

I took out my 6-inch cast iron skillet and whipped up a nice omelet right on the spot. 
It was easy, fast, and satisfying. 
The 6-inch size turned out to be perfect for a one-egg omelet. 
(BTW, the 8-inch was perfect for a two-egg omelet when I made one earlier.)
 

Easy Unwind Ahh-melet

In a 6-inch skillet, heat up 1/2 Tbs oil on medium heat.

Scramble up an egg with 1 Tbs water. 
(This is a trick we learned years ago at a food show.  It makes the egg fluffier.)

Add the egg-water mixture to your pan. 

Sprinkle the egg with garlic powder and your seasonings of choice. 
(I like Italian seasoning.)

Once it's looking kind of set, layer on your filling. 
Check your refrigerator....what do you have? 
I cut up a mozzarella stick and sprinkled it all with parmesan to make a cheese omelet. 

Carefully fold the omelet over and let it cook a minute or so.

Flip it over and cook it a little more.

Light a candle.  Serve with your favorite relaxing music. 
I turned on Josh Groban. 
I also recommend a nice cup of decaffeinated tea. 

Flying Off the Handle: Take-Along Kielbasa and Sauerkraut

In Manchester, Connecticut, there is a local icon known as "Shady Glen."  They have fabulous ice cream....my all-time favorite brand.  UConn ice cream is a close runner-up, to me.   This is understandable, since Shady Glen learned to make ice cream from UConn. 

This little elf reminds me of the holidays.  At each of the two Shady Glen locations, elves are painted on a mural on the wall.  Time stands still in these soda fountains.  The waitresses wear old-fashioned waitress dresses.  Soda is made with syrup and soda water.  The real thing. 

You can see this guy is enjoying an ice cream treat as well as a "crispy cheeseburger."  The recipe for the crispy cheese is a carefully guarded secret.  Some day I will have to figure out how to do this.  I will put it in a gluten free bun. 

The ice cream, purchased in a pre-packed half gallon container, in appropriate flavors like vanilla and pumpkin, worked out fine for my GF family member.  I definitely recommend them.  Pumpkin is my personal favorite. 


Anyway, do you know what smart elves make to bring to Christmas parties?

They are quite busy getting ready for the holidays.  There are cards to write, presents to wrap, decorations to assemble, and menus to prepare.  They need something easy to bring to a potluck gathering.

Enter:  the delicious but simple Kielbasa and Sauerkraut!!!

Peter knows this is an easy dish.  "Honey, we're going to -----'s for their annual Christmas party!  I told them we'll bring kielbasa and sauerkraut."

This is good. 

The last party we went to, I had no leftovers to bring home.  If you use a brand of kielbasa that is gluten free (I happened to use John Morrell), you have a gluten free dish until the rest of the group descends on it.  Before we left for the party, I set aside a plate for John to have when he was home the next day.  He appeared to be eternally grateful.  We have yet another party to attend in a few days, and I will do the same then.

HH's Take-Along Kielbasa and Sauerkraut

Take 3 14-oz gluten free kielbasas.

Slice them into 3/4" slices.

Take one 2-lb package of refrigerated sauerkraut.  Cut a corner off the bag and drain it.  Fill the bag once with water and drain it again to reduce the salt content. 

In a crock pot, layer:

1 cut-up kielbasa,
1/2 the bag of sauerkraut,
another cut-up kielbasa,
the rest of the sauerkraut, and
the last cut-up kielbasa.

Cover.  Cook 4-5 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low.

Bring to your holiday party!

Apple Pie Minus the Crust

This is a photo from Newport, RI, last weekend.  It's so beautiful to go along Ocean Drive and look at the water.  You can see my shadow as I took this photo.  It was pretty cold outside, however, so we didn't linger much.

We enjoyed an event put on by the Newport Winery, where you get to taste the wines and other goodies from vendors.  We got some nicely decorated bottles to give for the holidays.  I also picked up a pretty bracelet from a sweet school-aged girl who was selling her wares as her mother sat by her.  You have to hand it to this enterprising young lady!

Most of the food items at a place like this are not gluten free, but one vendor sold spiced pecans that are all gluten free.  I got a prepackaged bag from him.

Vegetables, fruits and nuts are naturally gluten free.  I have started making more and more fruit desserts for this reason.  If you take a pie recipe, skip the crust, and use GF flour, tapioca or cornstarch for a thickener, you have a pretty healthy dessert that is lowfat.  Yesterday I made this one.  It came out great.  I used the 10-inch cast iron skillet and put the dessert into dishes as soon as it was fairly cool.  If you want to allow it to sit longer than that, you can use a regular pie plate.  Don't store foods in your cast iron skillet!

Apple Pie Minus the Crust

(Serves 5-6)

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease your 10-inch skillet or a pie pan.

Combine in a large bowl:

6-7 cups peeled and sliced cooking apples,
1/2 cup sugar,
2 tsp cinnamon,
2 Tbs quick cooking tapioca,
1/4 cup raisins,
1/4 cup craisins, and
1/4 cup water.

Pour this mixture into your skillet or pie pan.
Bake 30 minutes uncovered.
Cover with a sheet of foil and bake 15 min. more.
Cool.
Spoon into 5-6 dessert bowls.

Top with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

This picture doesn't really do it justice.  The tapioca didn't really look like that.....the resulting dish was smooth and tasty!

Flying Off the Handle: HH's Family Favorite Beef Stew

This garlic press has a story. 

Look closely at it.  After you read the story you will want one.

See the little garlic papers?

A number of years ago, I went to a Pampered Chef party.  (No affilliation.)

The Pampered Chef consultant demonstrated their remarkable garlic press.  You put a garlic clove in it, without bothering to peel the garlic clove.  Press it through...and presto!  The garlic presses out, the paper stays in!

"Cool," I thought.  "I didn't know you could do that.  I have a good quality garlic press at home, and I'll bet that will work fine."

I went home. 

I tried it.

Apparently, a "good quality garlic press" may not be the best garlic press!

I called the Pampered Chef consultant.

You see the results above. 

This tool is made by Zyliss, by the way.  For what it's worth....


I decided to make our "family favorite" beef stew recently.  I have used other beef stew recipes but my family has always favored this one.  I found it was easy to use gluten free flour in this recipe.....I just substituted it 1:1; and the stew was just fine.  No better....no worse....just as delicious.

Anyway, I had a lot of garlic in my cabinet. 

I went a little overboard on the garlic.  (Can you go overboard on garlic????) 
That darn press makes it so easy.....

HH's Family Favorite Beef Stew

Serves 6, at least....reheats well....

Place 1-2 lbs. of lean stew beef in the crock pot.

Add 1/2 cup GF flour (I used Bob's Red Mill) and stir to coat the meat.

Add:  1/2 tsp pepper,
1 1/2 cups beef broth,
1 tsp GF Worcestershire sauce,
2 cloves garlic (or equivalent of garlic powder)....or more?
1 tsp paprika,
4 carrots (sometimes I use a pound!), sliced....or even a pound bag of baby carrots....
2 onions, chopped (somehow this tastes better),
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks,
2 tsp Gravy Master, and
1 tsp Dijon mustard.

Stir it all to mix.

Cover and cook the equivalent of 10-12 hours on low (or 5-6 hours on high).

Optional additions:
   Mushrooms
   One can chick peas (garbanzo beans)
   Parsnips
   Celery

Quick and Easy Vegetable Rice Medley

I have been getting a lot of Christmas shopping done.  I also started wrapping, placing the finished items in Katie's old room.  Today Peter is putting up the outdoor decorations; I will place the candles in the windows and the wreaths on the doors.

Here is a quick and easy recipe that I devised when the kids were small.  Easy to ensure it's gluten free, reheats like a charm, tastes delicious.  Try it during this busy time of year!

HH's Quick and Easy Rice Vegetable Rice Medley

Take your 12-inch skillet.
Cook 1 chopped onion in 1 Tbs olive oil.
Add 1 cup of rice.  I used "Royal Blend".  Cook and stir to let it brown slightly.

Look at your rice container's directions.  How much liquid does it recommend for one cup of rice?  Mine recommended 1 1/2 cups of liquid, so I used 1 cup of GF chicken broth, 1/2 cup of water, and one GF chicken bouillon cube.  When I have used "converted rice," I used 2 1/2 cups of water and two of the bouillon cubes.  What you use depends on what you have on hand....but I always use either bouillon cubes with water, and/or chicken broth.  (You want a flavorful dish!)

Add your liquid stuff to your pan.  It will immediately bubble...be careful!!!  (Go slowly and step back!)

Add some parsley for color.  About a tablespoon.

Cover and simmer 10 min.

Add 2 cups of frozen vegetables.  I used peas with mushrooms.

Add 1-2 cups of cut up cooked chicken or ham, if desired.  For today's version I cut up 12 oz. of little ham steaks.  Other times I have used a 9-oz package of Purdue "Short Cuts." 

Cover again and simmer 10-20 min more on low, or until the liquid is absorbed.  You need to keep an eye on it to make sure the temperature is right and you stop cooking when it's done.

Add 1/4 cup parmesan; mix well and serve.

 

Flying Off the Handle: Apple Crumb Pie

A day after Thanksgiving, John looked at the apple pie my mom had made and sighed.  "Oh, I miss that...."

Obviously, there was only one thing to do!

I had a gluten free pie crust from the freezer case at Whole Foods.  I sent Peter out to our local apple orchards, and he came back with what I needed:  Cortland apples, which stay nice and white and fairly firm while cooking.  The result was delicious, and John took the last two slices back to UConn with him.

HH's Apple Crumb Pie

Preheat the oven to 350.

Take out a 9-inch single crust GF pie pastry from the freezer.  It will defrost as you do the rest.

Peel, core and slice 6 Cortland apples.  This will make a healthy 6 cups of apples.

Mix the apples in a large bowl with:
1/2 cup sugar,
1 tsp cinnamon,
1/2 tsp nutmeg, and
2 Tbs rice flour.

Pour that into the pie crust.

Go back to that dirty bowl....no sense in messing up another one. 

Mix in the bowl:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar,
2 tsp cinnamon,
1/4 cup butter, and
1/2 cup GF flour.  (I used Bob's Red Mill.  As I was pouring, I remembered that I also have almond flour in my freezer, so I threw about 2 Tbs in, making 1/2 cup total.)

Use a pastry blender to mix it all together until it becomes crumbly.
Sprinkle this mixture over the apples.  (It will be tricky!  Pack it in a little....)

I put the pie on a cookie sheet so I wouldn't have a big mess.  It didn't spill over much at all (maybe a few drops), but I hated to think how I would feel if I had to clean my oven all over again.  Not only that, the cookie sheet ensures that I won't lose anything if the pie was a little heavy for the aluminum pan....

Bake 60-65 minutes.  Look for it to be a little bit bubbly.  You might want to cover it with foil for the last 15 minutes if you think it is browning too much.

Cool.  Serve plain, a la mode, or in the New England manner with a slice of cheddar cheese.

Getting a Handle on: Holiday Gatherings

I mentioned in my last post that I was hosting Thanksgiving this year.  We had 14 at the table, and it all went well.  I was happy to see that the relatives all have an acceptance of the gluten thing.  I invited others to bring some gluten free dishes, but I did not require it.  I had the most wonderful positive responses where people asked questions about how to do this.  They may have brought other dishes with obvious gluten (pies, green bean casserole....), but they were open to understanding about cross contamination issues.  When I thought about the things I am grateful for at Thanksgiving, that one was high on this year's list. 

Appetizers were the easy part.  I usually stick to cheese, crackers and nuts, since I love them all.  The Blue Diamond Almond Nut-Thins prompted comments of, "These are good!" and "Where do I get these?"  A cousin brought along pear halves stuffed with cheese and fruit.  Mmmm!

For the turkey, I mixed olive oil with McCormick Montreal Chicken Seasoning, pulled up the skin, and spread the mixture around under that.  We cooked the bird breast-side-down for the first two hours (tented with foil), which is supposed to make the meat more tender.  After two hours, we flipped it over.  I think that may have messed up the pop-up timer on it, but we always check with an instant-read thermometer nonetheless.  It was indeed tender!  We had a 12-lb turkey as I really didn't want to wrestle with a huge 24-lb one.

We also baked a turkey breast that I seasoned with a mixture of mustard, rosemary and garlic, topped it with a loose cover of foil, and baked that.  Again....very good. 

Gravy?  I found a good recipe online at http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/2006/11/it-is-absurdly-easy-to-make-gluten.html.  No one seemed to notice that it was gluten free. 

Stuffing?  Last year no one really wanted to try the gluten free stuffing that I had made.  In the interest of keeping a gluten-free cooking area, I assigned "traditional" stuffing to my brother.  People enjoyed his so much that they immediately labeled him the new "stuffing man" and told him it's his job from now on!  I sent the leftovers home with him. 

For John, I made a gluten free stuffing using two boxes of Van's waffles.  We put the waffles in the oven for a few minutes the night before.  I should have cut them into cubes at this point, but I was lazy and just turned off the oven and went to bed.  In the morning we had dried-out waffles.  I cubed them, cooked up onion and celery in 4 Tbs. butter, added 1 tsp sage, 2 Tbs parsley, and 2 tsp herbs de province; poured on 1 1/2 cups of gluten free chicken stock, and popped it into a crock pot for a few hours.  This worked out well!

We had mashed potatoes.....plus some roasted sweet potatoes done in the same manner as my roasted new potatoes (11/21/10) and iron skillet potatoes (8/5/10), with olive oil and that WOW seasoning that I like.  I didn't really pay a lot of attention to the time, I just roasted them over an hour in the same 325-degree oven with the turkeys, stirring them about halfway.  The photo above is John and Peter helping out with the preparation for that dish.  They are a BIG help!  (Thanks, guys!!)

Other vegetables and sides were supplied by my cousins and aunt.  Most (not all) were gluten free, but once things are on the table the risk of cross contamination is high.  John took his food first, before others even sat down at the table.  To ensure that he had "safe" leftovers, I had him set aside a good amount of food to immediately put in the fridge for himself.  We labeled any leftovers that he could eat as "GF".  Cranberry sauce is gluten free....and Whole Foods has GF cheddar biscuits in their freezer case that are fabulous.   I think everyone enjoyed those!

Dessert is the tricky part.  I made a GF pumpkin pie, which I gladly served to anyone who wanted it, but I was determined to keep it GF for John's leftovers.  I served slices of this pumpkin pie, then put it aside while we served other pies.  If I went back to the pumpkin, it was with a clean knife and onto clean dishes! 

Most people want "a little piece of everything," LOL!

I also put out Dove chocolates, which everyone likes.

Here is my chestnut recipe, which are nice with coffee.  People can sit around the table, smacking chestnuts to open them as they continue to chat.  I did cook them in my cast iron skillet, which got them a little extra-roasted on the side that contacted the skillet.  This reminded me of chestnuts that you can get in New York City from vendors!

Roasted Chestnuts

Soak your chestnuts in a bowl of cold water for 30-60 minutes; drain.
(I find that the soaking makes peeling very easy!)

Make sure your oven is on.  I put it at 350. 
Cut a slit in the shell of the rounded side of the chestnut. 
Make sure the cut goes all the way through  the shell.

Arrange chestnuts in a single layer in your pan.
Bake 40 min.

Let cool at least 5 minutes.  Peel.