The Weekend in Photos

Smoothies, snow, sledding and a fun birthday party (for a little girl who I knew when she was in her mama's belly! Such a special thing to see). Also, A-man and I also got a night out for a fire company event, but of course failed to take any pictures all dressed up.

Roasted Butternut Squash Ricotta Sauce

This sauce is the boss. (That phrase has to have a copyright. Hmph. There's a sauceboss and bosssauce. I'll let them sort it out...)

The lasagna that cradled it was good too, but the sauce. Guys, I've been dreaming about it. I licked the blender that I made it in. I dipped day-old kale chips in it. (And gave it to my baby boy so he could sip it in a tiny cup. Shhhh.)

And although I haven't tried it, I really think it could work veganized too (replace the ricotta with soaked, blended, raw cashews and up the spices).

The best part of it all? It was super-simple to make.

I love when that happens.

Roasted Butternut Squash Ricotta Sauce in Gluten-Free Lasagna
makes about 4 cups

For the sauce

2 cups roasted butternut squash (using defrosted or boiled squash would work too here; it just won't have that sweet, roasted flavor)
2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon fresh sage (if dried sage, use less)
salt, pepper to taste (I used about 3/4 teaspoon each)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesean cheese
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup milk, depends on how thin you want it (I used whole milk)

Place the butternut squash (sans skin), ricotta cheese, sage, salt, pepper, garlic powder, parmesean cheese and milk in a blender and blend (start on a low setting and work your way high) until it's nice and smooth.

The lasagna

1 box Tinkyada gluten-free lasagna noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups ricotta
1/4 - 1/2 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs

If you want to put yours in lasagna, here's how I made mine: I used Tinkyada gluten-free lasagna noodles (I like their pasta best so far), followed the directions on the package for cooking, then layered it in an oiled 9x12 inch glass pan, placing three noddles down, then the sauce, then dollops of ricotta cheese until I was out of noodles, then I covered the top with more sauce and gluten-free breadcrumbs and cooked at 350 degrees, covered with foil, for 45 minutes. I then took the foil off and let it bake for another 15. Let it rest out of the oven for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Turkey Soup with Gluten-Free Noodles, Grandma-Style

 

When it comes to family, I know I'm lucky. My Grandma lived just four houses down from where I grew up. She was a huge part of our lives.

My sister and I spent a lot of time at her house, but strangely, some of the fondest memories I have are of when I was there sick. Mom was an elementary school teacher and Dad ran his own business, so it was hard for them to take days off when my sister and I weren't feeling well, so happily, off to Grandma's we'd go. 

 

There we'd get back-rubs, a comfy couch or bed to lounge on and heart-warming, make-you-feel-better food. (And that one-of-a-kind love that only a Grandma can give.)

You know how some people talk about making their food with love? That you can feel the love when you take a bite? Grandma had that down. Her chicken noodle soup was a warm hug from her strong and aged arms.

And like many Grandmas, her chicken noodle soup was her go-to when one of her kids was sick.

The soup was great, but the noodles were my favorite part. They were rustic and thick - almost dumpling-like; it was such a simple recipe that I remember it easily: one cup of flour, one egg, a little salt, oil and water. She'd knead the dough, roll it out and cut it into whatever shape she wanted.

And fortunately for me, they're easily made gluten-free (and with turkey, because that's what I had on hand this week). 

Gluten-Free Turkey Noodle Soup (with homemade gluten-free noodles)

For the stock:
1 turkey breast carcass (with some meat still left on the bones)
scrap vegetables (like celery leaves, carrot peels, onion peels)
salt, pepper, herbs you may like
water to cover

Place the turkey carcass in a large pot and cover with water. Add the scrap vegetables, salt, pepper and herbs. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer, covered, for at least two hours (I've let it simmer for as long as five). Remove the carcass and any meat still on the bone (add the meat back to the stock) and take out the scrap vegetables.

For the soup:
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
4 stalks of celery, sliced

Meanwhile, bring the broth back to a boil and add the carrots and celery. (They should cook until fork tender, about ten minutes). Then...

For the noodles:
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup superfine brown rice flour (plus 2 tablespoons for flouring your work surface)
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon olive oil

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl; make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add egg, oil and water. With your hands, incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry until combined. Flour your working surface with the extra two tablespoons of flour and place dough on top. Roll out dough with a rolling pin until desired thickness (1/4 an inch is usually how I like mine). Cut into desired shape and add to boiling broth. Cook at boiling for three minutes. Eat!

 

Photo Friday: Social Media

I'm on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Are you? I'd love to connect!

That's a picture of a Pinterest success on my Instagram account (though I've had my share of failures). You take baking potatoes, slice almost all the way through them, lightly coat with oil and salt and bake on a baking sheet at 425 for 40 minutes. 

They're super tasty and crispy.

Cooking and Booking Review: Ten Tiny Breaths

I owe my friend Megan a huge, ginormous "thank you." She has rekindled my love for reading. Scratch that - she sparked a love of reading in me that I never knew I had. Megan started a book review blog a few months back called The Book Asylum. It's really taken off and there's no question why: she's incredibly articulate, knows what she's talking about (without being a snob), and her passion for reading is downright contagious. I caught what she has; I've got the I-just-love-a-good-book fever.

For the longest time I only really liked non-fiction; the realist in me just couldn't get into many of the novels I'd been assigned in school because I found them hard to believe, unimaginable - just foreign, which is a big reason I got into journalism. I thought life itself was interesting enough - and it can be, but fiction, man, it can be good. It can suck you in, make you fall in love, and occupy your mind all hours of the day. (Whoa. I never thought I'd say that....)

So, for the past few months I've taken Megan's suggestions on books and I always immediately text her when I'm done, explaining that I need my next hit, I mean, my next book, and she always recommends winners.

We both recently just read "Ten Tiny Breaths" by K.A.Tucker and it did not disappoint. Whenever I had a free moment, and sometimes when I should've been doing other things (the laundry piled up quite a bit), I was reading this book. I'll let Megan do the review, but there's tragedy, love, heartache - and a twist that I didn't see coming.

Megan and I decided we'd take note of all the food that was mentioned in the book and I'd come up with a recipe based off of one of the foods: veal parm, Spam and pancakes were a few of the foods mentioned. Pancakes were the easy choice for me, and because both Megan and I have to avoid certain foods, the recipe below is: gluten-free, egg-free, vegan, dairy-free, nut-free and soy-free.

The majority of the book took place in Miami, a place known for amazing Cuban food, so this recipe, with its masa harina and fresh lime, is Miami inspired.

Masa Harina Pancakes w/Lime, Butter and Brown Sugar

1 cup masa harina (it can be found in the International aisle of your grocery store)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons sugar (I used coconut sugar)
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups water

2 tablespoons butter/coconut oil/Earth Balance for frying and topping
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 lime

In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the masa, basking powder, salt, cinnamon and sugar. Then add the applesauce, vanilla extract and water. Masa harina soaks up quite a bit of water, so if your batter seems too dry (say, more cookie dough then pancake batter) add more water about a tablespoon at a time. Let the batter sit for at least five minutes (and add more water if it thickens up too much).

In a frying pan over medium-low heat, add one tablespoon butter and fry about 1/4 cup of batter until you see bubbles forming on the batter. Turn and cook until cooked through.

Serve with butter, brown sugar and a squeeze of lime. 

Here's Megan's awesome take on the whole book. I tell ya; her love of books is contagious!

I am so excited to be doing this post with one of my dear friends and fellow bloggers, Liz Lerner. Liz and I have been friends for a very long time. She is my partner in crime and many other things too – blogging, reading, being an awesome virgo, and unfortunately, food allergies. Boo! Liz has blogged since 2007 at her site – The Good Eatah. It’s my go-to resource when I need allergy-free, healthy food ideas. She’s an amazing cook and has been a tremendous help to me on my allergy-free journey.

Since we’re always talking books and food (my top two favorite things ever) we decided to do a joint post today. So, here's the deal. We chose a book to read together - Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker. After chatting about what we both loved about it, I wrote a review while Liz took a food mentioned in the book (pancakes) and came up with her own awesome allergy-free recipe for it. Pretty cool, huh? We think so, and we're hoping this will be a monthly post we do together. We're calling it 'Cooking and Booking'. 

So without further ado, please check out the review on Ten Tiny Breaths, feast your eyes on the most delicious looking pancakes you've ever seen, and make sure to connect with Liz at her blog, on facebook, pinterest, and on twitter! Enjoy!

Title: Ten Tiny Breaths

Author: K.A. Tucker
Published: December 11, 2012
Date Read: January, 2012
The Book Asylum Rating:

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Kacey Cleary’s whole life imploded four years ago in a drunk-driving accident. Now she’s working hard to bury the pieces left behind—all but one. Her little sister, Livie. Kacey can swallow the constant disapproval from her born-again aunt Darla over her self-destructive lifestyle; she can stop herself from going kick-boxer crazy on Uncle Raymond when he loses the girls’ college funds at a blackjack table. She just needs to keep it together until Livie is no longer a minor, and then they can get the hell out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

But when Uncle Raymond slides into bed next to Livie one night, Kacey decides it’s time to run. Armed with two bus tickets and dreams of living near the coast, Kacey and Livie start their new lives in a Miami apartment complex, complete with a grumpy landlord, a pervert upstairs, and a neighbor with a stage name perfectly matched to her chosen “profession.” But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle all of them. What she can’t handle is Trent Emerson in apartment 1D.

Kacey doesn’t want to feel. She doesn’t. It’s safer that way. For everyone. But sexy Trent finds a way into her numb heart, reigniting her ability to love again. She starts to believe that maybe she can leave the past where it belongs and start over. Maybe she’s not beyond repair.

But Kacey isn’t the only one who’s broken. Seemingly perfect Trent has an unforgiveable past of his own; one that, when discovered, will shatter Kacey’s newly constructed life and send her back into suffocating darkness.

The Book Asylum Review:

I had been seeing a lot of buzz around Goodreads and the blogosphere about K.A. Tucker’s recent release - Ten Tiny Breaths. When I see so much positive buzz about a book, I sometimes bypass reading the book blurb completely. Sometimes it’s nice to pick up a title, start reading, and be completely surprised. That’s exactly what happened with Ten Tiny Breaths. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I just sat back and enjoyed the ride… and it was such an awesome ride!

This story follows Kacey and her little sister Livie as they make their new lives in Miami, Florida. Kacey is emotionally damaged after a horrible accident that killed her parents, her best friend, and her boyfriend four years ago. She was the only survivor of a crash brought on by a college student who was drunk driving with two friends in the car.

“Before Kacey died four years ago and all that’s left is a mess. A mess who spent a year in physical rehabilitation to repair her shattered body, only to be released with a shattered soul. A Mess whose grades did a nose dive into the bottom of the class. Who sunk into a world of drugs and alcohol for a year as a way of coping. After Kacey doesn’t cry, not a single tear.”

After reading that, you’ll understand that Kacey has some issues, to say the least. Big ones. Nightmares torment her daily. Insomnia is her closest friend. She has hardened into a ‘take no prisoners’ kind of gal whose favorite coping mechanisms are kick boxing, sarcasm, and denial. She has become adept at keeping everyone at a distance and is about as aggressive and abrasive as they come. The only person she allows close is her sister, Livie. Luckily, Livie wasn’t in the car that horrible night so she was spared the haunting memories that plague her sister. Unfortunately, both sisters have scars. They just deal with them differently…or not at all.

Determined to do whatever it takes to make a life for her and her sister, Kacey accepts a position at a local adult club where her neighbor, Storm, works. Her ends – putting food on the table, paying rent, and sending Livie to Princeton – justify her means. Along the way, without her even realizing it, Kacey starts to let people in. That includes her hard-working neighbor, Storm, her adorable daughter Mia, and Trent – her neighbor from apartment 1D... Trent with the striking blue eyes and unshakeable interest in Kacey.

“How can he see what I don’t want him to see, what I work so hard to conceal? He’s found a way in, that’s how. Like a trespasser, he’s invaded my space, breaching security and sliding in to take what I haven’t offered to him.”

Trent… Oh Trent… Trent is everything a girl could ever want in a guy, and everything a reader could want in a dreamy book boyfriend. He’s tall, handsome, sexy, sexy, sexy, bright, composed, and unwavering in his pursuit of Kacey. He’s sexy and he rides a motorcycle. Did I already say sexy? I did? Just making sure.

“It’s like Trent’s got a “Make Kacey Smile” itinerary and it’s jam-packed. By the time I get to work each night, my face hurts from so much smiling.”

A lot of tension comes from the fact that although Kacey is falling for Trent, he keeps pushing her to face her past. A past she would much rather leave buried.

Besides Kacey’s strong voice and the every so engaging relationship between her and Trent, Tucker has colored this story with an amazing array of supporting characters. Livie is caring, perceptive, and intelligent. She’s also completely selfless. I just adored her! Storm and Mia are the neighbors that live next door. They are some of the sweetest, most endearing characters I’ve ever read. I can’t imagine anyone not falling for them. They’re perfect! Then, there’s the landlord, Tanner (a personal favorite of mine), who sports Batman pajamas, Cain, the club owner with a heart of gold, Nate, the gargantuan bouncer, and Ben, hottie bouncer and lawyer in training. Everyone is distinct. Everyone is likeable. Everyone adds to the flavor of the story in a unique way.

The big twist in Ten Tiny Breaths wasn't super shocking to me. I would imagine most people will predict what it is, but that doesn't take away from what you'll experience all the way up to that point. Just because I saw it coming didn't mean that the sucker punch it packed hurt any less. In the end, I was sad because the story wrapped up pretty quickly and long before I was ready to say goodbye. It was a pleasant surprise to have become so attached to these characters, their struggles and especially their futures. I told you it was a good idea not to have read the blurb first, right?

With Ten Tiny Breaths, you’ll experience all the highs and lows with Kacey, Trent, and the gang. You’ll feel their want, their need to connect, to live, to love, and ultimately to forgive. Ten Tiny Breaths is an amazing journey that will appeal to readers who love an authentic contemporary romance. It’s beautifully written and emotionally charged, with characters as complex and flawed as the events that shaped them. If you’re looking for a book filled with honest moments and characters worth rooting for, check out Ten Tiny Breaths today. Believe me, you won’t regret it!

“Just breathe, Kacey. Ten tiny breaths. Seize them. Feel them. Love them.”

No Bake Graham Cracker Almond Bites

We introduced the Little Guy to peanut butter a month ago (after the recommendation to wait until he was a year old) and he got mild hives. That really worries me; I am a BIG peanut butter eater, so I hope it was just a one time thing.

(We'll try again in another month under medical supervision.)

That being said, if I had to cut peanut butter out of my diet and home, I'd be okay with it. I just know that I'd go through a long mourning period so I decided to start now just in case that's the life we'll have to live.

I came up with these almond butter bites because the Little Guy has a cookie problem. Well, maybe it's me and the A-man that have the problem. We eat cookies, in some fashion, on a pretty regular basis and Little Guy asks for them in his adorable, clingy way (by climbing on us, whining and grabbing), so we give in.

I feel a whole lot better about giving him "cookies" when they're these. With the crunch of the graham cracker and smoothness of the almond butter (and hints of maple syrup and chocolate) I'm really, really digging them.

Gluten-Free No Bake Graham Cracker Almond Bites
Makes 13 balls

1/2 cup crumbled (by hand; you still want them to be crunchy) gluten-free graham crackers
1 cup crunchy almond butter (smooth will work too)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
pinch of salt (if using unsalted almond butter)
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut 

Combine the graham crackers, almond butter, maple syrup, flax seed, salt and chocolate chips and mix until thoroughly combined. Using a melon baller scoop into about one-inch balls and roll until round. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and then roll in the coconut. Keep refrigerated. They make a great post-workout snack. 

He likes them! He really likes them!

This post is being shared on the Gluten Free Homemakers Gluten Free Wednesday series. 

Noon Mark Diner Gluten-Free Pie

The A-man's an avid hiker; I've known this for a long time. He grew up next to a National Park and mountaineering was a part of his profession in the military. The man needs his outdoor time (he's two peaks away from the ADK 46!). That doesn't mean, however, that I'm thrilled when he decides to hike Adirondack high peaks in the dead of winter.

Our compromise? He comes home with pie.

Glorious, gluten free pie from a great, little place called the Noon Mark Diner. They do mail-order pies (!!) and he tells me their full menu has a lot of gluten-free options too.

He arrived home Saturday night from a long day of trekking in negative degree temperatures and presented me with two pies this time: Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble and Maple Walnut (think: the Northeast's version of pecan pie). And I learned something that night: I'm really, really good at eating pie.

The Maple Walnut, something I've never had before, was delicious. At first, I thought it might be a little too sweet for my taste, but it wasn't, the maple flavor wasn't overpowering and went perfectly with the walnuts.

The Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble was awesome. The tart rhubarb was balanced by the sweet strawberries and sugary topping.

The crust on both pies was something I was jealous of. I haven't attempted many gluten-free pie crusts, but when I have, they were failures. (Though I've bookmarked  this recipe and tutorial by Gluten Free on a Shoestring and think I'll give it another go.)

So while I have no recipe to give you, I have a love haiku to share with you:

Pie. Smile on my face.
Happiness in my belly.
Thank you Noon Mark Diner.

(You're cringing at how bad that was. I know. It's okay.)