Cooking Therapy

My inner-50's-diva helps me take control of life through the kitchen.

Sometimes when I'm grappling with Jane's new napless/late nap schedule, the endless parade of papers and laundry, the evening settling in at 4:30 at night, withdrawals from "The Office" and "30 Rock," and my inability to see my toes, I find one refuge: The Kitchen. I cook dinner. The fresher, the better. If it's something new and it comes out well, that's the best.
I roasted my second chicken ever this week, on a night like that one. It came out juicy and browned and salty--just what we needed on a damp, cold Tuesday. Nothing magical happened with that dinner--it took hours longer than it should have, to the point of splitting it into the side dish course and the meat course--but there was something profound about watching Brad bite into that chicken, long anticipated, highly acclaimed. And it was so nice to hear someone else say they wish we weren't out of Brussels sprouts, they were so rich and flavorful. Okay, perhaps it was magical: for once, I didn't burn the rice. Or undercook it. Or add too much water.
Nothing makes this woman feel more in control than ruling every corner of my kitchen.

"I'm going to make you a Pizza"

One of our most joyful gluten-free discoveries: a tasty, chewy pizza crust. We make pizza at least twice a month, especially since it has quickly become one of Jane's favorite meals (who doesn't like pizza? Anybody?)
The crust comes from Bette Hagman and is one of her finest contributions to gluten-free cooking.
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Yeast-Rising Thick Pizza Crust
2 cups rice flour
2 cups tapioca flour
2/3 cup dry milk powder or nondairy substitute
3-1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pizza seasoning (optional)

2 Tablespoons dry yeast granules
1 cup lukewarm water, 105 to 115 degrees
1 Tablespoon sugar

3 Tablespoons shortening
½ cup hot water

4 egg whites, at room temperature

1. In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer, put flours, milk, xanthan gum, and salt.
2. Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water with the tablespoon of sugar added.
3. Melt the Shortening in the hot water.
4. With the mixer on low, blend the dry ingredients, adding the seasoning, if desired. Pour in the hot water and shortening, blending to mix.
5. Add the egg whites, blend again, then add the yeast mixture. Beat on high speed for 4 minutes.
6. Spoon half the dough onto a greased cookie sheet, round pizza tin, or pizza stone. With your hand in a plastic bag, pat the dough out in a circle about ¼ inch thick except at the edges, which should be higher to contain the sauce and fillings. Repeat with the second half of the dough.
7. Let rise 10 minutes, then bake in preheated 400° oven 5 to 7 minutes BEFORE spreading with sauce and your favorite toppings.
8. Bake 20-22 minutes more.

Makes two 12½ inch pizzas serving 8 to 12.
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When Jane isn't putting toppings on the pizza, she's eating them. her favorites: pepperoni and green bell pepper.

Want to add more vegetables to your pizza? Sneak them into the sauce. We like sauces that have lots of vegetables in them already. I have also put shredded carrots in the sauce without a noticeable difference.

Jane might turn into a tomato

Right now, I only take photos like this...from other people. Please don't throw tomatoes at me.

We stopped in at our favorite little produce shop yesterday. I was craving Brussels sprouts (hooray for healthy pregnancy craving!) and Jane, apparently, was craving tomatoes. The mere sight of them kept her "mmm-mmming" all the way home. It inspired me to make a t-shirt for her with a big tomato on it and some clever phrase like "I don't just eat tomatoes, I wear them" or "My mommy says it's okay to eat tomatoes in this shirt." Yeah, i'm using the word clever quite liberally up there. That's how creativity goes for me, lately--the spark of an idea is there, even if it hasn't developed into any kind of happy campfire.
If anyone has any ideas for a tomato shirt that you would like to share, please do. You may even get to see your idea *published* on Jane!
Whatever she is wearing, nothing makes me happier than watching Jane bite into a juicy, tangy tomato. Yesterday was actually pretty incredible--she ate baby carrots, bites of sweet pepper, munched on some "trees" (broccoli), and ate half of a satsuma. I love sharing my food discoveries with her, and she is proving an agreeable partner in exploration.

Going Green

Brussels sprouts are named for their place of origin.

I've been tempted to try Brussels sprouts for months, and today I finally did. Mundane indulgence, I know. After Brad's warning that they are often bitter, I settled on the following recipe from the Joy of Cooking, which is introduced like this:
"Ethan Becker was always disappointed by Brussels sprouts--until he tried these."
If they're good enough for Ethan Becker, I thought, they are good enough for me. I would recommend these to anyone. They also fall into the category of "fancy-named recipes that make me feel like more of a chef" (I'm working on a shorter title for that). I'm not about to keep that wonderful feeling all to myself: here's the recipe.
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Brussels Sprouts Cockaigne
2 to 4 servings

Rinse, pat dry, and slice in half lengthwise:
12 Brussels sprouts

Warm in a medium skillet over medium-low heat:
3 Tablespoons butter, or 1-1/2 Tablespoons butter & 1-1/2 Tablespoons olive oil

Add and Cook, stirring, until beginning to brown:
1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed

Remove the garlic from the skillet with a slotted spoon and discard. Place the sprouts cut side down in the garlic butter. Cover and cook over low heat until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Arrange on a warm platter and drizzle with any remaining butter. Serve with:
Freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)
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I didn't add the parmesan, but that would be even more delicious. I ate the tender, lightly garlicky and sweet Brussels sprouts over a bowl of white rice. They reminded me of steamed artichokes, another of my favorite green treats.

Like a Kid in a... Produce Shop

Is it normal that my heart flutters a little bit at the thought of parsnips? Or that the sight of fresh blueberries, strawberries, and cranberries lifts my spirits to a new elevation? Maybe it's the pregnancy, but when I cross the threshold at Top of the Hill produce market, it's like crossing a threshold into sensory euphoria. And today, I take Jane with me.
We walk through the whole shop, which isn't hard since you can see the entire store from wherever you stand. Eight kinds of apples, exotic carrots, tantalizing herbs...they all line up before us in brightly colored rows. Jane embraces the opportunity to show off her knowledge of all the colors of the rainbow. "Red apple! Green apple. Yellow. Orange?" It also proves a prime moment to practice different voice inflections.
I quickly cross items off our list, and seek Jane's opinion on some kind of snack fruit. "Would you eat pears?" I ask her. She shakes her head and says, "No." her face completes the negatory response. We move on in our search.
I turn my back for a second and when I look at Jane again, she holds a brussels sprout. "Do you want to try some of those?" I ask her. She doesn't really answer, but I decide to take advantage of her initial interest and put a few in a bag. I've been wanting to try them for some time myself.
We pass by the onions and garlic, and Jane spots a pint-sized basket of cherry tomatoes. "Me tomatoes," she informs me. The price is right and they look good, so we pick up a basket. "Me hold it," Jane says. I let her, despite my first instinct. She picks one out of the basket, but I ask her to wait until we've bought them before she eats it. "Okay, mommy," she says in her usual cooperative tone. She then pretends to eat the tomato instead. "Mmm, yummy," she says.
We end up walking around the store a few minutes longer, and Jane manages to hold the tomatoes steady until we are walking between two other people and their carts and I'm holding a pineapple in one hand and about seven cherry tomatoes spill onto the orange tile floor. I do my best to brush them aside so that they don't squish under other people's shoes.
As we pay for our produce, Jane still holds the tomato she pretended to eat. "You've been so good! You can eat that tomato now," I tell her. Juice and seeds trickle down her chin, down her shirt. The tomato bursts with flavor too, I assume, because Jane says, "Mmm, dat's good!" She sums up our visit perfectly.

Thanksgiving: A Cook's (and Celiac's) Holiday

If you love to cook you don't really need an excuse to prepare a feast. But Thanksgiving is different, at least for us. It's the one time of year when Brad is sure to eat stuffing, pies, and sandwiches, all guilt-and-gluten-free. This year I had been looking forward to going all out in our own Seattle kitchen, holing up to bake and cook and eat dips and watch movies. I even had the food preparation laid out over a three day schedule. But family things came up and family comes first, so we've postponed and greatly diminished our Thanksgiving meal. More to come on that in a couple weeks.
I have to pay tribute to my amazing mother-in-law and her mother, who made the traditional glutenous/gluten-free feast in Heber of which we were able to partake. Singley-Dayton Thanksgivings are all about a different coming together: gluten-free and wheat-infested food.
Gluten-free is some work, but with my mother-in-law's tasty recipes, even the gluten-challenged can enjoy the traditional fare. Here is what we ate in Heber (sorry no picture, but it did look great, I promise).

Turkey and cranberry sauce
Stuffing
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Green bean and bacon casserole
yams
candied yams
green salad
raspberry jell-o salad
3 pumpkin pies
1 apple pie
1 cherry pie
(wheat) rolls

This was the first year I've just shown up for dinner without helping at all, and it was strange. I'm not sure I like showing up just to eat, then leaving shortly after. I'm grateful we were able to eat such a great meal without doing any work, especially since we were driving until 3AM the night before, but there is something so rewarding about preparing the turkey and all its accompaniments--ah yes, leftovers. We were sent home with more than we felt was fair, but it's not quite the same. I will feel better when I see Brad bite into a hot leftovers sandwich.

I will post more recipes, even though Thanksgiving has passed, since some of us eat the same type of feast for Christmas. Or maybe, if you're gluten-free, seeing recipes for these foods you may not have eaten for a while will be cause for a whole new holiday.
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Turkey Stuffing Singley style
2 onions,
4 stalks of celery
1 cube of butter
Grind the celery and onions and save the juice
Chopping the onions works almost as well but Clare swears it is better
when they are ground. Put in deep frying pan and simmer in butter for
about an hour. Stir occasionally. Make sure it doesn't get brown,
just cooked. It is on very low heat.

Cube a loaf of bread* into cubes about 1/2 inch square. Put in huge
bowl or pan. Set aside.
Have ready but do not mix together:
2 cups of chicken broth or boullion or turkey broth.
1/2 cup dried parsley
Salt.

Add Celery and onion mixture to the bread cubes. Stir. Add some of
the broth and stir it in. Do not let it get too wet. Add more broth
if it needs it. Add parsley and then add the salt a little at a time
as you taste it. Once it is the right consistency and saltiness...
Add:
2 beaten eggs

Roll balls that resemble cheese balls and place them on cookie sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

*the bread works better if it's not fresh from the oven, so try to make it a day or two ahead.
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Here's a good bread recipe, also courtesy of my mother-in-law Susan. It takes some time, but it's mostly hands-off time.

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Rice Bread
3 cups rice flour OR 1½ cups rice flour, 1½ cups sorghum flour
¼ cup sugar
1 package or 1 Tablespoon dry active yeast
3½ teaspoons xanthan gum
1½ teaspoons salt
2 cups lukewarm water
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs

1. Combine flour(s), sugar, yeast, xanthan gum, and salt in mixing bowl. Blend well.
2. Add the lukewarm water (water that is too warm will kill the yeast) and the vegetable oil. Blend well.
3. Add the eggs. Mix at highest speed of mixer for 2 minutes.
4. Bread dough should be wetter than cookie dough and stiffer than cake dough.
5. Add water till correct consistency. Usually only needs ¼ more at the most.
6. Pour dough into greased bread pan. Let rise until slightly above pans.
7. Bake at 350° for 1 hour.

Note: Take slightly less time for baking 2 small loaves instead of 1 large.

Sugar Cookies for Cassie

Back in good old Utah my sister-in-law Cassie and I had some grand baking adventures. One treat that eluded us in our Gluten-free baking: sugar cookies. You might even call it our holy grail. There are recipes out there, sure, but they are impossible to roll out let alone cut out in fun shapes, and their texture is tragically coarse. Read: you cannot eat a cookie without a fork or spoon. Diana's sugar cookies were so soft, I thought she might hold a key for good gluten-free cookies: cream cheese.* These may not be perfect, but so far, this is the best gluten-free sugar cookie Brad and I have tried.
For this experiment I didn't use the sweet potato, although that would make them more tender and somewhat healthy. That will be the next phase of the experiment.
Cassie, these cookies are for you. With ginger frosting on top.

1pkg (8oz) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup (1and a 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla
2 1/4 cups rice flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum

Preheat oven to 350 F. Beat cream cheese, butter, granulated sugar, vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium-low speed until well blended. Add flour, xanthan, and baking soda: mix well.

Roll dough or flatten with your hand to 1/4-in. thickness on parchment or wax paper. Cut into
assorted shapes using 3-in. cookie cutters. Place on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes; they will not brown on top. Let cool on sheet for a few minutes, then transfer cookies to wire rack; cool completely before icing.