When I get back from Maine....

I'll re-start this blog. In the meantime, I hope to eat lots of lobster with buttah. I cannot wait to get to the local farmer's market up there, and see what I find. I'll be sure to report.

6 weeks coffee free! And a grain free cake recipe:D

So I made it to 6 weeks of being coffee free. And after the first couple of weeks where I felt less tummy distress, I thought that maybe I had found the answer. But I wanted to test what happened when I drank a cup of coffee to see if it was actually the cause of my woes. So last Saturday, I had a cup of some tasty Yirgacheffe, as it is less acidic than most. My dear husband tried some with me, even though he is not a coffee drinker in the least, just for solidarity.

And yeah, it did bother me, though not immediately like some yucky brews do, and certainly not as intensely as some. But it tasted so wonderful that I think that I will save it for special occasions. I will admit to having some leftover coffee on Sunday, but since then, I have not had any. Back to chai, tea, and hot chocolate for me. I've been skipping the Zevia sodas for now, as I read on the label that their caffeine comes from coffee. I'm trying not to risk the contamination. I have had some Mexican Coke that is being sold at my local Family Dollar, of all places.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I do love baking cakes and other pastries. I get it from my maternal grandfather, I think, who was a supermarket baker. So going gluten-free has been a challenge for me, but at the same time, it's a whole new world!

Tonight, as I will be having a guest for dinner, I'm making a sponge cake from the following recipe. I have never made it before, but my husband's grandmother has, and since she is also a pastry extraordinaire, I am taking it on good authority that it is delicious.

http://www.manischewitz.com/potatostarchspongecake.html
Potato Starch Sponge Cake
Ingredients:

* 7 eggs
* 1 1/2 cups sugar, sifted
* 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 1 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
* 3/4 cup Manischewitz® Potato Starch, sifted
* Dash of salt

Preparation:

Separate six of the eggs. Beat the six yolks and the one whole egg until frothy. Gradually add sifted sugar, lemon juice and lemon rind; beating constantly and thoroughly. Then gradually add sifted potato starch, stirring constantly to ensure thorough blending. Beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff but not dry. Fold gently but thoroughly into egg-yolk mixture. Place in ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees F) about 55 minutes or until cake springs back when touched gently with fingers. Invert pan and cool thoroughly before removing cake.

I am going to modify it with orange juice and orange rind, since that is what I have in the house. It should have the requisite acidity and great flavor, as I've made this sub before with other recipes. I'll post how well it worked after!

This post is part of Kelly the Kitchen Kop's Real Food Wednesdays!
http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2011/03/real-food-wednesday-3911.html

So much for grain free, but...

I have to admit defeat at staying grain-free. I just didn't have it in me to do it. I love corn and rice too much to do it, I guess. Maybe I will get back to that another time. I will say, however, that I have been very good at remaining gluten-free, and my tummy is thanking me for it.

However, I have managed to avoid a much bigger addiction: coffee. I have been free of coffee for almost a week and half now. I am not avoiding caffeine, mind you. Teas and chocolate are still a big part of my life, and I have to admit, Zevia sodas are, too. Just the coffee because I know that some do bother my system more than others. So this is a test, just for now, especially after I saw this article:
http://drknews.com/what-type-of-gluten-intolerance-do-you-have/

Honestly, I think avoiding the coffee has been great for me. I feel less bloated now, and my system is much calmer, so perhaps I do have a gluten cross-reaction with coffee.

I just hope I don't have to give anything else up...

What have your experiences been with food intolerances, and how do you handle it?

A grain-free New Year?

I've decided that I really need to go back to grain-free living for awhile. After having illness after illness, thanks mostly to my daughter being in daycare, I've been eating too many convenience foods, many of them having wheat in them, and my gut has responded...poorly. So I need to get back on track and just eat better.

I'm choosing a period of two weeks to start with, as I have about that much time left until I go back to teaching. So I plan on eating meat, eggs, dairy products, with liberal amounts of vegetables and some fruits, but no grains. If I want sweets, they will be minimal, without processed sugar or grains. So no wheat, corn, rice or any other grain to cross my lips. I'm hoping that after two weeks, I will feel the improvement, and reassess my situation.

This coming semester, I will be working 4 days a week instead of two, so I think that as long as I can cook myself breakfasts in the morning (instead of gluten free cereals), I will succeed. I just need to get myself back in the habit of doing that.

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

It's December already? And thoughts on s510...

Teaching has really kept me busy, so I'm sorry I have had time to update the blog in awhile. I'm thinking that because it'll be Hannukah tonight, I should bring out my husband's grandmother's potato pancake recipe. she makes them completely differently, so when I do, I'll be sure to post about it!

On to s510. There's been a lot in the blogosphere about this particular bill, and I know that I am not completely in lockstep with other Traditional Foodies on this issue, so I'm treading carefully here. Let me preface by saying a few things:

• I do think that big, industrial farms NEED to be regulated and inspected carefully, as I feel that we are falling into The Jungle territory.


• I don't think that small family farms should be completely absolved of all regulations, but they need not be onerous, including those for raw milk farms.


• I don't, however, completely trust the FDA to do a good job, but I certainly feel that we can't trust corporatons to do it either, though it seems these days that they might as well be one and the same.

So what do we do? Clearly, something needs to be done. Food products can and do become contaminated, and if stricter controls are in place, I'd feel better about the issue, quite honestly. But I don't want small family farms to be unfairly victimized, which has been the big fear. At least there is the Tester Amendment, which does make it a bit better.

Am I against the bill? I'm really of two minds about it.

Of course,the breaking news is that the bill had fees in it, which is not kosher for the Senate to do and therefore may be held up from becoming law: http://p2.to/14u2

Giving Thanks To and For Our Food

It's not Thanksgiving yet here in the U.S., but that doesn't mean we cannot be grateful about food. It's a topic that's been on my mind, as well as my husband's, though today we finally had a conversation about it. I want to bring spirituality back to our kitchen and our table.

Let me start off by saying that I am coming from a Pagan perspective. If that is not yours, that is fine; feel free to read this or not.

At any rate, I believe that Spirit/the Divine runs through all things. Nature is God/dess, all animals and plants are God/dess, and we are God/dess. We are all important in the ecosystem as we all have our roles that we play. As such, I've been thinking that we really need to start saying grace at the table, to give honor for the life and death of the animals and plants that give us nourishment, so that we may continue our lives. We also must give thanks to Mother Earth and Father Sky because without the Mother and Father, our ecosystem wouldn't exist at all; their Divinity permeates everything. We ingest the Divine with every bite. What a gift! We must give our thanks for the sacrifice.

Also, as my husband rightly pointed out, it's not just the animals and plants, but those farmers who work day and night, the butchers who must kill and carve the meat, those who grind the grains; the list goes on. And he also said, he should give thanks to me, or to whoever prepares the meal that goes on the table. I spend a lot of time prepping meals, so this was a nice extra, but really it goes for anyone who cooks.

In my quest for eating ethically and sustainably, I'm appreciating more what FOOD really is. Sacred, fecund and absolutely necessary for survival. FOOD is community as it connects us to everything. So beyond making sure our meat and vegetables are ethically and organically raised, let us continue with the simple act of saying grace.

We thank you for the gift of this food.

We send blessings of peace, love,and release to all whose bodies' energies brought us this nourishment.

We honor you in our enjoyment and utilization of this meal.

May it bring us health and joy, reminding us of our interconnections with all that is.

As we receive, so do we give thanks for this gift.

Taken from the October 7, 2008 post on InkBlot::sharpening my pen
http://www.rebelleink.com/blog/?page_id=42

Bangers and Mash!

Before I get to the Bangers and Mash, I wanted to mention that I made the Wine-braised Grass-Fed Steak with Rosemary that is featured on Nourished Kitchen. you can find that recipe here: http://nourishedkitchen.com/wine-braised-steak-rosemary/ Oh my GODS, was that divine. We still have leftovers, so you can guess hwat I'll be having for lunch today.

On to the Bangers and Mash...I was inspired the other night as I was flipping through OnDemand. I took a look at a show called 5 Ingredient Fix. I figured either it would be promising or awful, but as it was only 23 minutes and FREE, it would be worth taking a look at least.

I have to say, I was impressed. The gimmick of course is that these dishes all take 5 ingredients, without counting salt, pepper, and water. Claire Robinson is a pleasant Southern gal (just a hint of accent), and she truly seems to love food. So anyway, I was interested to see what her take was on the Gastropub scene. I do love comfort food, and being of (partially) English descent, I feel like this is a new take on what my heritage has to offer. So on that episode, she did her take on Bangers and Mash. For some reason, I had NEVER had it before, but I basically knew what it was. Her take was of course very simple. Here's the link to her recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/claire-robinson/bangers-and-mash-recipe/index.html

I thought (and my husband agreed) how great would it be to try it! And the next day, when I picked up my last summer share CSA, I happened to have Savoy cabbage and potatoes. Hence, I went for it.

I did have to make the following changes, based on what I had available. I used Greek lamb sausage, yellow onions, and Grey Poupon (which is not a whole grain mustard). I also made the decision to add butter to the potatoes, but what can I say? I love butter.

I also decided to roast beets and carrots in the oven, with some olive oil, salt and pepper. I felt our dinner needed some color to it, and I had them also in my CSA box, so why not?

My final result is that picture up above. I don't usually make pretty food, but I think I did a good job this time. It sure did taste good, and I can't wait to have leftovers for dinner tonight.

This entry is part of Kelly the Kitchen Kop's Real Food Wednesdays.

http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/10/real-food-wednesday-102010.html