It's been pretty quiet here at ye olde blog. A lot of things have happened over the last few weeks, mostly medical-related. I finally have decent health insurance (thanks, husband!), so that meant that I could afford to not only pay the insurance premium, but also pay the deductible and co-insurance so that I could actually see a doctor. I'd been having a lot of stomach issues lately, and I needed to deal with that. After several appointments, a few trips over to Casper to see a specialist, bloodwork, tests, and a colonoscopy/endoscopy later--issues are being resolved.
Initially, the doctors suspected Celiac disease. Celiac is genetic, and it means that the body sees gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye, spelt, and barley) as a toxin. Gluten binds to the villi in the small intestine, and prevents your body from absorbing nutrients and processing food as it should. The good news: I don't have Celiac. Bad news: I am gluten-intolerant.
For me, eating gluten means stomach cramps. Pain. Feeling my intestines squeeze and shift through the digestion process. No early-warning system that a twosie is coming. I live in Wyoming--there isn't always a bathroom when you need one, especially if your body can only give you an "EMERGENCY: CODE BROWN. PROCEED TO THE NEAREST TOILET IMMEDIATELY FOR EMERGENCY COLON EVACUATION" notice.
Thankfully, cutting out gluten cuts out the above symptoms.
So, this hippie is focusing on gluten-free foods, gluten-free cooking, and how to manage this in the emptiest state in the union. It's hard to find certain ingredients in Wyoming, and harder still to find specialty items. Thankfully, where I live has an organic grocery store, and a gluten-free grocery store. Both are well-stocked with gluten-free items. Plus, I shop at the Farmer's Market and collect a Bountiful Basket every week--those whole, unprocessed fruits and veggies are naturally gluten-free. But I don't want to give up my favorite things, either, so I'm attempting to make those gluten-free as well.
Here's an old favorite, updated to be gluten-free.
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
This soup is known among my friends as The Soup. As in, "Stop by after work for a bite. I made The Soup." It's hearty, it's filling, it's a big bowl of comfort. It's what I want when I'm snarfling with a cold, or just want a bowl of soup.
Here's what you'll need to make food:
2-3 T olive oil
1/4 cup butter
1 big onion, diced
4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
4-5 ribs of celery, diced (leaves are great)
1 lb. of carrots, peeled and sliced
2-3 chicken breasts (or thighs--can be bone-in, skin-on, whatever you like--just leave them as they are)
1 bay leaf
1 T dried parsley
1 1/2 t dried basil
1/4 t dried oregano
pinch of fennel seed
pinch of dried ginger
1/2 t ground turmeric
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
chicken soup base
water
1 cup arborio rice
1 cup wild rice
2 T cornstarch
How to turn the above into The Soup:
Grab a big giant stockpot. Heat the olive oil and butter in the pan, and let the butter melt. Add in the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots; sautee that in the oil until the carrots start to soften a bit and the onions are translucent. It'll take about 10 minutes or so. Next, add the chicken and the spices (except for the soup base). Add enough water to cover everything completely--you'll want to leave about 3-4 inches at the top of the pot--and add chicken soup base according to the number of cups of water it takes to fill your pot (1 t per cup of water). Or use chicken stock. Either way, simmer the soup for another 30 minutes or so, until the chicken cooks through. While the chicken cooks, start your wild rice in a separate saucepan--1 cup of rice, 4 cups of water, let it simmer for about an hour. When the chicken is done (about 45 minutes after your mixture starts simmering), pull it, and set it aside to be chopped up. Add the arborio rice to the stock, and let that simmer for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, chop up the chicken, removing bones and skin, and add it back to the soup, and add in your cooked wild rice.
Before you serve the soup, you'll need to bring it to a high simmer/low boil. While the soup reaches that temperature, mix your cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water, and add that slurry to your soup. When it boils, it'll thicken up nicely. Remove your bay leaf, wait for the soup to cool down just a tad, and devour.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Rhubarb!
As rhubarb season comes to an end and berry season begins, I've got cobblers on my mind. Cobblers are pretty simple to make, and yet still manage to be an impressive dessert. Here's how to make one:
Stuff You Need To Make Food:
To Make Cobbler Filling:
approximately 4 cups of rhubarb, diced (or berries)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
To Make Cobbler Crust:
2 cups flour
4 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 stick butter
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
How To Make The Stuff Above Into Food:
Get a big bowl, and mix your diced rhubarb with the cornstarch, sugar, and first round of spices. Sit it aside and let all of the flavors get happy. If you're using berries, you may want to skip the spices in the berries and just use the vanilla extract (or some rose water). Also, if you're using berries or just worried about keeping your rhubarb looking pretty, add a squeeze of lemon juice.
While the fruit gets all happy with its spicy friends, make the cobbler crust. Mix your flour with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Add in the spices--if you want to mix it up a bit, substitute in some almond extract for vanilla. Chop up your stick of butter into small pieces, and add that to the mix. Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to mix the butter into the flour, until it looks like oatmeal. Add the milk and egg, and stir until it just starts to combine.
When you're ready to bake your cobbler, find a pan--an 8x8 or 9x13 will work. Grease it with butter or brush it with a little bit of oil to keep things from sticking, then dump in the fruit. Top with the cobbler dough--just kind of chunk it over the fruit. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling up through the crust. If you're like me and have no patience, scoop some out and top it with vanilla ice cream to cool it down enough to devour.
Stuff You Need To Make Food:
To Make Cobbler Filling:
approximately 4 cups of rhubarb, diced (or berries)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
To Make Cobbler Crust:
2 cups flour
4 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 stick butter
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
How To Make The Stuff Above Into Food:
Get a big bowl, and mix your diced rhubarb with the cornstarch, sugar, and first round of spices. Sit it aside and let all of the flavors get happy. If you're using berries, you may want to skip the spices in the berries and just use the vanilla extract (or some rose water). Also, if you're using berries or just worried about keeping your rhubarb looking pretty, add a squeeze of lemon juice.
While the fruit gets all happy with its spicy friends, make the cobbler crust. Mix your flour with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Add in the spices--if you want to mix it up a bit, substitute in some almond extract for vanilla. Chop up your stick of butter into small pieces, and add that to the mix. Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to mix the butter into the flour, until it looks like oatmeal. Add the milk and egg, and stir until it just starts to combine.
When you're ready to bake your cobbler, find a pan--an 8x8 or 9x13 will work. Grease it with butter or brush it with a little bit of oil to keep things from sticking, then dump in the fruit. Top with the cobbler dough--just kind of chunk it over the fruit. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling up through the crust. If you're like me and have no patience, scoop some out and top it with vanilla ice cream to cool it down enough to devour.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Vitamin C!
And by vitamin C, I mean caffeine. Those who know me know that I don't function without at least a minimal caffeine flow into my system. Here's how this hippie stays caffeinated, at least during the summer months!
Iced Tea (Without the Wait)
What you need to make caffeine:
6 tagless (or tagged, with the staples removed) tea bags, basic black tea variety*
2 cups of water, to get you started
1/4 cup of sugar
enough water and ice to bring you to the 2 quart mark
How to turn the above into useable caffeine:
Put your tea bags into a glass 4-cup measuring cup--Pyrex is good, so is Anchor Hocking. Fill the measuring cup to the 2 cup line. Put the measuring cup in the microwave for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, pull the tea bags and give them a good smoosh with the back of a spoon to release all of that caffeine goodness. If you're feeling ambitious, add up to 1/4 cup of sugar into the hot tea concentrate in your measuring cup and give it a good stir to dissolve the sugar crystals. **Important** DO NOT USE MORE THAN 1/4 CUP SUGAR. If you do use more sugar, you're making hummingbird nectar, not iced tea. Take your tea concentrate, pour it into a 2 quart pitcher, and add water and ice to make 2 quarts. Drink and enjoy.
Now, I know that as a hippie, I'm supposed to be able to do things like make tea using solar energy. And I can, and sometimes do. Same idea: 6 tea bags, but in a lidded 2-quart jar filled with--wait for it--2 quarts of water. You put it in a sunny place in the morning, and by evening, you've got yourself some tea. However, there are two problems with this plan, generally speaking. First, I'm not a morning person, in large part because I'm not sufficiently caffeinated when I first wake up, at least not to the point that I can plan in advance for my caffeine needs. Second, it takes all day to get caffeine. I need caffeine, and I need it now. 5 minutes--acceptable. 8 hours--not. (And really, for a microwave, there's not too much difference in taste.)
*Wait. Before we go on, I must confess that I'm somewhat of a bad hippie here. I buy cheap black tea for iced tea. Honestly, I do. It's not organic, Fair Trade, hug a farmer tea. It's Lipton. Or Red Rose. Or sometimes it's the stuff in the black box marked "Tea" on the bottom of the grocery store shelf. The point is that in the heat of summer, I drink a pitcher of iced tea a day. I like it how my Dad likes it, and how Grandma likes it--black tea, not too much sugar, not too fancy, served with lots of ice in a frosty glass. And Dad used Lipton and Grandma used Red Rose. But if you're a better hippie than I, use something better. If you want variety, try Celestial Seasonings fruit teas or add some dried peppermint to your brew. Now, back to getting caffeinated.
But...sometimes, I need a cup of coffee. And it's summer and it's hot, and I don't want a hot cup of coffee. I also don't need to walk to the coffee shop and spend $4 on a latte (although it's a darn good latte). So, here's how to make your own iced coffee.
Iced Coffee (In A Jar):
What you need to make caffeine:
about 1/2 a cup of freshly ground coffee, medium-fine grind
enough water to fill a quart mason jar
How to turn the stuff above into caffeine:
Break out that hippie coffee, the good stuff. Organic, Fair Trade, dark roast, roasted at the local coffee shop, the same place that makes those amazing lattes (the same place you bought the beans in an attempt to "save money" by brewing your own). That stuff. Grind up some beans--you want about 1/2 cup of ground coffee. Don't grind it too fine, or you'll have issues with filtration later. Toss the ground coffee into your mason jar. Cover the grinds with cold water to the top of the jar. Give it a good shake to make sure everything is covered, and stick it in the fridge. At least overnight. You can do this--you've been sufficiently caffeinated through your day to have some foresight when it comes to your coffee needs tomorrow morning. Now this next step is important:
How to turn the stuff above into a frou-frou coffee shop drink while you're in your pjs and without leaving the house:
While the above iced coffee concentrate is good, you can make it better. You'll need half and half--not that fat-free garbage, and not that flavored non-dairy liquid creamer crap. You'll also need sugar, but in liquid form. You can either buy a flavored coffee syrup (I love Torani's syrups, in particular the hazelnut and the caramel ones) or chocolate syrup. Or you can make your own simple syrup. How? It's simple: put 1 cup of sugar in a saucepan with 1 cup of water. Heat it up until the sugar dissolves. Voila! Simple syrup!
Now, it's morning, and you're up and groggy and need caffeine. Take your mason jar out of the fridge and break out your measuring cup and some cheesecloth. Put the cheesecloth over the measuring cup, pour the mason jar contents into the cheesecloth, and filter it into the measuring cup. There will be some pretty wet grounds in the jar, so add a little water--1/4 cup--to rinse those out of the jar. Let your coffee filter through the cheesecloth, and rinse out your mason jar. Now, squeeze out your coffee grounds through the cheesecloth. Shake your grounds into your compost bin*, and rinse your cheesecloth. Drape it over the mason jar, and filter the stuff in the measuring cup back into the jar. Add enough water to bring it almost to the top. You've got your iced coffee concentrate.
To make your iced coffee, take a pint glass and fill it with ice. Add some coffee concentrate. Add some half and half. Add some simple syrup. Give it a stir and taste it. Adjust to your preference. If you need more coffee, add more. More sugar? Add more. Enjoy your coffee.
*Another note. You know how much you love to be caffeinated, right? Well, tea bags (minus the staples) and coffee grounds are compostable. So save them for your compost pile. Don't have a compost pile? Start one. If you're urban without a yard, consider vermi-composting--a bin of worms that live in a container in your kitchen to munch your organic waste. Have a yard? Easiest thing I can tell you is to get a trash can and cut off the bottom. Dig a little hole in your yard, about 6 inches deep, big enough to hold the trash can with it's bottom missing. Put the trash can into the hole, and mix the dirt that you just dug out with your compostable stuffs. Put the lid on it, and stir it occasionally. When you're in need of compost, simply lift the can a bit, and take out the stuff on the bottom. Worms need caffeine, too, and I find that they work a little faster when they have some coffee grounds or tea leaves to nosh. (Also, your local coffee shop is probably willing to give you their grounds if you ask. Just means they don't have to pay to throw them away.)
Iced Tea (Without the Wait)
What you need to make caffeine:
6 tagless (or tagged, with the staples removed) tea bags, basic black tea variety*
2 cups of water, to get you started
1/4 cup of sugar
enough water and ice to bring you to the 2 quart mark
How to turn the above into useable caffeine:
Put your tea bags into a glass 4-cup measuring cup--Pyrex is good, so is Anchor Hocking. Fill the measuring cup to the 2 cup line. Put the measuring cup in the microwave for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, pull the tea bags and give them a good smoosh with the back of a spoon to release all of that caffeine goodness. If you're feeling ambitious, add up to 1/4 cup of sugar into the hot tea concentrate in your measuring cup and give it a good stir to dissolve the sugar crystals. **Important** DO NOT USE MORE THAN 1/4 CUP SUGAR. If you do use more sugar, you're making hummingbird nectar, not iced tea. Take your tea concentrate, pour it into a 2 quart pitcher, and add water and ice to make 2 quarts. Drink and enjoy.
Now, I know that as a hippie, I'm supposed to be able to do things like make tea using solar energy. And I can, and sometimes do. Same idea: 6 tea bags, but in a lidded 2-quart jar filled with--wait for it--2 quarts of water. You put it in a sunny place in the morning, and by evening, you've got yourself some tea. However, there are two problems with this plan, generally speaking. First, I'm not a morning person, in large part because I'm not sufficiently caffeinated when I first wake up, at least not to the point that I can plan in advance for my caffeine needs. Second, it takes all day to get caffeine. I need caffeine, and I need it now. 5 minutes--acceptable. 8 hours--not. (And really, for a microwave, there's not too much difference in taste.)
*Wait. Before we go on, I must confess that I'm somewhat of a bad hippie here. I buy cheap black tea for iced tea. Honestly, I do. It's not organic, Fair Trade, hug a farmer tea. It's Lipton. Or Red Rose. Or sometimes it's the stuff in the black box marked "Tea" on the bottom of the grocery store shelf. The point is that in the heat of summer, I drink a pitcher of iced tea a day. I like it how my Dad likes it, and how Grandma likes it--black tea, not too much sugar, not too fancy, served with lots of ice in a frosty glass. And Dad used Lipton and Grandma used Red Rose. But if you're a better hippie than I, use something better. If you want variety, try Celestial Seasonings fruit teas or add some dried peppermint to your brew. Now, back to getting caffeinated.
But...sometimes, I need a cup of coffee. And it's summer and it's hot, and I don't want a hot cup of coffee. I also don't need to walk to the coffee shop and spend $4 on a latte (although it's a darn good latte). So, here's how to make your own iced coffee.
Iced Coffee (In A Jar):
What you need to make caffeine:
about 1/2 a cup of freshly ground coffee, medium-fine grind
enough water to fill a quart mason jar
How to turn the stuff above into caffeine:
Break out that hippie coffee, the good stuff. Organic, Fair Trade, dark roast, roasted at the local coffee shop, the same place that makes those amazing lattes (the same place you bought the beans in an attempt to "save money" by brewing your own). That stuff. Grind up some beans--you want about 1/2 cup of ground coffee. Don't grind it too fine, or you'll have issues with filtration later. Toss the ground coffee into your mason jar. Cover the grinds with cold water to the top of the jar. Give it a good shake to make sure everything is covered, and stick it in the fridge. At least overnight. You can do this--you've been sufficiently caffeinated through your day to have some foresight when it comes to your coffee needs tomorrow morning. Now this next step is important:
How to turn the stuff above into a frou-frou coffee shop drink while you're in your pjs and without leaving the house:
While the above iced coffee concentrate is good, you can make it better. You'll need half and half--not that fat-free garbage, and not that flavored non-dairy liquid creamer crap. You'll also need sugar, but in liquid form. You can either buy a flavored coffee syrup (I love Torani's syrups, in particular the hazelnut and the caramel ones) or chocolate syrup. Or you can make your own simple syrup. How? It's simple: put 1 cup of sugar in a saucepan with 1 cup of water. Heat it up until the sugar dissolves. Voila! Simple syrup!
Now, it's morning, and you're up and groggy and need caffeine. Take your mason jar out of the fridge and break out your measuring cup and some cheesecloth. Put the cheesecloth over the measuring cup, pour the mason jar contents into the cheesecloth, and filter it into the measuring cup. There will be some pretty wet grounds in the jar, so add a little water--1/4 cup--to rinse those out of the jar. Let your coffee filter through the cheesecloth, and rinse out your mason jar. Now, squeeze out your coffee grounds through the cheesecloth. Shake your grounds into your compost bin*, and rinse your cheesecloth. Drape it over the mason jar, and filter the stuff in the measuring cup back into the jar. Add enough water to bring it almost to the top. You've got your iced coffee concentrate.
To make your iced coffee, take a pint glass and fill it with ice. Add some coffee concentrate. Add some half and half. Add some simple syrup. Give it a stir and taste it. Adjust to your preference. If you need more coffee, add more. More sugar? Add more. Enjoy your coffee.
*Another note. You know how much you love to be caffeinated, right? Well, tea bags (minus the staples) and coffee grounds are compostable. So save them for your compost pile. Don't have a compost pile? Start one. If you're urban without a yard, consider vermi-composting--a bin of worms that live in a container in your kitchen to munch your organic waste. Have a yard? Easiest thing I can tell you is to get a trash can and cut off the bottom. Dig a little hole in your yard, about 6 inches deep, big enough to hold the trash can with it's bottom missing. Put the trash can into the hole, and mix the dirt that you just dug out with your compostable stuffs. Put the lid on it, and stir it occasionally. When you're in need of compost, simply lift the can a bit, and take out the stuff on the bottom. Worms need caffeine, too, and I find that they work a little faster when they have some coffee grounds or tea leaves to nosh. (Also, your local coffee shop is probably willing to give you their grounds if you ask. Just means they don't have to pay to throw them away.)
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