eat this!

waaaaaait....

2010-07-07T06:33:00.001-05:00

scariest meal ever: poor pinchy

2010-07-02T06:33:00.002-05:00

imagine that thing coming at you... there was a lot of squealing. i did eat one and it was tasty but yowza i could not rip apart dozens of tiny swimming bugs.

the corn and potatoes? did not try to kill me and were equally if not more delicious.

happy fourth of july! :)

broccoli cheese soup

2010-06-17T06:33:00.000-05:00

clam chowder with cauliflower

2010-06-15T06:33:00.003-05:00

no potatoes, just cauliflower. mmmmmmmm

EPIC pizza

2010-05-31T03:33:00.001-05:00

a study in yeller

2010-05-26T03:33:00.002-05:00

also, happy birthday matt! :) ... not that you read this. what a punk.

patio garden

2010-05-23T03:33:00.002-05:00

steelhead trout

2010-05-18T22:38:00.002-05:00

this is just the trout smothered in herbs/spices and enough butter or olive oil to make it stick. then i broil it.

tiny doggies

2010-05-17T03:33:00.000-05:00

riding in the car to play with balls and/or fun in the sun

dafne's mouth is too small for this tennis ball

2010-05-12T03:33:00.000-05:00

but that? my friends, did not stop her.

springy!

2010-05-10T15:36:00.002-05:00

spring has sprouted this lovely purpley irish at the morgan ranch.

turner falls in okla*

2010-05-03T03:33:00.000-05:00

*homa

grillin'

2010-05-01T15:52:00.000-05:00

well, we finally got a new grill and i have therefore been going crazy. this is tabouleh salad, hummus, and grilled chicken with peppers and mushrooms. i am in love with the grill wok because you can just chuck everything in there are come up with excellent yumminess without even trying.

ps i took a little break due to my favorite aunt joanie dying. best aunt ever! my header has aunt joanie inspired shoes. zebra print is for winners.

blue messa gril

2009-11-05T03:33:00.001-06:00

we went to blue messa grill for karen ann's birthday. it was joanie, katie and becky FTW!

shrimp

2009-11-03T03:33:00.001-06:00

vurrah chunky guac

2009-11-01T02:33:00.001-06:00

because people like to say salsa.

mushroom and steak soup

2009-10-30T03:33:00.001-05:00

steak soup with mushrooms. this time i blenderized the mushroom and i love the texture of it with the beef roast in the crockpot all day with spices and onions and broth and or water. once it's cooked i take the beef out to cool, take the onions out to discard, saute the mushrooms while the meat is cooling. once the mushroom's water has cooked off, add some thickener (i use cornstarch) and cook for about a minute. chuck the mushrooms into the soup, stick blender the entire thing together, cut up the beef into bite sized pieces and put the chunks back in the soup, add some half and half or cream until your desired creaminess.

stuffed jalapeños

2009-10-28T03:33:00.004-05:00

stuffed jalapeños with mexican ground beef, cream cheese and sharp cheddar cheese. in the oven on aluminum foil for thirtyish minutes. all i can say is yummmmmm.

cactus omelette

2009-10-26T03:33:00.001-05:00

did you just say cactus omelette? yes. yes i did. matt wanted to try different omelettes and came up with a cactus omelette. so we got a jar of pickled cactus and tried it out. matt says it's actually yummy.

typical

2009-10-24T19:44:00.001-05:00

skirt steak taco

2009-10-04T21:35:00.001-05:00

so montana again... we went there. it was like almost two months ago BUT here are some pictures of skirt steak tacos we had one night. yummay!

i'll be your huckleberry

2009-10-03T21:31:00.001-05:00

well! we found huckleberries! in montana! at the top of the mountain! big mountain!

piiiiizzza!

2009-10-02T21:25:00.000-05:00

so, i get pretty excited about pizza. these gluten free crusts are a little tricky but i've started pre-cooking them before adding toppings and i think it's all figured out. i like simple pizza so my toppings are usually pretty close. and i have basil! yeah!

pork chops, schmork chops

2009-09-30T21:21:00.002-05:00

pork chops marinated in white whine and frozen. spiced with ginger, allspice, nutmeg, salt/pep, and cinnamon i like the pork to be seasoned a little on the "sweet side" if that makes sense. pan seared, finished in the oven. served with smashed potatoes and a pan gravy.

almost forgot!

2009-09-28T21:17:00.000-05:00

i came back from vacation to montana and found a lovely new plant in my vegetable drawer.

shrimp and broc

2009-09-27T21:11:00.000-05:00

we got cocktail shrimp at central market. let me tell you: they are AWESOME! so, i warmed them up with some butter, lots of spices including chives and capers. took the shrimp out of the pan, sauteed the shiratake noodles, and then let them come together at the end. served with lemon broccoli.

leftover steak salad

2009-09-25T21:08:00.000-05:00

leftover from the dinner, this lunch was the tops! added more artichoke hearts, tomatoes and avocado. deeeelish!

steak dinner

2009-09-23T21:01:00.001-05:00

sam's has the best steaks. they've started selling their huuuuuge tenderloin in easy to use fillets. they are yuuuuummy! their strips aren't bad either. anywhozzle, i pan seared the steak and then threw them in the oven on a cookie sheet lined with foil at 400 for 10ish minutes. while that's going i sauteed the mushrooms in the same pan until all the water's gone, added capers, artichokes and lastly the shiratake noodles. i call it steak scallopini. that may just be me though.

chicken curry

2009-09-22T20:52:00.000-05:00

chicken curry with red curry paste, coconut, chicken pieces and shiratake noodles. the key, i've found for me, is to add the paste over heat, get some caramelization, add chicken, then add some broth (any kind i have open in the fridge) and let the chicken kind of boil to get it really soft. one the chicken is mostly cooked, i added another curry sauce, then coconut milk. the heat will develop more as it sits.

oolong tea and becky's teapot

2009-09-20T08:46:00.000-05:00

we went to pf changs (holla gluten free menu!) and matt had oolong tea and he shared with yours truly. it. was. awesome. theeeen we went to the store (sprouts) and found some oolong tea there. not so great, sadly. our next try will be what the internet says is the brand that pf changs actually uses. keep your fingers crossed!

cauliflowers, lebanese style

2009-09-14T13:08:00.000-05:00

one of my favorite veggies? cauliflower. mmmmmm. i found a lebanese (sort of greeky as well) packet of cauliflower spices. it was super easy, just add a little oil and cook with the spices for ten minutes. spicy and delish! i served the cauliflower with chunks of chicken (i bought a huge package at sam's, processed them, cut them into bite sized chunks, and froze them for easy dinners. i'm so awesome.) the chicken was pretty simple... but went well with the spicy, tasty cauliflower.

you're it!

2009-08-14T09:51:00.008-05:00

i was tagged by the lovely jen from the lovely feeling better gluten free! yayee! and then i did the whole thing, here. and then the whole thing went away and i was sad... then i tried again and viola! finito!

so, you answer these questions with pictures:
1. What is your name.
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What is your hometown?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. What is your favorite movie?
6. What is your favorite drink?
7. What is your dream vacation?
8. What is your favorite dessert?
9. What is one word to describe yourself?
10. How are you feeling right now?
11. What do you love most in the world?
12. What do you want to be when you grow up?

and then you go to this thing and input your picture answers via the internet's vast array of pictures... it was actually quite interesting (except for the horrible going awayness of my pictures and losing all my pictures. sniffle)

now i'm supposed to "tag" people... no, you cannot be touching the safe, no tag tree in the backyard! (i asked) everyone can go ahead and do it if you like! BUT i'll tag (specifically):

robyn (who's pregnant, so must be tolerated in her meaness. and also, we like her)

sundey (whose answers will be cool. and also? don't click that link because she doesn't trust you. only me)

rashai (my international bloggy friend)

lindsay (because she's cute)

oh, and ps: i'm going to montana for my VACATION! for one week. try not to be too sad. up next, montana food! also? they have not invented the internet in montana (i'm pretty sure) therefore, i will be sans internet. *gasp!* BUT i did set up twitter... so i'll have a one sided convo going on. ex: just saw black bear. looks hungry.

buger kick continued

2009-08-11T06:33:00.000-05:00

potatoes and burger time!

2009-08-09T06:33:00.001-05:00

pizzaz! also, mmmmmm!

2009-08-07T06:33:00.001-05:00

nectarines and bahnahnah

2009-08-05T06:33:00.001-05:00

crockpot turkey

2009-08-03T04:47:00.001-05:00

lunch!

2009-07-28T19:11:00.001-05:00

for lunch i had tomatoes, mozz, MY OWN basil, the last remaining lamb dolma (not from that time, eew) and a dab of hummus. so yummy!

chili

2009-07-24T19:47:00.000-05:00

found some jarred chili that was gluten free. added meat and such. then served with polenta and ricotta cheese.

oven corn

2009-07-22T21:42:00.001-05:00

oven corn is the new black. i'm telling you, this is "the awesome" and you will cook corn this way forever! ok. so, you're making a tin foil packet of corn and butter or olive oil and spices. they go in the oven for 30 minutes at 350-400'F depends what else you have cooking. when they're reasonably soft, open the packet and broil the corn until they're browny and delicious (this is my cooking philosophy in a few words). the pan drippings (all the spices and herbs) are slathered all over the corn for spicy goodness. so great!

best meal ever!

2009-07-19T11:13:00.002-05:00

we found some artichokes at the grocery store. they were hidden but we found them. anywho, i looove artichokes. however, there is a artichoke controversy in the becky household. matt wants to boil them and i want to roast them in the oven because they are so very much better the way i make them. obviously. (he only checks this thing sporadically so i'll assume that i'll never be contradicted. this will be a one sided story. the right story. the end.) the way i do it is to cut the top off, scrape out the pointy bits, sprinkle with acid (lemon juice or i used rice wine vinegar), slather them with butter and herbs and spices and olive oil and stuff (mostly the first stuff i said). then i settle them all in a pan together, pour a little chicken broth on the bottom, tin foil the whole lot to keep in the steam, oven them at 400'F for 40minutes, take off the foil, turn over, reduce to 350'F and roast until the tops are browny and delicious.

the steak i pan seared (in a pan) until seared. then the pan goes in the oven to your desired doneness. this is by far the best way to do this thang. easy and delicious. then i made a red wine sauce with the pan drippings/browny bits.

oven chicken breasts

2009-07-15T11:43:00.001-05:00

skin on chicken breasts, smothered in herbs and a little olive oil, in the oven. simple, classic, wonderful.

what happens to corn tortillas in the crockpot?

2009-07-12T22:33:00.000-05:00

yeah, mooosh! that's what happens. good moosh, but moosh, nonetheless. chicken enchiladas with black olive, jalapenos and a lot of cheese. maybe i can cut back on the cooking time.

too much bacon?

2009-07-10T08:13:00.004-05:00

fingerling potatoes are the best thing ever! i've been ovening them with bacon (oven bacon is the other best thing ever!). have you tried oven bacon? oh, oven bacon, how i love thee! i do it for 15 minutes at 400'F, then twist the pan, then like another 15 minutes. depending on your desired level of crisp. be careful with the nitrate free bacon it only needs about half the time.

for the potatoes i do them at 350-400'F until they smell wonderful and have a little browning on the cut bottom. i keep bacon in the freezer, so i throw some on top while the potatoes are cooking, to thaw. when thawed, squish the potatoes to one side and cook the bacon flat like above. remove from oven when crispy. crumble bacon on top with sharp cheddar cheese and chives. then die happy.

shrimp and grits

2009-07-07T22:08:00.000-05:00

well, ok. it's actually polenta. mmmmm, polenta, shrimp, capers and parm cheese. i've found these already made tubes of polenta at the store. i dress it up by sauteing the polenta and adding milk or cream. deeeelish!

sal odd (cobb? sorta?)

2009-06-20T13:29:00.000-05:00

lookie what i gotted!

2009-06-18T13:23:00.000-05:00

matt's getting good at dollar bill origami

shrimp and floaties

2009-06-15T13:17:00.001-05:00

sunday at vovo's house. dafne loooooves the pool. and vovo made shrimp and corn and salad. it was super awesome and yummy!

general tso

2009-06-10T14:13:00.001-05:00

we purchased some miracle noodles. they are pretty good sub for noodles, esp with asian cuisine. and they're gluten free. chicken with asparagus and noodles.

ps i've been told this looks gross (it does) but it's really hard to get those noodles to look good, they're gross BUT they taste ok!

mother's house again

2009-06-08T18:12:00.000-05:00

flowers from mother's day (i made pie)

this was my plant in college, she now claims it as her own, pffft. i can take it back whenever i want, i have a key!

weird heads that my mother collects. this is so my mother. so.

shepherd's pie

2009-06-06T11:01:00.000-05:00

i made a shepherd's pie based on gordon ramsay's recipe. made some adjustments mainly added a lot of spice to the potato topping (ancho chili). i love that the top gets crispy. i also used beef instead of lamb. i made it for mother's day as well with venison. both delicious.

done

staaaarbucks

2009-06-04T10:55:00.000-05:00

i know, i know i'm late with this whole thing, but in my defense, i did eat this on like the 6th. so, there! for those of you who don't know yet, starbux now has a gluten free little cakey thing that's avaible in stores now! :)

chili

2009-06-02T09:42:00.000-05:00

this chili was fab. it had approximately one million different kinds of peppers all in there. i did it in the crockpot because well, crockpots are the best thing ever! it was sooooo yum! i just threw in some ground beef, tomato "stuff" like paste and crushed and sauce, the aforementioned numerous peppers (habeneros, jalapenos, um others that escape me), onions and i think that is all.

cuppacakes

2009-06-01T10:41:00.000-05:00

i am in love with cupcakes. it seems like every time i try to make any gf cakes/bread/whatev they aren't done in the middle. cupcakes have done me proud.

seafood

2009-05-21T14:49:00.002-05:00

zucchini

2009-05-19T15:42:00.002-05:00

candies from the bunny

2009-05-17T22:41:00.001-05:00

doggies: the sun is back

2009-05-15T11:43:00.001-05:00

birdies in the windah

2009-05-13T19:38:00.002-05:00

this is my mother's house. she won all those awards. she's real cool. she doesn't ever read this blog, so just in case you see her in real life: she's really short. you should tell her about the fact that she's short. she'll think it's funny.

sweet potatah fries

2009-05-11T09:33:00.000-05:00

breakfast sammich

2009-05-09T10:32:00.001-05:00

i made matt a bfast sammich. it was too cute not to post. all english muffiny and everything.

fruit (and frozen custard)

2009-05-07T13:23:00.001-05:00

i got some frozen vanilla custard with strawberris and bananas. the custard was from some sort of new hotdog place by my parent's house. turns out there's nothing other than custard there that's g-f. score for me! i know you can hardly see the custard but it was just enough to be fabulous.

chicken enchiladas (cinco de mayo style)

2009-05-05T08:43:00.002-05:00

chicken enchiladas in the crockpot!!! yay! let's see, i boiled the chicken in water with a whole lotta spices (pepper corns, bay leaves, onions and garlic). shred the chicken and assemble with sour cream, tortillas (corn or flour), rotel, and cheese in two equal layers. crockpot it for like four hours. so easy, so yum!

lunch meat salad

2009-05-03T07:29:00.001-05:00

we had some dangerously close to being "questionable" lunch meat in the fridge so i whipped it up in a salad for my lunch. salami, turkey, strawberries, baby corn (best salad topping ever), with romaine and dipping oil (which had olive oil, balsamic vinegar and herbs) for the dressing.

whole crockpot chicken

2009-05-01T14:16:00.002-05:00

just chuck a whole chicken (generously seasoned) on a bed of veg (i usually use onions, garlic and carrots) in the crockpot and let it go. i've done it twice so far and i think i like breast meat down. i suppose you could flip it... but i don't have that kind of time, really. come home to moist wonderful chicken and drippings to make a quick gravy. i made smashed potatoes with roasted garlic (have you made some yet? you're welcome). so easy and wonderful.

bread pasta

2009-04-30T17:04:00.006-05:00

so, i've had to eat wheat for two weeks (i think we're now getting into three... grrrr). so that sucks beyond your imagination! BUT i got to have "real" honest to goodness pizza, from nick's if you're wondering.

nick's also has amazing garlic rolls, sooo we had to get some of those as well. (wheat is sneaky and multiplies when you're not looking). what do you do with leftover rolls, you ask? make bread pasta. i think i originally got this idea from (rachael ray) eep. but eh, it's yummo regardless.

saute bread with spices and some evoo (i can't stop myself). i also added some spicy olive pizza topping. and then some tomato sauce to finish. it's bready, its crispy, its chewy, it's tender, it's [insert annoying pet name for bread here]. "how good is that?" ya know, for someone who's ashamed of having a rachael ray recipe you sure do know a lot of her catch phrases... you know what? you shut up.

osaka

2009-04-28T21:51:00.002-05:00

mentioned in eat this!'s prestigious best foods of 2009 osaka sushi lives up to it's name! hee hee. let's see. best sushi buffet ever. on this plate: green beans with carrots and sesame seeds, cali roll, some sort of crab roll, salmon roll, salmon sashimi, crab salad roll, and probably a crunch roll. mmmmm. it's such a great way to find out how you like your sushi. at dinner they even have a scallop volcano roll which you have to try because it will change. your. life. (or at least your sushi experience)

spice cake

2009-04-26T08:43:00.001-05:00

ya know those bananas that have been mocking me? i got them again, they're in this delightfully teensy spice cake (namaste mix). this little cake was heavenly! i added three (?) frozen brown bananas and used milk for the liquid. quick tip: freeze your brown bananas for cakes, thank me later.

pork, pork, rice and beans

2009-04-24T14:37:00.001-05:00

another one of my mother's favorite things to make is "lombo de porco." or fer us 'mericans, pork loin. she used to make me grill this in the wind and rain and possible killer pointed hail. i braised this loin in the oven for about an hour, let it rest. then served perched on black beans and rice. then crumbled bacon (from the beans) with chives on top.

baked ziti part deux

2009-04-22T13:11:00.000-05:00

made baked ziti again with the brown rice spirals only. matt conceded that they were super delicious. i love baked ziti! so cheesey and wonderful.

simple dinner

2009-04-20T15:24:00.000-05:00

did i mention i love cabbage? well, i do. sautéed for a bit to caramelize the edges (add a little water/broth to soften at the begining), served with cube steak al a karenann and tx basmati rice. did i also mention i love this rice? and it's gluten free? well, it is and i do.

stuffed cabbage

2009-04-18T16:08:00.001-05:00

we made stuffed cabbage with ground beef and tomato sauce. matt got the recipe from his step-mom judy. i love cabbage all by itself so this recipe had to be recipied. they were filling and a little sweet at the same time. served over tx basmati rice.

bananas

2009-04-14T19:53:00.000-05:00

we've been getting a lot more bananas lately (and oddly enough, i haven't had as many cravings for jelly coconuts). i hate brown bananas, so i've been trying to figure out something to do with them. i've frozen them for banana bread (still to come) but what else? saute them up with a little brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. finish them with a dollop of cream cheese. mmmmm!

smoked salmon salad

2009-04-12T11:01:00.000-05:00

smoked salmon salad with hot baby corn, romaine and sun dried tomatoes. this salad was divine!

roses

2009-04-10T17:43:00.001-05:00

flowers from matty pac

cupcakes

2009-04-08T19:38:00.002-05:00

mmmm, cupcakes! i made these from a muffin mix by namaste. i used milk instead of water for the mix and they were moist and delish. i packed them up in a zippy and stashed them in the fridge along with some icing for later. they were good with breakfast plain or for dessert with the awesome icing i got from shelly! (who i miss already!)

banana bread

2009-04-06T21:33:00.000-05:00

seasoned asparagus

2009-04-04T11:22:00.000-05:00

chicken spring rolls

2009-04-03T20:34:00.000-05:00

i am in love with the vietnamese salad rolls at pei wei! they are so awesome (and with the sweet chili sauce they're gluten free). so i gave them a shot at home a la bec. they were pretty good. the rice wraps are pretty easy to work with and the ingredients pretty much speak for themselves. i would not do the snow peas or the sprouts because they did not make for elegant biting. i would also marinate the carrots a little longer in the rice wine vinegar.

a slice is nice

2009-04-03T20:01:00.000-05:00

can you say "a slice is nice" without an italian accent? i can't, that's for sure! especially with the tiny little chef on the box. matt got a slice o' pizza from the new market street which i knew about because of my mother (thanks mom). anywho, i love it!

chinese-ish beef and veg with rice

2009-03-26T13:32:00.001-05:00

cubed beef sauteed with pepper and salt, snow peas, and texas jasmine rice made with garlic and chicken stock (g-f). i used the sunbird beef and broccoli seasoning with bragg's amino's (g-f) instead of soy sauce. i used to love when my mother made cubed beef and i can't believe it has been soooo long since i've had this beef.

pot -ah- toes!

2009-03-23T13:19:00.001-05:00

potatoes al a bec, with tomatoes, chives, cream cheese and a whole lotta spices. so great!

hummus and dolmas (yes again!)

2009-03-22T18:26:00.002-05:00

another lebanese night! i guess we can now classify that we are officially on a "kick." a lebanese inspired "kick." and it is awesome. i'm even planning a hummus with oven roasted garlic. doesn't that sound like possibly the best thing ever? doesn't it?

also? if you've never roasted garlic do it right this moment! take a head of garlic and a medium square-ish piece of aluminum foil. then get together some spices. wrap it up with olive oil and all the spices you can imagine. pop it in the oven for oh, i don't know, like a few hours at like 350ish. until they're squishy and darker and they smell like awesome.

so we had lamb dolmas, hummus and pita (matt) slash rice crackers (me=g-f). so yum, easy to make and pretty healthy.

flameeng chiz

2009-03-20T13:42:00.002-05:00

we sometimes frequent local eateries in an attempt to enjoy a "night on the town" so to speak. we did just that a little while ago and were inspired to create our own el fenix ap in the privacy of our own couch.

inspired by el fenix, i present for your viewing/noshing pleasure: zee flameeng chiz! mexican melting cheese and chorizo sausage served with (what else?) chips (g-f). actually, you could use flour or corn (g-f) tortillas which is nice as well if slightly more messy- you will not believe the grease that comes off the sausage! even after draining! yowza!). the meat and schiz were purchased at a little place i like to call sprouts.

on a g-f note, the waiter was super helpful with my "dietary needs.*" he checked the seasoning for the steak and something else that i ate and it was all wonderful and non-reacty.

*i don't really know why "dietary needs" is in quotes. i felt it needed quotes.

stuffed peppahs

2009-03-19T13:22:00.004-05:00

i love peppers! the orange are my favorite, then yellow and then red (you totally wanted to know that!). also, i don't acknowledge that green peppers are even edible, somebody obv picked them too soon in an effort to make a dollah.

i present to you yellow peppers stuffed with rice vermicelli, ground beef, allspice, pepper and salt. covered in tomato sauce before the oven and then provolone perched a top when they come out of the oven. they were ok. my main change with this foray into pepper-dome was to cut the peppers vertically instead of horizontally. i am into the change.

steak salad

2009-03-18T16:53:00.000-05:00

steak salad with leftover steak, tiny mozz balls, baby !hot! pickled corn (mmmmm), tomatoes and romaine. covered in spices and vinaigrette. what a yummy use of leftovers! yummy!

fiyaaahh

2009-03-08T20:01:00.001-05:00

stuff it!

2009-03-06T19:26:00.001-06:00

mushrooms that is... ha! stuffed with bacon, mozzarella cheese, mushroom stems and minced onions. de... lightful!

gluten-free stuff (that doesn't suck)

2009-03-02T20:04:00.001-06:00

best cookies evah! i need to know how to make them in real life.
pizza
yogurt (this is awesome for everyone! try it! that kid sure likes it!)
buffalo jerky
muffins (i read a review that was negative about this mix. i used milk as my liquid. they were moist and delish. next time i want to add bananas)
rice (i made garlic rice with this and wow!)
rice puff cereal
pasta
quinoa (there's a recipe for tabbouleh on the back!)

hummus, tabbouleah and cauliflower

2009-02-26T23:04:00.002-06:00

lebanese night continues... i made tabbouleh with wheat and with no wheat (not pictured), hummus and sauteed cauliflower (which is officially the best veg ever). the hummus is served with paprika and olive oil. matt had pita bread with his and i, i was sad that i didn't get any wheaty breadness. BUT the cauliflower, which matt's not a huge fan of, made up for the lack of pita.

dolmas with lamb and rice (and grape leaves!)

2009-02-24T22:32:00.008-06:00

we had a lebanese night because we got our new lebanese cookbook. i love dolmas. these are the lamb and rice dolmas and they were delish. the coolest part, i think, is that you don't have to cook the rice beforehand.

i did a pound of lamb for these and cooked them in our biggest saute pan. line the pan with extra/broken/bullet riddled grape leaves and place a couple plates on top of everything to keep the packages tight and to hold in the steam. i also put some aluminum foil on top because this pan doesn't have a top.

recipe from lebanese cuisine by madelain farab

fish tacos (part deux)

2009-02-15T14:13:00.002-06:00

matt loves fish tacos and we've been trying to get the right for some time. this time i looked up a recipe from rubio's in cali. i used palauch fish and a "fish fry" batter instead of the beer batter. the yogurt sauce made the whole thing i think. plus green cabbage and salsa. they were delicious! and here is a ~~shark's jaw bone~~ piece of cabbage. watch out!

2009-02-14T21:03:00.001-06:00

happy ♥day!

luuuurve to ehrvraone!

chowdah

2009-02-13T18:12:00.005-06:00

veggie chowdah, folks, is a hearty ice week meal. hearty. i love soup. so i simmered chicken broth with potatoes, two different kinds of mushrooms and onions (i stick blendered (i love stick blenders) the onions and mushrooms somewhat after sauteing them). where was i? oh yes, simmer stuff together. then in the other pan (there's another pan) make a roux with your choice of flour. i used somesort of gluten-free flour and butter and/or olive oil. cook the paste until cooked. add your choice of dairy product (halfandhalf, milk, cream, whatevs) to the roux, you want about half as much creamyness as brothyness. once smooth, no "flour" lumps, add some sharp cheddar cheese. when that melts put the broth mix and the cream mix together. add fresh (or canned) corn. enter into sublime soupness.

lebanese meat pies

2009-02-10T21:51:00.001-06:00

i love making dough and little pockets of stuff. so... meat pies are awesome.

i used ground lamb, pinoli nuts, onions and lots of spices all sauteed up.

and here are the cute triangle meat packages.

gluten has bested me once again

2009-02-09T16:53:00.004-06:00

ok, so as many of you already know (ha!) i have recently come to the conclusion that i am at the very least gluten intolerant. ug.

i am going to be trying to figure this all out when it comes to eating and cooking. i will probably still make gluten-y stuff for my family and possibly matt (every night) so don't be dismayed. i'll be dismayed for you. and in the same vein... if you stumble across this blog in your gluten-free adventures please be aware that i still like to cook for other people. not everything will be kosher or whatever equivalent gluten-free word.

i'm totally bummed but it's really great to finally know what has been causing all the trouble. i now know the enemy and it's name is stupid wheat.

i am also going to try to post cool g-f stuff i find because i think that will be helpful to me. like this pizza! feel free to buy me one next time you're out. i've been looking for possible restaurants in our vicinity as well. so far jinbeh was very helpful in revising their menu to fit my sad needs. crapdonald's is stupid and i hate them even more (surprise, late at night coming home from the hospital, not a good time to have fries... i don't even go there. ever! turns out minimum wage employees don't care that french fries might contain wheat). i will carry on. (don't go there! they are mean!)

apple strudel-y something

2009-02-07T08:52:00.006-06:00

i use pears or apples (i don't remove the apple skins!) you can add whole cranberries as well. the fruit gets tossed with some lemon or lime and a bit of honey or maple syrup. the topping consists of oats, a little bit of flour, brown sugar and butter chunks sprinkled all over and sort of packed in around the fruit. when you check on it while it's cooking, if you see any dry oats, just poke them down into the bubbling juice or add another little chunk of butter to that spot. it's done when the top is bubbly and delightfully browned. i usually serve with cream or yogurt because i find the ice cream is too sweet. it's very good warm.

huuuuge shrimp

2009-02-04T20:19:00.000-06:00

picture this: i was at sam's, browsing the seafood section, and i saw two packages of shrimp. they were huge. i glanced around me, surprisingly, there were no crowds of adoring shrimp fans pressed around me... i snatched a package up and into my cart feeling lucky to have gotten away unscathed. then i got home and fired up the grill. i meant to eat all six shrimp before matt got home, him none the wiser... but i was quickly foiled, the shrimp were too big and too good. i had to save some. when he walked in the door, i said, "look what i made for your after work snack!"

roasted acorn squash (with honey)

2009-02-02T17:16:00.001-06:00

spinach mushroom pasta

2009-01-31T17:04:00.001-06:00

contents= pasta, mushrooms, spinach, pepperoni, marinara sauce and artichoke hearts. mmmm... pasta