In February of 2013, we lost a great man. Ken's uncle, Don Jacobs, was much loved and will be missed. He was stricken with ALS, officially diagnosed in October 2012. It is still hard to believe how quickly he slipped away. More thoughts/memories follow the recipe.
We will remember Uncle Don for many things, but one of my favorite memories was his ability to whip up a quick batch of chocolate chip cookies while we were visiting. He inspired me, early on, to memorize the same recipe he used (Toll House) and to be able to make a batch while carrying on a conversation so that guests hardly noticed what was happening until lovely, warm cookies appeared before them, just like Don did for us. Uncle Don's Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted to be GF) 2 1/4 cups flour (I use 1 1/4 cup brown rice flour, 1/2 cup potato starch, 1/2 cup tapioca starch, and 1 tsp xantham gum in place of wheat flour) 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 3/4 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1 cup butter chocolate chips 1. Soften butter. Add sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until well combined. 2. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add to the previously combined ingredients. Mix well. Add chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed. 3. Place by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Dear Uncle Don, I don’t understand why it has to end this way for you. I would have pictured you going in another way – you have always been so vigorous and capable and strong. I find it particularly cruel that YOU have been stricken with this disease, as I have never known you to hold still for more than 5 minutes. Now you can’t move at all. I want you to know how I will remember you, because I can’t align how you look now, your physical shell, with the man you actually are, with your soul. I will not remember you stripped of your faculties as you have been for this tiny percentage of your life, but rather as you have been for the 18 years I have known you. You were the first of Ken’s family that I ever met. Because you lived here in the Boston area, we could visit often. I met you just a few months after Ken and I had met. I think of us, showing up on the doorstep of one of your beautiful homes, the two of us dressed in thrift shop khakis and corduroys, fleece and hiking boots, Ken’s homemade hats, two college kids who had the world figured out. I remember you with your open arms and your lack of judgment. You always seemed interested in what we had to say, always encouraged us. You have always been an incredible host, a wonderful cook, a fantastic conversationalist. It was never awkward. You became part of our story. I can’t recall our early days of dating without thinking of you. You and your family embraced us like one of your own kids. You and Ken bear an uncanny resemblance to one another, and it was always definitely “family time” when we got together. You were one of the first in the family to know that Ken planned to propose to me. Never, at least to our faces, did you question that choice, even though we were young, even though we weren’t through college yet, even though we had just met. I remember support. I remember celebration. I remember you and your family at the wedding, joining in with us. We visited fairly often over the years. Sometimes we babysat your youngest daughter, other times we celebrated holidays together. Sometimes we just stopped by, just because. We were always welcome. We brought the boys to visit when they were new babies. You came up to see our first house. We spent Thanksgivings together. When we decided to move to Turkey, you expressed concern, but encouraged and supported us despite that concern. You were kind and generous in spirit, even though you didn’t always understand our choices. When we came home for summer visits, we always made time to see each other. And in the time that we’ve been back, just over a year and a half now, we have had the privilege of multiple visits. Even though our visits over the years have been in a number of homes, under a number of circumstances, this is how I see you: standing in the kitchen, cooking (and talking) up a storm, pouring me a glass of wine (you always had a bottle of white chilled when I came over), putting out yet more and more crackers and cheese, chips and salsa, veggies and dip, teasing the boys, but pampering them with special seats in your leather chairs and movies on demand, letting them eat in the living room. (Remember how Patrick ate salad at your house? And loved it? It’s the only salad he’s ever eaten gleefully like that.) I will always see you standing over a mixing bowl, making chocolate chip cookies, or preparing a pan of roasted asparagus, or getting a steak ready to throw on the grill. You, on your feet, talking, cooking, laughing, joking. That’s how I choose to remember you. Even now, I have dreams that you are talking to me, you have your legs and your voice back. You can swallow and eat again. And in my dreams, I am so happy to see that you’ve been restored. When I wake up and I know it’s not true, I remember to pray. I pray that on the other side of this nightmare, you will have peace and comfort again, an end to this illness, and an end to this grief. We love you. Thanks for the memories. You will be remembered in our home with spontaneous cookie baking, a glass of wine on a Sunday afternoon, a dash of herbs de Provence on a pan of asparagus drizzled with olive oil. You will be remembered in the beautiful places where we met up from time to time: Newburyport, Portsmouth, downtown Boston. You will be remembered by a nephew, his wife, and their two sons who so enjoyed time with you. You will be remembered by Noah, who sleeps with your leather flight bag next to his bed, your books and tapes and headphones arranged on his bedroom shelves. You will be remembered into the future, and even more so when we will try to meet our college-aged sons with the same lack of judgment and the same unconditional love and hospitality that you extended to Ken and me. This is for sure: You will never be forgotten. Thanks for the memories. We look forward to hanging out again one day.
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I'm not a big fan of using artificial sweeteners (too much concerning research), but for some people, it is a choice of the lesser of two evils - insulin-spiking sugar or questionable artificial substitutes. I have made one sugar-free cake, and one with organic cane sugar, and both received rave reviews. (Splenda has been shown to wipe out a number of the good bacteria living in your gut, so bear that in mind if you use it on a regular basis.) To keep the carbohydrate grams down, substitute the sugar with a sweetener such as Splenda (I used 2/3 a cup) and the cookie crumb crust with chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds. Or skip the crust altogether.
To change the flavor, add lemon juice OR almond extract instead of vanilla extract. I left my cheesecake pan in Turkey, so have been making do with a 9-inch round cake pan, but a cheesecake pan is best. (I plan to buy one just as soon as I have a house, which should be very soon now.) The secret to really, really good cheesecake is to make it at least 12 hours before you want to eat it. Let it cool to room temp, then refrigerate for as long as possible, at least 8 hours if you can. Ingredients: Crust: 1 1/2 cups of crushed cookies (I have used gluten-free grahams and gingersnaps) OR 1 1/2 cups crushed nuts 4 Tbsp softened butter Filling: 2 pounds (4 blocks) softened cream cheese 1 cup sugar 4 large eggs 1 cup sour cream 2 Tbsp cornstarch 1 tsp vanilla 1. Mix crumbs and soft butter until well blended. Press into the bottom of the cake pan. 2. Beat cream cheese and sugar on high until creamy. Add eggs and beat until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. 3. Pour filling over crust. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Check it by gently shaking it - if it still looks jiggly in the middle, give it another 10 minutes. It should be lightly browned. Top, if desired, with whatever you want - fresh fruit? Pie filling? Chocolate? Whipped cream? I was out with my 9-year-old yesterday, and we were chatting about this and that. We talked about his day at school (he nearly stepped in a puddle of vomit in the hallway, and he changed lunch tables so that he didn't have to sit next to the annoying girls who like Justin Bieber), his passionate love of geckos. Eventually the conversation turned to things we were missing about Turkey (friends, our apartment, walking to the mall). He said, "You know, Mom, when we lived in Turkey, I thought I missed American food so much. But now that we're in America, I don't really like American food anymore. I miss Turkish food. It's better. Except for American candy. Well, only candy that isn't chocolate. Turkish chocolate is SO much better than Hershey's." This coming from a boy who couldn't wait to get back to American food, and often listed it as one of the things he missed most while overseas.
When I asked him which foods he missed in particular, he mentioned the red lentil soup (the recipe I blogged a few days ago), but other things, like the recipe below, kebab, rice cooked just right, casseroles. Interestingly, he also mentioned missing the "substitutes" that I had learned to spin up from scratch - for instance, breakfast sausage made from ground beef, but spiced so that it tasted like "American" breakfast sausage. He asked me, specifically, if I could make kofte, or meatballs, soon, so I will make them tonight. Typically, these meatballs would be made with stale bread as a binder. You would remove the crust from 4 slices of white bread, soak it in water, squeeze it dry, and crumble into the meat mixture. To simplify, and keep low carb, I will make these without a binder, though gluten free bread might work, as would rice crumbs. Ingredients 1 pound ground beef 1 large onion, grated (the grating of the onion, while a bit tedious, is very important in this recipe) 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp salt black pepper dash of cayenne or crushed red pepper, if you like spicy 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (optional) 1. Place all ingredients in a bowl. Knead with hands until well combined. 2. Form into ovals, about 3 inches by 2 inches. Flatten gently with your fingers. 3. Fry in a skillet, broil, or grill. 4. Serve with rice, fresh salad, grilled vegetables, and plain yogurt. Mexican food seems to be one of my favorite ethnic foods category to massacre. I know that most of what I make is nowhere near authentic, but it's so fun to experiment. It seems to be a family of food that no one in our family tires of, and it lends itself so nicely to using fresh ingredients. I developed this recipe after eating at a Mexican restaurant and noticing how much everyone enjoyed the shredded chicken tacos. The key is long, slow cooking to get the chicken to the point of shred-ability. During the longer cooking period, there is ample time for the chicken to absorb the taste of the spices and herbs. I might try in the future with a splash of lime juice and some fresh cilantro added to the mix.
I also tried to make refried beans that tasted a little more like the restaurant version. I have found that the secret to this is using a food processor (or a VitaMix in my case) to make a nice, fine puree. That recipe is also below. The shredded chicken could easily be prepared in a crock pot using the recipe below. I would just put everything directly into the crock pot raw, cook at a low setting for 6-8 hours or a high setting for 3-4 hours. Shredded Chicken Tacos Ingredients: 1/2 onion, chopped 3-4 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp salt 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp paprika or chili powder black pepper 1/4 cup chopped green chilies, if desired 2-4 Tbsp olive oil 4 chicken breast halves 1 can diced tomatoes with juice OR 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes 3/4 cup water or chicken broth 1. Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for 5-10 minutes. 2. Add all spices and cook until aromatic. 3. Add chicken breasts, whole. Cook until slightly browned on both sides. 4. Add tomatoes, green chilies, and water. Turn down heat. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1-2 hours. 5. Shred the chicken with a fork and knife. It should fall apart very easily at this point. Serve on a bed of fresh greens with all of the normal taco fixin's - sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa, guacamole - whatever you like. Also delicious ladled over rice. I served this with crunchy corn tortillas for the family. Restaurant-Style Refried Beans 2 cans of beans - I like to use a combination of 1 can of pinto and a 2nd can of either black or kidney 2 Tbsp olive oil 1/4 cup water 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp garlic, minced or powder 1. Put all ingredients into a food processor or blender. Run until smooth. If needed, add another 1/4 cup of water. The beans will look runny at this point, but you will cook off the extra moisture in the next step, at which point they will thicken up. 2. Put in a sauce pan and heat over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring often, until hot. This is one of those dinner creations born out of digging around in the freezer and the pantry and asking What can I make that won't require a trip to the grocery store? I found a few things and threw them in the crock pot this morning on low. It smells great. Like most crock pot recipes, this could be done on the stove over higher heat in less time, but I would still allow 2 hours or so for simmering.
Ingredients 4 chicken breasts, on the bone 1 large can diced tomatoes 2 tsp crushed garlic 1 tsp basil 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp salt black pepper 1 bay leaf Optional: Mushrooms, green peppers, chopped onions... Put it all in the crock pot. Stir. Turn heat to low and cook for 8-10 hours. Serve over rice or steamed vegetables. As I've discussed in previous posts, the crock pot is an ideal tool for cooking meats of all kinds. One of the major advantages is that it cooks meats at an optimal temperature - around 180 degrees - for avoiding the mangling of the protein and fat molecules which would occur at higher temperatures. It's not saturated fat or animal protein that will make you fat, cause heart disease, or diabetes (though that's what we've heard since the 60s) but rather fats and proteins (animal OR vegetable) that have been processed/damaged/altered to the point which our bodies don't recognize them. This causes inflammation within the body, which, based on emerging scientific evidence, is the actual precursor to many diseases. (Carbohydrates play a role in inflammation, as well. More on that later.)
For this reason, it's a good idea to avoid some of the following as part of your daily diet: deep fried anything, ANY vegetable oil (corn, soy, canola, etc.) as the fats are highly damaged in the processing, and heavily processed meats, such as those containing nitrates and nitrites (bacon, sausage, hot dogs). You can find better options, but it takes a lot of label reading, making a trip to the grocery store a longer commitment than you may be able to make. That's why it's a good idea to stick to things that don't need labels; choosing grass-fed, pastured, humanely raised meats (they have a much healthier fatty acid profile, among other things); and buying organic produce as much as possible. Remember: You'll either pay for it now in your grocery bill, or pay for it later in prescription meds and loss of quality of life. This recipe is taken from a cookbook entitled Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann. I chose this recipe because it doesn't require browning the roast before putting it in the crock pot, handy for a busy day. I served green beans on the side. Ingredients 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/2 tsp paprika 3-4 pounds boneless chuck roast (or whatever you have in the freezer) 1 large onion, cut into wedges 2-3 carrots, cut into generous chunks 2-3 parsnips, sweet potatoes, turnips - whatever your preference, or add all 3 4 potatoes, cut into generous wedges (skip the potatoes if you eat lower carb and add extra root veggies from list above) 1 cup water or beef broth 1. Combine salt, pepper, and paprika. Rub all sides of the meat with this mixture. 2. Put the vegetables in the slower cooker. Place the meat on top. Pour water or broth over everything. 3. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-9 hours. I got a hankering for alfredo sauce a few weeks ago. Just one of those cravings that comes out of the blue. I probably saw a jar of alfredo sauce in the grocery store or something - I can't say where it began. But at some point, I found myself actually picking up a jar, thinking it might be a nice idea...until I read the ingredients label:
Water, Cream, Parmesan Cheese Blend (Granular And Parmesan Cheese [Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes], Water, Salt, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid), Cornstarch, Egg Yolks, Roasted Garlic, Contains 2% Or Less Of: Butter, Sherry Cooking Wine, Salt, Soybean Oil, Romano Cheese Blend (Granular And Romano Cheese [Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes], Water, Whey, Salt), Sugar, Garlic*, Spice, Enzyme, Gum Arabic, Guar Gum, Natural Flavor. Contains: Milk, Egg. *Dried Nothing too offensive (other than it's all been highly processed in order to be shelf-stable), until you get down to the soybean oil (I avoid any form of soy in my family's diet for a number of reasons), mysterious "enzyme" (?), gum arabic, and guar gum. Yum. Then there is the "natural flavor", which, in some cases can be MSG. I put the jar calmly on the shelf, backed away, and decided to get the ingredients to make my own, instead. This is a super simple sauce - no roux or thickeners required - because it uses cream cheese, a trick I learned in Turkey from an ex-pat friend as a simpler option for making homemade mac and cheese. You can literally have a nice, warm, creamy sauce, ready to serve, in about 15 minutes with very little effort. To keep this meal low-carb and high-veggie, I served the sauce over spaghetti squash topped with sauteed veggies. (I served it to the boys over brown rice rotini with carrots and cukes on the side to accomodate their...um...discerning tastes.) The richness of the Alfredo sauce paired with the crunchy-freshness of the various vegetables made for a meal that didn't feel too heavy but was very satisfying. In the future, I would like to try some variations on this theme by adding fresh herbs or maybe diced sundried tomatoes to the sauce. Ingredients 1 block of cream cheese or Neufchatel (do not use fat-free or low-fat cream cheese as they don't heat well) 1 cup of milk 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup grated Parmesan 2 cloves minced garlic 1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt 1. Heat the butter over medium heat in a sauce pan. When melted, add milk, garlic, and salt. Stir and allow to warm. 2. Add entire block of cream cheese. Using a whisk, stir occasionally as it warms. Whisk it thoroughly to remove lumps. 3. Add in Parmesan cheese and stir well. Keep on warm burner until ready to serve. Also reheats nicely in a day or two. 4. Serve over spaghetti squash or pasta. If you are using spaghetti squash, start it about 1 hour before you want to eat. To prepare spaghetti squash, cut in half and place skin-side-up on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Place in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes, then flip over and using a fork, scrape out strands. Veggie Saute: I used onions, garlic, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, and grated carrots. Saute in a generous amount of olive oil over medium heat while your sauce simmers. A rainy Saturday with nowhere in particular to go after a week of running around nonstop, plus struggling, as a family, with various colds and severe allergies, puts me in the mood for soup. The mystery of soup and its healing qualities is one I do not at all understand, but that I sincerely believe in. Today I want something that will be rich in vitamins, smooth and creamy, with some fresh ginger involved. This recipe is adapted from a Molly Katzen recipe, but modified both to make preparation more streamlined, and based on what I had available in the fridge and pantry.
This soup turned out exactly as I had hoped - a wonderful balance of sweet and savory, with a creamy richness that I couldn't believe resulted from a dairy-free recipe. Knowing that we are getting a nice dose of vitamins and minerals from the carrots and potatoes, in addition to the myriad of health benefits from eating ginger, adds to the pleasure. All in all, this took about 30 minutes to make, start to finish. Not bad for a whole-foods-based, non-processed, nutrient-rich lunch. Ingredients 1 onion, chopped 2 Tbsp olive oil and/or butter 2 cloves minced garlic 2 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated 1 tsp salt A dash of any or all of the following: cumin, dried mint, fennel seed, black pepper, cinnamon 4 cups water 1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped into pennies 1-2 small potatoes, peeled and chopped (I would have used sweet potatoes if had them) 2 Tbsp lemon juice 1. In a large saucepan, saute onion in oil over medium heat. After the onion softens, add garlic, ginger, salt, and seasonings. Let cook for 5 minutes more. While that cooks, boil 4 cups of water in a kettle. Peel and chop carrots and potatoes. 2. Add water, carrots, and potatoes to the pan. Stir and let cook for 15 minutes, or until carrots are soft. Add the lemon juice. 3. Blend using an immersion blender, or run through a regular blender or food processor. Soup should be smooth and creamy. Okay, I know it sounds weird. But seriously. You have to try this. Known as "high mountain pasture" soup, this is a winter-time staple in Turkish cuisine. It's another one of those things that I turned my nose up at initially but eventually learned to love. Last winter, we had it at least twice a week. The original recipe calls for wheat flour, which I have found can be substituted for with potato starch or corn starch. Sometimes I skip the flours/starches altogether, and don't notice much of a difference. The original recipe calls for 1/3 cup of white rice, but I only throw in 1 or 2 tablespoons. We have found we prefer it with less. For you dairy-consuming vegetarians, substitute the bone stock with vegetable stock or water with a little butter and salt added.
Do not skip the final steps for garnish - they complete this soup! Ingredients 6 cups beef stock or chicken broth 1-2 Tbsp rice 3 Tbsp butter 2 cups yogurt (plain, whole fat) 1 Tbsp corn starch, potato starch, or wheat flour 2 egg yolks 1 tsp salt Garnish: 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup dried mint 1. Bring stock to boil. Add rice and butter. Simmer over low heat until rice is well cooked (20 minutes). 2. Mix yogurt, starch or flour, and egg yolks together in a bowl. Add salt. Stir into boiling broth and rice, and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Soup should have a creamy consistency. 3. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add mint. Heat for 1 minute. 4. Ladle soup into a bowl, then drizzle butter/mint dressing over the top. Enjoy! With a nice salad or oven roasted veggies, makes a great, satisfying meal. Last week a friend and I went to a Greek restaurant for lunch. One of the menu items was moussaka, but it wasn't gluten free so we didn't try it. It did, however, jog my memory regarding this recipe I used to make pre-children, particularly back in our vegetarian days. It comes from the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen, my all-time favorite tome for vegetarian fare. The only change I will make is to make it gluten free by using a different thickener for the Bechamel sauce and rice crumbs rather than bread crumbs.
Moussaka in this case (as opposed to the Turkish moussaka I blogged in a previous post) is a casserole comprised of vegetables and two different sauces - a tomato-based sauce and a creamy white Bechamel sauce. Where the Turkish version I blogged is quick and easy, this casserole version takes some extra time and attention. You will be pre-baking sliced eggplant, as well as making 2 entirely different sauces from scratch. To save time, use a tomato based sauce from a jar rather than making the mushroom sauce described in this recipe. If you must have meat, ground beef or lamb can be added to the tomato sauce. As I remember it, this recipe is well worth the effort. Ingredients 3 Eggplants salt Tomato-Mushroom Sauce 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 cups chopped onion 1 tsp salt 1 1/2 pounds chopped mushrooms 5 cloves of garlic, minced 1 can of diced tomatoes 1 6-oz can tomato paste 1 tsp cinnamon black pepper to taste 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp basil 1/2 cup rice crumbs 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese Bechamel Sauce 3 Tbsp butter 6 Tbsp rice flour OR potato starch 2 1/2 cups hot milk 1/2 cup grated Parmesan nutmeg Eggplant: 1. Slice eggplants into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Sprinkle with salt on both sides and place in a colander in layers. Let sit for 20 minutes. Rinse and pat dry when done. 2. Oil a baking sheet. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread slices on the baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes. Set aside. Mushroom-Tomato Sauce: 1. Heat olive oil in a deep skillet. Add onions and salt; saute for 8-10 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic. Stir and cover. (If you want to add ground meat, do it here.) Cook for 8-10 minutes over medium heat. 2. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer uncovered for 12-15 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in bread crumbs and Parmesan. Set aside. Bechamel Sauce: 1. Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan over low heat. Whisk in 4 Tbsp of the flour or starch. Cook for several minutes, whisking steadily. 2. Slowly pour in hot milk and continue whisking. Cook over low heat for 5-8 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Stir in remaining flour or starch and whisk until smooth. Cook 5-8 minutes more. Add Parmesan and nutmeg. Sauce should be smooth and thick. Set aside. Final Assembly: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Oil a large casserole dish. Place a double layer of eggplant on the bottom, then pour entire batch of tomato sauce over it. Lay remaining eggplant on sauce, and spread Bechamel sauce over the top. Dust lightly with rice crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered 35-40 minutes, or until bubbly on the bottom and lightly browned on top. Yum! |
AuthorI'm Emily. I currently work in online education management, but I also have a Masters degree in Nutritional Sciences (my true passion). In addition, I am a mom, cook, avid reader, novice gardener, and enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities. On my blog, you will find articles on food, fitness, weight management, and eating issues. ALL recipes on my blog are gluten-free. Many are low-carbohydrate. Most are grain free. Enjoy! Categories
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