Gluten Free Biscuits

http://www.glutenfreecookingschool.com/archives/light-and-fluffy-gluten-free-biscuits/

I made these lovely biscuits for a pear and blueberry tart whose recipe I found in the November edition of Bon Appetit. Originally it called for corn biscuits, but I just plopped the dough for the GF biscuits on top and baked as required. They are chewy and best when straight out of the oven, or warmed.

Quinoa and Pomegranates

Our new super easy dinner!

Make quinoa with some broth, veggie or chicken

Dry roast cumin and coriander seed, then grind;
or just have ground cumin and coriander on hand

Saute diced onion and garlic in olive oil

Add cooked (or canned) garbanzo beans and spices, then continue to heat

Take everything off the heat and add pomegranate seeds and quinoa; mix, mix

Shape with ramekins and sprinkle more pom seeds on top!

Oh! And I guess I should credit Martha Rose Shulman whose recipe was published in the NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/health/nutrition/07recipehealth.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=quinoa%20pomegranate&st=cse

Bella-boo eats, bathes, and sings!

Bella "Crazy-eyes" boo is 5 months big!














Green peas:
















Happy bathing!





























Question is, who is happier?

Limeys, grog and bumboo

So, beyond my current obsession for Patrick O'Brian's historical British navel novels (yes...), I have been thoroughly enjoying the etymology of naval slang and new knowledge of the art of sailing. Of course it helps that I am using the companion lexicon for his series: A Sea of Words, by Dean King.

Did you know (???!) that the daily ration of rum given to sailors was ONE PINT?! Water on long voyages often went stagnant or was contaminated with algae, so you add some booze and hey presto it becomes palatable! Also added to the grog would be lemon or lime juice, again originally to improve the taste, but eventually as a way to prevent scurvy as there was little to no chance of eating vegetables on a long voyage. Hence a name often used for Brits: "limeys." Bumboo was the pirates and merchantmen's preferred drink. Similar to grog, but with rum, sugar and nutmeg. Pirates ate more veggies so they didn't use citrus juice.

The last grog served in the RN was on July 31st 1970, a day known as "Black Tot Day."

More H.M.R.N. + food!

Plantain chips

Jim has a cookbook published in 1970 called The Cooking of the Caribbean Islands by Linda Wolfe, that has some amazing photos, stories and classic recipes. For example, included in the section about breadfruit is the lesser known reason for the mutiny on the H.M.S. Bounty of Captain Bligh fame. It seems that his mission in 1787 was to transport breadfruit saplings to Jamaica, and in his zealotry he denied his sailors water in order to water the precious trees. So, *splash!* goes the Capitan!

Actually, Bligh seems to have been a decent captain, with little in the way of the cruelty that he supposedly exercised: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bligh

Jim and I have been peeling the almost ripe plantains and slicing them into 1/4" rounds and lightly sauteeing them in a generous amount of olive oil. Not traditional, I know, but awesome with guacamole or simple fresh avocado mashed with a little salt. They are best when they are hot!

Here is Linda Wolfe's recipe:

Banane Pese
Twice-Fried Plantain Slices

1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 medium-sized green plantains, peeled, and cut into 1/2" slices

In a heavy 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over moderate heat until a light haze forms above it. Add as many plantain slices as you can without crowding the pan, and brown them for about 2 minutes on each side. As they brown, transfer the to paper towels to drain. On a board, using an unslotted spatula, press each slice into a flat round about 1/4" thich and 2 inches in diameter. Heat the oil and fry the rounds again for about 1 minute on each side. Drain and serve.


So we don't double fry or smash them, and they turn out chewier and heartier. I have also seen them sliced lengthwise which is great for reaching over other people for the guac!

Catch-up catch-all

Everything in the the last six months has been an experiment: the food, the hours, the company, the events, the books, etc. I will highlight some of what I can remember.




Jim at the marshmallow farm.


At the beach with Joey and Heidi:






































May Day "Ooh La La":





Here is my debut as "Bisou," one of Madame Cleo's Poodle Dancers.

For more fabulousness on the swinging S.S Queen May, check out:
http://lucianeare.org/home.htm




Passover Seder Deux--

Drunken debauchery and kosher foodstuffs. Thanks to Johnny P for being the token nearly-Jewish person, and the Hopkins-Guttenburg family for not only providing the seder plate, but also this shiksa's passion for Passover.
































My deconstructed pumpkin that I carved at Kiss Cafe and should have won an award for...