My New Instant Pot and a Great Cookbook

I got a 6 quart Instant Pot  for Christmas from my husband.  I have been playing with it for the last few weeks and I ordered this cookbook to help me do some new menu items.  This book is full of delicious recipes.  There is also a photo for every recipe and the dishes are beautifully photographed.  You can check out more from Jennifer Robins at her blog called Predominantly Paleo.  

So far I have done a pot roast and veggies, Chicken Tikka Masala, Zesty Citrus Pulled Chicken, and Honey Balsamic Pork Chops.  They were all hits with my family!  I have made each meal in less than 30 minutes except for the pot roast which was not much over that.  They were all full of great flavor, too.

I have only done meat dishes so far but plan to branch out and try soups, yogurt and some of the breakfast and dessert recipes she shares.  If you have an Instant Pot I highly recommend this cookbook.  It was just released early this month so it is brand new and available through lots of booksellers right now.  It is also super affordable!

Tonight's dinner was the pulled chicken one I mentioned above... 

I served it on one of my homemade GF tortillas.

I have one more of her cookbooks I like very much, too, called Down South Paleo... 

paleo comfort food at it's finest.

Pear & Apple Autumn Oat Crisp - Gluten Free

I made a dessert for our family meal Sunday.  

I love making Crisps and Crumbles and this time of year 

is always great for finding fresh apples and pears to use in such things.

I bought this book some time ago at Barnes and Noble in the sale racks.  I think I paid about $8.00 for it and it is fabulous!  If you are looking for a good Gluten Free baking book this is a great choice.  It uses basic ingredients for all the recipes so you don't have to have more than a gluten free flour instead of wheat flour.  It is super easy to find gluten free flour these days, too.  I used the Bob's Red Mill Cup4Cup GF flour for this one.  It also has a section in the front with how to make your own blends.

This is the one I chose to do yesterday and I used Bob's Red Mill GF Oats and Cup4Cup Flour.  Anywhere you are told to use a cornstarch you can also use a tapioca starch/flour instead.

So, here is his list of ingredients...

and his instructions...

and here is how I changed it.... 

because I change stuff all the time based on what I have on hand and what I can eat.  LOL

My recipe was doubled from what he made.

5 Bartlett Pears 

4 Granny Smith apples 

peeled and chopped 

and then tossed in sugar (about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup, 

cinnamon (maybe 1 tsp or a little more if you like),

tapioca starch (1 to 2 TBSP depending on how thick you like the juices)

You could also add some cardamom instead of cinnamon... I think it is really nice in fruit desserts 

you could also add some dried or fresh cranberries or blueberries if you want.

The topping is made from 

 1 cup of GF flour 

1 1/2 cup GF oats 

 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 

a pinch of salt, 

1/2 cup coconut oil instead of butter for my fat.

I did not put any of the oats on the bottom and my dish is well seasoned so it needed no oil to keep it from sticking.

This is how it turned out... a great Autumn dessert for a Sunday dinner occasion or anytime, really.

You can check Michael McCamley out on Facebook

He has a few videos on YouTube, too

Happy Foodie Mail...

I rarely buy a new book but there are a few this fall that I am splurging on.  I got two of them in the mail today.  I don't regret buying them new one bit.  They are both enormously valuable books!

The first one is the second book by Amy Myers, MD.  She wrote the Autoimmune Solution a little over a year ago and now she has released the Thyroid Connection.  Her books are full of information written for the layperson on these conditions and then she addresses nutritional needs to help bring relief for each.  She gives a plan for eating, exercise and nutritional supplements to bring relief and improved health.  She also gives detailed menu plans and recipes to help us get through the elimination process and then she takes us through the reintroduction phase to see what foods trigger symptoms.  Her books are loaded with great helpful information that is well researched and her books are very well written and easily understood.  

This books is a long anticipated book for me.  I have been watching Vivian Howard at A Chef's Life for four years now.  She is a rare treasure among chefs in my opinion.  She is down to earth and a family oriented mom and wife.  She has moved back to the place of her birth to build a business to serve her community.  She brings a wealth of knowledge to the ingredients and traditions in her region.  

This book is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!!  

It is beautifully photographed and full of precious stories to accompany the amazing recipes.  I cannot wait to dig in and make as many of these recipes as I can.  I already love this book very much!

You can catch all of her Chef's Life videos at PBS.ORG.

A Little Topical Reading.... Food Writing

I took some time to go through my books earlier this year.  I cleaned out all of my cookbooks, fiction, nonfiction... all of it.  

This was the recent mountain I climbed before dwindling things down

I have managed to haul over 20 boxes of books out of this house.  

These three pictures are all that is left after the purge.  LOL  I know it is still a lot.  I might do another purge again before Christmas but for now this is the collection of a chef/home cook/foodie

I am trying to clear my life and my brain because, for a very long time, I have neglected writing and blogging about food.  I love doing both of those things and it has been missing in my days for far too long.  

I gathered this little stack for me to work through over the coming months.  

It is a jumping off place for me to get back to doing something I love doing.

I plan to write another 31 day series in October and I think it will be food related for the entire month.

Do you have something you have neglected for far too long?

Is there something you love doing but just don't take time for anymore?

How can you work it back into your life?

Are you, maybe, doing the 31 days of blogging series, too?  If you are please let us know what you are doing when you have a plan!  :)

A Birthday Menu for an 11 Year Old

We celebrated a day early because Tuesday is our weekly Day of Insanity!

Birthday Meal on the table

The Hogbake

The Trifle

Hotroot Sunsalad

Birthday Boy

Strawberry Fizz

Birthday Plate

Here is a link to someone else (Fiction Food Blog) who shared the same dishes.  

Not sure how legal it is to put the recipes up but she did so snag them here if you wish!

Bread & Wine...

I know... I know.... I am MIA a lot lately.  Life is just that way right now but I had to come here and share a real treasure with you.  

I recently got this book in the mail to read.  It was an advanced reader copy that I requested because the topic was right up my ally.  I am not getting paid to tell you how wonderful this book is.... and it is truly wonderful!  I would never say it if it were not true.  It is about my most favorite things and it really touched me in a very personal way as I read it.  It is about food and family and friends and God...

It was written by Shauna Niequist 

(she has written several other books to date:  Cold Tangerines and Bittersweet)

It is about gathering around the kitchen and family table together.  It has everything I look for in a book.  It has stories about family and friends.  It has recipes to share.  It has gluten free and healthy food.  It has the occasional splurge with comfort foods and rich indulgences.  It has recipes that use real food... whole food... butter and wine even!  They are not complicated but they are beautiful and delicious.  I have made several of her recipes as I have been reading the book.  It is a deliciously delightful read about life and how bringing people to the table enhances that in a way that nothing else can.  

I think this says a lot to give you some idea of the beauty of this book...

You can read more about her journey in writing the book here...

Bread & Wine Backstory 

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

It is available right now... at just about any place that sells books

Particularly at Amazon for your convenience

I will share some of the things I have made from the book over the coming week with you as I have an opportunity. 

I truly have enjoyed reading this book!

Foodie Reading... Katish

Wanda Frolov was a writer for Gourmet Magazine and began publishing these stories in the magazine from what I understand.  She put them together into a book form and made quite a lovely fiction/cookbook out of it.  This book is set in the 1920's.  It is about a Russian immigrant named Katish and how she came to live in LA with a family as their housekeeper and cook.  Simple Russian recipes are scattered throughout the text and I have tried several of them, myself.  I have not found a bad one, yet.... and I suspect I won't.

I am just sad it took me so long to finally pick it up and read it because once I did I could barely put it down for long.  If you are a foodie you will, no doubt, enjoy this book.

French Fridays... a little late

The goal of this group is to cook and bake our way through this book

I received this book over a year ago as a Christmas present.  We will not be sharing the recipes here because it is our intent to share our personal journey in photos and encourage you to pick up your own copy to do the same.  We do not want to break copyright laws by posting published recipes and Dorie worked hard on this and should get paid.  It is a magnificently beautiful book!

This particular recipe for the week of January 6th is the Bubble-Top Brioche. 

Brioche is made from an enriched dough... that means is is loaded with butter, sugar and eggs.  LOL  It rises more slowly and makes for a very flaky, rich product.   It is quite delicious!

 Initial dough before overnight refrigeration

 The dough the next morning

 Shaped Brioche proofing

Baked rolls

We enjoyed these with family today for our Sunday Dinner together.  

A lovely treat, indeed!

Check out the website for upcoming challenges and pick up the book to join us if you like.

Foodie Bandwagon...

I am getting back on the bandwagon for some food challenges this year.  I am starting with a French Fridays with Dorie recipe this weekend.  I got this book last Christmas a year ago with the intention of working through it and then school took over.  Now is the time... gotta keep my skills sharp!  This week's challenge is Bubble Top Brioche Rolls.  When I have a little time and money for ingredients I will work my way back through this list

and a Daring Baker Challenge straight from the official Daring Kitchen will be presented to you by the end of the month on their deadline.  Again... working back through some challenges past as I have time and ingredients

I am also very excited that Tuesdays with Dorie are starting back up again in February 2012.  They are working through Baking with Julia.  

Count me in!  

Check out this article that Dorie Greenspan shares on her Baking From My Home To Yours book.  I love to read her stuff so much!

On a mission

I have collected a variety of cookbooks over the years but the one thing I have not collected were books on cupcakes, making specialty frostings and books on decorating those little gems.  We, daughter, youngest and I,  made a trip to Barnes & Noble today to get a free cupcake for our littlest boy for his birthday (sign up for the kids club on BN and they will send you a free treat coupon for birthdays).  While we were there I browsed the magazines and cookbooks like I always do and found these little treasures...

Eating Well Magazine

Vegetarian Times Summer issue of Farmer's Market

Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery by Martha Swift and Lisa Thomas

Easy Cupcakes published by Love Food

Cannot wait to get baking and cooking with my new recipes to try!  :)

Picked this up from the Library....

When I first saw that this book (The Flexitarian Table) was released I kind of wondered "Why the new label?"  ...but once I had the chance to browse through it yesterday and realize what Peter Berley's slant was I totally understood why this book was important right now and how it can work for MY family of six.

The concept behind this book is to have menus that will suit the taste of everyone at your table.  The goal is to prepare ONE meal and menu and not TWO OR MORE.  It is about saving time in the kitchen so you can spend more time with your family as much as is about low impact, healthy, organic, etc...  Berley designs menus and recipes that can be prepared with meat or as vegetarian dishes or both.  In our home this is valuable because there are two of us that eat mostly vegetarian these days and the other four NEED their meat at least 4 days a week or they get grumpy.  LOL  I am looking forward to trying some of these menus and recipes over the month that I will have this book checked out and then, if I really love it, I will try to find a copy to purchase for the cookbook library.  

Another really great thing about this book that I have discovered so far is it's rather large resource index.  Berley shares lots of links and books and resources for local, fresh, organic foods with which to feed your family.  I am enjoying it so far and will share some photos of food as I go.  For copyright's sake I won't be sharing every recipe, though.  Sorry... if you love what you see you can pick the book up for yourselves, too.  Stay tuned...

SOMETHING IN THIS POST SEEMS TO ILLICIT ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE LOOKING TO ADVERTISE THEIR WHATEVER.... STOP IT!!!  YOU WILL NOT MAKE IT PAST MODERATION SO YOU CAN JUST DROP IT NOW.  GO AWAY!!!

Drooling over cooking books again...

I love Darina Allen.  She is the owner and brains behind the Ballymaloe Cookery School.  One of these days I hope to be able to attend something there.  I would LOVE to actually do their 12 week program but life and money and family do not permit me to do so at this time in my life.  I keep trying to tell my husband that we could go when the kids get older and I could go to school and he could hike around and fly-fish all day and I think that was enticing enough to him for him to put it on our Bucket List.  LOL

Anyway, until I can get there I am on a mission to read everything Darina Allen has written in preparation.  This is her newest and it looks quite promising.  It is now on my wishlist.  :)

Pumpkin Pudding in the Crock Pot

This recipe is FANTASTIC and it is from my friend Carrie Lynn Baird.  She self published a cookbook called 30 Days In a Crockpot:  Recipes for the Crockpot when it's all you got!  She quickly tells you the story of how the book came about and then shares 30 of the best crock pot recipes I have ever seen.  I will share one with you here and if you are interested in ordering her book you can e-mail her here to request one and she will give you details on how to obtain it.  It is inexpensive and a valuable resource. 

Here is the recipe we made today...

Pumpkin Pudding

1 large can pumpkin pie filling

2 tsp vanilla

1 large can evaporated milk

1 cup brown sugar packed

1 cup biscuit mix (I make my own but store bought is perfect for this)

4 Tbsp butter

3 eggs

chopped pecans if desired

Spray crockpot with cooking spray coating sides and bottom well

Combine all ingredients except pecans in a mixing bowl

Beat well with a mixer until smooth

Pour in the crockpot

Sprinkle the chopped pecans on top

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (mine only took 4 hours and it was perfect!)

Do not peek.... leave the lid on or it will fall before it's done.

Scoop and serve with ice cream or whipped cream!  

Italic words are mine in the recipe, btw.

Here is ours...

Food of late... and a book

A new treasure I picked up for less than $3.00. I just want to bake the bread!!!

Just planted some flat leaf parsley in a kitchen herb box along with some...

basil

German thyme

also put a cherry tomato plant out for the late summer and through the fall tomatoes

This is some homemade banana/pecan whole wheat waffles with blueberry syrup on top... made with fresh blueberries straight from market.

Sloppy Joe's are a fave...

I served ours on whole wheat buns with veg and watermelon for a great summer supper.

I got the recipe from this book...

It is called Joe's To Go in the book.

I really just don't measure but if you want the basic recipe...

I start with 2 to 2 1/2 pounds of ground beef (we have six in our family and four of them are male people that eat a lot)

I brown the meat and then throw in about one small onion finely diced
1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar (white will do, too)
1/4 cup of brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
about 1 to 2 Tbsp mustard
garlic to taste
1 really large can of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
sometimes I add diced Italian tomatoes, too
If it is really still dry then you can add a little water to make it more liquid but then I cook it down by simmering over low heat for about 10 minutes.

This is basically my version and a bit different from the book but I got the gist of it from the recipe and have just played with it over the years. I hope you will try it... they are really great!