Family Food for Feast and Feria

When I placed the roast chicken on the table last night, dh declared "Wow, this looks like it should be in the pages of a food magazine, it looks that good!" With that kind of praise, I thought I would share the recipe. It's from the book Saving Dinner Basics: How to Cook Even If You Don't Know How by Leanne Ely. Last week I reviewed the book.

Roasting is an area I'm learning. Or rather "relearning." "Roast Chicken" conjures images hovering around the oven, basting juices and the results are dry overcooked meat. Leanne Ely turns those ideas on their head. She says:

I don't recommend basting. Ever. There is no earthly good reason to baste anything. Basting steals the heat, doesn't improve the flavor, and causes you to cook something longer than you should.

And after different trials, I would have to agree with her. I made this recipe last night, with only a few minor changes. First of all, I didn't make the gravy. I think dh would be in heaven if I would start making real gravy, but I'm an au jus type of gal. If wheat was allowed in our diet, I think I would be more willing to try, but I'm just not ready to embark on the allergy-free gravy test. I have a few other things to trial first.

Secondly, I didn't use a roasting chicken. I used what was organic and on sale, and that was a fryer, I believe.

Thirdly, I drizzled a bit of olive oil before putting it in the oven, and I added some white wine to the pan towards the end of the cooking process for a flavorful gravy without the fuss.

So, now I can make a hands-free delicious roast chicken. Skin comes out a little crispy, just the way dh likes it.

Fabulous Roasting Chicken

1 roasting chicken (5-6 pounds), rinsed and patted dry
1 celery stalk, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 onion, quartered
1 carrot, cut into 2 inch pieces
Salt and pepper (I used Lawry's Salt)
Garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Rinse and pat dry chicken, putting aside the chicken neck.

Place celery stalk, onion, and carrot into the chicken cavity; place chicken in a roasting pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. (I used a Pampered Chef Stoneware casserole pan, which worked marvelously.) Depending on the size of the bird, it should take about 1 1/2 hours to roast. When the chicken is down, the leg will move easily in the socket. (I use a digital thermometer which also saves the oven heat and my worrying as to whether it is cooked.)

Gravy (optional)

chicken neck
1 carrot
1 celery stalk, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 onion, quartered
1 carrot, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 tablespoon flour
1/3 cup water

While the chicken is cooking, place chicken neck and vegetables in a 2 quart stockpot. Cover with water and cook on low for 30 to 45 minutes to make additional stock for the gravy. Set aside.

Remove the bird from the roaster and keep warm. Pour the cooking juices out of the roast and into a bowl to cool. You can speed this process by putting the juice in the fridge or freezer; the fat will glob up on the top and then you can skim this nasty stuff off and throw it away. Return the de-fatted pan drippings to the roasting pan.

In a small mixing bowl, mix the flour and water into a smooth paste.

Heat the cooking juices, then add the neck stock and the flour-water paste. Using a wire whisk, whisk over a fairly high heat until mixture starts to look like gravy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a gravy boat. (Come to think of it, I don't even own a gravy boat!)

Finally! I'm happy to report on our successful Birthday weekend. Thank you to all that have followed my whining posts about testing and finding a decent birthday cake recipe that is free of wheat, eggs and dairy and tastes semi-acceptable...and my birthday cake Trials 1 and 2. Thanks for the love, support, and recipes that you have given!

My son turned 3 on Friday. Dh and I spent the day with him, and I did a small (trial cake #3) cake for that day for just the immediate family. After all, you have to blow out candles on the actual day, right? This was a yellow layer cake, made with the combo of white rice flour, potato starch and tapioca starch and xanthum gum as the flour mix, and Egg Replacer. It actually passed the DH Taste Test, although we had to laugh at the rubbery texture to cut into the cake. The texture was fine to eat, but it was hard to even cut it with a fork. But I used this recipe for the Birthday party, also.

On Sunday was his extended family birthday party. It was a party of 17, with 7 of his cousins that live nearby. One family couldn't make it, or the number would have been 23. Because it was my son's party, I strove to make everything allergy and kid friendly. There were only two things my son couldn't eat, but he usually chooses not to, anyway.

Birthday Party Menu:

Appetizers:
Tortilla chips and salsa and hummus
Potato Chips and dip (This was based in sour cream, so he couldn't eat it. I could have made it with Tofutti sour cream replacement, but since ds isn't interested in it, I didn't bother.)
Raw veggies: carrots, last of the garden cherry tomatoes and celery sticks

Dinner:
Chicken in Beer. I used the broiler, and used a variety of chicken parts.
Mashed potatoes--margarine, chicken stock, salt, pepper and garlic powder to add to the potatoes for flavor. I didn't use enough salt this time, but otherwise okay.
Broccoli Salad -- I used the recipe from my mother-in-law, although less sugar and raisins. I couldn't find an egg-free mayo, so this wasn't safe for ds.

Dessert:
Birthday Cake
Wheat Free Chocolate Chip Cookies .
Popsicles (although I forgot to serve them)

The goodie bags were filled with safe candy: Skittles, Nerds and lollipops.

The cake was a huge success. I pulled out my decorating tools and did a quick job, a bit rusty, but it was a big hit. I haven't decorated a cake for two years. I hung up my decorator's hat after my son's 1st birthday party and his (then) new allergy diagnosis. I'm so happy to have found safe and tasty alternatives and now know that he can still have pretty cakes. I'll get to practice some more.

All the stress over finding the right cake recipe, I found out what my son really wanted was the icing. He's the icing monster. So going the extra step making the frosting and decorating the cake was exactly what he wanted. This cake was less rubbery in texture than Friday's, so it was the best by far. The cake is sweet, and combined with the frosting, it's VERY sweet. It's dense in texture, but moist.

Yellow Birthday Cake

4 Tbsp. Egg Replacer
7 Tbsp. warm to hot water
2/3 cup tapioca starch
2/3 cup cornstarch
2/3 cup white rice flour
1 tsp. Xanthum gum
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup margarine or shortening (I used Earth Balance Margarine)
2 tsp. vanilla (I used Cook's vanilla, which has no alcohol)
1 cup rice drink
4 tsp. baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour (with safe flour) 2 round 8" cake pans.

In mixer, add the Egg Replacer and warm water and whip until fluffy. Set aside. Meanwhile, sift all dry ingredients except baking powder.

Cream margarine, sugar, and vanilla. Add rice drink and sifted dry ingredients except baking powder and mix well. Mix in baking powder until blended, but don't overmix at this point. Fold in the whipped Egg Replacer.

Divide batter into half and spoon into pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean and cake bounces back after touching middle. It will not brown, but be light in color.

Batter can also be used to make cupcakes, cooking for less time, about 20-25 minutes.

Remove when done, cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans. Then remove and place on racks to cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream Frosting
To avoid hydrogenated oils, I used Earth Balance margarine and Earth Balance or Spectrum Shortening.

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup shortening
2 tsp. vanilla
soy or rice milk (small amounts)
2 pounded powdered sugar
pinch salt

Cream margarine, shortening, vanilla and salt. Slowly add in powdered sugar, beating slowly with mixer. Add in milk in small splashes until reach desired consistency.

Set small amounts aside for coloring and decorating and ice cake with remainder of frosting.

Next hurdle: Allergy Free Speculaas cookies for St. Nicholas Day and safe cookie frosting.

Over the weekend I read Saving Dinner Basics: How to Cook Even If You Don't Know How by Leanne Ely.

Let me first preface this to say I do know my way around the kitchen. I wouldn't label myself as a gourmet chef, but I know how make tasty meals, keep my kitchen clean and organized, and also fiddle with recipes to make them my own. If I wasn't before, my son's allergies have made me friends with my pots and pans. That being said, this book was very enjoyable, even it is aimed more at rusty cooks or beginners in the kitchen.

Leanne is part of the FlyLady team, her own Saving Dinner website and has authored several books. Her goal is to bring the family back to the dinner table, and to help families cook up relatively easy and healthy meals. These goals fit in with my own. While she uses a crockpot, she doesn't believe in canned soups (hooray!). Basting is unnecessary. Extra kitchen gadgets are only clutter -- you need only what you will use...and she covers what you will need.

Her book covers these basics (from Amazon's review):

• equipping your kitchen: what you must have, what you don’t need
• stocking your cupboards, fridge, and freezer with the essentials
• selecting fresh produce and high-quality meats, poultry, and fish
• slicing, dicing, sautéing, simmering, and other prep techniques
• whipping up quick, scrumptious dishes with ingredients on hand
• ensuring that your main course and side dishes are ready at the same time
• preparing mouthwatering one-pot meals, from Lemon Tarragon Chicken to Easily the Best Casserole in the World
• baking fast and easy cookies, pies, cakes, and cobblers

Each chapter ends with useful recipes. There's even a short review on how to set a table properly, but not overdone.

For me, the book was affirming. I was relieved I was on track and had many of the basics down. However, I do not chop onions with a "claw" hold which I will try to adapt after her suggestions. There were other suggestions I could implement, also. One of my favorites was what to keep in the pantry for those "emergency meals" -- when the fridge is empty and no time or money to spare for grocery shopping. She has several recipes just for this kind of "pantry cooking" that are both healthy and delicious.

But I kept thinking this is the perfect book for beginner cooks, college students, teens started to plan meals at home, and the new brides in the kitchen. It's also perfect for those trying to get back into the groove in serving regular dinners at home. And it's enjoyable reading for even those who are good cooks.

The language is not technical, just some brief overviews and touchpoints. It's enough to get anyone, from a beginner to a seasoned mom, motivated to try and do better in the kitchen, but to not be bogged down by insignificant details that can take away from your aim -- to bring the family together at dinnertime.

Addendum: Since I do try to keep things allergy free in our kitchen, I did want to mention that I found several recipes in this book that I could use or easily adapt to be free of wheat, dairy and eggs...but also something that sounded appetizing to me. One section I had to completely skip was her suggestion for breakfast for dinner. Although it's something I love, pancakes, omelettes and other egg dishes aren't happening at this house in the evening for my son.

Subtitled: Birthday Cake Trial, Take 3.

It's nice to have a few feast days before my son's birthday, so I can have an excuse to bake some trial cakes. Oh, I know, I can bake any time that I want. But I like extra motivation. I enjoy having a Purpose to bake.

So I tried again today. My son has made it clear that chocolate is not what he desires, so a yellow or vanilla cake is on the testing block today.

So far, so good. We'll ice it and serve tonight and get my dh's verdict. In trying to find a comparable birthday cake recipe both dh and I feel a frustration that no cookbooks really give a good description on what the final product of the cake will be. There really should be a rating system, on the scale of 1-10, 10 being best, of what the cake compares to non-substitute type cake. I don't want to get my hopes up in seeing a title for "Yellow Cake" and realize that with all the substitutes I am going to have a flat, brown, dry, crumbly, or gooey cake...or worse, inedible. Don't tell me that cooking with legume flour is yummy -- to me, I can taste it, and I don't like it. I learned my lesson the hard way. But I digress.

For the feast of the Triumph of the Cross, I am making a cross cake. I baked the cake in my new Pampered Chef stoneware 9x13 pan. That helps to prevent the sticking and gives even baking...a plus for all the downsides of no egg, dairy or wheat. Then cut the cake in half lengthwise. Cut the other half into two pieces. In a tray or covered cookie sheet place the large half of the cake in the center. Place the smaller pieces one either side of the whole long piece to form the cross shape.

Ice and decorate. And eat.

UPDATE: Verdict -- not good. I undercooked the cake and the oat flour was overpowering. So instead of a dry cake, we had a moist overly sweet cake. But the presentation was nice. I had to trim more pieces to make the cross bar smaller and the middle beam longer, but all the imperfections were covered by the icing.

Does anyone have a yellow or vanilla cake recipe I can try? No eggs, wheat or dairy? Please?

Tomorrow I would like to try to make a heart cake. I don't have special cake pans, so I'm going to do another cut-up version. Here is one version using just round cake pans and this one uses square and round cake pans.

Otherwise known as Birthday Cake Trial Number 1.

I've asked my son what he wants for his birthday. "Ribbons. Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Icing (inspiration from Chrysanthemum). Lots of frosting."

When the cake is so important to the celebration, I have to keep trialing.

I made a visit to our local health food store and got a few ingredients to try different recipes. I also found a cake mix from Cherry Brook Kitchens. It's Wheat, Gluten, Dairy, Peanut, Egg and Nut Free. The ingredients completely reflect a simple cake recipe, no preservatives or chemicals, but just a quick way to make a cake. All the ingredients that you need for gluten free and egg free baking takes a while to measure and sift. I was thrilled, and thought that would be our first trial. I made the chocolate cake mix for Mary's Birthday. It was just one layer, and I used a simple cake decorating buttercream icing (but no butter used). These proportions cover just one layer cake.

1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup margarine
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1-2 Tbsp rice or soy milk
dash almond extract or liqueur of some flavor

Beat all ingredients together until creamy. If too liquidy, add more sugar. If too thick, add more milk


I didn't have time to make a beautiful picture -- my son was eager to get into the frosting. So just simple candles in the shape of an "M". We lit the candles, sang "Happy Birthday" and "Immaculate Mary" to Mary and cut the cake.

The Verdict? Deep chocolate taste, but dry. Not crumbly, but dry like sticks-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth-dry. But not inedible. In a pinch I'd do it again. I was wondering if I could doctor the cake mix like I do other mixes -- sour cream, pudding, chocolate chips, etc. (all those would be dairy free).

The frosting was good. At least to ds. It turns out, ds doesn't seem to LIKE chocolate cake. I think he wants yellow or vanilla. Back to the drawing board.

It's that time of the year. My son's birthday is in 18 days. The emotions are creeping upon me....I'm proud and happy for my son, but I have fear and trembling and dread for that ......

BIRTHDAY CAKE. ;-(

It's all he wants. It's part of the tradition, the ritual. A birthday cake with frosting and candles and the ubiquitous birthday song. He's been talking about it since July. He's waiting with eager anticipation.

And it just makes me want to cry.

Why? Because if you can't have dairy, eggs and wheat the birthday cake doesn't look or taste like a normal cake.

Maybe someone can prove me wrong. Dairy, I can replace no problem. Shortening or margarine for butter. Eggs, as leaven and binder, harder to replace. The gluten in wheat which makes the cake moist and stable is hard to find the perfect substitute. Put all replacement ingredients into one cake and you're talking flop. And no, spelt is not an option.

I don't have the time, money or heart to keep trying at recipe failures. I'll do my best. I'll be spending the next few weeks researching recipes in my cookbooks and Internet. I hope to do some trial runs. I get SOO frustrated when the recipe says "just as good" when it's not. Last year for his 2nd birthday, the cakes were AWFUL and INEDIBLE. He was happy, but I felt like I had failed him.

Another problem that just cropped up -- I think he's developing an allergy to chocolate. He had some hives this weekend. I'll have to trial that before the big day!

I could try to steer the party's focus away from food, but when a child sees the ritual at other birthday parties, it's unfair to him. I'll need to put my Super Mommy hat on and make that cake. With God I can do all things, right? Well, right now I'm not feeling too super.