Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Finding an Old Treasure

I've mentioned several times that Cooking for Christ is my favorite cookbook, especially in my liturgical year cookbooks.

I do believe that cookbook was the first of its kind in America. I have searched and searched and haven't found an American cookbook on Liturgical Year cooking that predates 1949.

I have run across mention and quotes from Florence Berger in other Catholic materials, such as the National Liturgical Week of 1952, discussing the implementation of the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday evening, instead of the morning.

I often wonder what has happened to this author. Where are her children? Did everyone remain Catholics and faithful, especially during the turbulent 60s? I haven't come across any answers on the Internet. I search for her name, Florence Berger, Florence S. Berger, Florence Elizabeth (Sudhoff) Berger, Mrs. Alfred Berger who lived from 1909 to 1983....not much. I did find an ancestry page. But I'm not sure if these really apply. I do know her husband's name was Alfred, she had 5 children, and some were mentioned in the book.

Today I found a delightful online reprint of an article from Time dated September 19, 1949, entitled: Christ in the Kitchen. This was a kind of press release for the book before it hit the bookstores. It's enjoyable to read, as it brings the author more to life of her more happier times.

And it intensified my enjoyment of this invaluable treasure even more.

15:05 Posted in Books | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

What's On Your Cookbook Shelf?

There's a new thread entitled Catholic Cookbooks at the 4RealLearning Forums. Liturgical Year reading and cooking is one of my favorite things to do. I admit my focus has changed somewhat since ds' food allergy diagnosis, but I still love reading the traditions and foods connected to the liturgical feasts and seasons.

While I have a series of posts planned on why liturgical cooking, I wrote this summary a while back:

Why do I do liturgical cooking? Because through food I can use symbolism, culture, history, and catechesis in all different varieties through the foods I serve at the table. Meals are natural conversation starters. They are the perfect place to start discussing the saint or feast of the day, the connections with the food, etc.

This has been done through the centuries. I'm not having an original thought. I like being I'm in touch with Catholics centuries before me in cooking for the feasts. It's follows the definition of Catholic -- it's universal, spanning the globe and time.

Some of my favorite liturgical cookbooks:


These cookbooks aren't Catholic in origin, but really cover many feast days:

  • Festa: Recipes and Recollections of Italian Holidays by Helen Barolini. I love reading her descriptions of Italian feasts. And the recipes are quite good.

  • Celebration Breads: Recipes, Tales, and Traditions by Betsy Oppenneer. Bread recipes from all over the world for different feasts. Great variety, terrific detailed instructions.


  • Feasting for Festivals by Jan Wilson is OOP, but there are very cheap copies available from Amazon. I think this is Anglican, but there are wonderful recipes and crafts from a British viewpoint.


  • I am happy to see Festive Food of Ireland by Darina Allen back in print. I bought a copy when I was in Ireland 10 years ago. It's a beautiful little book, decorated with Celtic illustrations and great photos and the recipes all have accompanying descriptions of the Irish customs.

The following have recipes, but are not dedicated cookbooks:


I have many others, but this post is already overwhelming. I enjoy all of Brother Victor-Antopine d'Avila-Latourrette's cookbooks. Ethel Marbach (Pochocki) had a few pamphlets and Holy Housewife Cookbook that are extremely enjoyable to read. And there are two cookbooks, The Lenten Kitchen and The Advent Kitchen by Barbara Benjamin and Alexandria Damascus Vali that contain some healthy and tasty recipes for the fasting seasons.

If you put on the "Liturgical Year Mindset" almost any cookbook can become your helper for Liturgical cooking. I love thumbing through different ethnic cookbooks to find recipes named after saints, or made especially for the feast days. So many countries the saints and feasts were tightly woven into daily, secular life, and the cookbooks reflect this pattern.

What's on your shelf? Any ones that you can recommend?

10:30 Posted in Books | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this

Monday, September 18, 2006

Back To Basics

medium_saving_dinner.jpgOver 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.

17:45 Posted in Books | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this | Tags: FlyLady, Leanne Ely, Saving Dinner, Bride in the Kitchen, cookbook review

Sunday, August 13, 2006

What Is Your Criteria for a Good Cookbook?

Recently one of my sisters was out shopping and called me from the store. She was trying to decide on one of two cookbooks by Rachel Ray and wanted my input. My advice probably only applies to me. I told her when I evaluate a cookbook to use for my daily cooking, I look in the index, find how many chicken recipes, then read them and see if I like the ingredients. If they sound reasonable, relatively simple and tasty, I will consider that cookbook. I'm always in the search of new ideas for chicken. And finding recipes that I can use is even narrower choices than most, since I need to stay away from wheat, eggs and dairy for my son's food allergies.

Another area in which I decide on a cookbook is different ideas with ground beef. That darn hamburger is hard to come up with lots of options that aren't tired and boring.

One final thing that will be a sure fire purchase is if any recipes that can be used for the liturgical year, as in feast days, saints days, name days, or regional food for religious festivals, especially European recipes. My groaning cookbook shelves are testament to that fact.

Question: What are your criteria for buying or checking out a cookbook? What new type of recipes are you always open to find?

And when you do find these recipes, do you try them out? What area are you most adventurous in cooking: breakfast, lunch, dinner, main meals, meats, desserts, appetizers? For me, I like to change up my main course at dinner. I know, it's boring and practical.

Speaking of chicken recipes...I found two that I can't wait to try from Dom and Melanie's new food blog In the Kitchen with Bella.

Both of the these recipes fit my requirements (I can substitute the butter with safe margarine) and and I can replace the flour (since it's used as thickener) with corn starch (1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch with 1 Tablespoon of flour, make sure mix with cold water first before adding to the hot mixture), or other thickeners, like potato starch, tapioca, arrowroot or even sassasfras root. These recipes are the style cooking I like to do, on the stove, with wine, different chicken parts (organic thighs are so much cheaper than breasts) and ANYTHING with artichokes!

Lemon Chicken and Artichokes

Chicken Leg Quarters Braised in White Wine

My mouth is already watering thinking about those artichokes!

04:20 Posted in Books , Poultry | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: chicken, poultry, wine, artichokes, recipes, cookbook

Monday, July 24, 2006

Food for St. James the Great, Apostle

Update: I added a photo of our St. James Torte -- I used both the stencils for the decoration. The torte was dense and tasty...definitely a recipe to repeat. The chicken was delicious, nice and juicy.

St. James by El GrecoI've been looking forward to July 25, feast of St. James. See today's entry in Family in Feast and Feria for more information on this feast day.

For food, I'm going to use some Spanish recipes. In spirit I want to be in the Cathedral at Santiago de Compostela. For ideas of famous foods from that region, see Gastronomy of Santiago. The empanadas sound wonderful, but I don't have time to attempt wheat, egg and dairy free empanadas, but it might be something I try in the future.

So for the main meal I'm going to adapt a Tapas recipe. I love all of Penelope Casas' books, and her Tapas: The Little Dishes of Spain is what I'm using for inspiration. But I confess, I'm planning my meal by what I have in the house. Our garden is slowly ripening and I also have chicken. I'm going to make

Chicken in Beer (Pollo en Cerveza)

"This chicken has a subtle lemony flavor, and although I have chosen to use the wing portion for easy handling, you might also use small drumsticks or any other part of the chicken (skin on), cut in small pieces."

Serves 6 as appetizer, but for main meal probably 2 or 3
Start preparation several hours in advance

12 chicken wings (or thighs or drumsticks with skin)
12 ounce bottle beer (minus 1 Tablespoon for sauce)
salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf

Sauce:
1/4 tsp. thyme
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. beer
Salt
Freshly ground pepper

Chop the wings into three parts, discarding the tip portion. As I'm making this the main meal, I'm using whole thighs. In shallow bowl or zipper top bag, mix together the marinade: beer (except reserve 1 Tbsp.), pepper, salt, thyme and bay leaf. Arange the chicken in marinade and soak for several hours, turning occasionally.

When ready to cook, combine Sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. At this point you can either grill or broil the chicken. If broiling, arrange on a broiler pan, brush on the sauce and add salt and pepper to taste. Broil or grill for about 5 minutes (longer if other kinds of parts), flip and baste and salt and pepper. Continue cooking until golden but still juicy. Use a meat thermometer to make sure they are cooked thoroughly.


For dessert, I'm going to attempt to make the famous Tarta de Santiago. This will not be allergy free, but I'm up for the challenge, and to give a nice treat on this wonderful feast day for my dh. There are oodles of recipes on the internet for this cake. There are two different version -- one has a crust and filling, the other is more like a flat cake.

Some examples: Food Network,
Reading Room (nice picture), Travel and Living and Spain Recipes (another good picture).

The recipe I'm using is from my favorite Spanish cookbook, My Kitchen in Spain by Janet Mendel . I've mentioned in another post, Memories of Little Grandma. I happen to have a bag of ground almond meal (thanks to Trader Joe's), so the tart shoudn't be too time-consuming. Almonds don't grow in this area of Spain, so it is a puzzlement that this cake is made with them. Mendel speculates that it originally might have been made from chestnuts.

medium_Cross_of_st_james.jpgThe torte is usually decorated with a pattern of the Cross of St. James or the cockle shell, both symbols of St. James. I prepared some patterns of the Cross of St. James and the cockle shell of St. James. Print and cut out the images. Place the image in the middle of the torte and sprinkle confectioner's sugar over the rest of the cake. Remove the pattern carefully and you'll have the cross or shell in the middle of the cake.

medium_Cockle_Shell.jpgIf you don't have time to make this torte from scratch, any cake will do. Purchase a pound cake even, and put the design on the cake. If you need to resize the pattern, use image program, such as Paint Shop Pro. After opening the image in the program, go to print and choose the size you want it to be on the page. It's that easy -- and I just discovered that after all these years of frustration!

medium_DSC00472.2.JPG
Almond Torte from Santiago de la Compostela
Torta de Almendras de Santiago

Ingredients:
1 pound ground almonds
2/3 cup butter
2 3/4 cup granulated sugar
7 eggs
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Greas a 10-inch springform pan.

Spread the almonds in a baking pan and toast them in the oven, stirring often. Remove from oven when light colored, about 3 to 5 minutes. Give time to cool.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat, one at a time. Gradually stir in the flour, the almond meal and lemon zest.

Pour mixture into the greased pan and bake about 45 minutes, or until a cake tester in the center comes out clean and the center when lightly pressed bounces back.

Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool on a wire rack. Poke the surface of the torte with a skewer and drizzle with lemon juice over the top. Add the pattern of the cross and dust the surface with confectioner's sugar.


Catholic Culture has a few more suggestions for recipes for St. James. I am going to go French a bit and serve some green beans, inspired by this recipe. The cookbooks Cooking with the Saints by Ernst Schuegraf and A Continual Feast by Evelyn Vitz also have some unique recipes for the feast of St. James.

15:30 Posted in Books , Desserts , Family , Family , Liturgical Year , Poultry , Summer Meals | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this | Tags: Santiago de Compostela, Torta de Santiago, Cake of St. James, Tapas

Thursday, July 13, 2006

All in the Marinade...but Keeping it Simple

Rachel Ray has some great ideas, and her cooking is wonderful for busy moms. I have her 30 Minute Meals 2 and there's one recipe that I use all the time. But I confess, I'm not faithful to the intent of the recipe. I use her No-Mystery Marinade for our summertime grilling. The Basic Marinade can be used for filet mignon, strip steaks, chicken breasts (and thighs), pork chops and portobello mushroom caps...but mostly, I use it on chicken thighs. I prefer to use all natural or organic meats, and thighs cost a little less than breasts most of the time.

In 30 minutes or less, I can have a meal of chicken breasts or thighs on the grill. Take a large (gallon) size Ziploc bag and fill it with the ingredients of the marinade. By now all I do is drizzle in the red wine vinegar, add some glugs of olive oil, add salt, pepper, thyme, parsley, minced garlic, some red pepper flakes, swirl around a bit and add the meat. In 15 minutes the meat is ready to be grilled.

This recipe has been a lifesaver for us. I've made it for guests and during trips away from home. I can't always trust ready-made marinades, or homemade mixtures. Soy sauce is a common ingredient, and it contains wheat starch. This is a quick meal I can make when I need some alternative safe foods for my son.

On the subject of marinade, do you ever plan on grilling and realize you didn't allow time to marinade? Some recipes call for overnight marinating. I just recently read a Q&A in the August Issue of Cuisine At Home that boosted my spirits! Is the writer secretly trying to help out busy moms who want to cook good meals?

Too Much of a Good thing
Is it possible to keep meat in a marinade for too long?

Yes, contrary to popular belief, a marinade's primary purpose is to add flavor to meat, not tenderize. It's true that acids in marinades (wine, vinegar, citrus juice, yogurt, etc.) cause meat proteins to break down. But the acids penetrate only about 1/4" deep, no matter how long the meat is soaked. And at a certain point, the proteins will break down so far that they lose a great deal of texture, causing the meat to become dry and mealy.

So how long should something be marinated? In general, an hour is plenty for beef, pork and lamb; 30 minutes for chicken. Because fish and seafood are more delicate, it's best to marinate them just 15-30 minutes. Any longer and the acid in the marinade will "cook" the fish, turning it rubbery.


What a relief! So, even in the afternoon if I come home with groceries and decide the fate of a cut of meat is going on the grill, I still have time to marinade AND cook. Woohoo!

17:35 Posted in Books , Poultry , Summer Meals , Wheat, Egg and Dairy Free | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Fruits of the Holy Spirit

Pentecost is tomorrow. From my favorite liturgical cookbook, Cooking for Christ I love to read her story of her Pentecost Picnic.

Inspired by Mrs. Berger, I'd like to make a strawberry cake and have a picnic. But I think I'll settle to eating alfresco (on the porch) and an allergy-free shortcake. I'm also serving poultry, probably chicken, reminding us of the symbol of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. And I'll grill it...giving the bit of tongues fire to the feast! Since this is the birthday of the Church, this will be a taste of the birthday party celebration, too.

Due to the food allergy restrictions, I had to search for shortcake alternatives. Last week I received my Gak Snacks order which included their cookbook. (BTW, the cookies are DELICIOUS!) It includes a Strawberry Shortcake recipe, free of eggs, wheat and milk. This is the recipe I'm going to trial....I'll post on my results! (Email me if you want the recipe before Pentecost).

I am also thinking of serving a fruit salad. Suggested by Evelyn Vitz in her cookbook A Continual Feast is a twelve fruit salad, imitating the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit (note that St. Paul in Galatians only mentions 9 fruits, but the Church teaches that there are 12):
Charity
Joy
Peace
Patience
Benignity
Goodness
Long-suffering (patient suffering over an extended period)
Mildness
Faith
Modesty
Continency
Chastity

Different possibilities: grapes (combine different varieties), cherries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, pineapple, apples, bananas, melon (combine different varieties), oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, mangoes, pears
Sugar is optional
and lemon juice.

You can either mix all the fruits together in a large bowl, or lay them in an attractive pattern (perhaps with twelve as an organizing motif) on a bed of greens. Sprinkle with sugar if desired and lemon juice to keep from browning.


She suggests serving this with Curry Mayonnaise, which for one, we can't have in this house because of eggs and two, doesn't sound appealing. What I do with our fruit salad is serve with pound cake or, in this case, shortcakes and whipped topping. Who says shortcakes only have to have strawberries on them? There are some types of the dairy free topping that are completely free of allergens (check the label to make sure). Yes, they don't taste like the real thing, heavy whipped cream....but it is still tasty.

Happy Birthday! Enjoy your family Pentecost celebration.

10:50 Posted in Books , Desserts , Family , Family , Liturgical Year , Summer Meals , Wheat, Egg and Dairy Free | Permalink | Comments (4) | Email this

Thursday, June 01, 2006

A Mother's Symphony

A while back someone told me of this wonderful project: Feeding America: The Historic American Cookbook Project. This is an online collectino of Historic American cookbooks done by Michigan State University and the MSU Museum.

The past few days I've been browsing and getting ideas...one thing that comes to mind is that dominant ingredients (i.e., the top 8 allergens) that we find in almost everything today might not be so prevalent in these older recipes. I'm also looking for instructions on making things from scratch, especially from our garden. I like pulling up the old-fasioned way of doing things...usually requiring less ingredients. Some culinary skills and products are a lost art...for example, do you know how to make gooseberry water ice?

But I digress. I found today this lovely poem which speaks so clearly of doing things cheerfully. Read between the lines: sanctifying my work and doing it all for love -- love of God and love for my family.

THE HOUSEKEEPER'S SYMPHONY
To do the best that I can, from morn till night,
And pray for added strength with coming light;
To make the family income reach alway,
With some left over for a rainy day;
To do distasteful things with happy face,
To smile instead of frown at Fate,
Which placed me in a family always late
For meals; to do the sewing, mending and
The thousand small things always near at hand,
And do them always with a cheerful heart,
Because in life they seem to be my part;
To know the place of everything and keep
It there, to think, to plan, to cook, to sweep,
To brew, to bake, to answer questions,
To be the mainspring of the family clock.
(Or that effect) and see that no tick, tock
Is out of time or tune, or soon or late,
This is the only symphony which I
Can ever hope to operate.

MARION WILEY


From the introduction of Mary at the Farm and Book of Recipes Compiled During Her Visit Among The "Pennsylvania Germans" By Edith M. Thomas.

17:58 Posted in Books , Cultural , Meditation | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Cool Cooking

The hot, hot weather is upon us. We've had a very mild spring in Virginia, but this week the summer's heat begins. And the transition to cooler cooking begins.

We fired up the grill for Memorial Day weekend, enjoying the visit of one of my sisters and their family. We dined alfresco, on our covered and screened porch. It was a spontaneous invitation, but it turned out to be a wonderful, relaxing evening.

The cookbook I turn to more often in the summer months is Twelve Months of Monastery Salads by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette. He has recipes for each month of the year, but I don't follow monthly patterns if I have the ingredients, I find the recipe.

One potato salad recipe that is free from eggs (and mayonnaise) is his Sicilian Potato Salad. I've made it with small red potatoes, but I just made it with russet potatoes. Easy and nutritious and delicious are my aims in the kitchen. I now put whole potatoes on to boil in salted water, and after they are fork tender, I rinse and then peel the skins. I save so much time instead of doing the process of peeling and cutting potatoes.

Serve this potato salad at room temperature, or cold. It passes the next day leftover test, although the olive taste was a little more dominant.

Sicilian Potato Salad (Insalata di Patate)

Salad
2 pounds small red potatoes, peeled, cooked in boiling salted water just until tender, drained and quartered
1 celery heart, finely chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 cup black Sicilian olives, drained, pitted and chopped (I use less)
1/4 cup capers (optional)
1 gherkin (optional), finely chopped
a few sprigs fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

Vinaigrette
1/2 cup Sicilian or other olive oil
2 Tbsp. dry Marsala wine
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. In a deep salad bowl, put cook potatoes and add celery, onions, olive, capers, pickle, and parsley. Toss lightly to combine.

2. Whisk vinaigrette ingredients together in a small bowl and pour over the salad. Toss lightly, making sure evenly distributed and serve.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

21:08 Posted in Books , Summer Meals , Vegetables and Salads , Wheat, Egg and Dairy Free | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this

Winging It for the Ascension

From the The Easter Book by Francis X. Weiser, S.J., (Copyright, 1954, by Harcourt, Brace and Company, Inc. ) I found that

[i]t was a widespread custom in many parts of Europe during the Middle Ages to eat a bird on Ascension Day, because Christ "flew" to Heaven. Pigeons, pheasants, partridges, and even crows, graced the dinner tables. In Western Germany bakers and innkeepers gave their customers pieces of pastry made in the shapes of various birds. In England the feast was celebrated with games, dancing, and horse races. In central Europe, Ascension Day is a traditional day of mountain climbing and picnics on hill tops and high places.


So I served chicken for our Ascension Sunday feast. Yes, Sunday. Our diocese is one of the many in the United States where the Ascension feast is observed on Sunday.

For our Ascension Meal, I used a new cookbook I have from the library. I believe I will have to purchase one for my own shelves, as this book is fabulous! Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook: Two Hundred Gourmet and Homestyle Recipes for the Food Allergic Family by Cybele Pascal. All recipes are free of the Top 8 allergens: Tree Nuts, peanuts, shellfish, fish, dairy, wheat, soy, and eggs. And, as the title says, this is a whole foods diet. We strive to eat organic and whole foods whenever possible, so this cookbook falls in line with our family diet.

Our dinner was Greek-style Chicken with Lemon and Oregano, with brown rice, broccoli and Basic Biscuits.

Greek-Style Chicken with Lemon and Oregano

A very simple dish, for any season, serve hot or cold. Very moist, with wonderful gravy to pour over chicken and brown rice. 2 Thumbs up by Hubby. My only change to the recipe was a bit more salt, seasoning the pieces before adding the sauce. So tasty for being so easy to bake!

medium_Greek Chicken.2.jpg3-lb. chicken, quartered
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
lemon slices

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients except chicken and lemon slices. If desired, salt all sides of the chicken. In roasting pan or baking dish place chicken skin side down. Pour sauce mixture over the chicken. Cook chicken for 30 minutes, basting with juices one time. Turn over chicken and cook 30 to 40 minutes more, basting a few times. Check with thermometer to see if chicken is fully cooked. To crisp the skin, place under broiler for 2 minutes. Garnish with lemon slices.

One of the areas I'm trying to expand is bread type foods that ds can eat. Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook has a recipe for Basic Biscuits, suggesting use for sweet or savory occasions, even for Sloppy Joes. I used soy milk instead of rice or oat milk, and Spectrum Shortening, and only a pinch of sugar (granulated, I confess!). The biscuits were pretty good. The next batch I won't roll as thin and will sift the flour more. These pass the second day test...without heating or butter these still were palatable and not too dry.

It's a little more difficult getting used to different flours for baked goods having been raised on wheat products. The texture, color, taste, smell are all so different. Oat flour has a faint sweet cinnamon flavor and odor. This recipe was not dry and crumbly.

Using these flours makes me feel like I'm going back in time. People didn't always use wheat flour, but a variety of flours. The finely ground white flour was only for special occasions. Barley and oats and rye and buckwheat, and many others were used. So I'm getting in touch with my "traditional side." What's that saying, "Nothing new under the sun"? I can label this allergy cooking or historical baking.
Basic Biscuits
1/2 cup barley flour
1 1/2 cups oat flour
4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. maple sugar or beet sugar (optional)
1/4 tsp. salt
5 Tbsp. chilled vegetable shortening or coconut oil
3 tsp. Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 1/4 cup rice or oat milk
1/2 cup rice or oat milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. (Sift) and combine dry ingredients and cut in shortening until texture is like coarse meal. Stir in egg replacer, then add rice/oat milk (or soy milk) small amounts at a time and work into dough.

Flour hands, rolling pin and board or counter before emptying dough out. Mold into a ball with as little handling as possible. If too dry, sprinkle a few drops of milk and work in gently. Roll out until 3/4 inch think and cut with biscuit cutters (2 1/2 inch suggested size). On a lightly greased and floured cookie sheet (or on a Silpat mat) transfer the biscuits and bake about 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Makes 8-10 biscuits.

As these didn't turn out well visually, I'm not providing pictures this time. There are variations, such as Herb Biscuits, Currant Biscuits and Orange Biscuits, also hints for use of leftover dough to create a popover...but I'll let you check the book yourself out for these tidbits. You won't be sorry!

18:53 Posted in Books , Breads and Biscuits , Food Allergies , Liturgical Year , Poultry , Wheat, Egg and Dairy Free | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

Thursday, May 18, 2006

A No Substitute Cookbook?

I came across this website for Gak's Snacks. The treats fit my son's needs: no wheat, no egg, no dairy and no peanuts (we're avoiding).

I usually don't buy store treats, so I was just going to pass over this site, until I found that they have a Cookbook: The Gak’s Snacks Allergy Cookbook: Baked Treats for All Occasions. Hmmmm...this is definitely a must buy for me. An-open-the-book-make-the-recipe-without-having-to-substitute-cookbook? A dream come true for me.

They also sell ingredients for their snacks....can this be any easier? If these are as tasty as they say....think of the possibilities! How easy would it be to send friends and family to this site for ideas and foods safe for my ds?

Being a parent with a child with food allergies, there's the eternal quest for the "safe treats" -- family gatherings, birthday parties, First Communions, Weddings...so many of these events have dessert, or are even centered around the dessert (think birthday cake). And ds can't have any. He's coming of the age where he wants a similiar substitute. Italian Ice or jellybeans aren't equal to a cake. He would like a special cake or special cookie to eat while his cousins are eating cake and cookies.

I have a huge stack of allergy cookbooks, but none are the perfect fit. One is vegan...but that still has wheat. Another is eggless baking, but I have to substitute for milk and wheat flour. Others are gluten-free or wheat free...but with dairy and wheat included the recipes, it's more tweaking. Did you know that it requires great use of fractions to substitute for wheat flour?

Here's hoping this cookbook is all I hope it will be.

07:58 Posted in Books , Food Allergies , Wheat, Egg and Dairy Free | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this

Monday, May 08, 2006

Memories of "Little Grandma"

medium_grandma_anthony_1973.jpgOne of my sisters and I called my mother's mother "Little Grandma." We're not sure why we adopted the name; my parents aren't sure, either. We just decided one day that we would call Dad's mother "Big Grandma" and Mom's mother "Little Grandma."

"Little Grandma" was a different type of grandmother. They broke the mold after she was born. We have many wonderful memories of her unique take on life.

She came from New Orleans, with a French, English and Spanish heritage. The Spanish roots are probably very small, but she LOVED talking about her Spanish blood. If there was any type of costume party, she'd be sure to bring out her Spanish mantilla and comb to dress up. She loved to dance, and she was passionate...all, she was sure, due to her Spanish blood.

She left this world last November, age 89. Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord. May she rest in peace. Amen.

medium_my_kitchen_in_spain.jpgShe wasn't the best of cooks, but because she loved Spain, I think about her often, especially when I used my favorite cookbook. My Kitchen in Spain by Janet Mendel is a fabulous peek in the Spanish cuisine. The recipes are wonderful, with a Mediterranean touch. I love it especially for the fabulous chicken recipes. So far I have 5 recipes that I use on a regular rotation. We eat chicken frequently, and I'm always on the lookout for varieties of moist, tasty poultry recipes. And as most of the recipes do not call for dairy, wheat or egg products. I don't have to adapt, but get to taste the authentic Spanish flavors of the dish.

Tonight it's a simple

Roast Chicken (Pollo Asado)

Salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 whole roasting chicken (5 to 6 lbs)
1-2 Tbsp. brandy
Fresh Rosemary sprigs
Fresh Thyme sprigs
2 Bay leaves
1 Tbsp. lard, softened or 1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots and turnips (optional)
1/2 cup white wine

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Rinse chicken, remove insides. Sprinkle salt and pepper inside the cavity, then rub with the brandy. Insert rosemary and thyme and bay leaves, tie up the legs to keep chicken's shape.

Combine olive oil (or lard) and garlic. Spread over the chicken and place chicken breast-side up in a roasting pan. Salt and pepper outside of chicken (optional). Add vegetables in pan if desired.

Roast for 30 minutes at 400 degrees, then turn down temperature to 350 degrees F. Baste with drippings occasionally and continue to cook until thigh registers 175 degrees with the thermometer, about 2 hours.

Transfer chicken to platter, remove string. Pour off all fat and add wine. Over medium heat on the stove, deglaze the pan by stirring, bring to a boil and pour juices over chicken. Serve warm.


I didn't have fresh herbs, so I used dried. I also omitted the rosemary. I love many herb flavors, but this is not one I like as much. I had an organic free range fryer, but that worked fine. Less juices to baste, but still moist and tasty.

This past year I bought a Digital Thermometer and Roasting Pan from Pampered Chef. I can't believe I have cooked all these years without them! They are now necessary and oft-used tools.

To accompany the chicken, I'm make Green Beans and Spanish Short Grain Rice. I use Lundberg Short Grain Rice and adapted a recipe off the bag.

Spanish Short Grain Rice
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
water or chicken broth
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 cups brown rice
dash cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt

Drain tomatoes, reserving liquid. Add water or broth to liquid to equal 3 cups; set aside. In a 4-quart saucepan, heat olive oil, then add bell pepper, onion, garlic and celery. Sauté briefly, add rice and cayenne pepper and stir. Add the liquid and salt (optional) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add tomatoes and cover, cooking for a additional 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stand in covered pot for 10 more minutes. Fluff with fork. Yield: 5 cups, 6-7 servings.

medium_grandma_halloween_picture_large.jpg

We miss you, Little Grandma.

First photo taken in 1973, above photo Halloween 2005, 2 weeks before she died.

19:35 Posted in Books , Family , Family , Main Meal , Poultry , Wheat, Egg and Dairy Free | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this