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Using method that the Gluten Free Girl and the Chef have provided on their blog to make an all-purpose flour mix, I made up the following flour mix to make the waffles and pancake recipes that will be posted for our Hangover Breakfast series. (These recipes will be posted on April 1st, keep your eyes out for them!) I used a kitchen scale and I used a glass measuring cup zeroed out on the scale thinking that I could give you the cup equivalents. The thing is, it worked out that all the amounts were not a full measurement of anything and were really weird amounts. If you’re going to do any serious gluten free baking, you probably need to get a kitchen scale. This can be used as an all purpose mix, but I chose these flours with waffles and pancakes in mind. To use a regular recipe with this mix, exchange 140 grams of this mix to every 1 cup of regular flour.
Gluten Free Flour Mix for Waffles and Pancakes
Makes about 3 1/2 cups of flour mix.
50 grams of Oat flour
50 grams of Sorghum flour
50 grams of Millet flour
50 grams of Masa Harina flour (a type of corn flour)
150 grams of Sweet Rice flour
150 grams of Potato Starch
Measure out each of the flours carefully, and place into a large mixing bowl. Using a whisk, mix the flours and starches together until they are very well mixed. Store in an airtight container until you are ready to use it. Enjoy!
So my mother discovered the Farmer’s Almanac a few years ago (or possibly re-discovered, I’ve never asked — I just assumed that city kids didn’t read the Farmer’s Almanac), and this year has a page-a-day calendar version. Despite living many states away from my mother, I always know what page-a-day she has because she mails me the ones she thinks I’ll find interesting. So I thought I’d share this one with you all, even though it won’t work for Denise (I am somewhat sure that flax seed allergies aren’t incredibly common, but if you have one, don’t make this).
To treat a nagging cough:
Boil 3T whole flax seed in 1 pint water
Strain
Stir in 3T sugar [I’d use honey]
Add juice of two lemons
Cool the mixture
Sip as needed
This sounds to me as though it would work well.
My own make at home cough syrup is a little different. A lot of the time, I just swig a spoonful of honey. If I’m feeling fancy or have a real cough, I will dissolve a few tablespoons of honey in a bit of boiling water, add a half shot of whiskey or brandy and a spare pinch of cayenne. There are no real measurements, as I’ve never made this while not sick. This works pretty well for me.
Here’s hoping you don’t need either recipe, but if you do, they’re here for you.
Foie Gras-Shiitake Shumai in Sauternes-Shallot Broth
Pan Seared Scallops with Tamarind Sauce, Sticky Rice and Sautéed Haricot Verts
Grilled Marinated Beef Tenderloin* with Peppercorn Demi Glace, Housemade Corned Beef Hash with Brussels Sprouts Pomegranate Salad
Garlic-Black Pepper Lobster with Lemongrass Fried Rice, Pea Tendril Salad with Tamari-Ginger Vinaigrette
Garlic-Black Pepper Lobster with Lemongrass Fried Rice, Pea Tendril Salad with Tamari-Ginger Vinaigrette 2
Five Spice Apple Fritters with Cider Glaze, Cinnamon Ice Cream and Ginger Apple Compote
It’s Whatever Wednesday, and welcome to our very first restaurant review. This won’t be a regular feature on Surviving the Food Allergy Apocalypse, as we’re somewhat geographically constrained, and there are other websites that do this sort of thing, but when we find a great place to go out and eat with food allergies, we plan to share it with you.
Blue Ginger, in Wellesley, Mass., was opened in 1998 by Ming Tsai, star of Boston public television’s Simply Ming. He’s also a spokesperson and activist for food allergy awareness who has written the standard protocol for food service staff for dealing with patrons who have food allergies. We were excited to go out for a (very) nice dinner and have our allergies dealt with easily and in a way that felt safe. Three of us went to dinner, our friend Laura V, who lives in the Boston area and who does not have any major food sensitivities, and both of us, Mary Kate and Denise.
Blue Ginger is upscale, but casual, with a clean and modern dining room and open kitchen. They have a gluten-free menu. Additionally, though, our server asked each of us about allergens, wrote down the list, asked about severity and cross-contamination, and was very well-versed in the ingredients of each dish on the menu. After discussing the dishes we were interested in, she checked with the kitchen staff before coming back to tell us what the kitchen could do with the dishes we were interested in and our allergens.
A bread basket was provided, and while they do not have a gluten-free bread, they did bring a basket of egg-free and dairy-free bread out for Denise, with olive oil for dipping. The egg-free and dairy-free baguette slices were homemade at the restaurant and contained flour, water, and salt, but somehow managed to taste buttery and melt in your mouth light. It was crisp without being overly crusty and soft but still having lots of air bubbles and texture.
Laura and Denise each had the Gosling’s Ginger Storm. Laura and Denise both have a high appreciation for Gosling’s Black Seal Rum in general. Gosling’s Ginger Storm was described on the menu as “Gosling’s Black Seal Rum blended with house ginger syrup, fresh lime juice and a splash of soda. Shaken and served on the rocks.” It was very good, but Denise would have liked just a tad more lime. It also made Denise and Mary Kate consider whether we could make our own ginger syrup (which Mary Kate wants over ice cream, not rum).
Laura also tried the Massachusetts Mojito, which was described on the menu as “Locally made Privateer White Rum, our Thai Basil Syrup and a touch of Cranberry.” Laura liked it, but said she liked the Gosling’s Ginger Storm better and that she thought the mojito could use more cranberry.
Denise had the Crispy Fried Calamari with Thai Dipping Sauce as an appetizer. The breading was sweet potato flour (which we need to find and experiment with), regular wheat flour, and tapioca starch. There was no need for modification based on Denise’s allergies. The sweet potato flour imparted a distinctly nutty flavor to the breading and the calamari was perfectly cooked, so it had exactly the right level of tenderness without being rubbery. It’s really hard to cook calamari without overcooking it. The dipping sauce had more of a lime vinaigrette feeling to it than a Thai Dipping Sauce, but it was still good, and complemented the calamari. It’s very hard to find dairy-free and egg-free fried seafood anymore, Denise was tickled to be able to have it. Denise ate the entire thing, which is why she didn’t end up having dessert, as noted below.
Laura had the Foie Gras-Shiitake Shumai in Sauternes-Shallot Broth as an appetizer. Laura thought that the foie gras made them very rich, and a little went a long way. The Sauterness-Shallot broth was excellent, with a sweetness that complemented the foie gras.
For the main course, Mary Kate had the Pan Seared Scallops with Tamarind Sauce, and Sautéed Haricot Verts over a bed of sticky rice (this was a substitution for a fancier rice with edamame, which Mary Kate can’t eat). The scallops were perfectly seared, having a gorgeous caramel color as a result. It was simple and phenomenal, with a tang and spice from the tamarind sauce and a brightness from the herb sauce. The fancy green beans were also great.
For the main course, Denise had the Garlic-Black Pepper Lobster with Lemongrass Fried Rice, Pea Tendril Salad with Tamari-Ginger Vinaigrette. The restaurant was able to substitute out all dairy products (i.e. a “great deal of butter” according to our server) for oil, and although that doesn’t really sound appetizing, it was luscious. The lobster was again perfectly cooked. Being from Maine and being a lobster snob, this was a huge deal for Denise. Whoever is cooking the seafood at the Blue Ginger really knows what they are doing. The garlic-pepper sauce was wonderful and the garlic morsels were cooked to perfection as well (Denise is feeling like Goldilocks at this moment and a bit like a broken record). Denise loved the Pea Tendril Salad. They were tender and the Tamari-Ginger Vinaigrette was a excellent complement. (How come restaurants in New Hampshire don’t use pea shoots or pea tendrils and you can only get them in the Boston area? It’s very annoying.) (I don’t know about restaurants, but pea tendrils are available at more than one local store. They aren’t cheap. -MK) [MK, where did you see them? -D] (Concord Co-op, Hannaford, and even Market Basket once or twice. -MK) [I’m blind apparently. -D] The Lemongrass Fried Rice was more like a rice pilaf and didn’t really have a lemongrass flavor to it. It was the only less than exceptional note to the dish.
For the main course, our friend Laura had the Grilled Marinated Beef Tenderloin with Peppercorn Demi Glace, Housemade Corned Beef Hash with Brussels Sprouts Pomegranate Salad. It looked fantastic. Denise and Mary Kate both sampled the Brussels sprouts with pomegranate seeds — the sprouts were separated into the individual leaves, which appeared to be pan fried to the point of being crispy in a flavorful fat, and the combination of pomegranate and Brussels sprouts frankly sang. That’s one to play with, for sure. Laura thought that the Brussels Sprouts Pomegranate Salad was excellent and that she could have eaten a whole plate of that alone. Laura thought that the crunchy sweet pomegranate seeds perfectly complemented the savory Brussels sprout leaves. The tenderloin was cooked perfectly to medium rare as requested. The only thing that Laura would have changed was the inclusion of the corned beef hash. She felt it was an unnecessary element, and she would have preferred more potato as well.
While the dessert menu did look fantastic, and the server had attempted to offer some accommodations for dessert, Denise and Mary Kate were quite full by then, and instead ordered tea. Laura, who does not share our dietary restrictions, ordered the Five Spice Apple Fritters with Cider Glaze, Cinnamon Ice Cream and Ginger Apple Compote. It looked wonderful. Laura thought that the spices they used cut the sweetness of the cider glaze and the fritters were crunchy on the outside and still moist and cake-y on the inside. (For anyone wishing to experiment, Penzey’s sells a great Chinese Five Spice blend. It really is great with apples. -MK)
The server graciously brought a small plate of the blood orange and yuzu geleés, which are outstanding (and normally part of the petite fours platter), and which complied with both Denise’s and Mary Kate’s restrictions. Mary Kate is currently looking up recipes, as this was an unintended highlight and perfect ending to the meal.
Although this was not a restaurant either Denise or Mary Kate can afford to patronize regularly, not to mention it being over an hour away, it was certainly a wonderful treat. The staff were very well educated and accommodating and we had confidence in their knowledge and did not have any anxiety about possible accidental exposures. Beyond that, the food was excellent and definitely worth writing home about — or, you know, writing on the internet.
Guess what? The clay facial mask I liked contains coconut too. (To see a list of coconut derivatives, go here, thanks to Becky at the Allergic to Coconut? blog). See how repetitive this whole coconut being in my products thing is? So I scoured the internet to look for DIY remedies for acne, and came up with a list of ingredients. Me being me, I decided to put all of them in the same mask, if one thing is good, why not superpower it with all of them? Luckily, the only thing I needed after ordering the stuff to make lotions and the shampoo was French Green Clay which I got from Majestic Mountain Sage (no affiliation other than being a satisfied customer).
Denise’s Acne Clay Facial Mask
First of all, I found that this made a bit more than I needed (half again as much), so depending on the area you want to cover and how thickly you want to cover, you might want to adjust the quantities.
Crush aspirin tablets in your mixing bowl. I used a pestle to my mortar and pestle, but you can use a metal spoon. Add salt and lemon juice to container. Let salt and aspirin dissolve in lemon juice. Then add honey, apricot kernel oil, and tea tree oil, and mix thoroughly. Then add French Green Clay and distilled water and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
Smooth mixture on face and let dry until you can touch the mask without any coming off on your finger (10 to 15 minutes). Wash off with warm water and a facecloth. I’d have taken a picture with it on my face, but I thought I’d spare us all that kind of shock. Try it and let me know what you think, I liked it very much.
What do we most need for winter and cold and flu season?
Vodka.
Yup, vodka. The cheapest rotgut vodka you can buy, in the largest quantity you can buy, and you can deodorize your furniture, carpets, curtains, freshen up your air, and even sanitize your hands.
Non-Chemical Hand Sanitizer
Adapted from a few different online ideas.
1 part vodka
1 part aloe vera juice
20-40 drops of essential oils (tea tree, lavender, and rosemary recommended)
Mix in a small spray bottle. Shake before using. Spray 3-4 times on one hand, rub hands together until dry.
Now I have no clinical proof that this sanitizes your hands, but given that hand sanitizer gel is mostly alcohol, and vodka is alcohol, I’m going out on a limb and guessing this works. The aloe vera juice seems to help keep the alcohol from drying out my hands.
Air Freshener and Fabric Deodorizer
Most air fresheners trigger my allergies, leave me with a pounding headache, and I wouldn’t enjoy the smell even if it didn’t make me ill. But sometimes you need to freshen up the air. Or the couch.
This mix is easier than easy, and it really works. Given that you may be spraying this on fabric, don’t use orange-colored citrus essential oils — they can stain. Otherwise, play around and find your favorite mix.
Vodka
Essential oil, about 10 drops per ounce of vodka, adjusted for how strong you want the scent
Seriously, that’s all you need. This works to freshen up a couch or a stale room equally well. From what I read on the internet, this also works great on the non-washable uniforms worn for school bands, theatre costumes, and, in a pinch on dry clean fabrics (but I have NOT tested this last one — let me know if you do). It does work fine on a campfire-smoky jacket, though.
I also like to think that, given vodka’s magical (hopefully) sterilizing properties, that it might help clear the air.
Give it a try. Let us know how it works. Or, hey, if you’re a science geek, tell me how I can test my theories — or why vodka mysteriously removes odors from fabric. I know it works, but I don’t know why.
Detailed cleaning, for those times before company is coming over — or your mother is visiting. Get out your old pillowcases or t-shirts. We’re cleaning screens and polishing your furniture.
Screens. If you have a TV from this century, it has some weird plastic-y screen, not a glass one. Which means, given that it’s a specialty material, and there are specialty cleaners. They sell for $9 or more a bottle, which is wicked expensive, and they are pretty much alcohol and water. So, maybe make your own? I find that this also works great on all the surfaces of my laptop. I’ve tried a variety of things, but nothing beats the Crunch Betty recipe I liked — equal parts distilled water and rubbing alcohol. That’s it. That’s all. It’s that easy. Mix it in a spray bottle, if you have one, but in a pinch, a jam jar works, too. Just shake it, wet your cloth, and wipe.
Wood. I use the following mix, again in a spray bottle if you have one, but a jam jar works in a pinch. This recipe makes 16 oz., so adjust according to the size of your container.
2 teaspoons olive oil
20 drops of lemon juice or lemon essential oil (I’ve only used juice in this, about 1/4 teaspoon)
1/4 cup white distilled vinegar
Distilled water, about 1 1/2 cups
Shake before using, spray on a cloth, and rub until dry. This actually works best if you remove heavy dust first — I use an electrostatic duster first, and then polish my wood furniture with this.
This is a dishrag, with a Dalek knitted into it. You won’t use it to do laundry, but you might need to wash it eventually. Here’s how.
WASH CYCLE
And another thing, you can’t buy laundry soap without coconut in it either. (To get a list of coconut derivatives, go here, thanks to Becky at the Allergic to Coconut? blog.) Since I decided I wanted to try cutting out any coconut derivatives that touch my skin, laundry soap was a target too.
1 Kiss My Face Pure Olive Oil Soap – 8 oz bar, grated (I grated it in my food processor, dumped it out, put the blade in, put it back in the food processor and pulverized it some more. Doesn’t take as long to dissolve in the water this way. Make sure you clean your food processor really well afterwards.)
Grate Kiss My Face Soap. Place in container with borax and washing soda and mix thoroughly. Use 2 Tablespoons per load. A tablespoon of the laundry detergent
DRY CYCLE
For the dryer, dryer sheets are loaded with chemicals and waxes, and aren’t great for people with sensitive skin. Let’s assume coconut is a common base ingredient here like it is everywhere else. What can you do?
You can make your own felted wool dryer balls to use in place of fabric softener, or you can buy them or use the plastic ones. Amazon has both here.
Also magical? Balls of foil. Don’t you love a cheap fix? Or use vinegar. This, or a cup or so in the rinse cycle, if you’re good at paying attention, both do wonders for static.
Now, neither of us has tried soap nuts, and Denise isn’t sure if they are potentially cross-reactive with coconut/palm (anyone know?), but they’re another potential alternative out there. Anyone tried this?
Sorry. We can’t help you with folding. But Martha can:
Here, look at this pretty photo of Star Island’s research center, as my bathtub isn’t that exciting.
Why not start the cleaning series with the deep cleaning of scrubbing? This is a method more than a recipe, and works on bathtubs as well as kitchen and bathroom sinks.
Now if you do some searching online, you will find lots of recipes to make scrubs for this purpose. I’ve tried a few, but I’ve found my method to be just as effective, and more importantly, a little easier.
Sinks and Tubs
You need the following:
a cleaning cloth or sponge (I prefer terrycloth washrags)
baking soda
castille or other liquid soap, scented with essential oils if you like
water
a dirty sink or bathtub
Wet the bathtub. I do this by turning the shower on for a minute.
lightly sprinkled tub
Sprinkle the tub with baking soda. I have a large plastic container once used for a massive quantity of Italian Seasoning that I got from a recycling bin. It’s perfect for this.
baking soda sprinkler
Wet your cloth, and add a tablespoon or so of castille soap.
Scrub.
sink being scrubbed
Rinse.
It really is that easy. This make take a bit more rinsing than your commercial cleansers do, but any residue left on your sink or tub is non-toxic. If you have kids who use your bathtub or pets who like to lick the water out of the tub, you don’t need to worry.
Toilets
This method also works for toilets, just using your toilet brush instead of your cloth. Here, I do add a few drops of essential oil for freshening up, but it’s not necessary.
Alternately, sprinkle your toilet bowl with baking soda and add about a cup of white vinegar. Let it foam, then scrub with your toilet brush.
Now, I am aware that this cleaning method doesn’t likely have the germ and microbe killing powers of, say, bleach. But I don’t feel the need to fully disinfect the toilet — I don’t eat out of it — and cleaning it will get rid of most of the bacteria.
Drains
Now, since I have everything out anyway, I usually treat the drains at this time, too. This will not remove a clog in your drain, but it will keep things moving along in a reasonable manner.
For sinks, dump about 1/4 cup of baking soda down the drain. Then slowly pour a cup or so of white vinegar down after it. I usually don’t measure the vinegar — I just pour slowly until it stops foaming in a satisfying manner. Don’t use the sink/drain for 30 minutes or so, to let the vinegar/baking soda volcano do its work throughout. (To be honest, I don’t know if this is necessary or even useful, but it sounds like a good idea and I use it as an excuse to take a break from cleaning.)
For extra drain clog-monster banishing power, follow this with a pot or kettle full of boiling water.
For the skeptics, I do not have a garbage disposal, so bits of food do go directly down my kitchen drain. I do this treatment every 3 to 4 months. In 5 years, I have never needed a chemical drain cleaner on my kitchen sink, which is good, because have you read the warnings on those? They’re scary.
So this is a very simple and cheap way of cleaning that is also allergen-friendly and environmentally-friendly. Got any tips you’d like to share?
