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Fish/shellfish-free – Page 12 – surviving the food allergy apocalypse (archive)

surviving the food allergy apocalypse (archive)

Tag: Fish/shellfish-free

  • Valentine’s Day Gingerbread Frosted Cookies

    Valentine’s Day Gingerbread Frosted Cookies

     

    Valentine's Day Frosted Gingerbread Cookies
    Valentine’s Day Gingerbread Frosted Cookies

    Mary Kate and I try occasionally to think up recipes with holiday themes. Valentine’s Day is a somewhat of struggle for me, as I’m generally a bit cynical of the whole thing and not a very sentimental person. But I’ve been craving cookies for a while, and I’d gotten myself some cookie cutters (these and these) with an Amazon gift card I’d gotten for Christmas (thanks Mom!) and I was itching to give them a test drive.  Now granted, the Gingerdead Men cookie cutters aren’t much in the theme of Valentine’s Day, but they were too funny for me not to try out. I took them to work and they were a huge hit with people who have no allergies and can eat gluten, so I think they’re pretty awesome.

    Valentine’s Day Gingerbread Frosted Cookies

    I started with a recipe from Cara Reed’s Decadent Gluten-Free Vegan Baking book, which is an excellent resource.  However, due to my cocktail of allergies, I generally use her book as a starting point to experiment as I generally have to change quite a bit. This time, I had to change the flour mix as I seem to be having issues with potatoes and rice  and I suspect I may be allergic (sigh, shaking fist at the sky). I can’t use vegan shortening or vegan butter due to my corn and coconut allergies. I also can’t use flax as I’m allergic to it. I also wanted to kick up the spices a bit.

    To start, you’ll need to make the Gluten-free, Rice-free, Potato-free Flour Mix:


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    Gluten-free, Rice-free, Potato-free Flour Mix
    Print Recipe
    Servings Prep Time
    9 cups 15 minutes
    Servings Prep Time
    9 cups 15 minutes
    Gluten-free, Rice-free, Potato-free Flour Mix
    Print Recipe
    Servings Prep Time
    9 cups 15 minutes
    Servings Prep Time
    9 cups 15 minutes
    Ingredients
    • 2 cups sorghum flour
    • 2 cups oat flour
    • 2 cups millet flour
    • 2 cups tapioca starch
    • 1 cup arrowroot starch
    Servings: cups
    Instructions
    1. Measure all ingredients and place in a large mixing bowl. Using a whisk, mix the ingredients until well combined. Place in an air tight storage container and use in baking recipes.
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    Once your flour mix is done, we can move onto the cookies.

    Cookie Dough:

    • 1/2 cup of cold lard, cold vegetable shortening, or vegan butter (vegan butter and vegetable shortening are not generally safe for those allergic to corn)
    • 2 1/2 cups of Gluten-free, Rice-free, Potato-free flour mix and a bit extra for rolling the dough
    • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
    • 1 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
    • 3/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
    • 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
    • 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
    • 1/2 cup of sugar
    • 1/2 cup of molasses (Plantation Molasses is the brand most tolerated by those allergic to corn)
    • 1 Tablespoon of ground chia seed
    • 3 Tablespoons of aquafaba
    Pink Royal Icing:
    • 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
    • 1/4 teaspoon of  vanilla extract  (Here’s a bunch of recipes for vanilla extract, make sure to use safe alcohol if corn or wheat are an issue for you. I used a vodka made only from potatoes,  be careful as some vodkas may also use grain or corn.)
    • 1 Tablespoon of aquafaba
    • 1 teaspoon of beet puree (To make puree, either use canned or fresh cooked beets and puree them in a blender with a bit of cooking liquid)

    In a large bowl, whisk together the Gluten-free, Rice-free, Potato-free flour mix, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, until completely combined and set aside. In a small bowl, mix chia and aquafaba together until combined, and set aside.

    Using a stand mixer, beat the cold lard, cold vegetable shortening, or vegan butter on medium to high speed until softened. Add molasses, sugar, chia and aquafaba mixture, and half of the flour mixture and beat until combined, scraping down the sides as necessary. Then add the remaining flour mixture and beat it in slowly until combined.

    Using a stand mixer, beat the cold lard, cold vegetable shortening, or vegan butter on medium to high speed until softened. Add molasses, sugar, chia and aquafaba mixture, and half of the flour mixture and beat until combined, scraping down the sides as necessary. Then add the remaining flour mixture and beat it in slowly until combined.

    When dough is chilled, preheat oven to 375ºF, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

    Place piece of parchment paper large enough to cover your rolling surface. Lightly flour the parchment paper with some Gluten-free, Rice-free, Potato-free flour mix, flatten the dough ball and flip it to be covered with some of the flour.

    Flattened, floured doughball
    Flattened, floured doughball

    Add another piece of parchment paper on top. Roll the dough between the pieces of parchment paper to 1/8 of an inch thickness.

    Dough being rolled between two pieces of parchment
    Dough being rolled between two pieces of parchment

    If you don’t roll the cookies thin enough, they will spread.

    Dough rolled out
    Dough rolled out

    Cut shapes with a cookie cutter and place them 1 inch apart on the parchment covered baking sheet.

    Cookies on cookie sheet (placed much too closely, beware!)
    Cookies on cookie sheet (placed much too closely, beware!)

    Bake 7-13 minutes (range is for a metal sheet pan to Pampered Chef stoneware, you need more time for stoneware) until the edges are lightly browned.

    Cookies placed too closely and rolled too thick - A friend noted it looked like a cave made of hearts collapsing on the men, haha!
    Cookies placed too closely and rolled too thick – A friend noted it looked like a cave made of hearts collapsing on the men, haha!

    Cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before transferring them to a wire rack.

    Cookies cooling on rack
    Cookies cooling on rack

    When they are cool, it’s time to frost them.  To make the Pink Royal Icing, place the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, aquafaba, and beet puree in a bowl and using a stand or electric mixer, beat ingredients until completely combined. If frosting is not firm enough, add additional powdered sugar by the teaspoon until it is.

    Pink Royal Icing
    Pink Royal Icing

    Place the frosting in a cake decorator and frost as you wish. Enjoy!

    Valentine's Day Gingerbread Frosted Cookies
    Valentine’s Day Gingerbread Frosted Cookies

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    Valentine’s Day Gingerbread Frosted Cookies
    Print Recipe
    Cookies for your sweetheart!
    Servings Prep Time
    2 dozen 30 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    7-13 minutes 3 hours
    Servings Prep Time
    2 dozen 30 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    7-13 minutes 3 hours
    Valentine’s Day Gingerbread Frosted Cookies
    Print Recipe
    Cookies for your sweetheart!
    Servings Prep Time
    2 dozen 30 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    7-13 minutes 3 hours
    Servings Prep Time
    2 dozen 30 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    7-13 minutes 3 hours
    Ingredients
    Cookie Dough
    • 1/2 cup cold lard, cold vegetable shortening, or vegan butter (vegan butter and vegetable shortening are not generally safe for corn allergics)
    • 2 1/2 cups Gluten-free, Rice-free, Potato-free flour mix (and a bit extra for rolling the dough)
    • 1 tsp baking soda
    • 1 1/4 tsp ground ginger
    • 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
    • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
    • 1/2 cup sugar
    • 1/2 cup molasses
    • 1 tbsp ground chia seed
    • 3 tbsp aquafaba
    Pink Royal Icing
    • 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
    • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1 tbsp aquafaba
    • 1 tsp beet puree (To make puree, either use canned or fresh cooked beets and puree them in a blender)
    Servings: dozen
    Instructions
    Making Cookies
    1. In a large bowl, whisk together the Gluten-free, Rice-free, Potato-free flour mix, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, until completely combined and set aside. In a small bowl, mix chia and aquafaba together until combined, and set aside.
    2. Using a stand mixer, beat the cold lard, cold vegetable shortening, or vegan butter on medium to high speed until softened. Add molasses, sugar, chia and aquafaba mixture, and half of the flour mixture and beat until combined, scraping down the sides as necessary. Then add the remaining flour mixture and beat it in slowly until combined.
    3. Divide the dough in half and create two balls. Either wrap in saran wrap or place in a bowl and cover, and then place in the fridge and chill the dough for at least three hours, I prefer overnight.
    4. When dough is chilled, preheat oven to 375ºF, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
    5. Place piece of parchment paper large enough to cover your rolling surface. Lightly flour the parchment paper with some Gluten-free, Rice-free, Potato-free flour mix, flatten the dough ball and flip it to be covered with some of the flour, and add another piece of parchment paper on top. Roll the dough between the pieces of parchment paper to 1/8 of an inch thickness. If you don’t roll the cookies thin enough, they will spread. Cut shapes with a cookie cutter and place them 1 inch apart on the parchment covered baking sheet.
    6. Bake 7-13 minutes (range is for a metal sheet pan to Pampered Chef stoneware, you need more time for stoneware) until the edges are lightly browned. Cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before transferring them to a wire rack.
    Making Frosting
    1. Place powdered sugar, vanilla extract, aquafaba, and beet puree in a bowl and using a stand or electric mixer, beat ingredients until completely combined. If frosting is not firm enough, add additional powdered sugar by the teaspoon until it is.
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  • Bacon-Wrapped Potato Bites

    Bacon-Wrapped Potato Bites

     

    Bacon-Wrapped Potato Bites
    Bacon-Wrapped Potato Bites

    I’d write something eloquent about this, but doesn’t the recipe title tell you everything? My friend Corinne of spare cake made these for me a few years ago, and my guess is that she didn’t make the recipe up. It’s not even much of a recipe — just an amazing technique that you need to know for your next gathering (or blizzard day in).

    If your allergies prevent you from eating commercial bacon or frozen tater tots, fear not. We have you covered with DIY bacon and a few versions of potato bites. (If you are making your own, I’d suggest cooking the tots about half way through before wrapping them in bacon).

    Enjoy.


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    Bacon-Wrapped Potato Bites
    Print Recipe
    This is a great appetizer for the next sporting event or movie night or other gathering where clean fingers aren’t a priority (so do not make this for a gaming night!). Plan on maybe a half-dozen potato bites per person, fewer if you have other hearty appetizers. I always cook some extra potatoes just because you can never have extra potatoes.
    Servings Prep Time
    4 people 15 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    30 minutes 30 minutes
    Servings Prep Time
    4 people 15 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    30 minutes 30 minutes
    Bacon-Wrapped Potato Bites
    Print Recipe
    This is a great appetizer for the next sporting event or movie night or other gathering where clean fingers aren’t a priority (so do not make this for a gaming night!). Plan on maybe a half-dozen potato bites per person, fewer if you have other hearty appetizers. I always cook some extra potatoes just because you can never have extra potatoes.
    Servings Prep Time
    4 people 15 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    30 minutes 30 minutes
    Servings Prep Time
    4 people 15 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    30 minutes 30 minutes
    Ingredients
    • 12 strips bacon
    • 24 tater tots or potato bites check ingredients!
    Servings: people
    Instructions
    1. Pre-heat oven to 420ºF.
    2. Take frozen tots out of oven OR make and pre-bake DIY tater tots (bake for half the time in the recipe linked above).
    3. Line a sheet pan with slightly crumpled foil (this will act as a bit of a “rack” for the bacon). Lay strips of bacon out, close, but not touching or overlapping. Bake for about 10 minutes — bacon should start getting some color, but will not yet be crispy. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
    4. If using frozen tots that aren’t thawed yet (and most won’t in 10 minutes), bake for 10 minutes.
    5. When tots are cool enough to touch, wrap each tot in half a strip of bacon, overlapping on one side and stick a toothpick through the overlapped part and out the other side.
    6. Place back on baking sheet (not the greasy foil one!) and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until bacon is crisp and potatoes are cooked through (usually brown on the ends).
    7. Eat with dipping sauce of your choice. Ketchup is good, but cashew ranch would also be a good choice.
      Bacon-Wrapped Potato Bites
    Recipe Notes

    420ºF

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  • Chicken Fried Steak with White Pepper Gravy

    Chicken Fried Steak with White Pepper Gravy
    Chicken Fried Steak with White Pepper Gravy

    My mother made cube steak sometimes when we were kids, but wasn’t one for sauces, so I wasn’t introduced to white pepper gravy until I began ordering it at diners. I liked nothing better than going to a greasy spoon diner after a night out with friends if we’d been imbibing, or as a recovery measure the morning after when I was in college and law school. I love diner food, and was disappointed in the lack of good diners in New Hampshire when I moved here. Now that the food allergy apocalypse has hit, even the mediocre diners here are off limits.  But this recipe takes care of those diner food cravings for me.

    Chicken Fried Steak with White Pepper Gravy

    Chicken Fried Steak Ingredients:

    • 1-2 cube steaks
    • 1/4 cup of sorghum flour
    • 1/4  cup of garbanzo bean flour
    • 1 Tablespoon of Montreal Steak Seasoning (see recipe in link, I have to use homemade) 
    • 2 Tablespoons of aquafaba (you’ll need 4 Tablespoons if you make 2 cube steaks)
    • 2-3 Tablespoons of bacon fat, lard, or other safe for you cooking oil.

    White Pepper Gravy Ingredients:

    • Drippings from frying Chicken Fried Steak
    • 1/4 cup of sorghum flour
    • 1 cup of cashew milk  or other safe for you non-dairy milk
    • 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water depending on how thick you like your gravy
    • 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper (you may want to add more or less to taste)
    • 1/4 teaspoon of salt ( you may want to add more or less to taste)

    Chicken Fried Steak Instructions:

    Place 1/4 cup of sorghum flour, 1/4 cup of garbanzo bean flour, and the Montreal Steak Seasoning in a large shallow dish that will allow you to coat the cube steak easily.

    Sorghum flour, garbanzo bean flour, and Montreal Steak Seasoning
    Sorghum flour, garbanzo bean flour, and Montreal Steak Seasoning

    Mix the sorghum flour, garbanzo bean flour and Montreal Steak Seasoning together until they are well combined.  Place the aquafaba in another large shallow dish that will  allow you to coat the cube steak easily.

    Aquafaba
    Aquafaba

    Place your bacon fat, lard, or safe oil in a skillet, and place the skillet on a burner over medium heat.

    While your fat/oil heats, take your cube steak and coat it in the aquafaba.

    Cube steak coated in aquafaba
    Cube steak coated in aquafaba

    Then dredge the cube steak in the flour mixture.

    Cube steak after first dredge in flour mixture
    Cube steak after first dredge in flour mixture

    Place the cube steak in the aquafaba again and recoat it, and then re-dredge the cube steak in the flour mixture.

    Cube steak after second dredge in flour mixture
    Cube steak after second dredge in flour mixture

    Once your fat/oil is hot, place the steak in the skillet.

    Cube steak cooking in skillet
    Cube steak cooking in skillet

    Cook for 3-5 minutes each side (depending on how hot your burner is), making sure the internal temperature reaches 160ºF, and until the coating is a lovely golden brown.

    Cube steak with golden brown coating
    Cube steak with golden brown coating

    White Pepper Gravy Instructions:

    Remove the skillet that you cooked the Chicken Fried Steak from the heat and to allow it to cool down a bit.

    Mix 1/4 cup of sorghum flour with cashew milk, 1/4 cup of the water (you can add more later if the gravy’s too thick), black pepper and salt, together in a mixing bowl, until well combined.

    Place the skillet back on the burner with the drippings from cooking the Chicken Fried Steak still in it.  Pour the flour and cashew milk mixture over the drippings, while whisking constantly over low heat, until the gravy thickens.

    White Pepper Gravy after it thickens
    White Pepper Gravy after it thickens

    Add more water if the gravy is too thick, whisking to incorporate the water, and add more salt and pepper to taste if necessary.  Spoon over your Chicken Fried Steak and enjoy!

    Chicken Fried Steak with White Pepper Gravy
    Chicken Fried Steak with White Pepper Gravy

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    Chicken Fried Steak with White Pepper Gravy
    Print Recipe
    A great dish for when you miss diner food.
    Servings Prep Time
    1-2 people 10 minutes
    Cook Time
    20 minutes
    Servings Prep Time
    1-2 people 10 minutes
    Cook Time
    20 minutes
    Chicken Fried Steak with White Pepper Gravy
    Print Recipe
    A great dish for when you miss diner food.
    Servings Prep Time
    1-2 people 10 minutes
    Cook Time
    20 minutes
    Servings Prep Time
    1-2 people 10 minutes
    Cook Time
    20 minutes
    Ingredients
    Chicken Fried Steak Ingredients
    • 1-2 cube steaks
    • 1/4 cup sorghum flour
    • 1/4 cup garbanzo bean flour
    • 1 tbsp Montreal Steak Seasoning (see recipe on our blog)
    • 2 tbsp aquafaba
    • 2-3 tbsp bacon fat, lard, or safe for you oil
    White Pepper Gravy
    • Drippings from frying Chicken Fried Steak
    • 1/4 cup sorghum flour
    • 1 cup cashew milk or other dairy free milk
    • 1/4 to 1/2 cup water
    • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    Servings: people
    Instructions
    Chicken Fried Steak
    1. For Chicken Fried Steak, place 1/4 cup of sorghum flour, 1/4 cup of garbanzo bean flour, and the Montreal Steak Seasoning in a large shallow dish that will allow you to coat the cube steak easily. Mix the sorghum flour, garbanzo bean flour and Montreal Steak Seasoning together until they are well combined. Place the aquafaba in another large shallow dish that will allow you to coat the cube steak easily.
    2. Place your bacon fat, lard, or safe oil in a skillet, and place the skillet on a burner over medium heat. While your fat/oil heats, take your cube steak and coat it in the aquafaba. Then dredge the cube steak in the flour mixture. Place the cube steak in the aquafaba again and recoat it, and then re-dredge the cube steak in the flour mixture. Once your fat/oil is hot, place the steak in the skillet. Cook for 3-5 minutes each side (depending on how hot your burner is), making sure the internal temperature reaches 160ºF, and until the coating is a lovely golden brown.
    White Pepper Gravy
    1. Remove the skillet that you cooked the Chicken Fried Steak from the heat and to allow it to cool down a bit. Mix 1/4 cup of sorghum flour with cashew milk, 1/4 cup of the water (you can add more later if the gravy’s too thick), black pepper and salt, together in a mixing bowl, until well combined. Place the skillet back on the burner with the drippings from cooking the Chicken Fried Steak still in it. Pour the flour and cashew milk mixture over the drippings, while whisking constantly over low heat, until the gravy thickens. Add more water if the gravy is too thick, whisking to incorporate the water, and add more salt and pepper to taste if necessary. Spoon over your Chicken Fried Steak and enjoy!
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  • Cider Pot Roast

    Cider Pot Roast

    Cider Pot Roast plated with carrots, onions, and mashed potatoes
    Cider Pot Roast

    While I know there are people out there who dream of steak dinners, prime rib, or some other fancy cut of cow, my all-time favorite beef dinner is a good pot roast. I’ve been wanting to post a pot roast dinner to the blog for years now, but I hadn’t figured out how to get the right flavor and texture.

    Pot roast should be falling apart, fork-tender meat. The onions and carrots should be flavorful, and the braising liquid should be able to be a gravy with no added flavor, only thickening (and I almost never bother).  I have made countless pot roasts that have not met this bar. I’ve tried gluten-free beer, wines, beef and chicken broth, and seasoned water. Eh.  Everything was edible, but nothing was great.

    This time, I tried hard apple cider, Farnum Hill Dooryard Cider, in fact, which is local to New Hampshire. I’m not sure how easy it might be to find elsewhere, but it is gluten-free and safe for me. This cider tends towards dryness, rather than sweetness, which is ideal for this application. See what you can find, and make sure you taste it before cooking with it.

    When I tasted this, I ended up going in a slightly different direction with herbs. I did try this with the more traditional thyme, and it was good, but oregano and apple cider was the winning combination for me. Another good reason to taste your ingredients!

    Cider pot roast prep
    Preparing pot roast for baking. Keen eyes may pick up that this is the thyme-covered roast, not the oregano in the recipe. You’d be correct — this photo just turned out much better.

    The beef is browned before baking, and it’s cooked with browned onions and carrots, and served over simple smashed potatoes. The recipe lists 3 carrots, but honestly, add as many as your casserole or Dutch oven will hold, as they are amazing. If you prefer to enrich your potatoes with safe margarine and non-dairy milk, feel free — I think they soak up more pan juices without those, though. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.


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    Cider Pot Roast
    Print Recipe
    This is the pot roast of my childhood — tender meat that you don’t need a knife to eat, slathered in onions, best served over mashed potatoes. In this recipe, I found that hard cider made a good gluten-free substitution for beer.
    Servings Prep Time
    4 people 3 hours
    Cook Time Passive Time
    2.5 hours 2.5 hours
    Servings Prep Time
    4 people 3 hours
    Cook Time Passive Time
    2.5 hours 2.5 hours
    Cider Pot Roast
    Print Recipe
    This is the pot roast of my childhood — tender meat that you don’t need a knife to eat, slathered in onions, best served over mashed potatoes. In this recipe, I found that hard cider made a good gluten-free substitution for beer.
    Servings Prep Time
    4 people 3 hours
    Cook Time Passive Time
    2.5 hours 2.5 hours
    Servings Prep Time
    4 people 3 hours
    Cook Time Passive Time
    2.5 hours 2.5 hours
    Ingredients
    • 1 medium (baseball) onion
    • 1 Tablespoon fat olive oil, bacon fat, whatever you want to use is good here
    • 1.5 lbs. boneless chuck roast
    • salt and pepper to taste, but be generous
    • 3 carrots (actually,I’d add as many as your pot will hold, cut into large chunks)
    • 1 teaspoon oregano
    • 1 cup hard apple cider make sure your brand is safe for you
    • 1/4 cup water
    • 1 lb. potatoes, mashed make them however you like them
    Servings: people
    Instructions
    1. Turn your oven on at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
    2. If you have a stove-top to oven-safe dutch oven or other casserole, this is a good recipe to use it. I do not, so I start out in a skillet, and then transfer to a lidded casserole dish. Either way, heat your pan over medium heat, and add the oil or fat.
    3. When the oil is hot, add the onions, frying until they start to brown. When they are all translucent and/or browning (15-20 minutes, stir regularly), remove from the pan. If you’re using a casserole for the baking, transfer them directly there (I advise you lightly grease the dish AND lid).
    4. Turn up the heat just a bit (medium-high). Salt and pepper all sides of your roast liberally, and use freshly ground pepper if you can. Then brown each side. You don’t have to brown the short sides, but it tastes better if you do. Plan on 3-5 minutes per side.
    5. Now either add the browned beef to your greased casserole dish that has onions at the bottom, or add the onions back to the pot (but not on top of the beef). Add your carrots around the sides of the beef.
    6. Sprinkle the oregano over the top of the dish. Then add the cider and water along the side. I like to have the herbs bake to the top of the meat, so don’t wash them off with the cider.
    7. Cover and bake the pot roast for 2-3 hours. Two and a half is a good estimate, as it gives the meat time to braise and for all the fibers in the meat to break apart. Check on it at 2 hours for two things — using a meat thermometer, see if it’s done (170F/77C for well done, and this is pot roast), and then see if the meat is tender. Cook longer if needed. You can definitely turn off the oven and let the casserole continue in the pre-heated oven for the last 30 minutes, provided that the meat has reached its internal temperature.
    8. For the potatoes, I prefer the simplest preparation — cook whole potatoes in salted water until a knife stuck through the center shows they are done. Then drain and smash, adding nothing. These are the perfect potatoes for absorbing other flavors, as the texture is a bit fluffier than traditional mashed potatoes. But make the potatoes you love.
    9. Serve meat and onions and carrots over potatoes, with plenty of the juice from the pan.
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  • Atomic Fireball Liqueur

     

    Atomic Fireball Liqueur

    Atomic Fireball Liqueur

    Remember when we were little kids and you could get Atomic Fireball individual candies for a penny or five cents depending on the era and rate of inflation? I wonder how much they are these days. In any case, I was trying to make a spiced cranberry liqueur when I came up with this recipe, but when we sipped it after steeping it, the cinnamon had really taken over, and my husband said it tasted like an Atomic Fireball candy. You know, that’s really not such a bad thing.  I think this is pretty good served over ice and sipped carefully. I’ve mixed it with some kombucha (yes, not good for the probiotics, but it tasted good). It’d be great with some hard cider, in a spice chai tea, and I bet it would perk up your coffee.  It’s pretty easy to make, and it’s a nice thing to round out your bar for cocktails. If you make some interesting drinks, let us know. Also, I tried to take a pretty picture with the ice shot glasses again, but you can see why ice shot glasses can be fraught with peril, as the bottom melted out before I could take the shot.

    Atomic Fireball Liqueur in a melting ice shot glass
    Atomic Fireball Liqueur in a melting ice shot glass

    Atomic Fireball Liqueur

    • 1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
    • 3 whole cloves
    • 3 whole allspice berries
    • 1 cup of sugar
    • 3/4 cup of water
    • zest of a lemon
    • 1 cup of cranberries, fresh or frozen
    • 1 3/4 cups of vodka (I used a vodka made only from potatoes,  be careful as some vodkas may also use wheat or corn)

    Add the sugar, water, lemon zest, and cranberries to a sauce pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and continue to simmer until the cranberries begin to burst, for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

    Cranberries, sugar, lemon zest and water in a sauce pot
    Cranberries, sugar, lemon zest and water in a sauce pot

    Use an immersion (stick) blender to break up the cranberries enough so the juice is released, but the mixture stays chunky.

    Cranberry mixture after blending
    Cranberry mixture after blending

    Pour the mixture into a mason jar. Add the vodka, cinnamon stick pieces, cloves, and allspice to the jar. Seal the jar with an air tight lid and shake vigorously.

    Cranberry mixture, spices, and vodka steeping
    Cranberry mixture, spices, and vodka steeping

    Let steep at room temperature for 2 to 7 days, shaking occasionally and sampling to check to see whether you’re happy with the flavor.  I decided mine was done in about two and half days.  Using a strainer lined with cheesecloth, strain the mixture, pressing down to extract as much of the liquid as possible. Once strained, keep in an air tight container either at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to six months.


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    Atomic Fireball Liqueur
    Print Recipe
    A fun DIY liqueur
    Servings Prep Time
    2 1/4 cups 10 m minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    15 minutes 2-7 days
    Servings Prep Time
    2 1/4 cups 10 m minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    15 minutes 2-7 days
    Atomic Fireball Liqueur
    Print Recipe
    A fun DIY liqueur
    Servings Prep Time
    2 1/4 cups 10 m minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    15 minutes 2-7 days
    Servings Prep Time
    2 1/4 cups 10 m minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    15 minutes 2-7 days
    Ingredients
    • 1 cinnamon stick broken into pieces
    • 3 whole cloves
    • 3 whole allspice berries
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 3/4 cup water
    • 1 zest from a whole lemon
    • 1 cup cranberries fresh or frozen
    • 1 3/4 cups Vodka I used a vodka made only from potatoes, be careful as some vodkas may also use grain or corn
    Servings: cups
    Instructions
    1. Add the sugar, water, lemon zest, and cranberries to a sauce pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and continue to simmer until the cranberries begin to burst, for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
    2. Use an immersion (stick) blender to break up the cranberries enough so the juice is released, but the mixture stays chunky.
    3. Pour the mixture into a mason jar. Add the vodka, cinnamon stick pieces, cloves, and allspice to the jar. Seal the jar with an air tight lid and shake vigorously.
    4. Let steep at room temperature for 2 to 7 days, sampling to check to see whether you’re happy with the flavor. Using a strainer lined with cheesecloth, strain the mixture, pressing down to extract as much of the liquid as possible. Once strained, keep in an air tight container either at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to six months.
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  • Fancy Little Birds (Oven-Roasted Herbed Cornish Game Hens)

    Fancy Little Birds (Oven-Roasted Herbed Cornish Game Hens)

    Oven-Roasted Herbed Cornish Game Hens
    Oven-Roasted Herbed Cornish Game Hens

    I’m not a big holiday celebration person, but I do like cooking special food for special occasions.  Christmas, growing up, was always a special meal, but it wasn’t one specific thing. For years, Christmas Eve was Welsh Rarebit (something like this recipe — completely not allergy-friendly beer cheese sauce over toast), and then it was stir fry.

    This year, I wanted something special but not large, and when Cornish game hens were on sale at the grocery store, I decided that this would be perfect for Christmas Eve. There were two birds in my package, but it turns out that about half a bird is a single serving. I knew I wanted to spatchcock the birds (although it doesn’t cut the cooking time down much here) so that they might stay juicy, and also so that I didn’t have to worry about stuffing them. I cooked them over thick slices of orange, coated in herbes d’provence, and served them with dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, and a mushroom gravy. The dressing and gravy can be found as part of an previous post, my Thanksgiving casserole.

    This is what the bird looked like "carved" and plated with lovely green beans on my china (of which I own four whole pieces).
    This is what the bird looked like “carved” and plated with lovely green beans on my china (of which I own four whole pieces).

    This bird did look elegant for dinner, but eating the parts is a little fussy. Maybe don’t make this for when you need your table manners to be most impressive? Unless you’re really good eating a tiny drumstick with a knife and fork? Cornish game hens are a nice change from chicken, but they are also a little fussy to eat.


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    Baked Herbed Spatchcocked Cornish Game Hens
    Print Recipe
    That is a LOT of qualifiers! But this recipe is really straightforward and requires only one sort of specialized piece of equipment — kitchen shears. Otherwise, use your oven just go. I am NOT going to talk you through spatchcocking. Try our turkey post here, or this post, which has tons of photos.
    Servings Prep Time
    4 people (with sides) 10 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    45 minutes, approximately 45 minutes
    Servings Prep Time
    4 people (with sides) 10 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    45 minutes, approximately 45 minutes
    Baked Herbed Spatchcocked Cornish Game Hens
    Print Recipe
    That is a LOT of qualifiers! But this recipe is really straightforward and requires only one sort of specialized piece of equipment — kitchen shears. Otherwise, use your oven just go. I am NOT going to talk you through spatchcocking. Try our turkey post here, or this post, which has tons of photos.
    Servings Prep Time
    4 people (with sides) 10 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    45 minutes, approximately 45 minutes
    Servings Prep Time
    4 people (with sides) 10 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    45 minutes, approximately 45 minutes
    Ingredients
    • 2 whole Cornish game hens
    • 1 whole orange, cut into 1/2 inch slices
    • 2 teaspoons herbes d’provence blend
    • 1 teaspoon olive oil
    Servings: people (with sides)
    Instructions
    1. Spatchcock and wash your hens.
    2. Place hens over a thick slice of orange on a rimmed baking tray with a rack.
    3. Pat the skin dry, then rub with olive oil and sprinkle on herb blend.
    4. Bake at 325ºF for 30-45 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reaches 160ºF. You are aiming for a final temperature of 165ºF, but when you rest the birds for a few minutes outside the oven, it will keep climbing. Rest meat, and then carve.
    Recipe Notes

    º

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  • DIY Creme de Cacao Liqueur

    DIY Creme de Cacao Liqueur
    DIY Creme de Cacao Liqueur

    So the 15 food allergy thing, two of which are wheat and corn, ends up cutting out a whole lot of alcoholic beverages out of my diet. It’s looking like I may have another possible allergy (or three) on the horizon that may make my safe vodka no longer safe, so I was poking around at trying to find a potential safe rum, and I got one to trial. At the same time, I’ve been missing stuff like Baileys Irish Cream and Godiva Chocolate Liqueur because it’s the holidays. Since I bought the rum to trial, I thought rum would be a better choice than vodka to make an attempt at a creamy liqueur, as it would give it additional flavor. I chose to do the chocolate first, because chocolate.

    I used Rhum Barbancourt Reserve Spéciale which is supposed to be made from 100% pure sugar cane juice. We’ll see how I do with it, corn-wise.  I also used Pacori Organic Cacao Powder for the cocoa powder. I do okay with it, but trial with caution.  Because I don’t have any safe commercial non-dairy milks, I used homemade cashew milk. (Soak a cup of cashew pieces overnight, drain, and then put them in a blender with 3 cups of water, voilà!) Feel free to use whatever non-dairy milk is safe for you. Or if you can use dairy, I think a whole milk or a light cream would be great.

    DIY Creme de Cacao Liqueur on the rocks
    DIY Creme de Cacao Liqueur on the rocks

    It’s awesome on the rocks, it’s great in coffee, and it’s pretty easy to make. I bought a silicone ice cube tray that makes solid ice shot glasses, but it’s actually pretty hard to drink that way, although it’s a cool picture.

    DIY Creme de Cacao Liqueur on the rocks in a solid ice shot glass
    DIY Creme de Cacao Liqueur in a solid ice shot glass

    Enjoy!


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    DIY Creme de Cacao Liqueur
    Print Recipe
    A yummy drink to have on hand for the holidays!
    Servings Prep Time
    1 quart 5 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    5 minutes 2-3 days
    Servings Prep Time
    1 quart 5 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    5 minutes 2-3 days
    DIY Creme de Cacao Liqueur
    Print Recipe
    A yummy drink to have on hand for the holidays!
    Servings Prep Time
    1 quart 5 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    5 minutes 2-3 days
    Servings Prep Time
    1 quart 5 minutes
    Cook Time Passive Time
    5 minutes 2-3 days
    Ingredients
    • 2 cups water divided
    • 1/2 cup sugar
    • 1/4 cup of cacao powder (I do okay with Pacari Organic Cacao Powder)
    • 3/4 cup vodka or rum in a safe for you variety
    • 1/2 cup of cashew milk or other dairy free milk (I use homemade cashew milk)
    Servings: quart
    Instructions
    1. In a small sauce pan, boil 1 cup of water with the sugar until the sugar is complete dissolved. Remove the sauce pan from the burner, and add the cacao powder. Stir to dissolve the cacao powder, and add the remaining 1 cup of water.
    2. Let the cacao mixture cool. Once cool, add the cashew milk and vodka or rum to the cacao mixture and stir. Pour into a mason jar or a bottle using a funnel, and place it in the refrigerator, letting it steep for two to three days before use. Be sure to shake it to mix well before using and store it in the refridgerator.
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  • Delicious Failure Ice Cream Cake

    Delicious Failure Ice Cream Cake

    Delicious Failure Ice Cream Cake
    Delicious Failure Ice Cream Cake

    Cake. I adore cake. Cake is the whole point of birthdays, right? But allergies, man, they make cake harder. Gluten, dairy, eggs — all of these have structural properties in baking, and while it’s very possible to make cake without these things, when you take them all out, there are a lot of adjustments.

    If you’re new to gluten-free baking, or new to gluten-free vegan baking, or even if you’ve been doing gluten-free baking for a long time, sometimes things will fall apart. You will fail. You will try a new recipe, or you will alter a recipe, or the stars will not be aligned.

    Wait! Failure doesn’t have to ruin dessert! This is more of a process or an idea than a recipe, but it will save dessert, so it’s important.

    This method of dessert preservation came about this past summer, when Jack made me a birthday cake. Well, he tried. I sometimes buy Cherrybrook Kitchen cake mixes, which are safe for me and formulated to be made without eggs. Jack found another cake mix that was safe, but it called for three eggs, which are not. He tried a sub, but here’s a GF vegan baking tip : Don’t try to substitute more than 2 eggs. It’s not that it is always impossible, but it’s an advanced baking move. Don’t try it when you really want a recipe to work the first time.

    That cake had no structural integrity. It came out of the pan a nice tasty pile of cake crumbs. We “fixed” it by sandwiching layers of cake crumbs between layers of ice cream, freezing it and frosting the whole thing. It wasn’t pretty, but it tasted amazing. So, see, he did make me a cake. Just not the one originally intended.

    What’s funny is that I never associate ice cream cake with my summer birthday. Ice cream cake is for winter — for my brother’s birthday, mostly, which is in a week and a half. I was working on an ice cream cake that would replicate those Baskin Robbins roll cakes — you know, the ones that either look like a train or a plane? Do you remember those? The thing is that, so far, I don’t yet have a cake that survives the jelly rolling process of bending and being flexible and round. So I saved this cake the same way we saved my own birthday cake — and this is officially now the amazing decadent failure cake. It is SO GOOD that I’ll be planning to fail on purpose going forward.

    So pick a recipe. Make a cake. If it doesn’t hold up, make an ice cream cake (note: you will need a safe-for-you ice cream, so consider that in advance. Lucky for me, coconut milk is not an issue, and I like the options that exist. Cashew milk and soy milk are also commercially available options. But I’m thinking that this strawberry ice cream would also be awesome, with chocolate or vanilla cake!)


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    Delicious Failure Ice Cream Cake
    Print Recipe
    Here’s what you do with structurally failed cake.
    Servings Prep Time
    9 (ish) 15 minutes
    Passive Time
    2 hours
    Servings Prep Time
    9 (ish) 15 minutes
    Passive Time
    2 hours
    Delicious Failure Ice Cream Cake
    Print Recipe
    Here’s what you do with structurally failed cake.
    Servings Prep Time
    9 (ish) 15 minutes
    Passive Time
    2 hours
    Servings Prep Time
    9 (ish) 15 minutes
    Passive Time
    2 hours
    Ingredients
    • 1 recipe cake with structural issues
    • 1-2 pints safe-for-you ice cream
    • 1 recipe frosting (Most Duncan Hines flavors are gluten and dairy-free)
    • Sprinkles or other decorations
    Servings: (ish)
    Instructions
    1. Slightly soften ice cream by leaving it out while your failed cake cools.
    2. Crumble cake slightly, if it needs help.
    3. Mix ice cream to a consistently soft consistency.
    4. In a cake pan lined with parchment (a 9-inch round works, as does an 8×8 square pan, but this will depend on what your original cake was intended to be) Two options — Either mix cake and ice cream (works best if cake pieces are really small or you want one texture throughout) OR Layer cake and ice cream in thin layers, beginning and ending with cake.
    5. Freeze ice cream cake until solid at least on the outside (45 minutes or so).
    6. Add frosting over entire cake OR just on top. Add sprinkles if using. Re-freeze, another hour is good, or overnight. Really, just go distract yourself while the cake freezes. Watch a movie or do something fun.
    7. Let thaw enough to cut (how long that is will depend on many things, from weather to how you layered the cake and what ice cream you used). Enjoy the salvation of your baking failure enough that you purposely make cakes that don’t work just to have an excuse to make ice cream cake again.
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