Does Gluten-Free Have To Be Flavor-Free?

Generally speaking...ok, all-the-time-speaking, I don't do sugar-free, caffeine-free, fat-free, or "free" anything!  Why?  Well, lots of reasons, most of them having to do with taste.  However, it also has to do with the seriously unnatural chemicals and/or processes that go into making "free" foods. That being said, there are naturally "free" things that I do enjoy without trying to go "free":  such as caffeine-free teas, gluten-free fruits & veggies, fat-free Red Vine licorice (you know, natural things), etc.

What I would like to focus on today, is the topic of gluten-free, (even though I could talk about red licorice all day).  I have been anemic my entire life (which, as far as I know, has nothing to do with gluten, just hear me out).  I have good days and bad based on what I decide to eat/drink, as well as my mental and physical stress levels.  Lately, I've been feeling super fatigued on a regular basis.  But I'm taking my iron supplements every day, and I'm not drinking coffee (an iron succubus).  So what's the deal?  And then, JT asked me to look for some Chips Ahoy kind of cookies that might be gluten-free while on one of my hunting and gathering trips.  So, I went to the awesome Natural Grocers in town, and they had some cookies in the Chips Ahoy style, made by Kinnikinnick.

I thought about to my visit back home for Thanksgiving, and how my cousin told me that she was allergic to wheat gluten and how she was on a completely gluten-free eating regiment.  Now that I think about it, my family has always had bad digestive systems, but it's generally because we listen to our mouths instead of our bodies most of the time.  Anyway, my cousin talked about how eating gluten-free was sometimes really hard because some things that were made gluten-free tasted really awful.   Case in point, she had me try some gluten-free graham crackers, and they were truly off-putting.  However, I smothered them in melted Andes Mints, then they were not so bad at all!  But then again, that's not really fair because I could smother anything in Andes Mints and it would be epically awesome!  So I decided then and there that all things gluten-free tasted horrible and I would be going nowhere near such things!  Now I'm not talking about the naturally gluten-free foods that I don't even pay attention to what kind of "free" they are, mind you, just the kinds of foods that we enjoy with gluten, manufactured to be without.

That being said, remember the gluten-free NOT Chips Ahoy cookies I was telling you about?  FANTASTIC!!  Seriously, I could hardly tell the difference, and the difference I could tell, I thought was better in the Kinnikinnick gluten-free cookies!  But are things that are manufactured to be gluten-free actually good for you?  Or do they have the same kinds of chemicals and unhealthy processing practices as sugar-free foods?  After some light research, what I found so far was that gluten-free manufactured products are made with wheat flour substitutions like potato starch and corn starch, which can raise your blood sugar levels, which can lead to a whole other set of problems, but not any chemical crap.  So, look for gluten-free substitutions that either do not have these starches, or at least eat them with cautious moderation.  And remember, according to Cookie Monster, "cookies are a sometimes food," so guide your paunch. *Note to self*

Ok, back to what I was saying at the beginning about feeling bad on a regular basis.  Well, I always immediately think when I'm really fatigued that it has to be my low iron or stress, but this week, I kept thinking that I did't know if I felt like I'm lacking necessary nutrients, or if I'm slowly poisoning myself with something.  So I did some research, and I am pretty sure that I also have either a gluten allergy, or I am gluten intolerant.  But the more I am learning the more I want to seriously put this theory to the test.

See, I kept ignoring any symptoms or self-diagnosis that would lead me to have to stay far far away from gluten, because, when I think "gluten-free" I think "yuck!"  So, it was easy for me to just ignore it and keep poisoning my body slowly.  But now that I've had those awesome Kinnikinnick cookies, it has opened my mind to the possibility that eating a gluten-free diet may not only be doable, but that it might actually have the potential to be a tasty lifestyle!

So, I'm going to test the gluten-free waters to see if  A) I do in fact have a gluten allergy/intolerance, and  2) to challenge myself to make some tasty recipes using all gluten-free ingredients.  I will keep a journal of sorts of my progress and findings, and report back.  Hopefully, I will eventually have a whole new section up here for gluten-free dishes for you to try!

Boomer Sooner!!

Today is the day for all Sooner fans - The Cotton Bowl 2013!!  I was just sitting here wondering the percentage of Normanites who took off work early, or mysteriously caught some sort of sickness today, just to get out and gear up for the game tonight?  It's okay to have football fever, my friends.  Especially when your team makes it to a bowl game!

Ok, so the pre-game actually starts tonight at 6:30 (Central time) and kickoff is at 7pm.  So, if you haven't already been to the grocery store - good luck!  Go!  Take off work now and get thee to a food supplier!  And for goodness sake, DO NOT FORGET THE BEER!  You still have time to put together some awesome gameday recipes, especially if you bought the University of Oklahoma Cookbook, so don't panic.

Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M.  Both teams stand 10-2 so it should be an exciting game, to say the least!  So start coughing loudly if you are still in the office, and get some supplies.  Don't have the book with you to make your super-fast grocery list?  Here, start off with these, and remember, you can never buy too much cheese...or corn chips.

Ok, you got this!  Now get out there and start your watch party!  We got a bowl game to win!

Boomer Sooner!!

Save The Eggs From Bad Poachers!

Whew!  Sorry I have been M.I.A. for a while, it's been crazy!  My sister and I have signed a contract to do another cookbook, which we have working tirelessly on for the past several weeks.  So, even though I have been creating and cooking like a mad ninja, I surprisingly have little to report about food right now :/

freeimagesarchive.com

However, that being said, I do have something to gripe about, and it's not a restaurant.  I need to vent about "egg poachers."  I know, it seems silly, but I had high hopes and the egg poachers gave me a monster let down, so I'm sharing this valuable information with you, just in case you were thinking about getting excited about egg poachers...or at least, this particular egg poacher.

Williams-Sonoma

Let me start from the beginning. I know this sounds silly, but before about a month ago, I had never had a poached egg, even though I LOVE eggs.  So I was watching an episode of Master Chef, and one of the elimination challenges was to cooks like 4 eggs in specific ways.  I though, "Pft, that's what you are giving these amazing cooks to do as a challenge?  Really?  Eggs?"  But I was soon amazed by how difficult it was for the 3 contestants to get them perfect.  They were supposed to make a soft-boiled, a sunny-side up, an omelet, and a poached egg.  Only one of the chefs got the poached egg right, but the point is, I never really knew what exactly a poached egg was supposed to look like.

My favorite egg style has always been the over-easy egg, however, it seems like over the past several years, restaurants seem to be unable to give me a fried egg where the center is "goopy" (and yes, that is a technical term), and the white doesn't look like snot.  I don't want to eat that!  So I started asking for over-medium, and even then sometimes I'm still eating under-cooked egg whites, which I cannot bring myself to do.  My ideal egg style is to have a warm, but goopy (or dippy, I call it that too) center, with egg whites that are solid and completely done.  So why hadn't I ever tried a poached egg???  WHHHHYYYYYYY?  I don't know, accept for the fact that I had never actually seen one in real life before, as weird as that is.  No one I had ever eaten with had ever ordered one, and no one in my family ever cooked one for Saturday morning breakfast, so how would I know? **Thank TV for teaching me valuable life information**

So, after watching that Master Chef episode, I thought, "I can totally poach an egg!  I'll just do it like Monte did on the show, she even told me how long to leave it in - 3 minutes, I can do that."  And I did.  First time out, I got a sauce pan, filled it with water, set it to boil, then cracked the egg into a ramikin, gently tilted the ramikin into the water and let the egg slide out.  I boiled it for exactly 3 minutes, pulled it out, added salt and cracked pepper and cut into it to see how I did (just like the pro chefs did with the poached eggs on the show).  And you know what it did?  Exactly what Monte's did in the show to let her advance to the next stage.  It was perfect!  Thank you Master Chef!  However, that was the only time I have cooked a poached egg perfectly since, lol!  Seriously, I get them close, but for some reason I haven't made them perfectly since that day.

Oh well, here's the thing, it really doesn't matter to me with poached eggs, you know why?  Because even if I over cook or under cook it a bit, the inside is still goopy, and I know for a fact that the egg white is cooked!  Plus, the upside is that it isn't fried!  No butter, no grease, just healthy goodness.  I know, I know you're thinking, "No butter?  Jen, are you okay?  We know how much you LOVE butter!  What is happening?"  Don't worry, I still use plenty of butter when I fry up the hash browns that go with the eggs ;)

So what was I going to complain about?  Egg poacher #1.  See, even though poached eggs are awesome in so many ways, they get a little messy in the pan, and the shape can be quite funky if not properly formed while cooking.  So, I though it would be nice to have some sort of egg holder that could sit in the water and boil it up in a proper sort of form.  I wasn't sure what I was needing exactly, or if something like that was even manufactured, but after a trip to Williams-Sonoma, a very kind and patient costumer service rep helped me find the glorious tool that would solve all of my egg poaching problems!

The Egg Poacher Cup!!

Yes, the egg poacher cup is a genius, easy to use, easy to remove tool for perfectly poached eggs!  NO, it really ISN'T!  It creates a huge mess and the egg is not easy to remove, I don't care what the description says.  It took way too much time and effort to get the egg out, and it didn't come out unscathed, I can tell you that.  The picture of the "perfectly shaped poached egg" on their website looks like this:

Williams-Sonoma

This photo is a misrepresentation of the actual state of the egg, or cup after it is cooked.  The holes get clogged all up with whites, and egg white bits are still floating all around in the pan and sticking to the sides.  Even if you coat the stainless steal cup in oil first, the eggs still sticks to it, and does not under any circumstances come out easily, at all!  

So, I have decided that I will not be using these egg poacher cups to make eggs, but instead, I will use them to coat things in chocolate or something.  But I am not giving up on my perfect egg poacher device.  

Maybe I will just buy the expensive, special pan with built in cups in the future, or try one like the one above for 20 bucks at Sears,  but for now, the ramekin transfer method will have to do.

An Egg On A Burger and Other Tales of FUN!

Wow!  Well, after 1-and-a-half bouts of the plague, and gearing up for NaNoWriMo, October got away from me :/  So, without further delay, I bring you...the new blog post - ta da!

As promised, I will be sharing my thoughts about a local burger & beer joint - The Garage.

Located in Historic Downtown Norman, Oklahoma, The Garage offers customers the unique option of choosing which protein goes into the creation of your burger.  Your choices are fresh Angus beef, garden, turkey, and yes, even bison!  Hooray for choices!  The menu is "garage-themed" with Appetizers being dubbed "First Gear," burgers, "Second Gear," and so on.  

(You probably can't read this, so click on the link above to get a better view)

Even the staff looks the part when they wear their mechanic-style shirts.  And I'm telling you right now, I am a theme freak!  I LOVE anything themed, so that's another reason I love coming here. The burger list has many pre-thought-out burger styles, or you can choose to sort of build your own.  Add jalapenos, or even another patty if you want to.

My very fav thing on the menu is the Egg-O-Nater!  It comes with mayo, lettuce, tomato, bacon, and yes, a fried egg, all snuggled in between a couple of warm buns (I get it without mayo or tomato, cuz I'm picky like that).  At first I was all, "What?  Are you serious?  Who eats an egg on top of a burger?"  Then I tried it and you know what?  I am the "who" that eats egg on top of a burger.  You know why?  Because it is the most awesome thing I've ever had on a burger!  The bacon & egg combo compliment the burger.  Now, I've only had this with the Angus beef, so I'm not sure how well it all goes together with other proteins, but if you are feeling bold,  GIVE IT A GO!  I didn't get a picture of it, but here is one from Hal Smith.

The Egg-O-Nater - Photo by Hal Smith

I have to admit, sometimes, I'm just not in the mood for a burger.  There's no need to fear!  (No, I haven't seen Underdog for a while, but here, try something else)  The Garage offers more than just burgers, there's a little bit for everyone here.  They have tacos (where you can also choose your protein), fish, salads, nachos, grilled cheese, and even a kids menu.  

The Garage also has an amazing assortment of fresh-cut fries!  Regular fries, sweet potato fries, Tijuana fries (fries with grilled jalapenos and onions on top - served w/salsa), garlic/parm fries, and if you want something a little thinner, they also offer house potato chips.  

Okay, so here's how it works:

1) Pick an entrance, there's parking on the street in the front, or a small lot in the back. The front takes you through the bar, the back has you walking through the video games

Front = Bar

Back = Video Games

2) Walk to the center of the restaurant and place your order.  There is a huge chalk board behind the counter that is easy to read, or menus on the counter and at the little waiting sign in line.

3) Take the metal numbered stop sign with you and choose a booth or table (they have regular as well as high-seated tables).  When you get there, you will find a glass Coke bottle.  Put your metal numbered stop sign into the bottle (don't worry, it will actually stand up...I know, physics is crazy stuff!)

4) Relax, take some time to look around at all the hard work they put into the decor, but you won't have to wait long, because the kitchen is pretty fast!  You can also choose to spend your waiting time poppin' quarters into some machines.  The back of the restaurant houses a couple of old-school arcade games (and newer video games as well), pinball machines, and even two skeeball lanes!  I know!  Super fun, right?  

Need to make a call?  No problem!  The Garage has taken a regular old phone booth and "converted" it into a Cellphone Booth so that you can carry on a conversation with some privacy.

You can watch several different sports games as well as older movies all at the same time via the 15+ televisions propped up around the restaurant (minus the cacophony of the sound volume - thank goodness!) The atmosphere is made up of a hodgepodge of collections, such as vintage photos, signage, and even license plates from all over...

This place fulfills all 3 of my requirements for a fantastic dining experience -what I will now refer to as the "BIG 3":  1) great food quality, 2) awesome atmosphere, and most importantly - 3) amazing customer service!  The staff are always helpful and friendly, and they even make sure to triple check your order before it ever gets to your table, to make sure it's done right.  (Yay for a restaurant that implements quality control!)  Love, love, love!!

So, if you haven't been to The Garage in Norman, and you live around here (or are just visiting) you really need to check it out!  It's one of the very very few restaurants I eat at on a weekly basis, because it is consistent in my BIG 3, delicious, and FUN!  So come on in and give it a go!

Irish Butter & Scottish Cheffing

Okay, today I wanted to share with you a meal that I cooked last week that turned out deliciously fantastic!  Pan-fried steak with a port wine mushroom sauce, sesame stir-fried asparagus with peas, soft rolls and honey butter.

Now, first off I have to confess that I have never cooked steak in my life!  Well, I make cubed steak all the time, but that's totally different than say, a New York strip.  Honestly, I never really cared for steak but maybe once or twice a year, so I never thought about making it myself.  But then I found this video from Gordon Ramsay's new Ultimate Cookery Course on how to cook steak:

OMG!  Did you see that?  What, with the butter, and garlic, and thyme, and butter?  Did I say butter twice?  That's because first and foremost, I heart butter in/on anything, but to mix it with such aromatic flavors and baste a steak in it?  Forget about it.  So, for the first time ever, I decided to give it a go and cook a steak at home.  For the occasion I decided to give that block of Irish butter I'd been eyeing a try.  In case you are wondering, as I was, Irish butter has a higher butterfat content, giving it a richer, creamier flavor/texture than normal American butters.

Well, then I just had to think of a veggie to do this steak justice as a companion.  So I thought and thought about recipes I knew, I tossed a few ideas around in my head, and wound up surfing the web for something new.  That's when I stumbled across this little gem:

Sesame Stir-Fried Asparagus and Peas from a Best Health Magazine website in Canada.  Here is a link to the recipe. The recipe measurements are in milliliters, but don't panic, here is a milliliter to ounce conversion calculator to help you.  

Next, I decided I was in the mood for mushrooms with my steak.  So I tossed some of the Irish butter in a saucepan, added the other half of the red onion and let the onion cook down a bit.  Then I sliced up some Portobello mushrooms and stirred them in, mixing it all around for about 10 minutes, then I added some port wine and a little water with a bit of corn starch.  I let that all bubble together for a few more minutes until it started to thicken up a bit, then poured it into a small ramekin to serve on the side.  Mmmmm!  (No, I didn't get a picture of it- curses!)  

I got some soft bread rolls from the bakery and thought it would be cool to make some simple honey-infused butter.  But I over-softened the butter, which means that I completely melted it and it was ruined, so I settled for the plain ol' Irish butter and OMG!  Seriously, you've got to get a hold of some of that butter...oh, unless you're on a diet or something, but you should give it a taste at least once in your life, regardless.  The difference can really be tasted as a spread, not as much in cooking, just FYI.

So, considering I made everything in this meal new for the first time with only the honey butter being a failure, I sat that's a win!  Next time I'll be reviewing the local restaurant "The Garage."

**Don't forget, I will be selling and signing University of Oklahoma Cookbooks this Saturday, October 13th at the Duncan Public Library in Duncan, Oklahoma from 10am-1pm with other local artists.  So come on down!

Catastrophe & Cupcakes

Okay, I have to admit, I am not a big cake fan.  I never really cared for birthday cakes (although the decorating magicians always seemed to amaze me!), but for some unknown reason, I LOVE cupcakes!  Cookies are always better (for me), but I really love cupcakes.  And then, I discovered the sublime world of gourmet cupcakes. "WHAT?" you ask?  Yes, you read it right, gourmet cupcakes.  Now, I realize that this is probably more of a common phrase these days, with the spread of franchised gourmet cupcake businesses all around the USA, but this has been quite a recent revelation to me, so I'm very excited!  Lucky for me, (or if I were on a diet, it may be very unlucky) there is an enchanting shop here in Norman that specializes in gourmet cupcakes - Gigi's Cupcakes.

I do not currently have a picture of the outside of the building because once I pull up to it and smell the freshly baked cupcakes, I can't really think about anything else.  If you have been there, you know.  Now, I can't compare this gourmet cupcake shop to any others because I haven't had the good fortune to try any others, but at this point, I really don't feel the need to in order to be excited about this place!  Check out their summer menu and you can see what I mean:

If you can't see all the deliciously descriptive words, you can go here to see the menu in better detail.  Do you see all of that delectable goodness??  And this is just the Spring/Summer menu.  There is also an upcoming Fall/Winter menu that I cannot wait to sample! Keep up to date with their Facebook page and/or website.

Now here's a funny story: Once upon a time I thought it would be just dandy to get a few cupcakes and bring them to work...on my motorcycle. Well, I have saddle bags, its not like I was just gonna put them on my lap or something, geesh!  I was so very careful.  Making sure the little individual boxes were packed snugly inside the saddlebag as not to move, taking turns with careful finesse, and no sudden breaking.  I did it all, and here were the results once I got them to their destination...

...awww, so pretty. Let's open them!

Oops...Uh, lets try another one...

Oh no...two more to go...

Oh, hey this one is almost perfect!  Let's just use a fork to scoop the toppings on a little better...

Ah ha!  There was one out of four that actually made it intact!  I consider this a win.  Even though the motorcycle trip left these little beauties a bit disheveled, they were delicious nonetheless!  However, this is what the Chocolate Salted Caramel actually looks like when you DON'T take it for a motorcycle ride:

Isn't that pretty?  Hmmm, too bad I didn't pick one up on the way to work this morning, my mouth is watering looking at these pictures.  

Okay, what did we learn today?  

1. That gourmet cupcakes are the best invention ever!
2. That even though these cupcakes are decorated beautifully, they don't have to be in order to taste good.
3. Cupcakes prefer to ride home with you in the car, not on the motorcycle.

Don't forget to check out the "EVENTS" tab at the top to see where my next signing will be!

~Thanks for stopping by!~

Signing At The OU/FAMU Game

Wow!  What a weekend!  And what a game that was against FAMU, 69-13!  Woo hoo! Go Sooners!  I want to send out a very special 'Thank You' to Stephen and the entire crew from the OU Bookstore, for setting up the cookbook signing and taking care of me with beverages and cookies.  You are awesome!

Stephen showing off my book to a  Sooner fan

 I also want to thank those of you who purchased a copy of the University of Oklahoma Cookbook, and also to those who stopped over to chat and try a sample.  I had a fun afternoon and some wonderful conversations!  I had set out some samples of the Spiced Footballs (almonds with fall spice flavors) recipe for the fans passing by, and they went over really well.  It also helped that the sunlight creeping across the almonds seemed to warm them, and the buttery spices started to waft into the path of passerbys. (Mmmm!)

Next time on OMG, Have You Tasted This? I will be talking about how awesome cupcakes are.  Remember, I said nothing about how good for you they may or may not be.  I do not judge such things, nor do I feel guilty about stuffing my mouth with them.  I'm merely sharing my opinion about the awesomeness of cupcakes.  Did I mention how awesome cupcakes are?