And this is how I made them:

Waffles, reprise

• 1 oz almond flour
• 1/2 oz tapioca flour
• 1/2 oz corn flour
• 1/2 oz white rice flour
• 1/2 oz potato flour
• 1 T sucanat
• 1 T buttermilk powder
• 1/4 t xanthan gum
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 T vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 C water

whisk together the dry ingredients, then add the wet and whisk to combine.  Cook until uniformly golden and crispy.

So after cleaning the kitchen, I wanted a simple breakfast.  I’ve been working on waffle recipes for a while, and I think I came up with a good one this morning.  One worth noting, anyway.  Most of the GF waffles I’ve tried come out either gritty or chewy, neither of which are what I want in a waffle.  I like them fluffy inside and crispy outside.  These were not *quite* as crispy as I would have liked.  I think the liquid was too much, and there might be a need for some extra fat in the batter.  But these will do.

GF Almond Waffles

• 1/2 C almond flour
• 1/2 C tapioca flour
• 2 T sucanat
• 1T buttermilk powder
• 1/4 t xanthan gum
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 T vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 C water

whisk together the dry ingredients, then add the wet and whisk to combine.  Cook until uniformly golden and crispy.

I would half the sucanat and the water next time, and add 2T melted butter.

And that brings me to the other point of this post– Lasagna!  I have a lovely dish bubbling away in the oven, and thought I would write up the recipe.

No Boil Lasagna

I don’t know about you, but I hate boiling lasagna noodles.  Especially the rice noodles that I have to eat.  They rip and stick together and are generally, well, like wet noodles.  I learned a while ago that I could bake lasagna, and let the sauce and ingredients soften the noodles while they cook!  It’s a miracle.  I forget who taught me this trick, but it’s a good one.  So, with no further ado:

Ingredients

• A box of lasagna noodles.  I love Tinkyada.
• Two big 28 oz cans of your favorite crushed tomatoes
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 1/2 lb spinach
• 2 medium yellow onions
• 1/2 lb spicy italian sausage
• 1.5 lb ground turkey
• 3 T crushed garlic
• 2 T italian seasoning plus a little for a garnish
• 1 T white pepper
• 2 C ricotta cheese
• 1 C cottage cheese
• 1/2 lb blended Italian cheese, or 1/4 lb mozzarella and 1/4 lb parmesan, or your favorite mix of cheeses
• 1/4 lb parmesan or asiago for the top

Prep

Chop the onions into small (1/4 – 1/2″) squares.  Chop the spinach as well, into fork sized pieces.  I frequently use the pre-chopped frozen stuff, but I’m lazy that way.

Remove the casing from the Italian sausage, and brown thoroughly in a large sauce pan, chopping as you go.  Add the ground turkey, and brown that as well.  Lift from the pan with a slotted spoon, and set aside in a bowl, leaving the juice in the pan.

Add the onions to the pan, and cook until they are translucent and golden.  Add the spinach, and continue sauteing until they are thoroughly wilted and well mixed with the onions.  Remove to a bowl and set aside, leaving juice and even some onions and spinach in the pan.

Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste to the pan, and bring to a simmer.  Add garlic and italian seasoning.  Leave sauce at a low simmer.

Mix cheeses, other than what is reserved for the garnish, in a bowl with the white pepper.  Stir them together thoroughly.

You now have three bowls of stuff, and a simmering pot of sauce.

Preheat oven to 375°

Assembly

Spoon a generous amount of sauce into the bottom of the pan– enough to easily cover the bottom.  Add a layer of noodles.  You will need at least three layers of noodles.  In my pan, I do three layers of three, and have three left over.

Spoon 1/2 or 1/3 (depending on if you want 3 or 4 layer lasagna) of the meat mixture over the noodles.  Spoon 1/2 or 1/3 of the veggies, and then 1/2 or 1/3 of the cheese.  Add another layer of noodles.

Repeat all of that: meat, veggies, cheese, noodles one or two times more, ending with noodles on top.

Pour the remaining sauce over the layers.  You may have too much to fit in the pan; if so it will be a lovely pasta sauce for another time.  Enjoy the leftovers!

Add the garnish cheese on top of the sauce, and add the garnishing Italian seasoning on top of that.

Bake for about 45 minutes, until the cheese is brown and the sauce is bubbly.  I put an old baking sheet on the shelf below the pan, because that’s easier to clean than the bottom of my oven.  ;-)

Enjoy!

To make 4 eggies:

pre-heat oven to 450°. 475° is better than 425° here, kiddos, because you want these to cook FAST.

Mix together:

• 1/3 C flour (or 1/3 C rice flour + 1T arrowroot for the gluten intolerant)
• 1/3 C heavy cream*
• 1/3 C sour cream*
• 1/3 C milk
• 4 eggs, or 1 egg + 7 egg whites to make it a bit less of a fat bomb

* You really do have to use full-fat cream and sour cream, or else they don’t rise

pre-heat 4 10oz ramekins in the oven with 1/4T butter in each one until the butter browns. Best to stand all 4 on a cookie sheet– contains drips and makes them easy to handle when they’re HOT.

pull them out of the oven, and CLOSE THE DOOR. Spray the inside of the cups quickly with a shot of canola oil spray, so the eggies don’t stick. Divide the batter between the 4 cups, swirl them around a little so that the batter coats the sides of the cups, and toss them back in. The swirling usually happens naturally as I’m navigating the tray into the oven, and makes for nice pretty crunchy bits on the edges of the eggies. Not strictly necessary, but recommended. :-)

NO PEEKING.

Wait 12-15 minutes, until you can smell the eggies browning. Then wait another minute. Then crack the oven to make sure they’ve risen and are sufficiently browned. This will make you want an oven with a window, if you don’t already. Kids LOVE watching the eggies rise– they grow out of the cups to about twice the height of the cups, generally. Serve immediately. They are easy to pop out of the cups with two forks. Be sure to soak the cups before putting them in the dishwasher, because the batter sticks like mad, but I let the pyrex cool on the stove before putting them in water.

We serve these in lots of ways. With powdered sugar and berries. With maple syrup. With cinnamon sugar, which I make using the raw crystal sugar, so that it’s a little crunchy. Most decadently I sometimes make a sauce of 1/2C orange marmalade and 1/2 C cream cheese, melted together.

They also make a nice pudding to serve with meat. :-)

It’s one that always gets that amazed look when people first taste it, frequently associated with groans of pleasure.  The house smells wonderful for days after I’ve cooked it.  I try to have some always as leftovers in the freezer.  This defines comfort food for me, especially when I’m feeling a bit under the weather.  Healthy never tasted so good.

In its original incarnation it was vegan, but when I started eating meat, I re-worked it as a beef stew.  I still frequently make the vegan version, however.

Magic Stew Recipe

First off, you’re going to need a big pot.  I have one of those ginormous pasta pots I use, and it’s frequently filled 3/4 full.  Add to the pot:

• one can each of red, black, and white beans.   Add the liquid that the beans have been canned in as well, because most of the soluble fiber from the beans is in that liquid.  If you would prefer to start with fresh beans by all means, but I’m rarely organized enough to remember to soak mine the day before I want to make stew.
• two large cans of tomato sauce, or crushed tomatoes
• one each of white, yellow, and red onions, chopped to 1/2″ square-ish pieces
• 2 C or more of chopped carrots, chopped to fork sized pieces
• 2 C or more of celery, chopped like the carrots
• in season I add yellow beets (washed, peeled, and sliced into 1/4 rounds, and quartered.)
• sometimes I also add bell peppers in various colors, or whatever other veggies look like they want to be stew.
• 1 lb spinach, pureed in a food processor
• 2 T pureed basil- I use the stuff in the jar unless I have it fresh in the garden
• 4 T chopped garlic
• 1 T oregano
• 1 T parsley, or 3 T fresh chopped
• 1 t sage, or a few fresh leaves
• 1 T rosemary, or a similar amount fresh, chopped fine
• 1 t thyme
• 1 T cinnamon
• 2 T coriander (your guest will thank you for this.  It works like Bean-o.)

Once you get everything in the pot and simmering, it may be that you need to add some water to get all the veggies covered.  Do what seems right.  Sometimes I add 2-3 cups, sometimes none.

While the stew is simmering, take out  a large skillet if you’re using beef, or a small one if you’re making the vegan version.  You’re going to burn the peppers and paprika just a little, which makes them more flavorful.  This can be a bit dangerous at worst and unpleasant at best if it’s not done correctly, because you don’t want to breath in the smoke from the peppers.  Trust me.  Inhaling capsaicin- the chemical that makes your mouth catch on fire- can do real damage to your airway.  The stew will still be tasty if you chicken out and just dump the peppers into the pot, but it will be better if you burn them.  :-)

Prepare stew beef by trimming off the fat and cutting into 1/2″ cubes. Have on a plate next to the stove top.  If I’m using beef, I’ll add two or three pounds.

Put about 2-3T of olive oil in the skillet, and heat the pan until the oil spits if you flick drops of water into it.  Be careful with this trick though.  If you use too much water the oil will splatter you, and can burn you badly.  If you have a stove hood, turn it on high.

Add:

• 3T of paprika
• 2t of cayenne
• 2t black pepper
• 2t white pepper

Stir the spices into the oil, keep stirring constantly, and allow to heat until they start to darken and  JUST start to smoke.

IMMEDIATELY add the meat, or a couple ladles of stew to quench the skillet.

Brown the meat, or stir the spices around in the stew you added to the skillet until the spices have all been incorporated.

Add back into to the stew, and simmer until done!

This is a recipe that *really* improves after resting for a day or two and then getting reheated.  I serve it with cheese bread, or garlic toast, or sometimes ladled over garlic mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:

• boneless leg of lamb; this is sized for about a 4 lb one.
• 3/4 C good quality mustard.  I like the kind with seeds.
• 1/4 C crushed or chopped garlic.  I’m the lazy sort who buys the big jar.
• 3 T olive oil
• 1 – 3 T ground black pepper, depending on your taste
• 3 – 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary about the length of your roast.
• 1 C carrots, chopped
• 1 C celery, chopped
• 1/2 C onion, chopped
• 1 C red wine
• 1 T arrowroot powder

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450°

Make the marinade by combine the mustard, garlic, pepper, and olive oil in a small bowl.

Prepare the roasting pan by tossing the carrots, onions, and celery together on the bottom.  These veggies will help season your gravy, and will keep the roast from burning and sticking on the bottom of the pan.

Most of these roasts as you find them in the grocery come rolled up in an elastic net tube.  This is great!  Roll it off the roast and set it aside; you will put the roast back in its tube when it’s been marinated, and the tube will hold the roast together for cooking.  If it didn’t come with a bag, or you have to cut it to get the roast out, you will need to use skewers or kitchen twine instead.

Examine the roast, and remove extra fat, to taste.  Leave some of the fat for flavor, but generally there are great gobs you can just pull off and discard.  I generally do this by hand without a knife, and leave anything I can’t remove easily.

Using about 1/3 of the marinade, coat the inside of the roast.

Lay the rosemary inside, and roll the roast back up around it.

Put the roast back in the bag, or tie it up, or skewer it back together.

Use the rest of the marinade to coat the outside of the roast.

Put the roast in the pan on top of the bed of carrots, onions, and celery, and pop it in the oven.

Cook for 10 minutes, then drop the temp to 350°.  Continue cooking until it’s done to your liking.  I advise a meat thermometer, and I cook mine to 125-130°. This is rather rare, which is how I like it.  The FDA recommends 140°.  To my taste, that’s medium well done.  I expect it to take about an hour, but start checking after 45 minutes, and sometimes it goes an hour and a half.

If you’re winging it, watch for dark juices to start collecting in the pan, and take the roast out.  Slice into the center of it, and see if it looks almost done.  The roast will continue to cook a bit after you take it out of the oven.

Turn off the oven, set the roast on a plate to rest, and scoop the veggies into a strainer over the roasting pan.  Allow the juices to drain back into the pan for a minute or two, pressing them with a spoon to encourage the juicing.

Some juices will have collected on the roast’s plate by now, so add that to the roasting pan as well.  Cut the netting off the roast and discard somewhere safe from pets.

Discard the veggies.  They have done their job.

Put the roasting pan onto the stove top, and set the burner to medium heat.  Use a spatula to scrape any crispy bits off if you can.  Let the juices start to simmer, and cook them down if there seems to be too much.

Once the juices are good and hot, and reduced if necessary, add the red wine.  It will bubble vigorously as the alcohol boils away, and help to remove anything left stuck on the pan.

Turn the heat down to low.

Add any remaining juices from the resting roast, and examine the gravy.  If it seems watery, remove a couple T, and mix it with the arrowroot until you have an even paste.  Spoon the paste a little at a time into the gravy and stir well between each addition.  Too much arrowroot will give you tasty jelly instead of gravy.  :-)

Turn off the stove top, and serve!

I like to make sour cream-garlic mashed potatoes and peas to accompany the roast, along with a tart jelly.  My favorite is a red currant, but I also like the Ikea lingonberry and have had a few others that worked well.  I don’t like mint jelly much, but many people do.

I decided what I needed to get the morning started right was a reprise of the oatmeal creme brulee from yesterday, except in an apple cinnamon flavor.  It was delish!

oatmeal creme brulee

Here’s what I did:

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Creme Brulee

equipment I used:

• sauce pan with lid, small skillet and a small glass lid that will fit inside the skillet, rubber spatula, paring knife, kitchen torch

ingredients per serving:

• 1/3 C steel cut oats
• 1/3 C cream
• 1 C water
• 1/2 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped into small cubes
• 1 t apple pie spice, or season to taste
• 1T butter
• 1T brown sugar

Directions

• Set water and cream to boil in the sauce pan.
• Prep the apple.
• Brown butter in skillet by heating it on medium high until it’s brown and stops spitting, which means the water has cooked out, and you’re down to the fat.  Add the spices, which will also hiss a little, and toss them in the butter, then immediately add the apples.  If you burn the butter you should start again.  Toss the apples in the butter until thoroughly coated, then push them into the center of the skillet and cover with the lid.  Turn the heat down to simmer/low.
• By now the liquid in the sauce pan should be boiling.  Add the oats, replace the lid, and reduce the heat to medium/low, or whatever keeps it simmering happily without boiling over.

You now have about 10 minutes to wait until the next step.  I did some kitchen puttering, emptied the dishwasher and refilled it, cleaned the counters, made tea, etc.  :-)  It’s a good idea to use the spatula to swirl both the apples and the oats to make sure they’re not burning a couple times during this.  Use your nose- if it starts to smell something burning, stop with the puttering immediately and address the problem.  :-)

• Remove the lids from the oats and the apples.  The apples should be tender now, and have a light sauce.  If there is a lot of moisture, cook them down slightly.  If not, just turn off the heat and set aside.
• Stirring frequently, turn the heat up on the oatmeal.  Cook it until it has a custardy consistency, so the when you scrape the bottom of the pan it oozes back together rather than flowing.
• Once it’s cooked, turn off heat.  Add the apples, reserving a bit for a garnish if you like.  Stir them together.
• Pour into serving bowl(s).
• Sprinkle brown sugar evenly across the surface, and use the torch to melt it.  Be patient, so that you don’t catch the sugar on fire.
• Garnish, if you’d like.

Enjoy!

So now I’m set up to work at hte dining room table today.  I have a perfectly good office, but on a chilly morning I sometimes prefer to spread out on the table with my laptops.  Here’s the obligate dorking picture:

working from home

Why two laptops?  I prefer generally to keep my distractions on one screen and my work on a different one.  The work laptop has my mail and office chat client and whatever project I’m working on open.  Today, it’s a lot of excel fun!  The home laptop is my web client and twitter client and personal chat client.  I just focus better this way.

Creme Brulee Oatmeal

Here’s the recipe ganked from Eating Out Loud:

The recipe below makes four ramekins and which quite honestly could pass for dessert. It’s creamy and sweet with bursts of flavor from the berries.

Creme Brulee Oatmeal
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
berries of choice
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Normally, I cook my oatmeal in a pan on the stove and always use old-fashioned oatmeal (not the instant kind). I’ve heard you can use a rice cooker for oatmeal and decided try this method for cooking. To my rice cooker, I added the oatmeal, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. I set it to cook and walked away. Within 15-20 minutes, the cooker turned off and it was done.

It worked! The oatmeal was fully cooked and creamy. There was a slight crust on the bottom of the rice cooker bowl but it wasn’t too bad (hey, I didn’t have to stir anything so it was totally worth it). Depending on how thin or thick you like your oatmeal, you can adjust the amount of liquid. This version makes a semi-thick oatmeal which I prefer.

I filled each ramekin about half full, then added a few raspberries and blueberries to each one. I then covered with the remaining oatmeal and leveled off each one to create a flat surface on the top.

I allowed the ramekins to cool for 15 minutes then refrigerated until ready to use. Preheat your oven broiler (and make sure it’s ready to go before moving on to next step). Mix together the two sugars until combined, then divide evenly over the four ramekins. Put the ramekins on a cookie sheet and place under the broiler for about 1 minute or until sugar is melted and golden brown. Remove and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Top with a few extra berries and enjoy.

My oven failed me and my broiler didn’t turn on. I had already sprinkled my sugar and when I returned to them about 10 minutes later, the sugar had soaked into the oatmeal and it didn’t develop a nice crust. Fortunately, I still had another ramekin in the refrigerator so I attempted it one more time with success.

This oatmeal is so delicious. I like it better than the version I had at Catal. You’ll notice that I didn’t add any sugar to the oatmeal as it cooked. The sugar topping adds plenty of sweetness and the berries inside become soft and supple from the heat of the oatmeal. The milk, vanilla and cinnamon elevate the flavor and give it the taste of creme brulee without all of the calories and fat.