tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27162980400472747262024-03-13T04:17:09.028-07:00Eating Around AllergiesAdventures in cooking and dining out with multiple food allergies.DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-40410123986953404122015-09-19T23:09:00.000-07:002015-09-19T23:09:00.022-07:00Going to The Gatsby, Allergies NotwithstandingI'm not posting to this blog as frequently as I used to, because a wonderful new bakery -- <a href="http://www.zestbakery.com/about">Zest</a>! -- opened several years ago in nearby San Carlos, turning out gluten-free/dairy-free breads, muffins, cookies, and even ravioli as good as any regular menu items in our food-centric Bay Area.<br />
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There are, however, occasions where one simply must bring a prepared dish -- or three. I always offer to do this so that my husband has some known items he can consume, and my friends are very considerate in avoiding this things he can't have, like citrus, cow dairy, tomatoes, mint, and chocolate.<br />
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This special occasion was the <a href="http://www.gatsbysummerafternoon.com/">Gatsby Summer Afternoon</a>, put on by the Art Deco Society of California at the Dunsmuir Hellman Historic Estate in Oakland every year on the second Sunday in September. This spectacular event fills a five-acre lawn with antique cars, fancy picnics, a dance floor with a live band, and, in its 31st year, over 1000 paying attendees, all dressed to the nines. We've been to about the last 20 of these marvelous occasions.<br />
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Our hostesses set up on the lawn across from the mansion. </div>
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With vintage Japanese china plates, carefully collected.</div>
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The "safe for James" table.</div>
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I brought (l-r) a Motor Loaf, a <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/german-potato-salad-with-dill-51236500">German Potato Salad</a>, and a <a href="http://zestbakery.com/blog/apple-pecan-and-raisin-depression-cake-gluten-free">Depression Cake</a> recipe I found on the Zest Bakery blog. Other contributions on the "safe for James" table included devilled eggs, fresh mixed berries, and some amazing fresh mochii from JapanTown in San Francisco. </div>
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The Motor Loaf is a delicious specialty of the charming San Francisco <a href="http://talytara.com/">Tal-Y-Tara Tea & Polo Shoppe</a>. Since Zest makes a wonderful whole grain loaf that's gluten- and dairy-free, I decided to attempt making a version that my husband could enjoy. </div>
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Carving up the loaf was a challenge. From the back side, you can see my version crumbled. My old Joy of Cooking had instructions for carving out a hollow loaf, but I found nothing on the interwebs, and muddled through. Next time I will simply slice off the entire top and the entire bottom, then hollow out the middle so that it can be cut into dainty sandwich slices, and reassemble the sides and bottom with toothpicks. As fragile it was, I did not dare remove it from the mid-century modern tray on which I transported it. </div>
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You can see the sides caving despite the toothpicks. Not Martha Stewart perfection here!</div>
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For the sandwich fillings, instead of cream cheese, I used plain goat cheese thinned with a bit of water -- a teaspoon of vermouth might be even better. One set had smoked salmon with dill and another set had good old tinned ham with chives. The sandwiches get wrapped in waxed paper and popped back into the loaf. The top keeps them naturally fresh all afternoon, as you motor about. </div>
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The <a href="http://zestbakery.com/blog/apple-pecan-and-raisin-depression-cake-gluten-free">Depression Cake</a> turned out well for a first time venture. </div>
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I really should test everything beforehand but this looked so perfect for 1930s! And it was totally safe for my husband as written. The recipe mentioned pecans in the title but omitted them in the text, so I threw in a cupfull. It called for 2 cups of cold coffee, which seemed a bit much. The batter was more like a pudding than a cake. Next time I will try 1.5 cups, or be more cautious adding it. It took extra long to bake, and was more like an English pudding than a cake. But rich and tasty in a fruitcake way.</div>
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My friends ate everything happily.</div>
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And a good time was had by all, including James, relaxing at left in pinstripes and boater.</div>
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Danine Cozzenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634381770398173029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-86295014609434779372014-06-14T22:50:00.000-07:002014-06-14T23:04:01.329-07:00A Poor Attempt at Rout Cakes: Challenge #1 for the Historical Food FortnightlyI've been quiet lately on the foodie front. I've been saved a world of torment by a wonderful local business, Zest Bakery in San Carlos, which turns out gluten-free / dairy-free goodies every day of the week. Their whole grain bread, pastries, and squash ravioli are as good as any restaurant. So we've been heading to Zest every weekend, and skipping the roller-coaster of adapting recipes to fit my husband's multiple food allergies: cow dairy, citrus fruit, chocolate, mint, tomato, pineapple, and wheat-like substances.<br />
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Until last month, when <a href="http://historicalfoodfortnightly.blogspot.com/p/about-historical-food-fortnightly.html">The Historical Food Fortnightly</a> started up. Yes! Historical costumers, like me, who often cook for events or for pleasure, and have the nerve to blog about it. Every two weeks bring a new challenge, and these talented people are rising to the occasion in wonderful ways.<br />
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I'm late to the party: today is the last day of the first week's challenge. I decided to try, just for the heck of it, to meet the challenge of the week, while adhering to my own personal challenge of making food that is appropriate to bring to historic themed events, and can still be consumed by my husband.<br />
(I am not merely lazy; I have been down with what turned out to be pneumonia, but tonight I felt up to facing the kitchen again, so here goes.)<br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline;">The Challenge: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline;">Literary Foods</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline;">June 1 - June 14</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline;">Food is described in great detail in much of the literature of the past. Make a dish that has been mentioned in a work of literature, based on historical documentation about that food item. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline;">Since we do a lot of English Regency era dancing -- my husband leads the band that plays for our SF Bay Area balls -- I am always looking for historic foods he can have, that will be happily consumed by normals. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline;">The Recipe: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline;">I found two winners in the back of The Jane Austen Cookbook, by Maggie Black and Dierdre Le Faye. The Ratafia Cakes are a gem: perfectly suited for James with no adaptation whatsoever. But alas, I found no literary citation for them in any books I could reach. These little almond based cakes would have probably been consumed by Jane Austen, since the book is based on the recipes from her friend and housemate, Martha Lloyd. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline;">I did find a citation for the Rout-Cakes in Jane Austen's Emma, where the snobbish Mrs. Elton looks down her nose at Highbury's "poor attempt at rout-cakes." Mine certainly would fit into that tradition!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline;">The Date/Year and Region: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline;">England of the early 1800s. A similar recipe appears in Maria Raffald's 1806 book. The Jane Austen Centre has a nice page on it <a href="http://www.janeausten.co.uk/an-attempt-at-rout-cakes/">here</a>. (It's pretty much Martha Lloyd's recipe that I adapted.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline;">How Did You Make It: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline;">To accomodate James' allergies, I substituted the Trader Joe Gluten-free flour mix for the flour, goat butter for the cow butter, and apple juice for the orange juice. Liquor, no problem. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline;">Time to Complete: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline;">I spent more time finding ingredients and bowls and mixers than I did assembling the ingredients. Actual prep time about 20 minutes, plus 15 to bake.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline;">Total Cost: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline;">These were all larder ingredients. It will be much pricier if you have to buy the brandy, sherry, and rose water. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline;">How Successful Was It?: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline;">The Rout-Cakes were edible, but not up to my usual party donations. I was not sure how much the goat butter would break down in the cooking, so I left the dough in little mounds. I should have added more liquid -- perhaps the gluten-free flour mix absorbs more than the regular flour. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline;">How Accurate Is It?: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm not that happy with the current version. I'm going to try again, and be sure the "drop" part happens. The overall taste is bland and somewhat muddled. The flavorings are so subtle that the butter comes through as too aggressively "goaty." And it might be that my taste buds are addled by the antibiotics. We shall try this again.</span>Danine Cozzenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634381770398173029noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-40651089461489349522012-08-04T13:49:00.000-07:002012-08-04T13:49:48.790-07:00Hooray for GF Off-The-Shelf!Cooking special treats that don't poison my dear husband are a challenge I'm happy to take on, ordinarily. But when life hands you a succession of lemons, it's time to back off from some of the voluntary challenges. Blogging went by the wayside.<br />
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I've not been posting -- or cooking as creatively -- for over a year. In that time we've had a succession of medical situations among our circle of family and friends. Not unexpected when said friends and family range from late 50s to early 90s. But still much sorrow and loss to work through, and new challenges of dealing with health for those who are still with us. </div>
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We have to keep eating, and I want us to eat healthily, so I am profoundly grateful for some new GF products that are out there. </div>
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I'm a big fan of <a href="http://udisglutenfree.com/">Udi's baked goods</a>, which we find locally at Trader Joe's. Their GF breads and buns actually taste like bread, and spoil like real bread (a good sign, in my opinion). They survive being made into French toast or grilled cheese sandwiches. And the buns have been a great excuse for the occasional hamburger (organic grass-fed beef) or chicken hot dog. Unlike many other GF breads out there, they do not use pineapple, one of my husband's allergens, as a sugar substitute. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IH9VjT867yU/UB1gTWMNQCI/AAAAAAAABtA/Ro8DlAI5MJU/s1600/IMG_0571.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IH9VjT867yU/UB1gTWMNQCI/AAAAAAAABtA/Ro8DlAI5MJU/s320/IMG_0571.jpg" width="240" /></a>Another fine product we love is <a href="http://shop.thepurepantry.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=1">The Pure Pantry's Organic Buckwheat Flax Pancake and Baking Mix.</a> Not cheap but good. It's $9.29 at our nearest locally-owned health food resource, <a href="http://www.earthbeamfoods.com/">Earthbeam Natural Foods</a> in Burlingame. Draeger's and Whole Foods carry other items in this line, but not this one. When I'm too emotionally wrung out to face all those measuring cups and spoons, this is my go-to breakfast mix. </div>
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Our former favorite mix, a wild rice pancake and waffle mix that worked like a charm, has apparently been dropped by Arrowhead Mills. They now make one <a href="http://www.arrowheadmills.com/product/organic-gluten-free-pancake-and-baking-mix">GF Mix</a> that approximates the white flour experience. Apparently this is what most people are looking for, and the stores like Whole Foods are simply going with what sells, and cutting back on the variety of options on their shelves, according to their information desk. Another reason for paying a little more at a local business that cares about customers, and will naturally skew toward the preferences of the hippy-dippy granola set like me, rather than what some number-cruncher in the midwest home office decrees. </div>
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Wishing you happy local shopping, and safe and tasty dining. </div>
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<br /></div>Danine Cozzenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634381770398173029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-47341853128308384152010-01-22T21:20:00.000-08:002010-01-22T22:58:16.182-08:00The Cheese Tray: A Pot-Luck Strategy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/S1qdvoIyCyI/AAAAAAAABnE/ibVrByx5Wcg/s1600-h/GoatCheeseTray2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/S1qdvoIyCyI/AAAAAAAABnE/ibVrByx5Wcg/s400/GoatCheeseTray2.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
</div>We spent a lovely holiday season catching up with various friends and relations. As usual, pot-lucks figured into more than one occasion. This year I tried something new: bringing a tray of cheeses for that pre-dinner wait that sometimes takes forever. Unlike fruitcake, this would work at any time of year.<br />
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For persons with multiple food allergies, pot-lucks can be trying. We check in advance with the hostess or other friends, to see what else will be served. Then I plan to bring one complementary dish that is "safe for James" and tasty for normals. This season, my contributions was a large platter featuring sheep and goat cheese, which he can have, along with cow cheese for comparison.<br />
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The presentation of the cheeses was instigated by finding adorable white ceramic figures of cows, sheep, and goats: two each plus a pen to write the variety in washable ink at the base of the figure. This led to interesting visits to cheese bars at several local stores featuring a variety of sheep and goat cheeses. You don't need a high-end store to find non-cow cheeses: Trader Joe's now stocks a good variety of Manchgo, Peccorino, Goat Brie, and other cheeses.<br />
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Overall, our best finds (all at Whole Foods) were a goat Fleurette, soft and delicious; a "Drunken Goat" with a Gouda-like texture, and a wonderful non-pasturized sheep Manchego. To go with them, I baked a gluten-free whole grain bread from Jacqueline Mallorca, or brought Nut Thins. The Trader Joe's Basque sheep cheese, Manchgo, and Goat Brie all turned out well too. <br />
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The reception varied with just how ravenous people were in the interval before dinner. The first attempt, at Thanksgiving, was devoured in 45 minutes. Other presentations were nibbled more discreetly. People enjoyed the animals, although the writing sometimes ran off into the cheese. Only one person flatly refused to go near anything from a sheep or goat, international prizes notwithstanding.<br />
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Watching how people deal with cheese, I realized it's not an affectation to use individual planes for each of the hard cheeses and soft knives and spreaders for the soft cheeses. The more expensive cheeses have wonderful, distinct flavors. A little taste goes a long way toward satisfaction. <br />
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The project was not as expensive as I'd feared: the cheeses averaged under $5 for a 3-5 ounce cut, which was enough to put out on a tray. And, as with buying wine, you can say up front what price range you are want and the counter person will be able to direct you. <br />
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I was happy with the experiment. We learned more about sheep and goat cheeses, most of our friends enjoyed trying some different, and I did not have to knock myself out in the kitchen. Options are good.DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-69893991154010029262009-09-24T16:33:00.000-07:002009-09-24T16:53:00.959-07:00Gluten-Free Fair at Draeger's MarketThe Gluten-Free Fair at Draeger's Market in San Mateo last Sunday was a great success. There were just enough people to fill the classes and demo spaces but not such a crowd as to render things impassible.<br /><br />Draeger's Mary Claire had lined up nearly 20 vendors that were scattered throughout the large 2-story building, dispensing bites of amazingly tasty fare. Some were disqualified for James by their buttery and chocolaty goodness; happily many items were dairy-free or vegan.<br /><br />I'll add more complete details on the products later. Right now I want to be sure anyone who is interested in future meetups can sign up for themselves. So far events have been held at Blackhawk and San Mateo. Draeger's is not cheap but they give good value for your money.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.meetup.com/r/inbound/0/0/shareimg/http://www.meetup.com/Gluten-Free-Club/?a=shareimg"><img border="0" alt="Gluten-Free Club at Draeger's" src="http://img.meetup.com/img/logo/med/c/cooking.png" /></a><br /><br />Other great news is that Jacqueline Mallorca's new cookbook, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gluten-Free-Italian-Irresistible-Wheat-Crostini/dp/0738213616">Gluten-Free Italian</a> is out! It was at Draeger's on Sunday and Amazon still thinks it's not released yet. Case in point. I've got my autographed copy in my hot little hand now. Some things are worth paying list price.DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-18225312662042501272009-09-11T21:22:00.000-07:002009-09-11T22:15:40.899-07:00Photographic Evidence: These Cakes Are Good Eats<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/Sqsi68IofpI/AAAAAAAABjE/E8viCpKh0ZU/s1600-h/P1080481.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 181px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/Sqsi68IofpI/AAAAAAAABjE/E8viCpKh0ZU/s320/P1080481.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380432575794282130" border="0" /></a><br />Since I honestly did not expect to win anything when I entered the cooking competition at the San Mateo County Fair, it was quite a pleasant shock to find a blue and a white ribbon gracing my cakes in the display case!<br /><br />The carob-walnut torte, left, did not turn out as lofty as usual, but it tasted just fine, even after resting overnight. It's based on Jacqueline Mallorca's nifty four-ingredient chocolate-walnut cake in <span style="font-style: italic;">The Wheat-Free Cook</span>, which is probably even better when using unsweetened natural cocoa powder as she specifies. I substitute the unsweetened natural carob powder from Bob's Red Mill, since James is highly allergic to chocolate. This is my go-to recipe when taking a dessert to share with others. It can be made ahead of time, it transports well, and can be cut into small pieces by people who want to sample everything on the buffet.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/Sqsi7VbwuaI/AAAAAAAABjM/sEcfX1GjaRs/s1600-h/P1080473.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 181px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/Sqsi7VbwuaI/AAAAAAAABjM/sEcfX1GjaRs/s320/P1080473.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380432582585399714" border="0" /></a>My adaptation of another recipe from <span style="font-style: italic;">The Wheat Free Cook</span> took third place (left center). As you can see, these gluten-free cakes are not cake mix cover girls. They are low, plain cakes but they have a pleasing texture and good flavor. This is the cholesterol-free walnut-olive oil sponge cake. Jacqueline Mallorca specifies the zest of an orange as the accent flavor, but since James is allergic to citrus, I added chopped ginger instead.<br /><br /><br />The ribbons are objective testimony that you can eat well despite multiple food allergies, my reason for writing this blog. These recipes are real food that you can serve without qualms to your family and guests. You don't have to make separate food for the person with allergies. My aim in entering the fair was to get some recognition for special diet cooking as a category on its own. Instead, I would up proving my point that you can take these goodies anywhere, and they will be consumed with pleasure.<br /><br />My other evidence is that James has to watch that the "normals" don't consume his dessert treat before he gets to it, as happened when I took the sherry-walnut cake to a tiki party a few weeks ago. That carob-walnut torte is going to The 25th Annual Gatsby Summer Afternoon this Sunday, along with its blue ribbon. What's a little bragging among friends? County fairs were quite the rage in the 1920s and '30s!DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-56247785722374048602009-08-20T17:32:00.000-07:002009-08-20T17:34:03.343-07:00Eating Around Allergies: Gluten-Free Goes To The County Fair<a href="http://eatingaroundallergies.blogspot.com/2009/08/gluten-free-goes-to-county-fair.html">Eating Around Allergies: Gluten-Free Goes To The County Fair</a><br /><br />Woohoo! My "Cakes Other Than Layer" took first and third place! (Carob-Walnut Torte first and Walnut-Olive Oil Sponge third.) I'm still amazed since there were other entries, and this was in competition with "normals." Backs up my ongoing claim, you can take these pups anywhere without apology. And that Jacqueline Mallorca is a cookbook goddess!DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-51722902624752636072009-08-11T15:34:00.000-07:002009-08-11T16:25:21.813-07:00Gluten-Free Goes To The County FairEvery year, James and I enjoy the down-home ambiance of our <a href="http://www.sanmateocountyfair.com/">San Mateo County Fair</a>. We realize, as James says, that <a href="http://makerfaire.com/">Maker Faire</a>, filling the same venue, is probably more representative of what our county currently produces. But the quilts and goats and gardens all deserve our attention too. So does the food.<br /><br />This year I took a deep breath and entered the culinary competition. In category "Other." There is no category for gluten-free or special diets. My hope is not to win anything other than recognition for the need for a "special diet" category. Let's face it, carob brownies aren't going to beat out real chocolate in a blind tasting. But on their own, they are a yummy treat, especially for someone who reacts severely to chocolate.<br /><br />I'm taking four of what have become my "old reliables", with the various accommodations I make cooking for James. My point, as always, is that whatever your food restrictions are, you can find ways to eat well at home or while dining out or with friends.<br /><br />CA - 232 - Quick Breads Class: 06<br />Description: Wheat-free: Rustic Seed Bread (no wheat flour or cows milk)<br />Recipe from <span style="font-style: italic;">The Wheat-Free Cook</span> by Jacqueline Mallorca, substituting goat yogurt for cows.<br /><br />CA - 233 - Cookies Class: 05<br />Description: Wheat-Free Barley Carob Brownies<br />The recipe from the back of Bob's Red Mill barley flour, substituting their excellent carob powder for the cocoa powder.<br /><br />CA - 237 - Cakes Other Than Layer Class: 03<br />Description: Cholesterol-free, wheat-free torte made with walnuts, carob, liquid egg substitute, and sugar.<br />My version of Jacqueline Mallorca's "Four-Ingredient Chocolate-Walnut Cake" made using Bob's Red Mill carob powder for the natural cocoa powder.<br /><br />CA - 237 - Cakes Other Than Layer Class: 05<br />Description: Walnut-olive oil sponge cake: no cholesterol, no wheat flour<br />Jacqueline Mallorca's version calls for zest of an orange. Since James is allergic to citrus, I add some powdered or chopped ginger -- Trader Joe has an unsugared version I like.<br /><br />It's all rather exciting, made even more so when the entries are to be submitted between 7-9 this Thursday morning. Luckily these all hold well, because most of them are getting made Wednesday evening. There will be take-out salads for dinner, and many leftover desserts for us -- regulations call for half a cake or loaf.<br /><br />Do support your local county fair, wherever you are!DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-28299814469116475572009-07-20T15:53:00.000-07:002009-07-20T16:26:33.138-07:00Sugar Blues?One commenter asked about substitutes for sugar. Sugar is a tricky thing to substitute, particularly in baking. So much of baking is a science. Recipes assume certain chemical reactions, much as they presume one is not cooking at high altitude. <br />Thinking of this, I created a minor culinary disaster on Sunday morning. We had wonderful ripe peaches, courtesy of SPUD, that were at use-it-or-lose-it status. They were perfect just as they were. Did not need to be turned into clafoutis!<br />So I thought, let's try them on pancakes, with just a touch of maple syrup at the table. My favorite pancake recipe, from <a href="http://eatingaroundallergies.blogspot.com/2008/06/in-review-wheat-free-cook-by-jacqueline.html">The Wheat-Free Cook</a>, is elegant in its simplicity, and works every time. It called for 1 teaspoon of sugar. Not much. Let's substitute agave syrup, which is claimed to be easier on the body than sugar, adding it to the wet rather than the dry ingredients. So far, so good.<br /><br />I'm not sure what happened, as it all was so fast. But I scorched the pancakes! They cooked up so fast. I think the griddle might have been hotter than usual; it's cast iron over gas burners, no thermostats to reckon by. I just fling drops of water on the griddle like my mom and gramma did. (And, to be honest, I was still a bit foggy from the previous day's Bay Cruise on the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9415606@N05/sets/72157621664444806/">Jeremiah O'Brien</a>.) <br /><br />I barely finished dishing out the tablespoonfuls of batter -- these are small pancakes -- when the air filled with smoke. The pancakes were burning and sticking to the grill, faster than I could flip them. I was able to rescue most of them but a grim note of charcoal remained. We added more maple syrup than I'd anticipated. <br /><br />The quickness with which these pancakes burned makes me suspect that the agave syrup cooked more quickly. Regular sugar would take a bit longer to melt. I have found the agave syrup to be an excellent sweetener, when you don't want flavors such as maple or molasses or honey. But for baking, caution is needed. Maybe if I tried a lower temp on griddle...DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-64763721777457593692009-07-15T15:54:00.000-07:002009-07-15T17:35:41.409-07:00Clafoutis! Clafoutis! Clafoutis!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/Sl5vPT-uZMI/AAAAAAAABgU/XwaSqUAeTBk/s1600-h/P1030198.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/Sl5vPT-uZMI/AAAAAAAABgU/XwaSqUAeTBk/s320/P1030198.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358842915469550786" /></a><br />It's cherry time, and some of us are thinking ahead to a River City picnic, inspired by "The Music Man." This brings to mind Gluten-Free Girl's post linking <a href="http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/2008/09/clafoutis-clafoutis-clafoutis.html">clafoutis</a> to the "Shapoopi" number. <br /><br />When I posted on Facebook that I was preparing clafoutis for breakfast, I got quite a few responses, indicating that (a) my Facebook friends enjoy eating well and (b) some people have not heard of clafoutis.<br /><br />There are numerous versions of clafoutis around nowadays. It's one of those thrifty French recipes that took fruit that was less than perfect and cooked it into a dessert somewhere between pudding and cake. It's a homey treat, not something you find on many menus. <br /><br />Our clafoutis is based on ace food writer <a href="http://www.outlawcook.com/">John Thorne</a>'s account in <span style="font-style:italic;">Outlaw Cook</span> (1992), adapted to work around James' food allergies and use up any fruit that's gone slightly over-ripe. Like Thorne, we think it's a super treat for a weekend breakfast. <br /><br />We first heard of John Thorne via the irrepressible <a href="http://www.altonbrown.com/">Alton Brown</a>, whose "Good Eats" show on the Food Network is an unceasing delight. [If you have not seen this show, you should be warned. Halfway into his first season, Alton discovered he had a big fan base among school kids, who loved his blend of food history, chemistry, theatrical improv, and rowdy sock puppets -- the belching yeasts doing their Busby Berkeley routine as the microscope zoomed in on them had me in fits of laughter. The shows can get zany, but Alton always delivers good information and painless food science. When Alton in print cited John Thorne as one of his great influences, we thought, better check this one out.<br /><br />John Thorne is a delightful writer, full of wonderfully crafted sentences that keep you on the edge of your seat wondering where this particular saga will take you. Before there were blogs or the internet, Thorne was supporting himself through a subscription newsletter. His accounts follow history and nature into the particulars of how he and his wife Matt actually create the dish, for which the recipe is an approximation, not a formula.<br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />"Winter has set in since I started writing, and the only strictly local fruit still available is a few forlorn apples clinging to the bare boughs of the apple trees, bright, rare posts of color in a world of spruce and snow."</span><br />Writing geeks -- you know who you are -- will appreciate how every word hangs together in that sentence, like a piece of Shaker furniture. Some of Thorne's books are making it back into print; they are well worth hunting down if you enjoy great food writing.<br /><br />Our clafoutis -- Thorne says this is the correct singular but that Americans are dropping the final "s" because people assume a noun ending in "s" is plural -- our clafoutis has the additional burden of avoiding wheat flour, cow's milk, and lemon peel called for in his recipe. <br /><br />Since I'm all about substitutions -- your allergies may be diametrically opposed to my husband's, but you could still derive benefit from reading these posts -- here's how I do it.<br /><br />Clafoutis is traditionally a pudding, more than a cake. It's made with 1 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of flour, a little salt, and two eggs. I substitute almond or goat milk for the cow's milk, and for the flour, a blend of teff and brown rice flour. <br /><br />For experimental purposes, I've tried adding baking powder and xanthan gum, which gives more poof and cake-like texture. We find the pudding texture comforting, so I tend to skip the poof. <br /><br />This is one of those multi-stage concoctions that comes together quickly, so I like to stage ingredients. (This also helps as I'm still metabolizing my coffee and the brain is not fully in gear.)<br /><br />1. Prep: Set oven to 425 degrees. Make seasoned sugar. Thorne calls for lemon peel; I grate some fresh nutmeg to avoid the lemon, since nutmeg has some of that tangy chameleon quality of lemon, going with sweet or savory. Peel and cut up your fruit of choice, stonefruit or berries being good choices. The French do not pit the cherries as it's considered more flavorful that way. When the cook is wielding a cast-iron skillet, I dare say the diners agree. <br /><br />2. Assemble the batter, adding the dry ingredients into the wet a little at a time, ending with the seasoned sugar. Let batter rest while you prepare the fruit.<br /><br />3. In a large heavy skillet, saute the fruit in butter (we use goat butter for special occasions like this). Add sugar to taste. Fruit should cook lightly and juices coalesce.<br /><br />4. Carefully pour or ladle batter onto fruit. Pop in oven for 25 minutes. <br /><br />5. Serve in bowls with cool milk-like substance of choice. <br /><br />So that's the story behind one of our weekend brunch treats, plus links to a couple of fine food writers to consult for your own inspiration. Try a clafoutis of your own with this summer's stonefruits! <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Note: the pictured clafouti is not in the skillet because it was Gluten-Free Girl's recipe, which was more of a cake and looks better in photographs. It was yummy, but the pudding sits well for breakfast. Did I mention she is also a fine writer? Fine food writers make you appreciate just how important food is in our lives, and that your efforts to cook and eat well are worthwhile.</span>DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-41951602707253164522009-06-18T15:22:00.000-07:002009-06-18T15:49:21.567-07:00Gluten-Free Dining Now on the Zagat Radar!Good news for dining out! Zagat.com has a feature article on chefs addressing the needs of those who must dine gluten-free. <br /><a href="http://www.zagat.com/Blog/Detail.aspx?SNP=NSF&SCID=39&BLGID=21433&zagatbuzzid=june09week3"></a><br />Includes several SF area restaurants with gluten-free items. Let's hope this visibility keeps increasing. <br />Gluten lurks in so many food substances that it's difficult to avoid. How wonderful to have items on the menu that don't have hidden pitfalls. <br /><br />I'll use this bully pulpit to lobby for one simple improvement: listing ingredients in each dish. This is so helpful for anyone with food allergies, and must save the wait staff hours of reciting or making trips to the kitchen with your questions. It gives the regular diner a quick picture of what a creative dish might be like, and the allergic person is forwarned. (We steer clear of dishes like the Martha Stewart pineapple-chocolate cheesecake with mint -- our all-time winner for combining foods to which James is allergic.)DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-73130306301839237222009-06-07T07:57:00.000-07:002009-06-07T09:12:59.620-07:00When You Don't Feel Like Cooking<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/Sivi1QZWdZI/AAAAAAAABEs/yJsK02DADA8/s1600-h/tomato.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 230px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/Sivi1QZWdZI/AAAAAAAABEs/yJsK02DADA8/s320/tomato.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344614787367466386" border="0" /></a><br />There are times you don't feel like cooking. It's too much work, too much thought, too much preparation and planning.<br /><br />Perhaps you never really learned to cook. There was always someone to cook for you, or a series of favorite take-out counters. Or, if you have dietary considerations, the burden of having to demystify general advice made your brain want to explode. (Tomatoes! Why does every recipe have tomatoes, when they make my sweetie ill?)<br /><br />I must digress to our favorite tomato story, when James and I sang madrigals at Renaissance Faire years ago. We had stopped for lunch at a booth offering toasted sandwiches. Like all the regulars who worked and played there, we had undergone weeks of training to speak and think in Elizabethan terms. Did the sandwich have tomatoes, James asked. "Oh, no sarrrh," replied the horrified serving wench in her finest BFA (Basic Faire Accent --just think pirate if you have never been to a Renaissance Faire, it's the same corner of Southwest England). "Everyone knows that tomatoes be poisonous!" "To me, they are," James replied. It was a fine moment of intersection of history with personal diet, and we all had a most hearty laugh.<br /><br />Tomatoes are one of the hardest ingredients to substitute. When a recipe calls for a dash of tomato, I can substitute Avgar, a traditional Middle Eastern blend of eggplant and red pepper now available at Trader Joes and other places. But the great can of tomatoes called for in so many recipes--I throw up my hands in dispair.<br /><br />So I am at a loss to cook from my latest find on the internet: <span style="font-style: italic;">The Three-Dollar Dinner</span> (found at <a href="http://www.threedollardinner.com/">www.ThreeDollarDinner.com</a>). Television producer Jerry Kolber has written an engaging forward about how people ate when he was growing up, and the lessons this has for us in today's economy. For anyone who's not allergic to tomatoes, it is an excellent resource on how to prepare, shop for, and cook simple, healthy meals. Tomatoes are a cheap nutritional powerhouse, so they appear in about half of the recipes.<br /><br />Our personal considerations aside, there is much to enjoy in this lively, engaging ebook. (Did I mention that it is a mere $6 download?) Here's a sample of Kolber's brash, positive attitude:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">This is a new kind of cookbook, perhaps the first of its kind, focused on showing you how to make fresh food that is better than most restaurants will serve you, for well under three dollars per person. It’s about reconnecting with the joy of homemade meals while recognizing that no matter what your situation is you probably don’t have time to spend hours in the kitchen. This book is for:<br />• One income or no income families with two, three, four or more mouths to feed<br />• Cool kids doing what they love in the big city and getting paid next to nothing (or nothing – thanks internship!) – but who still want to nourish their bodies and souls with fantastic organic meals for around $20 a week or less each.<br />• People who are trying to get out of debt but don’t want to eat rice & beans every day<br />• Grandmas and grandpas who want to eat well on a limited income<br />• People who don’t have a lot of time or money but want to eat well<br />• Anyone who wants to impress a date with a fantastic romantic home cooked meal<br />• Anyone who thinks it’s cheaper and easier to eat fast food than to cook at home--I’ll prove you wrong! </blockquote>I've not yet tested the handful of recipes that did not have tomatoes as a key ingredient. (It won't be soon. This week I'm determined to work through the four recipes Jacqueline Mallorca is demonstrating this Saturday at Draegers.) I figured the advice alone was worth the price. There is a great divide today between the "healthy" nation and the "unhealthy" that mirrors the great cultural divide of the late 19th Century, when the newly rich robber barons appropriated "culture" as too good for the masses, who had been enjoying Shakespeare and opera just as much as the wealthy, thank you very much. Kolber addresses the current tendency to make healthy eating the province of the elite, and seizes it for the rest of us.<br /><br />And, if you suddenly find yourself cooking for the first time, Kolber's little ebook is a fine place to start. Two weeks of healthy meal planning spelled out in detail, and recipes that come together easily. And cheap. Aside from the tomatoes, what's not to like?<br /><br />[Thanks to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/spisharam/">spisharam</a> for the wonderful tomato photo and this sassy quotation that fits Kolber's spirit: Someone smart said <i>"If organic farming is the natural way, shouldn't organic produce just be called "produce" and make the pesticide-laden stuff take the burden of an adjective? " </i> ]DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-81811670980145452232009-05-27T15:27:00.000-07:002009-06-07T09:12:48.288-07:00Live and In Person: Jacqueline Mallorca at Draeger's in June<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.draegerscookingschool.com/_images/Mallorca%20JacquelineCropped.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 235px; height: 313px;" src="http://www.draegerscookingschool.com/_images/Mallorca%20JacquelineCropped.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>Great news in the mailbox supermarket flyers this week.<br /><br />The author of my favorite cookbook -- <a href="http://eatingaroundallergies.blogspot.com/2008/06/in-review-wheat-free-cook-by-jacqueline.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Wheat-Free Cook </span>by Jacqueline Mallorca</a> -- is coming to Draeger's Market in San Mateo on June 13, and I'm signed up for her class. Tah-Dah!<br /><br />I've raved previously about this cookbook. Now I've got to whip up the recipes she'll be demonstrating, so I can concentrate on the subtle things she does that make a difference.<br /><br />As I've noted before, every little detail in Mallorca's recipes is there for a reason, and one ignores them at one's peril. Having to make substitutions to avoid my husband's allergies to major food groups does not get me off the hook.<br /><br />In other exciting news, Mallorca has a new book coming out this fall: <span id="btAsinTitle" style=""><span style="font-style: italic;">Gluten-Free Italian: Over 150 Recipes without Wheat--from Crostini to Tiramisu</span> (Paperback). Available for preorder on Amazon. Yum! My enthusiasm for cooking may be coming back.<br /><br />More about the Draeger's classes <a href="http://www.draegerscookingschool.com/chefDetail.aspx?chefID=24">here</a>. If you've never seen a Draeger's Market, consider it a field trip for any serious foodie. Yes, there are plenty of high-end luxury items, and the average prices are slightly higher than Whole Paycheck. But there's excellent fresh produce at reasonable prices, a bakery with exquisite pastries, a vast deli section, superb meats, and, a Gluten-Free section. Our store also has housewares, cookbooks, wines, greeting cards, and a coffee bar. <br /></span>DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-12148893204808257172009-01-22T22:37:00.001-08:002009-06-07T09:13:26.879-07:00Winter Warmers: The Alice B. Toklas Fudge<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">It's the stuff of legend, at least in hippie-dippy Berkeley: the Alice B. Toklas brownies with the magic ingredient, hashish. I needed a treat for a dessert buffet, we had the book, James found the recipe, and the fudge sounded like a great winter snack, even without the active ingredient, that contained none of his food allergens.<br /><br /><i>The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book</i> was published in 1954 by friends to assist Alice financially in her later years. Her writings are quite interesting, especially those recounting the time she and Gertrude Stein spent in rural France under the Nazi occupation, and how people survived.<br /><br />The infamous recipe is actually for <i>fudge</i>, which is not necessarily chocolate, as we think today. "Fudge" refers to things smooshed together, hence the expression "fudging it." Found in a late chapter added to Alice's own writings as "Recipes from Friends", it was contributed by one Brian Gysen, under the title "HASCHISCH FUDGE (which anyone could whip up on a rainy day)". There's an impish quality to the writing, with lines like "it might provide an entertaining refreshment for a Ladies' Bridge Club or a chapter meeting of the DAR".<br /><br />Internet research points to Brion Gysin (1916-1986) as the artist who provided the puckish text. There's a wonderful website, <a href="http://www.briongysin.com/BG/Calligraffiti_of_Fire.html" target="_blank">Calligraffiti of Fire</a>, showing his work over a long career, and a short biography. He moved from England to study at the Sorbonne in 1934, and lived in Morocco during the early 1950s. The fudge, he says, is based on a Moroccan recipe to ward off the cold in damp winter weather. It is heavily laden with two spices found in the Ayurvedic tea we are enjoying this winter: black pepper and cinnamon, plus coriander and nutmeg. Some internet accounts indicate that Gysin sent in the recipe as a prank and was surprised to have it included in the final book.<br /><br />In a prankish spirit, I made up my own version of the fudge, minus the "active ingredient." It turned out to be quite tasty, getting better over time. It can be made in advance; it makes up in easily consumed pieces; and it's not likely to be brought to the buffet by anyone else.<br /><br />Grind together (I use a dedicated coffee grinder for spices):<br /> 1 tsp. black peppercorns<br /> 4 sticks cinnamon<br /> 1 tsp. coriander seed<br /> 1 nutmeg.<br /><br />Chop and mix together 3/4 cup each of dates, figs, peanuts, and almonds. (I set the food processor on chop and added the spice mixture).<br /><br />Melt 1/4 cup butter or margerine over low heat, and add 1 cup sugar, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the sugar mixture to the rest of the mix and blend until the mixture is slightly sticky. Turn the mixture out into an 8" square pan and press down. Let rest before cutting into small pieces. It can also be rolled into small balls, more the size of brandy balls than meat balls.<br /><br />It's a fine treat for a winter evening, a good conversation starter, and an example of the great tastes that can be found without resorting to chocolate.<br /></div>DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-60806722488007170502009-01-21T15:19:00.000-08:002009-06-07T09:15:28.535-07:00Another Great Gluten-Free BlogMy work is done. Just kidding; as long as I'm cooking for someone with food sensitivities, I'll be blogging about it.<br />But I would be sadly remiss not to share a wonderful treatise on <a href="http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2008/12/baking-cooking-substitutions-for-gluten.html">food substitutions</a> from Gluten-Free Goddess. And I'm adding her blog, which is a finalist for best food blog of 2008, to my rolling list of Foodie Favorites in the left hand column. Woops, better finish this before a blogger outage is scheduled today.DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-61479718739112183612009-01-01T13:49:00.001-08:002009-01-22T17:37:33.243-08:00Happy New Year!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/SXkfPMSpXwI/AAAAAAAAA3A/y5M3egXXXw4/s1600-h/crepes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/SXkfPMSpXwI/AAAAAAAAA3A/y5M3egXXXw4/s320/crepes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294297182808661762" border="0" /></a>We're enjoying what may be our new New Year's Breakfast. On a recent trip to <a href="hthttp://www.harleyfarms.com/">Harley Farms </a>in Pescadero, we scored some goat Fromage Blanc. As I suspected, it went superbly with smoked salmon, GF toast triangles, and capers. Divertimento had some chilled champagne -- LaCheteau (sic) Vouvrais from TJ -- about $10 -- with those Asti Spumante good-for-brunch qualities. Worth keeping in the fridge just in case. Next year, we hit the Coastside and pick up the local smoked salmon along with the local goat cheese.<br /><div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><br />While at Harley Farms, in the expanded gift shop and tasting room, we also picked up some goat ricotta. That went into some blintzes (using the rice crepe recipe from <a href="http://eatingaroundallergies.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-07-01T14%3A24%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=7">The Wheat Free Cook</a>). Served with the Fromage Blanc and some lingonberry jelly -- mmmm!<br /><br />Ricotta in hand, we made up the totally fake lasagne that's safe for James. He's allergic to cow's milk, tomatoes, and wheat, which renders normal lasagne completely off limits. We found a great rice pasta made as lasagne noodles, <a href="http://www.deboles.com/products/product.php?prod_id=793&cat_name=gluten_free">DeBoles Rice Lasagne</a>. I followed the recipe on the package because you don't precook this pasta.<br /><br />For the three-cheese mix of mozarella, ricotta, and parmesan, I substituted the goat ricotta, some fresh goat peccorino we purchased at Harley Farms, and some soy mozarella (think goat gouda would have been better). For spaghetti sauce, I substituted Avjar, a Middle Eastern blend of roasted red peppers and eggplant that we've found in glass jars at various places, including Trader Joe's and Long's Drugstores. (It could have been kicked up a notch with some simmering with leftover red wine, herbs and garlic. But we were hungry.) We threw in mushrooms and olives because James wanted them. It was good, and even better on subsequent days.<br /><br />If you can't have cow's milk, and even if you can--check out the superb goat cheeses on the market now. Harley Farms makes some of the best and they are getting national and international recognition. We still are waiting to unwrap the goat cheese coated with chives that took international first in Dublin, and from my tasting room experience, deserved it! We'd planned to have it as a centerpiece of a goat tasting platter that would go to parties -- given my strategy of taking something safe for James and tasty for normals -- but have had to cancel due to a lingering cold. Perhaps it can go to a 12th Night party along next week with Andrew Weil's caponata that was such a hit at Thanksgiving.<br /><br /></div>DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-11039174120866016472008-12-27T21:03:00.001-08:002008-12-27T21:10:40.726-08:00Substitutions: Tamarind for Citrus<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Tamarindus_indica%2C_leaves%2C_pod.jpg/180px-Tamarindus_indica%2C_leaves%2C_pod.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 135px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Tamarindus_indica%2C_leaves%2C_pod.jpg/180px-Tamarindus_indica%2C_leaves%2C_pod.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>It's been a croupy December for the two of us, as we succumbed in succession to the bug du jour. Thankfully it's only wheezing and sneezing, but enough to keep us from much holiday partying. We've been grateful for an Ayurvedic winter tea passed on by our wonderful yoga instructor. Designed as a warming drink, it calls for fresh ginger, star anise, peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, and orange peel boiled for ten minutes and strained. No sugar needed--it's delicious. And a daily dose seems to help my winter circulation. Much less cold in hands and feet now, after a week of sipping this.<br /><div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><br />Orange peel is one of those iffy items for James -- it's less loaded with citric acid than oranges per se, but he'd still rather avoid it. Substituting for citrus is always difficult. There are so few foodstuffs with the same zing. Verjus, rice wine vinegar, cider vinegar, booze -- there are a range of possibilities but few with the tang of oranges.<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamarind">Tamarind</a> came to mind. At Trader Joe's we found an excellent dried (but soft) version seasoned with peppers that had just the spark we wanted. So we are happily sipping our tea, hoping to outlast the colds, and enjoying one more discovering in the world of culinary substitutions.<br /></div>DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-16037547002620487892008-11-26T21:00:00.000-08:002009-01-22T17:44:27.021-08:00Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Inspiration<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/SXkg2V5TrXI/AAAAAAAAA3I/8MlK7zalERU/s1600-h/caponata.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/SXkg2V5TrXI/AAAAAAAAA3I/8MlK7zalERU/s320/caponata.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294298954913262962" border="0" /></a><br />Some great inspirational holiday ideas for the gluten-intolerant on <a href="http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/2008/11/is-this-your-first-gluten-free.html">Gluten-Free Girl</a>, one of my favorite foodie blogs. A permanent link to this and other inspirational food blogs is at left.<br /><br />So much of coping with food intolerances is about attitude. Think of all the things you can eat, rather than focusing on the ones you can't. Enjoy what you can, and learn ways to adapt your old favorites to your new lifestyle.<br /><br />For example, we won't be attempting the luscious chocolate cupcakes shown on Gluten-Free Girl since chocolate is a severe allergen for James--technically it's a nerve poison. We get our chocolate fix from the <a href="http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes_detail.php?rid=42">Barley Brownies</a> on Bob's Red Mill website. They're quick, easy, and yummy. The cupcakes call for many ingredients on his allergy list -- dairy, lemon, chocolate -- and baking is a precise art. We are better off looking at other flavors.<br /><br />Tomorrow I'll be trying two new recipes to transport to a group Thanksgiving: a eggplant-pepper Caponata from Dr. Andrew Weil that's completely safe for James as written, and a sweet potato-pecan pie adapted from John Thorne's <span style="font-style: italic;">Outlaw Cook</span>. For the pie, the only substitution will be using non-dairy milk. I'm going to try cocoanut. And either making a gluten-free crust, or simply baking the pie as a pudding. More on Friday about how these turn out!DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-14211987202008561452008-11-20T15:21:00.000-08:002009-06-07T09:16:28.490-07:00Labels: A Good Thing<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mfh3dEVnDfuCPQpZ3nOAYA"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/SSSnDk1-dII/AAAAAAAAAtU/xDqhTsleDkQ/s400/P1030160.JPG" /></a></td></tr></table><br /><br />One considerate hostess we know -- with food sensitives among her family and friends -- goes all out for ingredient listing. These small, elegant signs accompanied each item on her buffet. <br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QMegyFnGJm5bXRrKneJ-2w"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/SSSnDDciJkI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/NkvRazWcfIY/s288/P1030159.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/decodelight/BAERSRussianTea">BAERS Russian Tea</a></td></tr></table><br />A special plate with its own ingredient label, was set aside for James. (There is sometimes a problem when the special food is TOO yummy and gets eaten by the normals before the allergic ones get to the buffet.)DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-81175872120269703172008-11-16T15:31:00.001-08:002009-06-07T09:16:13.099-07:00Holiday Cheer: Dealing with Parties<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Parties can be torment for the food-group challenged. Fortunately so many people now have dietary restrictions that few hosts insist on everyone consuming what is set before them. (If you do encounter someone who is old school on this subject, use all your assertiveness training.)<br/><br/>You can help by checking in advance with your host. If food is a major part of the evening, explain the food allergies involved and offer to bring something for the buffet. Since most desserts are toxic to James, and I welcome the chance to make something new, I generally volunteer for sweets. <br/><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9iCXRB0n4p_Y7oOEGD3OVQ"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/SSSmxqgAo5I/AAAAAAAAAs4/NY1wmahBDgo/s400/P1030430.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/decodelight/ClafoutiC">Clafouti &c</a></td></tr></table><br /><br/>Here are some photos of our fall favorites at some parties. Learning as I go, I now cut the cakes into bite size pieces and arrange them on a plate I won't miss if it's left behind. I'm stocking up on classy paper plates for the winter gatherings. <br/><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1hfJoh6Hk9ju42X-WxQMLw"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/SSSmfdNPTvI/AAAAAAAAAsw/seJ0thrV5lw/s288/P1030202.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/decodelight/ClafoutiC">Clafouti &c</a></td></tr></table><br /><br/>I'm also looking into appetizers. There's a caponata that's safe for James as is in the latest newsletter from Dr. Andrew Weil. It is so going to Thanksgiving. <br/></div>DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-82479870809365584962008-11-16T15:20:00.001-08:002009-06-07T09:15:28.536-07:00Holiday Cheer: Inventing A New Drink<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>The weather was cold and damp, it was late at night, and James wanted an eggnog-like drink. Since he's allergic to cow dairy, he thought of almond milk and brandy. We had some Korbel spiced brandy on hand for cooking, and a jigger of that in 3/4 cup warm almond milk, with some grated nutmeg on top, was celebratory enough for us. <br/></div>DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-84315262541004504022008-10-03T13:12:00.000-07:002008-10-03T16:53:59.188-07:00Goats Are Our Friends<div style="text-align: left;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/SOaCSe3ke7I/AAAAAAAAAY4/QL9-RDkPORA/s1600-h/img_06ccb22cgoats-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 288px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/SOaCSe3ke7I/AAAAAAAAAY4/QL9-RDkPORA/s400/img_06ccb22cgoats-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253029269409659826" border="0" /></a>Allergic to cow's milk? Goats (and the occasional sheep) may be your friends as well.<br /><br />Goat and sheep cheeses have long been staples in areas like Greece and Spain, where rugged country makes dairy cows impractical. In recent years goat cheese has gone from a gourmet treat to a mainstream staple. The new cheeses are light, fresh, and less "goat-y" in flavor. Even hard cheeses can be found in gourmet sections.<br /><br />Goat and sheep cheese make wonderful substitutions as well as treats on their own. The simple log <span style="font-style: italic;">chevre</span> can stand in for cream cheese, <span style="font-style: italic;">neufchatel</span>, or cottage cheese in recipes. Peccorino romano, in the pint bin from Trader Joe's, substitutes handily for parmesan. These are widely available. For more specialized varieties, like goat ricotta, you must seek out an upscale market, cheese store, or mail order. Or go directly to the source.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/SOaFjtWIGdI/AAAAAAAAAZA/JyXTLpXBGWE/s1600-h/tranquilfarm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/SOaFjtWIGdI/AAAAAAAAAZA/JyXTLpXBGWE/s400/tranquilfarm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253032863888579026" border="0" /></a></div>Fortunately we live in foodie central, Northern California. One of the nation's finest goat farms is just "over the hill" on the coast, near Pescadero. <a href="http://www.harleyfarms.com/">Harley Farms </a>produces wonderful cheeses, and it is a joy to visit. The cheese shop is open 7 days a week, with varieties like the ricotta that aren't always in the market. You can step upstairs to the great room overlooking the farm. Flower beds grow the edible flowers that adorn the charming Monet cheeses. The goats, under the watchful eye of their guard llamas, come tumbling in for milking in the late afternoon.<br /></div><br />We were pleasantly surprised when <a href="http://www.sunset.com/sunset/travel/article/0,20633,1810692,00.html">Sunset Magazine</a> included Harley Farms, and a photo of their wonderful "upper room" in the August issue.<br /><br />Goat are a full-service dairy animal. They also provide milk, long considered superior to cow's milk for children and invalids, and easier to digest. Goat milk is a natural substitute for recipes where milky goodness is called upon, such as white sauce, bisque, or baking. <br /><br />And miracle of miracles, we do find goat butter now and then. It's almost $10 a pound, so we use it sparingly. There is nothing quite like butter on toast or baked potatoes. Goat butter tastes slightly "off" compared to butter, as if the cows had gotten into the silage after eating fresh grass all summer. But I prefer it to all the chemical substitutes.DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-43475390883620552022008-09-24T16:24:00.000-07:002008-09-24T17:18:53.897-07:00Substitutions: The Key to SanityWhen cooking for someone with multiple food allergies, there will be no one cookbook you can follow exactly. Special cookbooks eliminate one or more allergens, or avoid food groups such as meat or dairy. There's nothing on the market --- yet --- for someone avoiding bovine dairy, citrus, tomatoes, pineapple, mint, chocolate, and cola.<br /><br />Luckily nowadays many of us are foodies, and options are available. Here are some of my favorite ways to substitute.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Find recipes that eliminate allergens.</span> Start with cookbooks that avoid gluten or dairy. Find cuisines that don't rely on food you must avoid. Vegetarian or kosher cooking might have some ideas.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Look at traditional cuisines.</span> Alsatian food, for example, uses German ingredients with French flair, and much less use of the butter, cream, and tomatoes we avoid.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Can't eat citrus?</span> Find other tastes with zing to replace lemons, lime and oranges. Consider using ginger, nutmeg, fine vinegars, or liqueurs like kirsch as seasoning accents. Learn to love stonefruit in its seasonal variety instead of oranges.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Be an <a href="http://www.ironfans.net/aboutic/">Iron Chef</a>.</span> We fell for this show in the Japanese version before it had subtitles, making it something from a parallel universe. The chefs must create four new dishes using the theme ingredient within one hour. When cooking for the allergic, one must be just as creative at home. Try something new! Be free to invent your own variations. Be glad you are not competing in Kitchen Stadium.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Don't attempt the impossible. </span>Sometimes the real taste just can't be replicated. You are better off learning to enjoy new tastes than to feel frustrated or cheated by an inadequate replica. If the recipe you want relies on primary ingredients you can't have, look for another recipe.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Keep a sense of humor.</span> We joke about recipes combining all James' allergens. Martha Stewart's pineapple-chocolate cheesecake with mint is one of the all-time winners in the "death to James" category.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Enjoy.</span> It's food, it's nourishing, it's an adventure.DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-71303612123755739162008-09-02T16:57:00.001-07:002008-11-26T21:55:12.414-08:00Desserts: Wheat-free Sherry Walnut Cake<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mS10C-UxIAY9nCgmT6_b-g"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/SS40UZk1QcI/AAAAAAAAAzY/jrfJpPTx_cA/s400/Gatsbycake1.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/decodelight/ClafoutiC">Clafouti &c</a></td></tr></table><br /><div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Last Saturday I tried another recipe from <i>The Wheat-Free Cook</i> by Jacqueline Mallorca (my review <a href="http://eatingaroundallergies.blogspot.com/2008/06/in-review-wheat-free-cook-by-jacqueline.html">here</a> -- and don't hesitate to buy this book as it's now remaindered at Hamilton). The cake was wheat-free, cholesterol-free, and happily consumed by a picnic of costumers in 1920s vintage. Considering it shared the dessert table with a fabulous rum-drenched chocolate cake from a professional bakery, that was compliment enough for me. The simple cake was particularly with a bowl of late season peaches from the farmers market that morning.<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7DXRqmCLpG1yGdWzZ4qpNw"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/SS40Uq7gy6I/AAAAAAAAAzg/jlpdQvA1Dwo/s400/diningbuffet.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/decodelight/ClafoutiC">Clafouti &c</a></td></tr></table><br />In Mallorca's innovative style, the cake uses eggbeaters, not real eggs, with dry sherry and finely chopped walnuts giving the flavor. She calls for orange zest, to which James is allergic, so I let the sugar sit with fresh grated nutmeg instead. (Seemed to go with the Spanish theme -- heart-healthy olive oil is the fat.)<br /><br />I'm not sure how old the technique of beating eggs and sugar to the ribbon stage is, but a simple cake like this is certainly good for The Gatsby (1920s), impressionist dinners (1890s), and won't be out of place for an English Regency Russian tea later this month. It requires no refrigeration, travels well, and needs only a touch of powdered sugar and an attractive serving plate to appear in the best company. As the photos attest, the cake was well-received at some fine costumed events.<br /><br /><br /></div>DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2716298040047274726.post-84910489584381281312008-08-20T15:50:00.000-07:002008-08-20T17:06:33.341-07:00Shortcuts: Taking The Easy WaySometimes it's all too much. Cooking from scratch and intelligent food shopping take time, and they can go out the window when priorities collide.<br /><br />Help is available for those avoiding food allergens.<br /><br />For the gluten-intolerant, there are more and more products coming on the market. We are<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/SKyuQcWN-UI/AAAAAAAAAQY/TfGdZHZRiXM/s1600-h/glutinobread.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/SKyuQcWN-UI/AAAAAAAAAQY/TfGdZHZRiXM/s200/glutinobread.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236752064235567426" border="0" /></a> impressed by Glutino projects -- see <a href="http://www.glutino.com/">www.glutino.com</a> for details. Their corn bread (which tastes like a good white bread, not what Americans call corn bread) has a permanent home in our freezer. It's milk- and casein-free, with no hydrogenated oil or refined sugar. (There are gluten-free goodies that are full of buttery goodness, which makes them unsuitable for the dairy-intolerant.)<br /><br />Glutino breads are imported from Canada, so the flabby dollar makes them pricey even by <a href="http://draegers.com/">Drager's</a> standards. With the freezing and the sturdiness of the bread -- some brands fall apart in the process -- I think we are getting our money's worth. (In defense of Draeger's, a high-end grocery shopping experience in the Bay Area along the lines of Harrod's in London, they offer an astounding variety of foodstuffs, the produce and meats are impeccable, and you can find moderate seasonal values.)<br /><br />Another great service arrived this morning. I'm a subscriber to <a href="http://www.spud.com/">spud!</a> (Small Pot<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/SKyxP0H0oDI/AAAAAAAAAQg/uk90zJbLsYA/s1600-h/spud-5.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wuFfr_i-hJk/SKyxP0H0oDI/AAAAAAAAAQg/uk90zJbLsYA/s200/spud-5.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236755351972651058" border="0" /></a>atoes Urban Delivery). Spud! replaced our former vegetable delivery service, which I suspected of purchasing organic veggies just prior to the leftovers being set aside for senior centers. Spud! uses sturdy Rubbermaid bins for the delivery, which keep cool on our porch until I'm home.<br /><br />Best of all, you can customize your deliveries online. I'm set up for a bi-weekly organic Fresh Harvest Box. I can exclude specific fruits (ixnay on the inapple-pay), tweak my order in advance, or add grocery items. A blessing indeed if you are busy, housebound, or trying to drive less. We get the organic produce that's better for us and for the planet.<br /><br />In my fantasies, I'm shopping the farmer's market twice a week like a sagacious French housewife. Or whipping up brilliant creations from the mystery boxes dropped off from the local <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/25/FDPK11BCL3.DTL&hw=CSA+food&sn=001&sc=1000">CSAs</a> -- Community Supported Agriculture boxes that give you whatever is freshest at farms that supply the likes of Chez Panisse and Boulevard.<br /><br />In reality, we're lucky to have something fresh and nutritious at home at all. So I'm grateful for the shortcuts that help us eat sensibly at home.<br /><br />N.B. You can get $25 off on your first 4 deliveries with <a href="http://www.spud.com/">Spud!</a> if you use my code, CR5-992696 when you sign up.DeeCozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01408946829837021737noreply@blogger.com0