So the photo is just the little bit left from lunch the other day. The babe was still eating her congee as she just can’t get enough somedays.

I’ve written about this simple rice porridge before – how it soothed my stomach after food poisoning overseas; how my husband’s family uses this as a staple (and swears by the powers of the rice “broth” for feeling better when you are ill); etc. It’s so good – that people have begun getting worried that I wasn’t going to post the recipe.

I guess my delay in posting the “recipe” is that there really are so many varieties, ways and ideas for what you can do that there really is NO recipe for this. It varies by family, province, country, etc. But there are some basics for you to know before you toss your rice into a pot and get cooking.

THE BASICS
It’s important to note that rice porridge (congee or jook) is meant to be cooked longer than you would normally cook/steam rice. You want the rice to break down and the rice starch to naturally thicken the broth. In order to achieve this, you want to do the following:

• Use a rice to water ratio that is at least 1:8. For example, toss 1/2 cup of rice (not Minute Rice, not Uncle Ben’s processed rice – just regular old rice) in to 4 cups of water. (Yes, that says 4 cups!)
• Bring it to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Stir frequently to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan and to help develop a creamier texture.
• Simmer with a lid covering MOST of the top (leave it open about an inch or so to avoid it overflowing!) for 45 minutes or so. At this point, you should be able to stir the rice and see that it has thickened the liquid (which is now more like a stew broth – thick and delicious!) and you will see that the rice has broken down.
• Now add salt to taste. And Wah-lah! You have a basic rice porridge.
• You can now eat your porridge as it (which we often do) or you can top it with the traditional chopped green onions as well.

THE VARIATIONS
There are so many things you can do with this that you will find a never ending list of “gotta-try-that”s in your brain once you taste the deliciousness of this super-simple soup. Here’s a list of some of the things that we have done:

• Heat a little oil in the pan and quickly saute some chopped garlic until aromatic.  THEN add your rice, water and salt.  MMMMM.
• Use chicken stock instead of water (or veg stock, or… etc).
• Better yet:  Remember that GF rotisserie chicken you picked up for dinner but didn’t really finish?  Put that into a huge stock pot, cover with water and toss in your rice.  Boil this for a couple hours.  The carcass will break down and the meat will be tender and fabulous mixed into the congee.  (You may/may not need to add seasoning/salt – depends on your chicken.)
• Make the congee with a ham bone instead of that leftover chicken.
• At the end of cooking, add some rinsed black beans and some chopped up tiny pieces of meat.  (This is Zoe’s second favorite version.  Second only to the basic version above.)
• Add traditional Chinese ingredients, like Thousand Year Old (aka preserved) duck egg or a splash of GF soy sauce instead of the salt.
• Add some chopped up pieces of white fish just at the end of cooking and boost your protein power.  You only need to cook for a few minutes longer for the fish to cook through if you chop it up.
• Whisk an egg (or two) in a small bowl, the stir the egg into the cooked congee.
• Sauté some small chopped carrot and onion pieces, add a bit of garlic then add your rice and a bit more water (like 1:9 ratio or 1:10 – depending on how thick you like your congee) and cook away.

Really… the variations are endless.

The structure or basics are not set in stone.  The ratio can vary depending on how thick you prefer your congee.  I wouldn’t suggest using a ratio of less than 1:6 as then you end up with mushy rice and not a porridge at all.  And a ratio of greater than 1:12 makes for some watery rice soup.  But hey – it’s personal preference!

I order congee for myself and the Chicklet when my honey has a craving for dim sum. It’s gluten free –  but be careful!  Some restaurants like to top their congee with shredded wonton skins.  Just say no to those as they are not gluten free and avoid the traditional Chinese donut (a long fried not-sweet bread) that is always typically served with congee.  I guess that’s the beauty of having a (1) baby along because they always ask if the baby would like those things (LOL!) and (2) a native Cantonese speaker in the mix.

I hope this post finds you all well and enjoying your fall.  Life is grand around here – so much so that we are even considering adding another family member in the form of a 11 month old pup.  (As though one toddler weren’t enough for me……..)

Happy GF Eating!
And don’t forget to come back and post your favorite congee variation!
I’m up for some new ideas!
~Kate

If you haven’t noticed, I’m struggling for what to post. The reality is that our eating habits have changed for the better and the simpler. In fact, simple is what Zoe loves – so let’s go with it! Her favorite meal is congee (rice porridge) slowly cooked for hours with chicken stock and a few black beans thrown in for fiber or maybe some green onion, ginger and garlic. She could eat that for every meal, I think. And actually, so could I.

As an exchange student (light years ago), I got food poisoning – ironically at an “American Bistro”. (That’ll teach ya…. eat what is culturally appropriate, not the stuff you *think* you miss… LOL). The doctors put me on a rice/garlic soup for a few days. It was so soothing to my stomach and filling – or maybe I should say “fulfilling” – like I never knew rice to be. It wasn’t until I met my Love that I realized that congee (or rice porridge) is nothing new. It was new to me then – and certainly not something on my family menu as a kid growing up in Minnesota.

The other thing I find Zoe and myself craving that is so simple to make are refried beans. We call them cheater beans because I make them with canned beans. What the heck! I’m a working Momma – I don’t have the time (or the memory!!) to soak beans and cook them forever some nights. The protein from the beans nicely compliments whatever other veg is on the menu and fruit fits the bill for dessert.

See? Simple menus.

So simple that my lunch today was celery sticks with peanut butter and a half cup of yogurt. For which I packed a FORK to eat it??!! Oh yea, sleep deprivation is playing a role in our menu planning as well. We *do* think “What can we make on “xx”day because we won’t be home until 5:30 or 6?” This fact alone, has radically changed what we do and when we do it.

And while take out is sometimes an option….. it’s not always the healthiest and it gets old… fast.

So the other night? We had cheater beans, gingered-carrots and veggie-rice a la Mexican rice. Simple and delicious – and Zoe ate every bite. (She’s easy to please, however. The only food she WON’T eat are apples or mushy berries. Texture is her thing, I think.)

What are you eating on crazy nights that you find comfort in?
Here’s our recipe for cheater beans – feel free to adlib the spices. You won’t regret it.

Cheater Beans
Makes as much as each can will make

Ingredients:
1 can beans – white, navy, kidney, black, etc. You’re choice!
2 Tablespoons bacon grease or olive oil with a dash of liquid smoke.
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2/3 can of water (use the same can from the beans to keep your ratio)
spices to taste: black pepper + cumin? chile powder? green onion? minced onion? oregano?

Directions:

1. Don’t rinse the beans, but drain the can a bit.
2. Melt bacon grease over medium heat.
3. Add garlic and stir until fragrant.
4. Add the beans and the water to the pot with the garlic.
5. Put over a low-medium low flame.
6. Add water.
7. Begin mashing the beans to your desired consistency with a potato masher (or a fork… if you have the patience! LOL)
8. Taste and season.
9. Serve warm with your other fabulous comfort food.

Eat this … and you’ll never again pay for refried beans again. You’ll know the YUM-Factor in making your own in hardly any time at all.

Enjoy!
~Kate

Happy Halloween!, originally uploaded by Kate Chan.

Her first Halloween home.

And believe it or not, she has NO interest in the candy.

Instead, she just preferred to munch away on edamame and sip some green tea with Mom.

Hope you all had a safe holiday!
~Kate

Okay people… I just had to do it. I had to show you this girl-hair-challenge-mom’s photo of her two loves enjoying the fish at the Seattle Aquarium. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard at an aquarium in my life – OH, how the Chicklet LOVED it! We spent our Moon Festival weekend out and about in Seattle and boy, did we have fun.

I have a couple of posts in the works – Wild Rice with Wild Mushrooms, etc and a few baking ones too. This week I chatted away on the phone while making Pumpkin-Apple muffins and completely forgot to add the baking powder or baking soda. Umm… yea. I made some unbelievably delicious Pumpkin-Apple blobs, though. LOL. Once these are gone, I’ll make a “real” batch with ALL of the ingredients and take some pictures for you.

I’m working on a list of easy-peasy school night dinners that we’ve been getting together too. So far, we are back to menu planning – saving money, time and hunger meltdowns (mine… not the Chicklet’s), etc. It’s been fun to develop the menu ideas with my Love who truly is the better cook between the two of us. I just enjoy it more. See? There is a reason why we commit to our partners after all! (KIDDING!)

Okay… I’m off to pick up Zoe. I can’t even describe how much I miss her during the day sometimes. Leaving work to go pick her up is almost as adrenaline pumping as seeing her. It means I know I only have a few short miles to drive before she will crawl up in to my arms and say “Ooooooooooooooooooomma!!” (or “Mama”) with glee.

Oh! I love them so!

Happy mid-week – sorry I missed the Wednesday photo post… but here she is. (Bad pigtails and all!)

And… hey… if you have any “Girl-Hair” tips, feel free to leave them in the comments. My poor child is growing up with a Girl-Hair-Challenged mom. It’s sad!

~Kate

Somethings happen more quickly than anticipated. Like the dinner hour approaching on a school/work night. Seriously. I never knew how fast one hour could fly until now. Life is so much fun with the Chicklet that I quickly lose track of food plans and before I know it, I’m a crabby mess in the kitchen scrounging for dinner.

Zoe is much easier to feed than am I, apparently. Give the babe some cut up mandarin oranges and she’s good to go. And while I am snacking right along with her on the oranges…. they just don’t cut it when it’s dinner time always!

Thankfully, we’ve gone back to menu planning (save money…. have a dinner plan… you know… good things!!!) and my life has gotten a bit easier again. It still hasn’t saved me from myself when I forget to pack an after school apple or snack, but that’s a different issue.

The other day – sans after school snack – I was contemplating just munching on whatever I could lay my hands on (like those brand new Vans mini gluten-free waffles with some cinnamon peanut butter… OMG, YUM!). As soon as my crabby-tummy growls started to push me to the edge of reason, I decided that it was a night for speedy Chinese Chicken & Corn Chowder.

Have you ever had this?

It’s a staple on most of the Chinese restaurant menus that I know of…. and it’s typically gluten free as there is no soy sauce added – *USUALLY*. (WARNING: Ask before eating, people. If you didn’t make it yourself, you never know. Ok?)

This was one of the first soups that I fell in love with when going out for dinner with my Love and his family. It is so satisfying and perfect for cool weather. And what makes it even better? Oh yea – it’s a SNAP to make!

So.. the next time the Gotta-Eat-Something bug gets to you, try this soup. Or better yet, learn from my mistake. Don’t wait until you are that hungry, make some tonight for dinner. (It makes a great lunch from the leftovers too!)

Chinese Chicken and Corn Chowder
Serves 4 as a main dish/soup
Ingredients:
3/4 cup rice wine
4 cups GF chicken broth
3 chicken breasts
1 can GF creamed corn
1 cup frozen corn
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/4 cup cold water
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup minced sweet onion or 1 medium-large cioppino onion, minced
1 Tablespoon high-quality sesame oil (optional)
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Mince the onion. Heat your stew pot/dutch oven and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the onion. Saute until it just begins to brown.
2. Add the cream corn, frozen corn and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
3. While you are waiting for the broth to boil, mince or cut the chicken breasts in to small pieces. Add the chicken to the boiling broth.
4. Simmer until the chicken has cooked through.
5. In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup of cold water and whisk in the 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch. Add this to the simmering broth. Stir well.
6. Working quickly (you want to add the egg whites to the broth before it gets too thick!), whisk together two egg whites. Drizzle the egg white in to the swirling broth or along the edge of the pan and then stir well.
7. Allow the soup to thicken slightly before turning off the heat (about 3 – 4 minutes or so, depending on you heat source.)
8. Drizzle with sesame oil (optional) and stir. Then season to taste with salt & pepper.

Serve!

And pack up the leftovers for lunch!
Even the Chicklet has this soup for lunch today – she couldn’t get enough last night!

Happy Gluten-Free Eats, All!
~Kate

Mmmmm…congee, originally uploaded by Kate Chan.

Yes. We are here.
Things are just moving fast!
The babe is out of the high chair (!!) and in to the booster!

Guess this means more time for family goodness!

More to follow… just couldn’t resist posting the photo!

xoxox
~Kate & Family

Cookie breaks are definitely needed around my house lately.

The Chicklet has started day care (in a private home with a LOVELY LOVELY woman who adores her!) and she is mastering her abilities to toy with my (and her daddy’s) heart. First just let me say, I so have the easy role here. You see, it’s Daddy who brings her to daycare everyday (because of how early my teaching day starts) but it is ME – all ME!! – who gets to “rescue” her at the end of the day and bring her home. Ah yes, my life is fabulous.

But the babe has plans on making us know *exactly* how she feels about not being in our arms all day. Oh yes, and she’s good at it! Here’s her “teaching” agenda for us (her students):

On Wednesday last week, she cried when my Love left her at daycare.

On Thursday, she announced “Oh, NO!” from the backseat and began crying as they pulled in to the driveway of the provider’s home.

On Friday, she began to cry as he pulled out of the garage and I was there waving to them both.

And today? Well, today she took one look at her sweatshirt and the bag we had packed for her, and she started running. The little booger.

Of course, by the time she gets to day care and the other two kids are there, she’s in HOG HEAVEN with toys, goodies and playmates. She drags around my favorite soft long-sleeved t-shirt as though it was a Nobel Prize and holds her little pink bunny when she is feeling bummed. But those momentarily feelings are replaced with giggles and screeches of delight within seconds. I know this to be true as she has learned some very serious pterodactyl-like screeches that she shares with us at unanticipated moments… like in a quiet restaurant or a crowded grocery aisle…. oh yea…. delightful!

The truth of the matter is that I miss her. And I miss being a mommy. And I love my job. And I love being a teacher. It’s a very hard thing to reconcile. I’m sure over time, I will figure it out. But right now? Right now I rush out of school and coast down the roads (much more quickly than I should) and wonder about her day. I can’t wait to hold the little Diva in my arms and smell her sweet little neck… and … well… you get it.

So when she and I are together again…. we have adventures. Like making cookies. And she likes these too! (And she really doesn’t like sweets other than fruit and she definitely is NOT a bread eater. Ironic, huh?)

So for all of you Melt-In-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookie eaters (like me!), this one’s for you!

Forgive my irregular postings… I’ve been at a loss for what to write or post. But then my Love reminded me that we should have posted the fabulous (seriously… better than P.F. Chang’s!) lemon chicken or chicken lettuce wrap recipes or even our beef-and-broccoli or cinnamon sweet potatoes. So I guess he will be my reminder to take time for myself and write.

But for now… enjoy these cookies as I’m on my way to pick up the Chicklet! (And Ginger, we are working on a recipe for you!!)

Gluten Free Crispy, Melt-In-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies
Recipe makes 2 – 2 1/2 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or Earth’s Balance
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1  1/3 cupw  gluten free flour mix
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

Directions:

1. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy – about 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat for another minute.
3. Stop the mixer. Scrap down the sides of the bowl. Dump all of the dry ingredients (starting with the flour) on top of the creamy mixture. Mix well.
4. Preheat oven to 375F.
5. Scoop by the tablespoon and drop on to parchment paper at least 2 inches apart. (The cookies spread.)
6. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown. (Time may vary depending on your oven – so watch the color of the edges!)
7. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool completely on the parchment paper before moving.
8. Frost, Eat and/or Store in an airtight container.

Happy Cookie Baking and Munching!
~Kate

Munching on a teeny corner of sugar cookie.

FINALLY!

I finally have a chance to share a recipe with you!

The Chicklet had a couple days of all day daycare this week as school begins again for me next week and I am moving classrooms. She did AMAZINGLY well….. Mommy on the other hand? Well, I called *my Mommy* every morning I dropped her off because *I* was a wreck! I swear, the world goes ’round because of the love from our moms, huh?

I’ve made several batches of these sugar cookies to test the texture. This recipe is for the overwhelming voted-for, soft and chewy version. (Although if you voted for crunchy and melt-in-your-mouth, I’ll satisfy your cravings with my next post… piece-o-cake!) I tried to frost the cookies a couple times – and the frosting was a HUGE hit with my nephews, but the adults preferred these. I thought the frosting would help keep the cookies soft and chewy, but it turns out – no help was needed!

And my babe – who really doesn’t like cookies (!!) or cakes, etc – likes little nibbles of these. The soft chewy texture and sweet little nibble satisfies something in her. However, her true sweet-tooth passion is fruit. Any kind of fruit – especially if Daddy is eating it. Yeap… she’s a food thief and a mighty-cute one at that!

So… without much more ado and fan-fair – ’cause let’s face it – my mommy haitus has been going on long enough – I”VE MISSED BLOGGING!!!! – here’s the recipe and few crucial tips:

SECRET TO SUCCESS: Start with room temperature butter (or Earth’s Balance)!

Gluten Free Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies
Recipe makes 2 – 2 1/2 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or Earth’s Balance
1/4 cup whipped cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/3 cups gluten free flour mix
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

Directions:

1. Cream together butter, whipped cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy – about 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat for another minute.
3. Stop the mixer. Scrap down the sides of the bowl. Dump all of the dry ingredients (starting with the flour) on top of the creamy mixture. Mix well.
4. Preheat oven to 375F.
5. Scoop by the tablespoon and drop on to parchment paper at least 2 inches apart. (The cookies spread.)
6. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown. (Time may vary depending on your oven – so watch the color of the edges!)
7. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool completely on the parchment paper before moving.
8. Frost, Eat and/or Store in an airtight container.

Happy Cookie Baking and Munching!
~Kate

Sorry for the blogging lags, everyone. I really do have things to share… just not a lot of computer time to share them!

And forgive the photo… it was taking without much broth so you could see the ingredients and with a HUNGRY HUNGRY HIPPO begging for MORE MORE MORE in the background. (Okay… so she’s hardly a hippo in her teeny bod, but you get it, right?)

Yesterday we had a visit from our social worker. Adoption doesn’t end at the arrival of the baby. Nope, there are six more months of social worker visits, reports, photos back to Korea for foster mom/birth mom and Korean social workers, doctor forms, etc. After six months, we can then officially petition the courts for Zoe to become legally OURS OURS OURS! (After that, we start the whole process for her to get her Certificate of Citizenship for the US, new birth records, social security, etc…. a whole new paperchase that HOPEFULLY will *not* last as long as the first several!)  The great news:  we will most likely be able to begin our “finalization” paperwork in September.  This news just about brought me to tears.  She is already such a natural part of who we are.  I can not even begin to imagine my life without her in it.  OH!  Soon she will be ours on paper too!  (Thank goodness heart-strings DON’T need paperwork!)

Oh! Could you not just eat up this cuteness!?!?!?!

SOON!

I had an enjoyable little fruit/coffee luncheon with the social worker while Zoe climbed all over me, played a little next to us and read her books. Really though, she just wanted to sit in my lap so she could eat my fruit and watch the social worker. She’s quite the monkey, but was also well behaved for her almost 15 month old self. She even “said” (sign language) please when asking to get up on my lap. (Let’s not mention the fact that she wanted to put her feet all over the table though, k?)

When the social worker left, I put Z down for her nap and then began to clean up the book piles, the luncheon dishes, pay the bills, organize my menu plan, etc. (Yes! I’m back to menu planning! I think it will help save my sanity once I return to work…. what do you think?) I realized that I had forgotten to pick up the pork chops for dinner (oops) but that I had some frozen chicken breasts. Menu plan swap-a-roo and TA-DAH! It’s tortilla soup night instead of pork chop night!

Here’s the beauty of this: the chicken breasts did not defrost in time. I had even popped them in the microwave for the defrost… didn’t work because the two breasts were clumped together. Ah, well. I figured this was probably MUCH more like a typical work-week anyway. I often forget to defrost something for dinner the next night and have to rush or pick something up on the way home. I know Zoe is probably NOT going to be happy with me if we have to stop for groceries after a long day at daycare (at first, anyway), so this was good practice.

And guess what? This soup came together in a snap. And Zoe likes it! (Okay.. she ate the carrots, black beans, avocado and a few bites of chicken…LOL) I’m sure as her ability to chew grows, this will be something that she will like more and more because she can add her own toppings – thus making a food adventure at dinner. My nephews said they would like that idea too!

So… all you non-defrosting folks – worry not! This will work with your partially frozen chicken breast too! In fact, I think it made cubing the chicken that much easier.

If you are up for a great tasting soup with a decent amount of veggies, I highly suggest this. In fact, I was quite happy to realize that I had made enough for today’s lunch for all three of us too!

Gluten Free Tortilla Soup
Makes enough for dinner for 4
Ingredients:
1 – 15oz. can organic diced tomatoes
1 – 15 oz. can organic black beans
3 pasilla peppers (large, mild peppers)
3 medium-large carrots (1 cup diced carrot)
1 sweet onion (1 1/2 cups diced onion)
1 cup fresh corn kernels (or frozen)
3 Tablespoons minced garlic
2 chicken breasts
4 -5 cups of water or chicken stock  (tastes better with stock, IMHO)
2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons chile powder (or more depending on taste)
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 bunch cilantro, diced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
salt/pepper to taste
2 jalapeños, diced (optional: can be used as a topping or soup ingredient)
6-8 old GF corn tortillas (fried to a crisp and sliced/chopped) OR GF corn tortilla chips
sour cream (for topping)
avocado, diced (for topping)

Directions:

1. Char the pasilla peppers over an open flame or under your broiler until blackened ALL OVER.  Put the charred peppers into a paper bag and set aside while you prep the remaining ingredients.
2. Chop and prep your carrots, onion, corn (if using fresh), garlic, tomatoes (if using fresh), and cilantro.
3. Over medium-high heat in a stock pot, saute onion, carrot and half of the garlic in olive oil until the onion begins to become slightly golden and the carrots are tender (about 5 – 6 minutes).
4. While the onion, carrot and garlic saute, cube your chicken breasts into 1/2 – 1 inch cubes.  (This is really quite easy if your chicken is still semi-frozen!)
5. Once the onion/carrot/garlic mixture is ready, add the chopped chicken and the remaining garlic.  Stir frequently and cook until the chicken is cooked through.
6. While the chicken is cooking, remove the pasilla peppers from the paper bag (feel free to reserve any juices from the peppers and add it to the pot!).  Under cool water, rub your fingers over the peppers to remove the skin.  The charred skin will come off easily.  Remove the stem end and seed the peppers.  Once you have completed this with all 3 peppers, cut each pepper into strips and then dice/chop the pepper into smaller pieces.
7. Once the chicken is cooked through, add the chopped peppers, black beans, corn, tomatoes and cilantro. Stir.  Add the stock or water.  (Add the diced jalapeño at this stage IF you want a hotter soup otherwise reserve it for people to add to their own individual soup bowls.)
8. Add the seasonings and taste.  Adjust the seasonings to your preferences, PLEASE!  (Sometimes we add much more chile powder or cumin, but rarely do we add too much more oregano).  (Other spices to consider:  red pepper flakes, a touch of fennel, green onion, pasilla chile powder, tabasco sauce, etc.)
9. Heat thoroughly. Taste again… and again…..   While this is heating, fry up some old corn tortillas in olive oil (additional) until golden or browned.  Drain and cool.  Slice into strips then chop into chunks.  Reserve for topping soup bowls.
10. Serve soup along side bowls of toppings for people to make their own adventure (or top and serve).  Top with:  diced avocado, a  handful of tortilla strips or tortilla chips, a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling in diced jalapeño.  You may even enjoy some more cilantro sprinkled on top.

I hope you enjoy this.  We really like it.  I think I will add some fall vegies as we get them in too.  It will be great with slices of autumn squash etc.  Yum!!

Happy GF Eating!

~Kate

PS.  My next post will be about sugar cookies.  Zoe and I have been taste-testing and today I brought some over to my sister’s house for her and her boys (husband and 2 boys) to taste and vote on.  There’s definitely a love of both recipes I’ve been playing with.  Guess I will have to make more before I decide which recipe to post!  Or…. better yet:  How do you like your sugar cookies?

This week an absurb heat wave melted my brain, took away my sanity and forced us to seek shelter in a local hotel.  Really .  Our house was so hot, neither the Chicklet nor I were sane by the time my sweet Love returned from work.  The following morning, I checked in to a hotel.  Our first move at the hotel?  Crack the air conditioner to artic blast and ooohhh-ahhhh at the frosty cool air that blew in our faces.  Oh yea, the Chicklet is an air-conditioning lover too.

Sadly, upon returning home and setting up for some serious make up blog posting… I realized that the heat wave did more than ruin our budget… but my recipe notebook/spiral was toast.  A goner.  In the garbage….. and dead.  All before I could copy back the recipes I used.  The one I think I will miss the most is for these fabulous green onion pancakes.

If you’ve never had a scallion pancake, then you don’t know what you missed out on.  But these faux-scallion pancakes were OMG-delicious.  Even the babe was at my feet hovering for bites as I cooked these individually.

Losing that notebook means I also lost my notes for:

some seriously chow-friendly and budget-friendly taco salad mixings

delicious gluten-free zuchini breakfast pancakes

wickedly finger-licking gluten-free beer braised lamb shanks

and one rendition of my go-to salmon chowder recipe.

Ah, well.  Guess it’s time to start over with a new notebook, huh?  And the imp?  She’s happy to begin her taste-testing follies all over again, I’m sure.

Forgive my absence.  I’ll be back again shortly with more recipes… and another lunch-idea list because now I’m packing for THREE!  A regular, A GF Lite and a Kidlet version to boot!

~Happy Heat Wave, All!
Kate