Glorious Gluten Free Pizza

We love pizza.  

My husband, especially, considers himself a serious pizza connoisseur.  

So when we discovered that gluten makes him sick, the thing he hated giving up the most was pizza.  We have tried many g-free pizzas at restaurants, but haven't found one that tops my hubby's homemade. The only restaurant that makes a really good g-free pizza is Cootie Browns in Johnson City, TN. They make a wood fired g-free crust that is great and they make many other wonderful things to eat as well.  You should go if you are ever there....but that's a loooong way from Japan ;)
We've been on a once-a-week, two year quest to make the perfect gluten free pizza - and (with his helper Charlotte) he's finally done it! The great thing is that it's not very hard, you just need to know some tricks about working with gluten free dough, and today the pizza-master himself is here to share them with you.

Ingredients:
 Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix (makes 2 crusts)
Contadina Pizza Sauce
Cheeses
Pepperoni
Toppings of choice
(Ours often include any of the following: bacon, sausage, black olives, banana peppers, jalapeno peppers, fresh basil, grilled pineapples (our new favorite))

Preheat the oven to 425.
Cook with pizza stones (ours are from Pampered Chef)
Put the pizza stones in the oven to preheat.
We love our pizza stones, but they have taken time to learn how to use them best.
Some things to remember are: season them, never wash them with soap, and the uglier they look, the better they work.

Tips for working with g-free crust
We have tried multiple g-free pizza crusts and Bob's is definitely the best.

• The first thing you need to know is that working with this crust is nothing like working with regular pizza dough. Gluten-filled pizza dough is very stretchy and rises a lot.  Gluten-free dough spreads out with a consistency closer to thick mashed potatoes and rises very little. I know that does not sound great, but trust me, this makes a great crust (You can't tell it is g-free, it tastes like a normal crust). 
• Second - you must follow the all the directions on the package when mixing and always combine the ingredients in a mixer using the dough hook. I have tried it by hand and it never turns out the same. We usually add extra Italian seasonings or cheese to the crusts to enhance the flavor. 
• Third - After letting it rise, work the dough into crusts.  You must put olive oil on your hands (the package says water, but it does not work as well as EVOO, with regular dough you would use flour) or it will stick to you when you spread it. When you are ready to spread the crust, take out the preheated stones (or pans) and sprinkle them with cornmeal. This keep the crusts from sticking to the stones. I usually use my hands and then a rolling pin to spread it nice and thin, it will bake firm even if it is nearly paper thin. 
• Now you have two options for cooking the crust, oven or grill. If using the oven, heat the crusts for 10 min or until slightly golden brown on top. I always make the crusts on the preheated stones no matter if I use the oven or grill - it will lightly start to bake the bottom of the crust. For the grill, I make sure it is hot, then I can slide the crust right off of the stones with a little shake. It takes about one minute or less per side to grill the crusts. 

• Then top the crusts on the stones with pizza sauce, you can make your own or try other brands, but we love Contadina brand. Add your cheeses: we use a mix of shredded mozzarella, romano, and usually cheddar (or whatever other cheese we have on hand). We then add cubes of asiago. Then add whatever toppings you use. You can put it back on the grill on top of the stones or back in the oven on the stones. I would put it on the stones or other baking sheet on the grill so you don't have to worry about burning your crust. Cook pizza until cheese bubbles and starts to brown in some places. Cut into slices and enjoy. 

We always eat our pizza on a blanket on the floor, picnic-style, in our living room while watching a nature show or one of Charlotte's shows. It is our Sunday night ritual.
Charlotte has been helping me make the pizzas for a long time. She helps me add all the ingredients in the crust (she especially loves cracking the eggs), she spreads the crusts (and knows not to touch the hot stones), she spreads the sauce over the crusts, and then adds the cheese and toppings. She always manages to test out the cheese and toppings to make sure they are safe for human consumption ;) We love our Sunday nights. 

Here's a review of the tips:
1) Mix dough using electric mixer and dough hook
2) Put EVOO on hands to work with dough
3) Preheat pizza stones or pans
4) Sprinkle stones or pans with cornmeal
5) Cook dough before adding toppings or sauce

 Hope this will inspire you to try and make a great pizza at home!
Happy pizza-making!
xoxo
jessica

Hey Senorita - make your own corn tortilla!

This week I have been cooking a lot.  and not just the easy 30 minute dinners. 
real stuff.  probably because baby dumpling in my belly is hungry.

For some reason I decided to try my hand at making my own corn tortillas.

  

They are a great g-free option and the store bought ones are always rubbery and yuck.  

Despite my inexperienced and inadequate hands they turned out very tasty 

- not real pretty, but very tasty.  

I took pictures along the way in case you'd like to try your hand at it.

  

The cool thing about making things like this is the sense of connection you feel to women from the past.  I could imagine myself in a hut somewhere 300 years ago mixing the cornmeal with water to form one of the most basic doughs ever.  (of course I didn't have to grow the corn, or grind it up to make the flour, or haul the water from a well or stream... ;)

Here's what you'll need:

2 cups Corn Masa Flour

1 1/3 cups warm water (maybe more)

cast iron skillet or electric griddle

wax paper/rolling pin - or tortilla press

2 damp kitchen towels

Step 1: Mix the water and Masa together.  It should form a nice ball of dough - if it's too dry add some more water by the Tablespoon.

Step 2: Form 12 balls of dough and cover with a damp kitchen towel.

Step 3: Go ahead and heat up your skillet or griddle to medium heat.

Take one ball and place it between two sheets of wax paper.

Roll it out into a circle using the rolling pin - unless you are a master at this it won't be a perfect circle, but don't worry about that. 

Gently peel it off the wax paper and place it on a place.  

Cover it with the other damp kitchen towel.

Repeat with the remaining dough balls.

Step 4:  Do not put any oil or butter in the skillet!

Gently lay one tortilla onto the dry skillet and let it sit for about 20-30 seconds.  I used a rubber spatula for this part because my tortillas kept cracking as a laid them onto the skillet - so I just patted them back together again with the spatula, it worked great.  When one side is about done, you'll notice steam seeping from the edges of the tortilla, this means it's time to flip it.  Let it sit on the other side for the same amount of time.  They won't be brown, but they will look cooked.

Then you're ready to turn them into something delicious like...

the Pioneer Woman's Enchiladas.

Yum.

Happy tortilla making!

xoxo

jessica

Hey, Pumpkin!

Lots of pumpkin things floating around these days!  

Really wonderful looking recipes.  

 (although nothing looks as wonderful as that sweet girl)

So you know, I started wondering - what's in pumpkins?  

 Vitamins?  Minerals?  

So here's what I found, plus a roundup of some delicious and healthy recipes!

Pumpkins contain a lot of vitamin A (the orange color is a big hint - think carrots)

They are full of fiber

low in calories (49 in a cup)

also contain vitamin C and potassium

and pumpkins are a fruit.  Did you know that?  I didn't.

So go ahead and try some pumpkin tonight!

Pumpkin Soup

 

 

Pumpkin Pie Shake

Pumpkin Spice Pull-apart Bread

Gluten Free Pumpkin Sweet Potato Mash

Grain Free Pumpkin Pie Muffins

Happy cooking, and hope you have a lovely fall day!

xoxo

jessica

Macaroni and Cheese...my weakness

So I have a weakness for any combination of pasta and cheese.  

I hesitate to even write this post because I'm reading this book called Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight and find Your Way Back To Health.  It's really good and I recommend it, but it is definitely NOT in favor of consuming wheat.  So let's pretend that I made this with Gluten-Free Pasta, which you could totally do and it would be just as delicious, because the secret's in the cheese.

(On a Gluten Free Pasta note you have got to try Heartland G-Free Pasta -  best I've found.  You can't even tell the difference.  I can only find it at Wal-Mart.)

This recipe isn't new - it was on Martha Stewart a few years ago, but I just rediscovered it, made it last night, and it is soooooo good.  

World's Best Macaroni and Cheese. 

It's the recipe from Beecher's Cheese.  You can order the mac and cheese frozen from their website, but it costs $50...and it cost about $15 to make - still a little pricey for mac and cheese so you might want to make it a special occasion dish.

I was able to find the Beecher's Flagship Cheese (it's a cheddar) at Publix, so I bought a few ounces of that and then supplemented with Publix cheddar and Publix Jack.  Then I used Boar's Head Gruyere on top.  I served it alongside a chicken greek salad - hopefully offsetting the cheesy creaminess with some veggies and fiber :)

Oh and the Flagship sauce recipe is enough for a double batch of pasta - 12 oz.  Which of course is what I made.... and I'll also confess I ate way more than that cute little portion in that picture:)

xoxo

jessica

*CTSB*: Sweet and Spicy Pork Lettuce Wraps - Tristin from Two Girls Being Crafty

Happy Tuesday friends!  I hope you're enjoying this summer series as much as I am!  Here with us today is Tristin from Two Girls Being Crafty - get ready for a yummy summer recipe!



Hello pals!  My name is Tristin and I'm visiting from Two Girls Being Crafty.  While my blog is dedicated to crafts, my first love is actually food, so I am excited to get to share a yummy recipe for you to enjoy today!

I realize that a slow cooker doesn't exactly scream out "Summer".  When I think of a slow cooker I usually think of thick soups, hearty stews, pot roasts, etc.  Don't you?   Well, friends, slow cookers can make fabulous summer food, too!  Who wants to stand over a hot stove during the summer?  And sometimes grilling outside can become such a hassle to say the least because summer afternoons bring rain showers--not to mention that it's just so dern HOT!  It's fabulous to return from a day at the beach and to have dinner waiting for you.

So, in this case we'll make a light summer meal using our crockpots.  No joke.

Alright, let's make this happen.  You'll need:

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce (found in the Asian aisle of the supermarket)
• 1" knob of fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder (if it's not already in your pantry, just leave it out)
• a few shakes of black pepper
• 3 lb. boneless pork roast (I use a Boston Butt) trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch pieces

Combine all ingredients except for the pork in your slow cooker.  Once well-combined, add the pork, tossing to coat.  (It will look like there's not enough liquid, but don't worry, it's plenty!)

Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high 5-6 hours.  Remove pork from slow cooker and use two forks to pull it into delicious, tender shreds.  Discard ginger chunk.  Reserve cooking liquid to use as dipping sauce (though I highly recommend skimming the fat off of the top).

To serve, you'll need:

A head of iceberg lettuce separated
Your favorite toppings - this time I simply used shredded carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes.  Radishes, scallions, sprouts, cilantro, chopped peanuts, etc. also make great toppings!

And don't forget your reserved sauce--it's seriously delicious!

This recipe was adapted from Real Simple's Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Asian Pork Shoulder.

I served these yummy lettuce wraps with some steamed and salted edamame and a surprisingly delicious Ramen Cake.

To sum it all up, don't be a slow cooker hater this summer.  And please, stop by Two Girls Being Crafty to see what my blog-mate Sharon and I have been up to.  If you like snarky comments, occasional gangsta talk, and inexpensive crafting, you're sure to enjoy Two Girls Being Crafty.  Or maybe not.  But why not give it a try?  Here's a smattering of our projects...

Thanks Jessica, for hosting this wonderful summer series.  I'm off to enjoy a glass of ice-cold lemonade (aka scarf down some leftovers while standing over the kitchen sink) and lounge by the pool (aka tackle mountains of laundry).  A girl can dream, right?

Thanks again Tristin!  Up tomorrow is a fun post for the kiddos by Sunni from Love Affair with my Brother!

xoxo

jessica

Farm Fresh Frittata

If you enjoy strolling through your local farmer's market every Saturday morning, consider picking up a few ingredients to make this delicious (and gluten free) frittata.

• zucchini or yellow squash
• 7-8 eggs
• country sausage
• cheese
• salt/pepper

Preheat the oven to 400.  Brown the sausage in an oven safe skillet - then grate the squash into the skillet (I find Charlotte eats it much better this way - and if you use yellow squash I bet your kids won't even know it's in there).

 

Whisk the eggs, salt, and pepper in a bowl and pour into pan.  Sprinkle with cheese.

Let it cook for a few minutes, then place it in the oven until the eggs are set and the cheese is bubbly.

Serve with summer peaches and fried potatoes - delish!

Have a great weekend!

xoxo

jessica

Healthy, Colorful Dinner

This is the type of meal I enjoy cooking.  

It comes together quickly and looks pretty.  

 Bonus: it is super healthy!

MENU:

Pan-seared Wild Salmon

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Broiled Asparagus

Tip:  Walmart sells a bag of frozen Wild Salmon (better for you than farmed Salmon) for only $5.00!

Here are some of the vitamins in this meal:
Salmon:  Omega 3's - help with brain function, heart health, cholesterol, and many many other things.  Vitamin D, lots of good protein, and B vitamins.

Sweet Potatoes: high in vitamin A, C, and fiber. 
( I peel and slice mine, then boil them until tender, drain, then mash them up and add some butter)

Broiled Asparagus: high in vitamin K, folate, vitamin C, A, and B vitamins.
( I cut off the tough ends, and put them in a dish.  Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Then broil them for 7-10 minutes - checking often so they don't burn)

(Charlotte loves it too!)

So give this meal a try sometime.  You're body (and your tastebuds) will thank you!
jessica