It’s Just Not Dinner Without Cat Hair

Once upon a gluten time, we got sausage and garlic pizza from our favorite pizza joint in town, Fat Boyz, at least twice a week. The Man, of course, continued to order from Fat Boyz after I began to eat gluten free. What a jerk, huh?

Last week, I ordered my GF pizza from Aurelios while The Man got his from Fat Boyz.  Aurelios, even though I said “gluten free” three times during the phone conversation, gave me a gluten pizza, so I made them deliver the correct pizza.  This was not the first time my order was screwed up, but it was the first time I didn’t get a gluten-free crust.

When The Man walked in the door with his pizza, he handed me the latest menu from Fat Boyz.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen in the Chanooka area, Fat Boyz is doing a gluten-free pizza!  I immediately called Alex, the owner, to talk to him about how they were handling the cross-contamination issues and to make an appointment to come in and see how they were doing things.  Alex had a gluten-free chef come in and show him what Fat Boyz needed to do to ensure safety for those of us that must eat gluten free.

I just got back from that appointment.  While I do have one concern (the shared oven), Alex assured me that they use freshly washed pans, screens, knives, etc. for gluten-free pizzas.  In fact, Alex is making the gluten-free pizzas himself!  He literally goes into a different room to put the pizza together before putting it into the oven on a clean pan and screen.

I am going to give it a shot, most likely tomorrow.  Once I do, I will update this post.  Now, if we can just get Alex to carry gluten-free pasta…
Fat Boyz Pizza & Stuff

408 Mondamin in Minooka

815.467.9100

Holy moses, have I had stuff going. Lots of cooking, planting, weed and feeding, cleaning, caulking of bathtubs, a family visit, The Man being an idiot….

I am (thankfully) on vacation from work this week. I am trying to cram as much as possible into these next few days as we need to start working out at the haunted barn soon. We are adding another floor, which involves installing a staircase, safety railings, and reinforcing the existing floor of what’s currently a loft.

The recipes are stockpiling. I apologize for not sharing them, but I promise they’ll get posted eventually.

Two weeks ago this coming Friday, my sister and her family came for their first visit in three years. Not only did they bring themselves (Sassy Lou - the sister, B - the brother-in-law, MIss Rose - the niece, Mr. Riley - the nephew, and The Gidge’s playmate for the weekend (their golden retriever), they brought this:

(imagine bright sunrays beaming down, silver stars twinkling around it)

Holy hell, I now have a dishwasher.

I am cooking like nuts, just because I don’t have to do ALL the dishes. I am not putting my stainless steel pans or good knives in this beautiful machine, but the rest of it? I am probably putting too much stuff in for each load, but hey - it’s my party. On Sundays, when I do the “big cook” for others, it has saved me probably about 3 hours,

So everyone say “thank you” to Sassy Lou and B, who sucked it up and drove their Expedition to Illinois, despite gas being over $4.00 around here, so I could have my damn dishwasher.

I believe I mentioned in my last post that I had a couple of recipes I was still tweaking. I have made this one several times with variations to the recipe but wasn’t quite happy with the results. Until yesterday.

Cherry-Almond Scones

Adapted from The Vault

1 cup brown rice flour

2/3 cup tapioca flour

1/3 cup arrowroot starch

1/4 cup almond meal

2 1/4 tsp xanthan gum

3 tbsp sugar

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 cup vanilla yogurt

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Heavy cream

Raw sugar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, arrowroot, almond meal, xanthan gum, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the dried cherries and almonds.

In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, milk, butter, almond extract, and egg. Add this mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.

At this point you can do this several ways.

1. Drop by tablespoonful on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
2. Shape dough into two rounds about 3/4″ thick and cut into wedges; place wedges on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
3. Press dough into a mini scone pan, as I did this last time.

Brush the top of each scone with cream and then sprinkle each with raw sugar. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until lightly browned. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Now that I have the new site close to where I want it (note the nasty-looking banner - it looks great everywhere but where it’s meant to be parked), I can work backward and fill you in on what’s been occurring around here.

I have 2 recipes that are as close to ready for posting as this website is ready for viewing, so I guess that means just a bit more tweaking and they’re golden. One is a scone recipe and one is for French bread.

A third recipe, found below, is ready.

But before we get to that, there’s some Spring cleaning underway. My sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew are coming for a visit Thursday evening. Because the BIL is pretty damn allergic to cats, I have to do some deep cleaning and allergen reducing before they get here. They will be sleeping in our basement, otherwise known as The Stepson’s domain, where there is a double bed and a fold-down futon couch. This is the only cat-free zone available here.

The Man and I are going to scour the basement tomorrow as The Stepson isn’t the neatest child around. Plus there’s the issue of certain Halloween artifacts that must be hidden so we don’t scar the lovely children for life.

I started on the upstairs today. I had all these big plans about getting at least half of the house done, cook 4 days of food for the boss, and still get this site live. Ha. You know what they say about the best-laid plans.

I started the morning by putting the finishing touches on a little “welcome to the rest of your life” gluten-free basket for someone I know that just went GF. I then started on the main floor bathroom, even going so far as pulling down the exhaust fan (NEVER AGAIN, PEOPLE) and installing shelves on either side of our medicine cabinet. Then it went downhill.

I woke up yesterday with a screaming sore throat that naturally got worse as the day went on, due to the audacity of people calling me and expecting me to TALK. I had the same issue again this morning, but it had progressed into the beginnings of a head cold. I cleaned up the kitchen somewhat, did the bathroom thing (well, most of it), and delivered the basket.

When I got home, I scarfed a sandwich and laid down for a power nap. Did you know that power naps are supposed to be short? This power nap of mine turned into an outright slumber - FOUR HOURS. I woke up horrified because I hadn’t even put together the boss’ menu yet and it was almost 5 PM.

I guess I really should listen a little closer to what my body is telling me…”Go to bed, you moron. Stop playing with the computer.” Every night for the past week has been spent with my backside parked in its current spot, dealing with css and uncooperative wordpress themes. And a bastard web banner.

So, like I said, tomorrow we attack the basement. I will do the cooking I need to do for the boss in the afternoon and hopefully will be able to finalize one of those 2 recipes I mentioned earlier. If not, Monday’s another day.

I was finally happy with this recipe on the last truly warm day we had, last week. It hit the spot.

Pineapple Cheesecake Torte with Macadamia-Coconut Crust

2-2.5 oz packages macadamia nuts

3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

2-8 oz packages cream cheese, room temperature

1-8 oz package whipped topping, thawed

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup crushed pineapple (I used fresh but canned is fine), juice squeezed out

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spread the macadamia nuts over a jelly roll pan and place in the oven to lightly roast. Shake the pan every couple of minutes so they brown evenly. Remove from the oven when all of the nuts are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool before continuing.

When the macadamias are cooled, place them into a food processor and pulse until they become nut meal - be careful (don’t go too long or you’ll get nut butter). Pour the meal into a medium bowl; add the coconut, brown sugar and melted butter. Stir until all ingredients are moistened by the butter. Pat the mixture into an 8×8 baking dish. This makes a thick crust, so if you don’t like that, don’t use the full batch.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until the crust is firm to the touch. Allow to cool completely before filling.

Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, stir on low speed until the cheese is essentially smooth. Add the vanilla, whipped topping and powdered sugar and continue to stir on low speed until combined. I suggest a little taste test at this point to see if the mixture is sweet enough for you. If not, add more powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time until you’re happy with it. If not, add the drained pineapple, stir just until combined, and pour onto the prepared crust.

Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours before cutting into squares and serving.

It’s taken a few weeks, but I have gotten this far enough that I am not embarrassed to tell everyone to come and visit me here rather than on my Blogger blog.

Kindly remember that this is a work in progress - shoot me an email if there’s a broken link or if I missed your blog or to tell me I am a lunatic. Whatever works.

Edited 5.29.08 - made a few revisions to the recipe that lighten the cupcake considerably.

Temptation can be a terrible thing.

Yesterday, I baked cream cheese and gluten-filled chocolate cupcakes for one of the people I cook for. The smell that filled this house was amazing; I couldn’t even get away from it outside. When whipping up the batter, I got a hint of the olfactory pleasure to come and managed to catch myself a nanosecond before it was too late… I had gotten some of the batter on my finger and without thinking, I had gotten that finger about half a centimeter from my mouth before the rest of my head suddenly flew out of my backside and shrieked HEY!!!It wasn’t that I wanted a taste of the gluten-filled cupcake batter. It was all about losing control due to scent. Ever have that happen? The wonderful smell of chocolate (this stuff really should be an illegal drug - it’s my crack) controlled my hand and forced it toward my face. Really. It did - I have witnesses.

After I made my delivery, I sat in the living room and chewed on pizza while mindlessly flipping channels, trying to figure out how I was going to make me some cupcakes, too. Because it was after 9 PM, there was no way I was going to start baking again. I had to be able to function at work. I shelved the thought, grabbed the furbabies, and went to bed.

I have an annoying habit (oh, hush - I know there’s more than one). I wake up, all by my lonesome, without at alarm clock, by 5 AM every day - and I am immediately wide awake. If I sleep until 5:30, I consider myself to have slept in.

This morning, I woke up with an idea and a drooly pillow.

I ripped through The Vault and figured out which recipes to use when, coming up with temptation. I suffered through my work day, did some running after I closed the office for the day, and then finalized it all in my mind while preparing some din-din.

I seriously had to put these away, on a different floor (the basement fridge) or I was going to EAT. THEM. ALL.

On a side note, watch for big changes ahead (thanks to Natalie at Gluten Free Mommy for her input). I have been working on those big changes for the last two weeks, which is why I haven’t been around here. Stay tuned, people. I promise it will be swell.

Note that I bit into it to show the innards- no way was I dinking around with a knife.

Temptation Cupcakes
(or Devils’ Food Cupcakes filled with marshmallow and topped with whipped ganache)‘
Adapted from The Vault

For the cupcakes:

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp tapioca flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup 2 tbsp sweet rice flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 3/4 cup skim milk (there’s got to be SOMETHING healthy in here)

Add 1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a standard muffin tin (12) with liners.

In a mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In another bowl, sift together the brown rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, sweet rice flour, xanthan gum, cocoa, and baking powder. Stir in the salt.

Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until the flour is mostly incorporated. Pour the milk and cream into the butter mixture and stir just until blended. Add the remaining flour mixture and stir until incorporated.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the pan to a cooling rack. Continue to cool for another 30 minutes before filling.

For the ganache:

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp corn syrup
4 tbsp butter, cut into pieces

In a 2-quart saucepan, whisk together the cream, sugar and corn syrup over medium-low heat until boiling. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Whisk briskly until the chocolate melts and the mixture is fairly smooth. Add the butter and continue to whisk until the mixture is smooth.

Pour the ganache into a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until very thick. I actually throw it in the fridge and just peek in every 5 minutes to give it a stir because hey, I wasn’t waitin’ for no chocolate.

When ready to frost what you’re going to frost, use the whisk attachment on your mixer to whip some air into that stuff until it gets nice and fluffy.

For the filling (Just so you know, this makes twice as much as you need. I am thinking ice cream topping, maybe. Or more cupcakes.):

2 tbsp hot water
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1-7 oz jar marshmallow fluff
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine the salt and hot water in a small bowl; set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat together the fluff, shortening, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add the salt water and continue to beat until combined.

*************************
OK. Now the fun begins.

Remove the liners from the cupcakes and to make life easy, set them on their tops. Using a thin-bladed knife, carefully cut a plug of cake out of the bottom. I try to keep it cone-shaped. KEEP THE PLUG.

Fill a plastic zipper bag with the filling, clip a small section of a bottom corner off the bag, and start squeezing a dollop of filling into each cupcake hole. Break off the tips of the plugs, shovel the tips in your mouth, and then place the shortened plug back into the hole, on top of the filling. Press gently to seat and then flip the cupcake over so it is right side up.

When all of the cupcakes are filled, bring out the whipped ganache. Scoop it into a pastry bag (or plastic zipper bag) fitted with a star tip. Pipe the desired amount of frosting onto the top of each cupcake.

Makes 16 reasons to for me to go to the basement.