Veni Vidi Vici

I didn't know I love roasted duck until last night, when I ate it over lentils, spinach, and a few dried cranberries. The smooth combination of rich flavors was incredible. That meal was heaven. For an appetizer, I had the artichoke with pesto. The pesto had a very good zing to it, and juxtaposed the smooth flavor of the roasted artichoke.

Just like all of the Buckhead Life Group restaurants, our waiter was incredibly knowledgeable of all the ingredients in the dishes they serve. I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed myself last night. The next dining card we have is for Bluepoint... then the magic of my boyfriend and I's dining club dates comes to a close for summer and opens the door for new possibilities in fall.

Grill Inauguration

Today we broke in my new red and black Aussie charcoal grill with:
* corn in their husks
* vidalia onions
* red and green peppers
* chicken seasoned with salt and pepper

We used the basket on the grill and it turned out so well!

Whole Foods [Blueberry] Muffin Mix

I baked muffins with the Whole Foods brand muffin mix. I am choosy which of their bakeables I try because some of them have milk products in them. I added blueberries to make them more flavorful.

My score: 3 out of 5 stars.

Meh.

So here is something funny, in an odd way. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tcR19y7GPM

Funny Email Forward

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A CELIAC IF...

...you've ever had to give a doctor a crash course in Celiac 101.
...you weep at picnics, parties, receptions and fast food joints, as well as breakfast, lunch, dinner.
...you've "brown bagged it" to an elegant dinner
...a 7 course meal is a 1 course meal for you -Lettuce.
...you've installed bookcases in your bathroom.
...you've driven more than 40 miles to buy a cookie.
...it takes you 4 hours to grocery shop and your eyesight is ruined.
...you hold your breath through the bakery section.
...you feel like you need a loan to pay the grocery bill.
...your bread weighs more than a moon rock and just happens to resemble one as well.
...you've disinherited loved ones for putting their knife in your mayo.
...you've brought a suitcase full of food with you on an over night trip
...your family thinks you're crazy for not tasting their new chocolate chip cookie recipe, because surely a little nibble couldn't hurt right?
...you can spell transglutaminase and dermatitis herpetiformis.
...you show up at the annual church pancake breakfast with a mask and lettuce rollups
...having solid poop is the highlight of your day.
...you have actually doodled a new cartoon dog on your notes named "Sprue"
...you have actually considered using a gluten-free bagel for a hockey puck
...you've mastered saying "I actually enjoy MY food" (without your face twitching)
... you hide the gluten-free cookies when guests come over, so they don't eat them.
...you read the ingredient label on green tea - plain green tea.
...you pay relatives back east exorbitant shipping rates to send you a $12 six pack of gluten-free beer.
...you cried when you saw your usually careful significant other or family member brushing the crumbs off their hands (from making a gluten-containing sandwich) RIGHT OVER the open utensil drawer
...you hear of a new health food store opening in a city close by and get ridiculously excited only to drive there, spend 2 hours walking around, reading labels, only to leave empty handed
...you take a list of safe drinks to the bar with you, and actually consult it before you order a drink.
...it drives you crazy when someone says they completely understand your diet, they did Atkins.
...people roll their eyes at you when you say "no thank you" to someone's gluten filled dessert
.....your friend invites you over for your birthday and want to make you a gluten free birthday cake, but you plead with them not to, because although you're trying to seem like you don't want to put them through the hassle, you're secretly terrified ofl be cross contamination.
...your 'favorites' sites are mostly celiac sites
...you've mastered the art of lying when other people ask you if you're hungry.
...you go to a potluck at a friends place and your dish is gluten-free -you dive into it first so that you get something to eat before others contaminate it.
...you long to look at the contents of other people's fridges and pantries just to see if you can eat anything

What's Cooking, Post Vacation

I was just in Connecticut for a wedding, where I had the best time with my boyfriend. There are a few things that must be eaten while in New England:
1. Mussels
2. Lobster (pronounced in Boston, but not in CT, as "lobstuh")
3. Clams
4. Any other fresh seafood possible.

I conquered 1 and 2 on the list.

I thankfully had the sense to ask for the day off today to catch up on life and avoid going back to my stressful job. That involved buying a grill and grill accessories, getting new baskets to organize my kitchen, and a trip to my favorite farmer's market for food.

With the advent of football season, and my hopes that the 95 degree weather in Atlanta will cool off, I decided on chili. Only, I was too lazy to go to Whole Foods for beans, so I settled on Rachael Ray's turkey and corn chili. Then, I decided while I was at it, I should make some meatballs using a new recipe, so I could freeze them.

One of my friends dropped by with her pooch for a sampling of the yummies. Check out the recipes and pics below.


Turkey Corn Chili
Rachael Ray 10/15/07
http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=862&r=862,477,1087,45,595,716
Serves 4

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, red or green, chopped (you can use up leftover pepper strips from crudite tray if you have them)
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
1.5 pounds cooked turkey meat, light and dark meat, diced (I used ground turkey for mine)
1.5 tablespoons chili powder (a palmful)
1.5 tablespoons ground cumin (a palmful)
coarse salt
2 cups frozen corn kernals or leftover prepared corn
2 cups prepared chicken stock or broth
2 scallions, white and green, chopped

Heat a deep pot over medium-high heat. Work close to the stove for your chopping. Add EVOO to your pot, about one turn of the pan in a steady stream, then add vegetables as you chop them. Add bay leaf and cook vegetables for five minutes, stirring frequently; reduce the heat if veggies start to stick.

Stir in diced turkey meat and season with chili powder, cumin and cayenne sauce. Season with a little salt, to taste. Add corn, tomatoes and broth. Combine well and adjust seasonings. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 7-10 minutes. Garnish chili with chopped scallions.

Mini Meatballs (Albondigas)
a revised recipe by Jonny Valiant, In Style Magazine, Feb 2008
(serves 12)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup minced red pepper
2 jabanero peppers
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon corriander
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 pound each ground pork and ground beef sirloin
2 tablespoons dried bread crumbs (I used Whole Foods sandwich bread- it falls apart easily)
1 egg, lightly beaten (in truth, I forgot to add this)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In food processor, chop onions. Set aside. Next chop jabaneros (I use gloves so I don't kill my eyes later in the day), 1/4 cup cilantro, garlic, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in food processor. Season with salt and pepper. Set sauce aside.

2. In a large skillet, heat remaining oil, onion, and red pepper; cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in salt to taste, corriander, and nutmeg. Remove from heat; cool.

3. Combine ground pork and beef with bread crumbs (about 1 piece of bread), egg, and onion-red-pepper mixture. Form meat mixture into 1" balls. Place on foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with with G-F pasta or rice. Garnish with extra cilantro from the bunch.

You'll beg for more!

GV Does Pasta

I love good pasta. Rice pasta is very hit or miss- sometimes even after washing it with cold water it still seems slimy. Sometimes the texture just is not smooth. Whatever your G-F pasta woes are, I have a few suggestions.

1. For rice pasta, my favorite brand (from Whole Foods) is Tinkyada ("pasta Joy"). This is my pick, because it is affordable no-fail pasta goodness.
2. Try corn pasta. It reminds me of the multi-colored pasta I had as a kid. It doesn't leave you with the gluten-containing pasta bloated feeling, so my non-GF eaters have liked it in the past.

For sauce, I will buy what is G-F and on sale, OR Alessi brand. I love their sauce, and it's not wildly expensive. I have been known to jazz up my sauce with garlic, maybe a few spices, and some cooked chicken or ground beef. It's a good way to recycle those cooked chicken breasts you need to eat before they go bad, or the leftover hamburger you had from over the weekend.

Buckhead Diner

I'm even more in love with the Buckhead Life Group's edible scavenger hunt. Monday night we went to Buckhead Diner for our second restaurant in the line of dinner club restaurants.

I'd been there once before with my mother and cousin. I loved my hamburger with fries, and they loved their food. I used to dread eating hamburger after hamburger in restaurants, but with the variety in my eating out diet, I couldn't resist. (Usually a Celiac's problem is eating a hamburger and side salad, missing out on a delicious hot plate of fries.)

This time around, I tried Mesclun Greens and Goat Cheese Fritter salad with Just Roasted Ashley Farms Chicken (minus the pot-pie-like base, and veggies instead of mashed potatoes). Divine. We have a joke at work that you never want to eat someone else's chicken, because it always comes out wrong. This chicken was moist, flavorful, delicious, and fell off the bone. I'd have taken a second helping, but I was full and happy.

Impromptu Dinner Party at Melissa's

My friends tell me I could give Paula Dean a run for her butter.