Cafe Lily

I sat down at a table near the window in Cafe Lily, a cozy cafe with amethyst walls and a sophisticated Moroccan feel, a little past the Friday dinner rush. Perusing the menu, I noted the many wonderful sounding tapas and main course dishes. The more I read, the more dishes sounded appealing. Instead of playing a silent game of eeny-meeny-miney-mo to choose my dish for the evening, I asked the waiter if the chef could recommend one of my top four choices as a G-F dish.

Chef Anthony (and owner) came over to personally discuss the menu with me. Chef Anthony assured me he understood G-F, and discussed how he would prepare each piece of the dish G-F, whether it was sauteing a vegetable in canola oil, or keeping my food on a clean part of the grill.

I decided on Souvlakia Apo Hirino Fassolakia. I loved the dish. The sugarcane skewer and raisins brought out a softer side to tomatoes. My pork was perfectly tender. When the waiter came to inquire about dessert, I was fully satisfied. He came back not with the check, but with a plate of Torta Ciocolatta. He explained Chef Anthony prefers his guests to enjoy dessert, and the torta was gluten-free. Chef Anthony came back to see us as I was on my third or fourth bite of chocolate enjoyment. Chef Anthony left tiny chocolate chunks in his cake, bolding the flavor of the velvety dessert.

I will be going back to Café Lily to try more of Chef Anthony’s creations, and look forward to trying out their brunch on a Saturday morning.

Visit www.cafelily.com

All in a day's work

What I did today:

* Started my pot roast in the slow cooker at 0930
* Cleaned the house until it shined
* Cleaned the fish tanks
* Changed my sheets
* Checked my email x3
* Organized the quiet room
* Made a winter wreath
* Hung some stuff on the wall
* Finished wrapping Christmas gifts
* Paid my bills
* Went to Wal-mart and spent too much
* Took out the trash/recyclables
* Ate the pot roast at 1930

Our Favorite Pot Roast

from the book Slowcookers for Dummies by Tom Lacalamita and Glenda Vance

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: Low 9 to 10 hours

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil
3- to 4-pound boneless, trimmed chuck or rump roast
salt and pepper
2 large onions, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced thin
1 cup red wine or beef broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes (I used 3 tomatoes)
2 tablespoons minced Italian flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Lightly spray a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker with vegetable oil cooking spray.

2. Salt and pepper the meat

3. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meat evenly on all sides. Add to the slow cooker.

4. Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the skillet and cook for 7 to 8 minutes over medium heat until the onion is soft. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Pour over the meat.

5. Cover and cook on low for 9 to 10 hours, or until fork tender.

6. Remove the meat and let it sit, covered, for 15 minutes before slicing.

7. To thicken the cooking liquid for gravy, puree in a food processor blender until smooth. Salt to taste.

Twist

The past few weeks I've been working hard- my job has presented challenges, I've been playing catch-up with school, attempting a social life, and I'm trying to get Christmas surprises in order. My immune system hates me. Stress. Part of a payoff came on Monday. I got a fabulous grade on my test.

What else happens on Mondays? Out to dinner! We went to Twist and celebrated a group member's birthday while we were at it. We also enjoyed half off a bottle night. I ordered the beet salad, and it was tasty. I was not a fan of the ribs- the sauce was thick and overpowering. But the duck? It might have changed my life (at least for the night). I thought the skin was just crispy enough, and the portion was very fair for the price.

After dinner we went and wandered around Lenox, window shopping, and sitting on Santa's big velvet couch. It was a good time, and a good way to work off some wine.

What did I do after dinner? BI went back to the grind, dreaming of a yummy duck dish and a never-ending glass of wine.

Mrs. Dash

Dear Ms. Taveras-Koranda,

Thank you for taking the time to contact Alberto Culver regarding your interest in Mrs. Dash. It is always a pleasure to hear from our consumers and we are happy to respond.

All of the Mrs. Dash seasoning blends and Mrs. Dash Marinades do not contain gluten. Also, all of the product ingredients are listed on the product label and each Mrs. Dash product label can be found at www.mrsdash.com.

We hope that this information is helpful. If you require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at 800-333-0005 (USA).

Thank you again for contacting Alberto Culver.

Sincerely,

Diamond Marquez

The Best Brithday Ever

The one thing I have whined about the most over the last year has been my birthday. It's December 9th, and falls right around Christmas Party Season. Birthday party time for me has consisted of either a) one or two people showing up or b) I plan an event around everyone's busy schedules and still get canceled on. (Honestly, I've been a big brat about it.) I was absolutely thrilled this year when Melissa decided she would plan a night on the town for me.

I've been stressed about being so far behind on school work, and super busy at work. Honestly, I haven't really spent a lot of time getting excited about going out to a birthday dinner. Jamie leaked we were headed for sushi at work last week. Nick told me on Friday night we were going to MF Sushi. When Saturday night rolled around, I hurried to get ready. I tried to hurry Nick out the door, thinking we would be late in picking up Melissa and Cindy, and late to our 8pm reservation. When I walked up to Melissa's door, I had the surprise of my life. I was greeted by a cloud of feathers and a crowd of my friends yelling "surprise!"

They threw me a G-F party! (It might have been Melissa's best party yet.)
Nick cooked lamb chops and chicken on the grill, brought the prosecco, and brought Pizza Fusion's brownies.
Melissa made baked potatoes and a fabulous Greek salad.
Aden made his award-winning cookies.
Jamie made an amazing chocolate cake. She decorated the house with posters, giant paper chickens, various anti-gluten signs, and streamers (with the help of Cindy and Mike).
Cindy also help make me a beautiful princess party hat.
Ali, Jason, and Matt brought Strongbow.
Lee brought goat cheese and G-F crackers.
Sarah brought hummus, guacamole, and blue corn chips.
Sammy brought a bottle of Malbec; LeeAnne brought Merlot.
All of us lived Sammy's dream of a big group taking a shot all at the same time.

Here is what I wrote to my friends, the best friends a girl could ask for:
"I spent some time last week thinking about the 25 year milestone, and thought about how I am coming into my birthday week as the happiest and most successful I have ever been. I am surrounded by a great family, group of friends, and team of coworkers. My best friends have seen me through some of the hardest hurdles in my life (winter 2006), and some of the best times of my life (present). They love and support me, just as I do them. They have shown me the greatest loyalty. To celebrate my birthday, I envisioned an ideal night out to dinner with a group of friends, ending with all of us going home happy (and slightly buzzed). I never imagined that I would open Melissa’s door to find a gluten-free surprise party with 20 or so of the people I care most about in my life. That was truly the best birthday I have ever had. Thank you from the very bottom of my heart.

PS – I cried the whole way home because I was so amazed that so many people would be at one place in one time for the sake of celebrating my birthday. Really. (Ask Nick.) "

Hot chili for a cold day

It's cold for real this time. I love a warm meal on a cold day, but soup is not always enough to allay my hunger and keep me satiated. This recipe is easy and is a very different twist on a winter staple as essential as my favorite sweater. Make it, eat it, freeze it. Most of all, stay warm!

Turkey and Bean Chili (aka Liv's Turkey Chocolate Chili)

Thank you, Martha!
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/turkey-and-bean-chili?autonomy_kw=turkey%20and%20bean%20chili&rsc=header_1

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 4 bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 pounds ground dark-meat (7 percent fat), turkey
• 4 cups chopped onions
• 1/4 cup minced garlic cloves
• 2 medium fresh jalapeno chiles, ribs and seeds removed for less heat, if desired, minced
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 cans (28 ounces each) whole tomatoes in puree (I use 4-5 roma tomatoes and LESS H20)
  
• 2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
• Coarse salt
• 3 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• Fresh cilantro leaves, sliced pickled jalapeno chiles, reduced-fat sour cream, crumbled cornbread, grated cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Heat a Dutch oven (or other heavy 5-quart pot) over medium heat. Add bacon; cook until crisp and brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Raise heat to high; add turkey. Cook, stirring and breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Add onion, garlic, and jalapenos; cook until soft, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cocoa powder, and cumin; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute.
3. Break up tomatoes with a spoon or your hands, and stir them in along with the puree. Add molasses, 1 cup water, and 4 teaspoons salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cook, partially covered, 30 minutes.
4. Add beans; continue cooking, uncovered, until meat and beans are very tender, and chili is thick, about 30 minutes more. Serve with desired toppings.

Gluten-Free Thanksgiving

On Friday, Nick and I had our first Thanksgiving together- we cooked a full dinner.

After doing a few weeks' worth of research, we came up with recipes for turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. We chose to make green beans as our vegetable, and my roomate made mashed potatoes.

I let out 14 pound bird brine in salt/sugar mixture in a cooler in my refrigerator over night. In the morning, we made a spice rub with coriander seeds, white pepper corns, and fennel seeds. Since we'd never cooked a turkey before, we had to overcome a few hurdles. None of the recipes we read included the key "hints" necessary to bake a flawless turkey, such as:
1. Covering the bird with tin foil during the first few hours, and leaving the thighs/wings covered most of the time, holds in the moisture.
2. When you put a rub on the turkey, be sure to do it on a prep surface separate from the roasting pan, as the seeds use in the rub burn when left in the bottom of the pan and may smoke up your entire apartment.
3. Somewhere in the low 300's is an ideal temperature. (Nobody seemed to agree on this.)

None the less, our turkey was delicious, especially the skin. Nick's gravy was made from the turkey broth we boiled with the neck and giblets, the drippings, and a rue. It turned out a little lumpy, but still tasty. Our green beans were steamed and buttered. Sarah made the mashed potatoes with butter and G-F chicken broth. (Thank you Pacific and Imagine companies for inventing pre-made G-F broth.) The cranberry sauce was a bag of fresh cranberries, a cup of orange juice, a cup of sugar, and a tablespoon of orange rind. For dessert, we ate pumpkin pie and cider. I made the pie following the Libby's recipe on the back of the pumpkin can, substituting the Carnation milk with condensed goat's milk (using extra brown sugar and vanilla to cut the goat taste), and baked it in a G-F pie crust from Whole Foods. I made the cider in a crock pot- 1 bottle of apple juice, 3 cinnamon sticks, and an orange/clove ball set on high while we ate.

I am still loving the leftovers; extra turkey dinner will go with me to work the next two days. I can't wait until next year when we can do it all again! Even my mother called me the next day to compliment us on our presentation, good cooking, and a wonderful time.