Sally's Bakery

This week at work we had a health fair. HR pulled together lots of places- banks, supplements, chiropracters, chair massage, insta-lipid panel testing, exercise programs, and so much more. The thing I was most excited about was running into Sally from Sally's bakery. At the hospital I work at, quite a few people eat GF. Even more employees are related to someone who live GF. So, having a GF bakery represented was really great.

Sally's bakery is located on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs. Daily, they make fresh-baked treats. Everything (except the cookies) are soy-free, and more than half of their products are egg and dairy-free. They have quite a selection of things in stock- breads, hamburger bun, English muffins, take-and-bake pizzas, sweet loaves of bread (banana, pumpkin, sweet potato). Cakes are made to order. And they ship wherever in the US.

I tasted the moist, sweet, and delicious banana bread (twice). I am looking forward to tasting more great things from Sally. Check them out:






http://www.sallysbakery.com/
Monday - Friday: 10:00am - 6:30pm
Phone:(404) 847-0211

Rena's Birthday with Mezza Lebanese Food

When we lived in Massachusetts, I discovered the Ninja Turtles. I used to pretend to be a turtle, fighting evil with my neighborhood friends. At Pamela's house, we'd steal her brother's figurines and play with them, too. I guess you could say I was on the brink of tom-boyhood. Really, I just wanted to be a strong girl who could kick butt one minute, and be a lady at a fancy dinner party in my dress-up clothes the next.

I guess things don't really change a whole lot as we age.

When we moved to Atlanta, my parents enrolled us in popular Southern sports. They attempted golf, while I did an embarrassing job on swim team and made descent attempts at tennis. When all of the Brownie troops were full and a re-attempt at ballet seemed uninspiring, my mother had me signed up for my first free karate lesson. I was hooked. We did a little shopping around for karate schools in our area, and settled into dojo life at a little school in Alpharetta. The people here became my second family, and life long friends.

After 15 years in and out of a few styles of martial arts, I decided I was a bit burnt out. I decided it was time, at 24, to try a few other things. Since then, I've dabbled in various types of dance lessons, taken up running (and by that I mean jogging), restarted jewelry making, yoga, and taken various types of gym classes. Some of my karate buddies are still practicing the art. One of my dearest friends, Rena, now hikes with the Trail Dames on weekends and belly dances during the week. Her belly dancing is so inspiring, that belly dance is my next class to tackle.

For Rena's birthday, she chose a Lebanese restaurant in Decatur called Mezza. Mezza features small plates and belly dancing entertainment on weekend nights. We were a large party, seated across the floor on low benches and cushions; Rena was surrounded by people who have come to know and love her over the years from karate, dance, drumming, and social circles. Instead of family style service, we all decided to order individually. The waitress was very helpful in identifying the GF items, and informed me they only cook in olive oil. Narrowing the list down to what I could actually eat was a tad difficult.

By the time the waitress got through the group and over to me, I blanked on what to order. Trying not to take too much time, I started with one I did remember "goat balls." The waitress gave me an expression indicative of stifled laughter. I realized I had omitted the word "cheese" from my order.

"Goat cheese balls?" the waitress asked, straight faced.

"Exactly," I replied. "Goat balls. The bigger the better." My table mates laughed.

I went on to order a few other dishes. My favorite things (mine, and samples of other people's food) were the potatoes, goat (cheese) balls, olives, and grape leaves (non-veg). I found the lamb to be a bit too vinegary for my taste- I'm not a fan of vinegar. I loved the social aspect of sharing the small plates and socializing in between watching the beautiful belly dancer memorize us with her fluid movements. I supposed to go tip her politely (by throwing money over her head) during her final routine. Only, I was so distracted by the sword balancing on her head and hip, that I just could not move from my seat.

We even snuck in an impromptu belly dance lesson in between dinner and coffee, thanks to Rena's belly dance teacher, Fox, being there and providing us with fun scarves.

I highly recommend going to Mezza for a fun evening.
GF Accommodation Skills: check.
Good Food: check.
A Fun Environment for Social Interaction: check.

He's 70! Boston, MA and Milford, NH Trip

New England's weather was definitely rainy, cold, and windy this past weekend. Only, the elements did not affect me greatly. The company I was in was much more important. This past weekend was my father's 70th birthday weekend. Instead of celebrating here, my father, his girlfriend, Nick and I all joined our family up in New England for a wonderful weekend of family fun.

With distance, jobs, homes full of kids, social lives, and other pieces of life, we all find it hard sometimes to stay connected. I love my family dearly, and what is lacking in face to face or on the phone communication is supplemented with warm thoughts, the occasional visit, and the magic of Facebook. I am always thankful that when we are given an opportunity to see one another, we all come together as a whole family unit. The distance between us closes. I know for my dad, this weekend of family time was refreshing and grounding. He was the happiest father, grandfather, and great grandfather that could be.

***

Nick and I chose to go up on Thursday, a day ahead of my father. I thought it would be nice to have some uninterrupted together time, without schedules or to-do lists. We ended up making an earlier connection-less flight to Boston, getting us to vacation-land 3 hours earlier than expected. We checked into the hotel and wandered the Commons before meeting my brother up for dinner at Meyers + Chang.

Meyers + Chang is a hip little restaurant in the city with a diverse menu. The GF menu is printed on the back of the "regular" menu. Food at Meyers + Chang is meant to share. Since my brother and I were eating GF, we shared the omelet (okay) and the fried rice (spicy, rich, and delicious). We even downed a few GF beers. I enjoyed the ambiance as well as the food. Since I am more limited than some, I would return to try the fried rice again. For the rest of you soy-eaters out there, the page long menu has plenty of exciting choices to offer.

Friday morning we ate at the hotel's restaurant, the Boston Park Plaza's Pairings. I had a delicious scramble of eggs, lobster, green onions, and bacon. I mean, wow. Lobster for breakfast.

Friday afternoon (and Sunday afternoon) we ate at Durgin Park. This restaurant is a Boston trip staple; it is simply Yankee cuisine. Durgin Park has both surf and aged-to-perfection turf. Despite my love for meat, both times I ate a steamed lobster. Lobster is my favorite seafood, and my lobsters were caught off the New England coast. The seafood can be fried or steamed, and they use real butter to dip foods in. They were sensitive to my family and I's allergen needs. Also on their menu is Stewart's root beer, a GF soda.

Friday night we met Nick's brother up at Elephant Walk near the Green Monster. The ambiance was classy yet earthy. I particularly loved the muted amber lighting across the blue cieling. The gluten-free menu was impressive. My brother and I had trouble narrowing it down to one dish a piece. I ended up with the trout, a whole fish fried with a spicy and sweet sauce. I ate off of Nick's plate- he ordered the Nataing with crispy rice for dipping. I loved the creamy peanut flavor with an edgy after flavor. I'd love to go back and try everything on the menu, right down to the GF brunch.

Saturday our major eat out was Amigo's in Milford, NH. Milford has a suprisingly large GF community, so we had plenty of places to choose from. The Koranda clan descended on Amigo's for party day. The staff were all gracious hosts to our huge gathering. While waiting on dinner, I snacked on GF tortilla chips and salsa. Nick and I started walking down the expansive list of fabulous margaritas. My favorites were the Mi Amigo John and the Millionaire's. The GF menu was rather expansive. The food is just fresh, good Mexican food. I tried the tostadas and loved them. For dessert, we ordered Dad a piece of GF carrot cake. It looked amazing, but I was too busy socializing to try a bite. I had every intention of getting my own, but I was so stuffed from the goodness of dinner, that the closest I got to the birthday cake was dreaming about it later that night. My brother is so lucky to have a great GF place to eat within walking distance to his house!

30 Years and Bacon

Two Saturdays ago was Nick's 30th birthday. All Nick wanted for his birthday was to celebrate 30 with a party reminiscent of his college days at GT in room 407. One of our friends brought over a keg, and our 2 bedroom condo was turned into a more mature version of 407. This time the dorm room came mostly decorated, the food was organic and homemade, and no black lights were present or accounted for. Our home was filled to the brim with the friends we loved dearly, and everyone had a great time.
Before the party, we had to narrow the menu down a bit. We had about 30 things that all sounded like phenomenal ideas. One of the hors d'oeuvres I made was an old standby recipe, bacon wrapped dates. I know, I know. Who is just passionate about dates? I'm not really into a plain old date. But wrapped in bacon? Magical. Don't knock it until you've tried it.


Bacon Wrapped Dates
1 package of bacon
1 8-ounce package of dates, pitted*
Sturdy wood toothpicks; bamboo is okay; toothpicks with paper or fringe on the top will burn in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Wrap dates with bacon, only using 1 layer of bacon over the date. Secure the bacon with a toothpick. Bake for 20-25minutes or until crisp. Let cool for 10 minutes or more before serving.


*You can pit your dates with paring knife. The pits are large.

At Figo, Tonight

Nick: This pasta is better than expensive Italian places.
Liv: I wouldn't know, because they don't serve gluten-free pasta at those places.
Nick: Even more reason to keep coming back.

Lent-a-licious

I gave up chocolate for Lent this year. It's been a healthy sacrifice. What is more meaningful that not eating chocolate this Lenten season is answering the questions I get about Lent once I've turned down a chocolate treat. The questions have been anything related to why I gave up chocolate to what Lent is, exactly. Let's do a rundown of Lent, top ten style.

1. Lent is a Christian tradition celebrated in the 40 (+/-) days leading up to Easter. The purpose behind lent is to prepare yourself for Jesus' sacrifice on the cross (Holy Week) and his resurrection (Easter).

2. The 40 days of Lent correlate to the time Jesus spent in the desert before turning himself over to the authorities for his crucifixion.

3. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday. The day before Ash Wednesday is Fat Tuesday- the last big hoorah of Mardi Gras. The idea is that you get all the fun in before the Lenten season of sacrifice and prayer begins. Carnival is also a festival celebrated until Lent.

4. The idea of fasting during Lent has changed over time. Some places in a particular time period gave up meat or dairy, some both, some just fish. Catholics currently abstain from eating mammals (meat and poultry) on Fridays during Lent. (As in, fish are fair game.)

5. Protestants generally have a choice whether or not to observe Lent. For Catholics, this is a mandatory celebration. You have choices on sacrificing something you love (i.e., chocolate, doughnuts, Facebook) or taking on a new venture that brings you closer to God (i.e., devotional, charity work).

6. Palm Sunday is the 6th Sunday in Lent, the beginning of Holy Week. This is when Jesus came back from the desert.
7. The Wednesday during Holy Week is Spy Wednesday, the day when Judas spied on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemene.

8. The Thursday during Hole Week is Maunday Thusday, the day of the last supper.

9. The Friday during Holy Week is Good Friday, the day Jesus was crucified and buried.

10. Easter Sunday is the last day of Lent, the day Jesus rose from the dead. The end.


This year, my major Lenten shrimp creation is below. I think this is a really good one. You can make the pesto and prep the (fresh) shrimp the day before, to make it a faster made meal.


Shrimp Pesto a La Liv
1 pound shrimp peeled, leaving the heads on, and deveined - I like the big ones.
Pesto (see pesto)
GF Rice spaghetti cooked
juice of 1/2 lemon2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon EVOO
salt and pepper to taste

You have two options. The first is to make the pesto ahead of time. The second is below.
1. Combine the shrimp, lemon juice, garlic, and salt/pepper to taste in a pyrex with the shrimps to marinate.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees while you are making your pesto.

3. Start the pasta and stick the shrimp in the oven.

4. Check on the shrimp after 15 minutes to see if they are done. (They are done when they are opaque). It may take up to 30 minutes for them to be fully cooked. 5. When everything is done, plate it like a pro and enjoy.

It's Not Green Beer, but It's Still Good.

Tonight we made a delicious Irish-inspired dinner in the spirit of Saint Patrick. I do love America's drinking holidays. Everyone celebrates being Irish once a year and then, two months later, being Mexican. I venture to guess that most people have no idea what either holiday is actually for. I find this amusing. Before we move onto the actual food part, let's learn a little bit about St. Patrick's Day, just in case there is a party pooper who questions your Irishness on Wednesday. (I mean, everyone IS Irish on St. Patrick's Day.)

FACT: St. Patrick's Day is the feast day of St. Patrick. It's a public holiday in Ireland, celebrated on the 17th of March. The 18th of March might as well be a holiday everywhere St. Pat's is celebrated, since most celebrators are hung over the next day.

FACT: The original color associated with the holiday, according to Wikipedia, was blue, not green. Green came about because of the association St. Patrick made between the holy trinity and shamrocks. Maybe people shouldn't be pinched if they don't wear green, after all.

FACT: This holiday was often celebrated as a one day break from Lent, where drinking was allowed. Hence the debauchery we celebrate today.

Whatever Your Luck American-Style Bangers and Mash
6 medium-sized red potatoes (Or white. Whatever suits your fancy.)
1 cup chicken broth (They come in convenient little mini-cartons now!)
1/4 stick butter (Remember: if it tastes good, it has butter in it.)
1-2 garlic cloves, minced (Or none at all. Whatever.)
1 package of the sausage of your choice (Bangers are beef sausage, for those desiring to keep it real.)
1 small or 3/4 medium white onion, chopped (Chewing gun really helps prevent tears.)
1 can or jar of beets (You might need 2 if you are a beet lover at heart.)
1 bag of salad (I told you this was easy.)
Feta crumbles (Tastes great with beets, but I'm sure it's not Irish.)
Walnuts (Optional)
salt and pepper (To taste)
Whatever salad dressing you like (I like vinaigrette.)

Start by cutting the (clean) potatoes into small pieces. Toss them into a large pot of water. Bring them to a boil and boil them until they are soft enough to mash.

While the potatoes are cooking, get your salad together. Drain the beets, and cut them into smaller bites (if desired). Toss them into your salad bowl with the feta crumbles and walnuts.
Start the sausages. We used the Foreman Grill, but you could pan fry them with the onions or grill the outside. Warm EVOO in a frying pan over medium heat. Saute your onions for about 10 minutes in the pan, or until they are soft.

By this point, the potatoes should be finished cooking. Drain the water out of the pot and transfer the potatoes into a bowl for mashing. Add the butter. Mash the potatoes until they are reduced to tiny pieces. The butter should melt into them while they are hot. Add the garlic and gradually add the stock, whipping the potatoes with a hand-held mixer. Salt and pepper them to taste.