Green Bean Casserole - our style

Actually, I modified this from Alton Brown so I really can't take the credit but here it is (and quite yummy too I might add)

Ingredients
For the topping:
POTATO CHIPS!!!! Trust me ☺
For beans and sauce:
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and halved
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 12 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons white rice flour
• 1 cup chicken broth (we use organic)
• 1 cup half-and-half (we use whole goat milk)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
Bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in an 8-quart saucepan. Add the beans and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.
Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the half-and-half. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in all of the green beans. Top with the remaining potato chips. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes.

Fast dinner

Last night I was in a major "funk" and I was thinking that I had nothing to make for supper.
I walked to the natural food section and nothing jumped out at me but then I remembered this incredibly yummy dish that I had at the Spaghetti Factory when I was in Washington years ago; "mizitra with browned butter spaghetti". I thought HEY - I can make a meal of this! Granted, we can't have regular spaghetti but I have been becoming a fan of Mrs. Leepers corn spaghetti. I set to work and grabbed some organic chicken thighs (thighs are a whole lot cheaper than breasts and they hold flavor better) and mizitra cheese. Mizitra is a Greek sheep's milk cheese that is incredibly white. It's a little briny but it is not strong like feta. Its a little crumbly but you can grate it and doesn't melt well but it is perfectly safe for us to use because it is not "cow".
I started to boil the water, whipped out 4 slices of bacon diced them, fried it then set it aside then I diced the chicken and put it in the same frying pan the bacon was in! Added some seasoning (kirkland organic no salt). By this time the water was boiling so I put the chicken aside and started the noodles (8 minutes).
Then, I got 4 TBS of goat butter and put it in the frying pan to let it melt. I grated the cheese. As soon as the noodles were done, I strained them added the browned butter, cheese, chicken and bacon! Voila! I served it with some fresh broccoli. My family does not liked cooked veggies...

Anyway, it was tasty, fun, easy and really great for my kids allergies.

Panko alternative!

Take rice crackers - and put them in the food processor - chop them up add some rice flour and you got it! I know I used this trick before but I didn't add the rice flour it helps the "panko" stick!!! This works beautifully.

Long day's journey into food AND a recipe for Poutine

We got Patrick's allergy tests back and I was really surprised. He has a similar allergy panel to Carmen. Carmen never had a traditional blood allergy screening because she would not tolerate the needles, now she might but that is another story...

Anyway- Patrick's areas of highest sensitivity come from Wheat, Gluten, Egg whites (yes just the whites - no clue why though)Yeast, Soy and the highest of them all is peanuts. The lower but still "there" allergies include dairy - cow dairy, tomatoes and garlic...a pizza lovers nightmare I think.

Poor kid. He is not adjusting well. The Naturopath said that his reactions would get worse before they get better so we have to clean out his system of the stuff that makes him react. It is a struggle - especially on his mental health and the health of all of us. I get exhausted just thinking about it.

Goat Milk is everywhere and I am happy to see that. It is tasty and he likes it. He hasn't liked much of the "new food" or now "Patrick safe" food. We have tried many "Chevre" products and it is pretty good stuff. I SO want to buy a goat or two now. Goats will eat ANYTHING though and their milk tastes like what they eat so I wonder what Meyenberg Farms feed their goats? Another shameless plug - Meyenberg Farms is a blessing.

I have come to learn how to adjust some recipes but the hardest is that soy! It's AMAZING that it is in everything. It's a wonder that anyone with a soy allergy can function. It's even in the organic stuff!

I have a recipe for Poutine - a REALLY fun dish that is from Quebec

Organic French Fries (pomme frites)
Organic Beef Gravy (sauce de boeuf)
Organic Goat Cheese (fromage chevre)

Pomme frites -

Slice potatoes and pat dry
Fry in a deep frier at 320
take them out and salt them immediately

sauce de boeuf -
10 ounces organic beef broth
2 TBS of butter
1 TBS potato starch OR 2 TBS Rice Flour
Seasoning - how you like it I like the Kirkland No Salt Seasoning, but you can use Seasoned Salt or McCormick's Grill Seasoning - whatever floats your boat
Salt

Some people like to start with a roux of rice flour and butter, then add the broth but either way is fine.

method -
in a small bowl mix the potato starch with 2 oz of room temp broth put the rest of the broth in a saucepan and boil. Add the potato starch mixture and stir it in to the sauce. It will thicken. Be warned though unless you are used to cooking with potato starch watch it very, very carefully because potato starch will lose it's thickness if you cook it too long.

If you start with a roux melt the butter in the saucepan then add the flour and cook it until it gets all gloppy. Then add the broth slowly and stir it in. Add all your seasoning. It will thicken.

Cheese - NOT FETA!

Cube up the cheese and get ready to CRUMBLE

Plate the warm fries first, then the gravy then the cheese on top. Serve with spinach salad

Spinach salad can be wilted - I LOVE a good wilted spinach salad with bacon and bacon renderings! NOM NOM! And it is safe for my kids to eat!

Fillipino Fried Rice

A friend of mine taught me this recipe so I will pass it on to you - so very easy -

6 cups cooked rice (sticky medium grain)
1 head of garlic (this is between 16 - 20 cloves, smashed and roughly chopped)
1 TBS oil
1 ham steak - diced
9 eggs - beaten (add pepper and salt to taste)
1/4 c. Tamari Soy Sauce (gluten free)
Pepper to taste

In a large frying pan (or wok) place the oil and heat it. Add the garlic and toast it. Add the ham steak to the garlic mixture - heat the ham and mix it well with the garlic. When heated through add the rice, break up the rice and mix well. Add the soy sauce and mix well. Leave the wok on low while making eggs.
In a separate frying pan, add a tiny bit of oil and heat the pan to medium. Add 1/2 of the beaten egg mixture (your pan will probably be too small to do it all at once so take it in shifts). When complete, combine cooked eggs with the rice mixture. Add pepper to taste and have a nice dinner! Serve as a main course - I always do!
You can always add more seasonings but this is a good base for fried rice. You can also freeze it and have leftovers later, or you can feed a herd of people :)

Saying goodbye

We had to put our dog down yesterday. There is nothing quite like that and no words to describe it other than "release". It was intense. Just the vet, the dog and I. Watching her take her last breath and to be out of pain. What a mixed blessing. I will miss her, true. I also know that letting her go on the journey that I cannot follow yet was an act that she desperately needed me to do.
Blessings to you, Spanky and all others at the Rainbow Bridge.

The Ultimate

I have been in a total whirlwind lately. My son - who previously has had no issues with food and the like has developed migraines as a result of a combination of things. One being airborne allergens, another - stress and his blood work will show what else is messing with him. It has been a terribly painful thing for me to see my son in such agony but I am thankful that I have the tenacity to see this through. It will be 3 weeks before we find out what is going on with him. Going to the Naturopath was a wonderful thing today and we'll see if he is able to sleep solidly through the night!