Book Nook - The Joy of Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Baking

The Joy of Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Baking: 80 low-carb recipes that offer solutions for celiac disease, diabetes, and weight loss by Peter Reinhart and Denene Wallace:

Earlier tonight, the Bachsters and I picked up subs on our way home from running a few errands.  Since I've been trying to eat low-carb, I didn't get a sub, but had a big plate of broccoli gratin for supper instead (recipe to come soon on Sunday Brunch, if I don't eat it all first, before I can get a picture).  I was doing so well and quite proud of myself, and then I went and ate a bunch of homemade chocolate ice cream after the Bachsters went to bed.  I am trying, but eating low-carb is so hard for me because so many of the foods I love (breads, pastas, anything sweet) are full of carbs.

Enter The Joy of Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Baking.  This book is coming to my rescue!  I love pancakes - yep, there's a recipe in here for low-carb pancakes (a couple of different ones, actually).  Pizza....yes, low-carbers can now enjoy pizza.  Cake.....bread.....cookies.....there are low-carb versions of just about every baked good!  And these recipes are good for you in two ways.  First, they cut out the sugar, then they cut out the flour (and use nut and seed flours instead).  This is what really sets this book apart, because most other "healthy baking" cookbooks are either one or the other.

Of course, I could not recommend a cookbook without trying the recipes first!  My favorite recipe from the book is double-cheese focaccia with tomato sauce.  It has a wonderful flavor, and the sauce and cheese make it seem almost like eating pizza - but somehow, even better.  The focaccia was moist, which I didn't think I'd like, but the flavor was so amazing that I wasn't bothered by it.  The outer edges got a bit drier, so next time, I might spread out the dough a little more.  I'm definitely making this again:

Since I loved the focaccia so much, I really wanted to try one of the pizza recipes.  I tried the cheesy herbed pizza crust, which I liked, but not quite as much as the focaccia.  I used garbanzo bean flour, and it gave the pizza a very distinct flavor.  Our 8-year-old tried a little and exclaimed it too spicy; I think it was the garbanzo bean flour she was tasting.  I did love that it looks and feels just like regular pizza (some low-carb pizzas require a fork).  This is also a very good recipe, and great to make if you know you'll be in close proximity to traditional pizza.  It's just about impossible to turn down pizza once you smell it!

I make pancakes for the Bachsters often, and I usually don't allow myself any.  So, I was very happy to see a few pancake recipes.  I tried the blueberry pancakes, and they cooked and fluffed up like regular pancakes.  These were easy to make, and great with sugar-free syrup.  Our 8-year-old tried one and she ate it and said she liked it - so, it passed the test!

The downside to these recipes is that you have to get uncommon (and expensive) flours, and the sweetener I want to use is hard to find and pricy.  You also have to be careful to treat these recipes as treats.  While they are much healthier for you, there is not much nutrition, just like their carb-counterparts.  The recipes do not include nutritional information, which is a glaring omission - just about everyone watching their carb intake wants to see the carb count for the foods they're eating.  Hopefully, they'll include this information on future editions.

The other downside is that not all the recipes are keepers.  I also tried the pumpkin pie with the almond-coconut piecrust, and we didn't even eat it (but part of that could have been my doing, not knowing how much of my sweetener to add - I wasn't using one of their recommended brands on this recipe).  So, it's definitely worth trying it again and following the recipe to a "T."

Overall, there are lots of great recipes (and many tempting photos) using healthier ingredients.  With this book, it's possible to have your low-carb cake and eat it too!

-Cheryl

Sunday Brunch - {cream cheese pound cake}

Looking at my photo of cream cheese pound cake, it looks like any old loaf of bread.  But looks can be deceiving, as this is no ordinary loaf.  In fact, it's very un-bread-like.  I think calling it a big sugar cookie (in the form of a loaf cake) is a better description.

And that's exactly what it reminded me of: a sugar cookie, but just a bit softer.  It was sweet and buttery, just like a sugar cookie.  And gone from my counter in no time flat, just like a sugar cookie.

The recipe is from Martha Stewart's Cakes - thank you, Martha!

-Cheryl

Ohio Historical Museum

A few weeks ago, DH and I took the Bachsters to the Ohio Historical Society Museum here in Columbus.  DH and I had been to the museum a long time ago, way before we had kids, so it was fun for us to go back and enjoy it again (with 3 additional little people).

This museum has a little of everything, which makes it a really kid-friendly experience.  We saw fossils, Civil War flags, taxidermy, Native American artifacts, dolls from the 1800s and a camper from the 1950s, to name just a few of the many things on display.  Here are some shots of our day:

I can't believe that mastodons use to live in the Ohio area.  This one greets visitors as you enter the museum:

 
We all loved exploring the Lustron home, straight from the 1950s.  DH and I laughed when we saw the phone book (a real phone book!), and the Bachsters especially loved the rotary dial phone and record player (things they have probably never seen before):

Early Columbus transportation:

Early firefighter transportation:

I loved the handmade quilts.  How proud these quilt makers would be if they knew one of their creations was in a museum (!):

There was a little hearth area that was set up not far from the quilt display that the Bachsters just loved.  There was a butter churner and a spinning wheel, and these kept them busy for a long time:

And to top it all off, you exit through a gift shop that sells Ohio-made products, like maple syrup and wine.  I bought an Ohio-shaped cookie cutter (to make sweet reminders of our fun Ohio-y day)!

-Cheryl

Book Nook - reading Harry Potter

My favorite time of the day...........

-Cheryl

Sunday Brunch - {cauliflower gratin}

I just love gratins and casseroles.  They are such comfort foods in the colder months.  There's nothing like a casserole cooking away in the oven, warming up the whole house.  Recently, I've been trying to eat healthier, so I did some searching for a casserole that was vegetable based (vs. potatoes or grains).  I happened to have a bunch of cauliflower in the fridge & no idea what I was going to do with it when I found this recipe.

The recipe is from Martha Stewart (as usual....many thanks, Martha!).  I've made it a couple of times, and both times it was so delicious.  The first time making it, I combined Parmesan cheese with crushed up corn flakes (instead of the called-for bread crumbs) for the topping, since that was all I had on hand.  The second time making it, I wanted to eliminate some carbs, so I only topped it with the cheese.  It's so good, you don't even need a topping, really!

To make the gratin, you start by making a roux with flour and milk, then cook the cauliflower in the pan for a few minutes before mixing in the cheese (and sprinkling on the topping) and then baking it in the oven.  Easy peasy - and good for the body and soul on a cold day.

 -Cheryl

Book Nook - The Food52 Cookbook, Volume 2

The Food52 Cookbook, Volume 2 by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs:




Argh!  For some reason, my usual amazon link is still not working.  If I can't figure it out, I'll just go back to pictures of the books.  In the meantime, here's a different amazon link to the book.

Anyway, on to the book.  Authors Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs have created an online recipe site, where new recipes are shared by the community and commented on.  I'm sort of an online recipe comment junkie - I always seek them out.  In fact, nowadays when I come across a new recipe, first thing I'll do is see if I can find it online and see if there are any comments.  Other cooks are so helpful and generous with their tips!

Well, I'll admit I haven't visited the Food52 site, but I thoroughly enjoyed the cookbook.  There are tons of color photos of the dishes and their preparation.  Recipes are organized by season (that just makes so much sense, don't you think?).  Having come by the cookbook in the Fall/Winter, naturally I gravitated toward those chapters.  But there are lots of great recipes here, throughout the book.  I definitely want to try the vegetarian mushroom thyme gravy.  I've already bought all the ingredients for the crispy spice-brined pecans (I just need to figure out a day when I can donate the oven to their slow cooking - 10-12 hours!).  When the weather gets warmer, I'm definitely making the baked ricotta and goat cheese with candied tomatoes.

And, I've already made a couple of recipes.  First, the heavenly oatmeal molasses rolls.  These are so great, especially when eating them warm with butter, just as the authors recommend.  I don't make a lot of homemade bread, but I'm definitely making these again.  Sweet enough to enjoy on their own, but not too sweet - the perfect dinner roll.  I should know, I ate most of them myself (should I admit that?).

The other recipe I tried was the burnt caramel pudding.  Oh, this recipe is a keeper!  I love pudding (and custard) recipes that use minimal ingredients, and forgo cornstarch as a thickener.  This recipe only has 5 ingredients, and is very easy to make.  Just make sure you watch your caramel closely as it cooks (I've learned the hard way to give caramel my full attention).  Everyone in the Bach house loved it, except our oldest DD, who predicted she wouldn't like it, so found another treat instead (while I ate hers, ahem).

-Cheryl

Sunday Brunch - {sweet & spicy almonds}

I love this little recipe for sweet & spicy almonds.  I've made it a bunch and I always end up eating most of it (and this is the reason I don't actually make it very often).  These almonds are perfect for snacking on at parties or game-night or just whenever you want something a little sweet.  Ours are definitely more "sweet" than "spicy" - in fact, I only put a tiny bit of cayenne pepper into the mixture, but you can make them as spicy as you like.

The recipe is from one of the Everyday Food books, but it's also online here.

-Cheryl